Effectively Wild: A FanGraphs Baseball Podcast

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the announcement of a second Astros sign-stealing documentary and what they would want out of a sign-stealing docuseries, the ongoing negotiations between MLB and the MLBPA about starting the season, the public perception problems the players face, the way the media has covered the financial component of the talks, the long-term effects of 2020 on what baseball will look like, fake crowd noise on baseball broadcasts, and a Scott Boras rocket analogy. Then (56:03) they talk to Greg Bouris, the director of communications for the MLB Players Association from 1999 to 2018, about whether public opinion matters in labor relations, how the union tries to educate players and keep their comments consistent, the benefits and drawbacks of social media messaging, how to make the players’ case more persuasive to fans, how he would frame the players’ side of the dispute in the current climate, the likelihood of a future work stoppage, the growth of non-attendance-related revenue, and more. Audio intro: Albert Hammond Jr., "Rocket" Audio interstitial: Midnight Oil, "Read About It" Audio outro: The Only Ones, "Re-Union" Link to Joe Buck on fake crowd noise Link to Jeff Passan on baseball’s financial battle Link to Snell’s Twitch comments Link to Doolittle’s first Twitter thread Link to Doolittle’s second Twitter thread Link to Craig Edwards on team TV revenue Link to Craig Edwards on the MLB-MLBPA negotiations Link to Craig Goldstein on the MLB-MLBPA negotiations Link to Ben on Lords of the Realm Link to Scott Boras comments Link to Meg’s rocket doodle Link to Power X Communications website Link to order The MVP Machine  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 Sam Miller banter about the difficulty of interpreting the context of old articles about baseball and a man obsessed with smashing certain plate glass windows, then answer listener emails about what qualifies as hitting a ball out of the ballpark and eliminating force outs, plus Stat Blasts about the all-time defensive indifference leaders (inspired by Armando Galarraga’s lobbying for a retroactive perfect game), winning pitchers with more earned runs allowed than the losing pitchers, and players who batted 1.000 in their first and last games, as well as a concluding discussion of the new TNT TV adaptation of EW favorite Snowpiercer. Audio intro: Field Music, "In Context" Audio outro: Nick Lowe, "I Love the Sound of Breaking Glass" Link to video of Stanton homer Link to Sam on umpires’ personal strike zones Link to Stat Blast song covers thread Link to Jonathan Crymes’s Stat Blast song cover Link to Galarraga article Link to defensive indifference data Link to defensive indifference article Link to “good-luck winners” data Link to “good-luck winners” historical trends Link to players with perfect debuts and finales Link to order The MVP Machine  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 Sam Miller banter about an anecdote in David Halberstam’s book The Teammates about prescient Cardinals pitcher Harry Brecheen, the uproar when players were first prevented from leaving their gloves on the field, and the 20th anniversary of Glenallen Hill’s rooftop home run, then revisit Michael Jordan’s motivations for playing baseball and discuss the etymology and application of the term “eyewash” inside and outside of baseball (plus a remembrance of the late Jerry Stiller and a salute to the alternately underrated and overrated Ken Phelps). Audio intro: Carole King, "Up on the Roof" Audio outro: The Ramones, "Garden of Serenity" Link to The Teammates Link to article about gloves on the field Link to Pages from Baseball’s Past Link to video of Hill’s homer Link to article about Hill’s homer Link to Verducci on Jordan Link to R.J. on Jordan Link to eyewash article Link to Seinfeld scene Link to article about Phelps Link to article about the Phelps All-Stars Link to order The MVP Machine  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 an aggressive umpiring demotion in the KBO, FanGraphs adding KBO stats, and the pleasures of falling asleep with baseball on in the background. Then (16:30) they talk to former lefty pitcher Andy Van Hekken, who pitched professionally for 21 seasons across nine countries, about being one of the most-traveled pro players of all time, his memorable MLB debut with the 2002 Detroit Tigers, pitching in the KBO, CPBL, and NPB, the customs, strike zones, and strategies of Asian baseball, match-fixing in Taiwan, the key to overseas