This episode examines in a fair amount of detail the reasons why I think that there was no World Series in 1904. The personalities who could have worked out an equitable solution — Byron Bancroft “Ban” Johnson, president of the fledgling American League, John T. Brush, owner of the National League’s New York Giants, and John McGraw, manager of the Giants — were simply too obstinate to negotiate. Instead, they waged a vicious verbal war in the newspapers during the summer and autumn of 1904: firing cocksure word salvos, rife with calumny, covered in vitriol, aimed squarely at their mutual hearts.

It was baseball theater at its finest; a passion performance of three men — who refused to play games to preserve (so they thought) their reputations, their pride, and their principles.

Mickey Lolich, who passed away on February 4, 2026, at the age of 85, was a humble, self-effacing, patient, loyal man and teammate. His 13 years as a Detroit Tiger consisted of dramatic highs and lows, but Lolich was a man who always saw the bigger picture. His dedication and durability — and substantial talent that often went unappreciated — served to place him among the all-time great pitchers in wins, innings pitched, and strikeouts. This podcast remembers Lolich as a pitcher who thought of his team first. Still, however, he offers some justifiable, candid comments about being denied the Cy Young Award in 1971 and his exclusion from the Hall of Fame. Rest in Peace, Mickey Lolich, and thank you for your humility, integrity, and loyalty.

9th inning of the 1968 World Series, You Tube: https://youtu.be/cyhY7A9pXuI

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Music: “Field Grass,” by Sergei Pavkin

Artificial Intelligence has infiltrated every aspect of our lives, and Major League Baseball has embraced it with boundless enthusiasm. The claims: AI will increase competitiveness, excitement, safety, and fairness. It will extend careers and enhance the quality of play. This podcast offers some opinions on the “wisdom” of surrendering human judgement to computers, possible unforeseen circumstances of AI: as an example, AI could potentially shorten careers. I also relate two historic moments in baseball involving the same MLB player that, thankfully, took place decades before AI was able to prevent them from ever happening.

With special thanks to Jay Hanna “Dizzy” Dean, Hall of Fame pitcher, who inspired this podcast and who, more than 90 years ago, often exhibited the property that many today value most about AI: Dizzy often predicted specific outcomes and then made them real.

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Music: “Field Grass,” by Sergei Pavkin

Ok. This podcast is a bit of an outlier. First off, I recorded it in my car as an experiment, so you will notice a difference in the audio. It’s more compressed than the podcasts I record in my office/studio. You might need to boost the volume a little bit. But it’s definitely audible. I liked the content, so I published this one. (With some prudent editing, I made it make sense.) I wanted to express the three qualities of baseball that I like and that make it different (and better) than other sports. Rather than give them away here, give this podcast a listen to see if you agree.

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Music: “Field Grass,” by Sergei Pavkin

A listener asked me to provide more information about the story that I offered in the episode published on January 19, 2026, “Humility Personified,” to fill in the details, add color and context, and clear up some questions she had about Lou Gehrig and Wally Pipp. So, this episode, called “Humility Personified (Continued)” hopefully does just that, as it focuses on the impact that Wally Pipp, the man Lou Gehrig replaced as the first basemen of the New York Yankees in 1925, had on his team, his teammate — Gehrig — and on his own family. This episode also reveals several conflicting accounts about the day that Gehrig replaced Pipp, the day Gehrig removed himself from the Yankee lineup after 2,130 consecutive games, and the day Gehrig revealed his vulnerability in front of 61,808 fans.

Wally Pipp was as premier player of his era and this podcast episode honors him and his accomplishments, on and off the field.

I thank this listener for inspiring me to delve deeper into a topic that I mistakenly thought was so familiar to my audience.

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Music: “Field Grass,” by Sergei Pavkin

Inspired by a humble gesture of an unnamed High School baseball player, who recognized that his acceptance of a college baseball offer was in no small part due to the play of his catcher, I reflect on this stellar example of humility and also (finally) after more than 100 episodes of All About Baseball, offer a treatment of whom I consider to be the most humble player in MLB history. He also happens to be one of the best, who’s significant life events as related to baseball are curiously connected to the Detroit Tigers.

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Music: “Field Grass,” by Sergei Pavkin

I can see Ryan’s house from my front yard, and I asked him if he’d be willing to share his experiences as a D1 college baseball player at Gardner Webb, a small Christian college near Charlotte, North Carolina. What came through the most was Ryan’s gratitude and humility throughout the conversation. At the end of the podcast, I chronicle just a few of his numerous and substantial achievements during his four-year career at Gardner Webb University — that he didn’t mention in the interview.

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www.byroncopley.com

Baseball, unlike the other sports, has, in my opinion, more opportunities to reinforce important virtues, among them being accountability, humility, objectivity, and charity. This podcast presents what these virtues mean in the context of the game of baseball and how to express them. I also share an early memory from when I was 10 years old that helped to help me learn the importance of being accountable for one’s actions. Thank you, Dad, for pointing to our front porch.

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https://byroncopley.com/

Music: “Field Grass,” by Sergei Pavkin

Podcasts should grow and evolve as they stick to their fundamental principles. That’s what this episode reinforces, as it projects to expect in 2026. As I continue to cultivate a like-minded band of listeners who share my passion for the game of baseball, I also plan to make each episode more inspiring and more interactive, while covering the game in the same, eclectic way that I have for the past 18 months. From the bottom of my heart and soul, I thank you for your interest, attention, and input.

May 2026 be a year of joy, fulfillment, and peace to all.

Kind regards, Byron

In the spirit of Christmas Day, I thought it appropriate to offer a replay of a podcast from September 28, 2024, that tells the story of a man with a vision to give of himself 365 days a year.

From the original podcast description: “After a 16-year Major League career, Hank Aguirre established a company called Mexican Industries in 1979, with the intent of employing fellow Mexicans and other minorities who lived in an area of Detroit called “Mexicantown.” After several lean years, the company blossomed in to a $150,000,000 business by the time Hank died in 1994.”

Merry Christmas to all of you and thank you, as always, for your interest and support

Music: “Field Grass,” by Sergei Pavkin