Almost Cooperstown

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Baseball fans may have heard the story that Stan Musial began his career in baseball as a pitcher/outfielder. A shoulder injury forced him to become a hitter and outfielder full-time for which #MLB is forever grateful. Stan-the-Man had 3,630 hits - the same 1,815 hits at home as he had on the road! He missed only one season due to WWII in 1945 only to return the next year, win the #NLMVP and lead the #Cardinals to their 6th World Series victory in 21 years. 

Musial played 22 seasons in the Majors and was an All-Star 24 times. That's not a misprint and Gordon and I tell you why. Was he better than the 'Spendid Splinter' Ted Williams? Maybe not as a hitter but he did have more hits in his career. Williams out-homered Stan despite carding 3 fewer seasons. 

But we highlight the most unusual facet of Musial's career which was his shuttling between the outfield and first base (where he played more than 30% of his games during his illustrious career). Both Musial and Williams started their careers long before Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in #baseball. 

Intro & Outro music this season courtesy of Mercury Maid! Check them out on Spotify or Apple Music!  

Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you can give us 4 or 5 star rating that means a lot. And if you have a suggestion for an episode please drop us a line via email at [email protected].  You can also follow us on X @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page or YouTube channel.  And please tell your friends!

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Japanese sensation 23-year-old Roki Sasaki wants to play #MLB. He finally got Chibu to allow him to have that opportunity. Yoshinobu Yamamoto showed the #Dodgers that top-tier NPB pitchers can dominate in the Majors. Gerrit Cole thought about leaving the #Yankees and then thought the better of it. 

We didn't discuss Shohei Ohtani's surgery but he'll be ready for Opening Day. We discussed the Gold Glove winners who were announced this week. The Classic Baseball committee put out their ballot this year to be voted on by 16 yet unnamed voters. Dick Allen and the late Luis Tiant are our favorites. But there are other worthy candidates including Negro League stars John Donaldson and Vic Willis. 

And Brooks Robinson won 16 consecutive Gold Gloves. Amazing! 

Intro & Outro music this season courtesy of Mercury Maid! Check them out on Spotify or Apple Music!  

Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you can give us 4 or 5 star rating that means a lot. And if you have a suggestion for an episode please drop us a line via email at [email protected].  You can also follow us on X @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page or YouTube channel.  And please tell your friends!

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If you are using Baseball-reference.com or Football or Basketball reference you will be using aspects what Sean Lahman created 30 years ago. Sean is a member of SABR and has generously donated the database to SABR so it's in excellent hands! 

We asked Sean how to use the database, how much and how long it took to put it all together (Bill James was an inspiration) and ways the average fan can make use of the Lahman Database which can be found at baseball1.com.  

We think you'll agree that Sean is engaging and easy to talk with and we had a great time and learned more than a few things and you will too!

Intro & Outro music this season courtesy of Mercury Maid! Check them out on Spotify or Apple Music!  

Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you can give us 4 or 5 star rating that means a lot. And if you have a suggestion for an episode please drop us a line via email at [email protected].  You can also follow us on X @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page or YouTube channel.  And please tell your friends!

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No longer can #dodgers be talked about as not having won a WS in this century in a 162-game season. There are a few players like Max Muncy who remember taking Covid-19 test after winning the 2020 World Series. No parades. No cheering from the fans. The 2024 championship behind a great job of managing by future HOF manager Dave Roberts makes all the noise go away.

Was #yankees manager Aaron Boone outmanaged by Roberts? It sure felt that way. UCLA beat USC in this one. Except Gerrit Cole went to UCLA. Yankees did all the little things worse than the Dodgers and that is what it takes to win a World Series. 

Intro & Outro music this season courtesy of Mercury Maid! Check them out on Spotify or Apple Music!  

Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you can give us 4 or 5 star rating that means a lot. And if you have a suggestion for an episode please drop us a line via email at [email protected].  You can also follow us on X @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page or YouTube channel.  And please tell your friends!

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Just last season the #dbacks came from 2-0 down to beat the #Phillies in the NLCS.  So the #Yankees being down 2-0 is not insurmountable. But their fans are going nuts and negative since presumptive AL MVP Aaron Judge has struck out 6 times in 2 games. How will the Yankee fans greet Judge upon his return to the Bronx? 

#Dodgers Shohei Ohtani will play in game three and lead off. His subluxation of his left shoulder (partial dislocation) may impact how hard he swings - which in case you have not noticed is VERY hard!  The pitching has been better and Freddie Freeman has been spectacular hitting homers in game one and two the first one being a walk-off grand slam!  

The Yankees came from 2-0 down to beat the Dodgers in 1978. The Dodgers returned the favor on the Yankees three years later in 1981. It can be done!  Don't count out the Bronx Bombers just yet.  Gordon and Mark give their reasons why this series is not over. 

