The Infinite Inning

Craig Calcaterra returns to discuss his new book RETHINKING FANDOM, plus tales: A visit to the home of one of the earliest baseball games for a deadly attack and the story of two rookies who couldn’t hang on—in more ways than one.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Murder at Elysian Fields*Spirit Ballplayers III*Awards Predictions, Top Rookies, and the Llama*The Gary Scott Story Outlined*Thake’s Epilogue*Craig Calcaterra: RETHINKING FANDOM*The Sports-Industrial Complex*When It’s About Frustration, Ohio State Edition*The Decadence of Immersive Fandom*The Impermanence of Our Highs and Lows*Steve’s 1996 World Series Story*Being a Fairweather Fan*Re Constantinople (not Istanbul)*Vin Scully Under the Desk*The Stadium Dodge*And Housing?*Trading Down Cities*Move the Rays to Brooklyn!*The Pirates Extend a Player?*Goodbyes.

The Infinite Inning is not only about baseball but a state of mind. Steven Goldman, rotating cohosts Jesse Spector, Cliff Corcoran, and David Roth, and occasional guests discuss the game’s present, past, and future with forays outside the foul lines to the culture at large. Expect stats, anecdotes, digressions, explorations of writing and fandom, and more Casey Stengel quotations than you thought possible. Along the way, they’ll try to solve the puzzle that is the Infinite Inning: How do you find the joy in life when you can’t get anybody out?

A solo episode about service-time manipulation, entropy, destroyed pitching prospects, “Don’t Say Gay,” and Will Smith’s slap versus the on-field variety.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
A Brief Invocation of John Candelaria*Oneil Cruz Can Keep the Rain Off of You*Pie Traynor Debunked*Entropy is All and Everything and I Couldn’t Possibly Be Better*Spirit Ballplayers II*Who Killed Russ Bauers?*“Say It With a Slap” and the “Don’t Say Gay” Bill*Lee Grissom vs. Al Todd*Impulse Control*Frank Robinson vs. Eddie Mathews*Al Cowens, Avenger*Goodbyes.

The Infinite Inning is not only about baseball but a state of mind. Steven Goldman, rotating cohosts Jesse Spector, Cliff Corcoran, and David Roth, and occasional guests discuss the game’s present, past, and future with forays outside the foul lines to the culture at large. Expect stats, anecdotes, digressions, explorations of writing and fandom, and more Casey Stengel quotations than you thought possible. Along the way, they’ll try to solve the puzzle that is the Infinite Inning: How do you find the joy in life when you can’t get anybody out?

Cliff Corcoran returns to dissect all the moves of March, plus tales: Gender uncertainty on a barnstorming team, a rowdy crowd in Chicago is given way too much leeway to attack a player, and the odd career of the pitcher who began the ruckus.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Vaccines and Bloomer Girls*A Quick Note on Bleeding Dodger Blue*Your Spirit Ballplayer 1.0*Don Buford and Bart Johnson: The Ballad of Red-Butt Harry*Cliff Corcoran: We Have Baseball Now*Everyone but Michael Conforto*Rooting for Tyler Clippard and Other Elder Relievers*Rangers, Mets, and Twins*Pham?*The Yankees Skip Shortstoppalooza*Valuing Isiah Kiner-Falefa*The DJ LeMahieu Problem*Eugenio Suarez’s Last Month and the Reds-Mariners Deal*A Debate About Jesse Winker*Is There a Shortage of Center Fielders? Starring the Phillies*Should Brian Reynolds and Cedric Mullins be Traded?*Goodbyes.

The Infinite Inning is not only about baseball but a state of mind. Steven Goldman, rotating cohosts Jesse Spector, Cliff Corcoran, and David Roth, and occasional guests discuss the game’s present, past, and future with forays outside the foul lines to the culture at large. Expect stats, anecdotes, digressions, explorations of writing and fandom, and more Casey Stengel quotations than you thought possible. Along the way, they’ll try to solve the puzzle that is the Infinite Inning: How do you find the joy in life when you can’t get anybody out?

Infinite Inning 218: It Worked, But Never Do It Again
Jesse Spector returns to discuss the competitive balance landscape, which still has all the old hills and valleys. Plus tales as reaction to the new CBA: A very slow player makes an ill-advised attempt to swipe home plate and a member of the Gashouse Gang exaggerates his prowess. NEW EDIT WITH IMPROVED AUDIO!

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Zeke’s Run*More on the Pittsburgh H*The Man Who Didn’t Break Up Four No-Hitters (Maybe)*Jesse Spector: Brittney Griner and Competitive Balance*Draft Lottery*If I’m a Pirates Fan*The Baltimore Orioles 1983-Present*A Perfect Analogy*Batting Kyle Farmer Fourth*Are Owners Really Necessary Part 9000*Are There Too Many Teams?*Baseball in Florida and other Places*The Home Viewing Experience and Self-Defense at the Movies*Alienated (and Outside)*Goodbyes.

