Tipping Pitches

Bobby and Alex are joined by Hannah Keyser to run through a grab bag of topics, including the Shohei Ohtani/Ippei Mizuhara investigation updates, the state of the Designated Hitter across the league, why pitchers are not more...anxious, whether Jordan Montgomery leaving Scott Boras portends anything, team slogans, and more.

Alex and Bobby break down the quote that's got them saying "Let's Go Brandon" and check in on some news items regarding a Sacramento baseball team and a recent rash of elbow injuries. Then they take stock of MLB's current bedfellows by ranking this year's jersey patch sponsors based on their benefit (or lack thereof) to society. We're talking grocery stores and oil spills, baby!
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Bobby and Alex preview the 2024 season (three days into the season) by putting together a bingo card of some off-field events they'll be watching for this year, including billionaire shopping sprees, the encroachment of sports betting, political donations, Twitter settings tweaks, and more. Play along with your own card at the link below!

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Return of the pod! Alex and Bobby are back to kick off the 2024 season with this year’s banned topics, a list which includes a media member, a sport, an oft-repeated lie from owners, a uniform decision, and more. Plus, some discussion of a couple small stories from the last week involving Shohei Ohtani and the MLBPA. Everything is fine here! 

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[From April 20, 2020]

Alex and Bobby are joined once again by Washington Nationals closer Sean Doolittle to break down Game 5 of the 1999 ALDS between the Boston Red Sox and Cleveland Indians. It’s a game that features plenty of dingers, plenty of Hall of Famers, and vintage Pedro Martínez in the tightest pants imaginable. Plus: a dive into the story of Albert Belle and the greatest heist in baseball history.

[From Feb. 19, 2018]

Bobby and Alex discuss the sale of the Baltimore Orioles to billionaire hedge fund manager David Rubenstein. Then, in one of their most unhinged efforts ever, they run through the Forbes list of the 100 richest people in America to try and find a new owner for the Oakland Athletics.

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Bobby and Alex banter about a World Series between the most likable teams, then discuss the bubbling age fraud story in the Dominican Republic and its fallout, run through a grab bag of listener topics, and float an idea for how to raise the stakes of the Hall of Fame selections.

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Alex and Bobby try and parse Amazon’s rescue of Diamond Sports Group and what it means for the future of broadcasts, then discuss Jerry Reinsdorf’s quest to make his mark on the South Side with a new stadium, and dive into what Sports Illustrated’s untimely demise means for the future of the media landscape (it’s not great!).

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You know him, you love him. It's FanGraphs writer Michael Baumann's fifth time appearing to assess the state of labor in baseball, which this year features a macro-analysis of the minor league CBA, a final consensus on whether deferred money in player contracts matters all that much, and predictions over whether streaming's collapse will have adverse effects on labor in the future.

Subscribe to Mike's cycling newsletter here: https://wheelysports.substack.com/

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New year, same Tipping Pitches. Alex and Bobby ring in 2024 by running through some REAL baseball news (the contents of Jeff Passan’s Twitter account) over the last few weeks, including a pair of moves from the Red Sox, even more rule changes, and Harrison Bader (that’s right). They also make some New Year’s resolutions, field some listener questions, and start planning out Alex Rodriguez’s presidential campaign. 

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Unlocked from the Patreon feed, Alex and Bobby give you a podcasters' commentary of the seminal coming-of-age baseball flick The Sandlot. Come for the Green Onions lore, stay for the Stevie barks, maybe leave for when they eat s'mores.

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Bobby and Alex banter about colds and cold opens before delving into the disastrous discourse that is Shohei Ohtani's whopping $680 million of salary deferral and what it means for the Dodgers competitive balance tax bill. To close, they tell you everything you could possibly ever want to know about the Mariners and ROOT Sports and why you might actually not need to know any of it.

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Alex and Bobby discuss Shohei Ohtani’s free agency and the resulting media frenzy, Juan Soto’s heel turn, and a prospective Orioles sale, then bring on Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman of Céspedes Family BBQ for a game of Overrated/Underrated that includes MLB.tv, Jumbotrons, ballpark flyovers, Jackie Robinson, and more. 

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Bobby and Alex open with a dramatic reading of the New York Yankees statement on the death of Henry Kissinger and try to parse why the hell a baseball team would feel the need to release it. Then, they speed round (lol) some news items from the last couple weeks, including Ohtani and Soto rumors, Steve Cohen’s casino, and more. Finally, they open the mailbag to allow a bevy of listeners to yell at them about running, matchmake for Taylor Swift, share managerial interview tactics, and make sense of the Jackson Chourio extension.

