Mona Lisa Baseball
It's been said that the Mona Lisa was created perfectly. Baseball has been described the same way for decades; but alas it's time for a change... or is it? Listen to an in-depth look at baseball's past, present, and future. Dare to peer into the widest scope lens and find out what's next for the most revered sport in American history.
Peak of Glory

Ken Burns Baseball (0:14) Expansion (6:34) Why Michael Lorenzen needs 20 ABs (16:06) Ambidextrous pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje (20:59) Baseball United update (24:09) Ichiro Suzuki (25:47) Will Clark and the Giants (29:03) NBA all-star tournament (34:19)
The Hardball Era

A's (1:17) ABS and new rules (6:37) ESPN drops hardball (13:20) Golden at bat (14:19) Boomerang ball (16:38) Gambling (20:35) A whole new painting (22:10) Stupid Caps (24:04) New old uniforms (30:34) Mo Vaughn, Brady Anderson and the steroid era (35:00)
Final Oakland Game

Peanuts and beer (2:04) Oakland losing its identity (10:24) Piloting the heat in Sacramento (12:32) Hibernating teams (16:46) Brodie Brazil fired (19:53) John Fisher hates you (23:01)
The Dominican Republic. Part 2

Neighborhood kids (0:12) MLB protecting investments (5:27) Growing up Red Sox (10:46) Why anonymous? (15:54) Everybody's doing it (17:12) Global baseball, WBC, Olympics (21:13)
World Series Baseball

Game 1 (0:58) Game 2 (2:52) Game 3 (11:03) Game 4 (14:12) Game 5 (18:49)
Big Markets

Yankees vs Dodgers! (0:12) Rob on the radio (2:02) Expanding playoffs (7:22) World Series with clocks (7:51) Japan vs. USA (12:51) Robo umps in spring training (20:28) Tech drama (28:22) Luis Arráez (33:49) Best ratings possible (36:38) Use your boo (39:04) Fernando Valenzuela (42:19) The Shohei Ohtani bet (43:53) Blake Snell didn't feel like pitching today (45:14)
The Dominican Republic. Part 1

Sports business (0:22) Steroids for kids (1:09) Danny Almonte (3:40) Buscones (5:40) International draft (11:29) It's not child labor (15:25) The RBI Program (17:03) Other sports? (18:26) Baseball talent as a natural resource (21:27) Building cisterns (26:14)
Preservation Piece

Call your team (0:13) 87 NLCS (3:15) Will Clark was cleats up (4:24) MLB in sac and a kick in the Nuts (6:07) Guess who got a hit? (9:34) No rival games in September?! (11:18) Tony Gwynn launch angle (11:57) Paul Skenes and Mr. Baseball (13:06) Phillies lineup (16:00) Do you remember finger signals? (20:43)
Student of the Game

Paul Skenes had a good seven (0:12) All star showcase (8:03) Have you accepted the clock? (13:16) Ellie De La Cruz and new rules (16:31) Do you know who Bo Jackson is? (17:37) Pete Rose, Bert Blyleven and Uncle Rico (19:59) Fail like Star Wars (22:26)
Far From Reverence

Announcers going rogue (0:09) Old highlights (4:25) Will Clark buys Angel a beer (5:31) Small changes? (7:10) Another gambling scandal (8:43) Lucrative advertisers (10:08) Launch Angle (13:00) A fun baseball team? (13:53) Fear the beard (14:59) No sports allowed (18:25) Paul Skenes and fireball city (19:22) An empty stadium is a bad look (21:21) It's the owner's sport (22:39) Another stupid American thing (25:34)
Knives Out For Umpires

Angel Hernandez retirement party (0:29) ABS is coming (6:03) Interference! (8:22) College spike and silly hats (12:37) Atomic baseball (14:54) Framing is out of control and the Draymond Green effect (15:50) Uniforms will change next year (24:58)
Beware These Fads

