No Crying In Baseball

We walk you through both International Signing Day and the deadline to push slips of paper with numbers on them across the table (also how arbitration works and who avoided it). The Carlos Correa crab game has come to a close and Patti is not even smug about being right. We share our boyfriend picks for both the Twins and the Cubs. Pottymouth chooses the happy energy of Jose Miranda while Patti goes all family ties with Nick Gordon on the Twins side. For the Cubs, Pottymouth leans into a theme with always-smiling Christopher Morel while Patti attempts to lock down right field with Seiya Suzuki. 

Robinson Chirinos makes a splash in the Venezuelan league so Pottymouth wants him for the Red Sox, and the Dominican league finals are very full of boyfriends, qHAR, and pop culture references. Diamilette Quiles, the first woman to play in the Puerto Rican league, will become the first woman to coach, as she joins the staff of her former team Montañeses de Utuado. Congrats to friend of the pod and pride of DC Girls Baseball, Paloma Benach, as she makes Occidental College’s varsity squad as a freshman!

We say, “The school districts are WAY better there,” “Hamilton. Look it up.” and “The thorn in the Padres’ big rose.” Get boosted, fight the man, send your game balls to Meredith, and find us on Twitter @ncibpodcast, on Facebook @nocryinginbball, Instagram @nocryinginbball and on the Interweb at nocryinginbball.com. Please take a moment to subscribe to the show, and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to NCiB. Become a supporter at Patreon to help us keep doing what we do. Say goodnight, Pottymouth.

We’ve got a supersized Police Blotter this week, what with the Dodgers doing the right thing at the very last minute. We ponder why it took so long to DFA Trevor Bauer, and what may happen if another MLB team has the poor judgment to pick him up, ranging from T shirt purges to vandalism. We explore the relationship of adult beverages to crime as 1) the man who whipped two cans of White Claw at Ted Cruz during the Astros parade gets a pass, and 2) the man charged with a September break-in of the Brewer’s clubhouse blames it on consuming 10 beers at the ballgame which clearly means he is independently wealthy and does not need to break in to anything. Pottymouth selects one of the newest Angels, Brandon Drury, as her boyfriend this year, and Patti  goes for recent Philly Mickey Moniak because she is so fond of that crew. For the Marlins, Pottymouth selects “family over everything” Nick Fortes and Patti selects secret concert pianist and Van Halen fan JJ Bleday. Pottymouth’s dad is happy about Devers but really wants more arms. Look for this week’s winter ball report on Patreon.

We say, “Trevor Bauer is not ready for Oprah, “flammable Fenway,” and “I only have one more line and I know it.” Get boosted, fight the man, send your game balls to Meredith,  and find us on Twitter @ncibpodcast, on Facebook @nocryinginbball, Instagram @nocryinginbball and on the Interweb at nocryinginbball.com. Please take a moment to subscribe to the show, and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to NCiB. Become a supporter at Patreon to help us keep doing what we do. Say goodnight, Pottymouth.

We kick off the new year with Rockies and Rangers boyfriends. Patti is already considering Rangers pitching for our wacky fantasy league, but that’s separate from picking Josh Smith, because LSU and other compelling factors.  Pottymouth selects Nathaniel Lowe because he’s a pottymouth, and other compelling reasons. For the Rockies, Patti and Dante Bichette both see the potential in Brendan Rodgers, and Pottymouth likes that Yonatan Daza is always dancing. A Dominican court convicted ten people on charges including criminal organization, use of illegal firearms, attempted murder, and complicity in the murder attempt of David Ortiz in 2019. Former Oriole Adam Jones helps Pottymouth’s dad feel better about the Red Sox. We reassure you that movement is happening, quietly and slowly, toward the minor league’s first collective bargaining agreement.

So much happening in international baseball including a preview of the Serie del Caribe, a heads up to start making plans for the 9th Women’s Baseball World Cup to be held in Thunder Bay, Ontario, and the news that diplomacy prevails and Cuban-born MLB players will be permitted to play for the Cuban team in the World Baseball Classic. On a happy pod note, Patti and the Pottymouth are officially going to Miami for two quarterfinal games and one semi-final game so get in touch if you’ll be there too! Patti wants you to read a fiction series about hockey because you’ll cry in a good way, and makes Pottymouth drink a Christmas beer, also in a good way.

We say, “that sounds like a Patrick Swayze movie,” “at some point that was not yet now,” and “this is what happens when I break my toe and I’m on vacation.” Get boosted, fight the man, send your game balls to Meredith,  and find us on Twitter @ncibpodcast, on Facebook @nocryinginbball, Instagram @nocryinginbball and on the Interweb at nocryinginbball.com. Please take a moment to subscribe to the show, and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to NCiB. Become a supporter at Patreon to help us keep doing what we do. Say goodnight, Pottymouth.

