Shows
Almost CooperstownMets season so far & this week in baseball 6.9.25 - Ep. 613Send us a textCal 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...2025-06-0933 min
Almost CooperstownMLB Pitcher game scores are hot! TWIB - 5.26.25 - Ep. 611Send us a textHappy 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...2025-05-2636 min
Almost CooperstownHOF voter & The Athletic writer Daniel Brown helps us understand the HOF vote this year - Ep. 573Send us a textDan 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...2025-01-2749 min
Almost CooperstownMost homers wearing a uniform team by team - American League - Ep. 569Send us a textFounded 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...2024-12-3029 min
Almost CooperstownStan Musial was played in the field like no other HOFer- Ep. 562Send us a textBaseball fans may have heard the story that Stan Musial began his career in baseball as a pitcher/outfielder. A shoulder injury forced him to become a hitter and outfielder full-time for which #MLB is forever grateful. Stan-the-Man had 3,630 hits - the same 1,815 hits at home as he had on the road! He missed only one season due to WWII in 1945 only to return the next year, win the #NLMVP and lead the #Cardinals to their 6th World Series victory in 21 years. Musial played 22 seasons in the Majors and was an A...2024-11-1827 min
Almost CooperstownAll-Star Game yawn, weekend series wrap. trading deadline thoughts, all in TWIB! - Ep. 534 -Send us a textAt least we got to see Paul Skenes pitch to Aaron Judge. It lasted all of one pitch however. The All-Star Game lost its juice years ago. Mark suggested counting All-Star stats in career totals. For whatever that would be worth. To add to that there are no longer Thursday games post All-Star break so four full days without real baseball that counts is awful! What's remaining in the 2024 season is essentially a pandemic-legnth season around 60 games. Too many to determine a team's fate, too few not to pay attention. 2024-07-2228 min
Almost CooperstownThe Most Famous Stolen base in MLB history - Ep. 531Send us a textThe most famous stolen base in MLB history occured in the playoffs but not the World Series. Gordon mentioned that before the modern era there was a period in which taking an extra base - like going first to third, was counted as a stolen base. MLB wants more action to show off player athleticism. They succeeded but stealing bases does not automatically lead to winning MLB games. It sure beats watching guys strikeout and more outs on the bases means fewer strikeouts. Yay! We also discuss the most fa...2024-07-1124 min
Almost CooperstownMiranda rights an all-time record - Devers hits a big mark - This Week In Baseball- 7.8.24 - Ep. 530Send us a text#Twins Jose Miranda has hits in 12 straight at-bats. Amazing! Only three other hitters - Walt Dropo, Pinky Higgins, and Johnny Kling have done it before - but you knew that! #Cubs Justin Steele pitched a complete game on 95 pitches to get his first victory of 2024. It was a pseudo-Maddux. But the Cubs still struggled this week. Worst run-differential in MLB belongs to the #WhiteSox with the #Rockies and #Marlins pretty far behind. NL Wild Cards did not sort themselves out this past week. Intro & Outro music this seaso...2024-07-0824 min
Almost CooperstownBad treatment for should-be HOF 2nd Basemen - Ep. 512Send us a text2nd baseman Ryne Sandberg is deservedly in the Hall of Fame. So is Roberto Alomar. On the other hand, Bobby Grich, Lou Whitaker, and Jeff Kent are not, and it's unlikely that Robinson Cano will ever make it for off-the-field reasons. Chase Utley has a chance, and Jose Altuve is on track. We compared all of these players stats and careers and it's amazing how much alike their careers were or have been so far. Only 20 2B have ever been elected to the HOF. Gordon makes a great point that...2024-05-0226 min
Almost CooperstownThe Many One Team Hall of Famers - Ep. 510Send us a text58 of the 273 (21%) players elected to the Hall of Fame played only for one franchise. As Gordon pointed out, before baseball had free agency players did not move around nearly as much not because they didn't want to but because they were not allowed to! We talk about the only set of teammates that were elected to the HOF in the same year. There are 9 teams that lack a one team Hall of Famer. That number will drop to 8 once #Twins Joe Mauer is inducted this July. There are plenty. o...2024-04-2531 min
Almost CooperstownMLB Rookies of the Year - Some are hot then not - Ep. 477Send us a text2024 MLB Spring Training has begun and would-be rookies impact teams ultimate performance (think Corbin Carroll and Evan Carter last year) more and more frequently . But some Rookie's of the Year never reach the heights they touched in their first campaign. That doesn't mean they don't have a career and flame out after a couple of years, although that can happen too. We also cover this year's crop of rookies that might be in the running for 2024 Rookie of the Year. Mark mentioned Royce Lewis as a ROY and it was not Roy...2024-02-2628 min
Almost CooperstownNew baseball book 'The Fireballer' with Author Mark Stevens - Ep. 470Send us a textAuthor Mark Stevens joins the podcast to discuss his terrific #baseball novel - The Fireballer. Ever think what would happen if a pitcher could regularly throw 110 MPH? Batters wouldn't have a chance! What if one of those pitches got away from him? We had a great time talking with Mark and are keen to find a way to make the next great baseball movie from this award winning book from 2023.Thanks to all of our listeners and followers!Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/OsBy5LROXhkPlease s...2024-02-0135 min