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Bobby and Alex are joined by Christine Goodwyne and Andy Anaya of Pool Kids to recount the band's hilarious connection to Pete Alonso, give an update the Pete/Pool Kids saga, talk about their last year of touring, writing new music, creative influences, meeting Hayley Williams, and more.

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Bobby and Alex give some quick reactions to the owners’ unanimous vote to relocate the Oakland A’s to Las Vegas, then bring on recently-retired reliever Trevor May to talk about his second career as a content creator, how his rant against A’s owner John Fisher went viral, what Fisher’s motivations for selling the team might be, the end-of-season gift the notoriously penny-pinching A’s owner got all the players, Beats by Rob, what he puts on when he has the aux cord in the clubhouse, and more.

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Reprising their roles as the arbiters of all things Dumb in the baseball world, Stephen, Lauren, and Jane from Batting Around join Alex and Bobby to do their incredibly on-brand yearly drafting duties.

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Bobby and Alex come together to recap a dominant Texas Rangers run that ultimately ended in a somewhat pedestrian World Series. Then, they expand the scope of the conversation to include some retrospective thoughts on the 2023 season at large, including how pitcher usage is affecting our relationship to watching the sport, what we learned about what "all in" means for teams, and more. Also, Alex shares a very important memory about fonts.

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Bobby and Alex ideate some outside-the-box baseball Halloween costumes, then dig into some surprises from the World Series thus far, including the Dbacks’ apparent non-fraudulence(?), Tommy Pham’s intensity, critical analysis of the Global South, and drone technology. Plus: predictions for Scherzer vs. Pfaadt, the announcement of a Game 5 watchalong, and a lot of hot yoga talk. 

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Alex and Bobby reflect on some main takeaways from the ALCS and NLCS, including why you don’t start beef in the middle of a series, the arrival of Adolis García, the podcast’s hand in the Phillies’ elimination, the Rangers’ need for a karaoke machine, and more. Then they give some predictions for the World Series and share what they’re looking forward to, including a pivotal moment for Chris Young’s height, the concept of Dignity, and a January 6th reunion. 

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Bobby and Alex build out a concept for a World Series documentary on the heels of Taylor Swift’s box office success, then look back on the various Division Series and ensuing eliminations, including a desperate string of narratives in Atlanta, Sonny Gray’s One Bad Start, some legitimate scheduling gripes, and powerhouse teams going silently into the night, before answering some listener questions about the upcoming Championship Series. 

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Alex and Bobby check in on Bob Nightengale’s recent predictions record, then take stock of the playoff picture thus far, including whether the “right” teams made it to the division series, the most compelling matchups to watch this round, which teams are poised to come back after losing their first game, Kershaw and Verlander in October, and more. They also give Jerry Dipoto some PR lessons, make the case against Online Mascots, and dig into the Diamondbacks crossing a picket line in LA. 

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Alex and Bobby assess the 2023 playoff field and which teams have the most compelling narrative cases to win the World Series. Plus, they assign two teams, respectively, as the hero and villain of this year’s October.

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Alex and Bobby run through a grab bag of topics from the last couple weeks, including David Stearns as the prodigal son, meet the new Trop (same as the old Trop), some certifiably Bad Vibes in San Diego, the end of The Chaim Bloom Era in Boston, the finer points of uniform typography, Yusei Kikuchi’s sleep habits, James Cameron’s “Titanic,” and more. They also talk to Allison McCague from A Pod of Their Own about their annual Dollars for Dingers fundraising drive in support of the National Domestic Violence Hotline and this weekend’s raffle in New York. 

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It had to be something special for the 300th episode: Alex and Bobby do a “power hour” while answering your questions, ranging from cities they’d want to live in, a fictional A-Rod and Taylor romance, eggplant parmesan vs. lasagna, and much more. Plus, they finally deliver on the long-promised two hour episode. Strap in!

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Alex and Bobby discuss some mediocre yelling at clouds before moving on to talk about the Nationals’ mishandling of the Stephen Strasburg retirement situation. Then, they check in on a pair of lawsuits against MLB, before finishing with their favorite topic: the Nevada state legislature!

Alex and Bobby banter about infrastructure in Pennsylvania and the destruction of the cap shuffle in Washington, D.C., then discuss the rationale behind Arte Moreno’s waiver wire frenzy, Jerry Reinsdorf’s jarring lack of hobbies, and Brian Cashman and the Yankees’ inevitable turn to “outside consultants.”

Bobby and Alex return from summer break with a grab bag of topics in the latest edition of Three Up, Three Down, including the first-place Mariners, owners talking to reporters, Shohei Ohtani, a half dozen team plans to move, ESPN’s big bet, pizza reviews, the delay of Dune 2, and more. 