Edit out the audience (00:10) Blocking the path and plowing the catcher (3:18) Robot umps are coming and so are side effects (7:22) Owners need growth or how many jackets do you need? (10:46) Shohei will never pitch again (14:13) Egregious profuse time wasting and clocks (15:00) Grow the game? (16:27) Baseball's best shots (17:07) The new thinking fan's guide to baseball (19:46) Kids don't play baseball in the street anymore (21:23)
Self Regulation

The Customer (0:18) The Owners and Community (2:45) The Pace of Play (4:49) The Unwritten Rules (9:27) The Bautista Bat Flip (13:57) The Human Role (18:52)
More Money More Problems

A's in Sac, Fisher, Wristbands and Cashing Out (0:16) New Uniforms? (9:20) Shohei's Ball? (13:04) Trevor Bauer in Mexico? (15:02) New Rules 4 speed? (15:34) Pitcher Warming Must Appear? (17:44) 4 mound visits? (19:57) Dirt Paths? (22:19) The Backlash is Real! (26:02) Blocking Paths? (29:07) Angel Hernandez? (32:10) ABS Challenge is Here! (33:24) The Mets Suck? (34:53) The Decline Has Begun (35:58)
Capitalism

Pro Golfer (0:10) Superstars (5:52) Pitching and Golf (9:51) Ben Hogan (14:19) LIV Golf (15:05) Kids watching Lou Gehrig (17:45 ) Ball Players vs Teacher Salaries (19:52) The Latrell Sprewell Philosophy (20:49)
Canary in the Coal Mine

Sports Radio (2:56) Game Changers: Ichiro Suzuki, (8:20) Babe Ruth, (9:47) Shohei Ohtani (12:50) Ballpark Sizes (19:12) 59 in 84 (23:36) Dizzy Dean (24:17)The Little League Punk (29:07) Court Storming (31:59) The Uniform Fiasco (36:56) The Ken Burns Series (40:34) Play Real Baseball (43:54) Old Movies vs. New Rules (47:13)
Death by a Thousand Cuts

Poetry and American products (0:12) Dodgers deferred (4:30) Flawless greens (7:21) Unwanted A's (12:30) Fake history? (17:37)
Shohei's Game

Deal deferred (0:14)Will he pitch again? (2:19) No DH is worth that (5:07) New Babe? (5:36) Curling and marbles (7:24) Draymond Green and Earl Weaver (10:57) Baseball is back? (16:51) Amazon's MLB (19:44) A's and B's (21:10) Suites, nets and eyeballs (22:28) Nerfing baseball (27:05) Betty Crocker vs. uncle Rico (29:08)
Blow It Up

3 levels of hawkeye (1:46) Clayton Kershaw (4:28) Post season numbers (8:59) Matt Williams, Babe Ruth and Hunter Pence (14:15) José Berríos and Whit Merrifield (11:42) New mid-east league (15:53) Overconfident Phillies (22:42) Stoked on Boch (25:36) Mid-season tournament (28:25)
Dome vs Dome

Fallen classic (0:37) Catcher cam (8:50) Adolis Garcia breaking records (11:27) Soggy cereal criminals (14:47) Mad Manfred and the double hook DH (18:47) Big Show in San Francisco (23:21) Blow it up (26:37) Playoff changes next year? (29:10) Automatic balls and strikes "ABS" update (31:24) Old managers (35:49)
Enter the Tournament (pt.2)

Pizza perspective (0:12) Schwarber strategy (3:38) Tommy Lasorda hot mic (8:30) 104 mph (9:30) Arizona October baseball (10:00) Consuming sports (14:12) DVR, VHS and Blackouts (15:35) The Collective Consciousness (17:25) Diamondbacks: fake team (24:25) Challenge Bud Selig (25:35) Brandon Crawford pitches (26:41) Mickey Mantle: amazing bunter (28:12) Remember Brett Butler? (28:36) Canning Kapler (29:37)
Enter the Tournament (pt.1)