As you might expect, Patti and the Pottymouth spend Christmas night talking baseball, fact-checking “The Chanukah song,” and drinking gin and tonickas. We cannot avoid the Carlos Correa kerfuffle, but we off-set it with other players on the move and Aaron Judge’s Rolex. We introduce our Tigers and Reds boyfriends: Riley Greene and Spencer Torkelson, Tyler Stephenson and Jose Barrero. It’s Christmas so why the heck not bring up disappointing Trevor Bauer news? And we get to the AirBnB part of the “should we go see World Baseball Classic games in Miami?” conversation.

We say “If I’m gonna be injured, they are too,” “Vine lives with MySpace and the extra socks you lose in the dryer,” and “If you open the beer, I’ll stop talking.” Get boosted, fight the man, send your game balls to Meredith,  and find us on Twitter @ncibpodcast, on Facebook @nocryinginbball, Instagram @nocryinginbball and on the Interweb at nocryinginbball.com. Please take a moment to subscribe to the show, and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to NCiB. Become a supporter at Patreon to help us keep doing what we do. Say goodnight, Pottymouth.

Are we Team Italy now?  Our Royals picks point that way. Pottymouth orders the Italian Breakfast (and former flying monkey) Vinnie Pasquantino and Patti selects Nicky Lopez, who is boots on the ground with his community involvement. Our Pirates guys include a Cleveland favorite, Carlos Santana, and a rookie record-breaker in Oneil Cruz. Dansby Swanson to the Cubs is the last of the top tier shortstop free agents deals this go round, and it gives us a chance to talk about Mallory some more. Pottymouth is taking recent Red Sox decisions as a personal affront, and she may be right. In WBC news Team USA announces more arms, Team Italy announces NCiB boyfriends, and we still can’t get tickets for games in Miami. Bradford William Davis and friend of the pod Dr. Meredith Wills tell a tale of three baseballs which just gets curiouser and curiouser (if we may mix Alice and Goldilocks).

We say, “MC Hammer pants,” “Day 9, the Waning of the Waft,” and “if you were sliding into third base, your cellphone would probably fall out of your pocket too.” Get boosted, fight the man, send your game balls to Meredith,  and find us on Twitter @ncibpodcast, on Facebook @nocryinginbball, Instagram @nocryinginbball and on the Interweb at nocryinginbball.com. Please take a moment to subscribe to the show, and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to NCiB. Become a supporter at Patreon to help us keep doing what we do. Say goodnight, Pottymouth.

The first FA shortstop moves tick off two major metropolitan areas. Pottymouth mourns Boston’s loss of the XMan to Xan Diego, and Patti shares the DMV’s piled-on feeling of Trea to Phils – another former Nat back to a rival NL East team. Josh Bell to the Guards just puts another jersey on Patti’s Christmas list. We kick off our off-season boyfriend profile picks with the As and the Nats. Pottymouth stocks up on catchers early with Oakland’s Shea Langeliers, and brings along his star athlete sister as a bonus. Patti selects Seth Brown, the man with both Dad Power and a backup plan. We go all “hey new guy!” with the Nats as Pottymouth chooses rising star and bobblehead to be C.J. Abrams, and Patti declares it to be “Get it to Joey” time with Joey Meneses. The balls in the hopper set an anti-tanking precedent as the 2023 draft order is determined at the Winter Meetings. Is it weird that 13 of the 15 players taken in the Rule 5 draft are pitchers? Congrats to TJ House on his engagement! And we assign you homework: read about the Goldilocks balls for next week.

We say “Rusty Snails are an acquired taste,” “I don’t understand money,” and “we have laser hops happening.” Get boosted, fight the man, send your game balls to Meredith,  and find us on Twitter @ncibpodcast, on Facebook @nocryinginbball, Instagram @nocryinginbball and on the Interweb at nocryinginbball.com. Please take a moment to subscribe to the show, and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to NCiB. Become a supporter at Patreon to help us keep doing what we do. Say goodnight, Pottymouth.

In advance of the Winter Meetings, starting pitcher signings are the big news but NCiB boyfriends are also on the move, including a full boyfriend trade between the Brewers and Mariners. Miguel Cabrera announces his upcoming retirement, reminding us that in addition to spectacular batting stats, he’ll leave a legacy of giving back to his communities. The Winter Meetings bring us a new draft lottery, the Rule 5 Draft, and the Take the Field program focusing on women working in baseball. Ideally, they will also shake loose the Free Agent shortstop market and a home for Aaron Judge. The players’ union, the MLBPA, renewed Tony Clark’s contract through 2027  so  that  he will remain Executive Director through the next contract negotiations. Players voted in a new executive committee, heavy on the pitchers and Ian Happ. Ronald Acuña keeps the Hammers streak going by winning the LVPB home run derby and more  familiar faces join the winter baseball scene in both Venezuela and the Dominican Republic. Baseball for All’s Justine Seigal returns to  Mexico to lead clinics for  girls  and  coach some winter ball. Also in the DR, Nelson Cruz and friends lead the annual “Batting Clean Up” beach clean up event. Team USA finally announces the rest of their WBC pitching squad. The Tampa Bay Rays toss their hat in the ring for a chance to develop a new ballpark along with residential, hotel, and commercial space.