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Alex and Bobby take a trip to the Oakland Coliseum for a Bay Bridge Series protest game and report back on what they saw and heard, like “Sell the team” chants, sick Teamsters shirts, and a whole lot of passionate fans. Plus: Steve Cohen semi-open letter alert, and a programming note about the next couple weeks. 

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Alex and Bobby reflect on a fun evening at the Brooklyn Cyclones game, then take stock of Rob Manfred’s legacy as his commissionership is renewed, check in on John Sherman’s quest for a new Royals ballpark and interrogate the concept of the “open letter,” react to the Max Scherzer trade, and celebrate six years of being bummed on July 31.

At long last, Alex has selected the team he will switch his allegiances to. That's it! This is a podcast! Here's a podcast! Please listen! Thanks!

At long last, it's time for Alex to either publicly break up with the Oakland A's and find a new team or renew his vows to the Athletics. In part one of two, we go team-by-team through 20 of the 30 MLB teams to determine where they measure up on Alex's custom made rubric. In part two, we will finish the final 10, consider alternative visions of fandom, and make a final selection.

Alex and Bobby discuss the ways MLB's Virtual Ballpark could actually supplement fans' experience, but instead serves as an uncanny reflection of the league's diverging interests. Then, they break down what it means for the Atlanta Braves to be officially listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Finally, they share their thoughts on what the 2023 season has brought us at the halfway point.

Alex and Bobby talk about air quality and MLB’s discouraging response to hazardous climate events, the Royals stalling in contract talks with stadium workers, scouts suing the league over age discrimination, and the Orioles’ heartening Pride Night, then answer listener questions about a Castellini inheritance, Immaculate Grid strategy, Mets players who would risk it all for Mrs. Met, and more. 

Bobby and Alex bring on Rowan University professor Debbie Sharnak to discuss MLB’s international presence, including the ways their practices overseas reflect imperialist desires, the U.S.’s long history of baseball as an export, the complicated proposal of an international draft, the impact of talent drain on international communities, the role of baseball academies in the sport’s global influence, and more.

In this episode, Alex and Bobby delve into the recent news surrounding the Oakland A's move to Las Vegas, dissect Rob Manfred's comments on the A's relocation efforts and his stance on Pride Nights across the league, and drill down into the implications of the recent spate of layoffs at The Athletic.

It's here. At long last. Bobby and Alex comb through the recently-released MLB Collective Bargaining Agreement and discuss the parts of it that that stand out beyond the headline items, including sports betting, international play, service time manipulation, grievances, market sizes, uniform regulations, and more. 

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Alex and Bobby touch on Bally Sports making way for blackout-free baseball in San Diego, then welcome on journalist and stadium economics expert Neil deMause to try and dream up the ideal community-integrated ballpark, exploring the history of baseball in urban areas, the long shadow of mallparks, the ruthless efficiency of today’s mixed-used development stadiums, what ethical engagement with surrounding neighborhoods looks like, and much more.
Follow Neil on Twitter @neildemause.

Bobby and Alex try to figure out what the hell the Cardinals are doing with Willson Contreras, discuss a Baseball America series on artificial intelligence in baseball, and give updates on the Tipping Pitches Brooklyn Cyclones meetup in July. Then they welcome back friend of the pod and PUP guitarist Steve Sladkowski to talk about being on the road nonstop over the last couple years, the implications for AI’s emergence in the music industry, his strategy when shopping for vinyl, birthday buddy Brandon Belt’s slash line, and much more.
Follow Steve on Twitter @sladkow.
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Alex and Bobby discuss the role of the audiologist in society and reflect briefly on the ongoing WGA strike, then dive into a CBS Sports article about the potential for a front office union, Jerry Reinsdorf’s comments about the White Sox level of play, and the Angels concern over negative energy from the media. Then they bring on minor league pitcher and friend of the pod Trevor Hildenberger to discuss what it was like forming a whole dang minor league union, how the fight for a housing policy introduced many young players to the idea of organizing, how members went about deciding which issues to prioritize for their first CBA, and much more. Follow Trevor on Twitter at @t_hildy.

Bobby and Alex discuss the whiplash effect the Oakland A’s are starting to have on Alex and the rest of A’s fandom, Max Scherzer’s suspect suspension, and Rob Manfred’s Luncheon World Tour. Then, they’re joined by author and podcaster Mike Duncan (49:30) to discuss Alex Rodriguez a centaur, the state of Mariners fandom, and baseball’s relationship with its own history.

Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeDuncan.