No Crying In Baseball

We’re happy for Dusty, Pottymouth is happy for JV, Patti is resigned to scrappy not prevailing in the end. Birthday girl Pottymouth finds a way to make the World Series about the Red Sox and it just feels right. It also leads to more quality analysis of “combined no-hitter” vs. “no-hitter,” and big credit to the catcher, in this case Christian Vazquez. Jeremy Peña is the MVP and the “it” boy of the moment but we just need to note that NCiB claimed him first. No surprise that Patti names sexy defensive plays from Orioles Legend Trey Mancini and possible future BF Chas McCormick as Series turning points. And well that monster homer by BF Yordan Alvarez. The Phils had too much fun for this to be the end. 

In non-series news, Gold Gloves were awarded last week, with a strong showing from NCiB’s boyfriends, past, present, and probably future. Ronald Acuña shows up in Venezuela and winter ball/WBC rumors kick in, and with Idelmaro Vargas playing for the Cardinales we consider just hoping both teams have fun rather than throwing loyalty at a team. The Hot Stove will fire up and we note that shortstop free agents will be the big news and we look to contract extensions for some of the kids.  We say "drunk and appreciative," "I want to go to Aruba to think," and "fun is my second favorite f word." 

Vote, 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 make our World Series calls official. Pottymouth asserts Astros in five, with all the feels for the old guys (Dusty and Justin), and the promise of the youngsters (Mauricio Dubón and Jeremy Peña). Patti leans into the joyful and the scrappy of what FoxSports calls the “Greatest College Baseball Team of All Time,” Phillies in 6. Fun fact about our skill in boyfriend selection, all runs in Game 1 were driven in by NCiB BFs. Hey, don't go looking for conspiracy theories regarding Martín Maldonado using illegal bats gifted by Albert Pujols. Safety is job one. Tony Clark, head of the player’s union, uses the moment to note this is the first World Series since 1950 without a single US-born Black player on either team. MLB youth programs to grow the game are encouraging, with 9 US-born Black players drafted in the first round, including 4 of first 5 draftees, most since 1992, but the lack of current players for kids to relate to make it an uphill battle. The dearth of Black managers and front office leadership is firmly under the control of MLB management where they can absolutely choose  who to hire.

Boyfriends with bats are all over the Silver Slugger nominees, and the Fielding Bible “Defense is Sexy” Awards highlight future Guardian picks. Pottymouth gives you the heads up on World Baseball Classic tickets in Miami and in Florida. The Serie del Caribe schedule is out so clear some February time to watch the Winter Ball championship. We’ve got an allegiance swap in the LVBP, and not just so we can say Anzoátegui and Sugar Jesus. MLB cancels the Korea Series, driving the KBO to admit to being perplexed. And now we can’t stop saying “perplexed,” in addition to “vision of a glorious basement,” and “You O’d out loud!”

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.

One solid prediction made by your hosts? We picked the Phils and the Padres as “fun to watch” before the season started and the NLCS has proved us right. Our postseason BFs include qHar-adjacent Brandon Marsh, once and maybe forever BF Juan Soto, Kyle “King Tuck” Tucker, and Machete Maldonado. Patti’s former bfs on the Phillies are embracing the chaos. Pottymouth’s former HOU bf Jeremy Peña makes an impression with his bat and that whole mom thing we love. All you folks complaining that the new postseason format eliminated the teams with the best records? Win. The Games. That Matter. We like it scrappy. “Sparkles” McCullers joins the short list of players suffering ridiculous injuries with a champagne bottle incident. Our guys are all over the Gold Glove nominees, which doesn’t surprise us because defense is sexy. We circle back on the Guardians / Yankees series because even the force of Patti’s book club could not overcome the rain delay / conspiracy theories to knock out CLE.

We visit the corrections department to straighten out what teams will be playing where in the World Baseball Classic, and Pottymouth laments that Winter Ball is  now a home for all the guys on the “never gonna be a boyfriend” list.  We could not be prouder of DC Girls Baseball player and friend off  the show Maggie Heaphy, for her invitation to the elite 4th Annual Girls Breakthrough Series and her leadership in  starting The Leadoff Initiative.  We say “That is why we drink. To support the local economy,” “I kinda want to crosstrain with Gritty,”  and, “This is them booing against the Yankees, financially.”

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.

Junior Pottymouth and his hours-old Mariners cap sit in while Patti splits for the beach. Playoff ponderings include the rise of the underdogs, just how many non-baseball things you can do during an 18-inning game and still see most of it, and the lefty vegan pitching for the Hammers. Manny Machado not only being That Shirtless Guy but also learning phrases in Korean to encourage teammate Ha-seong Kim have almost won Pottymouth over. Wil Myers and his wife are already our people, buying celebratory shots in bars for fans all over town. Seattle, where a roof is a reasonable choice, chose to play with it open on Saturday, when Seattle’s air quality index was one of  the worst in the world. On the other hand, Mariners provided a mirror to the statue of late play by play announcer Dave Niehaus so he could watch the playoff game happening behind his back.

Junior Pottymouth questions the MVP take that Aaron Judge was under more pressure than Ohtani this season so that should factor in to voting.  Pottymouth thinks that is just fruit salad. The Police Blotter is slimier than usual with what we learn around the sentencing of Eric Kay in the death of Tyler Skaggs. Pottymouth wants to work in a moderately priced side trip to see the Arizona leg of the World Baseball Classic – at least those tickets are already on sale. Jazz will represent Great Britain, and Ken Griffey, Jr. is the hitting coach for Team USA. Winter Ball is getting started – find your streaming service! We say “Bernie Bro on the Big Stage,” “Oh God I agree with A-Rod,” and “That Jazz Pizazz.”