The Infinite Inning is not only about baseball but a state of mind. Steven Goldman, rotating cohosts Jesse Spector, Cliff Corcoran, and David Roth, and occasional guests discuss the game’s present, past, and future with forays outside the foul lines to the culture at large. Expect stats, anecdotes, digressions, explorations of writing and fandom, and more Casey Stengel quotations than you thought possible. Along the way, they’ll try to solve the puzzle that is the Infinite Inning: How do you find the joy in life when you can’t get anybody out?

Craig Goldstein (Baseball Prospectus) talks about BASEBALL PROSPECTUS 2022, owner vs. player morality, and the best comps for Juan Soto. Plus tales: A pitcher expresses insecurity right on the mound—or does he? The trap of zero-sum thinking, and an obscure player who was as good a hitter, in his way, as Mike Piazza.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Pink Hawley is Looking for a Friend*Baseball, Politics, “Evil Incarnate,” and Zero-Sum Thinking*The Rapidly Oncoming Fate of Fred Carroll*Craig Goldstein: Harder to Reconcile, But We’ll Be Back*The KBO Again?*When to Go For Snacks*The Players’ Ideas are Better*The Economic Model Needs to Change/The Unspoken Agreement*The Kershaw Conundrum*BP 2022*PECOTA Confidence*Mike Trout and Juan Soto Comps*Manfred’s Longer Pandemic*Relishing a Higher Bar*Goodbyes.

("Wind Chime, Tolling, A.wav" and "Wind Chimes, A.wav" by InspectorJ (www.jshaw.co.uk) of Freesound.org.)

The Infinite Inning is not only about baseball but a state of mind. Steven Goldman, rotating cohosts Jesse Spector, Cliff Corcoran, and David Roth, and occasional guests discuss the game’s present, past, and future with forays outside the foul lines to the culture at large. Expect stats, anecdotes, digressions, explorations of writing and fandom, and more Casey Stengel quotations than you thought possible. Along the way, they’ll try to solve the puzzle that is the Infinite Inning: How do you find the joy in life when you can’t get anybody out?

Solo episode! Tales of ancient battles between owners and the players, none of which make the owners look good. Casey Stengel goes to Washington and, well, criticizes the owners. And a one-year wonder makes an impulsive decision that costs him a World Series ring.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Mr. Stengel Goes to Washington*Are Owners Truly Necessary?*The Rapid Rise and Fall of the Players League*The Lockout and Human Cupidity*Neville Chamberlain and the Homer in the Gloaming*The Ballad of Johnny Rizzo*Goodbyes.

The Infinite Inning is not only about baseball but a state of mind. Steven Goldman, rotating cohosts Jesse Spector, Cliff Corcoran, and David Roth, and occasional guests discuss the game’s present, past, and future with forays outside the foul lines to the culture at large. Expect stats, anecdotes, digressions, explorations of writing and fandom, and more Casey Stengel quotations than you thought possible. Along the way, they’ll try to solve the puzzle that is the Infinite Inning: How do you find the joy in life when you can’t get anybody out?

Alex Belth and Emily Shapiro return to discuss HERE I ARE: ANATOMY OF A MARRIAGE. Plus tales: Miller Huggins comes to the wrong conclusion and a second baseman who would sooner fight than order a veggie lover’s pizza.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Miller Huggins’ Last Mistake (Plus Spittin’ Bill and Larry Hart)*A Brief Baseball Note from Ogden Nash*Raw Meat Bill and Davey Crockett Times Two Too*Alex Belth and Emily Shapiro: Audible Origins*The Awkwardness of Spending Time in Conversation With Yourself*An Illness Coming-Out Party (But Not an Illness Memoir)*Free Money Cards!*The Embarrassment of Confronting Yourself*Limerence, Attraction, and Infatuation*Silence Over Soup*Mutual Interests vs. Mutual Empathy*How to Argue*Surviving Couples Therapy*Working On Your Smile*Not Just Luck and the Babies Argument*Anger, Helpless Anger*Tools and Modalities*Goodbyes.

The Infinite Inning is not only about baseball but a state of mind. Steven Goldman, rotating cohosts Jesse Spector, Cliff Corcoran, and David Roth, and occasional guests discuss the game’s present, past, and future with forays outside the foul lines to the culture at large. Expect stats, anecdotes, digressions, explorations of writing and fandom, and more Casey Stengel quotations than you thought possible. Along the way, they’ll try to solve the puzzle that is the Infinite Inning: How do you find the joy in life when you can’t get anybody out?

