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Tater Tots

Tater Tots

By Tater Tots

A tater tot is a player who hits exactly one home run in a given season, no more and no fewer. Here we endeavor to discuss those players and their impacts on the 2019 MLB season and beyond.
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Episode #29 - Pumpsie Green

Tater TotsMay 29, 2019

00:00
55:29
Episode #86: Talkin' Baseball II

Episode #86: Talkin' Baseball II

We are back to yak! Yak about baseball that is. This week, we discuss Duncan's bootleg W.P. Kinsella work, a dead umpire, Wandavision, the unlimited potential of MLB The Show 21, and the continuing saga of the SSG Landers, fka SK Wyverns of the Korean Baseball Organization.

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Our theme music is "The Littlest League Possible" by Guided By Voices and our artwork is by Shelby Criswell

Mar 12, 202101:06:11
Episode #85 - Talkin' Baseball
Mar 04, 202101:02:33
Episode #84 - Bill Veeck
Feb 23, 202101:28:60
Episode #83 - Disco Demolition Night
Feb 17, 202101:02:23
Episode #82 - Yordan Alvarez

Episode #82 - Yordan Alvarez

Hello, fishing fanatics! Today on the podcast we are talking all about the things you might need to hook that next champion bass for your Tinder profile -- nah, just yankin' yer chain, we're back again just like usual talking Tater Tots.

It's a very special episode this week, since there's absolutely no way Yordan Alvarez would've made our list in a non-COVID year. Still, he fell to us and we're grateful for it. As a bonus, we also watched Yordan's first home run as a big leaguer, which is equally sick. Elsewhere in the episode, we discuss the semantics of the new minor league baseball invitations and the plight of the Fresno Grizzlies. That's right, we've got another minor league moment for you! Hope you enjoy it :~)

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Our theme music is "The Littlest League Possible" by Guided by Voices and our artwork is by Shelby Criswell

Dec 16, 202052:44
Episode #81 - Austin Barnes
Dec 09, 202001:05:37
Episode #80 - Eric Sogard

Episode #80 - Eric Sogard

What's your favorite kind of taco? No particular reason, just wondering. Mine is al pastor. 

This week! We discuss the KBO champion NC Dinos and their humongous sword, which is thematically appropriate given that we are honoring nerd power with a podcast dedicated to the one and only Eric Sogard. That's right! The Arizona State alumnus and utility infielder extraordinaire. It was a real trip to discover I'd been Mandela'd regarding Eric's run at Face of the MLB in 2014, but I maintain he is the rightful winner of that particular contest. Elsewhere in the podcast, we discuss LASIK surgery, what makes a Padres name, and the future of the Pittsburgh Pirates. I hope you enjoy this podcast as much as I enjoy a delicious al pastor taco on a hot summer's day.

Eric Sogard's very cute daughter

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Our theme music is 'The Littlest League Possible' by Guided By Voices and our artwork is by Shelby Criswell

Dec 01, 202052:34
Episode #79 - Willians Astudillo

Episode #79 - Willians Astudillo

I have tremendous news:  my beloved NC Dinos won the Korean Series this morning. This development comes with several important benefits:

  1. A sense of pride and exhalation that they have done it,
  2. A fitting reward for an excellent season turned in by Koo Chang-Mo, Park Min-Woo, Sung Bum-Na, Yang Eui-Ji, Park Suk-Min, and all of the strong and talented boys comprising the Dinos team,
  3. An end to 4:30am alarms,
  4. A happy November 24th,
  5. A line of new NC Dinos championship merchandise,
  6. A gargantuan sword.
  7. There is a portion of this podcast in which we discuss whether out listeners may be able to watch at least one game of Korean baseball in the waning days of the 2020 season, and this provides a conclusive "no," so at minimum, we have closure.

Today's pod focuses on the magnificent Willians Astudillo, god of contact and slayer of three true outcomes.