Almost CooperstownTeam Deep Dive #20 - Chicago White Sox - Ep. 455Send us a textLast week we did the 3x champion Cubs and this week the 3x champion White Sox. The Pale Hose have the 2005 improbably championship to live off of since the other two were before 1918! Lots of great ChiSox to talk about given the long 50 year drought between WS appearances - 1919 to 1959! Mark was wrong - Luis Aparicio is a HOFer but did not ever win the MVP although he was Rookie of the Year. Again thanks to all of our listeners and followers. We appreciate that you listen and like ou...2023-12-1126 min
Almost CooperstownMLB Forfeits, Suspensions & Rain Outs - Ep. 452Send us a textThe 2020 Pandemic season changed (finally) baseball forever with the ending of rained out games. No longer were legitimate accomplishments expunged when games were less than 4 1/2 innings. Forfeited games are more rare today but surprisingly there have been a few since 1970. Babe Ruth would have had 716 home runs. Al Kaline would have surpassed 400 homers. But rained out games took those few extra homers away. Gordon wishes all stadiums had retractable roofs so there'd be even fewer suspended games! Again thanks to all of our listeners and followers. We appreciate that you...2023-11-3021 min
Almost CooperstownAre the MLB Playoffs broken? - Ep. 440Send us a textThe 5 teams having the best regular season records in MLB this season - Braves, Dodgers, Orioles, Brewers, and Twins are all out of the playoffs and went 1-13 in the games that they played. Is the playoff system instituted in 2022 a failure? Some think so and we talk about that and how we feel about the current playoff structure and what might be done in the future before and after baseball expands to 32 teams.Gordon throws out the idea of a double elimination tournament. Which sounds crazy. At first. Also this yea...2023-10-1924 min
Almost CooperstownIntroducing a New Baseball Stat - Total Bases Per Plate Appearance - Ep. 434Send us a textWe love that Hank Aaron has the most Total Bases in baseball history. In fact the list of players for all-time Total Bases is filled with Hall of Famers and would-be HOFers. Mark recently wrote an article on Total Bases per Plate Appearance - sort of a new way to look at a player's offensive contribution. It can be accessed here: https://open.substack.com/pub/almostcooperstown/p/if-war-is-hell-could-there-be-one?r=6m2o9&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web. We take it further by discussing team performance as it relates to...2023-09-2821 min
Almost CooperstownBabe Ruth vs Barry Bonds - Ep. 428Send us a textBabe Ruth & Barry Bonds. They are two of the greatest hitters who ever played and that cannot be argued. Who was better? That depends on your point of view so we decided to argue - Mark mostly for Ruth, Gordon mostly for Bonds. The more we talked about their statistics the more impressive they became! We've added a YouTube Channel. Here is the link to the Almost Cooperstown channel.Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you have a suggestion for an episode please drop us a li...2023-09-0721 min
Almost CooperstownTeam Deep Dive #9 - Cleveland Guardians - Ep. 349Send us a textIt was not as easy to drop the Indians nickname when talking about the team before, well last season! Old habits die hard but we're fine with the team having changed its name as it was overdue. 122 years, an original member of the American League with 16 playoff appearances, 2 AL pennants and 2 WS championships. It ain't easy being a fan of the Guardians, Indians, Naps or any other Cleveland baseball team nickname! Jacobs Field opened in 1994 - the strike year. Mark had a little trouble with that. And we got through an en...2023-03-1633 min
Almost CooperstownTeam Deep Dive #7 - Los Angeles Angels - Ep. 340Send us a textWe start the podcast talking about Carlos Correa and his finally-ending saga. But then we dive into a team that we didn't know all that much about until we went through the archives. After the Dodgers and Giants moved to California following the 1957 season it was only 4 years later that the Los Angeles Angels began playing as an expansion team in the American League. They were actually co-tenants with the Dodgers in the new Chavez Ravine stadium which opened in 1962. With only one World Series title in their history th...2023-01-1246 min
Almost CooperstownWatching HOF voting and revisiting player descriptions - Ep. 339Send us a textIt's our first episode of 2023! With 25% of the votes for the 2023 induction of new Baseball HOF members in we are amazed that there are still voters that vote in zero players. In fact it's possible that there will not be any players voted in. After getting that off of our chests we talk about how player definitions differ today from even thirty or forty years ago. A leadoff hitter is different today, so is a #8 hitter. Gordon feels that players are held to a higher standard of expectation today than was formerly the case...2023-01-0535 min
Almost Cooperstown2022 Predictions Review & Playoff Preview! - Ep. 328Send us a textHere's the episode in which we come clean on who we picked before the season. We were right more than we were wrong but had a couple of huge swings and misses. The 2022 MLB playoffs are at the ready and we both pick our World Series participants. For we baseball fans it's truly the most wonderful time of the year! Correction - Mark said that after the WC series there were only 7 game series. The Division series is best of 5 games. And there is no re-seeding after each round. Would've been a go...2022-10-0631 min
