In Episode 18, Brock & Dan start off with the subject on every baseball fan’s mind: the World Baseball Classic qualifiers!  After briefly discussing baseball and identity, Dan’s inaugural WBC experience and the state of WBC swag, the guys move on to take a look back at the end of the 2012 season, reliving the excitement (or lack thereof) of some of baseball’s major storylines, including:

- What to make of the expanded playoffs and the one-game Wild Card playoff series

- The Oakland A’s dramatic overtaking of the Texas Rangers for the AL West crown, including man-on-the-ground reports from Brock on the scene at the Coliseum for Monday’s playoff clincher and Wednesday’s division clincher

- The Baltimore Orioles and what their improbable playoff berth means to baseball fans

- Miguel Cabrera’s Triple Crown and why we aren’t more excited about it (Hint: it has something to do with Mike Trout and the AL MVP)

The guys then break to return immediately in Episode 19 for a more in depth discussion of the 2012 postseason.

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Tags: 2013 World Baseball Classic, AL MVP, AL West, Alex Rodriguez, American League MVP, Baltimore Orioles, Brock Towler, Carl Yastrzemski, Dan Lipkin, Detroit Tigers, Frank Robinson, Joe Sheehan, Kevin Youkilis, Los Angeles Angels, Miguel Cabrera, Mike Trout, Oakland A's, Oakland Athletics, Ryan Braun, Shawn Green, Team Israel, Team Spain, Team USA, Texas Rangers, The Baseball Diaspora, The Baseball Diaspora Podcast, Triple Crown, World Baseball Classic