Pitcher List Baseball Podcasts

Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde discuss a baseball-themed episode of "The X-Files," titled "The Unnatural" (season 6, episode 19). They introduce the episode (1:19), with an overview of the story, cast, and writer/director. After a description of the 20-80 baseball scouting grades for rating the show (5:25), they begin with Amount of Baseball (7:41). The episode presents a similar grading challenge to "The Mighty Casey," but with further conundrums. Three true outcomes baseball in 1947? A rundown of all the baseball events in the episode ensues. Baseball Accuracy (11:36) considers Negro League accuracy, with the Roswell Grays vs. the Homestead Grays, Josh Exley vs. Josh Gibson, and the tearing at the fabric of reality, with the angel of Leon Carter ("Bingo Long...") and the devil of Bobby Rayburn ("The Fan") on the scouts' shoulders. Brief shout-outs to James Raleigh "Biz" Mackey and Buck Leonard. Mickey Mantle's home runs bring up the concept of naming specific stats as a test of baseball acumen, with reference to Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Bartolo Colon, Aaron Nola, and Cliff Lee. Eddie Perez also tears at reality's fabric somewhat, and the team speculates about the 90s Braves, specifically Greg Maddux, John Smoltz and Chipper Jones. Mulder's ode to box scores and the "Pythagorean Theorem for jocks" are both examined, along with night games and the Kansas City Monarchs, cactus accuracy, Jackie Robinson and Larry Doby. The Ellen Adair Breakdown considers the opening game, including the field's boundaries, the umpire, Gibson's folkloric Pittsburgh home run, baserunning and Fred Merkle, and Exley's home run "pace." (Don't @ us, Tom Tango.) Why do the Yankees scouts leave mid at-bat? Typical. Storytelling (40:53) discusses references to "E.T.," "Citizen Kane" and Pete Rose, before wondering about the intentionality of metaphors to the unknowability of Negro League stats and Jim Crow alien parallels. Dales' argument that all the greats are aliens, like Babe Ruth, Willie Mays and Sandy Koufax, solves some problems and creates others. Is Arthur Dales an unreliable narrator? The fairytale of the ending of Exley's story, the persistence of metaphor in the episode, and the tagline all add up to...? Ellen has problems with a Gibson-esque player being an alien, and Eric has problems with inconsistent head bonks. What is the aliens' "project"? Who is the strange child? So. Many. Questions. Rating the Score (1:07:14) examines Mark Snow's composition and Blind Willie Johnson's "Go with Me to that Land." Acting (1:09:15) discusses the enduring excellence of David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson, along with guest stars Jesse L. Martin, Frederic Lehne and M. Emmet Walsh. Delightfulness of Catcher (1:10:54) considers the obvious catcher snippets--but is there a catcher hiding in plain sight? Delightfulness of Announcer (1:15:46) poses the philosophical question: how delightful is two seconds of Vin Scully? Lack of Misogyny (1:15:46) weights Scully's smarts versus her disdain for baseball and appreciation of nonfat tofutti rice creamsicle, as the only speaking female role in the episode. Consideration of the moment that Exley turns into a woman. And a BONUS one-time-only segment: Alien Or Not (1:19:15)! But no spoilers on this game, or the following segments: Yes or No (1:24:12), Six Degrees of Baseball (1:28:29), Favorite Moment (1:29:08) Least Favorite Moment (1:29:46), Scene We Would Have Liked to See (1:31:27), Dreamiest Player (1:32:53), Favorite Performance (1:33:19) Next Time (1:35:00) and Review Thank You (1:35:58).

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The Craft

Nick and Eno talk about the craft of pitching, with conversations revolving around a select few pitchers.

This week's episode focuses on conversations centered around discussions about Bryce Elder, Grant Holmes, Spencer Scwhellenbach, River Ryan, Trevor Rogers, Hayden Birdsong, Max Meyer, Ryne Nelson, and more.

Nick Pollack | Eno Sarris
Producer | Adam Howe
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Randy and Chris discuss the Yankees' busy trade deadline, the immediate impact of Jazz Chisholm Jr., and the Yankees' improved play.

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The Craft

Nick and Lance talk about the craft of pitching, with conversations revolving around a select few pitchers.

This week's episode focuses on conversations centered around discussions about Cade Smith, Cole Ragans, River Ryan, and more.

Nick Pollack | Lance Brozdowski
Producer | Adam Howe
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Randy and Chris discuss the Tampa Bay Rays series while breaking down the multiple struggling players on the roster. 

