All About Baseball with Byron Copley

A curious assertion, given that the majority of MLB ballplayers wear their uniforms in one of two ways: with the pants at knee-level (or above) or as full-length pants that drape over the shoes. Unimaginative is lending credit to today's current "style". The point is that the art and ritual of donning a baseball uniform in the Major Leagues has given way to a more bland, utilitarian, and un-nuanced necessity.

Dressing in a baseball uniform used to be a ritual. Not anymore.

www.byroncopley.com

Music: "Field Grass," by Sergei Pavkin

AL Players at the 1937 All-Star Game

Stirrups, 1975

Ninety years ago today, May 25, 1935, Babe Ruth, now with the last-place Boston Braves, capped his 22-season career with a banner day against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Forbes Field. This podcast expresses the significance of that day, excoriates Braves' owner Emil Fuchs, and identifies perhaps the actual day, June 13, 1948, when Babe Ruth retired from the game.

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Music: "Field Grass," by Sergei Pavkin

"Babe Bows Out"

Braves vs. Pirates Box Score, May 25, 1935

What is up with Javier Baez? I looked at the numbers in detail to find out HOW Javier Baez has improved so dramatically in 2025 compared to 2024, because they can't lie. Many of Baez's stats are drastically different in 2025 compared to 2024. However, many others are surprisingly the same, or worse, in 2025 compared to 2024.

What did I discover? More affirmation that baseball is a random game that gives and takes away.

www.byroncopley.com

Music: "Field Grass," by Sergei Pavkin

Not much more to say about the content of this podcast, except for that it references, obviously, the movies American Grafitti, Casablanca, and Animal House. More to the point, it's somewhat ironic to me that MLB Commissioner Manfred waited until Rose died before removing him from the "permanently ineligible" list. This entire situation reeks of irony and contradiction. And convenience.

www.byroncopley.com

Music: "Field Grass" by Sergei Pavkin

"The Midnight Library of Baseball," by Ben Orlando, is the podcast that inspired me to create "All About Baseball," and my podcast is loosely modeled after Orlando's. I want to share Orlando's podcast with you because it is worth listening to. I just finished his three-part series on the 1919 World Series, and if you think that there's nothing more to say or write about the Black Sox' Scandal, I invite you to listen to check out Orlando's, with the help of several other authorities on the subject, fresh perspective on the event that shook the nation to its foundation.

In this podcast, I offer a few highlights and "moments" that Orlando offers about the 1919 World Series.

Here is a link to the Midnight Library of Baseball website. https://bendavidorlando.podbean.com/page/2/

www.byroncopley.com

Music: "Field Grass" by Sergei Pavkin

In a recent game between the Reds and the Braves, where Braves' first basemen Matt Olsen was awarded an inside-the-park home run, I think that the umpires missed the opportunity to apply Rule 5:12 (b) (3). In my opinion, Olsen should have been awarded two bases and no runs allowed, in the spirit of the game and in the name of player safety, which should be the #1 priority of the game at all levels. This episode begins with an anecdote where a little-league umpire called time when he should have let play proceed.

www.byroncopley.com

Music: "Field Grass" by Sergei Pavkin

The numbers seem to indicate that the players who regularly use the Torpedo Bat are not, in most cases, hitting the target in regards to improved offense when compared to March/April 2024. Only a few of the 19 MLB players reviewed in this podcast (and by all accounts, who are the only players who use the Torpedo Bat ) have experienced improved performance in the key metrics of Batting Average, On-Base Percentage, Weighted On Base Average, Weighted Runs Created Plus, Hard Hit Percentage, Batting Average Balls in Play, and Line Drive Percentage.

This podcast takes a deep delve into these metrics, dispelling the hype that Torpedo Bats attract baseballs to its sweet spot.

www.byroncopley.com

Music: "Field Grass" by Sergei Pavkin

The sounds of baseball that emanated from the high school behind my back yard on a warm Sunday prompted me to walk over there and investigate. What I discovered was a softball team of young women at practice who obviously love the game and a coach who instills confidence and courage in his players.

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Music: "FIeld Grass," by Sergei Pavkin

Brad Havens is one of the 23,431 men, as of this podcast release, to have ever played Major League Baseball in the history of civilization. He is also the only player from my high school, Royal Oak Kimball, to have made the major leagues. This podcast briefly accounts his story, based on limited personal experience and limited press coverage. Why spend time on a largely anonymous MLB player? Because most of them are.

byroncopley.com

Music: "Field Grass," by Sergei Pavkin

Baseball, unlike other sports, offers unique and subtle ways to express courtesies to teammates, opponents, and even umpires. In this podcast, I cover a few examples that should be taught from the very beginnings of a player's experience as a ballplayer. These courtesies are as much a part of the game as are the fundamentals of pitching, fielding, throwing, baserunning, and hitting.

byroncopley.com

Music: "Field Grass," by Sergei Pavkin