Podcast Audio Episodes

Send us a text 2024 MLB Spring Training has begun and would-be rookies impact teams ultimate performance (think Corbin Carroll and Evan Carter last year) more and more frequently . But some Rookie's of the Year never reach the heights they touched in their first campaign. That doesn't mean they don't have a career and flame out after a couple of years, although that can happen too. We also cover this year's crop of rookies that might be in the running for 2024 Rookie of the Year. Mark mentioned...

Send us a text We hear about the unwritten rules of baseball all the time. Don't walk the leadoff hitter. Don't bunt in a no-hitter. Some of the unwritten rules are more strategic preferences than unwritten rules. We discuss that as well as how stealing signs has evolved over the years and if it can still be done today. Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/oI4MlUFDj2M Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you have a suggestion for an episode please drop us a line via email...

Send us a text This is it! The last of our MLB teams deep dives. The Yankees are saved for last since they are first in World Series wins. They have 3x or more as many World Series titles compared to any team but the St. Louis Cardinals who have 11 WS titles. The greatest Yankees is a long list indeed as well as the list of retired numbers. The Bronx Bombers were the first team to retire a number. We talk about who that was and all the great HOF players and managers that populate the greatest f...

Send us a text This is our 200th episode and we are so grateful that we have listeners that are interested in hearing us talk about baseball. So THANK YOU to all who take a few minutes here and there to listen and engage with Almost Cooperstown! Since we recorded this podcast Jorge Soler signed with the Giants. Finally. The Marlins are still the only team to not sign a free agent this off-season with the Dodgers and Mets signing 9 each. We talk about all 30 teams, who they signed and what it m...

Send us a text The 11-time World Series Champion St. Louis Cardinals actually won an American Association championship in 1882. Besides winning in 1926, 1931, 1934, 1942, and 1946 - 6 championships in 21 seasons, they also won in 1964, 1967, 1982, 2006, and most recently in 2011. There are amazing Hall-of-Fame players spread out throughout their history and we talk about all of them as well as some of the less heralded Cards. Ozzie Smith had 28 career home runs. Enos Slaughter stole home on the...

Send us a text We don't often focus on the negative aspects of baseball in the Major Leagues. But there have been some bad people who've made it to the game's grandest stage. Some of the things these heinous characters did during and after their playing career are almost unbelievable. We should have mentioned that Ben Chapman was portrayed as horribly racist in the movie about Jackie Robinson '42'. Thanks to all of our listeners and followers! Watch on YouTube: Please subscribe to our podcas...

Send us a text The nine time champion A's won 5 World Series before 1931. They won three in the 1970s. And one more in 1989. That's it. Nine WS is 2nd all-time tied with The Red Sox and Cardinals who we will deep dive on next week. The Athletics turned A's (thanks to Charlie O. Finley) have fallen on desperate times. But there are many great players and Hall-of-Famers and we talk about all of them! Thanks to all of our listeners and followers! Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/JoYvOFjTFQY P...

Send us a text Author Mark Stevens joins the podcast to discuss his terrific #baseball novel - The Fireballer. Ever think what would happen if a pitcher could regularly throw 110 MPH? Batters wouldn't have a chance! What if one of those pitches got away from him? We had a great time talking with Mark and are keen to find a way to make the next great baseball movie from this award winning book from 2023. Thanks to all of our listeners and followers! Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/OsBy5LROXh...

Send us a text Another original AL team, the 9-time World Champion Red Sox won the 1st World Series as the Boston Americans. They have been a streaky World Series team and we tell you why. Who's the best pitcher in Red Sox history? How about shortstop or manager? We discuss it all in this quick hitting podcast. Thanks to all of our listeners and followers! Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/_b77kQylfWM Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you have a suggestion for an e...

Send us a text For the 2nd straight year we were lucky enough to have Daniel Brown join the podcast. Dan is a Staff Editor and Writer for the Athletic and is also a card-carrying BBWAA member and votes each year for the Hall-of-Fame. We discuss who he voted for and who he did not and why. We also preview the 2024 Ballot likely candidates and their likelihood they may join this year's inductees - Adrian Beltre, Todd Helton, and Joe Mauer. Thanks to all of our listeners and followers! Watch on Y...

Send us a text 8 World Series Titles. 10 World Series losses. The Giants began playing in 1883 in the Polo Grounds and never played in another stadium in New York. They went to the Bay Area in 1958 and appeared in the World Series in 1962 but not again until 1989, finally winning their 1st WS in 56 years in 2010? Hall of Famers abound in Giants history particularly in the outfield. But not as much outside of 1st base in the infield. We also discuss HOFers that were Giants but not for very long....

Send us a text We thought we were going to do an episode on the greatest players of each decade starting with Ted Williams and Joe DiMaggio. It was more difficult to do that but we did compare several sets of Hall-of-Famers like Ted and Joe (we added in Stan the Man just for fun) as well as others from later decades. Let us know if you'd like to hear us do more of this. Thanks to all of our listeners and followers. We appreciate you! Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/kEwMMmhfWmU Please subsc...

