The Infinite Inning

Jesse Spector returns to talk manager firings, the proper way to build a lineup, and dissect Joe Maddon’s past and future, plus tales of ancient Cardinals grudges and a Detroit Tigers great sets his priorities.

WARNING: Jesse’s dog Youppi arrives about 43 minutes into our discussion. However, Youppi does not swear, so it’s all good.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Dizzy Dean Holds a Lead*Hank Greenberg Plays, Daniel Hudson Does Not, and It’s None of Your Damned Business*Jesse Spector: When Your Child is Not Juan Soto*A Charlie Brown Way to Lose a Hit*Optimized Little League Lineups and Received Baseball Wisdom (Kids ‘n’ Kittle)*Wade Boggs Batting Leadoff*Pinch-Hitting in the First*Legitimizing the Taxi Squad*Eight Managerial Openings (with Babe and Lou Digression)*Using Managers as Human Shields*A Baleful Glance Back at Cleveland, and the Cubs*Boston’s Buyer’s Remorse*The Albert Pujols Problem*Joe Girardi in Repose*The Product Becomes Inconsequential*Pre- and Post-Apocalypse Visions of the Red Sox*The Relentless Death Machine and Other Playoff Apparitions*Asdrubal Brings Ice Cream?*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 reveals his plans for Baseball Prospectus, mourns King Felix and (preemptively) Clayton Kershaw, and wonders if there’s a wrong way to love your cat. Plus tales of George Steinbrenner and Hal Chase that should sound strangely familiar.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
The Roy Cohn Client*Hal Chase Asks for a Favor*Craig Goldstein: The Wrong Way to Love Your Cat*The Editor is Dead, Long Live the Editor*The BP Community*Fear of Solipsism*Where Have You Gone?*King Felix and Doc Gooden*Does there Need to Be a Baseball Prospectus?*Baseball is Everything and Everything is Baseball (But Will It Keep the Customers Satisfied?)*The FanGraphs Question*Origin of a Dodgers Fan*When You’ve Married a Braves Fan*The Astros Take All the Marbles?*“Terrible Pedro Baez Performances”*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?

Emma Baccellieri (Baseball Prospectus, Deadspin, Sports Illustrated) asks what we’re talking about when we talk about baseball dying, plus Mr. Rivera goes to Washington and ruminations on the Felipe Valazquez case.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
A Senators Game in 1925/Mr. Rivera Goes to Washington*The Valazquez Case*Emma Baccellieri: “A Brief History of the Many Times Baseball Has Died”*Doomsaying Never Goes Out of Style*What We Mean When We Talk About Baseball Dying*It is High, It is Far, It is Entropy*Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride and Sandwich Shops*So What Will Be Baseball’s Kryptonite?*Patient Zero of a Shaky Era in Media*The SI Legacy*Unlimited Expense Account*Physics Might Have Been the Steadier Profession*Rubbing Mud is Your Destiny*The NL Cy Young Award Race*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?

James Yasko (Astros County, Lima Time Time podcast) discusses the Astros’ potential postseason rotation, neck beards, and AP history. Plus Mark Davis compared to Edwin Diaz and Ty Cobb gets a rule changed by NOT hurting an umpire.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Edwin Diaz, Mark Davis, and the Tyranny of Expectations*Ty Cobb Gets a Rule Changed*James Yasko: Neck Beards*An Unabashed Homer*Wade Miley is Tertiary*Carry On, Charlie Morton*Jeff Luhnow, the Killjoy who Brings Joy*Now Pitching, the Pontiff*Three Great Pitchers/World Series Virgins*Gerrit Cole: Dollar Signs on the Mound*The Devil’s Greatest Trick was Convincing Fans to Care About Payroll*Barmes-to-Keppinger-to-Carter*Astros Bandwagon Jumpers*Bandwagoning ’86 Style*Hugs in the Bread Aisle*The Tyler White Pizza Party*Can You Still Be the Cool Trivial Pursuit Teacher?*The Politics of Teaching American History*TV in Class*Remembering 9/11 in School*“Unless One of You Idiots Decides to Check Instagram”*On a Lighter Note, Yordan Alvarez*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?

Yes, we went there: Craig Calcaterra joins Steve to discuss the commonalities between affirmative action and Hall of Fame debates, as well as explore the ongoing sense of dislocation provoked by a homer-happy season. Plus, Casey Stengel argues a call and Chuck Klein is star anonymous.

