Podcast Audio Episodes

Send us a text As we were getting ready to record an episode about September roster expansions and how they've changed dramatically, the news about the MLB rule changes for 2023 came out. We could not ignore them as those rule changes are and will be significant! If you've listened to this podcast you know we did not want to see the infield shift restricted. We've also talked about the pitch clock as well but now it's really going to be a part of MLB. Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks...

Send us a text The Brewers have been around for more than 50 years but not always as the Brewers. We talk about the team's history, reason for being, its greatest players and most memorable seasons for this team which has unfortunately never brought a World Series win to its great fans. It was Ben Ogilvie and Gorman Thomas combining for 73 home runs in 1982 - more than the entire Cardinal team that beat them in the World Series! Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you ...

Send us a text What started as a way to pass time during the early months of the Covid-19 pandemic has grown to be something that's bigger than we ever imagined. We owe a huge thank you to all of our listeners! Do we keep going? Are there enough topics that can sustain another 100 episodes and beyond? We think so and talk about how we got here from there. Thanks again to our guests - Willie Blair, Jillian Geib, Gary Livacari, Sean Forman, Adam Korengold, Jean Fruth, and Jeff Idelson. And thanks...

Send us a text With the recent passing of Dodger announcer Vin Scully we lost one of the great voices of baseball - be it radio or television. We love to listen to baseball on the radio and once baseball on the radio began in 1921 it was the only way to follow pitch by pitch until baseball came to TV in 1939. We talk about some of the great radio announcers and why listening to the game on radio might be better than watching it! Note: The great Tim McCarver did mostly TV for the Mets and natio...

Send us a text Joe Jackson, Pete Rose, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and a few others all are not enshrined in Baseball's Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. But there is no way these are really 'Almost' guys. They were clearly not just great players, but were among the greatest players of their era as well as all-time. Do they deserve to be members of the HOF? We think they do but even if they remain out, how can they be non-entities? Having a specific area in the HOF - a Corridor of Controversy where c...

Send us a text When a player scores 100 runs in a single season it's considered to be a significant achievement. Yet isn't scoring runs as derivative as stat as are RBI's? Because, it depends - on the other players in the lineup. Fantasy baseball team owners often have to try to pick the players who will score the most runs as one of the categories. Should it be a leadoff speedy guy? Or a home run hitters - at least he guarantees that he scores! We talk about the importance of team runs versus ...

Send us a text If it all it took to be successful only was as simple as changing a team's name that would be smart right? Well the Tampa Bay Devil Rays became the Tampa Bay Rays and they've been so much better ever since! We talk about the franchise's history in this franchise's Silver Anniversary 25th season. Who's the greatest Ray (or Devil Ray) of them all? Listen and find out! Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you have a suggestion for an episode please drop us a ...

Send us a text There were 8 new inductees into Cooperstown over the weekend. The various committees finally enshrined Bud Fowler, Buck O'Neil, Minnie Minoso, Gil Hodges, Jim 'Kitty' Katt, Tony Oliva, David Ortiz was voted in as a 1st ballot selection. We think that might have overdone it but agree Ortiz is a HOFer. Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you have a suggestion for an episode please drop us a line via email at Almostcooperstown@gmail.com. You can also follow ...

Send us a text Unlike many who offer predictions on who's going to be a playoff team, we divulge what we predicted BEFORE this 2022 season started. We did pretty well by our own admission although we did have a big miss. Listen to find out what we got right and what we got wrong in this fast moving summary of the unofficial 1st half of the season! Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you have a suggestion for an episode please drop us a line via email at Almostcooperstow...

Send us a text We're fans of baseball and that includes all levels. Driving past a Little League field seeing kids out there playing baseball makes us smile every time. For nearly all major league players playing baseball starts in backyards, on streets, and wherever there's a ball, a glove, and even sometimes a bat. Jean Fruth has been photographing baseball for many years. As team photographer for the SF Giants and Oakland A's, she's demonstrates a keen eye and a deep sensitivity for America'...

Send us a text Catching is hard and debilitating to the body. The famed 'tools of ignorance' may be better than they were in the past but squatting for 150-200 MLB pitches a night is still incredibly difficult. There are only 19 catchers in Cooperstown. In the past 30 years 'pitch framing' has been touted as a key skill for a receiver. With the advent of Robo-umps sometime in the near future pitch framing no longer counts for anything. We talk about the lack of hitting by today's catchers and i...

Send us a text Already in this 2022 season 2 managers have been fired. Joe Maddon and Joe Girardi. There are no other Joe's managing in MLB so maybe everyone else's job is safe. Why change managers in-season - early-mid-late season? We talk about manager changes over the years - even the fairly recent one where the manager was fired with 12 games to go and his successor led the team to a scintillating 7-5 finish to make the playoffs. Then there's owner George Steinbrenner and his Yankees. There...

