The Infinite Inning
The Infinite Inning is a baseball podcast hosted by Steven Goldman of Baseball Prospectus. It uses baseball as a lens to explore history, politics, and culture, blending stats, anecdotes, and Casey Stengel quotations. The show aims to find joy in life even when things aren't going well, much like the infinite inning itself.
Episodes
Infinite Inning 396: The Pitcher Who Wouldn't Stop
Two players who destroyed their careers before they got anywhere close to the major leagues. Maybe they never would have, but who can say? A first baseman with a high on-base percentage throws it all away just to get some pants—a lot of pants. All the pants. Then, in our own time, a college pitcher is charged with sexual assault, but despite his lawyers insisting that the victim had “put herself i
Infinite Inning 395: The Cardinals Center Fielder Who Pled Guilty
A .500 Astros team that slipped into the playoffs because of a faulty league structure bashes its own fans, something for which a long-ago cranky sportswriter had an answer that still obtains. Then we discuss the Cornell Rape Inquiry and note how some of the responses to it echo two long-ago cases involving major league ballplayers, one a completely incident in the career of a St. Louis Cardinals
Infinite Inning 394 The Rogers Hornsby Theory of Leadership
In a column that suggests that sportswriters never change, a “writer’s wing” scribe makes a weak excuse for the negative qualities of one of baseball’s greatest hitters and weakest leaders, the “Rajah of Swat,” Rogers Hornsby. First, though, we stop off with a pitcher who never made it—or, more accurately, he never made the majors, but he pitched long enough and successfully enough that he earned
Infinite Inning 393: Yankee Stadium Goes Fascist
First we visit a very close-by alternative reality in which a momentary weakness on the part of the original Yankee Stadium gives someone in a position of power the opportunity to slap his own name on the building (this should be starting to sound familiar). Then we visit a father and son, one who played the game at the highest level available to him, another who made art that celebrated it—and, o
Infinite Inning 392: Red Sox Hunt/Negro Leaguers at War
An odd tale of a pitcher unboxing a stuffed and mounted boar in the clubhouse leads to speculation about the nature of marriage and the trial of giving gifts and getting what you want at the same time. Then we check in on the Great War Exploits of one of the less celebrated Negro Leagues greats, speculate of how his homecoming could have been in a different America, and note missed opportunities t
Infinite Inning 391: The Shohei Ohtani Trade Deficit
The 1938 Pittsburgh Pirates blow the pennant race in one of the most dramatic losses of baseball history, but according to one of the current lords of our realm the Cubs should have just handed them the win. Yes, “The Homer in the Gloamin’” has retroactively been declared unamerican. Then we consider under obsession of the leadership by asking if the Dodgers are running a $700 million trade defici
Infinite Inning 390 Baseball and Children Forever Frightened
Two tales of children whose adult life in baseball might have been influenced by childhood fears real and imagined (but mostly real). First, the speed-king of 1880s baseball (since dethroned or at least debunked) has to watch his parents await the arrival and Robert E. Lee and his hordes on their doorstep. Then we return to John McGraw, his dangerous youth, his possible encounters with Mark Twain,
Infinite Inning 389: The Pitcher Who Quit Midgame
Two stories featuring one of the more rage-addicted pitchers of all time (no, not Johnny Allen, but good guess), one in which he overestimated a Hall of Famer’s rigidity and got ejected for it, another when he had simply had enough and removed himself from the situation—a self-destructive impulse that, in select circumstances, it might well be liberating to emulate. Plus: We revisit a segment on T
Infinite Inning 388: A Ghost from the Negro Leagues
Two stories in which the players’ absence from the narrative is the point: First, we go back to John McGraw’s first right fielder with the Giants, a speed-based player who was supposed to be a nice guy, but still found occasion to heave this bat at the opposition. Then we visit a St. Louis Stars great who took a drink—or a lot of them—from the wrong bottle and ended up stiff and cold in San Diego.
