Tater Tots

Scheduling dilemmas and technical difficulties marked our post-Thanksgiving swoon but the Tater Boys emerge as ever, unbowed and unbroken, to bring you another week of nonsense.

This week, we fully embrace our transition to communism in the newly-minted Comrades of Baseball segment by discussing the intimation that Starling Marte might be traded, finally ringing the last death knell for the vaunted Pittsburgh Pirates teams of the mid-2010s, prejudging Derek Shelton based on handsomeness, as is tradition with new baseball managers, and taking a detour into the brief history of Japanese basketball players in the NBA for some reason. Then, we try in vain to get the tot stove up and running but darned if the pilot light isn't still out! Ah, well. Congratulations to Josh Harrison, and welcome to Philadelphia.

From there, it's on to our Tot of the Week, journeyman catcher and amateur magician, Tyler Heineman. No discussion of Heineman's home run is included in this podcast, as we turn instead to literary analysis of a magic show he performed for his Arizona Diamondbacks teammates. In our opinion, more baseball players should have interesting hobbies that we can exploit for podcast fodder.

TWEET

FBOOK

EMAIL

Our theme music is "The Littlest League Possible" by Guided By Voices and our artwork is by Shelby Criswell.

Someone's mother has four sons; three of them are named North, South, and West. What is the fourth son's name? ***DM ME WITH THE ANSWER IF YOU LOSE YOU HAVE TO SHARE THIS PODCAST***

This week on Tater Tots, the never-ending power struggle between the Royal House of the Kings of Baseball and The Commissioner's Office takes a dire turn as Rob Manfred threatens the very existence of 18% of all minor league baseball teams. Eventually, however, we concede the point. You win this round, Manfred...

Later, we mourn the fates of no fewer than three of the Tater Tots Class of 2019, who hit the chopping block in advance of the Rule 5 Draft. The pity party proceeds to focus on the sorry performance of Detroit Tigers play-by-play announcers (Parkinson's disease notwithstanding - sorry, Gib) and the regrettable career trajectory of one Josh Harrison. (EDITOR'S NOTE: Josh Harrison signed a minor league deal with the Phillies a few hours before this posting; here's hoping whatever team he winds up on doesn't wind up getting deleted by MLB.)

Josh Harrison's tater tot

Kirk Gibson and Dennis Eckersley swap pro-tips on how best to grow a potato in a jar.

Our theme music is "The Littlest League Possible" by Guided By Voices and our artwork is by Shelby Criswell

TWEET

FBOOK

EMAIL

As we often do on a weekly basis, we’re releasing a new episode of Tater Tots today. The subject of this week’s episode? Free agent lefty Hyun-Jin Ryu.

On this one, we dive deep into the misfortune emanating from within and around the game of baseball, reflecting on the Giants’ hiring of Gabe Kapler, the Astros cheating scandal, and Erik Gonzalez’s continuing miserable fortunes.

To dig us out of the smelly trenches, we consider the alluring ambitions of the US olympic baseball squadron, more of super-agent Scott Boras’ amusing analogies, and Hyun-Jin Ryu’s captivating career.

Links:

Donate to Baseball For All

Our theme music is Littlest League Possible by Guided By Voices.

Our artwork is by Shelby Criswell

Email: [email protected] 

Facebook: facebook.com/tatertotspod

Twitter: twitter.com/tatertotspod

Twice is nice this week on Tater Tots! We're visiting with the members of the Tater Tots Class of 2018 who found their way back on our list in this season. But first, we discuss the vices and virtues of Davey Martinez's confrontation with the umpires in the World Series and turn the Tot Stove down to a light simmer. 

The tots:

DONATE to Baseball For All

FOLLOW us on Twitter

LIKE us on Facebook

E-MAIL US

Our theme music is "The Littlest League Possible" by Guided By Voices and our cover art is by Shelby Criswell.

We’re back. We’re sorry we were away for so long. We missed you. We are here now and that’s the most we can give! Hopefully you enjoyed the postseason action. Sorry again.

As the real-life seasons change, our podcast season also changes. How ironic. On the season 2 premiere of Tater Tots, we declare a team of the decade and least team of the decade. We also cook up some tasty updates on the newly ignited tot stove and reflect on a World Series that was by considering this week’s Tater Tot: Stephen Strasburg.

Links:

Strasburg’s hot tot shot,

Ben Lindbergh’s analysis of the team of the decade,

Tango Tiger’s Twitter thread on the team of the decade,

Our theme music is Littlest League Possible by Guided By Voices.

Donate to Baseball For All

Our artwork is by Shelby Criswell

Email: [email protected] 

Facebook: facebook.com/tatertotspod

Twitter: twitter.com/tatertotspod

Playoff baseball is here! If you are listening on Tuesday, the first Wild Card game is today. Who will be the winner? Will it be those weird Nats or perhaps that strange Brew Crew. If, as is likely, you are listening after the conclusion of the contest, please write me an email so I can know who won.