Send us a text Many baseball fans still feel that Sandy Koufax is the GOAT. At least as pitchers go. Despite his relatively short career, Sandy had a sustained period of excellence (6 years) that is unrivaled. 382K's in one season is incredible to think about. But this in no way should sell Clayton Kershaw short. He has done it for a long time and at times been as good if not better than Sandy Koufax! The are a surprising amount of similarities in their career statistics. We talked about that a...

Send us a text Our second deep dive we turn to the Senior Circuit and one its more recent entrants the San Diego Padres. There was a AAA team called the Padres in the 1940s. The current Padres came as a result of the 1969 expansion and at the advent of two divisions for each league. The Padres got off to a poor start and well, it's been a rough 52 years only appearing in two WS never winning one. There have been some amazing HOF players who played for the Padres and we talk about many of them b...

Send us a text All three are 'Almost' guys. All played in different time frames - Bonds from 1968-81, Davis from 1984-2001, and Mauer played from 2004-1018. All were All-Stars and won Gold Gloves. We discussed their eras, how their careers look in retrospect, and if we'd push to have any or all voted into Cooperstown. All had careers that are probably better than you might remember. Give a listen! Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you have a suggestion for an episode...

Send us a text The Women's NCAA Softball World Series starts June 2. Throwing from 43 feet, the pitchers often dominate but not always. The spirit of the games, the camaradarie the players demonstrate all make for fast moving games that are worth watching. Oklahoma is the favorite but there are several strong contenders. The Men's CWS begins June 16 but the Super Regionals are also set to begin this Friday June 3. #1 seed Tennessee is formidable but we often see that anything is possible in the...

Send us a text Well we kind of did the Mets already but chances are at some point we will be compelled to do them again. This is the first of 30 episodes dedicated to an individual team. It's history, great players, successes and failures. Who's the greatest Mariner of all-time? You can probably come up with a couple of candidates but you'll have to listen to hear what we think! Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you have a suggestion for an episode please drop us a li...

Send us a text Some teams are better at rebuilding their rosters in ways that allow them to get back to winning faster and more consistently than others. Going all in to win a World Series is worth it and teams like the Royals and Nationals have shown that in recent years. Wealthier ownership does help but it's far from a guarantee. Teams can and do spend unwisely. Organizational approach also can make a big difference. Think Tampa Bay. We discuss all 30 teams and how they stack up being either...

Send us a text We're NL fans since we root for the Mets. There used to be such a thing as 'National League' baseball. It had sacrifice bunts, pinch hitters, pitchers wearing jackets in July on the bases. All that is over now that the DH is in place for both the AL and NL. We always favored the strategy behind working around the pitcher's turn in the batting order. But pitchers hitting, if possible, just got worse. And for many valid reasons. We talk about some of the worst hitting pitchers in h...

Send us a text We asked Adam Korengold who joined us for Episode 302 on the Negro Leagues, to help us compare the very excellent careers of Negro Leagues star 'Cool' Papa Bell and the greatest base stealer in MLB history Rickey Henderson. Using data visualization maps Adam was able to compare their performances against that of their peers. Rickey's overall numbers are historic and unmatched. But Cool Papa also dominated his competition. So how did it turn out? You'd have to listen to find out! ...

Send us a text Seiya Suzuki is burning it up in his rookie MLB season. Japanese players are making more and more noise with Shohei Ohtani and even NPB league sensation Roki Sasaki. And then there's the KBO - Korean Baseball Organization. Only around for 40 years the KBO was fun to watch during the pandemic season and fans know more about what's going on in both Korean and Japanese baseball more than ever before! We've added a YouTube Channel and are still working out a few kinks so bear with us...

Send us a text We're long past the time of flannel and wool home whites & road grays when it comes to MLB uniforms. There have been changes over the years such as adding numbers and then adding names once baseball began to be televised. Today all teams have several different uniforms that they wear to varying degrees. Younger fans like it and older fans maybe not so much. We talk about the changes in baseball attire and where things might go. We've added a YouTube Channel and are still working...

Send us a text As one of the oldest professional sports, baseball has been 'covered' for more than 175 years. While newspaper accounts of games were the means of communication until radio arrived in the 1920s, today's baseball coverage is multi-platformed, multi-faceted, AND mucho dinero! We talk about some of the all-time great baseball writers, and there are great ones out there today that do much more than just write about baseball in a newspaper column. We think there's room for baseball co...

Send us a text We forgot to mention Zack Greinke who is a surefire HOFer - maybe even should be first ballot. There are a number of what we term 'sure things' and then there are others that have a really good chance provided they perform at or near their career levels for 4 or more seasons give or take. Is Mike Trout already a HOFer? As it turns out - yes. So Is Albert Pujols. Listen to us talk about the guys that have a chance to be voted into Cooperstown! We've added a YouTube Channel and are...