Almost Cooperstown

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We're so excited to have had the chance to talk with former Washington Post baseball writer and best-selling author Jane Leavy join the podcast.  Her new book "Make Me Commissioner - I Know What's Wrong with Baseball and How to Fix It" is fascinating and yet a love letter from Jane to the sport she loves the most. Great stories in the book including the Cape Cod League, Savannah Bananas, how a heavier and slightly larger baseball could save pitcher's arms. Lowering the mound also is an option.  

Jane gets access be...

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Mark went to the #mets game Friday night to see the return of Jacob DeGrom. It did not go well for the Metropolitans as rookie Jonah Tong didn't make it out of the 1st inning. The Mets are so awful lately that Mark proclaimed them dead as he did the #rangers a couple of weeks ago. That proclamation was before the Rangers went on a tear! So maybe that's the trick as the Mets came back to win 5-2 on Sunday immediately after that? 

Paul Skenes pulled after less than 70 pitches i...

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Our under-the-radar story of the week is asking about why a fan would grab a baseball from a kid at the game? Grabbing a hat away from a kid? What is wrong with #baseball fans?  It wasn't enough to have #Yankees fans thrown out of the playoff games last year for interfering with a play. 

Fans are behaving badly all over the place!  #Astros Framber Valdez behaved oddly when he seemingly crossed up his own catcher and hit the guy in the chest with a pitch. Bizarre! 

NL playoff team...

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Which teams will have a September to remember? Will it be #Reds? #Mariners? #Royals? The playoff push is on and we rate the teams' chances. We had a 3rd 4-home run game last week for 1st time in #MLB history!  #RedSox ink Aroldis Chapman to another 1 year deal. In our first under-the-radar story of the week we talk about Chapman's HOF credentials. 

#Pirates Paul Skenes has the NL Cy Young award locked up. The AL Cy Young is still up for grabs between Crochet and Skubal. 

#Mets young pitchers McC...

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Sure we talked about #Yankees 9 home runs in one game last week - that's the 2nd time it's happened this season which is a first!  #Phillies Zach Wheeler has surgery and is out for the season - awful.  #Brewers #Cubs #Dodgers #Padres are all good teams and will be tough in the playoffs. 

#Tigers Tarik Skubal and #RedSox Garret Crochet are pitching horses which is more special than ever. #Blue Jays catcher Alejandro Kirk steals his first base ever after 2,000+ games!  #Rangers continue to disappoint. #Orioles sign another catcher to an 8 year...

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Three-quarters of the season is in the books. It means you can add about 1/3 of a player's current stats to project what will be the season ending total. Pete Alonso broke Darryl Strawberry's #Mets HR record hitting his 253rd last week. That means the amazing #Mariners Cal Raleigh is just behind pace to hit 60 home runs. But he still is on track to have the greatest offensive season for a catcher in #MLB history. 

#Dodgers Shohei Ohtani hit both a home run and hit into a triple play last week. It w...

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In this week's episode of "Almost Cooperstown," we dive into a historic moment as Jen Powell becomes the first female umpire in MLB history to officiate a regular season game. We also explore Roman Anthony's impressive new contract and what it means for his future in baseball. Plus, we take a fun detour into the world of the Savannah Bananas and their unique take on the game. From the latest stats to the ongoing debate about the value of RBIs, we cover it all. Tune in for an engaging discussion on the evolving...

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Ichiro Suzuki gave a great speech at the induction ceremony last weekend in Cooperstown. So did C.C. Sabathia and Billy Wagner. Willa Allen gave a nice tribute to the late great Dick (don't call me Richie) Allen and Dave Parker's brother painted a more accurate pitcher of the Cobra. 

The largest crowd ever to attend a regular season #MLB game at Bristol Speedway in Tennessee got rained out on Saturday night - 91,000+ fans attended breaking the record set in 1954 in Cleveland in a game vs. the #Yankees.  The #Braves won on...

