The Infinite Inning

Latest Episodes:

Infinite Inning #020: The Hammer And The Banana Sep 08, 2017

Show notes

Before Cliff Corcoran of Sports on Earth takes his regular spot in the rotation and turns the conversation to an extended fantasia about beluga whales and other zoo-going experiences, Steve is joined by MLB Ambassador for Inclusion Billy Bean. Also: How Walter Johnson was like incorrectly eating a Stroopwafel.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Walter Johnson vs. Stroopwafels*Billy Bean and Shred Hate*ZooTalk of the Infinite Inning *Is the 2017 baseball season anticlimactic?*The Twins revival*Has Byron Buxton turned the corner?*If Buxton was a 1980s Yankee*How long to great outfield defenders last?*One last check on the Royals*Lorenzo Cain, agent of destruction*And Carlos Santana, too*Teams waste the designated hitter*Why being a DH makes some players more valuable*The tragedy of David Wright*Wright and Mets retired numbers*David Wright among the great third basemen*Stan Hack for the Hall of Fame*National League MVP debate: The Hammer and the Banana*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?

The Infinite Inning #019: The Democracy Of Bodies Aug 31, 2017

Show notes

Meg Rowley of Baseball Prospectus joins Steve to talk the Mariners, her Celebrating Women in Baseball event, and the sandals and possibly-vanished waterfowl of Seattle.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
The puzzling Ruben Gomez-Joe Adcock confrontation*Rube Waddell down in the flood*Meg Rowley: Obligatory Game of Thrones discussion*Are there still ducks at the University of Washington?*Birkenstocks!*The Celebrating Women in Baseball Event*The “Not-Bunting” of Ballpark Promotions*The pink aspect and Lenny Dykstra’s pubes*Hourglass Appreciation Night*Not marketing to one aspect of fandom at the expense of another*Social media pushback against women (and little girls?) in baseball*On Pitch, Jackie Robinson, and the possibility of a female ballplayer*Hey, Theo Epstein!*A Salute to Rob Neyer*Is it hard to be objective when it comes to the Mariners?*The Erik Bedard trade*King Felix: The Declining Years and the Pride*Writerly influences*Second Sam Miller mention in two weeks*Bill James is underappreciated as a writer*A couple of grad school dropouts*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 #018: Bad Decisions Can Be Rewarded Aug 25, 2017

Show notes

Steve mentions a rude body part three times! Jesse explains one thing the NHL gets right that baseball gets wrong, the Mets are once again dissed, how to cope with Aroldis Chapman is debated, as is the morality of Bartolo Colon, and Franklin Roosevelt’s braces, George Washington’s spectacles, John Beckwith’s rage, and Allie Reynolds’ bad back are explained.
WARNING: There is a brief discussion towards the end of the show about an adult film playing at a drive-in in 1974. Hilarity ensues.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
John Beckwith, the money-caressing jockey shorts guy, FDR, George Washington, and me* Please excuse Steven for being late/Allie Reynolds’ bad back*Jesse Spector: Praising Sam Miller/Damning ourselves*Jesse is a New Jersey Devils writer and Steve knows nothing about hockey*An intriguing tidbit about the Red Sox clubhouse*Standings and expanded playoffs*The Best Team of the Year Award (Would the Dodgers’ season be a failure if they don’t win the World Series?)*Regular Season depth vs. playoff capability*Are there too many off days in the playoffs?*Luis Tiant’s 1975 World Series*Postseason strategy isn’t wrong; it’s different*The randomness of the 1960 World Series*A game where bad decisions can be rewarded*The Bush-Gallo injury leads to an uncomfortable discussion*Do you have to bring up a player’s transgressions every time you mention them?*Blue Jays fans don’t like Jesse?*The Mets amass some coupons*Are the Mets bad at injury prevention?*Steven Matz’s injury is so secret it can’t be discussed*Wawa, Gilda Radner, and adult films at the Drive-In*Debating Cheers*Comparing childhood baseball injuries*Aroldis Chapman encore*Bartolo Colon’s double life*Derek Jeter, Baseball Operations Man*Goodbyes.