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.

Your BOS and BAL fan co-hosts relished the sweeps of AL East Wildcard teams, the crazy records for shortest game and longest scoreless game, SpongeBob walk-offs, shirtless cellies, multiple greatest comebacks of all time, shoes on heads, and Mets fans behaving predictably badly.  Going forward to the next round we may see biblical plagues, all the Dusty, and none of the Chapman.

Batting titles go to Jeff McNeil and Luis Arráez as do gifts from their teammates. Adley grades teammates qHar, Curt has Dad Power, and both Pottymouth and all Phillies Fans find kinship with Brandon Marsh’s flippin’ family. Dennis Eckersley retires after 50 years in the game. Pottymouth claims a WBC team and all it took was Kiké joining Team Puerto Rico. Patti is intrigued by Team Israel but is still assuming the DR will be the one.

Congrats to Bo Knows Boyfriends for a convincing win in this year’s Fantasy Boyfriend Baseball League. We say “This is Cleveland, we drink there,” “every team has that shirtless guy,” and  “of course it was a Birkenstock.”

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 start off the last week of the regular season by setting up Wildcard Weekend, and looking to next year with Ohtani’s record deal and yet another return of Miggy. There was so much news about hair that we created a whole segment – Gunnar Henderson is Minor League Player of the Year, Harold Ramirez’s blue hair for autism awareness may inspire more postseason blue for the Rays, and cross-training with hockey introduces us to  Buoy the Sea Troll, the new mascot of the Seattle Kraken, who sports long blue hair as a “nod to hockey flow.”

The Cubs celebrate A League of Their Own in fine style, leading to a question about when is a baseball bat not a baseball bat – when it is a cane belonging to 95 year old Maybelle Blair and please let her take it on the plane. We love the weeks when Police Blotter can focus on multiple balks in one at bat. World Baseball Classic news focuses on Pakistan, Panama, and the seriously stirring and intimidating Haka done by the New Zealand team as a pregame ritual. Yadi will manage Puerto Rico, which involves more drama than one would guess, and the Puerto Rican women’s league is taking a hurricane break in the season but the players are rolling up sleeves to help with disaster relief.  The Hammers visit the White House in a surprisingly politics-free event, for better or worse. We say “Scorpions in your head,” “I’m done with my consonants,” and “I’ll process everybody’s sins if you get them to me before Thursday.”

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 the regular season winds down, milestones both personal and historic are in reach, and our baseball boyfriends are all over it. We ponder rooting for or against these achievements either as a spoiler or as a judge of moral character, player overreach trying to get there, and just how many catcher-brother pairs actually exist in professional baseball. Patti found a law enforcement career to get behind, and it is the MLB Authentication Program. Who knew it was all due to Tony Gwynn? And that you can authenticate anything you want? 

Our Postseason Watch looks at the Guardians, the youngest team to ever make the playoffs and win their division. We highlight great baseball parents in podcasting and in team ownership. Pottymouth pencils in the specific days in March we need to be in Miami for the World Baseball Classic, and celebrates the Czech comeback and the rise and fall of the Spanish empire, and uses the opportunity to claim next year’s Red Sox boyfriend. We say “It makes me think of tea, but also gin,” “The cargo pants pockets of Mr. Pottymouth,” and “Teeny bit hoodwinked.” Also Patti refrains from making a single 700 Club joke. Also this story will make you cry in a good way.

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 minor league union is official, the 21st Roberto Clemente Day is honored in style, and postseason prep has begun. We drink theme beer, learn all infields are not equal and get lost in Vinnie Pasquantino’s syllables. Bobby’s qHar gets some notice by people who are not us and Ke’Bryan learns about appropriate snack timing. Joey Meneses and his inside the park HR contribute to the return of Patti’s Happy Place. Adam Jones teaches us how to negotiate a contract (a plane ticket and beer!), as the WBC qualifiers are in full swing. A tip of the NCiB ballcap to the seven women playing college ball this year. We say “tiny little pocket constitutions, “take the mojo where you can get it,” and “we taught the Brits how to woo.”

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.

New rules are coming and we’ve got the details and so many opinions. The new minor league union is coming, and we’ve got details and entirely predictable opinions. Pottymouth cheers on Edmundo Sosa’s turnaround, an historic battery, and as always, Kiké. Patti’s bf Lars Nootbaar makes the police blotter a happy place, and Adley continues to make baseball a happy place.  It’s time to vote for your choice of our past baseball boyfriends for the Roberto Clemente award. Someone please send Pottymouth a Sababoy plushie. We say “five hole,” “the pepper grinder was unsanctioned,” and “yay, old guys!”  And Terry Francona says “lift and separate.”

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.

Your 100% unionized (most of the time) podcast team breaks down the process in motion to authorize the MLBPA to collectively bargain on behalf of minor league players.  It’s happening. Gunnar Henderson takes over the league lead in Quality Hair Above Replacement.  Pottymouth explores the alternate career choices of Rafael Devers and Kike Hernandez. Paul Goldschmidt, Spencer Strider, and Aaron Judge are on tears that did not appear in our truly abysmal pre-season predictions. If you are going to have sex at a ballpark, clearly Rogers Centre is your best choice.  There will be MLB baseball in Mexico City, WBC rosters grow, and so does Puerto Rican women’s baseball. We crosstrain with the WNBA. We say, “follow us for cocktail recommendations but don’t go to Vegas with our predictions,” “We’re going to segue from THAT to unionizing the minors?,” and “I need a chopstick.”

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.