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This coming Saturday evening in Bristol, TN the most fans ever to attend an MLB game are predicted to watch the Reds and Braves. HOF inductions took place Sunday in Cooperstown where it was as hot as it always is for those ceremonies. Dave Parker's son spoke eloquently about him and Dick Allen's widow Willa gave a moving tribute to an all-time great. Billy Wagner, C.C. Sabathia and Ichiro Suzuki all very deserving, were celebrated.  
The MLB trade deadline is Friday this week and there have yet to be big-time deals b...

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Did you love the home run derby that ended this year's actual All-Star game?  The players sure did. But not having real pitchers makes it an entertainment product and not a real baseball thing. It's fine for an exhibition game but real games should not be decided in the 10th inning with a homerun swing off.  

#Mariners Cal Raleigh leads #MLB in home runs and also was the first catcher to ever win the Monday Home Run Derby. Raleigh is a legit MVP candidate (along with #Yankees Aaron Judge. The 'Big Du...

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Baseball's Two-Way Greats - Pitching/Batting Stars from Ruth and Rogan to Ohtani by Chris Jensen. 

Is Shohei Ohtani the greatest two-way player in #MLB history? Chris Jensen isn't afraid to take on big subjects and 19th century baseball had its fair share of two-way stars.  Chris breaks down the greatest two-way players into 19th century, pre-integration era (1947), Negro Leagues, Latin Leagues, and of course the post-integrated era. 

Ted "Double Duty" Radcliffe was both a pitcher and catcher and would sometimes play behind the plate in one game of a d...

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Sadly #whitesox closer Bobby Jenks passed away from stomach cancer at age 44. Our condolences to the Jenks family. On a happier note #Dodgers Clayton Kershaw struck out his 3,000th #MLB batter!  #RedSox Wilyer Abreu hit both a Grand Slam AND an inside-the-park home run in the same game last week! 

HOFer Robbie Alomar had an ignominus end with #BlueJays having his number un-retired and being erased from the Jays HOF. On the other hand, or hands, Moises Alou, a career .300 hitter used to pee on his hands during the winter and sp...

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Dave 'The Cobra' Parker passed away at age 74 less than a month before his induction ceremony in Cooperstown. His arm in right field was legendary and he won the 1978 NL MVP.  We're sorry he won't get the opportunity to be there next month. 

Corbin Carrol of the #dbacks broke his wrist. Without Corbin Burnes the road got that much tougher. #Mets have been awful losing 13 of 16 and falling out of 1st place in the #nleast.  #Dodgers #Cubs #Astros are fine. #Yankees #Rays in #aleast. #Tigers are supreme in #alcentral. #phillies lead the...

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Aaron Judge and Juan Soto are 1-2 in xwOBA. Expected Weighted On-Base Average (xwOBA) tell the story of a player's season based on quality of and amount of contact, not outcomes. It takes out being unlucky. 

Why can't we get into the College World Series? 

Rafael Devers is a Giant in the first pre-trading deadline deal of the 2025 #MLB season. Devers said he'd play anywhere once he went to San Francisco. Maybe the Red Sox just didn't ask nicely? Not great for Alex Cora and Craig Breslow. 

Sho...

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As a father and son doing a podcast we're keenly aware of the bond that baseball can bring to a family.  We loved talking with a real live recent (and possibly future) MLB player and his father about their relationship and journeys in baseball.  What's it like playing #MLB today?  How hard is it to hit today's pitchers and get out Major League hitters?  

John Sr. is on a book tour with his latest release "Diamond Duels" which we recommend highly. He's also written "Last Time Out" and a non-baseball book "Nash...

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Cal Raleigh aka 'The Big Dumper' hit his 26th home run this week to lead #MLB. If #Mets Tylor Megill was traded to Seattle they'd become a battery meaning the "Big Drip" would pitch to the "Big Dumper". Can we see that happen please? 

#Braves have lost 8 of 10 and are making the task of reaching the postseason increasingly difficult. Phillies have lost 9 of 10 and now lost Bryce Harper to another injury. #Cubs are still looking good.  #Padres Manny Machado got his 2,500th hit this week and he's played more games than an...