Infinite Inning 387: If Babe Ruth Were a Patriot Missile
Over a hundred years ago, a forward-thinking sportswriter suggests that a certain Yankees slugger might solve a munitions crisis much like the one the United States military is reportedly suffering from today. Then we turn to the Giants of the John McGraw era for one of the more obscure Hall of Famers, one very different from Ruth but, like the Babe and the “platinum blonde” actress Jean Harlow, h
Infinite Inning 386: The Yankees, the Giants, and the First Trading Deadline
In 1922, two New York teams make July trades that provoke a change in the way the game is played. Both were successful in their way, but how successful were they, really? And why did one of them involve a pitcher throwing up on Casey Stengel’s floor and a future Hall of Fame third baseman possibly passing blood? And we stop in on Babe Ruth in his last days and contrast a life of actual experience
Infinite Inning 385: The Fourth-Worst Self-Own in Red Sox History
Hall of Fame Cardinals manager Whitey Herzog gets stuck in the Yankees system—and the Army—leading to a discussion of social responsibility when it comes to risking the lives of citizen-soldiers (whether Herzog or Ted Williams in the Korean War years or something closer to the present day). Then we visit the win-or-go-home American League playoff game between the Red Sox and the Indians, a contest
Infinite Inning 384: Dodgers of Dubious Abilities & Moralities
Two instructive tales of the Brooklyn Dodgers, who, as Casey Stengel said, were at that time in Brooklyn. The 26-inning man places a clever comeback among his last words, but not before pilfering some stocks that didn’t belong to him, marrying the bosses daughter, and going broke, not necessarily in that order. Then a Deadball Era shortstop is spectacularly overrated compared to his betters, which
Infinite Inning 383: When Babe Ruth's Car Turned Turtle
We ask of various figures past and present (as Mark Twain once did) “Is He Alive or Is He Dead?” finishing with the time Babe Ruth was reported to have fatally crashed his car. Then we try to compare players across eras and find too many irreconcilable differences for comfort, and conclude with an Expos semi-great, the writer who seemingly inspired his parents, and the decline of reading. The Infi
Infinite Inning 382: Joe DiMaggio Weeps for Lou Gehrig
A July 4th episode: Lou Gehrig’s farewell and slight return, Joe DiMaggio flashes back to the Iron Horse streak, the National League is founded in the Centennial year as things go very wrong for George Custer (couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy), one of Sitting Bull’s kids gets baseball fever, and a .400 hitter sickens and vanishes from history because of a sometimes-flexible “rule.” The Infini
Infinite Inning 381: Yogi Berra versus Roy Cohn
A young Yogi Berra battles his own pitching staff just as Dalton Rushing struggles to call pitches for Shohei Ohtani, Casey Stengel drags Yogi into the Joe McCarthy mess in Washington, Lefty Grove throws at a catcher and Dorothy Thompson tries to help war refugees. And John McGraw thought tennis-playing pitchers were effeminate? All that and more in this week’s episode! The Infinite Inning is a jo
Infinite Inning 380: The Cubs Outfielder Who Hated Evolution
The San Francisco Giants’ botched attempt at Pride Night prompts a look at Billy Sunday, the Cubs outfielder who had a religious awakening and became one of the most popular traveling evangelists of the early 20th century. Plus pitchers named Head, an ERA of 6.66, a no-hitter pitched with the wrong arm, and a young woman whose name baseball shouldn’t have forgotten. The Infinite Inning is a journe
Infinite Inning 379: Requiem for a Reds Pitcher
Trigger Warning: Discussions of self-harm. A Reds pitcher confuses the end of his arm for the end of his life, several other players take the easy way out, a bizarre trade is deconstructed, the Marlins compared to the Browns and a certain IPO, and much more. The Infinite Inning is a journey to the past to understand the present using baseball as our time machine. America's brighter mirror, basebal
Infinite Inning 378: Casey, the Muscle or the Bone