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Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde discuss the movie "Fever Pitch," the 2005 Jimmy Fallon and Drew Barrymore romantic comedy, set against the backdrop of the Red Sox 2004 season. They introduce the film (1:24), with an overview of the story, cast, and director. After a description of the 20-80 baseball scouting grades for rating the film (3:26), they begin with Amount of Baseball (5:10). How do baseball clips, not scenes, rate? What is the minimum requirement for a baseball scene? Plus, date movie deception, and a player comp. Baseball Accuracy (9:50) considers the fictional Red Sox regular season 9th inning rally versus the Yankees, the legitimacy of Lindsey (Barrymore) running across the field in the ALCS, and binoculars that can see into the future or past. Editing around Lindsey getting hit with a foul ball creates some discrepancies for Mike Myers and Miguel Tejada. Our hosts delve into some historical moments: Dwight Evans's two-homer game in 1980, Pesky's Pole, Johnny Pesky, Thomas Yawkey, Ted Williams, the Polo Grounds, and Curse of the Bambino examples, ie. Roger Moret, Tony Conigliaro, Ed Armbrister and Carlton Fisk, Bucky Dent, Bill Buckner, Grady Little and Pedro Martinez, and other missing curse elements. They also discuss the possibility of a Cubs-based story, Bart Giamatti, spring at Fenway accuracy, Johnny Damon's ass, and offseason fandom. Storytelling (34:00) has much love for the dozen Pete Roses e-card, but much confusion about the timeline of the courtship, made problematic by Boston weather accuracy and things Lindsey should really be able to infer about Ben (Fallon) from context clues. Tonal inconsistency dominates. Is Ben sweet or creepy? Is he insecure or confident? Examination of the first date includes the difficulty of genuine vomiting sounds in television and film. Bonus subsections from Ellen: "Extracurricular Activity Accuracy" and "I Empathize." They discuss Ben's baseball elegies, luck in baseball, portrayals of fandom as addiction, cell phone gags (with a realization), and Lowell Ganz, Babaloo Mandel and "A League of Their Own." Rating the Score (1:05:11) examines The Standell's "Dirty Water,"  Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline," the Dropkick Murphy's "Tessie," with deep-dives on the history of these songs by Eric. Nick Drake's "Northern Sky" and "The Yastrzemski Song." Acting (1:15:16) sees a debate on Jimmy Fallon's performance, discussing the pull of sketch, spontaneity, ad-libbing, and Jim Carrey in "The Truman Show." Drew Barrymore's believability in this film also discussed. Delightfulness of Catcher (1:22:56) presents a conundrum, but the pair reminisce about meeting Jason Varitek and Ellen reads a short poem. Delightfulness of Announcer (1:25:40) is also a challenge, with such excellent examples present as Joe Castiglione, Peter Gammons, Bob Lobel, Harold Reynolds and Dave O'Brien. Lack of Misogyny (1:27:41) examines the depiction of Lindsey's friend Robin versus the women in the film on the whole, and the "not like the other girls" conundrum. No spoilers on the following segments: Yes or No (1:33:30), Six Degrees of Baseball (1:38:14), Favorite Moment (1:39:20) Least Favorite Moment (1:41:02), Scene We Would Have Liked to See (1:45:48), Dreamiest Player (1:47:50), Favorite Performance (1:48:34) Next Time (1:49:44) and Review Thank You (1:50:32).

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The Craft

Nick and Eno talk about the craft of pitching, with conversations revolving around a select few pitchers.

This week's episode focuses on conversations centered around discussions about MacKenzie Gore,
Brandon Pfaadt, Carlos Rodón, Dylan Cease, and more.

Nick Pollack | Eno Sarris
Producer | Adam Howe
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Randy and Chris discuss the latest Baltimore series, including the plays that led to the worst loss of the season. The duo then look ahead to the second half of the season to judge the Yankees' prospects heading into October.

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Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde discuss the "The Stratton Story," the 1949 biopic about Monty Stratton starring Jimmy Stewart. rating it on the 20-80 scouting scale. They introduce the film (3:09), with an overview of the story, cast, and director. After a description of the 20-80 scouting grades for those who are unfamiliar (9:46), they begin with Amount of Baseball (11:10), slightly hungover from "The Fan," but touch on baseball-related montages. No spoilers on the player comp! Baseball Accuracy (13:04) considers Stratton's praise for the film's accuracy, the existence of Barney (Frank Morgan), and Stratton's real career vs. its portrayal, including his first career game, All-Star season, and WHIP in 1936 vs. 2020. His post-accident life is also addressed: his spirits, his artificial leg, and references to Roy Campanella and "It's Good to Be Alive." The All-Star game at the end leads to questions about his pinch runner and bunting on Stratton, and the accuracy of this game. Discussion about the trajectory of the ball in the opening game, Stratton's career batting statistics, Jimmy Dykes, Barney's player knowledge, Bob Feller, and reference to the 2020 Phillies and Mets. Ellen questions the depiction of Stratton's control and has a small breakdown on Stratton's K/9. But Storytelling (31:58) examines the way inaccuracies bolster the storytelling, with fine seeds planted with all of Stratton's nimble running, and excellent misdirection about the dancing lessons. They compare the film's structure to Sam Wood's other baseball film, "Pride of the Yankees." Contrasting his injury as depicted with real life leads brings up Yoenis Cespedes and dangerous pitcher hobbies. Ma Stratton, Baby Stratton, and paternity leave in sports are considered. Discussion of the weirdness of the scene where Barney is made coach, he believability of Monty and Ethel's first date, haircut speculation, "The Brothers K," and the Astros and Mattress Mack. They rate the Score (1:01:27) and Acting (1:02:20) praises Jimmy Stewart, June Allyson, Agnes Moorehead's simplicity, and Frank Morgan's choices. Ellen uplifts three specific Jimmy Stewart acting moments. Delightfulness of Catcher (1:02:19) lauds Barney's catcher virtues, Ethel as catcher, Eddie's flameless glove, dreamboat Bill Dickey and his improved acting, and Milliken. Delightfulness of Announcer (1:05:58) and Lack of Misogyny (1:11:09) follow, the latter considering the character development of the female leads, and Ma's moment with the radio. No spoilers on the following segments: Yes or No (1:18:33), Six Degrees of Baseball (1:23:11), Favorite Moment (1:25:16) Least Favorite Moment (1:26:38), Scene We Would Have Liked to See (1:28:54), Dreamiest Player (1:31:11), Favorite Performance (1:32:03). Stick with us to the end for some bonus Classics jokes.

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Randy and Chris discuss the Yankees' freefall while wondering if the organizational culture is a legitimate problem for the franchise. 

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