Bobby and Alex discuss Bill James’s illiteracy regarding team relocations, then review the debut episode of Joe West’s podcast and analyze which NL East team Olivia Rodrigo pulls for. Then they dissect the labor implications of a dead ball and what it says about MLB’s competency, as well as give their takes about Alex Rodriguez’s bizarre commissioner wishlist. Finally, they answer some questions about ballpark traditions, rooting interests within your division, and reception to the newly-launched Patreon.

Links:

Sign up for the Tipping Pitches Patreon 

Tipping Pitches merch store 

Alex and Bobby announce the official launch of the Tipping Pitches Patreon, revealing the perks of each tier. Then, they try to find resolution with the Trevor Bauer decision and break down the reporting surrounding the Yankees Letter. They wrap things up with an unforced meltdown from a baseball executive and handouts to billionaires from New York to Atlanta.

Links: 

Subscribe to the Tipping Pitches Patreon

Songs featured in this episode: 

Pedro the Lion — “Options” • Camera Obscura — "Let's Get Out of This Country" • Booker T & the M.G.’s — “Green Onions”

Bobby and Alex discuss the despair among Oakland A’s fans and the torture architect making a bid for Nashville baseball, then speed through some topics from around the league, including Miguel Cabrera’s milestone, a surprise parachuting in Washington D.C., just the literally size of sponsored jersey patches, Charlie Blackmon’s gambling deal, and more.

Links:

Reds fans with bags on their heads

Alex and Bobby rejoice over news of Cowboy Joe West’s new podcast, then pick apart Phil Castellini’s comments to disgruntled Reds fans, the Pirates’ apparent lack of financial woes, and Dave Kaval’s bold claims about the future payroll of the Oakland A’s, wrapping it up with some ideas for some new NFTs for MLB’s most shining moments.

Links:

Phil Castellini’s comments on 700WLW 

Phil Castellini doubles down 

The Pirates’ payroll is covered by gate receipts 

Dave Kaval says the A’s just need a new stadium to start spending 

Shakeia Taylor on how MLB can actually honor Jackie Robinson’s legacy 

Alex and Bobby discuss Rob Manfred’s generous gift to players on Opening Day and a rest stop encounter in Delaware, then break down the news that the Lerner family is exploring a sale of the Washington Nationals, as well as the Baltimore Orioles receiving a whopping $1.2 billion in public funds from the state of Maryland. Then, they run down some takeaways from Opening Weekend, including the arrival of Steven Kwan and Hunter Greene, a downright unfair perfect game in Japan, the Rays’ attendance accounting hack, and more. Finally, they tackle listener questions about a bizarrely-made case to nationalize baseball,  the actual mechanics of nationalizing the sport, walk up songs in Washington D.C. and a big team in a small stadium.

Links:
Could Fans Own A Team? 

The Tipping Pitches playlist (thanks listener Britt for maintaining!)

Another season, another year of a storied Tipping Pitches tradition: the All-GIF Draft. Bobby and Alex preview the season by taking a look at which players will produce the best GIFs this year, bringing on Bradford William Davis, Stephen Hesson, Jake Mintz, Jordan Shusterman, Clinton Yates, Meg Rowley, and Shakeia Taylor as fellow evaluators. Long necks, tight pants, can't lose.Links:Follow Bradford @BWDBWDBWDFollow Stephen @TangoGolfKilo & Batting Around @BattinAroundFollow Cespedes Family BBQ @CespedesBBQFollow Clinton @clintonyatesFollow Meg @megrowlerFollow Shakeia @curlyfro

Bobby and Alex talk about one journalist’s coverage of the Astros and wonder whether Tipping Pitches’ second act will manifest itself in defense of service time manipulation, then discuss Oneil Cruz, Hunter Greene, and the varying logics behind prospect promotions. Then, they decide on a handful of “banned” topics in 2022. Finally, they answer a few listener questions about preferred rooting interests in 2022, stealing entertainment ideas from other sports, and whether the Guardians’ tactical retreat from competitiveness is worse than that of teams like the A’s.

Alex and Bobby attempt to parse Phil Mushnick’s sprawling metaphor for New York sports teams, discuss the dizzying flurry of player movement in the last week and what it has revealed about some teams, a labor win for minor leaguers last week, then answer listener questions about their playing days, advertisements on uniforms, the nonexistence of the Phillies’ defense, how their consumption of the game has changed over time, and more.

Links:

Judge rules MLB violated wage law with minor leaguers 

Wilco — “Sunken Treasure” • Hitoshi Sato — “Say Goodbye” • Booker T & the M.G.’s — “Green Onions”

With the added perspective three days of a CBA has brought, Alex and Bobby gather to discuss the true culprit behind MLB’s lockout: that’s right, it’s you, the fan. They also discuss MLB’s latest cash grab at the expense of baseball’s accessibility, before answering a slew of listener questions about the CBA and Taylor Swift.

Songs featured in this episode:

Booker T & the M.G.’s — “Green Onions”

Alex and Bobby get together hours after the news of a new CBA between MLB and the MLBPA to discuss the end of the lockout, their instant reactions to some of the key points in the agreement, what this means about player-owner relations moving forward, and more. Baseball’s back, baby!

Songs featured in this episode:

Booker T & the M.G.’s — “Green Onions”