What are baseball fans, their interest set ablaze by Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa and the brawny dizzying home run race of 1998, supposed to think about a summer that was so electric at the time -- and so inauthentic in hindsight? That was a question sportswriter Joan Niesen, a St. Louis native who spent years writing for Sports Illustrated, set out to ask in her podcast 'Crushed.' What she found was how baseball players on the brink of the majors faced a similar, uncertain and nebulous question, and that Steroid Era's scar on the game is more complex than a few stars dragged before Congress. Niesen joins the Best Podcast in Baseball host and St. Louis Post-Dispatch baseball writer Derrick Goold to discuss the genesis of her podcast, the revelations from a former Cardinals farmhand who faced a common fork in his career -- to use PEDs, or not -- and her own personal reckoning with the summer that captivated her imagination as a baseball fan. 'Crushed' is a seven-part series produced by Religion of Sports and PRX and it is available wherever you find podcasts. So is BPIB. The Best Podcast in Baseball, sponsored by Closets by Design, is a production of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, StlToday.com, and Derrick Goold. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What was supposed to be a standard, weekly update on all things Cardinals veered into a deep, inside-baseball debate on how to get the game revving again. St. Louis Post-Dispatch baseball writer Derrick Goold and KMOX/1120 AM's Kevin Wheeler began talking about the rule changes baseball is experimenting with in minor-league and independent league baseball, and while both of them see the need to get more balls in play, they have starkly different suggestions for how to do that. A brief conversation becomes a long debate on the strike zone and whether to increase the size of it change hitters or decrease it to cater to hitters. Hope you enjoy. The Best Podcast in Baseball, sponsored by Closets by Design, is a production of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, StlToday.com, and Derrick Goold,

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Washington Nationals arrived in St. Louis for the first of six games in 10 days against the Cardinals and, for the first time, had the lineup they imagined during the offseason. How long will they keep it together? That question resonates in St. Louis not just because the Cardinals might be shopping for a starting pitcher (ahem, Max Scherzer) but because the Cardinals and Nationals have taken such different routes to building their teams, to correct offensive issues, to contend in a National League where neither of them are considered a favorite in the standings. Washington Post Nationals beat writer Jesse Dougherty, author of "Buzzsaw", joins St. Louis Post-Dispatch baseball writer Derrick Goold to discuss the Nationals upgrades and philosophies, St. Louis native Scherzer's next step, and how Washington's scouts unplugged the Cardinals' offense in 2019 and showed other teams how to do it, too. The Best Podcast in Baseball, sponsored by Closets by Design of St. Louis, is a production of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, StlToday.com, and Derrick Goold.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Thank you for your patience. BPIB is back. After a spring delay, the Best Podcast in Baseball returns in time for the Cardinals' home opener and discusses just how much patience fans and the Cardinals should have -- not for a podcast, but for production, for performance. KMOX/1120 AM Kevin Wheeler joins St. Louis Post-Dispatch baseball writer Derrick Goold for a conversation about patience and advanced metrics. The patience allowed the rotation is different than the patience afforded the outfield offense. Past performance matters. Track record. But what about trends? So many fancy stats are thrown around as predictive when it comes to forthcoming production -- but what do they mean. Wheeler and Goold attempt to make exit velocity, launch angle, expected BA, expect SLG, and the alphabet soup of advanced metrics more accessible so that fans can adequately calibrate their patience. The Best Podcast in Baseball, sponsored by Closets by Design of St. Louis, is a production of StlToday.com, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and Derrick Goold.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After a slow, sluggish, largely inactive winter, the Cardinals completed a furious finish on the eve of spring training -- trading for Nolan Arenado, re-signing Adam Wainwright and Yadier Molina, and trading Dexter Fowler. They also added a 6-foot-9 righthander who throws 98 mph. To get a sense of how radically the Cardinals changed the look of their offseason and the view of the fan base, the Best Podcast in Baseball heads to the middle of Missouri, the middle ground of the Show-Me State, and talks with Post-Dispatch Mizzou beat writer Dave Matter. Columbia, Mo., is home to one of the great burger bars in the country -- and a Cardinals bar, as Matter explains -- and being a blend of KC and STL it's a barometer of where the Cardinals are in holding the attention of their fans, including a new generation. With BPIB host Derrick Goold, baseball writer at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Matter talks about the "jolt" a recent move brought, and we riff on SEC baseball, Molina's stature as a Cardinals icon and how to secure it, and more. The Best Podcast in Baseball, sponsored weekly by Closets by Design of St. Louis, is a production of the Post-Dispatch, StlToday.com, and Derrick Goold.