We take a look at the Home Run Derby participants (before they announced Matt Olson would replace Ronald Acuna Jr) and All-Star Game rosters, discussing who got snubbed, who should be starting, and other general stuff from the first half of the season. Also some trade deadline talk, a farewell to DJ Lemahieu, and a hello to Cam Schlittler.

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Produced and Edited by Nolan Rabine

Cover Art by Brody Staub

Mudville is BACK from a long hiatus and we're discussing a truly massive week in which the Oklahoma City Thunder won their first NBA title, Zohran Mamdani spanked disgraced pervert Andrew Cuomo in the NYC mayoral primary, and Rafael Devers hit his first few home runs as a San Francisco Giant after last week's historic trade from the Boston Red Sox.

The guys celebrate Zohran's massive victory and pay tribute to one of the best political campaigns in years. Nolan reminisces on years of painful collapses rooting for the Thunder, an incredible rebuilding effort by GM Sam Presti, and what this championship means to the fanbase. We search for any sort of precedent for the blockbuster Rafael Devers trade between the Giants and Red Sox, break down how we got to this moment, and question why Boston would ever make this decision.

Check out the Mudville Patreon to support the show in its return or receive updates anytime we release new content.

Listen to Brody's band Killer Film and check out their new single "Five More Minutes (Where the Fuck Are My Sunglasses?)"

Timestamps:

(1:00) Mudville's return/Zohran's primary victory

(18:45) OKC Thunder win the NBA Finals

(35:55) Rafael Devers traded from BOS to SF

Produced and Edited by Nolan Rabine

Cover Art by Brody Staub

Nolan and Brody break down the first ten days of the 2025 MLB season and predict whether emerging trends are legitimate or just a flash in the plan, before delivering five bold predictions each for the rest of the year. We discuss the red-hot NL West, a disastrous start for the Atlanta Braves, who should break out in the NL Central, and early-season performances from Wilyer Abreu, Kyle Tucker, Jason Wilson, Nathan Eovaldi, Spencer Schwellenbach, Dylan Crews, and Walker Buehler.

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Timestamps:

(01:00) Intro

(06:45) Who's Real? Who's Fake?

(45:12) Bold Predictions for 2025

(1:06:30) Outro

Produced and Edited by Nolan Rabine

Cover Art by Brody Staub

The Mudville season previews for MLB in 2025 wrap up with extended discussions on the AL & NL East. We analyze what should be two of the most competitive divisions in baseball, with at least three teams in both that could reasonably end up on top. Will the Braves rebound from a season of catastrophic injury luck? Can the Phillies successfully run it back with a similar roster as last year? Do the Yankees return to the World Series? Are the new-look Mets and Red Sox the teams to beat? Can the Ray's rotation finally stay healthy? Will the Marlins be the worst team in MLB history? We get into all of this and much, much more. Welcome back, baseball!

Our episode with Toney on the 2025 Red Sox

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Timestamps:

(04:40) Braves

(20:30) Marlins

(27:10) Mets

(41:30) Nationals

(51:20) Phillies

(1:07:30) Blue Jays

(1:23:10) Orioles

(1:35:51) Rays

(1:45:20) Red Sox

(1:57:31) Yankees

(2:13:30) Recap/Outro

Produced and Edited by Nolan Rabine

We're joined by recurring guest Nick aka Prospect Sauce for the second installment of our annual MLB season previews. Today we discuss 10 fascinating teams (well 8 fascinating teams plus the Pirates and White Sox) across the AL & NL Central.

Will the Guardians and Brewers repeat as division champions this season? Will Gavin Williams be the best pitcher in Cleveland's rotation? Is the AL MVP Bobby Witt Jr's to lose? Can any star hitter on the Twins stay healthy? Will Kyle Tucker and the Cubs emerge as contenders? Is this Elly De La Cruz's 40/70 season? We discuss all this and more!

Nolan's season preview for the Cleveland Guardians on Pinstripe Alley

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Timestamps:

(03:20) Cleveland Guardians

(12:45) Kansas City Royals

(23:40) Detroit Tigers

(35:45) Minnesota Twins

(48:55) Chicago White Sox

(58:20) Milwaukee Brewers

(1:08:00) St Louis Cardinals

(1:16:30) Chicago Cubs

(1:23:30) Pittsburgh Pirates

(1:32:50) Cincinnati Reds

Produced and Edited by Nolan Rabine

The third annual Mudville season preview kicks off with deep dives into the AL & NL West. We briefly discuss a trio of pitching injuries to Gerrit Cole, George Kirby, and Grayson Rodriguez, before breaking down the Angels busy offseason and if it'll make much of a difference, the Astros lineup post-Kyle Tucker trade, S.S.D.D for the Mariners, the volatility of the Rangers, and surprising signs of life from the Athletics' front office. Then we look into the revamped Arizona Diamondbacks, the Dodgers building the best team we've ever seen, a legal battle for ownership of the Padres throwing a wrench into the team's offseason, the Giants' quest to escape the dungeon of mid, and another year in Hell for the Colorado Rockies.

