Archive for Effectively Wild

Effectively Wild Episode 1507: Season Preview Series: Mets and Blue Jays

EWFI
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about passing the halfway point of the season preview series, Zach Eflin’s spring training feedback on a possibly less lively baseball, the effect of sign stealing on the average time between pitches, a recent rash of spring pitcher injuries, and the incredible career trajectory of former Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr., then preview the 2020 Mets (19:06) with The Athletic’s Tim Britton, and the 2020 Blue Jays (58:23) with Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith.

Audio intro: Aceyalone & RJD2, "Junior"
Audio interstitial 1: Yo La Tengo, "Meet the Mets"
Audio interstitial 2: Guided By Voices, "Blue Jay House"
Audio outro: Crowded House, "Now We’re Getting Somewhere"

Link to Eflin story
Link to Ben on sign stealing and pace
Link to Kershaw’s comments on 2017
Link to post about Amaro
Link to story about Mets fans and Venmo
Link to Tim on Ramos
Link to Ben on the one-knee catching trend
Link to The Resisters
Link to The Cactus League
Link to order The MVP Machine

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Effectively Wild Episode 1506: Season Preview Series: Athletics and Rockies

EWFI
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the Astros confiscating signs at spring training and Madison Bumgarner’s rodeo alter ego, Mason Saunders, then preview the 2020 Athletics (13:58) with the San Francisco Chronicle’s Susan Slusser, and the 2020 Rockies (39:47) with The Athletic’s Nick Groke, plus a postscript on the implications of Luis Severino’s season-ending surgery (1:13:16).

Audio intro: Jonathan Coulton, "I’m a Mason Now"
Audio interstitial 1: Johnny Cash, "Wreck of the Old 97"
Audio interstitial 2: Willie Nelson and Ray Price, "This Cold War With You"
Audio outro: Porcupine Tree, "Sever Tomorrow"

Link to Morning Consult sign-stealing poll
Link to Mason Saunders story
Link to story on Monfort’s 94-wins quote
Link to Ben on spring training elbow injuries
Link to Astros response to cheating lawsuit
Link to order The MVP Machine

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Effectively Wild Episode 1505: Sign Stealing is a Flat Circle

EWFI
In a special narrative episode of Effectively Wild, Ben Lindbergh traces the parallels between baseball’s latest sign-stealing crisis and an almost 60-year-old sign-stealing scandal that caused a comparable upheaval in the sport, drawing on archival clips, contemporary music, and interviews with author Paul Dickson and former major leaguers Eddie Robinson, Al Worthington, and Jay Hook to explore how illicit sign stealing starts, whether players can prevent it, and why it keeps recurring.

Audio intro: Bob Dylan, "Stealin’"
Audio interstitial 1: Elvis Presley, "Suspicion"
Audio interstitial 2: Gene Vincent, "I’m Goin’ Home (To See My Baby)"
Audio interstitial 3: Helen Humes, "‘Tain’t Nobody’s Biz-Ness If I Do"
Audio interstitial 4: Goldie Hill, "I Slipped Off My Wedding Ring"
Audio interstitial 5: Patsy Cline, "Your Cheatin’ Heart"
Audio outro: Ray Charles (Feat. Margie Hendricks), "Tell the Truth"

Link to The Hidden Language of Baseball
Link to Robinson’s memoir
Link to Veeck As In Wreck
Link to Rob Arthur’s Astros research
Link to Major League II scene
Link to Greenberg autobiography
Link to 1913 McGraw article
Link to first part of 1962 Sporting News sign-stealing feature
Link to second part of 1962 Sporting News sign-stealing feature
Link to 1962 Hook article
Link to 1957 Williams pigeon-shooting article
Link to Robinson interview episode
Link to order The MVP Machine

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Effectively Wild Episode 1504: Suing the Sign Stealers

EWFI
Will we see baseball’s sign stealers in court, or will attempts to take legal action be a suing and a miss? In a bonus episode of EW, Ben Lindbergh talks to sports-law expert Nathaniel Grow about the viability of and precedents for several lawsuits related to MLB’s ongoing sign-stealing scandal, as well as another case that could overturn teams’ traditional lack of liability for fan injuries sustained from foul balls.

Audio intro: Lindisfarne, "Court in the Act"
Audio outro: Frank Loesser, "Sue Me"

Link to story about Bolsinger case
Link to story about nine demoted pitchers
Link to Rob Arthur on sign stealing’s effectiveness
Link to story about Wallach case
Link to story about other ticket cases
Link to story about Olson case
Link to Clifford filing
Link to article about foul ball case
Link to article about 2008 PEDs case
Link to video of Bonds homer
Link to order The MVP Machine

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Effectively Wild Episode 1503: Season Preview Series: Indians and Rangers

EWFI
Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller banter about the AL/NL distribution of the season preview pods so far and a few notable numbers from the newly published FanGraphs playoff odds, then preview the 2020 Indians (8:11) with Sports Illustrated’s T.J. Zuppe, and the 2020 Rangers (38:55) with The Athletic’s Levi Weaver.

Audio intro: Della Mae, "The Odds of Getting Even"
Audio interstitial: The Jam, "I’ve Changed My Address"
Audio outro: Willie Nelson (Feat. Sinéad O’Connor), "Don’t Give Up"

Link to FanGraphs playoff odds
Link to Levi on the Rangers’ versatility
Link to Levi on Solak
Link to order The MVP Machine

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Effectively Wild Episode 1502: Running Interference

EWFI
Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller banter about walk-off balks, a Zack Greinke oral history, and how teams will use the new 26th roster spot, break down the responses to a Jayson Stark survey of baseball insiders about the winter and upcoming season, and answer listener emails about players’ outspoken criticisms of the Astros’ sign-stealing and Rob Manfred’s response, and which transgressions might merit vacating a team’s title, plus a Stat Blast about the ultra-rare walk-off catcher’s interference.