We say “there aren’t enough fbombs in the world to get you to move to Florida,” “can’t we call them non-winners?” and “mystery soup.” Get boosted, fight the man, send your game balls to Meredith,  and find us on Twitter @ncibpodcast, on Facebook @nocryinginbball, Instagram @nocryinginbball and on the Interweb at nocryinginbball.com. Please take a moment to subscribe to the show, and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to NCiB. Become a supporter at Patreon to help us keep doing what we do. Say goodnight, Pottymouth.

The Thanksgiving weekend gives us the opportunity to highlight teams and players giving back, through hurricane relief, housing, and of course, providing meals to those in need. The Rule 5 Draft is fast approaching so we get you all caught up on what it means and why it is important. We belatedly congratulate Caroline O’Connor, new president of business operations for the Marlins, and we learn the new vocabulary term, “glass cliff.” At the college level, Olivia Pichardo of Brown just became the first woman to play baseball for a Division I team. Our international baseball news is centered on Venezuela where Yadi has been ejected 4 times, Asdrubel Cabrera apologizes quite a bit but possibly not to the focus of his ire, Eugenio Suarez and Gleybor Torres get permission to play for a short time, La Tortuga goes to Japan, and Pottymouth ranks #1406 in LVBP fantasy baseball. We learn that the maternal lines are clearly strong in qualifying players for WBC teams. Patti crosstrains with hockey and wants you all to go to a game, please. Boyfriends in two weeks! It comes to light that when Pottymouth drinks wine instead of beer she loses words in  addition to numbers and needs to be reminded that ASL doesn’t translate well to podcasts. But she reads Forbes.

We say “Clothesline Cabrera,” “Chutes and Ladders,” and, “The most important thing to make for Thanksgiving is a list.” Get boosted, fight the man, send your game balls to Meredith,  and find us on Twitter @ncibpodcast, on Facebook @nocryinginbball, Instagram @nocryinginbball and on the Interweb at nocryinginbball.com. Please take a moment to subscribe to the show, and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to NCiB. Become a supporter at Patreon to help us keep doing what we do. Say goodnight, Pottymouth.

So many awards, so many failed predictions. Pottymouth’s pre-season ROY pick of Julio Rodriquez was the exception, reminding us all that our observations are for entertainment purposes only. Patti thinks Brandon Hyde was robbed, just a little, but otherwise we can’t really complain about the winners. We review the hot stove vocabulary word “non-tender” and things teams and players cannot say about contracts and perceived value of free agents per the CBA. We cross-train with the shame of World Cup Soccer. In international baseball we learn that Astrubal Cabrera does not enjoy a bat flip, and you are now able to hone your fantasy baseball skills with the LVPB. World Baseball Classic’s Team Japan may be a new favorite as they pick up Ohtani, Kwan, and Nootbaar.  We say “doing collusion,” “that means you can’t be my boyfriend,” and “clutching Jack Daniels.”

Get boosted, fight the man, send your game balls to Meredith,  and find us on Twitter @ncibpodcast, on Facebook @nocryinginbball, Instagram @nocryinginbball and on the Interweb at nocryinginbball.com. Please take a moment to subscribe to the show, and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to NCiB. Become a supporter at Patreon to help us keep doing what we do. Say goodnight, Pottymouth.

We catch you up on Platinum glove, Hank Aaron, and Player’s Choice awards, which is like watching  the Golden Globes to prep for the Oscars. The GM meetings happened last week, weirdly during the “quiet period,” kicking off the official Hot Stove Season. We provide the annual qualifying offer vocabulary lesson, with offers tendered to 14 free agents. Scott Boras drives Pottymouth to defend high-end vegan restaurants and Patti to note that hamburger is in fact meat. We touch on how teams for sale and upcoming rule changes may affect the market. 

Solomon Bates reminds us that we’ve never picked a Colombian team, and Venezuelan ball is looking more attractive all the time. Get your vacation requests in early for Baseball for All Nationals in July, with the location reveal coming soon, and a women’s professional baseball tournament in Sarasota in November. Please check the  Babe Ruth glove in your attic, it may  not be from a sporting goods  store. We cross-train with the Boston Bruins where the players stand up against bullying in a very public way, and force the front office to make better choices. We say,”hot boyfriends on the stove,” “He lost me at hamburger,” “I like how you slide in and out of fictional baseball to actual baseball.”

Get boosted, fight the man, send your game balls to Meredith,  and find us on Twitter @ncibpodcast, on Facebook @nocryinginbball, Instagram @nocryinginbball and on the Interweb at nocryinginbball.com. Please take a moment to subscribe to the show, and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to NCiB. Become a supporter at Patreon to help us keep doing what we do. Say goodnight, Pottymouth.