Effectively Wild: A FanGraphs Baseball Podcast

Ben Lindbergh concludes a short series of conversations with baseball content creators who work mainly in a medium other than writing or podcasting by talking to singer-songwriter Dan Bern about his origins as a baseball fan and musician, rooting for different teams at different times, his songwriting process, sneaking into Wrigley Field, composing his first baseball song, the tools of his trade, what makes a song a baseball song, the most fitting subjects for baseball songs, the best baseball songs by other artists, the pandemic’s impact on musicians, writing bespoke songs, appreciating multiple eras of baseball history, and more. Dan also performs his songs “Ballpark” (15:40), “The Year-By-Year Home Run Totals of Barry Bonds” (18:50), “Slowly Turn Around” (19:47), “Everything’s Better Than it Used to Be” (45:36), “This Side of the White Lines” (49:45), and “Seven Miles an Hour” (55:25). Audio intro: Dan Bern, “When My Buckner Moment Comes” Audio outro: Dan Bern, “Merkle” Link to Dan’s website Link to Dan’s song store Link to Dan on Bandcamp Link to Dan on Facebook Link to Dan’s Doubleheader album on Spotify Link to Dan’s Rivalry album on Spotify Link to NYT piece on Doubleheader Link to Dan’s 10,000 Crappy Songs podcast Link to Dan’s discography Link to Dan’s lyrics Link to press coverage of Dan Link to “Ballpark” Link to “The Year-By-Year Home Run Totals of Barry Bonds” Link to “Slowly Turn Around” Link to “Everything’s Better Than it Used to Be” Link to “This Side of the White Lines” Link to “Seven Miles an Hour” Link to “The Golden Voice of Vin Scully” Link to EW episode about baseball music Link to Ben on Get Back Link to Neil Young’s “Old Black” Link to Conan’s old-timey baseball video Link to EW episode about old-timey baseball Link to EW episode about discovering sports late Link to Patreon trivia contest Link to stream Stove League via Viki  iTunes Feed (Please rate and review us!)  Sponsor Us on Patreon  Facebook Group  Effectively Wild Wiki  Twitter Account  Get Our Merch!  Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com Source

Ben Lindbergh continues a short series of conversations with baseball content creators who work mainly in a medium other than writing or podcasting by talking to painter Graig Kreindler about Noah Syndergaard, Nick Adenhart, and the best way to pay tribute to past players via uniform number, how Graig got started as a baseball fan and artist, how he began to unify the two hobbies into a calling and career, the combination of inherent ability and practice, the tools of his trade, parting with completed pieces, how his portraits draw on but differ from photographs, his rigorous research process (and the heightened challenge of researching Negro Leagues players), blending preparation and passion, correcting mistakes, his artistic aspirations, his favorite paintings, and much more. Audio intro: The High Llamas, “Painters Paint” Audio outro: The Band (Feat. Bob Dylan), “When I Paint My Masterpiece” Link to Sam Blum on Adenhart and Syndergaard Link to first EW episode about number tributes Link to Graig’s website Link to Graig on Instagram Link to YouTube video about Graig Link to NYT piece on Graig Link to Sports Collectors Digest on Graig Link to Todd Radom on Graig Link to National Review piece on Graig Link to Graig’s Negro Leagues Project gallery Link to Graig’s “large works” gallery Link to Murderer’s Row (1927 Yankees) Link to The Dutch Master (Johnny Vander Meer) Link to Foreign Reinforcement (Josh Gibson) Link to Big Sam (Sam Thompson) Link to Advice From the Big Kid (Ruth) Link to In a Fog (Ernie Banks) Link to Graig’s Bautista bat flip Link to Tom Shieber EW interview Link to Tom’s Baseball Researcher site Link to history of perspective in art Link to NFTs explainer Link to EW episode about discovering sports late Link to Patreon trivia contest Link to stream Stove League via Viki  iTunes Feed (Please rate and review us!)  Sponsor Us on Patreon  Facebook Group  Effectively Wild Wiki  Twitter Account  Get Our Merch!  Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com Source

