Almost Cooperstown

Think about how odd it is right now as we drop this episode late December 2021.  New team managers like Buck Showalter are not allowed to talk to or even mention players on the team.  The #MLB owners have 'Locked Out' the MLB players and if nothing gets negotiated there will be no Spring Training, and possibly an abbreviated season or no season at all.  

Baseball labor actions have been ongoing for nearly 50 years. We're generally on the side of the players who've gotten the short end of the stick for..., well nearly forever.   We talk about what's important to the players and owners, what rule changes might ensue as a result of an anticipated agreement. 

Don't expect any early moves from either side. It's never been done that way before so why would it be different this time!   It's ironic that we called out Kyle Seager and then he goes abd retires just as the episode drops!  Seager had a nice career. Also, Max Scherzer received $130M not $140M from the #Mets and Francisco Lindor received $341 million not $310 million.  Not chicken feed even for them! 

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 [email protected].  You can also follow us on Twitter @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page.  If you can please give the podcast 4 or 5 star rating! 

As we hit our 70th episode we decided it was time as dedicated NY Met fans, to do a podcast on...the Mets.  They are a team now with a wealthy owner who actually is willing to spend money.   This is unfamiliar territory for Met fans. What will they do about a manager, which players should stay or go?  One thing we are pretty sure of as Met fans - heartbreak is in our future!  

For those of you who are not fans we will return to our regularly scheduled non-Met focused (mostly) podcasts for at least a while! 

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 [email protected].  You can also follow us on Twitter @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page.

Baseball is a sport that goes by the numbers more than any other. And for good reason - there are lots and lots of numbers.  The ability to measure and compare player and team performances over time generates some great baseball conversations AND arguments!  We discovered a newly written book by first time author David A. Gordon entitled 

We recommend reading it as it presents a more refined argument than bWAR, fWAR, or JAWS - all of which are good in their own way.  CVI is based on bWAR but focuses on  player seasons above 5 WAR.  This does seem to separate the players with a couple of monster years from those that had more years of 5+ WAR.  David Gordon also has come up with a manner to penalize players associated with PED's - the first scale we've ever seen and it's better than not having any way to evaluate alleged PED  users.  

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 [email protected].  You can also follow us on Twitter @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page.

In our prior Ep. 233 we covered 18 players we believe should no longer be passed by and should be inducted into Cooperstown.  There are 263 players and 70 non-players in the HOF. Adding 36 players would make it 299 players - which is 1.27% of all players including those in the Negro Leagues.  Even adding controversial players including a PED users and 4 new Negro League inductees, we feel short adding only 35.  We should argue about Vizquel, not about Joe Mauer! 

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 [email protected].  You can also follow us on Twitter @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page.

 

This is the first of our 'off-season' episodes and we will drop an episode every two weeks now until the start of the 2022 season - or at least what should be the start if the CBA negotiations are unsuccessful.

When we began our podcast 18 months ago our main premise is that there are too few players inducted into Cooperstown.  1.25% seems as if it would about the right amount which means today the HOF would have close to 300 players (not 263).  In this first of two episodes, we talk about re-evaluations of some players we wanted in and others that we now feel are not 'Almost' guys.  There are names you would expect and a few that may surprise! 

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 [email protected].  You can also follow us on Twitter @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page.

It's easy to make predictions and easier when you don't reveal how you actually performed. We come clean in this final regular season episode.   Our prediction performance was pretty good or so we thought. Give a listen and find out if you agree!  

We will drop the first episode of the Off-season next week and then drop every two weeks until the start - or so we hope - of the 2022 MLB season.  The upcoming negotiations between owners and players may result in a work stoppage.  We hope not. And all hail the Atlanta Braves for winning the 2021 World Series!  This episode was recorded a few days prior. 

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 [email protected].  You can also follow us on Twitter @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page.

Reggie Jackson relishes being referred to as 'Mr. October'.  His 1977 WS performance #Yankees vs. #Dodgers was epic.  As a member of the #Athletics he also had the game winning single in the 1973 WS vs. the #Mets. But is he the greatest postseason player of all-time?  We discuss the best of the best in our latest podcast. 

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 [email protected].  You can also follow us on Twitter @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page.

October 10th is rife with impressive baseball lore and history.  Thinking of great plays, performances, and great games takes us back to when they happened and all the other cool related things any one date in MLB history might offer. We talk about one particular day - October 10th which has hosted season-ending play-in games, Playoff and World Series games.  Of course many other dates in October offer the same which is why we LOVE October baseball! 

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 [email protected].  You can also follow us on Twitter @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page.

Data analytics are critical to MLB teams being successful.  This can be seen in the seemingly constant use of the infield shift.  But surely every decision cannot be made on the basis of numbers and probabilities.  In game 7 of the 2020 World Series Tampa manager Kevin Cash removed Blake Snell to the delight of the Dodger dugout.  We all know what happened after that. 

When can hunches and feelings be used on the part of managers?  Players?  We talk about numbers from this season as well as some important seasons of the past. 

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 [email protected].  You can also follow us on Twitter @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page.

Beyond baseball fans of the other three major American professional sports also have a way of making their fans suffer and wait - sometimes a VERY long time for a championship. Gordon talks about how in his entire life, his four favorite NYC area teams have never won a championship - that's more than 30 years!  The Yankees and New York Giants are the teams we do not 'root' for as core fans. 

Which teams have never even played for a championship in their sport?  Which teams have played for it all but never won? We go across sports to talk about what it's like being a fan and how hard the waiting can be!  For some - like Cub fans for instance - it took 108 years!  

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 [email protected].  You can also follow us on Twitter @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page.