Baseball Discourse

Fred McGriff will be inducted into the baseball Hall of Fame in July of this year.  He was elected last December by the Contemporary Era Committee.  McGriff played 19 seasons in the major leagues with the Blue Jays, Padres, Braves, Devil Rays, Cubs and Dodgers, but I got to know him in 1983, when he was a teenager.

The New York Yankees included McGriff in a multi-player deal with the Blue Jays and 40 years ago, when I was broadcasting for the Single-A Kinston Blue Jays in the Carolina League, McGriff was our first baseman.

In my vast collection of tape cassette interviews, which I am trying to digitize, I came across an interview I did with McGriff.  We covered numerous topics, from his family, to his being the only member of his family and one of the few in his neighborhood to play baseball, to his facing Dwight Gooden in amateur baseball and much, much more.

I hope you enjoy the intervew. 

The Boston Red Sox did not make the wrong move in letting free agent shortstop Xander Bogaerts go.  I detail my reasons in this latest episode.  Meanwhile, the baseball winter meetings were fascinating, as some clubs threw money around like it was candy.

In this episode, I also talk about Judge and the Yankees, the Mets, San Diego, expansion and much more. 

It is awards week for Major League Baseball, with post season awards being handed out across the board.  Meanwhile, the focus is on free agents and where they will end up.  With the sport's labor dispute in the rear view mirror, expect a more active winter on the free agent front with numerous big names on the market. 

MLB.com polled 50 of its reporters on where they believe the high profile ball players will end up and I also weigh in, including where the biggest name of them all, Aaron Judge will land.

Four Houston Astros pitchers combined to throw the second no-hitter in World Series history, as the Astros blanked the Philadelphia Phillies, 5-0 in Game 4 of the World Series.

As I point out in this episode, Don Larsen, the only pitcher to throw a perfect game in the World Series, need not move over despite the historic accomplishment by the Astros pitching staff.  

Game 3 of the 2022 World Series is tonight, Halloween.  The series between the Houston Astros and Philadelphia Phillies will extend into November.  That is a big deal for some people.  As I explain in this episode, however, so what if they are still playing baseball.

I also weigh in on MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred's latest comments on the future of the Athletics' franchise in Oakland and why there is an urgency to resolve that issue. 

The Houston Astros are on quite a roll, having won four American League pennants in the last six seasons and going to the ALCS six straight years.

Their dominance of the New York Yankees not withstanding, however, I make the case that in order for the Astros to be considered for the Mt. Rushmore of great clubs, they must win this World Series against the Philadelphia Phillies. 

As the New York Yankees fall behind, 3-0, to the Houston Astros in the best-of-seven ALCS, I am hearing a lot of conversation from so-called "opinion makers" that the Yankees pride is at stake.  In this episode, I explain why that mindset is a lot of malarky.

Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Phillies continue to amaze in the NLCS with a commanding, 3-1 lead over the San Diego Padres.  I talk about that series as well.

Enjoy the podcast.  

The Philadelphia Phillies are in control, after winning Game 3 of the NLCS on Friday night to take a 2-1 lead over the San Diego Padres in the best-of-seven series.  I detail the game, including the controversial third strike call in the ninth inning on San Diego's Jurickson Profar.

Meanwhile, the New York Yankees are playing for their playoff lives against the Houston Astros as the scene shifts to Yankee Stadium for Game 3 of ALCS.  I talk about that and the consequences surrounding this battle between two archrivals.

I also discuss why the officiating needs to be scrutinized now that betting is part of the equation in sporting events.

Who's your Daddy?  The New York Yankees know.  And the Philadelphia Phillies battle the San Diego Padres tonight in a pivotal Game 3 in the NLCS.

I detail it all, plus an astounding story about the Houston Astros front office, in the latest episode of Baseball Discourse.

The New York Yankees find themselves in a hole, after striking out 17 times in losing to the Houston Astros, 4-2, in Game One of the ALCS on Wednesdsay night.  In this episode, I detail why the Astros continue to be the Yankees' nemesis.  

I also delve into the NLCS between the San Diego Padres and the Philadelphia Phillies and why you can make the case the Padres' win on Wednesday was a statement game, without setting the Phillies back on their heels.