Ben Lindbergh kicks off a short series of conversations with baseball content creators who work mainly in mediums other than writing or podcasting by talking to YouTuber Bailey Freeman of Foolish Baseball about the Mets hiring Buck Showalter and the challenge of evaluating managers, how many bases Rickey Henderson would steal today, Bailey’s origins as a baseball fan and video maker, his process for picking topics and producing videos, watching videos vs. reading articles or listening to podcasts, MLB’s video policy, how he and his videos have evolved, the tools of his trade, which baseball footage he wishes he had, his YouTube influences and recommendations, being beholden to algorithms, and much more. Audio intro: Lucinda Williams, “Foolishness” Audio outro: Superchunk, “Foolish” Link to Foolish Baseball YouTube channel Link to Foolish Bailey YouTube channel Link to Bailey’s Patreon page Link to Bailey’s latest Ohtani video Link to Bailey’s Bleier video Link to Bailey’s Henderson video Link to Bailey’s Verlander video Link to Bailey’s two-way revolution video Link to Bailey’s Locastro video Link to Bailey’s Simmons video Link to Bailey’s Mathis video Link to Bailey’s spring training video Link to Bailey’s Yankees/Twins video Link to Bailey’s Barajas video Link to Summoning Salt YouTube channel Link to Jomboy Media YouTube channel Link to SportStorm YouTube channel Link to YourFriendKyle Twitch channel Link to history of perspective in art Link to article about players peeing on hands Link to Patreon trivia contest Link to stream Stove League via Viki  iTunes Feed (Please rate and review us!)  Sponsor Us on Patreon  Facebook Group  Effectively Wild Wiki  Twitter Account  Get Our Merch!  Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com Source

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the United States of Shohei Ohtani and Baseball-Reference player page popularity, a perplexing fact about fielding percentage, time-shifted baseball (and watching only wins), learning to love a sport later in life, whether pruney fingers would be a performance-enhancer for pitchers, the great rosin bag battle of the 1920s and ’30s, sketching Mike Trout, and more. Audio intro: Sparks, “Popularity” Audio outro: The Electric Prunes, “It’s Not Fair” Link to Baseball-Reference year-end stats Link to Trueblood tweet about fielding percentage Link to EW email questions database Link to pruney skin explainer Link to historical life expectancy story Link to Craig R. Wright on rosin bags Link to Wright’s subscription story series Link to Rob Arthur on the spin rate resurgence Link to Alex Speier on testing tacky baseballs Link to Trout sketches on Reddit Link to Patreon trivia contest Link to stream Stove League via Viki  iTunes Feed (Please rate and review us!)  Sponsor Us on Patreon  Facebook Group  Effectively Wild Wiki  Twitter Account  Get Our Merch!  Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com Source

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about how baseball writers are coping with the lockout, revisit the burst of spending that preceded its start, and marvel at the wide variety of Hall of Fame ballots that have surfaced so far. Then (19:01) they talk to Sean Gibson and Ted Knorr, two of the founders of the 42 for 21 Committee, about getting greater recognition for Negro Leaguers and other stars of Black baseball, their efforts to improve the Hall of Fame induction process, and the most deserving pre-integration Cooperstown candidates who are still outside the Hall. Finally (54:14), they talk to Dr. Sally Yerkovich, a professor of Museum Anthropology at Columbia University, about the field of museum ethics, the challenges confronting modern museums, and the parallels between the thorny issues other institutions face and Hall of Fame voters’ character clause dilemma. Audio intro: Basic Plumbing, “Too Slow” Audio interstitial: Paul Weller, “The Strange Museum” Audio outro: Tiny Ruins, “Me at the Museum, You in the Wintergardens” Link to Ben Clemens on free agent spending Link to Clemens on math and walk rates Link to BBHOF Ballot Tracker Link to Jay Jaffe on Bonds/Clemens/Sosa/Schilling Link to 42 for 21 website Link to 42 for 21 Committee press release Link to 42 for 21 on FanGraphs Audio Link to info on HoF committee membership Link to Sean’s previous appearance on EW Link to Josh Gibson Foundation website Link to Ted Knorr on Rap Dixon Link to Dixon’s SABR bio Link to Rap Dixon NLBM page Link to John Beckwith NLBM page Link to George Stovey NLBM page Link to Gus Greenlee NLBM page Link to Adam Darowski EW episode Link to list of upcoming HoF elections Link to Dr. Yerkovich’s Columbia bio Link to A Practical Guide to Museum Ethics Link to Institute of Museum Ethics website Link to Jared Diamond on the character clause Link to Michael Baumann on the character clause Link to Puckett’s Hall of Fame page CW // Link to SI report about Puckett CW // Link to report about Puig CW // Link to allegations by Bonds’s ex-wife CW // Link to allegations by Bonds’s ex-girlfriend CW // Link to Britni de la Cretaz on Bonds Link to Negro Leagues MLEs explainers Link to podcast about Negro Leagues MLEs Link to Hamtramck Stadium website Link to Hamtramck Stadium video Link to Patreon trivia contest Link to stream Stove League via Viki  iTunes Feed (Please rate and review us!)  Sponsor Us on Patreon  Facebook Group  Effectively Wild Wiki  Twitter Account  Get Our Merch!  Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com Source

