Ben Lindbergh talks to Sam Miller of Pebble Hunting about the increase in IL stints at the All-Star break and Sam’s obsession with the evolving strategy of first-and-third situations. Then (41:29) Ben talks to Iowa state representative and Sioux City Explorers pitcher J.D. Scholten about his incredible baseball comeback at age 44, his baseball background, balancing baseball and politics, and his efforts to end MLB blackouts. Finally (1:20:14), Ben and The Athletic’s Evan Drellich talk to former NBC Sports and The Baseball Network president Ken Schanzer about the 30th anniversary of TBN, the first U.S. TV network owned by a pro sports league.

Audio outro: Tom Rhoads, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to Calcaterra on Glasnow

Link to Devers shoulder story

Link to ASB IL placement data

Link to Sam on first-and-third 1

Link to Sam on first-and-third 2

Link to Clemens clip

Link to Clemens gamer

Link to Manny’s cutoff

Link to Russell on post-2013 changes

Link to Pebble Hunting

Link to Scholten call

Link to Scholten clip

Link to Scholten pitching

Link to Scholten local news clip

Link to Scholten’s B-Ref page

Link to Scholten’s wiki

Link to Gazette story on Scholten

Link to WaPo on Scholten

Link to SI on Scholten

Link to Honkbal wiki

Link to Congressional Baseball Game EW

Link to The Gazette on the blackouts bill

Link to Offerman on Field of Dreams

Link to EW on Field of Dreams

Link to canceled Field of Dreams series

Link to Scholten’s Substack

Link to Scholten’s campaign site

Link to Evan on EW 2168

Link to Evan on a national TV deal

Link to 1994 TBN theme song

Link to 1994 ASG at B-Ref

Link to The Baseball Network wiki

Link to ’93 WaPo story on Ken

Link to 1993 most powerful people

Link to 1991 most powerful people

Link to The Baseball Network sources

Link to Schanzer retirement story

Link to rookie All-Star SP

Link to ballpark meetup forms

Link to meetup organizer form

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