Subscribe at Patreon.com/Mudville to receive updates anytime we release new content, and to access Nolan's Prospect Spotlight series which concluded this week!

Timestamps:

(1:00) Cole, Kirby, G-Rod injuries

(13:00) AL West Season Preview

(14:15) Los Angeles Angels

(23:30) Houston Astros

(36:20) Athletics

(43:45) Seattle Mariners

(58:00) Texas Rangers

(1:11:00) NL West Season Preview

(1:12:20) Arizona Diamondbacks

(1:26:00) Los Angeles Dodgers

(1:35:21) San Francisco Giants

(1:45:10) San Diego Padres

(1:56:30) Colorado Rockies

(2:05:00) Recap/Outro

Produced and Edited by Nolan Rabine

Cover Art by Brody Staub

This is my well-groomed beard. It's a symbol of my individuality and my belief in personal freedom. We discuss the start of Spring Training, debate the reversal of the Yankees' longstanding facial hair policy, and lament Giancarlo Stanton having double tennis elbow. We then break down some notable performances from the first week of baseball, including Noah Cameron, David Festa, Zebby Matthews, Jared Jones, Will Warren, Clay Holmes, Zyhir Hope, JJ Wetherholt, Michael Toglia, Bryce Eldridge and more. Baseball is back!

Subscribe to the Mudville Patreon to receive updates anytime we release new content ad to access the ongoing Prospect Spotlight series happening over the next couple weeks.

Produced and Edited by Nolan Rabine

Cover Art by Brody Staub

The last major domino of free agency has fallen, with Alex Bregman headed to the Boston Red Sox on a 3-year, $120 million contract. Boston's off-season has baseball fans wondering if they'll be major contenders for the AL East crown in 2025, and perhaps even for the pennant. We're joined by recurring guest and Red Sox aficionado Toney Brown to discuss the change in philosophy from the past few disappointing seasons, break down the current roster, and project how it stacks up against some of the best teams in baseball.

Also: Four Nations Face Off, the state of international competition (baseball vs basketball vs hockey), Triston Casas and Rafael Devers' comments to the media, Roman Anthony vs Jasson Dominguez, & a shift in prospect performance from '23 to '24

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Produced and Edited by Nolan Rabine

Cover Art by Brody Staub

An attempt to make sense of the seismic, once-in-a-lifetime blockbuster trade that sent Luka Doncic, Maxi Kleber, and Markieff Morris to the Lakers and Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a 2029 1st to the Dallas Mavericks. We discuss our initial reactions to the trade, assuming Shams was hacked, the Nico Harrison hate train, the luck of the Lakers, Miriam Adelson's eternal lust for evil, what the deal means for both rosters now and in the future, and if there's a hypothetical or existing MLB trade comparable to this one.

Also: Pelting Bob Nutting with snowballs, cornering the sand market, Pete Alonso back to the Mets, Jack Flaherty to the Tigers, and Max Scherzer to the Blue Jays.

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Produced and Edited by Nolan Rabine

Cover Art by Brody Staub

In the second half of our annual Best of the Year episode, Nolan and Toney conclude their conversation by discussing their five favorite films released in 2024. Movies discussed include new releases from M. Night Shyamalan, Bertrand Bonello, Jane Schoenbrun, Aaron Schimberg, Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Matt Farley, and more.

Subscribe at Patreon.com/Mudville to access all of our episodes, lists, and writing, and to receive updates anytime we release new content!

Palestinian Film Institute

Local Legends: Bloodbath episode

The Beast episode

Timestamps:

(0:57) Failed State

(5:50) Local Legends: Bloodbath

(11:20) No Other Land

(20:35) Evil Does Not Exist

(27:35) A Different Man

(33:25) I Saw the TV Glow

(37:20) Dahomey

(41:00) Nickel Boys

(46:00) Trap

(56:15) The Beast

(1:02:20) Outro

(1:04:00) Toney's Honorable Mentions

Produced and Edited by Nolan Rabine

Cover Art by Brody Staub