The Infinite Inning

Latest Episodes:

Infinite Inning 120: Requiem for a Keppinger Sep 15, 2019

Show notes

James Yasko (Astros County, Lima Time Time podcast) discusses the Astros’ potential postseason rotation, neck beards, and AP history. Plus Mark Davis compared to Edwin Diaz and Ty Cobb gets a rule changed by NOT hurting an umpire.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Edwin Diaz, Mark Davis, and the Tyranny of Expectations*Ty Cobb Gets a Rule Changed*James Yasko: Neck Beards*An Unabashed Homer*Wade Miley is Tertiary*Carry On, Charlie Morton*Jeff Luhnow, the Killjoy who Brings Joy*Now Pitching, the Pontiff*Three Great Pitchers/World Series Virgins*Gerrit Cole: Dollar Signs on the Mound*The Devil’s Greatest Trick was Convincing Fans to Care About Payroll*Barmes-to-Keppinger-to-Carter*Astros Bandwagon Jumpers*Bandwagoning ’86 Style*Hugs in the Bread Aisle*The Tyler White Pizza Party*Can You Still Be the Cool Trivial Pursuit Teacher?*The Politics of Teaching American History*TV in Class*Remembering 9/11 in School*“Unless One of You Idiots Decides to Check Instagram”*On a Lighter Note, Yordan Alvarez*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 119 Neat Things Within This Weird World Sep 07, 2019

Show notes

Yes, we went there: Craig Calcaterra joins Steve to discuss the commonalities between affirmative action and Hall of Fame debates, as well as explore the ongoing sense of dislocation provoked by a homer-happy season. Plus, Casey Stengel argues a call and Chuck Klein is star anonymous.
WARNING: One excretory cussword late. If offended, write the management.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Casey Argues a Call*Chuck Klein: Star Anonymous*Craig Calcaterra: Old Jock Strap in a Can and the Home Run Explosion*Peak HoJo*A Discontinuity*The Discontents of Gossage and Rose*Scoring Fatigue*Neat Things Within This Weird World*Feeling Sorry for Pitchers*A Javy Lopez Moment*Affirmative Action Arguments vs. Hall of Fame Arguments*Stats vs. Soft Factors in Baseball Awards (“A Metric-Based Orthodoxy”)*Braves Triumphant With or Without a Right Fielder/Baseball Seasons Can Be Like TV Seasons*A Quick Shout-Out to “The Rockford Files*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 118 Self-Harm Through Catching and Other Lowly Ferrets Aug 30, 2019

Show notes

Cliff Corcoran (The Athletic) asks whether Francisco Cervelli should still be allowed to catch, defends the 10th-best players in any team’s history, and questions Yankees starting pitching. Plus Joe DiMaggio has enough and players defends themselves against racial epithets.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Joe DiMaggio Retires*Players in the Stands*Cliff Corcoran: The Man of 1,000 Teddy Bears*Francisco Cervelli’s Right to Self-Harm*Alex Jackson is Weird*A Paucity of Historic Pirates Catchers*The Top 10 Yankees Catchers*The Saga of Butch Wynegar*The Last Time a Pirates Pitcher Cracked The Franchise Top 10*Can the Yankees Win the World Series?*A Prediction Which Came True (Groundzilla)*The 1812 Confusion*Goodbyes.

Infinite Inning 117 Baseball Is a Marker of Time Aug 23, 2019

Show notes

David Roth returns to discuss the Mets’ efforts to save their season, falling in love on a day of tragedy, and the proposed Saturday morning cartoon in which the current president saved the Yankees.
WARNING: As is typical for a David Roth visit, there is somewhat more cussing than is typical for the show. Please caution all minors.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Casey Stengel Escapes!*Sympathy for the Rajah*David Roth: Beards and Birthdays*Exploring “The Yiddish Curver” and other Baseball Card Antiquities*Fred Wilpon’s Sandy Koufax*“Skoonj”*The Mets’ Momentary Rally*Giving Yourself a Chance to Have a Chance*Edwin Diaz (Under a Cloudless Blue Sky)*Sudden Upturns and Downturns*Intimate Moments Deflected*“We Met on September 11, 2001”/Love in a Brita Filter*Living in a Closed Society*Performative Patriotism in the Seventh Inning*Roth in the New Republic (Warning! Politics!)*It’s the End of the Republic As We Know It (And I Feel Nauseous)*Truth, Fiction, Perceptual Impairment, Reggie Jackson*When Trump Saved the Yankees on Saturday Morning Television*The Braves Rally*Let’s Remember Some Wacky Packages*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 116 Sticking It Out Through the Challenges Aug 14, 2019

Show notes

Emily Waldon (The Athletic) discusses covering the Tigers’ farm system, the team’s short-term future, and the awkwardness of teenaged ballplayers. Plus tales of a missing Phillies outfielder and how the Tigers fell, 1950s style, and why it’s still relevant to us today.
WARNING: A couple of cusswords, one from Casey Stengel, one from Leo Durocher. Blame them.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
One of the Missing*A Very Quick Casey Stengel Tale*Concepts of Racism Today and the Detroit Tigers Yesterday*Emily Waldon: The Joy of Tigers Prospect Coverage*Prospects are People*The Tigers (Not) South of the Border*Do the Tigers Have Enough in the Minors?*Suffering with the Tigers*Asking Female Fans How They Got Interested in Baseball*“He Didn’t Know You Were Gonna Be That Pretty”*Dreams Realized and Dreams Deferred (Informed Outsiders: The First Generation)*Overcoming Shyness and Social Media*Touting Kyle Funkhouser*Jake Rogers, Catcher and Nice Guy*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 115: The One With Mariano Rivera Toyota Aug 05, 2019