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the reasons for and consequences of MLB’s lack of compelling record chases (à la Alex Ovechkin’s in the NHL, Stephen Curry’s in the NBA, and Tom Brady’s in the NFL). Then (21:16) they talk to Sam Dingman and Mac Montandon, the hosts of The Rumor, a just-completed six-part narrative podcast about a rumor that a fight between Cal Ripken Jr. and Kevin Costner caused the Orioles to cancel a game to preserve Ripken’s consecutive-games streak, touching on the origins, prevalence, and plausibility of the rumor, their reporting process, baseball hero worship, the interviews they wish they could have done, the appeal of baseball rumors, ideas for The Rumor Season 2, and more. Audio intro: Ian Hunter, “Old Legends Never Die” Audio interstitial: The Records, “Rumour Sets the Woods Alight” Audio outro: Electric Light Orchestra, “The Lights Go Down” Link to Sam Miller on unbreakable records Link to Sam on hitting .400 Link to Sam on a 21-strikeout game Link to Neil Paine on Ovechkin Link to Zach Kram on Curry Link to USA Today on Brady Link to article on Franco’s on-base streak Link to research on days off and offense Link to The Rumor Link to Vulture interview about The Rumor Link to video of record-breaking Ripken game Link to Secret Base video about the rumor Link to Randy Johnson EW interview Link to story on Jeter’s gift baskets Link to “Yeah Jeets” story Link to Paul Pierce pooping story Link to Ripken’s 2001 ASG homer Link to article about “pipe shots” Link to Emma Baccellieri on baseball mud Link to Patreon trivia contest Link to Stove League teaser video Link to stream Stove League via Kocowa Link to stream Stove League via Viki  iTunes Feed (Please rate and review us!)  Sponsor Us on Patreon  Facebook Group  Effectively Wild Wiki  Twitter Account  Get Our Merch!  Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com Source

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the slow drip of baseball news during the lockout, why MLB’s competitive balance gets a bad rap, the Rays’ historic collective minor league winning percentage, and the difficulty of evaluating individual defense in the age of Statcast-based and non-Statcast-based metrics. Then (33:09) they continue their series of discussions of Korean baseball drama Stove League by breaking down Episodes 9–12. (Note: No spoilers beyond Episode 12.) Audio intro: Superchunk, "Slow" Audio outro: Michael Nesmith, "Propinquity (I’ve Just Begun to Care)" Link to James Smyth’s parity thread Link to Rob Mains on 2021 parity Link to Ben on competitive balance Link to Organization of the Year announcement Link to story on record Rays winning percentage Link to story about winning and player dev Link to best minor league records of the 2010s Link to story on Astros’ minor league winning Link to Sam Miller on the best farm systems Link to FanGraphs farm system rankings Link to Effectively Wild Secret Santa Link to The Rumor podcast Link to first EW Stove League discussion Link to second EW Stove League discussion Link to basepaths bubble tunnel photo Link to Stove League teaser video Link to Stove League review Link to stream Stove League via Kocowa Link to stream Stove League via Viki  iTunes Feed (Please rate and review us!)  Sponsor Us on Patreon  Facebook Group  Effectively Wild Wiki  Twitter Account  Get Our Merch!  Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com Source