success, the baseball language barrier, the art of the forkball, becoming a star player and local hero in an unexpected place, and more. Finally (56:45), they bring on Leander Schaerlaeckens to discuss his Slate investigation into President Trump’s high school baseball career, how and why he fact-checked claims about Trump being a pro prospect, and Trump as a player and teammate. Audio intro: Mac DeMarco, "Baby You’re Out" Audio interstitial 1: Slothrust, "Travel Bug" Audio interstitial 2: Yo La Tengo, "If it’s True" Audio outro: Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, "Travel Song" Link to article on umpiring demotions Link to FanGraphs KBO stats post Link to MLB.com article on Van Hekken Link to local Michigan article on Van Hekken Link to video of Van Hekken’s MLB debut Link to KBO video of Van Hekken Link to CPBL video of Van Hekken Link to list of players who played in MLB/NPB/KBO/CPBL Link to list of B-Ref’s most-traveled players Link to article on CPBL match-fixing Link to article on the CPBL’s resurgence Link to Leander’s Trump investigation Link to Kram on the home-court assists advantage Link to order The MVP Machine  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 Sam Miller banter about KBO season excitement and answer listener emails about MLB precedents for Warwick Saupold’s KBO complete game, whether MLB fandom would work if teams didn’t play games in their “home” cities, the ethics of time travel in Tommy John surgery rehab and if and when it makes sense to sacrifice life expectancy for greater achievement, Johnny Sturm and other players who’ve qualified for the batting title in their lone MLB season, how Ben and Sam are continuing to challenge themselves as writers and thinkers now that sabermetrics has gone mainstream, Bryan LaHair and the lowest-career-WAR All-Stars, and whether Joey Votto (or any other player) can foul off pitches until they get one they like, plus a Stat Blast about official scorers and “home cooking.” Audio intro: Field Music, "Something Familiar" Audio outro: Ages and Ages, "Divisionary (Do the Right Thing)" Link to story about Spud Johnson Link to Slate story on sabermetrics and humility Link to list of lowest-career-WAR All-Stars Link to Stat Blast song covers thread Link to Ben Scruton’s Stat Blast song cover Link to fouls/swing rate data Link to order The MVP Machine  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, Sam Miller, and Meg Rowley banter about fear of criticism, Eddie Murphy vs. Eddie Murray, and dreams, then take turns building the best imaginary Hall of Fame exhibits they can by picking five baseball items from their lifetimes for Cooperstown preservation, drafting one artifact apiece from each of five categories. Audio intro: Death Cab for Cutie, "Pictures in an Exhibition" Audio outro: Mavis Staples, "History, Now" Link to Bonds vs. Gagne video Link to Bonds vs. Gagne backstory Link to 1998 andro article Link to story about Sotomayor ruling Link to A-Rod contract retrospective Link to championship belt story Link to Sale jersey story Link to Epstein walkout story Link to Epstein concert fake mustache Link to Epstein ballgame fake mustache Link to info on Griffey rookie card Link to Nomo 30 for 30 podcast Link to Trout draft story episode Link to Trout throwing arm story Link to KBO primer podcast Link to 2019 KBO podcast inteview Link to order The MVP Machine  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

Facing the prospect of a season without fans in the stands, Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley console themselves and fight baseball withdrawal by revisiting classic accounts of going to games. The authors of three revered books based on single games—Arnold Hano, the author of A Day in the Bleachers (1955), Dan Okrent, the author of Nine Innings (1985), and Rob Neyer, the author of Power Ball (2018)—join the show for a conversation about the enduring appeal of the genre their books belong to, the challenge of writing a book that describes a single game, the different approaches they took, the evolution of baseball’s spectator experience, Arnold’s memories of going to games in the 1920s and 1930s and seeing legends like Babe Ruth, Mel Ott, and Carl Hubbell, baseball’s capacity to offer comfort, and more. Audio intro: Dan Bern, "A Day at the Ballgame" Audio outro: Dan Bern, "Love, War and a Baseball Game" Link to A Day in the Bleachers Link to Nine Innings Link to Power Ball Link to 1954 World Series Game 1 box score Link to June 10, 1982 Brewers-Orioles box score Link to September 8, 2017 A’s-Astros box