The Infinite Inning

Latest Episodes:

Infinite Inning 169: Day of the Locust Jan 09, 2021

Show notes

Jesse Spector returns to mourn the events of January 6 and talk a little baseball as well. Plus relevant tales: Casey Stengel starts a riot and the Francisco Lindor trade is compared to a national-scale bait and switch.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Why Casey was Suspended*Day of the Locust*Jesse Spector: Just Another Day in Democracy*The Space Shuttle Disaster and Tom Green Movies as Pandemic Masks and a Gateway to QAnon*Office Hot Tub and Working From Home*Explaining Trump to Kids/Civics Class/Sore Loser at “Candyland”*Athletes of Color Note the Contradiction/The Baseballness of Everything*Rickey and Robinson*Racists in the Stands*Jesse Gets Letters*The Antifa Who Was Thursday*What is the Job of Sports Media on the Worst Day in American History?*Oblique References to a Certain Pitcher*The Cold Stove League/DH or No DH?*The Mike Easler Trade*Goodbyes.
The Infinite Inning is not only about baseball but a state of mind. Steven Goldman, rotating cohosts Jesse Spector, Cliff Corcoran, and David Roth, and occasional guests discuss the game’s present, past, and future with forays outside the foul lines to the culture at large. Expect stats, anecdotes, digressions, explorations of writing and fandom, and more Casey Stengel quotations than you thought possible. Along the way, they’ll try to solve the puzzle that is the Infinite Inning: How do you find the joy in life when you can’t get anybody out?

Infinite Inning 168 Happy New Year and Farewell, Wee Willie Keeler Dec 31, 2020

Show notes

A special New Year’s episode features tales of something gaining on an umpire during a World Series game and relates the strangely happy last moments of Wee Willie Keeler, with some stops along the way.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Abner Dalrymple Remembers*A Question for the Leadership*Wee Willie Keeler Greets the New Year and Then Departs*New Year's Wishes*Instrumental Goodbyes.
The Infinite Inning is not only about baseball but a state of mind. Steven Goldman, rotating cohosts Jesse Spector, Cliff Corcoran, and David Roth, and occasional guests discuss the game’s present, past, and future with forays outside the foul lines to the culture at large. Expect stats, anecdotes, digressions, explorations of writing and fandom, and more Casey Stengel quotations than you thought possible. Along the way, they’ll try to solve the puzzle that is the Infinite Inning: How do you find the joy in life when you can’t get anybody out?

Infinite Inning 167: The Last Temptation of Babe Ruth Dec 22, 2020

Show notes

A special holiday episode features a possibly-fictional tale of Babe Ruth’s moment of reckoning after the difficult, out-of-control season of 1922, plus notes on herd immunity featuring Gee Walker, Max West, and Casey Stengel.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Mississippi Field Recordings*Dr. Alexander’s Prescription*A Quick Look at Gee Walker Hurting Himself, Max West Getting Hurt, And Casey Stengel’s Prescription For Speed As Ways Of Ending The Pandemic*The Last Temptation of Babe Ruth: A Story in Three Acts*Act I*Act II*Act III*Goodbyes.
The Infinite Inning is not only about baseball but a state of mind. Steven Goldman, rotating cohosts Jesse Spector, Cliff Corcoran, and David Roth, and occasional guests discuss the game’s present, past, and future with forays outside the foul lines to the culture at large. Expect stats, anecdotes, digressions, explorations of writing and fandom, and more Casey Stengel quotations than you thought possible. Along the way, they’ll try to solve the puzzle that is the Infinite Inning: How do you find the joy in life when you can’t get anybody out?

Infinite Inning 166: Who Comped Ted Williams? Dec 11, 2020

Show notes

Dan Szymborski (FanGraphs, ZiPs) returns to talk 2021 projections, mock the Rockies, and speculate about Norwegian cheeses. Plus tales: Lefty Gove has some earned sarcasm and a second baseman named Pep strikes out (a lot).
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Lefty Grove’s Snappy Answers to Stupid Comments*A Note on the Passing Dick Allen*Personal Note: A Death in the Family/Your Rights vs. Mine*Lem-Pep and the Five Ks*Dan Szymborski: ZiPS, the Actuarial Tables, and the Old Ty Cobb Joke*The Question No One Asked Wade Boggs*Those Vexing Rockies*The Inevitable Ian Desmond First Guess (Luke Voit, Thick First Baseman)*OBP in a Hitter’s Park*The Dahl Non-Tender/If the Rockies Had Randy Arozarena*Maikel Franco’s ZiPs Comps and Other Non-Indicators of Destiny*The Archetype of the Quad-A Catcher*The Ted Williams Comp*All Great Players Are Different*Doug Newstrom? Ron Coomer?*Ronald Acuna and Jose Canseco*Editors/“Braveheart” and Unforced Errors in Historical Fiction*Too-Granular Questions About Projections*Will Smith (The Catcher) Projections and Willful Changes to Playing Style*2021 Error Bars*FanGraphs Health Check*Against Cincinnati Chili*Cheeses*Goodbyes.
The Infinite Inning is not only about baseball but a state of mind. Steven Goldman, rotating cohosts Jesse Spector, Cliff Corcoran, and David Roth, and occasional guests discuss the game’s present, past, and future with forays outside the foul lines to the culture at large. Expect stats, anecdotes, digressions, explorations of writing and fandom, and more Casey Stengel quotations than you thought possible. Along the way, they’ll try to solve the puzzle that is the Infinite Inning: How do you find the joy in life when you can’t get anybody out?