A shorter episode about bad timing as exemplified by the time that Hall of Fame manager Casey Stengel was run over by a car. The Infinite Inning is a journey to the past to understand the present using baseball as our time machine. America's brighter mirror, baseball reflects, anticipates, and even mocks the stories we tell ourselves about our world today. Baseball Prospectus's Steven Goldman shar
Infinite Inning 377: The Negro Leagues were a Ceiling
A shorter episode that takes a quick look at the Homestead Grays and the attenuated career of the late Bob Horner. The Infinite Inning is a journey to the past to understand the present using baseball as our time machine. America's brighter mirror, baseball reflects, anticipates, and even mocks the stories we tell ourselves about our world today. Baseball Prospectus's Steven Goldman shares his obs
Infinite Inning 376: A Dog's Breakfast with the Yankees, Mets, and Shanty
A grab-bag episode in which the title says it all: The 40th anniversary of the 1986 Mets, how failed Yankees shortstop Bobby Meacham would have performed if Baseball-Reference had his name correctly, the possibility of women playing major league baseball, Thurman Munson’s Hall of Fame twin discussed, and a certain overweight catcher suffers a breakdown of impulse control. The Infinite Inning is a
Infinite Inning 375: The A's, Murder in Camden, and the Spiders from Cleveland
Infinite Inning 375: The A's, Murder in Camden, and the Spiders from Cleveland Several attempts at finding empathy through self-denial this week: We ask if it’s right to laugh at the players trapped by vile ownership into performing like abused seals for the 1899 Cleveland Spiders, if restraining ourselves from saying everything we’re allowed to say is the at all similar to protecting a pitcher’s
Infinite Inning 374: The 100th Anniversary of the 1927 Yankees One Year Early
We go back to the early days of the Angels (California, Los Angels, Anaheim, or anywhere in-between) for the untimely death of a pitcher, then look forward to next year, when one of the most famous and consequential baseball teams of all time will mark its 100th anniversary. What will Major League Baseball or the Yankees do about it? Why is it the first such team to merit such an occasion? And how
Infinite Inning 373: Baseball and Helen's Missing Cup
Two managers dropped this week, but four teams haven’t fired a manager in-season since the last century. Which were they, and is there even a point? Then we travel back to 1887, the ill-fated marriage between a Hall of Famer and an actress, her personal gift to baseball, and the birth of a character type whose time has come again (no matter what anyone says). The Infinite Inning is a journey to th
Infinite Inning 372: The Yankees' Owner’s Mistress and the Bomb
A major metropolitan newspaper contends a pitcher “blows,” while he insists he is in “the best shape of his life.” Which would prove to be closer to the truth? Then we revisit the birth of the atomic bomb, the Yankees’ decision to start a farm system in spite of their wealth, and the mysterious woman whose very existence might have hinted at undisclosed cash-flow problems on the part of a very wea
Infinite Inning 371: One of the Jackie Robinson Generation Weak Arm and All
We note the recent passing of some stalwart ballplayers, some of all too recent a vintage, then travel back to the 1950s and the breaking of the Braves color line by an outfielder who everyone liked to pick on. The Infinite Inning is a journey to the past to understand the present using baseball as our time machine. America's brighter mirror, baseball reflects, anticipates, and even mocks the stor
Infinite Inning 370: The Ballplayer's Lost Bones
In which we track the posthumous career of one of baseball’s earliest players, who might simultaneously lie in three different places or maybe nowhere at all. Then we wish Parker Meadows a quick recovery by recalling an earlier outfield collision which injured two future Hall of Famers. And in between some wisdom from Cato the Elder, Robert Pirsig, and others.The Infinite Inning is a journey to th
Infinite Inning 369: An Odd Cardinals Walk-Off or a Typical Cubs Loss?