Houston is Jokeland (0:13) Arlington roof (1:27) Pizza and Playoffs (2:44) Attendance (4:22) Bryce Harper (5:27) Playoff underdogs, division irrelevance and the wildcard era (7:48) Rest vs. rust (8:19) Byes are stupid (13:19) ALCS game 5 (14:40) Griffey and Bonds did it whenever they wanted (20:38) Boring sports channel (23:04) Cruise lost their license & jersey logos (24:10) Star creation (26:35)
Playoff Violation

The year baseball changed more than ever & playoff rules (0:13) Shohei the freak? (3:04) On the Jumbotron? (3:57) The best pennant race you were ever all in for? (5:43) Giants 1993 (5:48) Giants 2004 (7:09) Giants 2012: radios and whiffle ball (7:36) Giants 89, A's and newspaper box scores (11:03) A's can't beat the 62 Mets (13:14) Wellness check on Brewers and Rays (15:02) No baseball player should make over 5 mil (18:12) Mets and Padres suck: the value of team cohesion (19:58) Start your stars rule (23:53)
The Rhythm of Baseball

Rays playoff attendance and Florida baseball (0:41) 59 in 84 (7:03) Always changing? (8:55) Babe Ruth's triples (9:58) Shohei injury (14:52) What's going on with Kyle Schwarber? (16:16) No sane pitcher's gonna put Jackie Robison on base (20:33) That 40 70 guy (22:07) Vin Scully calls Eckersley vs. Gibson, but with a clock (26:33)
The Numbers

Attendance (0:43) Quicker pace (3:02) Player pay (6:11) Shohei injury (6:41) Best team in mlb? (8:16) BABIP (9:37) Shock collars on outfielders (13:10) TV viewership (16:08) Sub 2 ERA (19:34) Clayton Kershaw (22:40) Violations (24:28) John Kruk (25:22)
For the Love of the Game

Dichotomy of emotions (0:53) ESPN (Disney) Bets (7:04) I met Barry Bonds in an airport '97 (14:03) Fantasy vs. Reality (15:00) Shohei Ohtani double header (17:21) Hawkeye installed (18:15) Cream of the crop (21:51) Lou Gehrig fame (23:13) Babe's called shot (24:23) Cheer like you boo (26:47)
The Big Show

Angry managers (0:15) Disengagements (2:00) Sal Frelick (3:59) What is Mona Lisa Baseball? (5:09) Shohei Ohtani is doing Babe Ruth things (6:43) Desperate for stars (10:56) Nolan Arenado isn't hustling (19:44) Rain delays & Milli Vanilli (25:37)
Wrigley & Milwaukee Fields

Brewer's #1 (0:11) Tomahawk chop & racial equality (2:43) Wrigley Field (4:50) Mound visit slugfest (10:40) Emmet Sheehan hardball (12:32) Crumbling A's (16:39) Two very different fields (14:59)
Game Contained

Mid-season tournament & other gimmicks (0:10) Strikeouts are boring & expansion is coming (2:37) Thomas Boswell & the delighted Englishman (9:26) 1998 (11:57) Play naked (13:10) AB testing ABS (15:43) Fading fandom (17:54) Players want more time (19:29) Jim Bouton's Ball Four (21:52) The Ripkins (22:52) Too hot for baseball (26:20)
All Stars

Futures Game & ABS challenge (0:21) Red carpet (3:30) Booing Astros & PitchCom (5:28) Sticky stuff (6:29) All-star ratings (11:10) Pioneer League (16:48) Players want more time (21:34) Elly De La Cruz steals 3 bases on 2 pitches (22:07) Derby (25:48)
The Circus

John Kruk's Circus (0:00) Violation stats & getting used to new rules (2:41) Shift ban fail & Joey Gallo: hitting savant (6:41) Jeff McNeil shift violation (9:13) Stealing bases like it's 1999 (15:29) Dodgers pull kid who goes 6 with no hits (17:45)
Oakland Exit