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#Phillies pfell out of pfirst place in the #nleast given a very unusually poor start on Saturday vs. #Brewers.  Phillies #Cubs, #Dodgers, #Mets all started Sunday at 36-22. They are the class of the league while in the #americanleague #Yankees  & #Tigers seem better than all the other teams. 

#Braves despite the returns of Spencer Strider & Ronald Acuna can't get it together. There's still time but the injury to AJ Smith-Shawver hurts more than it should. His teammate Chris Sale had his 2,500th strikeout this week in his likely HOF career. We did...

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Happy Memorial Day! This is episode 301 as we forgot to mention our 300th last week!  #tigers Tarik Skubal pitched a Maddux on Sunday, throwing a complete game, striking out 13, only yielding 2 hits, and he threw 94 total pitches. His Game Score was an amazing 96. Anything over 80 is special and a 100 is nearly unattainable. It's a great way to evaluate starting pitchers and you will be hearing more about it even though Bill James came up with it years ago. 

#Braves Ronald Acuna came back with a bomb on Friday hitting a home ru...

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Three managers have been fired already before Memorial Day!  #Pirates Derek Shelton, #Rockies Bud Black, & #Orioles Brandon Hyde all were dismissed and it kind of makes sense. You can't fire 26 players!  

#Twins won 13 straight before finally losing on Sunday. They move to 2nd place in the #ALCentral. #Tigers are the best team in #MLB right now and look strong enough to hold that position. How about #Mariners hitting? After years of putrid offense, the M's are leading the #ALWest over tired #Astros & underperforming #Rangers. Only #Yankees are over .500 in the #ALEast. 

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#Yankees Aaron Judge is now on pace for 56 home runs which would surprise exactly nobody!  Judge also has a #MLB leading 39 RBIs which over 162 games would be 156 RBIs. That hasn't been done since A-Rod did it for those same Yankees in 2007. But the real question is can Judge maintain his +.400 batting average? Doubtful but fun to watch! 

#Pirates CF O'neil Cruz leads MLB on pace for 60+ SBs. Can he keep that up? He has a new manager now that Derek Shelton has been let go. Bud Black of the #Rockies was al...

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It was more fun talking about This Week in Baseball goings-on since #MLB team captains are kinda unimportant. A vestige of 19th century baseball, there are only three team captains in the Majors today. # Yankees Aaron Judge #Royals Salvador Perez, & #Rangers Marcus Semien.  Why aren't there more? We dive into that thought in this week's episode. 

Four of the five teams in the #ALWest are .500 or better. Who'da thunk it? Jacob DeGrom is looking like prime DeGrom for Texas. Pitching injuries continue to be the story of the 2025 season.  Blake Snell and...

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#Pirates rookie 27 YO Matt Gorski hit a home run in his first #MLB at-bat this week!  But maybe #Dbacks Eugenio Suarez outdid him by clubbing 4 home runs in a game versus the #Braves, that Arizona ended up losing!   Are the #Giants & #Tigers built for the long haul?  Is #Yankees Paul Goldschmidt really back in HOF form?  We cover the big and little stories of the past week. Like the phantom triple play turned by the Nationals in their crazy win Friday vs. #Mets. 

AND, then there's checked swings. In the Arizona Fall...

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About 1/8th of the season is past so you can pretty much take #MLB player stats and multiply by eight. Tyler Soderstrom of the #athletics s is not going to hit 72 home runs. But #yankees  Aaron
Judge could definitely finish with 56 or more homers. Umpire Hunter Wendelstedt was taken out by a line drive foul ball last week in the #Mets #Twins series at Citi Field. Hoping that he's going to be ok but it was a scary thing. 

Is the National League really that much better than the American Le...

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#Angels in first place is something we did not expect. Mike Trout leading the #AL in homers is not as shock but that he has 6 HRs and 10 hits is at least surprising!  The #Tigers are in 1st place as are #Yankees, #Padres, #Cubs w #Mets & #Phillies tied for 1st place in the #NLEast as of Sunday morning. 