Intro & Outro music this season courtesy of Mercury Maid! Check them out on Spotify or Apple Music!  

Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you can give us 4 or 5 star rating that means a lot. And if you have a suggestion for an episode please drop us a line via email at [email protected].  You can also follow us on X @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page or YouTube channel.  And please tell your friends!

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Do today's Yankee and Dodger fans care about the 1981 World Series? That was the last one between the teams. The Yanks and Dodgers played 11 times from 1941 through 1981. They did not like each other. Really. That's not the case today as all belong to a very exclusive club of millionaires and billionaires. 

In the #ALCS #Guardians gave it their best shot vs. #Yankees but it was far from enough. Yet Cleveland had great moments from Lane Thomas, Johnkensey Noel, and David Fry but the relentlessness of GIancarlo Stanton and Juan Soto prevailed. 

In the #NLCS our beloved #Mets were slapped around so much by #Dodgers that their collective heads were spinning. Too many walks, too many exhausted Met relief pitchers was the reason the magic ran out. Too much Shohei, Mookie, and Tommy Edman. Tommy Edman? 

We review the seasons of the four semi-finalists and look forward to the World Series and make our picks. We were half right on the LCS. 

Intro & Outro music this season courtesy of Mercury Maid! Check them out on Spotify or Apple Music!  

Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you can give us 4 or 5 star rating that means a lot. And if you have a suggestion for an episode please drop us a line via email at [email protected].  You can also follow us on X @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page or YouTube channel.  And please tell your friends!

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As #Mets fans of course we're excited that somehow our favorite team is still in it. Yet the prospect of a subway series vs. #Yankees is very enticing and exciting. #Dodgers will have a lot to say about it and Shohei will likely not have another subpar series. #Guardians surprised #Tigers Tarik Skubal with former #National Lane Thomas providing two huge blows. 

We wrap up the Division series including the #Padres meek ending by not scoring in the final 24 innings!  #Phillies bullpen let them down as Zach Wheeler did all that he could but it was not enough. 

Our picks are also in this episode for which teams will face off in the World Series. The next three weeks are going to be thrilling! #LGM  

Intro & Outro music this season courtesy of Mercury Maid! Check them out on Spotify or Apple Music!  

Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you can give us 4 or 5 star rating that means a lot. And if you have a suggestion for an episode please drop us a line via email at [email protected].  You can also follow us on X @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page or YouTube channel.  And please tell your friends!

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If you know our podcast you know we are huge Mets fans. This week was one of the better ones in the team's history. Playing the only games in #MLB on Monday and Thursday, the Mets were the Drama Queens from Queens!  

Now that #Brewers are vanquished #Phillies await and will be a much tougher task. We preview the best of 5 series between
#Yankees #Royals
#Guardians #Tigers
#Dodgers #Padres

We make our picks and talk about what happened to the #Orioles #Astros & #Braves. 

Intro & Outro music this season courtesy of Mercury Maid! Check them out on Spotify or Apple Music!  

Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you can give us 4 or 5 star rating that means a lot. And if you have a suggestion for an episode please drop us a line via email at [email protected].  You can also follow us on X @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page or YouTube channel.  And please tell your friends!

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The #Mets & #Braves split a doubleheader on Monday. Game 1 of the DH was one of the best baseball games a Met fan has ever seen. So we're naturally happy. But there were a ton of other things this week in baseball. We didn't discuss Luis Arraez 3rd straight batting crown, or Shohei Ohtani at all! Our segment on things you might not have heard included some rarely discussed oddities. 

The #2024MLBplayoffs start today with 4 Wild Card games. And the Wild Card Series will be over on Thursday with the Division Series beginning on Saturday.  It's October baseball and things move fast! 

Listen and watch us pick the winners. We do review our picks publicly so that we can be laughed at later! 

Intro & Outro music this season courtesy of Mercury Maid! Check them out on Spotify or Apple Music!  

Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you can give us 4 or 5 star rating that means a lot. And if you have a suggestion for an episode please drop us a line via email at [email protected].  You can also follow us on X @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page or YouTube channel.  And please tell your friends!

www.almostcooperstown.com

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The Rookie League championships took place at the end of July!  There's have also been championships settled in Low A and High A Ball. This week the AA and AAA finals are being played with the AAA overall championship a one game 'winner take all' playoff this Saturday Sept. 28th. 

Do minor league players get trophies for winning a minor league title? Do they care? The cities in which they play are connected even if players come and go during the season as the MLB parent takes precedence.

Intro & Outro music this season courtesy of Mercury Maid! Check them out on Spotify or Apple Music!  

Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you can give us 4 or 5 star rating that means a lot. And if you have a suggestion for an episode please drop us a line via email at [email protected].  You can also follow us on X @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page or YouTube channel.  And please tell your friends!

www.almostcooperstown.com