Send us a text The Dodgers have won 7 WS titles and appeared in the playoffs 37 times. Their list of players include some of the best who've ever played baseball. We go position by position picking the greatest Dodger at each including relief pitchers. A few corrections: Gary Sheffield played 4 seasons for the Dodgers not 7. The Dodgers also won the WS in 1965. And while the Dodgers played in more WS while in Brooklyn they've won 6 of their 7 titles while in Los Angeles. They played in the L.A....

Send us a text Thinking about the great baseball rivalries over the years many come to mind. But most of them are within either the National League or American League. Sure the Brooklyn now Los Angeles Dodgers had nearly annual World Series tilts with the Yankees (losing them all until 1955), but generally the big rivalries are inter-league and not intra-league. Divisional play began in 1969 and once there was more than one playoff team from each league it became even more difficult to have an ...

Send us a text The Pirates like the nearby Reds, have won five World Series and lost only two. In their history they've had a bunch of Hall of Famers play all over the field but often those players did not get the satisfaction of winning it all! We talk about the players, the managers - HOF Jim Leyland actually had a losing record while managing the Bucs. Thanks to all of our listeners and followers. We appreciate you! Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/oNdEHtKRRxU Please subscribe to our pod...

Send us a text The first of our 5-time World Series winners the Cincinnati Reds began in 1882 in the American Association and won their first WS in 1919 vs. the Black Sox. We think of the 'Big Red Machine' but there have been some other great Reds teams and players that we talk about. Should have mentioned Eppa Rixey holds most of the Reds pitching records. Bid McPhee was an original Red and was a second baseman not a pitcher. Thanks to all of our listeners and followers. We appreciate you! Wa...

Send us a text We've not been doing our 'This Week in Baseball' Episodes but thought that New Year's Day would be the perfect time to summarize where things are in baseball halfway through the off-season. There are still a bunch of free agents to be signed, players to be traded and rosters to be filled out. We talk about which teams have done well and might be winning this off-season. The Royals also signed Michael Wacha. The 2024 season opens March 20 in Korea! We want to wish everyone a Happ...

Send us a text We read some of the 1950's scouting reports on famous players and they are both hilarious and entertaining. Baseball scouting movies are plentiful with Moneyball being one of the most important baseball stories regarding the scouting of players. From being a '5-tool' player to the 20-80 evaluation system for players things have come a long way. Is scouting today easier or more difficult before technology and data came into playing such an important part? We discuss it all and had...

Send us a text The 'D' on the Tigers cap is one of the most iconic logos in all of sports. Ty Cobb holds most of the all-time hitting offensive categories. Yet the Tigers have an amazing amount of Hall of Famers around the diamond. Harry Heillman, Al Kaline, Charlie Gehringer, Alan Trammel, and George Kell all were Tigers through and through. They've won 4 World Series and lost 7. We talk about the other great Tigers and the greatest manager in Tiger history. Lance Parrish had a career bWAR of ...

Send us a text A listener Chris S. suggested we talk about the HOFers who wore team caps on their plaque in Cooperstown, and those that did not. This year HOFer Andre Dawson again petitioned to have his HOF plaque changed to have him wear a Cubs cap instead an Expo cap which the Baseball Hall of Fame mandated. Sometimes a HOFer had an unusual reason for not going in wearing a logo on his cap at all. We discuss all the teams HOFers and only the Rays and the Marlins have zero players wearing that...

Send us a text They are 4 time World Series Champions - the Braves. First in Boston, then to Milwaukee and since 1966 in Atlanta. The Braves have dominated the NL East for more than 30 years. It wasn't always like that and when they were in Boston from 1912-1952 they won 1 WS and were only in 1 other. We talk about their triumphs as well as their years of lousy baseball. Tommy Holmes fell short of 2,000 hits not 3,000. And the Braves did win the NL East in 1982 but lost the NLCS. As always tha...

Send us a text In addition to pitching in MLB having only one arm, Jim Abbott was one of the players to go straight to the Major Leagues without ever playing in the minors. There are many interesting players who skipped the minors entirely. We also discuss a list of 10 year or more players who went straight to the bigs before the MLB draft was instituted in 1965. It does not happen much anymore and we talk about the reasons for that. As always thanks to all of our listeners and followers. We a...

Send us a text Last week we did the 3x champion Cubs and this week the 3x champion White Sox. The Pale Hose have the 2005 improbably championship to live off of since the other two were before 1918! Lots of great ChiSox to talk about given the long 50 year drought between WS appearances - 1919 to 1959! Mark was wrong - Luis Aparicio is a HOFer but did not ever win the MVP although he was Rookie of the Year. Again thanks to all of our listeners and followers. We appreciate that you listen and l...

Send us a text Correction - The Dodgers will open the 2024 season in South Korea vs. the Padres. Have you noticed that MLB dugouts are getting crowded? With all the coaches old and new beyond the manager? Bench coaches have not been a regular thing in baseball history but they are now and have been since the late 1980s. We discuss coaches, The HOF Contemporary Committee and Ford Frick Award votes AND talk about baseball winter meetings. We do wish we were there! Again thanks to all of our list...