Cliff Corcoran (The Cycle newsletter) returns to talk about lockout priorities. Plus tales: Marking the passing of a side-arm pitcher who got less respect than he deserved and a catcher throws it all away on one swing—but not the kind you’re thinking of.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Requiem for a Sidearmer*Joe Rue and Greek George*Cliff Corcoran: Ripcord Porkerban vs. the Roc*Ray Harryhausen and Modern Special Effects*The alternate reading of “Raiders of the Lost Ark”*Life Under Lockout*”Break the Union!” One More Time*The Last Negotiation: Salad Bar*Mindless Speculation on the Owners’ Mindset*Hi-Ho the Corporate Life*Non-Core Issues*Ending the Blackouts*Laziness with the Remote Control*Maybe a Hot Soup*The Potential Draft Lottery*Service-Time Manipulation*That ONE Writer*Goodbyes.

The Infinite Inning is not only about baseball but a state of mind. Steven Goldman, rotating cohosts Jesse Spector, Cliff Corcoran, and David Roth, and occasional guests discuss the game’s present, past, and future with forays outside the foul lines to the culture at large. Expect stats, anecdotes, digressions, explorations of writing and fandom, and more Casey Stengel quotations than you thought possible. Along the way, they’ll try to solve the puzzle that is the Infinite Inning: How do you find the joy in life when you can’t get anybody out?

Prospectmeister Jeffrey Paternostro returns to discuss the Baseball Prospectus 2022 Top-101 Prospects rankings. Plus tales: The 66th-best hitter for average of all time has a cough; a Hall of Fame pitcher messes up his marriage, demonstrating that even people with plaques are as complicated as anybody else.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
David Ortiz to the Hall*The 66th-Best Hitter for Average of All Time is Not in the Hall of Fame*Lefty, June, and the Perfect Murder*Jeffrey Paternostro: Top 11s are Better than Top 10s*Who is the Top Prospect in Baseball? Adley Rutschman vs. Bobby Witt Jr.*Matt Wieters Memories*Catcher Stagnation*Ranking 11 Catchers*Drafting Second Basemen*Seattle Mariners: Player vs. Team*Supplemental Help*Teams with Few Prospects or Punishments*Burger on Second*Kumar Rocker?*Jo Adell and Angels Player Development*Sleepers*“You Want to Be Right”*My OBP Sweetheart*Goodbyes.

Links:
The BP Top 101: https://www.baseballprospectus.com/prospects/article/72047/2022-prospects-the-top-101/

“The Poison Years” by Steven Goldman: https://www.baseballprospectus.com/news/article/72225/you-could-look-it-up-poison-years/

Brother, Can You Spare a Podcast? Episode 1: https://www.spreaker.com/show/brother-can-you-spare-a-podcast

The Infinite Inning is not only about baseball but a state of mind. Steven Goldman, rotating cohosts Jesse Spector, Cliff Corcoran, and David Roth, and occasional guests discuss the game’s present, past, and future with forays outside the foul lines to the culture at large. Expect stats, anecdotes, digressions, explorations of writing and fandom, and more Casey Stengel quotations than you thought possible. Along the way, they’ll try to solve the puzzle that is the Infinite Inning: How do you find the joy in life when you can’t get anybody out?

David Roth on Topps and The Athletic being sold, why baseball color commentors curdle after two years, the Mets’ moves, and more. Plus tales: “Pride of the Yankees” departs from reality and strikes a chord; an All-Star is captured at the moment of his release.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Lou Gehrig, “Pride of the Yankees,” and Me*The Ballad of Jim Ray Hart and His DFA Photograph*David Roth: Mickey Rooney in Van Halen*Topps Sold*“A Long Position on Phil Plantier”*Two Business Idiots on The Athletic Sale*Baseball Cards as Bookmarks Etc*Louis Bromfield and Booth Tarkington*Death of the AV Club*John Madden and the Art of Enthusiasm*When “Damn Yankees” Tells a Deep Dark Truth*Buck Showalter Goes to Queen*The Forever Rebuild and Its Hazard*The 2022 Mets are Not the 1927 Yankees*Jeff McNeil Chill Out?*The Steinbrenner Retcon*Goodbyes.

The Infinite Inning is not only about baseball but a state of mind. Steven Goldman, rotating cohosts Jesse Spector, Cliff Corcoran, and David Roth, and occasional guests discuss the game’s present, past, and future with forays outside the foul lines to the culture at large. Expect stats, anecdotes, digressions, explorations of writing and fandom, and more Casey Stengel quotations than you thought possible. Along the way, they’ll try to solve the puzzle that is the Infinite Inning: How do you find the joy in life when you can’t get anybody out?