The Infinite Inning #017: The Tip Of The Spear Aug 16, 2017

Show notes

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?
This week, Steve is joined by Jim Leeke, author of From the Dugout to the Trenches: Baseball During the Great War, plus the usual preamble involving baseball and current events. Plus: An old song that sounds ominous!
Warning: There is one off-color word about 15 minutes into the show.
No one was replaced by Jackie Robinson*A few terrible, no good, very typical days*Jim Leeke: Baseball and “Preparedness” in 1917*The National League says no*Patriotism in a 1917 context*How World War II swamped the memory of World War I*Was the drilling of ballplayers naïve?*Clark Griffith’s war effort*Even bad people aren’t bad all the time*Why was the American League so eager to quit?*The “Work or Fight” order*Ban Johnson’s gaffe*The “Work or Fight Order” vs. the World War II “Green Light Letter”*The value of entertainment in wartime*The Steel/Steal League and Shoeless Joe Jackson*The mystery of Babe Ruth’s wartime activities*Hank Gowdy, American*An Eddie Grant Memorial*Christy Mathewson and Pete Alexander in the war*The unprecedented brutality of the First World War*The Angl0-American Baseball Project*Baseball in the land of total war*Goodbyes.

Infinite Inning #016: Eight Fly Balls In 100 At-Bats; That's Baseball Aug 09, 2017

Show notes

After discussions of a personal nature involving Carl Edwards, Jr., the 1912 New York Giants, and imposter syndrome, Steve is joined by Grant Brisbee of SB Nation’s McCovey Chronicles to talk about how the San Francisco Giants got to be so bad, what it’s like hosting a TV show in a down season, and the origins of the Marco Scutaro rainglobe.
Warning: Two cusswords this week. We express deep contrition.
Table of Contents
Carl Edwards Jr. Imposter Syndrome*The 2017 Dodgers and the 1912 Giants*Grant Brisbee: How did the San Francisco Giants end up in last place? *The Giants’ last homegrown outfielder*Launching “Giants Outsiders” in a season in which the Giants are outside*Dramatizing a loss*The postgame show for the 1927 Yankees*Avoiding the turning-40 crisis*The 1997 Giants are responsible for everything*Meeting your idols*Making fun of Guy Fieri, not Rich Aurilia*Regretting saying something critical about Ken Rosenthal*Mid-career TV opportunity, the one that never knocks*Credibility*Staying a fan (Crying for Conor Gillaspie)*The Jaded, Disgruntled Sportswriters Club*Battling social media malaise*Has SB Nation’s mission changed?*The Marco Scutaro rainglobe story*Remaining the informed outsider*Denard Span’s wheels*Locked into Johnny Cueto and other vets*A middle finger for Brandon Belt*Final Jeopardy: Can current Giants management fix this?*Goodbyes. Dave Righetti and Hensley Meulens*

The Infinite Inning #015: Porter Moss' America at The Trading Deadline Aug 02, 2017

Show notes

Cliff Corcoran of Sports on Earth returns to break down the action at the trading deadline, Steve discusses the sad fate of Porter Moss, the uplifting fate of Harry Heitmann, and the Phillies Phanatic makes a couple of very awkward appearances.
WARNING: There are no cusswords this week. Perhaps an adult-ish matter is discussed, but obliquely, with taste and discretion.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
The Porter Moss Story*The Worst Start Ever*Cliff Corcoran: The Furry Adventures Clippy Cormorant*Our condolences to Ketel Marte*How the trading deadline is like life*Baseball discourages complacency*The Twins’ illusory competitiveness (The Garcia trades)*Sympathy for the Royals*The Zack Littell riddle (Jurickson Profar, Maikel Franco, and more)*Tyler O’Neill for Marco Gonzalez*The Ballad of Lonny Frey*Do the Astros have enough pitching?*The Cubs’ deadline approach vs. the Astros’*Prospects traded at the deadline often disappoint*The Sonny Gray trade*The fate of Michael Pineda*The Yu Darvish trade*The best Dodgers team of all time?*The Justin Wilson-Alex Avila trade*The Nationals’ bullpen rebuild*Is the Brock-Brogilo trade still the best?*Goodbyes.