Reverse boycott game (0:18) Public money (0:50) Dinner with Rob (3:16) The A's are tanking (5:14) Bryce Harper & the Las Vegans (8:59) Expansion (9:41) Rockies beef (11:12) The Rays (12:31) Skyscrapers are falling (13:20) Rough decade (14:38) I-15 Heat (15:21) Glen Kuiper said a word (17:03) A's legacy (19:52) Vegas pros (23:18)
The Heart of the Matter

Worst clock violation ever (0:11) The new Mona Lisa! (2:55) Coalmine canary (6:51) Riding Giants (9:12) Earl Weaver said it best (14:18) Somebody is always trying to improve baseball (15:18) Question for Alex Honnold (19:08) John Kruk is right (20:57) 415 foot single (21:12) Showboat Bonds (22:52) Next year (25:37) Fan participation (28:44)
Regional Sports Network

Bally Sports bankrupt (0:37) Padres, MLB & digital rights (1:52) TV Blackouts (4:24) Direct to consumer (5:38) Rob Manfred & Noah Garden were ready (9:33) Fox overpaid for U.S. Open (17:32) Why rules change (18:31) The padres are a disappointment (19:48) Balanced breakfast (21:44)
Pitcher Health

Pitcher Injuries 2022 vs. 2023 (0:10) Scott Boras' expanded roster (1:57) Pitch velocity (3:50) More time on clock? (7:34) Dad loves it (11:29) 24hr notice on standing ovation (15:35) 82 & 83 Orioles (16:30) New rules next year? (21:18)
Automatic Balls and Strikes

What is the Atlantic League? (0:34) Oakland protest signs (1:31) ABS blooper reel (4:10) Hawk-eye: a robot in your ear (4:45) ABS challenge (5:48) The Summer Game (7:44) ABS technical issues (10:20) Variation (11:40) Birds and other distractions (15:05) The greatest boo ever (18:12) ABS made umpires better (20:00)
Off the Rails

Need more Shohei (0:10) The opener & double hook DH (0:52) The problem with RBIs (4:10) A.I. & umpire issues (5:56) Blow up the playoffs & flopping (10:36) A game of failure (16:00) Poor Oakland (18:06) Designated runners (20:43) Lower the mound again? (23:35) Joey Votto commercial (25:24) Bryce Harper's elbow brace rule (26:33) 9 DH lineup (27:38)
Iron Man Umpire

Umpire union (0:10) The A's $500M problem (1:15) Umpire meritocracy or robots? (3:18) Consult the robot & Ángel Hernández: the meme (3:43) National revenue (7:11) Field of dreams game & Mexico City (8:07) Albert Belle wants to mash baseballs so hard (10:46) Suspending rules in playoffs (11:32) Most difficult game to officiate & 12 year old umpires (19:59) PitchCom killed finger signs (24:10)
The Product

Park attendance numbers & weather (0:10) Beer sales & Bud Light (3:47) TV numbers, frontloaded interest & the new item on the menu (6:45) JD Davis (9:10) Mexico City 11 HR game (9:38) The Easter Sunday Manny Machado on field interview (11:12) Cereal guy discipline (14:26) Stolen Base Numbers (16:23) Loopholes (20:26) ABS on TV (23:30) The twofer rule change (24:56) Football games are too long (25:28)
Emergency Meeting

Hating on baseball? (0:10) Rule changes & dichotomy of emotions (3:02) Dad's Giants season tickets (12:22) Personal attendance (13:17) San Diego (14:30) Souvenirs (16:07) Best parks? (19:05) Clocks? (21:10) Pickoff limit? (24:41) Shift ban? (25:31) Self correction & contact hitting vs. swinging for fences (30:43) Robot arms and Tommy John (33:40) Bigger bases? (34:24) We still love baseball & the designated runner (37:18) Cardinal rules & the 55 man roster (38:33)