Almost CooperstownFuture HOF'ers playing MLB this 2022 season - Ep. 302Send us a textWe forgot to mention Zack Greinke who is a surefire HOFer - maybe even should be first ballot. There are a number of what we term 'sure things' and then there are others that have a really good chance provided they perform at or near their career levels for 4 or more seasons give or take. Is Mike Trout already a HOFer? As it turns out - yes. So Is Albert Pujols. Listen to us talk about the guys that have a chance to be voted into Cooperstown! We've added a YouTube Ch...2022-04-0739 min
Almost Cooperstown2022 Season 3 Preview & Picks - Ep. 301Send us a textWe're thrilled to be back with our first episode of Season 3. In this long one - 57 minutes is the longest we've ever done, we review the new rules in MLB for the 2022 season and then go through each team in each division. We pick our division winners and playoff teams from each league. All in under one hour! We've added a YouTube Channel and are still working out a few kinks so bear with us. Here is the link to the Almost Cooperstown channel.Please subscribe to our podcast and...2022-03-3158 min
Almost CooperstownNegro League play - Every bit as good as in MLB! - Ep. 243Send us a textWe became aware of a very cool data visualization comparing Negro League play to MLB play of the same era 1920-1948. Adam Korengold has been doing data visualization professionally for almost 25 years–he’s now an Analytics Lead at the National Library of Medicine in Bethesda, Maryland–and teaches in the graduate data analytics and visualization program at the Maryland Institute College of Art. Lucky for us he’s been a baseball fan for most of his life, and since 2020 has been a member of SABR, the Society for American Baseball Research. ...2022-03-2431 min
Almost CooperstownThe 1970's Reds & Pirates rivalry you may have forgotten - Ep. 242Send us a textSmall market teams often have difficulty being a consistent winner. Sure teams like the Royals and Rays have shown it can be done. But in the 1970's the NL East Pirates and NL West Reds were in the hunt nearly every year of the decade. Featuring HOF players in both lineups throughout, we talk about some of the epic playoff battles (the Reds did win 3 of 4) for NL supremacy in the 1970s. To be fair, the Dodgers did win 3 NL pennants as well but also lost 3 WS. We discuss what's different today as well...2022-03-1027 min
Almost CooperstownOur favorite sports movies NOT about baseball - Ep. 241Send us a textSince there's no baseball to talk about due to the MLB lockout we decided to do an episode about sports movies not including baseball. You can listen to our season 1 episode 108 'Silver sluggers of the silver screen'. We talk about how there are not many good soccer movies - apologies to those who are fans of the movie 'Victory' and even fewer good tennis movies. Who is the GOAT of sports movies? Kevin Costner comes to mind as does Adam Sandler and Will Smith. Clearly we are ready for the owners and p...2022-02-2437 min
Almost CooperstownWill there be anyone voted into the HOF for 2023? - Ep. 240Send us a textThis December Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Curt Schilling and Sammy Sosa all have another chance to gain election to the Hall of Fame when they are reviewed by the Today's Game committee. In January 2023 the voting from baseball writers will be announced. Most of the players making their debut on the ballot will be one and done. We talk about David Ortiz's first ballot election and why no other player was voted in. Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you have a suggestion for an episode please drop...2022-02-1031 min
Almost CooperstownThe Many MVP's Not in the HOF - Ep. 239Send us a textThere are a lot of MVP winners. The tools for measurement used by voters have not always been as sophisticated as are the tools today. Consequently there are some head-scratching seasons turned in by MVP winners - especially when compared to some of the other contenders that year. We also discuss what makes a player 'Most Valuable' and if losing teams should be able to have a player win an MVP that season. Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you have a suggestion for an epis...2022-01-2727 min
Almost CooperstownAlmost Cooperstown 2022 HOF Ballot - Ep. 238Send us a textThe final voting totals will be announced on January 25. We had already called out 6 players to be added in our prior episodes 234 & 235 in which we added 36 players to the Hall of Fame right now. So with 6 in the book, there's only room for 4 more on our ballot (or the one we would fill out if we actually had a vote). Who will it be? Listen to this fast moving episode to find out! Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you have a suggestion for an episode please dro...2022-01-1323 min
Almost CooperstownThe MLB Lockout, Negotiating A New CBA & Resulting Rule Changes - Ep. 237Send us a textThink about how odd it is right now as we drop this episode late December 2021. New team managers like Buck Showalter are not allowed to talk to or even mention players on the team. The #MLB owners have 'Locked Out' the MLB players and if nothing gets negotiated there will be no Spring Training, and possibly an abbreviated season or no season at all. Baseball labor actions have been ongoing for nearly 50 years. We're generally on the side of the players who've gotten the short end of the stick for..., well nea...2021-12-3036 min
Almost CooperstownOn the New York Mets & nothing but the Mets - Ep. 236Send us a textAs we hit our 70th episode we decided it was time as dedicated NY Met fans, to do a podcast on...the Mets. They are a team now with a wealthy owner who actually is willing to spend money. This is unfamiliar territory for Met fans. What will they do about a manager, which players should stay or go? One thing we are pretty sure of as Met fans - heartbreak is in our future! For those of you who are not fans we will return to our regularly scheduled non-Met focu...2021-12-1631 min
Almost CooperstownCVI - Career Value Index - a new & better way to evaluate HOF worthiness - Ep. 235Send us a textBaseball is a sport that goes by the numbers more than any other. And for good reason - there are lots and lots of numbers. The ability to measure and compare player and team performances over time generates some great baseball conversations AND arguments! We discovered a newly written book by first time author David A. Gordon entitled 'Baseball Generations: Career Value Index - A New Look at the Hall of Fame and Rating the Greatest Players of All Time'We recommend reading it as it presents a mor...2021-12-0937 min
Almost CooperstownPart 2 - 36 players we'd induct into Cooperstown right now - Ep. 234Send us a textIn our prior Ep. 233 we covered 18 players we believe should no longer be passed by and should be inducted into Cooperstown. There are 263 players and 70 non-players in the HOF. Adding 36 players would make it 299 players - which is 1.27% of all players including those in the Negro Leagues. Even adding controversial players including a PED users and 4 new Negro League inductees, we feel short adding only 35. We should argue about Vizquel, not about Joe Mauer! Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you have a suggestion for an episode plea...2021-11-2536 min
Almost Cooperstown36 players we would induct into Cooperstown right now - Ep. 233Send us a textThis is the first of our 'off-season' episodes and we will drop an episode every two weeks now until the start of the 2022 season - or at least what should be the start if the CBA negotiations are unsuccessful.When we began our podcast 18 months ago our main premise is that there are too few players inducted into Cooperstown. 1.25% seems as if it would about the right amount which means today the HOF would have close to 300 players (not 263). In this first of two episodes, we talk about re-evaluations of some pl...2021-11-1150 min
Almost CooperstownSeason 2 Review & Wrap - Ep. 232Send us a textIt's easy to make predictions and easier when you don't reveal how you actually performed. We come clean in this final regular season episode. Our prediction performance was pretty good or so we thought. Give a listen and find out if you agree! We will drop the first episode of the Off-season next week and then drop every two weeks until the start - or so we hope - of the 2022 MLB season. The upcoming negotiations between owners and players may result in a work stoppage. We hope not. And all hail...2021-11-0428 min
Almost CooperstownThe Hunt for Mr. October - Ep. 231Send us a textReggie Jackson relishes being referred to as 'Mr. October'. His 1977 WS performance #Yankees vs. #Dodgers was epic. As a member of the #Athletics he also had the game winning single in the 1973 WS vs. the #Mets. But is he the greatest postseason player of all-time? We discuss the best of the best in our latest podcast. Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you have a suggestion for an episode please drop us a line via email at Almostcooperstown@gmail.com. You can also follow us on Twitter @almos...2021-10-2820 min
Almost CooperstownOctober 10th - This Date in Baseball History - Ep. 230Send us a textOctober 10th is rife with impressive baseball lore and history. Thinking of great plays, performances, and great games takes us back to when they happened and all the other cool related things any one date in MLB history might offer. We talk about one particular day - October 10th which has hosted season-ending play-in games, Playoff and World Series games. Of course many other dates in October offer the same which is why we LOVE October baseball! Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you have a suggestion for...2021-10-2124 min
Almost CooperstownDoes Baseball Go By The Numbers TOO Often? - Ep. 229Send us a textData analytics are critical to MLB teams being successful. This can be seen in the seemingly constant use of the infield shift. But surely every decision cannot be made on the basis of numbers and probabilities. In game 7 of the 2020 World Series Tampa manager Kevin Cash removed Blake Snell to the delight of the Dodger dugout. We all know what happened after that. When can hunches and feelings be used on the part of managers? Players? We talk about numbers from this season as well as some important seasons of the past. 2021-10-1431 min
Almost CooperstownThe Pain of Being a baseball team fan - Ep. 228Send us a textBeyond baseball fans of the other three major American professional sports also have a way of making their fans suffer and wait - sometimes a VERY long time for a championship. Gordon talks about how in his entire life, his four favorite NYC area teams have never won a championship - that's more than 30 years! The Yankees and New York Giants are the teams we do not 'root' for as core fans. Which teams have never even played for a championship in their sport? Which teams have played for it all but...2021-10-0725 min
Almost CooperstownSpecial Guest Sean Forman founder of Baseball-Reference.com - Ep. 227Send us a textBack in 2000 Sean Forman was a graduate student with a love for baseball. He never imagined that he'd create a wide-ranging enterprise - Sports-reference.com that encompasses not only baseball but American football, basketball, hockey, soccer and college football and basketball. The sites are so user-friendly and have become a go-to platform to get statistics for players, teams and leagues associated with all those sports. Now they've created a subscription service Stathead.com that allows the data to be searched and parsed even more easily which is great since there is SO...2021-09-3036 min
Almost CooperstownTanking in Baseball - does it work? - Ep. 226Send us a textAt some points of some seasons, if they are clearly out of the playoff race, do MLB teams try to lose intentionally? The answer is yes and no. Acquiring high draft picks can often backfire as can a fire sale of a team's best and likely most expensive players. Is the gamble worth it? The Astros & Rays might say yes. But the Angels, never quite bad enough to get a top draft pick, might want to consider trying something different. We talk about teams that tank, teams that seem like they are bu...2021-09-2322 min
Almost CooperstownOur take on 2021 Hall of Fame induction ceremony - Ep. 225Send us a textFirst-off we did Ted Simmons wrong since his career average was .285 which is much higher than Andruw Jones' career .254 BA. Simmons had 248 HR's which is among the best (13th) all time for a primary catcher. Simmons' speech was the best from any of the three players although Larry Walker and Derek Jeter acquitted themselves well. 10 HOFers passed away over the 2 year period but only 4 people were inducted. We feel and discuss that there could easily be 30 or more that could be inducted which would still keep the percentage of players at 1%. ...2021-09-1626 min
Almost CooperstownOne Season Wonders - Ep. 224Send us a textLike a shooting star, sometimes players have one incredible season that they desperately try to replicate. For those that are unable to 'do it again', they are deemed 'one-season' wonders. From Rookie-of-the year to being out of MLB in 3 years actually has happened and it's not always due to injury! We remember some names that many have forgotten, and others that most people know but don't realize had one amazing outlier season! Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you have a suggestion for an episode please drop us...2021-09-0929 min
Almost CooperstownKnuckleballers - only 32 total in MLB history! - Ep. 223Send us a textWe were actually kind of shocked to find out that there have only been 32 knuckleball pitchers in MLB history. Hoyt Wilhelm has the only no-hitter for a knuckleballer blanking the Yankees in 1958. The Yankees won the WS that season. There are some notable and memorable names of the 32 but also many that most fans have never heard of. Why aren't there more knuckleball pitchers? Listen to this episode to find out! Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you have a suggestion for an episode please drop...2021-09-0222 min
Almost CooperstownComplete Games are ravaged by batters watching in-game video replay - Ep. 222Send us a textThere have been close to 40 complete games pitched in MLB this season so far. The modern era all-time single season record for a pitchers is 41 complete games in 1904. Since then the number has been reduced such that Shane Bieber led MLB with 3 complete games in the last full season 2019. This year 3 players already have 3 complete games. Over the years complete games have dwindled and that trend is likely to continue. Better relief pitchers compared to what used to be the case might be a reason. But hitters knowledge of the pitchers has never been...2021-08-2623 min
Almost CooperstownMLB position players transition to pitcher & the reverse - Ep. 221Send us a textWhat Shohei Ohtani is doing this season is amazing. Just making it to the Major Leagues is incredibly difficult. How about changing positions from being a position every day player to a pitcher? Or a pitcher needing to become a position player in order to stay in the big leagues? Players like the Cardinal’s Rick Ankiel come to mind but there are plenty of other MLB players who've adapted on the fly in order to remain at the highest level of baseball. We also talk about the Olympics again for some re...2021-08-1927 min
Almost CooperstownBig Trade Deadline Deals That Led to a World Series - Ep. 220Send us a textThis year there were a slew of big deals for excellent players at the July 30 trading deadline. it may have even been the most good players traded ever at the deadline. We talk about the most significant trading deadline deals over the past 60 years since there were not that many before 1969 when divisional play began and there were more than two league champions. A couple of corrections. Cliff Lee went to the Phillies at the deadline and they did make the WS again in 2009 but the Yankees won that one. Kevin Brown...2021-08-1225 min
Almost CooperstownInterleague Play - when too much is too much - Ep. 219Send us a textInterleague play has been a part of MLB since 1997. This season there will be 20 interleague games for each team. We think that's too many and that winning a playoff spot should not be so dependent on performance against the OTHER league. With expansion on the horizon there will almost assuredly no longer be a need to have an interleague game played nearly every day. There are some interleague rivalries worth keeping but do fans really want to watch their favorite teams play 20 interleague games each season? Please subscribe to our podcast and t...2021-08-0525 min
Almost CooperstownPlayer-Managers, Baseball & the Olympics - Ep. 218Send us a textThe role of baseball player-manager was fairly commonplace in the early years of #MLB, Some great players like HOFers Nap Lajoie, Lou Boudreau, Bill Dickey, Frankie Frisch, and Honus Wagner to name a few. We talk about why there are no longer player-managers in baseball and who of today's players might be a good player-manager. Then we talk about the Olympic Games not just because baseball and softball are back in the Games! Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you have a suggestion for an episode please drop...2021-07-2920 min
Almost CooperstownBrothers in Baseball - Ep. 217Send us a textAs of the 2021 season there have been 413 sets of brothers who've played in a MLB game. We found some of the careers of one of the brothers were very short. Most of the time one of the brothers significantly outperforms the other brother. But not all the time thanks to brother combos like the Waners, Deans, DiMaggios, Torres and Alomars. We talked about Hank and Dick Allen not mentioning that they were teammates with the White Sox in 1972-73. Hank and Tommie Aaron were also teammates. Please subscribe to our podcast and...2021-07-2227 min
Almost CooperstownMLB All-Star game history & Negro League East West ASG featuring baseball historian Gary Livacari - Ep. 216Send us a textThe first MLB All-Star Game was in 1933. Yet it is little-known amongst even big baseball fans that because Black players were not allowed in MLB, the Negro Leagues had their own All-Star Games also beginning in 1933. And these games were both popular and well-attended. We take a look at how the All-Star game in MLB has changed over the years and with Gary Livacari's help (you can check out his old-time baseball photos page on FB and his blog baseballhistorycomesalive.com), we dig into some of the more interesting aspects of the E-W AS...2021-07-1543 min
Almost CooperstownThe Best Failed Starting Pitchers Excelling As Relief Pitchers - Ep. 215Send us a textThe bullpen has not always been the most respected place for #MLB pitchers. The save did not even become an official statistic until 1969. Two HOF players far and away represent the best of the best when it comes to having success both starting and relieving. There are other but not many examples of former starting pitchers who became stellar relief pitchers - even HOFers! As fans might expect the real rarity is being a relief pitcher who later has success as a starting pitcher. But it has happened. Kind of. We should have include...2021-07-0824 min
Almost CooperstownVanishing Doubleheaders - Ep. 214Send us a textIn MLB today scheduled doubleheaders are almost extinct. Rainouts and Covid-19 protocols have caused there to be a few more DH's than in a normal year. 7-inning DH's are, well just weird but might be here to stay. We're ok with that for the most part but not if there are two separate admissions at full price! Two for the price of one does not work well for team owners in today's baseball economics. Players are probably ok with it since they get paid the full amount even if only 77% of a normal game...2021-07-0126 min
Almost CooperstownMLB Official Scorer Jillian Geib - Ep. 213Send us a textOfficial scoring in baseball is very different than it is for all the other professional sports. Part of it is due its own history. It was not all that long ago that baseball reporters doubled as official scorers. The box score 'invented' by Henry Chadwick in 1859 is still in use today! But official scoring has been the bastion for males almost universally except for just a small amount of females. Starting with E. (Eliza) Green (could not use her name in 1882), and including Susan Fornoff in the 1990's. Now the Colorado Rockies and MLB...2021-06-2432 min
Almost CooperstownSticky Stuff - Ep. 212Send us a textAren't we already tired of hearing about the doctoring & defacing of baseballs? @MLB has decided to do something about it mid-season. It's always been illegal to use sticky stuff or anything on the baseball. Now the rule is going to be enforced. We just had to talk about it! Thanks for listening and if you have a suggestion for an episode please drop us a line via email at Almostcooperstown@gmail.com. You can also follow us on Twitter @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page.www.almostcooperstown.com2021-06-1728 min
Almost CooperstownSeriously Overrated & Underrated Teams - Ep. 211Send us a textMost fans would argue that their favorite team had a period of time in which they were a very good team, maybe won a WS, but fell short of winning more than once. Yet there are also teams that over-performed expectations to win it all more than once over a relatively short period of time. Are the 2016-2021 Dodgers overrated? They are the current WS champions and might have actually won another WS (if you ask Dodger fans), but should they have won another already?Thanks for listening and if...2021-06-1027 min
Almost CooperstownBaserunning wonders and blunders - Ep. 210Send us a textWhat makes a player a good baserunner? Speed helps for sure but there have been many adept, even good baserunners who have lacked foot speed. Picking up the ball, knowing the field, taking longer leads and reading the move home of the pitcher are all important if not underused skills. The shift to power and home runs over the past 30+ years has robbed the game of exciting plays like scoring from first on a double, or just a good old fashioned triple! We talk about the good baserunners (not always are the...2021-06-0344 min
Almost CooperstownMLB players playing other Pro Sports - Ep. 209Send us a textPartly because baseball has been around the longest, there have been more MLB players who played other professional sports than pro athletes from other sports playing MLB baseball. Baseball players were not paid much in the early part of the 20th century and being paid for two sports beat out having a regular job! We talk about what we call the big 4 - all NFL/MLB players as well as some notable names from sports like basketball, hockey and golf who were also major leaguers! Thanks for listening and if...2021-05-2727 min
Almost CooperstownMLB Baseball Parks & Groundskeeping - Ep. 208Send us a textDo you know the 10 oldest ballparks currently in use in MLB? Sure you'd expect Fenway & Wrigley but some of the other names might surprise even the most knowledgable fans. How about groundskeeping and the differences between baseball parks? Baseball is really the only major sport in which the playing field differs depending on the park in which you're playing. What's going on with the future of the Oakland A's? We talk about all this and more in this episode. Thanks for listening and if you have a suggestion for an episode pleas...2021-05-2034 min
Almost CooperstownAre 200-hit seasons an endangered species? - Ep. 207Send us a textIchiro Suzuki has the all-time #MLB record for hits in one season with 262. He broke George Sisler's 84 year-old record of 257 in 2004. Since then there have been a number of 200-hit seasons recorded by players but the number is decreasing. And we talk about why that is the case. Thanks for listening and if you have a suggestion for an episode please drop us a line via email at Almostcooperstown@gmail.com. You can also follow us on Twitter @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page.www.almostcooperstown.com2021-05-1332 min
Almost CooperstownEven the greatest utility players don't belong in Cooperstown - Ep. 206Send us a textGood teams always seem to have a guy or two who's a versatile utility player. This helps keep the roster efficient since a good utility player can cover a variety of field positions. We discuss that being a versatile player is a good thing but overall a utility player is most often not quite god enough to have an every day place in the lineup. Have there ever been any utility players elected to the Hall-of-Fame in Cooperstown? We answer that question and more in this episode! Thanks for listening and if yo...2021-05-0625 min
Almost CooperstownReady for a Fight! - Best Baseball Brawls - Ep. 205Send us a textBench-clearings still happen fairly often in #MLB. Actual bench-clearing brawls are less common due to the players being suspended, losing pay, and generally hurting the team. But in the heat of the moment a batter can snap when a high hard one goes right at his head or upper body. Fortunately baseball brawls don't end up having players injured such that they can't play but even that has happened. We talk about which current MLB teams might be poised for a fight in this quick and fun episode! Thanks for listening an...2021-04-2923 min
Almost CooperstownRookie-of-the-Year as a career predictor - Ep. 204Send us a textDo you recognize the photo of the AL Rookie-of-the-Year from 2004? Jackie Robinson won the very first Rookie-of-the-Year (for both leagues) in 1947. Since then one team has dominated ROY selections. Can you guess which team it is? We talk about the Hall-of-Fame Rookies of the Year as well as a few winners whose ROY winning statistics are less than impressive. Thanks for listening and if you have a suggestion for an episode please drop us a line via email at Almostcooperstown@gmail.com. You can also follow us on Twitter @almostcoop or visit the Almos...2021-04-2222 min
Almost CooperstownHow Ty Cobb had it SO much easier than Mike Trout - Ep. 203Send us a textBefore our podcast started, we like so many others, sat around and talked about baseball. What recently got us going was the idea that Ty Cobb's .366 career batting average back before and after the 'Dead-ball' era was fattened up by facing tired pitchers in innings 7/8/9. Pitchers today rarely throw complete games and today hitters have to face a bevy of hard throwing late-inning relievers who have nasty stuff. How did Cobb perform in the first six innings vs. the last three? How about Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio and Ted Williams? And what o...2021-04-1528 min
Almost CooperstownThe end of pitchers as hitters but not hitters as pitchers! - Ep. 202Send us a textThanks to Mark Rickard for the show concept! With some sense of certainty this will be the last year in MLB in which there will not be a DH in the National League. This will be negotiated as part of the upcoming Collective Bargaining Agreement between the Player's Association and MLB in what promises to be an acrimonious negotiation. No pitcher has finished the season with a .300 average since 2008 when Micah Owings hit .304. In general MLB pitchers are lousy hitters and getting lousier. Why? Because it's hard! And they don't get much...2021-04-0821 min
Almost CooperstownAlmost Cooperstown MLB 2021 Season Preview & Picks - Ep. 201Send us a textIt's a new season already and the start of a 2nd season from Almost Cooperstown! Only 10 months after the delayed start of the 2020 MLB season, here comes the 2021 season. A planned 162-game season that is sure to test the pitching staffs across both leagues. 7 inning double-headers are back as are some of the new rules introduced in 2020. We talk about the rule changes from last year and how they worked out, some new ones that are being experimented with at the minor league level, as well as all 30 teams, their prospects for success an...2021-04-0155 min
Almost CooperstownPitchers are STILL in danger - featuring former MLB pitcher Willie Blair - Ep. 134Send us a textPitchers don't often get hit by line drives and get it to the skull even less frequently. But it does happen, as much as 2 - 3 times per season. We note a number of well known current MLB pitchers that have been the victim of a shot to the head. Currently there are no MLB pitchers wearing protective headgear on the mound. There are a number of reasons for that and we discuss all that and more with former major league pitcher Willie Blair who was felled by a line drive off the bat of J...2021-03-2528 min
Almost CooperstownStatistics & Baseball - Overvalued & Undervalued - Ep. 133Send us a textRemember there used to be a MLB statistic for GWRBI - Game Winning RBI's? The one that gives your team a lead it never relinquishes. Because players could get the GWRBI conceivably (and in reality) in the first inning @MLB junked it after 1988 which was about 8 years too long. One of our 'Almost' guys Keith Hernandez has been in no way helped by the stat that he has the all time record for GWRBIs. Because and rightly so, it's a dumb stat! Are pitcher starts as important as they used to be? H...2021-03-1144 min