Infinite Inning 369: An Odd Cardinals Walk-Off or a Typical Cubs Loss?First we ask an evergreen question prompted by Konnor Griffin’s promotion: Were Casey Stengel’s expectations of Mickey Mantle unfair? Then we visit 1949 for one of the more unusual walk-off hits in Cardinals history and the popular player whose momentary lack of awareness allowed it to happen—and find ourselves questioning the w
Infinite Inning 368: Baseball, War, and the Day the $100,000 Infield Buried a Child
Two players who might have made the Hall of Fame if not for time missed to national service during World War II stand in for all of those whose trajectories were deflected by the games played by those in high places, then we visit turn-of-the-20th century Philadelphia for a forgotten first baseman who won it all and lost something even greater at the same moment. The Infinite Inning is a journey t
Infinite Inning 367: Baseball, the Yankees, and Bitterness
In which we talk about some of our own broken relationships, the war of Billy Martin’s ear and what George Steinbrenner’s plan to bring him back for a sixth tour says about his own morality, the way the Washington Senators loved their own players so much they ended up in Minnesota, very small dinosaurs, and so much more. The Infinite Inning is a journey to the past to understand the present using
Infinite Inning 366: The Yankee Who Went to Sea (The Wife Sent Him)
A pitcher named Bob becomes Sailor Bob all because his wife wanted him out of the house in a fatal way, then we revisit the 1880s and a truly ridiculous ballpark that led to a player having both an inflated home-run total and an inflated liver.The Infinite Inning is a journey to the past to understand the present using baseball as our time machine. America's brighter mirror, baseball reflects, ant
Infinite Inning 365: When the Yankees Tried to Be the Cardinals
How the King of France once had an illicit love life that bore both a great resemblance to that of some of our current villains, but was also kind of similar to one of Branch Rickey’s greatest innovations. Then we join a glowering Yankees owner who absolutely wrecked his team because he was Vince Coleman-dreaming before that was even a thing. The Infinite Inning is a journey to the past to underst
Infinite Inning 364: The Pitcher Who Didn’t Duck and the Artist Who Was a Hypocrite
This week, a light-hearted tale of a pitcher who braved the injury nexus in a body that just refused to flinch when under hostile fire, preceded by the story of a favorite cartoonist who pontificated on the subject of children and divorce even as he proceeded to get divorced and abandon his children. And in between, unwelcome news of war. The Infinite Inning is a journey to the past to understand
Infinite Inning 363: The Shortstop Sets Us Free
A player who is remembered as “Jumbo” even though that was neither his name or his shape is described in both complimentary and critical terms, oysters are considered, and one of the greatest shortstops of all time, John Henry Lloyd, Pop, teaches an important lesson about why the past matters, and why his past was especially important. The Infinite Inning is a journey to the past to understand the
Infinite Inning 362: The Cardinals-Giants 1935 Ethiopia Incident
A future Hall of Fame outfielder gets into a tiff with the first Hall of Fame umpire and the umpire says a rude word, but how rude was it? Then we briefly consider the worst 900-plus games careers before joining the 1935 season in progress for a fight at home plate that fizzled, but not before inspiring a New York Times writer to construct an especially inept metaphor involving the game and dire w
Infinite Inning 361: Pitching for Our Lives
A rare three-segment episode this week. First, in what is very much NOT a story, the host quotes Casey Stengel in a totally context-free way. Then a pitcher has to work hard to keep a team he doesn’t like IN the World Series or risk professional extinction. Finally, a personal reflection on the way we live now, based very much on a real-life example of lightning striking twice in a truly malicious
Infinite Inning 360: Ballgame Called for Yellow Jack
An episode in which yesterday’s headlines are today’s. First, we find not William Bell the Negro Leagues great, but William Bell the victim of a false accusation in 1920s Chicago, the only murder of its kind. Then we travel south to the apprenticeship of one of the low-key center field greats and the epidemic that stopped his career in its tracks.Trigger Warning: There are a couple of rude words a
Infinite Inning 359: Famous Yankees Knee You in the Crotch
A wide-ranging journey inspired by the impulse-control problems of a 1950s catcher that provked, depending on Billy Martin’s mood, two, no three, no four on-field fights, with pints of blood flowing onto the infield dirt. Some of it is true, some of it is better. Also, said catcher gets up close and personal with parts of Whitey Ford’s anatomy you’ve never before considered, and the host provides
Infinite Inning Reissue 27 (017): The Yankees Shortstop Who Went to War
