FanGraphs Audio: Robert Ford Strikes a Balance

March 26, 2021

Episode 915

On this edition of the podcast, we are joined by a major league broadcaster before we dig into the latest spring training happenings as we tick down to Opening Day.

At the top of the show, David Laurila welcomes Robert Ford, radio voice of the Houston Astros. They discuss how important it is to get name pronunciations right in their respective lines of work, college basketball allegiances, the dearth of African American broadcasters in the majors, how important broadcasting is to the minor leagues, the future of Kyle Tucker, and more. Robert also explains the important difference between being critical and negative when covering baseball, and discusses working with Dusty Baker and Steve Sparks.[2:35]
After that, Eric Longenhagen and Jason Martinez chat about the state of baseball as teams begin to make their final roster decisions. What will the White Sox do following Eloy Jiménez’s injury, and what is the plan in the Cardinals’ outfield? Eric also shares his thoughts about the side effects of a league changing rules in response to team behaviors. Finally, the pair look ahead to their staff predictions, with a particular eye on the American League West. [36:58]

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Audio after the jump. (Approximate 1 hour 14 minutes play time.)