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley talk to Adam Darowski, the baseball historian, Hall of Fame scholar, and Head of User Experience at Sports Reference, about working on the Baseball-Reference website, creating the Hall of Stats, the Hall of Stats vs. the Hall of Fame, the appeal of 19th-century baseball, the Hall of Fame elections of Buck O’Neil, Minnie Miñoso, Gil Hodges, Tony Oliva, Jim Kaat, and Bud Fowler, another near miss for Dick Allen, deserving candidates who weren’t on a ballot, the future of Cooperstown committees, ballot math, and more. Audio intro: Manfred Mann’s Earth Band, “Tribal Statistics” Audio outro: Whitney, “Golden Days” Link to the Hall of Stats Link to Hall of Fame announcement Link to Jay’s intro to the ballots Link to Jay Jaffe on the voting results Link to Adam’s Hall of Fame podcast Link to Joe Posnanski on ballot math Link to Posnanski on O’Neil’s election Link to Shakeia Taylor on O’Neil Link to Jay on Fowler Link to Jay on Dahlen and Reynolds Link to Jay on Kaat Link to Jay on Hodges Link to Jay on Oliva Link to Jay on Allen Link to Craig Wright on Miñoso Link to Wright on Freehan Link to 42 for 21 Committee Link to John Donaldson EW episode Link to Doc Adams EW episode Link to Ben on Baines Link to Effectively Wild Secret Santa Link to Stove League teaser video Link to Stove League review Link to stream Stove League via Kocowa Link to stream Stove League via Viki  iTunes Feed (Please rate and review us!)  Sponsor Us on Patreon  Facebook Group  Effectively Wild Wiki  Twitter Account  Get Our Merch!  Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com Source

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about listener responses to their earlier conversation about the proper pluralization of “hit by pitch,” then (11:41) bring on Bradford William Davis and Dr. Meredith Wills to discuss the reporting and research that revealed that two types of baseballs were used during the 2021 MLB regular season, as well as the differences between balls, players’ and teams’ reactions to the news, whether MLB’s ball problems stem from incompetence or conspiracy, how the league could improve its messaging and production process, the outlook for offense next year, the ball’s impact on gambling and the labor situation, and more. Audio intro: Sparks, “Balls” Audio outro: Roy Orbison, “Two of a Kind” Link to SABR style guide Link to Bradford’s report Link to thread about Bradford’s report Link to SI report about 2020 balls Link to study about the Yankees Link to Alonso’s comments Link to Ben’s first piece about the HR rate Link to Ben’s first piece about the ball Link to Manfred’s 2019 comments Link to Meredith’s 2019 analysis Link to Ben on 2019 postseason balls Link to article about Wilson basketballs Link to Sporting News on three-pointers Link to NPR on three-pointers Link to Effectively Wild Secret Santa Link to Stove League teaser video Link to Stove League review Link to stream Stove League via Kocowa Link to stream Stove League via Viki  iTunes Feed (Please rate and review us!)  Sponsor Us on Patreon  Facebook Group  Effectively Wild Wiki  Twitter Account  Get Our Merch!  Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com Source

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about which teams have the most unfinished roster construction to complete post-lockout and the league’s and union’s dueling playoff format proposals, then answer listener emails about what Wander Franco would make as a free agent today, a plan to combat tanking, and the proper pluralization of “hit by pitch,” Stat Blast about Rich Hill and Scott Service, and meet two major leaguers, the Nationals’ Joan Adon and the Cubs’ Tyler Payne. Audio intro: Leftover Salmon, “Mountain Top” Audio outro: Biz Markie, “My Man Rich” Link to 14-team-playoffs proposal Link to 12-team-playoffs proposal Link to Ken Rosenthal on Freeman Link to Sam Miller on seeking contracts Link to article about Boras loophole Link to the “Gold Plan” Link to article on MLB vs. NFL TV ratings Link to Ben Clemens on the Hill signing Link to list of most signings with one team Link to list of most stints with one team Link to article about Cubs players used Link to article about Service Link to Servais vs. Service record Link to Servais vs. Service video Link to Travis Sawchik thread Link to Adon debut highlights Link to Adon debut post Link to Effectively Wild Secret Santa Link to Stove League teaser video Link to Stove League review Link to stream Stove League via Kocowa Link to stream Stove League via Viki  iTunes Feed (Please rate and review us!)  Sponsor Us on Patreon  Facebook Group  Effectively Wild Wiki  Twitter Account  Get Our Merch!  Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com Source