In this week’s new discussion, the story of a Yankees prospect who might have made it if not for a certain United Nations police action overseas. Then we return to 2017 for a look back at one of the show’s earliest episodes and what was happening in the game on the days the United States went to war. Gee, I wonder what brough that one to mind? The Infinite Inning is a journey to the past to unders
Infinite Inning 358: Ring Lardner Sent Flowers
In our second and last holiday mini-episode of the season, we wonder how a sore-armed Yankees pitcher went on a crash diet, then turn to Kid Gleason, manager of the 1919 Chicago White Sox, for a little lesson resilience. Featuring a baserunning tale that isn’t true, but it ought to be.(Drum Roll Please.wav by Scheffler) The Infinite Inning is a journey to the past to understand the present using b
Infinite Inning 357: Angels Up the Where and Baseball True Love
Infinite Inning 357 Angels Up the Where? and Baseball True Love In a holiday mini-episode we talk about secular vs. religious holidays in America, the films of Powell and Pressburger, and the faith-based baseball comedy (in which it’s the nuns who object most strongly to seeing a manifestation of the divine) “Angels in the Outfield” (1951). (Drum Roll Please.wav by Scheffler) The Infinite Inning i
Infinite Inning 356: Did a Hall of Fame Manager Break Three Prospects?
Infinite Inning 356 Did a Hall of Fame Manager Break Three Prospects? A long-promised Casey Stengel episode asks why the press reacted badly when the Ol’ Perfesser was named Yankees manager in the fall of 1948, and what it had to do with three busted Braves prospects. And with Venezuela on our minds we recall a recent outfielder who viewed the wall and a dog who feared the hand, perhaps for simila
Infinite Inning Reissue 26 (039): Trumpian Baseball Math
In this week’s new commentary, we wonder how major league strikeout leader James Wood can reduce his strikeouts by 600 percent in 2026. Then we return to early 2008 for a look at some deleterious, franchise-damaging or -destroying decisions, including a regrettable early mistake in free agency and Connie Mack’s decision to run his team like it was the 1910s even though almost 40 years had passed.
Infinite Inning 355: Several Tragic People Named McGann, Some In Baseball, Some Not
Pete Alonso’s exit from New York triggers an exploration of an earlier first baseman who was not only dispensable, but mocked for the very fact of his aging. Expect more John McGraw shouting, Deadball Era statistics, and four separate tragic endings for people named McGann, three of them in the same family. As for the one non-baseball McGann who chose a dark path, his isn’t a baseball story, but a
Infinite Inning Reissue 25 (077): The Death of Addie Joss Explained and Old-Time Cheating Too
Infinite Inning Reissue 025 (077) The Death of Addie Joss Explained and Old-Time Cheating Too In this week’s new segment, we talk about some fringe major leaguers named Truck and Hunky who were big in the minors and ask what degree of bitterness and resentment is acceptable when your dream is squelched by a gatekeeper. Then we go back eight years to episode 77 and the final illness of Hall of Fame
Infinite Inning 354: A Pitcher Named Bumpus And Other Upbeat Tales Of Baseball
We return from the IL with Casey Stengel’s endorsement of the designated hitter, and of astronauts too, then springboard from the recent Red Sox-Pirates trade into a discussion fo the latter’s inability to turn prospects into consistent major leaguers, a long ago pitcher who turned outfielder and got a second chance and, finally, a pitcher named Bumpus, who has something to say to RFK Jr. The Infi
Infinite Inning 353: The Catcher Who Loved Me
A pitcher throws a great game in the World Series and is congratulated by a backstop unknown to him, but once he was known to the game. Then we travel back to 1917 when gamblers tried to fix a White Sox-Red Sox game by throwing their bodies in front of it—and the one player who struck back. The Infinite Inning is a journey to the past to understand the present using baseball as our time machine. A
Infinite Inning Reissue 24 (106): Got Those Girl Don’t Want You Team Signed Charlie Hayes Blues
In this week’s new material, we compare a team signing a low-OBP player to the girl you were crushing on choosing the only suitor you would have had her avoid (not that it was up to you, but also not that the universe isn’t cruel that way), all of which may turn out to be a tortured political metaphor. Then we return to 2016 for the Dodgers at third base, the tragic and not-at-all funny tale of Gi
Infinite Inning 352: Why Are There Bad People When There is Also Good Baseball
We look at an ordinary day of baseball, May 8, 1949, and some extraordinary—and tragic—things that happened. First, a couple of good pitchers get shelled, then we witness some typically disposable regular season games before noticing a young woman who was treated as if she too were disposable, though she very much was not.Trigger Warning: The second half of this episode contains discussion of a vi
Infinite Inning Reissue 23 (021): Live! Home Run! Baseball!
