Bat Flips And Nerds

Host of the Baseball by the Book podcast Justin McGuire joins the guys to share some of his favourite guests and take part in a 'draft' of our favourite, and less celebrated, baseball books.

A full list of choices can be found here: http://batflipsandnerds.com/2018/01/09/baseball-book-draft-podcast-reading-list/

Joey Mellows has an interview with Melbourne Aces stud pitcher Josh Tols covering his development in Australia, transferring to the States for college and his time in pro ball in Indy Ball's Pecos League and American Association and in Japan with the Niigata Albirex. Thanks to Joey for such an awesome interview, and to Josh for his time.

 

 

John is joined for an in-depth chat by Dan Vaughan, the voice of ABL's Perth Heat and the Kansas City T-Bones of the American Association. Dan shares tales of his path to the commentary booth and how a native Texan comes to call Western Australia, and the ABL, his home from home.

Gabriel Fidler of Extra Innings UK joins John and Darius to talk about the new European baseball tournament and his interviews with British minor leaguers P.J. Conlon and Blake Taylor, Italian star Marten Gasperini, and Colombian prospect Erick Julio. They then discuss Derek Jeter's early days as a Marlins executive, the likely landing spot for Giancarlo Stanton, the latest developments in the lengthy Shohei Ohtani saga, and John Coppolella's demise and the severe penalties handed out to the Braves for infractions in the international market.  Finally, they debate the merits (or otherwise) of Joe Morgan's letter imploring voters not to put PED users in the Hall of Fame.

Gabriel's work can be found at http://extrainnings.co.uk/

For the second in our previews for this year's Australian Baseball League, John is joined by the Brisbane Bandits' Travis Blackley. Travis talks about his fast track to the Majors in Seattle, his Playoff year on both sides of the Bay Area and his life as a globetrotting gun for hire.

 

Thanks again to Cam McHarg for helping sort the interview

In the first of two podcasts to preview this year's Australian Baseball League, John talks to new Sydney Blue Sox manager and long-time Baseball Australia stalwart Tony Harris. They cover Tony's early days in baseball, his time as a coach in the Dodgers system and his current role as a Pirates scout before diving in on Sydney's chances in this year's ABL.

Following the tragic death of former Blue Jays and Phillies ace Roy Halladay, John is joined by Colin Murray to reminisce about Halladay's wonderful career and Colin's memories of meeting the man himself. Tom, Ben, and Darius then discuss the two major offseason storylines so far: a potential Giancarlo Stanton trade; and the prospect of Japanese phenomenon Shohei Ohtani coming to MLB. The trio then hand out a set of alternative awards, including a lengthy discussion of Best Fielding Howler (link to all contenders below), Best Blown Save, and Best Player Being Paid By Another Team.

Fielding howlers list

Darius and Ben get together for a World Series wrap podcast after the Astros' victory. They discuss the highlights of the series, where it ranks among recent World Series in terms of entertainment, the tumultuous series of Yu Darvish, and the juiced ball. They then consider what they might be doing with their time now that baseball is over for several months. They also ponder whether the Angels could be contenders with the re-signing of Justin Upton, and Masahiro Tanaka's decision to stay in New York rather than test free agency. Finally, they answer listener questions about whether a team will sign Ichiro next season, what the Astros could get in return for Carlos Correa, Jose Altuve, or George Springer, and what they'd like to see as an entertaining compromise over the DH.

Darius is joined by Tampa Bay Rays fan and friend of the show Rob Noverraz to marvel at an incredible seesaw battle in Game 2 of the World Series, including Chris Taylor's bizarre fielding play, Yasiel Puig's tantrum, and some varying approaches to home run celebration. They then round up the plethora of managerial moves, headlined by the Yankees' decision not to bring back Joe Girardi. Rob then breaks down the complicated issue of the Rays stadium saga with news of a potential move to Tampa itself surfacing, followed by discussion of the prospects for the team going forward, the announcement of the Gold Glove finalists, and a push for the Rays to sign Shohei Otani and become a team with two two-way players.

Tom returns to join John and Darius in a discussion of Joe Maddon's latest round of antics as the Cubs teeter on the brink of elimination. They also marvel at the Yankees' resurgence and the Astros' sudden inability to hit, before getting stuck into the rumours that MLB is considering expansion, which draws a broadly positive reaction from John and quite the opposite from Tom, and leads into the latest round of the DH debate. They also touch on the bizarre map that suggests north-west Canada hates the Padres, and the imminent hiring of Alex Cora as Red Sox manager.