The Infinite Inning #014: The Three True Outcomes Approach To Life Jul 26, 2017

Show notes

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?
Warning: There is a smattering of cusswords this week. Hiding the children should not be necessary unless they are very sheltered children.
In the opener, Steve talks about addiction and then details one of the origins of the non-waiver trade deadline.
Table of Contents
Darryl Strawberry, Steve Howe, and Tommy Lasorda*Whitey Witt, Jumping Joe Dugan, and the Magic Bottle*David Roth: The End of Vice Sports*Ken Rosenthal and the all-video future* “I can’t say that it’s right or wrong, I just know I can’t control it”*The relationships you forge in the workplace, and sometimes lose*David’s Mike Pelfrey T-shirt*Eighteen Plastic molded Baseball Guys*Losing your industry-leading collection of overweight ballplayer JPGs*Whitey Herzog vs. Bob Horner*The Pirates’ Handsome Boys *Donruss sends the All-Stars to Sears*Writing the back of the baseball card*Bob Walk’s rookie year*Would you believe we talked about Marty Bystrom?*Avant-garde decision-making in 1980s Cleveland*Zack Wheeler’s stress reaction and how bad teams create good teams*The Royals at the deadline one mo’ time*David’s elegy for Chris Christie and us all*Finding new ways to be excited (The Tao of Whit Merrifield)*Jayson Stark, eternal enthusiast*The cat in the baby carriage*Looking ahead to the stretch drive*Goodbyes.

Infinite Inning 013: Punching a Fanbase in the Crotch Jul 19, 2017

Show notes

Jesse Spector returns as the Infinite Inning begins its own trading deadline negotiations. Episode #13 begins with a personal tale from Steve’s college days and proceeds to one of the most bizarre episodes in baseball history, the O’Connell-Dolan affair during the 1924 National League stretch drive. It’s a scandal that has echoes in a present-day controversy. Jesse enters with sitcoms on his mind, but in short order the subject turns to various trade and pennant race scenarios, Yoenis Cespedes, Daniel Murphy, the Royals, Cubs, and, finally, a near nervous breakdown when Jesse is forced to think of Yankees executive Randy Levine.

Infinite Inning 012 Yes, Virginia, Babe Ruth Had VD Jul 12, 2017

Show notes

Say your team is done and you’re ready to quit on the season. Should you catch up on summer films? Film critic and podcaster Scott Tobias (The Next Picture Show) catches us up on the good and bad of the summer film season, revisits the experience of co-founding the lauded but ultimately short-lived film site The Dissolve, and advocates for The Brady Bunch Movie (necessary) and Albert Brooks (speaks for himself). In the first segment, Steve revisits controversies involving Greg Bird, Rickey Henderson, and Babe Ruth.

Infinite Inning 011 Bobo and Eric Never Treated It Like a Fan Site Jul 05, 2017

Show notes

How do you go from unpaid contributor to a key man in a huge media company? And what does Cody Bellinger have to say about it? Steve is joined by Eric Stephen, the longtime auteur of True Blue LA to talk about how he got just such an opportunity and took it all the way from couch-surfing to the Dodgers clubhouse. They also talk Bellinger, Yasiel Puig, Justin Turner, and how the Dodgers are dominating the NL West. This week’s conversation starters include Joe Hauser, Bobo Newsom, Leo Durocher, and ruminations on outright lies.

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