In the new commentary segment of this week’s reissue episode, we talk about childhood fears of the end times, the degraded state of Times Square in the 1970s and 1980s, the slugging 1964 Twins, and one way the Colorado Rockies might go out in a blaze of fire, weird new GM hire or no. Then we go back to episode 21 for two tales of Hall of Fame catchers under extreme duress. The Infinite Inning is a
Infinite Inning 351: The World Series and the Surplus of Piggies
We spend the episode in 1933. First, Will Rogers comments on the broadcasts in a way which suggests that not much has changed between the start of on-air baseball commentary and its current state. Then we turn to the World Series and the government anti-hunger programs that arose at the precise moment that the Washington Senators were about to make their last bellyflop off the championship high-di
Infinite Inning Reissue 22 (047): Home Run Hitting in Major League is Becoming Farce
A slightly discursive rainy-day episode in which we question the unlikely players who have hit three home runs in a game and ask if the Rockies-Pirates season series was really necessary before examining two players who were called “Fat”—Fothergill and Fitzsimmons. The Infinite Inning is a journey to the past to understand the present using baseball as our time machine. America's brighter mirror,
Infinite Inning 350: Overlooked Baseball - The Greater Bullet and the Lesser Babe
First we make amends to a great of the game who was not only left out of last week’s Shohei Ohtani-Babe Ruth approbation, but was poorly served by baseball (and Baseball). Then we jump from the bizarre Muncy double play of NLCS Game 1 to the most famous baserunning mishap of the Dodgers’ Brooklyn years. The Infinite Inning is a journey to the past to understand the present using baseball as our
Infinite Inning Reissue 21 (093): Baseball and the Unlimited National Emergency
In both this week’s new remarks and our reissue, we go back to pre-Pearl Harbor 1941 and the days when Joe DiMaggio was, day by day, counting up hits and the president, without the medium of television available to him, spoke on a nationwide radio broadcast—an event so new that it caused a major league game to be put on pause. Meet the old boss, different than the new boss, because the world was d
Infinite Inning 349: The Very Complicated Bat Factory
We observe the passing of the Milwaukee Brewers out of the championship picture via Casey Stengel (who once managed the minor league Brewers to a championship) mourning a day Whitey Ford was outdueled by a journeyman. Then we go back to 1965 to note the difference between a protest and a riot, theorize about what the latter implies about its participants, and finish with a sincere attempt to allev
Infinite Inning Reissue 20 (072): An Injured Pitcher, an Injured Country, and a Hurricane
In this week’s new remarks, we observe how quaint the racial dialogue of 2018 was (or at least your host’s was) in light of what was coming down the line for the nation. After a brief discussion of protest and backlash, we proceed to flash back to episode 72’s discussion of how the same message can be heard differently in the context of race (that’s the quaint part), revisit an oft-injured left-ha
Infinite Inning 348: The 1925 World Series Without Tears
We note the passing of Mike Greenwell and an odd time to be an injured player with the Red Sox, and observe the cruel turns fate can take. Continuing on that theme, we go back to the 1925 World Series and ask if Roger Peckinpaugh was truly a goat, just wet, or perhaps some wet-goat combination?The Infinite Inning is a journey to the past to understand the present using baseball as our time machine
Infinite Inning Reissue 18 (067): Ballplayers and Pastries Above Replacement-Level