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Revisiting a conversation in Cuba with the late Pedro Gomez, a celebrated and beloved baseball writer whose sudden death on Feb. 7 led to a cascade of stories on social media from all the people he knew and mentored. This podcast was recorded in December 2015, and some of the progress made back then by MLB, the U.S. government, and Cuba as part of "baseball diplomacy" stalled a year later. From the archives: While waiting for word on their delayed flight out of Havana, Cuba, ESPN's Pedro Gomez and St. Louis Post-Dispatch baseball Derrick Goold talk about what they had just seen during Major League Baseball's "goodwill" visit and what they hoped to see result from it. They were two of the 13 members of the media invited on the trip -- which included clinics for youth, press events, and a series of memorable press conferences with Tony Castro, the son of Fidel Castro. Pedro Gomez talks about his parents leaving Cuba three weeks before he was born, and the emotions that surface each time he returns to the island. Also discussed is the excitement that would come from a unified Cuban baseball team. The podcast begins with touchdown in Havana, and the conversation was recorded in a crowded terminal. The Best Podcast in Baseball is a production of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, StlToday.com, and Derrick Goold.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Better late than never -- the Best Podcast in Baseball and the St. Louis Cardinals. The planned brand new episode of BPIB had to be shelved as news broke that the heretofore idle Cardinals, once again, had re-engaged with the Colorado Rockies about third baseman and uber-star Nolan Arenado. After years of being a recurring topic in BPIB, what was different this time? The trade happened, for starters. The Cardinals pulled off one of the biggest trades in their history, and certainly the most complicated. To make sense of it, get to know Arenado, and learn how the Rockies got to the point where they would pay their best player to leave and play for another team, BPIB turns to Jenny Cavnar, pre- and post-game host for the Rockies' games on AT&T Sportsnet in Denver. A Denver-area native, Cavnar has covered Arenado was the minors to being one of the best players in the majors. Along with BPIB host Derrick Goold, Cavnar talks about how the best could be ahead for Arenado and how behind him Coors Field echoes with questions. The Best Podcast in Baseball, sponsored by Closets by Design, is produced by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, StlToday.com, and Derrick Goold.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Through the first 2 1/2 months of the offseason, the Cardinals are the one team remaining in the majors that has not added a player from outside to the major-league roster. Good thing their in a division that is hibernating. The National League Central, as a whole, has been leaking talent not adding it this offseason as several teams, the Cardinals included, look to trim payroll. What does that mean for the "legacy" players Adam Wainwright and Yadier Molina, who have received scaled-down offers? And what is a "legacy" player? Is the ongoing salary tug-of-war with young starter Jack Flaherty an early indication that he won't be receiving one of the Cardinals' home-spun, homegrown extensions that have defined the past decade? Post-Dispatch writers Ben Frederickson and Derrick Goold explore the answers to those questions. During the recording of this podcast came news that Hall of Famer Hank Aaron had died, on Jan. 22, 2021. The two writers discuss his great impact on the game, and how baseball, as much as ever, could be a beacon for the culture -- if baseball can stop squabbling, that is.

The Best Podcast in Baseball, sponsored by Closets by Design of St. Louis, is a production of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, StlToday.com, and Derrick Goold.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina mentions the possibility of retirement, the NL Central has been the least active in the majors this offseason, and the Cardinals' winter has lacked verve while they ask for patience. All of that, and this brand new episode of the Best Podcast in Baseball begins with a question about The Mandalorian. It will all make sense by the end, when we discuss who will be the Jedi Knight to save the Cardinals for this winter of fan discontent. KMOX/1120 AM sports host Kevin Wheeler joins St. Louis Post-Dispatch baseball writer Derrick Goold to discuss the three true outcomes of Molina's free agency and what's really going on with the Cardinals' inactive division. The two also touch on the arbitration questions for individual players, "artisanal" statistics, and of course the Disney+ show that has revitalized the Star Wars universe. The Best Podcast in Baseball, brought to you weekly by Closets by Design of St. Louis, is a production of the Post-Dispatch, StlToday.com, and Derrick Goold.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Meet the Mega Mets. Author and baseball writer Andy Martino joins St. Louis Post-Dispatch baseball writer Derrick Goold to talk about a huge deal in Queens and a huge book on the horizon -- Martino's "Cheated" about the Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal and the fascinating history of baseball's sign-stealing gray area. In the wake of the New York Mets' blockbuster deal for All-Star shortstop Francisco Lindor, SNY's MLB reporter Martino to discusses the ownership change and aggressive moves in Queens already this offseason. What does Lindor's arrival mean for the Mets, what does Steve Cohen's ownership mean for salary cap talk in MLB, and where might the Cardinals fit into discussions with the Mets or Yankees when it comes to outfielders? Those questions are all discussed, as is what Jeff Lunhow brought from the Cardinals the Astros, and how the culture he created contributed to the Astros plunge over the edge and into sign stealing that cost three managers their positions and suspended Luhnow for a year. The two longtime baseball writers also talk about how Carlos Beltran makes a re-entry into the game. The Best Podcast in Baseball, sponsored by Closest by Design of St. Louis, is a production of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, StlToday.com, and Derrick Goold. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.