There is content in this episode of Tater Tots, including a discussion of the Hollywood movie Whiplash. We discuss the 1920's supergroup The Red Onion Jazz Babies, and the South African Jazz legend Hugh Masekela, who is not in the Jazz Hall of Fame.

This week's Tater Tots are Hall-of-Famer/titan of solid contact Joe Sewell, along with Hall-of-Famer/speedster/"speed"ster Tim Raines.

Also, this is the season finale of Tater Tots. Please enjoy the playoff action as we ready our spreadsheets for season 2 coming in early November.

Links:

George Burns, 

Tim Raines' triumphant return to the Expos.

Music:

Littlest League Possible - Guided By Voices,

Cake Walking Babies (from home)-The Red Onion Jazz Babies, 

Send Me-Hugh Masekela, 

Old People, Old Folks-Hugh Masekela

Grazing in the Grass-Hugh Masekela

Donate to Baseball For All

Artwork by Shelby Criswell

Email: [email protected] 

Facebook: facebook.com/tatertotspod

Twitter: twitter.com/tatertotspod

🎶They tried to make us do a podcast and we said ... sure, you got it! 🎶 Another week of Tater Tots has us wondering what kind of a jazz villain Paul Whiteman would make and whether Rhapsody In Blue counts as a cover. We also explore the early work of Amy Winehouse and take a deep dive on the history of helmets in Major League Baseball as our subjects this week are noted murderer Carl Mays and Japanese game show winner Tsuyoshi Shinjo. Please click on the following link to see a picture of Shinjo's nightmare mask and sound off in the comments about when you have seen something so horrid!

DONATE to Baseball for All

FOLLOW us on Twitter

LIKE us on Facebook

E-MAIL me some time! I never hear from you anymore!!

Hello. Thank you for calling episode 41 of Tater Tots Podcast. Para español, oprima numero dos. 

To reach a customer service representative, press 1 now. Otherwise, stay on the line to hear the episode.

*classical music*

All our hosts are currently busy. Please stay on the line, and the episode will begin shortly.

*classical music*

While you wait, we’re pleased to provide you with a summary of this week’s episode. This week on Tater Tots, we discuss the evolution of jazz, considering the 20’s style and anticipating changes on the horizon. We also consider the spate of injuries to baseball’s brightest stars.

Our Tater Tots this week are Lou Gehrig and Ellis Burks.

*classical music*

Your call is very important to us. Please continue to hold.

*classic music*

None of our hosts are currently available. Goodbye.

*click*

Links:

The Downbeat Jazz Hall of Fame,

More asbestos,

Lou Gehrig’s Tarzan photoshoot,

Lou Gehrig on the dugout steps the day he benched himself,

Surviving newsreel footage of Gehrig’s famous speech,

Gary Cooper’s portrayal of Gehrig in Pride of the Yankees

Music:

Littlest League Possible - Guided By Voices,

High Society-King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band,

1968-Bill Frisell.

Donate to Baseball For All

Artwork by Shelby Criswell

Email: [email protected] 

Facebook: facebook.com/tatertotspod

Twitter: twitter.com/tatertotspod

Wow! It's another episode of Tater Tots! 2005 is old hat for your friendly neighborhood tater-boys (cf. episode 30) so we brought some Quick Tots this week! Just pop 'em in the toaster oven and enjoy! Elsewhere, we discuss the short stories of F. Scott Fitzgerald, the music of Thelonious Monk and John Coltrane, and expanded rosters in baseball. Finally, we settle in for a discussion of the long and varied career of Babe Pinelli, and wonder whether the perspective of the humble umpire has been unfairly ignored.

The other podcast that I (tim) mention in the cold open is Elle Rose's My First Fanfiction. Please enjoy listening to all of it, including the latest episode featuring me (tim).

DONATE to Baseball for All

FOLLOW us on Twitter

LIKE us on Facebook

E-MAIL us a picture of Keanu Reeves if you read all the shownotes

Artwork by Shelby Criswell

 Outro music is "The Littlest League Possible" by Guided by Voices

September is back again. It feels like every year we have one of these. We don’t have an episode every week though. After taking a week off, we promptly lost the recording of last week’s episode leaving our loyal listeners free for a merciful two weeks.

We try to make it up to you with a beep beep beep recap of everything we discussed last week, INCLUDING the all-important snake fact.

In this episode, we compare the King of Baseball segment to the devising of nuclear launch codes, consider two honorary tater tots, and lament the Twins already breaking the record for most team home runs in a season. We also consider whether Paul Whiteman was truly as sad about wang wang as his song title would suggest

Our Tater Tots this week are Leon “Goose” Goslin and Curtis Pride.

Links:

Music:

Donate to Baseball For All

Artwork by Shelby Criswell

Email: [email protected] 

Facebook: facebook.com/tatertotspod

Twitter: twitter.com/tatertotspod