The Infinite Inning

An Addison Russell Problem of Morality*The Pennant Race Decided By a Squeeze Play* Cliff Corcoran: A False Start*Who should be NL MVP?*Ban the Bullpen!*Possibly ignorant analogies from basketball and hockey*Openers and Followers*Shrink the Strikezone!*Mid-Inning Pitching Changes Are the Spawn of Satan*Bring Back Long Relievers*The Poignancy of Taking One For the Team*The 2018 Pennant Races, Such As They Are*It’s All Asdrubal’s Fault*Properly Valuing Defense*Miguel Andujar: Clank! (But Still a Net Positive)*One Last Pass at Shohei Ohtani’s Short-Term Future (Eat the Marshmallow!)*Goodbyes.

THE INFINITE INNING ARCHIVE: All episodes available, popcorn extra.

THE INFINITE INNING FACEBOOK GROUP: Socialize with like-minded people!

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?

Baseballs Try to Murder Fritz Ostermueller* Permanent Rainout, September 21, 1938*Stephon Johnson: The New York Amsterdam News/Advocacy Journalism*When Did African Americans Lose Interest in Baseball?*The Buttoned-Down Culture of Baseball*Fisk and Sanders, Showalter and Griffey*Racists on the Rise*“Baseball Needs Another Rickey Henderson”*Dexter Fowler Calumnied*John Kruk: J’Accuse!*Keith Hernandez vs. Dave Parker*The Effect of the Missing African American Teachers*The Financial Barriers to Being a Prospect*Solutions*The Damage of Disavowing Barry Bonds and the Gang (“We Still Enjoyed What We Saw”)*Goodbyes.

THE INFINITE INNING ARCHIVE: All episodes available, popcorn extra.

THE INFINITE INNING FACEBOOK GROUP: Socialize with like-minded people!

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?

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Wes Ferrell Walks Off*Mediocre White Players/Jimmy Collins’ Unplanned Vacation*Mike Bates and Bill Parker: The historic 2018 season: The Baltimore Orioles and Shohei Ohtani*Rudy Pemberton and Phil Clark*Babe Ruth’s Warning to Ohtani*Who are the Angels?*The Past is More Populous Than the Present*Ski Melillo?*Charlie Hollocher*Elmer Flick and Bill Bergen Too*Gary Gaetti ‘s Awakening*The 2018 Minnesota Twins in Review*The Byron Buxton Conundrum*Joe Mauer in Retrospect*Buy-Low Moves That Didn’t Work*Old Friends*Avenging J.R. Richard and Forgiving Chris Von Der Ahe*Goodbyes.

THE INFINITE INNING ARCHIVE: All episodes available, popcorn extra.

THE INFINITE INNING FACEBOOK GROUP: Socialize with like-minded people!

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?

WARNING: One excretory cussword.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Tony Horton and Dolphin Shows of the Apocalypse*Extinctions and an Apology*Jeff Heath’s Bat*The West Coast is on Fire*The Kendrys Morales Sublimations*Don’t Gamble on Baseball Because the Orioles*Goodbye for Now, Troy Tulowitzki*Fare Thee Well, Josh Donaldson*Do the Blue Jays Need to Bottom Out?*The Thrill of Discovery at Baseball-Reference*Expertise/Finding Jeff Heath*The Intersection of Sharing Knowledge and Sharing Emotion*Misogyny: The Socially-Acceptable Prejudice*Daniel Murphy (“Piazza, New York Catcher”)*What Went Wrong in the 1880s/The Imperialism of Stupid*Goodbyes.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Casey Stengel removes a pitcher*The Babe Ruth Visitors Center*Potential, with Andy Cohen and Rogers Hornsby*Hairstons and Harstons*The Great Gee Walker*Goodbyes.

THE INFINITE INNING ARCHIVE: All episodes available, popcorn extra.

THE INFINITE INNING FACEBOOK GROUP: Socialize with like-minded people!

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?

TABLE OF CONTENTS

WARNING: The odd cussword is spoken aloud and sometimes thought in this episode. In addition, there is a discussion of an ancient case of rape and manslaughter in the second segment.