Links:


Donate to Baseball For All


Our theme music is Littlest League Possible by Guided By Voices.

Our artwork is by Shelby Criswell

Email: tatertotspod@gmail.com 

Facebook: facebook.com/tatertotspod

Twitter: twitter.com/tatertotspod

Nov 24, 202050:34
Episode #78 - Manuel Margot

Episode #78 - Manuel Margot

All right, smart guy, I'd like to see you name some colors. And don't even start with me on that 'indigo' crap! Fool me twice...

This week we're talking about Rays' outfielder and defensive savant Manuel Margot. Margot is Exhibit A for how the shortened season really screwed up our concept since his tater tot comes at the toll of 75% of his average plate appearances. 

With this in mind, we'll discuss his explosive postseason performance, and wonder what would've become of that hot streak over 162 games. We'll also go into detail on Margot's defensive prowess and whether the Rays could leverage it along with Kevin Kiermaier's beautiful eyes to field a two-player outfield.

***

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Our theme music is 'The Littlest League Possible' by Guided By Voices and our album artwork is by Shelby Criswell

Nov 18, 202042:47
Episode #77 - Vida Blue

Episode #77 - Vida Blue

Come take a mystical voyage with us back to Monday night. To a time when the result of the World Series was still up in the air and no MLB players had tested positive for the novel coronavirus in the middle of the game and then game back onto the field at the end and took their mask off and kissed their wife on the face and breathed all over cancer survivor Dave Roberts. A simpler time :)

We engage in our usual Monday night tradition of discussing the life and career of Vida Blue at some length. If you're so inclined, you may be interested to see this portrait of him adorning the cover of Time Magazine's August 28, 1971 issue. You may also wish to ogle at the accumulated career statistics of Keith Hernandez's mustache. Perhaps you might even enjoy listening to to the prog rock/electronica/funk band Vida Blue's rendition of Most Events Aren't Planned.


If you are uninterested in those things, perhaps you'd like to instead donate to Baseball For All.


You can also listen to our theme music: Littlest League Possible by Guided By Voices.

Or maybe appreciate the other work of our the author of our cover art Shelby Criswell.

Or maybe send us a nice email at tatertotspod@gmail.com .

Or maybe check out our bustling Facebook page at facebook.com/tatertotspod.

Otherwise just catch us on Twitter at twitter.com/tatertotspod.


See you next time!

Oct 28, 202001:19:44
Episode #76 - Catfish Hunter

Episode #76 - Catfish Hunter

Today, the topic of our podcast is the humble catfish. Did you know you can find subspecies of this feisty feline can be found in freshwater environments all over the world? What's more, those subspecies can range in size from 40 centimeters long (the South American Candiru, or toothpick fish) to over 3 meters long (the Mekong giant catfish, native to southeast Asia, which can also grow to be up to 350 kg!)

Coincidentally, there also happened to be a pitcher for the Oakland A's named Catfish Hunter who was a Tater Tot in the late '60s and early '70s, fulfilling our requirement for baseball content on this podcast. He was the first baseball player to receive a million-dollar contract in free agency, and is the namesake of a Bob Dylan song

Here is a Youtube video of an intrepid catfish hunter using a snake to flush 6 catfish from a hole using a snake. Seems unfair to me but whatever.

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Our theme music is "The Littlest League Possible" by Guided by Voices and our album artwork is by Shelby Criswell.

Oct 14, 202001:20:51
Episode #75 - Orlando Cepeda
Sep 29, 202001:03:54
Episode #74 - Reggie Jackson
Sep 17, 202001:11:53
Episode #73 - Sandy Koufax
Sep 02, 202001:00:43
Episode #72 - Vern Law
Aug 13, 202001:20:34
Episode #71 - Don Kessinger
Jul 28, 202001:09:23
Episode #70 - The Arm
Jul 17, 202001:17:11
Episode #69 - I Never Had It Made

Episode #69 - I Never Had It Made

Happy 100th birthday to the Negro Leagues. We’re celebrating this week by discussing Jackie Robinson’s autobiography I Never Had It Made, as told to Alfred Duckett.

We also commit to an unannounced discussion of The Jackie Robinson Story, the 1950 biopic starring Jackie Robinson as himself. The film features a short baseball player known only as “Shorty”, as well as disconcerting amounts of racism, and some strikingly composed shots.

This week also marks the formal introduction of our new and tenuous segment “Add Some Integers to your Integral” in which Tim and I discuss our various fascinations and frustrations with the world of mathematics.

There was finally some Tot Stove news this week with the announcement of a 60 game baseball season, but all is not well in Mudville, as coronavirus cases are spiking throughout America, including among MLB players and staff.


Donate to Baseball For All


Our theme music is Littlest League Possible by Guided By Voices.

Our artwork is by Shelby Criswell

Twitch (Live on Thursdays at 7pm EST / 4pm PST): twitch.tv/tatertotspod

Email: tatertotspod@gmail.com 

Facebook: facebook.com/tatertotspod

Twitter: twitter.com/tatertotspod

Jul 01, 202001:16:13
Episode #68 - Summerland

Episode #68 - Summerland

Hellooooo, m'precious blueberries! Welcome back to the wonderful world of book club. I hope this podcast finds you safe and well. This week, with the absence of very much good news on the slam-dunking front, we've decided to put the "Add Some Inches to Your Vertical" segment of the podcast on the backburner (cue a very sad rendition of "Jump (For My Love)") in favor of a new segment, starting next episode: "Add Some Calculus to Your Brain" (title pending). Will we learn anything? Maybe. 

The Tot Stove has nearly disintegrated with the news that a shortened 2020 MLB season is likely to commence, over the protests of the Players' Association, and surprise, surprise, the MLB draft happened. I'm sure you watched it. I know I did!

This week book club went to Michael Chabon's YA high-fantasy baseball novel, Summerland. We discuss mythmaking, and baseball's role within it, as well as Chabon's clunky plotting. The man's a Pulitzer Prize winner he can take a little criticism from a podcast.

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Our theme music is "The Littlest League Possible" by Guided By Voices and our artwork is by Shelby Criswell

Jun 17, 202001:22:58
Episode #67 - The Resisters

Episode #67 - The Resisters

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Who could have guessed a book called the "The Resisters" would feel so timely?


Our next book will be Summerland by Michael Chabon.


Our theme music is Littlest League Possible by Guided By Voices.


Our artwork is by Shelby Criswell

Twitch (Live on Thursdays at 7pm EST / 4pm PST): twitch.tv/tatertotspod

Email: tatertotspod@gmail.com 

Facebook: facebook.com/tatertotspod

Twitter: twitter.com/tatertotspod

Jun 03, 202001:08:49
Episode #66 - Tater Tots of the KBO
May 23, 202001:19:23
Episode #65 - The Universal Baseball Association, Inc., J. Henry Waugh, Prop.

Episode #65 - The Universal Baseball Association, Inc., J. Henry Waugh, Prop.

In 2016, Evan Ungar from Canada set the highest vertical jump Guinness World Record at 63.5 inches. Will Tim surpass that milestone? If this week's results are any indicator, I would say yes, definitely. He need only add 35 and a quarter inches, which, to me, is child's play. If I wanted to set the vertical jump record I could also do it, but I have more pressing concerns to attend to. For example, watching Claire Saffitz make gourmet Tater Tots. I was also busy reading Robert Coover's 1968 novel The Universal Baseball Association, Inc., J. Henry Waugh, Prop. It's lucky that I did that because on this episode of the podcast, we discuss the book in full, and even go so far as to discuss the themes of the book including:

  • The power of fiction/ the role of the author
  • Postmodern metafiction
  • Reflection on age/time passing
  • The nature of God & the development of religion
  • obsession/addiction

Yep, another light-hearted romp through he world of the Tater Tot 🤠


Programming note: next week we will discuss the Tater Tots currently plying their trade in Korea. On the following episode, we will discuss Gish Jen's  new novel The Resisters.


Donate to Baseball For All


Our theme music is Littlest League Possible by Guided By Voices.

Our artwork is by Shelby Criswell

Twitch (Live on Thursdays at 7pm EST / 4pm PST): twitch.tv/tatertotspod

Email: tatertotspod@gmail.com 

Facebook: facebook.com/tatertotspod

Twitter: twitter.com/tatertotspod

May 12, 202001:37:01
Episode #64 - The Cactus League Innings 7-9
Apr 29, 202001:22:26
Episode #63 - The Cactus League Innings 4-6
Apr 14, 202001:02:34
Episode #62 - The Cactus League by Emily Nemens, ch. 1-3

Episode #62 - The Cactus League by Emily Nemens, ch. 1-3

Listeners, take a deep breath of fresh air because finally, we have emerged from the bewildering fog of April Fools' Day. Finally, Truth has returned to its throne, like Persephone emerging from the clutches of Hades for another Spring and finally, the long-awaited promise of Tater Tots Book Club is fulfilled to you, our beloved ones. This week the topic for discussion on TTBC is the first three chapters of The Cactus League by Emily Nemens. We talk about Joe DiMaggio, the realities of aging within baseball and without it, the natural order of things, what it means to be a cliché, how to be a good judge of character, and rattlesnakes.

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Our theme music is "The Littlest League Possible" by Guided By Voices and our artwork is by Shelby Criswell

Apr 02, 202001:16:22
Episode #62 - Tater Tots
Apr 01, 202053:40
A Tater Announcement

A Tater Announcement

This is just a quick announcement in lieu of a full episode this month. Catch us on Twitch at twitch.tv/tatertotspod tomorrow, March 23rd at 6pm EST/3pm PST. Next week, we'll be starting the Tater Tots Book Club with the first three innings of Emily Nemens' The Cactus League.

Stay safe!


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E-MAIL us sometime!

Our theme song is "The Littlest League Possible" by Guided By Voices, artwork by Shelby Criswell

Mar 23, 202002:09
Episode #61 - Ben Zobrist

Episode #61 - Ben Zobrist

Well, what else is there to do in quarantine but spend an hour with the tater boys? This week, we're covering Ben Zobrist's unlikely rise from a corn-fed Bible belter to an unlikely star in the constellation of baseball in the 21st century. We also discuss Tim's inability to develop a weightlifting routine, how the pandemic will affect our podcast, and devise a plan to start a book club. Don't forget to wash your hands!!

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E-MAIL us sometime! 

Our theme song is "The Littlest League Possible" by Guided By Voices, artwork by Shelby Criswell

Mar 18, 202001:07:15
Episode #60 - Steven Brault
Mar 14, 202057:41
Episode #59 - Rajai Davis and Aaron Altherr
Mar 08, 202001:08:44
Episode #58 - Steve Pearce
Feb 28, 202001:07:34
Episode #57 - Matt Kemp
Feb 21, 202001:18:49
Episode #56 - Greg Bird

Episode #56 - Greg Bird

When you Google “bird puns” the first thing that comes up is a meme of a toucan that says “toucan play at that game.” One thing that “toucan” play at is hosting an episode of Tater Tots. The two people in question are me and Tim and the episode of Tater Tots is dedicated to erstwhile Yankees first base-person Greg Bird. You see, his name is bird.

On this episode of the podcast we discuss the Mookie Betts trade that did then didn’t then did then didn’t go through. (After we ended the recording it went through again.) We also briefly touch on the morality of gambling, the efficacy of extra bones, the miraculous ostrich pillow, and hairless cats.

Today’s Tater Tot: Greg Bird


Links:


Donate to Baseball For All


Our theme music is Littlest League Possible by Guided By Voices.

Our artwork is by Shelby Criswell

Email: tatertotspod@gmail.com 

Facebook: facebook.com/tatertotspod

Twitter: twitter.com/tatertotspod

Feb 12, 202001:00:47
Episode #55 - Anthony Alford

Episode #55 - Anthony Alford

*Monday Night Football voice* Are you ready for a podcast! Since we recorded this episode on the morning of the S*p*r B*wl, we decided to convert to a football podcast. Fortunately, the scheduled Tater Tot of the week, the Toronto Blue Jays' young centerfielder Anthony Alford, has a football background so the transition was easy for us. You'll get predictions for the Big Game, which have since been proven largely incorrect. (Tim picked the Chiefs, but his prediction of a Scorigami sadly missed the mark.) We also discuss the differences between the MLB on FOX theme and the NFL on FOX theme (there are very few), and our favorite Superb Owl watch party snacks. Shortly after that, we run out of steam and return to baseball talk. The Astros have signed a new manager, the Macavity of the baseball world, Dusty Baker, and Tim makes his first foray into Wikipedia editing.

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Our theme music is "The Littlest League Possible" by Guided By Voices and our artwork is by Shelby Criswell.

Feb 07, 202001:20:28
Episode #54 - Jared Walsh, Brendan McKay, Michael Lorenzen

Episode #54 - Jared Walsh, Brendan McKay, Michael Lorenzen

Whether you call it Spit-take Season or Sad Season, there’s no question you are reading the episode description for season 2 episode 11 of Tater Tots.

On this one, we discuss further fallout from the Astros cheating—the LA City Council’s attempt to retroactively change the results of the world series, and the Met’s replacement for the erstwhile manger Carlos Beltran. We also go deep on some two-way players. We consider three separate tater tots, all with the potential to make a big impact as a two-way player.

Please give me your word for the opposite of nostalgia. Send me an email with your word and I’ll try to use it in a sentence on our next episode.

Our tots this week are last year's two-way players: Jared Walsh, Brendan McKay, and Michael Lorenzen

Links:


Donate to Baseball For All


Our theme music is Littlest League Possible by Guided By Voices.

Our artwork is by Shelby Criswell

Email: tatertotspod@gmail.com 

Facebook: facebook.com/tatertotspod

Twitter: twitter.com/tatertotspod

Jan 28, 202001:03:11
Episode #53 - Abraham Almonte
Jan 24, 202001:12:14
Episode #52 - Troy Tulowitzki
Jan 15, 202001:10:31
Episode #51 - Nicky Delmonico
Dec 27, 201901:03:17
Episode #50 - Tim Locastro
Dec 16, 201901:14:52
Episode #49 - Odubel Herrera
Dec 10, 201959:41
Episode #48 - Tyler Heineman

Episode #48 - Tyler Heineman

Scheduling dilemmas and technical difficulties marked our post-Thanksgiving swoon but the Tater Boys emerge as ever, unbowed and unbroken, to bring you another week of nonsense.

This week, we fully embrace our transition to communism in the newly-minted Comrades of Baseball segment by discussing the intimation that Starling Marte might be traded, finally ringing the last death knell for the vaunted Pittsburgh Pirates teams of the mid-2010s, prejudging Derek Shelton based on handsomeness, as is tradition with new baseball managers, and taking a detour into the brief history of Japanese basketball players in the NBA for some reason. Then, we try in vain to get the tot stove up and running but darned if the pilot light isn't still out! Ah, well. Congratulations to Josh Harrison, and welcome to Philadelphia.

From there, it's on to our Tot of the Week, journeyman catcher and amateur magician, Tyler Heineman. No discussion of Heineman's home run is included in this podcast, as we turn instead to literary analysis of a magic show he performed for his Arizona Diamondbacks teammates. In our opinion, more baseball players should have interesting hobbies that we can exploit for podcast fodder.