Almost CooperstownGold Glove Fielding Awards Still Matter - Ep. 132Send us a textHere at Almost Cooperstown we believe there's room for more at the Inn. We're not talking about boxing BTW! When it comes to Gold Gloves (only awarded since 1957), a player who is a borderline Hall of Famer (an 'Almost' guy we like to say), can be pushed over the top by superior fielding and a collection of Gold Gloves. There have been 8 players to win GG's in both leagues which is kind of hard to do since often the incumbent would need to be unseated. In the past Gold Gloves seemed to be earn...2021-02-2530 min
Almost CooperstownBest World Series of Each Decade 1960-present - Ep. 131Send us a textThe 2020 World Series ended up being a very exciting and interesting one. Seven game series have a way of being just that much more memorable. An anti-climatic game 7 can take away from the overall greatness of a World Series. We start with the 1960 World Series which was one of the greats and highlight the best 7 game World Series of the past 60 years. Thanks to Bruce McClure who points out that reason Mazeroski did not win the '60 series MVP with his walk-off HR, was that the reporters had already voted having to...2021-02-1140 min
Almost CooperstownBaseball Expressions used every day - Ep. 130Send us a textEvery second people use expressions borne out of baseball lingo and lore. We know there are Yogi Berra-isms and Dizzy Dean's oddball expressions, but what about normal everyday conversational responses? There are many of them that are used everyday and a surprising amount of food/dining references. America's Pastime does intersect baseball with eating! We can't wait to have peanuts and hotdogs at a real MLB game! Thanks for listening and if you have a suggestion for an episode please drop us a line via email at Almostcooperstown@gmail.com. You can a...2021-01-2826 min
Almost CooperstownThe Almost Cooperstown 2021 Hall of Fame Ballot - Ep. 129Send us a textNo we don't actually HAVE a vote but if we did...On January 26 the votes for the 2021 Hall of Fame will be announced. Hopefully the ceremony in Cooperstown, NY will take place this summer. Actual voters can vote for up to 10 players that have played 10 years in MLB and appear for the first time or remain on the ballot for a total of 10 years. If a player does not receive 5% of all votes cast he drops off the ballot for the following year. At that point it's up to various committees (Ve...2021-01-1437 min
Almost CooperstownMajor changes ahead for Minor League Baseball - Ep. 128Send us a textAs fans know, there was no Minor League (or college) baseball this past season. To make things more challenging MLB has made the biggest changes in MiLB in nearly 60 years. The farm systems developed by Branch Rickey in the 1930's are nearly unrecognizable today. There are many notable Minor League Baseball players like Michael Jordan and Tim Tebow (who will try again this season to be a NY Met). What kind of future does Minor League baseball have in the U.S.? Should MLB consider supplying college teams with wood bats? We're...2020-12-3128 min
Almost CooperstownWhen will MLB add more teams? - Ep. 127Send us a textThe last teams to come into MLB are now 23 seasons old (1998 the Rays and D'Backs). For 60 years there were only 16 teams in MLB. After the Dodgers and Giants moved in 1958, expansion really began to take off in 1961 with the Los Angeles Angels and another incarnation of the Washington Senators when the previous Senators team moved to Minnesota to become the Twins. With franchise valuations continuing to increase it's highly likely that baseball will further expand both domestically and internationally? Where it goes next is still anyone's guess. We track the history of ML...2020-12-1729 min
Almost CooperstownMLB Team Road Trips - Ep. 126Send us a textIn the pre-1900's days of professional baseball teams did not travel all that far to play games which often were played on Sunday afternoon. By 1901 with the birth of the American League, teams traveled by train and even by boat. No other sport to this day has scheduled road trips like baseball. With a 162 game schedule, players still leave home and go on the road for as long as 2 weeks. Sportswriters no longer get to travel on the team plane as they once did on the trains that would carry teams from cit...2020-12-0328 min
Almost CooperstownBaseball & Technology - Ep. 125Send us a textA baseball game can be started with a few players, ball and a bat. Organized baseball started in the 1850s and there were no baseball gloves. We don't talk much about gloves and catcher's equipment but we do talk about how far technology in baseball has come and how it impacts the game. Technology is not always about gadgets. Think of 'Tommy John' surgery and how that procedure has impacted and will continue to impact the game. How about robot umpires? The article Gordon mentioned can be found at: Base...2020-11-1931 min
Almost Cooperstown2020 Season 1 Wrap - Ep. 124Send us a textJust like the MLB season, we made it through this our last episode of Season 1. We talk a bit about the excellent Dodgers-Rays World Series and reminisce over the short 60 game season. If you have an idea for an episode you can email us at almostcooperstown@gmail.com or our Twitter feed @AlmostCoop Corrections: Bill Madlock won 4 batting titles in the NL only. Brad Hand had 29Ks and 4BB is 2020 along with 16 saves. 84Ks in 2019. Thanks for listening and if you have a suggestion for an episode please...2020-11-0530 min