WARNING: One excretory cussword late. If offended, write the management.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Casey Argues a Call*Chuck Klein: Star Anonymous*Craig Calcaterra: Old Jock Strap in a Can and the Home Run Explosion*Peak HoJo*A Discontinuity*The Discontents of Gossage and Rose*Scoring Fatigue*Neat Things Within This Weird World*Feeling Sorry for Pitchers*A Javy Lopez Moment*Affirmative Action Arguments vs. Hall of Fame Arguments*Stats vs. Soft Factors in Baseball Awards (“A Metric-Based Orthodoxy”)*Braves Triumphant With or Without a Right Fielder/Baseball Seasons Can Be Like TV Seasons*A Quick Shout-Out to “The Rockford Files*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 Athletic) asks whether Francisco Cervelli should still be allowed to catch, defends the 10th-best players in any team’s history, and questions Yankees starting pitching. Plus Joe DiMaggio has enough and players defends themselves against racial epithets.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Joe DiMaggio Retires*Players in the Stands*Cliff Corcoran: The Man of 1,000 Teddy Bears*Francisco Cervelli’s Right to Self-Harm*Alex Jackson is Weird*A Paucity of Historic Pirates Catchers*The Top 10 Yankees Catchers*The Saga of Butch Wynegar*The Last Time a Pirates Pitcher Cracked The Franchise Top 10*Can the Yankees Win the World Series?*A Prediction Which Came True (Groundzilla)*The 1812 Confusion*Goodbyes.

David Roth returns to discuss the Mets’ efforts to save their season, falling in love on a day of tragedy, and the proposed Saturday morning cartoon in which the current president saved the Yankees.

WARNING: As is typical for a David Roth visit, there is somewhat more cussing than is typical for the show. Please caution all minors.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Casey Stengel Escapes!*Sympathy for the Rajah*David Roth: Beards and Birthdays*Exploring “The Yiddish Curver” and other Baseball Card Antiquities*Fred Wilpon’s Sandy Koufax*“Skoonj”*The Mets’ Momentary Rally*Giving Yourself a Chance to Have a Chance*Edwin Diaz (Under a Cloudless Blue Sky)*Sudden Upturns and Downturns*Intimate Moments Deflected*“We Met on September 11, 2001”/Love in a Brita Filter*Living in a Closed Society*Performative Patriotism in the Seventh Inning*Roth in the New Republic (Warning! Politics!)*It’s the End of the Republic As We Know It (And I Feel Nauseous)*Truth, Fiction, Perceptual Impairment, Reggie Jackson*When Trump Saved the Yankees on Saturday Morning Television*The Braves Rally*Let’s Remember Some Wacky Packages*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?

Emily Waldon (The Athletic) discusses covering the Tigers’ farm system, the team’s short-term future, and the awkwardness of teenaged ballplayers. Plus tales of a missing Phillies outfielder and how the Tigers fell, 1950s style, and why it’s still relevant to us today.

WARNING: A couple of cusswords, one from Casey Stengel, one from Leo Durocher. Blame them.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
One of the Missing*A Very Quick Casey Stengel Tale*Concepts of Racism Today and the Detroit Tigers Yesterday*Emily Waldon: The Joy of Tigers Prospect Coverage*Prospects are People*The Tigers (Not) South of the Border*Do the Tigers Have Enough in the Minors?*Suffering with the Tigers*Asking Female Fans How They Got Interested in Baseball*“He Didn’t Know You Were Gonna Be That Pretty”*Dreams Realized and Dreams Deferred (Informed Outsiders: The First Generation)*Overcoming Shyness and Social Media*Touting Kyle Funkhouser*Jake Rogers, Catcher and Nice Guy*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?

Jesse Spector talks trade deadline action, inaction, and consequences as well as details a deer encounter on the Taconic Parkway. Plus, tales of the murderous Danny Shay and Carl Mays’ downfall.

WARNING: There are two cusswords in this one. Cover the dog’s ears lest he be corrupted.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Danny Shay and Clarence Euell*New Patreon Benefit*Carl Mays Falls From Grace*Jesse Spector: Father of the Year Magazine Premium*Down on Charlie Hayes*“Can’t Play in New York”*The Astros Get Zack Greinke*Wade Miley Paranoia*A Possibly Ill-Informed Note on Aaron Judge*What Didn’t Happen at the Deadline (Yankees and Dodgers)*Every Team in Baseball Commented On, Give or Take*Felipe Vazquez, Mariano Rivera, and the Short Shelf-Life of a Closer*Unexpected Empathy for Jim Leyritz/Willfully Ignoring Mariano Rivera’s Politics*Ranger Rick Explains the Circle of Life*Rivera Escapes Another Jam*PTS[Rob]Deer*The Yankees Stand Pat*Clint Frazier Avenged*Inevitably, the Mets*Look Out, Houston*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?

Eric Stephen (SB Nation, True Blue LA) returns to discuss the Dodgers’ drive for their first World Series title since 1988. Plus, tales of a pitcher’s dangerous farewell and the famous Richie Ashburn foul ball story.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Ed Morris’s Going Away Party*Foul Netting and Richie Ashburn*Eric Stephen: Weird Al Encounters*A Great Era in Dodgers History*The Most Valuable Dodger, 2013-2019*Dodgers Scrubs-to-Stars*The Transformation of Hyun-Jin Ryu*Ryumania?*The Failure to Honor Fernando*On Jim Gilliam*Cody Bellinger Evolution*Austin Barnes and Other Frustrating Regulars vs. Promising Prospects Rich Hill, Angry Dad*Baseball Coverage at SB Nation*A Mike Trout Hall of Fame Tidbit*Why We Root Against No-Hitters*The Woeful Dodgers Bullpen*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?