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Our theme music is "The Littlest League Possible" by Guided By Voices and our artwork is by Shelby Criswell.

Dec 05, 201957:59
Episode #47 - Josh Harrison
Nov 27, 201901:13:56
Episode #46 - Hyun-Jin Ryu
Nov 18, 201952:48
Episode #45 - Erik Gonzalez, Alex Blandino, Nick Martini, John Lester
Nov 12, 201948:60
Episode #44 - Stephen Strasburg
Nov 04, 201901:00:58
Episode #43 - Joe Sewell and Tim Raines

Episode #43 - Joe Sewell and Tim Raines

Playoff baseball is here! If you are listening on Tuesday, the first Wild Card game is today. Who will be the winner? Will it be those weird Nats or perhaps that strange Brew Crew. If, as is likely, you are listening after the conclusion of the contest, please write me an email so I can know who won.

There is content in this episode of Tater Tots, including a discussion of the Hollywood movie Whiplash. We discuss the 1920's supergroup The Red Onion Jazz Babies, and the South African Jazz legend Hugh Masekela, who is not in the Jazz Hall of Fame.

This week's Tater Tots are Hall-of-Famer/titan of solid contact Joe Sewell, along with Hall-of-Famer/speedster/"speed"ster Tim Raines.

Also, this is the season finale of Tater Tots. Please enjoy the playoff action as we ready our spreadsheets for season 2 coming in early November.


Links:

George Burns

Tim Raines' triumphant return to the Expos.


Music:

Littlest League Possible - Guided By Voices,

Cake Walking Babies (from home)-The Red Onion Jazz Babies

Send Me-Hugh Masekela

Old People, Old Folks-Hugh Masekela

Grazing in the Grass-Hugh Masekela


Donate to Baseball For All


Artwork by Shelby Criswell

Email: tatertotspod@gmail.com 

Facebook: facebook.com/tatertotspod

Twitter: twitter.com/tatertotspod

Oct 01, 201901:19:55
Episode #42 - Carl Mays and Tsuyoshi Shinjo

Episode #42 - Carl Mays and Tsuyoshi Shinjo

🎶They tried to make us do a podcast and we said ... sure, you got it! 🎶 Another week of Tater Tots has us wondering what kind of a jazz villain Paul Whiteman would make and whether Rhapsody In Blue counts as a cover. We also explore the early work of Amy Winehouse and take a deep dive on the history of helmets in Major League Baseball as our subjects this week are noted murderer Carl Mays and Japanese game show winner Tsuyoshi Shinjo. Please click on the following link to see a picture of Shinjo's nightmare mask and sound off in the comments about when you have seen something so horrid!

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E-MAIL me some time! I never hear from you anymore!!

Sep 27, 201901:33:29
Episode #41 - Lou Gehrig and Ellis Burks
Sep 18, 201901:20:34
Episode #40 - Babe Pinelli and the Quick Tots of 2005

Episode #40 - Babe Pinelli and the Quick Tots of 2005

Wow! It's another episode of Tater Tots! 2005 is old hat for your friendly neighborhood tater-boys (cf. episode 30) so we brought some Quick Tots this week! Just pop 'em in the toaster oven and enjoy! Elsewhere, we discuss the short stories of F. Scott Fitzgerald, the music of Thelonious Monk and John Coltrane, and expanded rosters in baseball. Finally, we settle in for a discussion of the long and varied career of Babe Pinelli, and wonder whether the perspective of the humble umpire has been unfairly ignored.

The other podcast that I (tim) mention in the cold open is Elle Rose's My First Fanfiction. Please enjoy listening to all of it, including the latest episode featuring me (tim).

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E-MAIL us a picture of Keanu Reeves if you read all the shownotes

Artwork by Shelby Criswell

 Outro music is "The Littlest League Possible" by Guided by Voices

Sep 11, 201901:03:13
Episode #39 - Goose Goslin and Curtis Pride
Sep 04, 201901:13:09