Justin Steele may have an injury to his elbow that could change the Cubs fortunes. #Giants Wilmer Flores also has 6 HRs. #Mets Pete Alonso is off to a raging start which is good since ma...

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Baseball movies are rarer than they used to be. Has there been a great one that you love in the past 10 years?  Gordon and Mark participated in a roundtable with 4 other baseball writers/podcasters/personalities - Vince Wetzel (author of "Lose Yourself" and a past Almost Cooperstown guest, Scott Bolohan (host of the Twin Bill podcast and content), Kelly Franco (Three Inning Fan the podcast), and former ESPN and The Athletic writer, current Substack author and author of "The Best Team Money Can Buy" Molly Knight.  

We each picked two movies to...

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The #Dodgers finally lost & #Braves finally won. Yet it's the #Giants who are in 1st place in the NL West. #Padres also lost but still are off to a great start. #Cubs are looking good as are #Phillies who beat L.A. 2 out of 3 this weekend. #Mets bullpen is over-performing but they will take it for now. #D'backs have good news and bad news. 

#Yankees are still clubbing home runs and the #ALEast is already a dogfight. At one point this week all the #ALCentral teams were 2-4 but it was t...

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It's not really been a week in baseball but the Dodgers & Cubs have played 5 games now (Dodgers have won them all and are on a path to be undefeated) so that's close to a week. There are no narratives written in March for MLB teams. That goes for April too although teams will be almost 30 games into the season when April ends. 

#Yankees Aaron Judge was on a pace for nearly 500 RBIs this season when he had 11 RBIs in his first 11 ABs.  That goes with his 4 home runs in three games pu...

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As we launch our 6th season of Almost Cooperstown podcasts we start by saying thank you to our listeners and viewers. 280 episodes in the can and still going strong!  Thank you for liking to hear and watch us talk about our favorite thing - baseball! 

We go division by division picking all 30 teams in order of finish. It's a long episode for that reason but we just couldn't stop ourselves!  Take it in bites if you can't listen all at once. 

Will the #Dodgers go 162-0?  Can any team beat...

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Author of 19 books, Keith O'Brien grew up in Cincinnati and had a front row seat to much of Pete Rose's career. Keith's 2024 book "Charlie Hustle" won awards from the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and The New Yorker. We both enjoyed the book immensely and recommend it highly. 

Pete Rose was addicted to gambling, something he finally admitted, but only when he was trying to get baseball to reinstate him to be eligible for the Hall of Fame. Pete always played to win and also always managed his teams to w...

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Even before Judge Kennesaw Mountain Landis banned eight #Whitesox players for their attempted fix of the 1919 World Series, players had been banned, blacklisted and banished from baseball mostly for trying to fix games but not always. Once Commissioner Landis was given the job and power to kick players and people out of baseball he used it liberally as did his successors. 

Even Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle were banned from #MLB in 1983 for being greeters at different casinos in Atlantic City. Finally Peter Ueberroth un-banned them which might have been his f...

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#Yankees Giancarlo Stanton is injured. Again. This time it is tennis elbow in both elbows!  #Mets FA acquisition Nick Madrigal is doing his Jed Lowrie imitation as he's out for the season before it ever started!  Injuries are part of the game but you hope to get through Spring Training! 

Max Scherzer is not thrilled with ABS testing so far. But Max is never happy about, everything? Terry Francona of the #Reds told his players to ignore ABS since they are not going to use it this season anyway. 

Auth...

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Alex Bregman homered in his first Spring Training game for #redsox. He also went 3-3. #Mets Juan Soto went oppo toco deep in his first AB with his new team. #yankees Aaron Boone got a contract extension and Giancarlo Stanton has tennis elbow. In both elbows?  Frankie Montas now of the Mets is injured. Justin Turner goes to #Cubs. Does that give them an edge?  ABS made its debut in Spring Training and teams are testing it out. 

