In Episode 34, Brock & Ben discuss the surprising starts – both good and bad – of the teams in the American League East, assessing the sustainability of strong Aprils for the Red Sox and Yankees and whether the struggling Rays and Blue Jays can turn it around. The guys then turn their attention to quick-starters Colorado, Pittsburgh and Kansas City, wondering if any of them can exceed expectations of general mediocrity this season.
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In Episode 32, with divisional previews complete, Brock & Ben turn their attention to the young 2013 season. After leading off the podcast with the first ever TBD listener email, the guys recap the weekend’s Cardinals-Giants series in San Francisco. The guys them move on to discuss the Jason Motte, Jered Weaver and Jeff Niemann injuries and their impact, then close by running a number of opening week storylines through the lens of early season confirmation bias and overreaction.
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In Episode 31, Yankees fan Digger Lauter returns to the podcast to help Brock & Ben preview the American League East. The guys kick off the show by discussing the rash of recent big dollar extensions before closing out divisional previews with a belated look at the AL East.
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In Episode 22, Brock bids a heartfelt farewell to Dan’s regular involvement with the podcast and welcomes new co-host Ben Stein. After establishing Ben’s diaspora credentials, the guys turn their attention to the concluding offseason, focusing specifically on issues of baseball economics, injuries and medical advances and the impending World Baseball Classic. Topics include:
- How the big pitching deals of the offseason stack up both against past long-term, high-dollar pitching contracts and the mega-contracts given to hitters in recent years in terms of advisability and value
- Whether the rising cost of quality pitching will result in teams locking up their young aces (or potential aces) long-term early in their careers (a la Evan Longoria, Troy Tulowitzki and a slew of other young position players)
- If the rising cost of pitching is responsible for a recent willingness to deal top prospects (Wil Myers, Travis D’Arnaud) to net quality starters on team-friendly contracts (James Shields, R.A. Dickey)
- What the Myers, D’Arnaud and Trevor Bauer trades mean for the recent standard practice of holding onto top prospects and whether we will see more major league-ready prospects traded in the near future
- What role personality plays in organizational thinking with respect to its players and prospects and whether Arizona mishandled its unloading of Bauer, Justin Upton and Chris Young
- The advance of medical technology and how it is impacting baseball contracts, making the “pending physical” much more than a mere formality
- Whether the use of enhanced medical capabilities to not only spot current injuries but to project future risk may present a future labor problem as more players have the experience shared by Mike Napoli and Francisco Liriano and lose guaranteed money and guaranteed years as a result of more heightened medical scrutiny
- Injuries and the World Baseball Classic and whether it’s time for MLB to step in to remove some of the barriers to the participation of some of the game’s top talents
- What it will take for the WBC to rise to the level of prestige and participation of the World Cup
and
- Who is missing from Team USA that would most enhance the team in terms of both quality on the field and star quality?
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In Episode 17, Brock & Dan discuss Dan throwing out the first pitch before a Triple A Las Vegas 51′s game, then turn their attention to the July 31st non-waiver trade deadline, specifically:
- The Miami Marlins’ mini-fire sale and whether the new era of baseball in South Florida is already over
- The Hanley Ramirez and Anibal Sanchez/Omar Infante trades and how they grade out for the teams involved
- The Cole Hamels contract, what it means for the Philadelphia Phillies and whether the aging Phillies have one more run in them
- The Zack Greinke trade and how it impacts the tight race in the AL West
- What moves the Texas Rangers and Oakland A’s might make before the deadline to counter the Angels’ acquisition of Greinke
- Whether the St. Louis Cardinals will make a move before Tuesday and if so, for what
and
- If and where the remaining names on the trade block – Ryan Dempster, Matt Garza, Josh Johnson, James Shields, Cliff Lee, Francisco Liriano, Chase Headly, Hunter Pence – will move
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Last Friday, Major League Baseball ruled on the New York Mets’ appeal of the scoring of the lone hit in R.A. Dickey’s one-hitter against the Tampa Bay Rays, upholding the hit and keeping Dickey from notching the second Met’s no-hitter in less than two weeks (and also in team history). MLB’s decision was widely applauded.…
In Part 2 of Episode 8, Brock and Dan continue to preview the AL East with Tampa Bay Rays fan and Citizen of the Diaspora Joe McNeal. After unpacking the history of Joe’s baseball fandom, the guys discuss:
- The final day of the 2011 season from the perspective of a Rays fan
- The Rays’ offseason moves, analyzing the impact Carlos Pena, Luke Scott and Jeff Keppinger might have on the team in 2012
- Tampa’s young talent (Matt Moore, Desmond Jennings and others) and what to expect from them this season
- Jonah Keri’s book on the Rays, The Extra 2%: How Wall Street Strategies Took a Major League Baseball Team from Worst to First
- The challenges for the fan of the small market team, where players come and go due to financial considerations
- Which team – Yankees or Red Sox – presents the greatest obstacle to the Rays’ postseason aspirations
- How the additional Wild Card impacts the AL East
and
- Projections for who will win the AL East and AL Wild Card in 2012
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In Episode 8, Part 1, Brock and Dan are joined by Yankee fan and Citizen of the Diaspora Digger Lauter to break down the AL East. After establishing Digger’s Diaspora credentials, the guys discuss:
- The Yankees’ offseason moves, specifically the Michael Pineda-Jesus Montero trade
- Who the five pitchers in the Yankees’ opening day rotation should be
- The Yankees’ search for a left-handed bat
- Whether the aging Yankees lineup is cause for concern for fans in the near future
- Which team – Red Sox or Rays – represents the greatest threat to the Yankees in 2012
- Whether the Blue Jays and Orioles project to contend in the near future or instead are consigned to second division status
- How the second Wild Card impacts the AL East (once implemented)
and
- Projections for who will win the AL East and AL Wild Card in 2012
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In Episode 6, Brock and Dan are joined by special guest Eric Barton. The guys establish Eric’s credentials as a citizen of The Baseball Diaspora then discuss Eric’s innovative and radical plan for realignment in MLB.
Eric’s letter to Commissioner Bud Selig, containing the full details of his realignment proposal can be found here.
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If you’re wondering what the idea behind the Bobblehead All-American Team is, full details are here. With an entire other post as preamble, we can move directly into the selections for the first annual Bobblehead All-American Team. Catcher – Geovany Soto, Chicago Cubs …
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