Baseball Isn’t Boring

In Bradfo's recent podcast with Joe Kelly - co-author of the book 'A Damn Near Perfect Game' and red-hot relief pitcher - the righty explained how he came about the unique delivery that has baseball buzzing and teams chirping at him. As Kelly explained, not only does the process throw off the timing of hitters, but it may actually give him a few seconds in addition to the 15 or 20 seconds on the pitch clock to make a decision on what he will be offering the batter. To listen to the entire podcast, click here.

The Godfather of the Baseball Isn't Boring movement is back ... in more ways than one. Joe Kelly jumps back in with his co-author of the wildly popular book "A Damn Near Perfect Game", Bradfo, to catch up on the birth and naming of his fourth child, his recent dominance, the unique manner in which he has started pitching, the best bullpens and bullpen stories and, of course, some great book conversation. Always a good time.

Team meetings in the world of Major League Baseball can be tricky. If you try and stop a losing skid by having a meeting and lose the very next time you play, such an approach is automatically devalued. But judging by the results Tuesday night, it sure appears as though Alex Verdugo timed out his first players-only meeting just right. It was an approach he explained when talking with Bradfo.

There was plenty to celebrate in the world of baseball Tuesday night, and Baseball Isn't Boring is here to help with all the feels. We have the Home Run Call of the Day. We have all the spicy craziness that continues to take place between the Blue Jays and Yankees. We have Bradfo getting to the bottom of an Alex Verdugo-led team meeting. And we have Mike Cameron sitting down with the host of the BIB podcast to explain the difficulties that come with being a top prospect and how those challenges have changed over the years. It's a great way to celebrate baseball heading into Hump Day.

There are a million things we could have discussed with a player like Nolan Arenado, one of the most underrated superstars in Major League Baseball. But after our podcast with Trevor Story, where the sole topic was the infielder's love of footwear, there was only one thing Bradfo needed to broach with Arenado - shoes. The two talk about third baseman's love affair of the art people put on their feet, while also getting a pretty good answer to the question of why baseball isn't boring?

Yogi Berra. You thought you knew him, but you didn't. That should be true for anybody who gets a chance to soak in the recently-released documentary "It Ain't Over" by writer/director Sean Mullin. Bradfo sits down with Mullin to dive into the making of the next-level doc, exploring one of most fascinating - and unappreciated - lives in baseball history. It's a conversation, and movie, you won't want to miss. There is also our Home Run Call of The Day, thanks to the Orioles, and some controversy coming from Aaron Judge.

Wondering how Willson Contreras hatched his plan to lure Kenley Jansen into a pitch clock violation? Bradfo sits down with the Cardinals' catcher to hear his story and how the whole process came about.

It is quite a way to kick off a new week, with Bradfo catching up with reigning NL MVP Paul Goldschmidt, the recently-in-the-news Willson Contreras and shoe expert Nolan Arenado. We also give you a couple of great calls - one coming on a Twins homer and the other via Bryce Harper's dust-up with the Rockies. And to top everything off, Bradfo gives you the five hitters he wouldn't want to face right now.

Why aren't there more trades made in Major League Baseball in the month of May? Well, that's what Bradfo wanted to find out so he turned to Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos for insight when it came to teams' approach to team-building prior to trade deadline time.

Prior to the St. Louis Cardinals game against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park, Team Japan teammates Lars Nootbaar and Masa Yoshida got a chance to reunite. It was a reminder of the impact the tournament will always have on those who participated. Before the game, Nootbaar - who is off to the best start of his big league career and helped the Cardinals win the series-opener with a game-tying, ninth-inning single - talked about meeting up with Yoshida.