Yankees also rescinded the facial hair policy. It lasted 49 years. #reds had a lon...

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There was enough news for us to talk about what went on this week. Alex Bregman #redsox was the biggest player news. #Angels Rendon is out of action for the season. Again. Before it even started! Who will be the dark horse teams in #MLB 2025? How about caps for the HOF inductees? Is C.C. really a #Yankees player?  

Then there's the Deadball era which occurred from 1901-1919. It was not completely consistent and happened for a variety of reasons. Ty Cobb led #americanleague with 9 home runs in 1909! Offense did improve w...

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Well here we are with spring training at hand as pitchers & catchers are reporting for #Cubs today. Other teams will follow shortly. Football season is over and baseball is on the way!  How did the NL teams offseason go? #Dodgers, #Giants and #Mets were noisy.  #Reds have Terry Francona at the helm. #Padres are puzzling. #Dbacks are dynamic w Corbin Burnes at the top of the rotation. #Cubs get Ryan Pressley to close. #Brewers were baffling. #Phillies added Jesus Luzardo, #Braves will get Strider and Acuna back early in the season. #Nationals wish th...

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#MLB Pitchers and catchers report in about 10 days. So officially baseball winter is over as the sound of balls hitting gloves is imminent!  Watching video of #Rangers Jacob DeGrom is compelling and full of promise!  The fate of the team is likely tied to how DeGrom pitches in 2025 and how much! 

We talk about the American League teams and what they did of interest since the 2024 season regular season ended in early October.  Four months is a long time!  Which AL teams got better? Did any?  #Yankees lost Juan Soto and Clay H...

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Dan was not the voter who didn't vote for Ichiro. But we all wish we knew who it was! For the 3rd straight year Dan joined the podcast to discuss the final HOF voting.  He voted for Bobby Abreu, Carlos Beltrán, Andruw Jones, Manny Ramirez, Alex Rodriguez, CC Sabathia, Ichiro Suzuki, Chase Utley, and Billy Wagner. 9 in total and we discussed why he didn't vote for one more - could have been King Felix, Andy Pettitte, or Dustin Pedrioia or even David Wright! 

We also discussed allowing voters to vote for...

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#pirates and #whitesox Smoky Burgess had a pretty good career with a career OPS+ of 116. But he's third all-time in pinch hits and was a beloved player at the end of his career. We talk about the changes in pinch hitting and why all-time pinch hitting records are likely safe!

Intro & Outro music this season courtesy of Mercury Maid! Check them out on Spotify or Apple Music!  

Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you can give us 4 or 5 star rating that means a lot. And i...

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As Director of Product Adam has been part of Sports-Reference for a long time. Keeping Baseball -Reference.com fresh, being part of the addition of Football, Basketball, (both college and pro), and hockey has proven to be groundbreaking. Adam has also worked on bringing in Negro League player data into BR. 

We talk Hall of Fame (Adam is a Dustin Pedroia advocate), and what's next for Adam!

Intro & Outro music this season courtesy of Mercury Maid! Check them out on Spotify or Apple Music!  

Please subscribe to ou...

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We don't know about you, but we forget things that happened during a baseball season even when it was LAST season!  Sure the #dodgers beat #yankees in the #worldseries but besides Shohei and Aaron Judge, and Skubal, Sale and Skenes, there still were a lot of interesting and even amazing things that happened. 

We discuss the four no-hitters, the pitching triple crowns, and sad things like the #whitesox season. 
Remember how many #MLB managers got fired during the season. We do!  This was a way more fun exercise for us than...

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Founded in 1901, the AL contains teams like #Yankees and #RedSox who have an epic list in their top 5 for players hitting home runs while a member of the franchise. 

Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx, Mickey Mantle, David "Big Papi' Ortiz, Jim Rice, Joe DiMaggio, Yogi Berra are all in their teams top 5. All are HOFer.. Aaron Judge is outside the Yankee top five but he's closing fast.  

Then there's the #orioles. Another original #AmericanLeague team, they started as the Milwaukee Brewers for one year before moving to...