Pea Ridge Day chooses free will*Fatty Arbuckle and Benny Kauff*David Roth: Bodega cats*The one bad review (Your mother-in-law and the Portland Sea Dogs)*Offending Will Pennyfeather*Easy-access basketball and a visit to Revolutionary War Princeton*David dreams “The Terminal” and other digressions*Smoking on camera*Re-signing Jose Bautista, Re-signing Joe Niekro*The Mets have an analytics department?* “Veteran leadership” and Amed Rosario*Should Jacob DeGrom and/or Noah Syndergaard be traded?*The Rick Ankiel Story*Anxiety and muscle memory*Daniel Bard*Hashtag Crazy Relief Pitcher*Punching Mookie Betts*Fun times in baseball (“The Natural” sucks)*Goodbyes.

THE INFINITE INNING ARCHIVE: All episodes available, popcorn extra.

THE INFINITE INNING FACEBOOK GROUP: Socialize with like-minded people!

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?

TABLE CONTENTS

Tall Tales of Josh Gibson*Call-In Radio and WAR*Will Leitch: Productivity*Writing while disappointed*Don’t check the numbers*Cutting High School Memories*Why social media?*Cookies from Twitter*Jaded in the press box*“My fandom is mine”*Mike Matheny and Mike Schildt and The Matheny Manifesto*Ranking 900 Woody Harrelson movies*”Star Wars” vs. “Annie Hall.”*Goodbyes.

THE INFINITE INNING ARCHIVE: All episodes available, popcorn extra.

THE INFINITE INNING FACEBOOK GROUP: Socialize with like-minded people!

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?

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Hartnett, Landis, and Capone*Willie Montanez: Tap-Tap*Jesse Spector: Rockies players like tacos and chess*Pregame non-conversations with Derek Jeter and Paul O’Neill at the old Yankee Stadium*Reconciling with Paul O’Neill’s affiliations*The Trevor Story story*The Dome Over Fenway Park*Why take owner finances on faith?*David Wright and Brandon Webb*The parsimony of the Lerners*Roberto Osuna*A glance askance at Josh Hader et al*The Astros throw Justin Verlander under the bus*The Asdrubal Cabrera trade as a teachable moment*An Asdrubal moment with Roger Angell*A note on Ian Desmond*Goodbyes.

THE INFINITE INNING ARCHIVE: All episodes available, popcorn extra.

THE INFINITE INNING FACEBOOK GROUP: Socialize with like-minded people!

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?

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Ken Hunt’s Half-Season of Glory*Jack Morris/Yoenis Cespedes*More on Luke Heimlich*Cliff Corcoran: Diseases of cattle and ballplayers*The pointlessness of trade coverage*Trades that ripple through history*Revising opinions of the Francisco Mejia trade*The Jesus Montero analogy*Everything wrong with the Indians*Red Sox needs*Moving Salvador Perez*The Billy Hunter digression*Mike Moustakas, lame duck*Why Cole Hamels? And other pitchers*How do you make a package for Jacob DeGrom?*Zack Britton and The Cup We All Race 4*Should the Nationals sell?*The Hall of Fame inductions (Lost in Jack Morrisland)*The missing HOF pitchers of the 1980s*Lou Whitaker, Willie Randolph, and Bobby Grich*Goodbyes.

WARNING: For the second and, it is to be hoped, last time, there is a discussion of Luke Heimlich.

THE INFINITE INNING ARCHIVE: All episodes available, popcorn extra.

THE INFINITE INNING FACEBOOK GROUP: Socialize with like-minded people!

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?

Mary Craig (Baseball Prospectus, The Hardball Times podcast) returns to talk Manny Machado, Papa John-style privilege, and the Home Run Derby. Plus, Steve tells stories of a Hall of Famer with a bigger heart than Josh Hader and the Brooklyn Dodgers defeat the America First Committee.

WARNING: Luke Heimlich, an amateur pitcher with a record of child abuse, is discussed extensively during the second half of the show. Also, there is one brief profanity in the first half of the show.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Josh Hader, Arky Vaughan, Jackie Robinson*The Brooklyn Dodgers vs. The America First Committee*Mary Craig: Reading naughty books in the original Greek*Shocking enthusiasm for the Home Run Derby*Bryce Harper doesn’t help the Cubs*The Manny Machado trade and the talent imbalance*Against Commissioner Manfred*Marketing and minor league wages*Look for the union label*Luke Heimlich*Jose Reyes and Bud Norris*The Mary Craig Credo*Brian Cashman on the Supreme Court*The Papa Slam is no more*Goodbyes.