One last strike. That’s the refrain that kept running through my head last night as the St. Louis Cardinals stepped to the brink of elimination. Twice. Again. I may even have spoken the words out loud once or twice, an idle prayer for reprise to fill the tense seconds. “And a foul ball out of…
In Episode 16, baseball is back and so is The Baseball Diaspora! Brock & Dan look back at the first half of the 2012 season and look forward to the July 31st trade deadline, focusing specifically on the A’s and the Cardinals. Topics of discussion include:
- How the A’s have defied predictions to finish above .500 in the first half and just 1.5 games out of the AL Wild Cards
- Revisiting the A’s offseason in light of the production the team has received from Josh Reddick, Jarrod Parker, Tom Milone, Ryan Cook and Derek Norris
- The manner in which the Cardinals have overcome the losses of Albert Pujols, Tony La Russa, Dave Duncan and Chris Carpenter to contend in 2012
- How injuries have impacted the Cardinals, but not in the ways everyone expected
- Assigning 1st half MVP, Cy Young, Rookie and “Thanks for Nothing” honors for both the A’s and the Cardinals
- What direction each of the two teams will go at the trade deadline, buyer or seller
- Whether the playoffs are in reach for either the A’s or the Cards and where each team figures to end up at season’s end
- Which of baseball’s major potential trade pieces – Cole Hamels, Zack Greinke, Justin Upton – will move before the deadline and where
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Entering the weekend with a 5-7 record in interleague play and an 8-11 record overall in June, the Cardinals were in need of something positive. More specifically, they were in need of some offense. In June games (prior to the weekend series in Kansas City) the Cardinals were averaging an anemic 3.47 runs per game. …
In Episode 14, Brock and Dan record in person – a first for The Baseball Diaspora Podcast! The guys cover baseball’s multiple opening days and discuss insights from the young 2012 season, including:
- Brock and Dan’s attendance at Opening Night at the new Marlins Park in Miami and their impressions of the new stadium
- The Miami Marlins and whether the team’s lack of offense two games in is cause for concern
- The St. Louis Cardinals and if their early success portends good things in 2012
- Yoenis Cespedes, his power and defense, and what he means for baseball in Oakland during the rebuild
- Tim Lincecum’s troubling first start and whether it points to greater concerns for the San Francisco Giants this season
- The Tampa Bay Rays and the New York Yankees and how tight the race for the AL East may become this year
- The “year of the pitcher” trope and whether 2012 projects to continue in the tradition of the last two as more pitching-dominated
- The Dodgers sale, the rise of regional TV revenue and what the new baseball economic landscape means for fans
- The Great Dodger Panic of 2012 – how the Joey Votto and Matt Cain extensions impact the Cincinnati Reds and San Francisco Giants, respectively, and what these contracts mean for baseball generally
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In Episode 13, Brock and Dan are joined by Los Angeles Dodgers fan and Citizen of the Diaspora Brett Moore to talk NL West. After hearing about growing up Dodger Blue from Brett, the guys discuss:
- How bleak things got for Dodgers fans at the end of the McCourt era and who fans hope wins the bidding for the franchise
- Reports that Dodger Stadium naming rights might be for sale and how much of a travesty a name change would be for one of baseball’s most historic parks
- The Dodgers’ offseason moves and whether the 2012 version of the team is better than the 2011 entry
- Matt Kemp’s 8-year $160 million extension and whether it is a good deal for the Dodgers
- If the Arizona Diamondbacks can repeat as division champions
- Whether the San Francisco Giants offseason moves improve their offense sufficiently to return them to the playoffs after they failed to defend their World Series title in 2011
- Whether the Colorado Rockies have a coherent plan in place or if Colorado’s questionable offseason acquisitions signal a lack of direction for the club
- San Diego’s rebuild and if the Mat Latos trade, Cameron Maybin signing and the Padres’ strong farm system are evidence that the Padres are moving in the right direction
- How the additional Wild Card will impact the NL West and if the division can expect more than one team in the playoffs this season and beyond
and
- Predictions for who will win the NL West and NL Wild Card(s)
Brett Moore is a host of sports and fantasy sports shows on KCR College Radio in San Diego. Follow him on Twitter as @BigLoudMoore.
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In Episode 12, Brock and Dan turn their attention to Brock’s favorite division – the NL Central. Joined by very special guest Marc Towler, Brock’s dad and Citizen of the Diaspora, the guys tackle the St. Louis Cardinals and the rest of the Central. After Marc recalls what life was like for diaspora fans prior to the internet, satellite and cable, the guys discuss:
- Which of the departures – Albert Pujols, Tony La Russa, Dave Duncan and Jeff Luhnow – will impact the St. Louis Cardinals most going forward
- How the Cardinals offseason moves – adding Carlos Beltran, extending Yadier Molina – will make up for the loss of Pujols
- How Matt Holliday will handle becoming more of a focal point of the offense
- Whether Chris Carpenter’s neck injury is cause for concern
- Dan’s scouting report on the Cardinals, based off his visit to Cardinals Spring Training last week
- How the Cardinals’ primary competition in the division – the Cincinnati Reds and Milwaukee Brewers – stack up against each other and against the Cardinals for 2012
- What the outlook is for the Pittsburgh Pirates and if their young core and prospects will gel to become a factor in the NL Central in the near future
- What Theo Epstein and new ownership means for the Chicago Cubs’ chances to end their century-plus championship drought
- How much the NL Central will miss the Houston Astros after this season and how strange it will be for AL West fans to welcome a new team into the division
- How the addition of a second Wild Card will impact the NL Central and whether more than one team from the division will make the playoffs this year
and
- Predictions for who will win the NL Central and NL Wild Card(s)
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