Show notes

Jesse Spector talks trade deadline action, inaction, and consequences as well as details a deer encounter on the Taconic Parkway. Plus, tales of the murderous Danny Shay and Carl Mays’ downfall.
WARNING: There are two cusswords in this one. Cover the dog’s ears lest he be corrupted.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Danny Shay and Clarence Euell*New Patreon Benefit*Carl Mays Falls From Grace*Jesse Spector: Father of the Year Magazine Premium*Down on Charlie Hayes*“Can’t Play in New York”*The Astros Get Zack Greinke*Wade Miley Paranoia*A Possibly Ill-Informed Note on Aaron Judge*What Didn’t Happen at the Deadline (Yankees and Dodgers)*Every Team in Baseball Commented On, Give or Take*Felipe Vazquez, Mariano Rivera, and the Short Shelf-Life of a Closer*Unexpected Empathy for Jim Leyritz/Willfully Ignoring Mariano Rivera’s Politics*Ranger Rick Explains the Circle of Life*Rivera Escapes Another Jam*PTS[Rob]Deer*The Yankees Stand Pat*Clint Frazier Avenged*Inevitably, the Mets*Look Out, Houston*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 114 No World Series, No Thanksgiving Jul 26, 2019

Show notes

Eric Stephen (SB Nation, True Blue LA) returns to discuss the Dodgers’ drive for their first World Series title since 1988. Plus, tales of a pitcher’s dangerous farewell and the famous Richie Ashburn foul ball story.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Ed Morris’s Going Away Party*Foul Netting and Richie Ashburn*Eric Stephen: Weird Al Encounters*A Great Era in Dodgers History*The Most Valuable Dodger, 2013-2019*Dodgers Scrubs-to-Stars*The Transformation of Hyun-Jin Ryu*Ryumania?*The Failure to Honor Fernando*On Jim Gilliam*Cody Bellinger Evolution*Austin Barnes and Other Frustrating Regulars vs. Promising Prospects Rich Hill, Angry Dad*Baseball Coverage at SB Nation*A Mike Trout Hall of Fame Tidbit*Why We Root Against No-Hitters*The Woeful Dodgers Bullpen*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 113 The Prospect-Ranking Industrial Complex Jul 19, 2019

Show notes

Jeffrey Paternostro discusses Baseball Prospectus’s midseason top-50 prospects list and his long road to becoming a baseball writer, plus tales of Bill Dickey and Jim Palmer.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Catcher Injures Runner*Lament for the Orioles*Jeff Paternostro: Driving in the Minors*Prospects and Park Effects*What Makes a Prospect Expert? (To the Brian Bannister Moment)*Faux Scouty Shorthand*Whose Prospect List is Best?*The Subjective Part (The Leody Taveras Problem)*The Big Misses (Einertson vs. Gsellman)*The Greening of Player Development*The Rookie Class of 2019*Wander Franco, No. 1 Prospect *Nick Madrigal, Prospect from the Deadball Era*“Have You Ever Seen Him Naked?”*Why Isn’t Plate Judgment the Sixth Tool?*Goodbyes.

Infinite Inning 112 The Championship Huggers of '81 Jul 11, 2019

Show notes

Jason Turbow (“The Baseball Codes” and “Dynastic, Bombastic, Fantastic”) discusses the 1981 Los Angeles Dodgers as portrayed in his new book “They Bleed Blue.” Plus, forgotten All-Stars remembered and wild pitching appreciated.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Everyone Has a Special Anniversary (Len Barker Makes the All-Star Team)*Dolly Gray Goes Wild*Jason Turbow: Why the 1981 Dodgers?*What the Dodgers Did Right, Not What the Yankees Did Wrong*The Longest-Running Infield*Steve Garvey Against Davey Lopes in the ’81 Strike*Steve Garvey Against the World*Reggie Smith, Unknown Great*Young Dave Stewart*Tommy Lasorda in Retrospect*Wise Words from Dusty’s Dad*Lasorda’s Broken Aces*What Was Fernandomania?*Al Campanis’s Pre-Nightline Racism*”Coconut Snatching” and Pedro Guerrero*The Guerrero/Sax Anecdote*The Sneaky Way to Publish a 300,000-Word MS*Rick Sutcliffe vs. The Frank Sinatra Wall*The Dave Kingman Footnote*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 111: No Visible Bruises Jul 02, 2019

Show notes

Rachel Louise Snyder discusses No Visible Bruises: What We Don’t Know About Domestic Violence Can Kill Us and how abusers (even athletes) don’t just “snap.” Plus thoughts on the passing of Tyler Skaggs.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Tyler Skaggs*So Much More Than Marty Bergen*Rachel Louise Snyder: Curiosity*A Billion Women*Michelle and Rocky*Threats of Suicide*When Michelle Was Behind the Camera*It’s Not About Anger Management*Beware of Narcissists*Twenty Percent of the Housework*Impulse Love is a Hazard*Why Do Victims Recant? Why Do Victims Stay?*Prosecution Complications/The Rattlesnake*Strangulation and Odubel Herrera*Choking and Strangulation Are Not the Same Thing*Is Rehabilitation Possible?*The Impact Incongruity of Punishment*The Promise of Early Intervention*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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