Infinite Inning 165: Walloping He Takes (Tis Brutal) Dec 01, 2020

Show notes

Mike Ferrin (MLB Network Radio, Arizona Diamondbacks, Everything is Broken podcast) returns to talk the art of broadcasting in a pandemic, plus tales of a stranger ballpark and an unusual incentive and a pitcher is tortured for mysterious reasons.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
The Phillies’ Barrel of Biloxi Shrimp*Bill Terry Tortures a Pitcher*Mike Ferin: Love and Guilt*Red vs. Blue and Stats vs. Scouts*Nobody Loves Bunting More Than Announcers Do*The Blake Snell Overkill*“After Year of Brewers Financial Losses”*Flashback to Spring Training*Building Trust at the Ballpark*Hypothetical Bad Burrito*Broadcasting For a Bad Team/Making it Fun*Has D’Backs Spending Matched the Market?*Beware Small Samples, Part 1,933*A Brief, Frivolous Star Wars Moment*Not Just Showing Up to Cash a Check (Dylan and Berry)*Goodbyes.
The Infinite Inning is not only about baseball but a state of mind. Steven Goldman, rotating cohosts Jesse Spector, Cliff Corcoran, and David Roth, and occasional guests discuss the game’s present, past, and future with forays outside the foul lines to the culture at large. Expect stats, anecdotes, digressions, explorations of writing and fandom, and more Casey Stengel quotations than you thought possible. Along the way, they’ll try to solve the puzzle that is the Infinite Inning: How do you find the joy in life when you can’t get anybody out?

Infinite Inning 164: Useful vs Interesting Artificial Limbs Nov 22, 2020

Show notes

Mark Simon, co-author of the Bill James Handbook 2020 talks stats, projections, the Hall of Fame, and the new Mets ownership. Plus tales: Both the Roman Empire and the Cardinals Empire falls and Kim Ng vs. Jay Kirke.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Kim Ng, Jay Kirke: The Patriarchy Was Inhuman*Wally Berger vs. Mike Trout*The Cardinals Dynasty Falls*Mark Simon: Rookies of the Year (Luis Robert vs. Kyle Lewis)*Fielding Awards in a Small-Sample Season*Bill James’ New Batter Game Scores*No One Knows How Many Editions of the Bill James Handbook There Have Been*A Teddy Bear of a Book*Missing OPS+ and WAR vs. Win Shares*The Private Bill James*Bill and Mark on Hall of Fame Standards/Progress and a Call-Back to the Keltner Test*Jack Morris’s Strat Card*The 70s Yankees Missing from the Hall of Fame*Willie Randolph and Dale Murphy: It’s Better If You Die*2021 Projections: Randy Arozarena, Jazz Chisholm, Georgia, Pennsylvania*
Welcoming Steve Cohen*Turning Over the Front Office*A Brief Pujols Complaint*Goodbyes.
The Infinite Inning is not only about baseball but a state of mind. Steven Goldman, rotating cohosts Jesse Spector, Cliff Corcoran, and David Roth, and occasional guests discuss the game’s present, past, and future with forays outside the foul lines to the culture at large. Expect stats, anecdotes, digressions, explorations of writing and fandom, and more Casey Stengel quotations than you thought possible. Along the way, they’ll try to solve the puzzle that is the Infinite Inning: How do you find the joy in life when you can’t get anybody out?

Infinite Inning 163: Tradwick Chomp, Apricot Ida Amin, and Other Characters Nov 08, 2020

Show notes

Grant Brisbee returns to discuss Justin Turner, the championship afterglow, spoonerized baseball names, and more. Plus an election reaction, 12 quick tales of players, Saturday morning reminisces, and the happy story of a Hall of Fame manager.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Election Reaction/Twelve Sources of Baseball Distraction*Top 10 Presidential Failures*The Peace of McCarthy*Grant Brisbee: Baseball Spoonerisms*The Justin Turner Asterisk*Money and Depth*The Decline of the RSN*How Long Does the Championship High Last?*Rare Metaphor Helmet*The Giants: A Tough Year for the Gotts*Welcoming Alyssa Nakken*The Mike Yastrzemski Miracle and the Weird Giants Anti-Outfielder Machine*From SB Nation to The Athletic*Will the Giants Rebuild?*The Return of Buster Posey*Goodbyes.
WARNING: A single profanity regarding illegal/immoral acts with goats. Hide the goats.
The Infinite Inning is not only about baseball but a state of mind. Steven Goldman, rotating cohosts Jesse Spector, Cliff Corcoran, and David Roth, and occasional guests discuss the game’s present, past, and future with forays outside the foul lines to the culture at large. Expect stats, anecdotes, digressions, explorations of writing and fandom, and more Casey Stengel quotations than you thought possible. Along the way, they’ll try to solve the puzzle that is the Infinite Inning: How do you find the joy in life when you can’t get anybody out?

