Best Podcast in Baseball

While catching an Arizona Fall League game in Glendale, Ariz., and seeing Cardinals prospects Austin Gomber and Carson Kelly, BPIB co-hosts Derrick Goold and Benjamin Hochman discuss the general manager meetings. The Cardinals are looking for a center fielder and rethinking their bullpen, but Hochman has a trade he thinks they must, must, must make to catch the Cubs. The two St. Louis Post-Dispatch writers explore what's realistically possible in the trade market and what is possibly realistic from several key Cardinals plays. Also, Hochman wants a foul ball and will let nothing, not even the podcast, get in his way of obtaining it.

Hop in. Buckle up. Let's go for a ride. The latest Best Podcast in Baseball hits the road between Chicago and Cleveland, where one of the longest championship droughts in baseball is certain to end with a Game 7 victory in the 112th Fall Classic. BPIB host Derrick Goold, baseball writer at The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, forces two rising baseball writers to pay for the ride by joining the podcast. Rustin Dodd, of The Kansas City Star, and James Wagner, of The New York Times, talk about Cleveland's bullpen, the Cubs' rally, and just the last ramifications of this compelling World Series will be. There is also a toll to be a paid.

We asked. And, goodness, did you answer. Listeners took the wheel of this week's Best Podcast in Baseball due to the sheer volume and excellence of the responses to this question: How are you, a Cardinals fan, coping with the success of the Cubs and possible World Series run? Co-hosts Derrick Goold and Benjamin Hochman, both writers at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, share the scores of responses they received. Emails include tales of grandfathers, fathers, mothers, friends, and spouses who live for the Cubs, and some who have died without seeing a season like this one on the Northside. The emails, which came from far and wide and even other countries, prompt a series of discussions about issues facing the Cardinals (do they need a new sales pitch?) and Major League Baseball (do the Cubs glorify tanking?). The show goes where the listeners of BPIB takes it, and that makes it one of the most rewarding episodes yet. BONUS: A story from Game 7 of the 2006 NLCS that you have never heard before.

On the outside of October looking in for the first time since 2010, the Cardinals begin building their platform for the 2017 season and another World Series pursuit. By looking back at the 2016 season -- its surprises, its disappointments -- BPIB co-hosts Derrick Goold and Benjamin Hochman, of St. Louis Post-Dispatch, peer forward to the improvements and directions the Cardinals will take this winter. Can the Cardinals be better built for the ballpark they call home, Busch Stadium? Is center field the transformative position we've long talked about? And, as a homework assignment for BPIBers, what to make of the Cubs run for their first World Series championship since 1908. Email how you're coping with the Cubs to [email protected] or [email protected], and we may dedicate the next episode to you. Seriously.

From the hidden elements of Yadier Molina's game to the fundamental potholes jarring the Cardinals, St. Louis Post-Dispatch writers Derrick Goold and Benjamin Hochman preview the final weekend of the regular season with a 90-minute exploration of all things nuanced. Joined by special guest Mark Saxon, of ESPN.com, the trio discuss how statistics fail in their attempts to quantify the Cardinals' catcher, but can the same be said about the standings. The Cardinals, Giants, and New York Mets rumble, bumble, stumble, and fumble their way to the finish line in a wild-card race that looks a lot like a company picnic's potato sack race. Who will win? How far will the Cardinals go? And, on a scale of 0 to 10, how would you rate this season if the Cardinals falter and fall out of the race? Not one of the three writers has the same answer. Brace yourself, this is a show-tune free BPIB chocked with baseball. It's the bester best episode yet.

Showdown in San Francisco. Battle by the Bay. The Clash at McCovey Cove. The Cardinals arrive in The City for a four-game series against one of the two other teams challenging for the National League wild card berths. Enter the Giants. To preview this pivotal series, Post-Dispatch writers Derrick Goold and Benjamin Hochman discuss how it could begin the defining week of the 2016 season for the Cardinals. In this era of after-the-fact story lines, whether the Cardinals reach the postseason will color everything that came before October, from the ragged defensive play to the power-up offense. The bouquet (trust us) of this year will depend on the next seven games. "Best Case Scenario" managing and Alex Reyes' return to the rotation is also discussed. Siri is consulted. And, an apology is issued to people who accidentally found this episode while searching for the Best Podcast on Spaceballs. Hochman explains. He does not sing.

Fresh from his journey to see Aledmys Diaz and the Cardinals' Class AA affiliate in Springfield, Mo., Post-Dispatch uber-writer Ben Frederickson joins the Best Podcast in Baseball. This is a special episode recorded at the downtown studios of Free Play Media, the new home of The Writers' Block. Frederickson and BPIB co-host Derrick Goold, a baseball writer at The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, discuss what Diaz has to accomplish on his rehab assignment and why the importance of his return to the Cardinals from a hairline fracture is such an unexpected twist for the 2016 club and its need for reliable defense. The two writers also delve into whether it's right for major-league players to rehab during minor-league playoffs and much more. It's an abbreviated BPIB episode, focused squarely on Frederickson's reporting and insight from Class AA. A full-length whiz-banger of an episode will drop in time to advance the forthcoming visit to Busch Stadium by the inevitable division champions, the Chicago Cubs.

Starting with Chris Carpenter's bobblehead night and continuing through a weekend honoring Bob Gibson (another bobblehead) and Carpenter (induction into the Cardinals' Hall of Fame), there are aces all over the place this week. But what does that word mean? For some it's a term thrown around easily, hopping from one pitcher to the next depending on who is pitching better that day. For others the three letters have more gravity, more stature. It's not a title given, it's earned, and only over time. With Carlos Martinez pitching the best, Alex Reyes' future the brightest, and veteran Adam Wainwright searching for consistency, the Cardinals have three pitchers in various stages of ace. At the confluence, BPIB co-hosts Derrick Goold and Benjamin Hochman, of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, parse the meaning of the word "ace" and how they use it in their coverage of baseball. Who is the ace? That's easy. What makes a true ace? That's a harder, more importance question. Also discussed is all the Cardinals outliers, James Earl Jones, and whether Duran Duran is better than INXS. There is also a contest for listener. The next podcast could be dedicated to you, ace.

On Aug. 9, 2016, the St. Louis Cardinals made a series of internal roster moves that will influence 2016 -- and perhaps define the team for years to come. Before describing the need for a new stat, "Unearned Innings," St. Louis Post-Dispatch baseball writer Derrick Goold and sports columnist Benjamin Hochman explain why Michael Wacha going on the disabled list could revise the young pitcher's role and how the arrival of Alex Reyes and Luke Weaver to the majors is similar to 2013, when another young promising tandem, Wacha and Carlos Martinez, arrived as power-packed reinforcements. In this full-length BPIB, Reyes' potential and a series against the Chicago Cubs are also discussed along with Prince's 'Let's Go Crazy.' But first, let's opening some baseball cards.

Sixty years ago this summer, the gold record of “Who's On First” was presented to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, where it hangs today in Cooperstown, N.Y., and preserves this historic routine for baseball and comedy eternity. On this fun anniversary, St. Louis Post-Dispatch sports columnist Benjamin Hochman talked with Lou Costello's daughter, who's written “Lou's On First,” a book about her hilarious father and his collaboration with the comedic straight-man Bud Abbott. After a short, clunky intro with BPIB co-host Derrick Goold, Hochman presents the conversation about the routine, the inspiration, and Joe DiMaggio's role in it as his solo short. What's on deck. Who knows.