score Link to previous interview with Rob about Power Ball Link to video of Mays catch Link to speech about Arnold at his Shrine of the Eternals induction Link to info on documentary about Arnold Link to Hano! A Century in the Bleachers Link to A Secret Love Link to Ben and Travis Q&A Link to order The MVP Machine  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, Sam Miller, and senior writer for The Athletic Andy McCullough banter about the people they would be (or have been) most nervous about interviewing and two new noteworthy articles, then discuss Andy’s and Rustin Dodd’s highly controversial ranking of the 30 greatest baseball songs of all time, the dispute about John Fogerty’s “Centerfield,” the best and worst baseball songs, what qualifies a song as a baseball song, why baseball music isn’t better, and more. Audio intro: The Magnolia Electric Co., "31 Seasons in the Minor Leagues" Audio outro: Matt the Electrician, "Baseball Song" Link to Sam’s Mattingly article Link to Pedro’s rooster reveal Link to Andy’s and Rustin’s ranking Link to Ben on baseball sheet music Link to Sam on baseball rap Link to Sam on baseball rap again Link to EW music folder Link to Ben and Travis Q&A Link to order The MVP Machine  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 Sam Miller banter about Johnny Vander Meer’s ear boils and the surprisingly ancient origins of the phrase, “A walk is as good as a hit,” then answer listener emails about why some players prove to be flashes in the pan, whether a home run derby would work under current conditions, whether the pandemic makes MLB expansion more or less likely, what one would learn from watching every game from an MLB season (and how one would do it), why some prospects skip Triple-A, and why we don’t talk more about the brief baseball career of Chris Saenz, plus a Stat Blast about the highest Championship Leverage Index. Audio intro: Paul McCartney, "Boil Crisis" Audio outro: Paul McCartney, "Boil Crisis" Link to free Baseball Digest archive Link to history of “A walk is as good as a hit” Link to study on OBP vs. batting average Link to Sam on the home run derby Link to Joel Sherman on the Home Run Derby Link to first episode of 1960 home run derby Link to Stat Blast song covers thread Link to Theodor Bierhoff’s Stat Blast song cover Link to list of highest-CLI plays Link to video of highest-CLI play Link to article on Willie McCovey and Peanuts Link to Peanuts strips on Willie McCovey Link to Maury Brown on expansion Link to Ben on minor league difficulty Link to 2013 article on skipping Triple-A Link to 2015 article on skipping Triple-A Link to 2016 article on skipping Triple-A Link to order The MVP Machine  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 beverage consumption, foreign baseball leagues’ potential for popularity in the U.S., and the life and death of legendary flamethrower Steve Dalkowski, who passed away this week. Then they talk to Rob Liu of CPBLStats.com (25:48) and Dan Kurtz of MyKBO.net (58:22) about two leagues that have beaten MLB back to action, Taiwan’s Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) and South Korea’s Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), touching on how their seasons have started, the best ways for American baseball fans to follow them, the players and teams to know, the aesthetic and stylistic differences between them and MLB, the histories and evolutions of the leagues, their fluctuating home run rates, their foreign-player presences, their embraces of sabermetrics, their engaging ballpark atmospheres, the CPBL’s playoff format, and the KBO’s bat flips. Audio intro: Alec Benjamin, "Steve" Audio interstitial 1: Sturgill Simpson, "Fastest Horse in Town" Audio interstitial 2: James Chen, "Summer in Taiwan" Audio outro: Nadan, "Play Ball" Link to Pat Jordan on Dalkowski Link to John Eisenberg on Dalkowski Link to Joe Posnanski on Dalkowski Link to Posnanski on Dalkowski again Link to Steve Treder on Dalkowski Link to Dom Amore on Dalkowski Link to Dalkowski obit Link to CPBL Stats Link to info on CPBL home run rates Link to Chin-hui Tsao’s Wikipedia page Link to story about Tsao as a prospect Link to Eleven Sports Taiwan Link to CPBL streaming guide Link to Jay Jaffe on the CPBL Link to Marc Carig on CPBL broadcasts Link to MyKBO Link to MyKBO Stats Link to bat flips feature Link to Sung Min Kim on KBO ball de-juicing Link to story about ESPN and KBO Link to KBO streaming instructions Link to Jaffe on the KBO Link to order The MVP Machine  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