Infinite Inning 162 :Whitey Ford and the Non-Delegation Doctrine Oct 29, 2020

Show notes

Scott Lemieux returns to talk about the presidential election, reforming the Supreme Court, the greatness of Joe Morgan, and the controversial usage of Whitey Ford. Plus: Tales of Pittsburgh Pirates teams (and local banana factories) gone wrong.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
The Pittsburgh Banana Company Has a Bad Day*Babe Adams Gives His Answer*Scott Lemieux: Traditions vs. Rules*“Originalism”/“Court-Packing”*Bipartisanship is Just Another Word for Nothing Left to Lose*Infinite Supreme Court*Non-Delegation Doctrine*Breaking the Feedback Loop*The Marketplace of Ideas*Truth and Reconciliation*The Lost Hall of Famers of 2020 and Joe Morgan*Casey Stengel and Whitey Ford*The 1960 World Series Revisited*Time for a Backyard Bunker?*Goodbyes.
WARNING: There are one or two cusswords herein. Your dog will not be corrupted if it overhears.
The Infinite Inning is not only about baseball but a state of mind. Steven Goldman, rotating cohosts Jesse Spector, Cliff Corcoran, and David Roth, and occasional guests discuss the game’s present, past, and future with forays outside the foul lines to the culture at large. Expect stats, anecdotes, digressions, explorations of writing and fandom, and more Casey Stengel quotations than you thought possible. Along the way, they’ll try to solve the puzzle that is the Infinite Inning: How do you find the joy in life when you can’t get anybody out?

Infinite Inning 161: The Rays vs Steely Dan Oct 19, 2020

Show notes

David Roth returns to discuss the sale of the Mets, postseason aesthetics, and the launch of The Defector. Plus a Reds outfielder with way too much swing and miss in his game, Rogers Hornsby’s time versus Joe Morgan’s, and how a failed White Sox rebuild relates to both.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Rolando’s Room*Joe Morgan in His Time/Johnny Evers Loses a Job*David Roth: America’s Boyfriend Meets Bob Mould*Concertgoing*“Never Talking to You”*Live Reads*The Mets are Sold*Working for “Albert”*Going Out a “Winner”*Jacob deGrom vs. Craig Swan*Dodging the A-Rod Bullet*In the Best Interests of Baseball*Mystifying the Obvious (Election Talk)*Turning Off That Voice*Why We Needed Domestic Propaganda Posters in WWII*Laser-Focused on the Present *“But Her Emails”*Presidents on Speed*The Aesthetics of the 2020 Playoffs*Were the Yankees the Good Guys? Are the Rays Steely Dan?*Launching Defector*”The Office” Cliché*Goodbyes.
WARNING: As with most Roth episodes, there’s some extra-cussin’. Spare the children!
The Infinite Inning is not only about baseball but a state of mind. Steven Goldman, rotating cohosts Jesse Spector, Cliff Corcoran, and David Roth, and occasional guests discuss the game’s present, past, and future with forays outside the foul lines to the culture at large. Expect stats, anecdotes, digressions, explorations of writing and fandom, and more Casey Stengel quotations than you thought possible. Along the way, they’ll try to solve the puzzle that is the Infinite Inning: How do you find the joy in life when you can’t get anybody out?

Infinite Inning 160: Farewell to the Dodos Oct 09, 2020

Show notes

A rare solo episode features 3.5 tales of brawls, zoos, and recently-departed greats of the game, plus a brief explanation of why mask-wearing is controversial.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Babe Ruth Has a Cold*Notes/ Jay Johnstone/China’s Fault*Bob Feller Gave Names to All the Animals*A Home Run in Boston (Casey Stengel Rides Again)*Bob Gibson vs. Tom Seaver*Goodbyes.
The Infinite Inning is not only about baseball but a state of mind. Steven Goldman, rotating cohosts Jesse Spector, Cliff Corcoran, and David Roth, and occasional guests discuss the game’s present, past, and future with forays outside the foul lines to the culture at large. Expect stats, anecdotes, digressions, explorations of writing and fandom, and more Casey Stengel quotations than you thought possible. Along the way, they’ll try to solve the puzzle that is the Infinite Inning: How do you find the joy in life when you can’t get anybody out?

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