Lefty Specialists

The Lefty Specialists are back! Including James, who is returning from a hiatus to give his extensive thoughts on who Michigan should hire as their head coach. But in addition to that, James and John do their annual breakdown of the men’s NCAA tournament bracket. This time is a little different, though, as they look for potential stars in men’s college basketball, examining why Zach Edey ain’t it, whether injuries to Hunter Dickinson and Kevin McCullar Jr. have made Kansas a lovable underdog, and how gambling is potentially ruining the sport. Listen to all that and more in super-sized first part of a two-part March Madness preview extravaganza!

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In today’s episode of the Lefty Specialists, John is joined by author, historian, and journalist Kevin Baker, whose latest book is The New York Game: Baseball and the Rise of a New City, about the history of baseball and New York. They talk about Central Park, Arnold Rothstein, the strike of 1890 and the brief, hopeful moment in which players tried to start their own league. You can order a copy here.

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We, the Lefty Specialists, hope you had a happy holiday season! Today, we (well, I — James is still on hiatus) are taking a brief look at the career of Bill Belichick and answering some questions that Undrafted has been focused on all year: Is Bill Belichick any good? Why are people so invested in him being good? And what does that say about labor relations under capitalism?

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The Lefty Specialists are back to discuss a history of “The Process”… It has now been a decade since the Philadelphia 76ers hired Sam Hinkie as their General Manager and embarked on a radical experiment in building an NBA team. So today John looks back at what the Process was, its material roots in the fight between labor and capital, and whether it could have succeeded.

(Further reading: Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four.)

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The Astros are dead! Long live the Astros! In today’s episode of the Lefty Specialists, John is joined by the man who literally wrote the book on the Houston Astros: Evan Drellich, author of Winning Fixes Everything: How Baseball’s Brightest Minds Created Sports’ Biggest Mess. The book is a fascinating look at what went on inside the organization from Jim Crane’s purchase of the team through the sign-stealing scandal and playoff successes. Evan and John discuss how to assign responsibility for a collective action, the legacy of Moneyball, and how fans should feel about how their teams are run. Check it out!

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This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit undrafted.substack.com

How do you end such a strange and historic career?

In the supersized final episode of The A-Rod Chronicles, James and John look at Alex Rodriguez’s last days as a player, and then the start of his post-playing career. As A-Rod went from player to “advisor” to announcer to business mogul, he gradually left behind the working class. But could that class ascent redeem him in the eyes of fans?

As mentioned, this is our last episode of The A-Rod Chronicles (for now, at least), and we want to thank you all for listening. We’re really proud of this series, and if you’ve enjoyed any of it, please consider passing it along to someone you think could be interested, or leave us a review. But most of all, enjoy!

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This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit undrafted.substack.com

Who do you believe about steroids in baseball?

In Chapter 8 of The A-Rod Chronicles, we try to wade through the sea of lies — from the league, from “Dr. Bosch,” from Alex Rodriguez — that make up the Biogenesis scandal. At the heart, though, this scandal was really about who was going to be held responsible for baseball’s Steroid Era. And while A-Rod wasn’t the only to take the fall, he would certainly become the league’s most prominent scalp.

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Is there any coming back from steroids?

For Alex Rodriguez, there was… at least, for a little while. In Chapter 7 of The A-Rod Chronicles, we delve into his brief, fleeting redemption in the 2009 postseason, which turned him from a villain to a hero. Then we talk about the years that followed, and how he gradually turned back…

Listen, enjoy, like, subscribe, review, etc.!

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This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit undrafted.substack.com

Yes, it’s that time…

In Chapter 6 of The A-Rod Chronicles, James and John dive deep into baseball’s “Steroids Era” before getting to the news of Alex Rodriguez’s failed 2003 test, which first broke in 2009. This is a big one… Listen, like, share, subscribe, and just generally have a good time!

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This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit undrafted.substack.com

What did it mean for Alex Rodriguez when baseball entered its post-Moneyball era?

In Chapter 5 of The A-Rod Chronicles, James and John examine how baseball’s statistical revolution impacted its highest paid player, how A-Rod got caught between an old-school that valued “intangibles” he lacked and a new wave of analytics designed specifically to avoid contracts like his, and how that overlapped with two MVP seasons and a stretch of playoff disappointments…. Listen, like, share, enjoy!

(Scheduling note: The A-Rod Chronicles will be off next week, but that only gives you more time to tell a friend!)

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This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit undrafted.substack.com