Audio intro: Clem Snide, "Don’t Be Afraid of Your Anger"
Audio outro: Neil Young, "Speakin’ Out"

Link to post about walk-off balks
Link to Greinke oral history
Link to Schoenfield on the 26th roster spot
Link to Stark’s survey
Link to Ben on the endless sign-stealing scandal
Link to story about players speaking out
Link to story about Astros immunity
Link to Olney on Manfred protecting the Astros
Link to Emma on players’ use of social media
Link to order The MVP Machine

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Effectively Wild Episode 1501: Season Preview Series: Braves and Phillies

EWFI
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the latest developments in the escalating player war of words over the Astros sign-stealing scandal, José Altuve‘s alleged unfinished tattoo, Rob Manfred’s roundly criticized comments, Shohei Ohtani’s new driver’s license, and a modest pay hike for minor leaguers. Then they preview the 2020 Braves (34:29) with From the Diamond host Grant McAuley, and the 2020 Phillies (1:13:37) with The Athletic’s Meghan Montemurro.

Audio intro: The Who, "Tattoo"
Audio interstitial 1: The Replacements, "Someone Take the Wheel"
Audio interstitial 2: Cayetana, "South Philly"
Audio outro: Bud Light, "Mr. Fake Tattoo Inventor"

Link to story about Correa, Altuve, and Bellinger
Link to story about minor league pay hike
Link to possible Altuve tattoo sighting
Link to Darvish tweet
Link to Ben on the Braves rebuild
Link to post about Ozuna
Link to Grant’s Braves positional previews
Link to story on the Phillies’ spending
Link to story on the Phillies’ bullpen usage
Link to story on the Phillies’ sports science department
Link to Ben on the Phillies’ framing turnarounds
Link to Roger Angell interview
Link to order The MVP Machine

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Effectively Wild Episode 1500: Even More Things We Like About Baseball

EWFI
In the third incarnation of a time-honored tradition that recurs every 500-ish episodes, Ben Lindbergh, Sam Miller, and Meg Rowley are joined by The Athletic’s Grant Brisbee and ex-EW cohost (and current Tampa Bay Rays “Analyst, Baseball Development”) Jeff Sullivan to draft assorted things that they like about baseball.

Audio intro: Beauty and the Beast Soundtrack, "Something There"
Audio outro: Jefferson Airplane, "And I Like It"

Link to first draft episode
Link to second draft episode
Link to article on baseball, sex, and sheet music
Link to article about Quadruple-A players
Link to article about Craig’s daughter’s tweet
Link to Bregman popup play
Link to second Bregman walkoff
Link to article about Bo card
Link to order The MVP Machine

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Effectively Wild Episode 1499: Season Preview Series: Angels and Cardinals

EWFI
Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller banter about why the Astros sign-stealing scandal won’t go away, and the reception to the team’s first attempts to apologize. Then they preview the 2020 Angels (28:13) with The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya, and the 2020 Cardinals (1:03:49) with MLB.com’s Will Leitch. Lastly (1:37:15), Ben talks to FanGraphs’ Craig Edwards about Boston’s Mookie Betts Competitive Balance Tax myth, MLB’s reported 14-team playoff format idea, and the new three-batter-minimum rule (plus a postscript about the Mets’ new big-leaguers-only clubhouse).

Audio intro: Queen, "Scandal"
Audio interstitial 1: Teenage Fanclub, "Ain’t That Enough"
Audio interstitial 2: The Association, "Standing Still"
Audio interstitial 3: The Delgados, "Ballad of Accounting"
Audio outro: Isotopes, "Poison in the Clubhouse"

Link to story on Astros apologies
Link to The Athletic story on 2017 Astros clubhouse
Link to latest WSJ story on the Astros’ sign stealing
Link to Washington Post story on sign-stealing suspicions
Link to Bauer’s story on sign stealing
Link to Craig on Boston’s savings
Link to Zach Kram on Boston’s savings
Link to Rob Arthur on payroll flexibility
Link to story about MLB’s proposed playoff format
Link to Ben Clemens on the playoff format
Link to Cliff Corcoran on the three-batter minimum
Link to order The MVP Machine

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Effectively Wild Episode 1498: Season Preview Series: Cubs and Diamondbacks

EWFI
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the remade Mookie Betts trade, the latest revelations about the Astros’ sign-stealing scandal (including “Codebreaker” and “the dark arts”), and the Mets’ failed sale to hedge fund billionaire Steve Cohen. Then they preview the 2020 Cubs (46:13) with The Athletic’s Sahadev Sharma, and the 2020 Diamondbacks (1:20:08) with The Arizona Republic’s Nick Piecoro.

Audio intro: No-Fi Soul Rebellion, "Dark Arts"
Audio interstitial 1: Of Montreal, "Doing Nothing"
Audio interstitial 2: Ultrababyfat, "Diamondback"
Audio outro: Tunng, "Code Breaker"

Link to Astros WSJ report
Link to Travis on the Cubs’ pitching development problems
Link to Sahadev on the Cubs’ player development overhaul
Link to order The MVP Machine

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