In both this week’s new remarks and in the reissue segment we revisit our obligation to think critically and how the concept of WAR can help us frame the abstract concepts of “better” and “worse,” and that comes to baseball players, politics, and, yes, chain and independent-bakery coffee rolls—that is, WADD (Wins Above Dunkin Donuts). How many more apples is Aaron Judge than the number of apples y
Infinite Inning 347: Spahn, Bringer of Screwballs; Mars, Bringer of War
We begin by fixing the Rockies with the 1987 Cardinals, stopping off at the intersection of George Steinbrenner gaslighting and (one more time) my Chuck Knoblauch Story. Then we journey back to World War II and look at some dire events adjacent to some future Hall of Famers and try to place them in context of some current events involving today’s fighting forces. And then we come back to the Rocki
Infinite Inning Reissue 18 (007): Lou Gehrig and Austin McHenry Haunt the ACA
We revisit an early episode about two great ballplayers who sickened at midcareer and, sadly, could not come back in any sense. What can we learn from them? This week’s new remarks expand on that theme, the government shutdown, and on the idea of the Infinite Inning podcast itself. The Infinite Inning is a journey to the past to understand the present using baseball as our time machine. Baseball,
Infinite Inning 346: Minnesota Twins Columnated Ruins Domino
Collapsing teams this September inspire a visit with a Twins journeyman who has a huge day at the plate, keeping an unexpected contender in first place for a little longer (though the magic leaves when Elvis does), and then reveals the way he’s tried to take charge of his destiny, Rod Carew wonders if he’s been accepted, and three old guys living near Cincinnati go to jail for “contumely.”The Infi
Infinite Inning Reissue 17 (076): Sammy Sosa and the Illuminati
Before we go back to 2018 for a discussion of the only Cubs general manager who was moonlighting from his job at the fish-market and a non-baseball tale, one of the more obscure and unflattering episodes of America’s westward expansion, we discuss our need for a shared reality and one of the earliest conspiracy theories. How are you going to be here with us if you believe that we’re being controll
Infinite Inning 345: In Which Babe Ruth Marries a Man and Mickey Mantle Feels Poorly
Babe Ruth backs the attack as Babe Ruth gets married, but to a guy named H.C., not a former model named Claire. Cal Raleigh goes on a rampage and Mickey Mantle finishes 1961 quietly, but why did the latter happen and what can we learn from the way he and Billy Martin lived their lives? The Infinite Inning is a journey to the past to understand the present using baseball as our time machine. Americ
Infinite Inning Reissue 16 (011): You Have to Be Resilient in Baseball
...Because you might just field the ball with your skull. This week’s new remarks include further reflections on the national calamity unleashed last week, leading into a reissue episode focused on a time the manager of the Dodgers, a chronic lie, told a self-protective, CYA fib that got away from him and nearly cost him his job. We also get a look back at slugging first baseman whose knee quit in
Infinite Inning 344: If Czolgosz Had Read the Box Scores
In which the outfielder called Zaza is rediscovered, as is the hit “dirty” turn-of-the-century play that gave him his name. We then briefly pause for a Dodgers outfielder’s career to come to a sudden end, leading to an unusual inning in more ways than one, and the ride concludes with a visit to the world of September 1901 and an argument about who acts, who doesn’t, and what games they might have
Infinite Inning Reissue 15 (055): A Baseball Conversation with Davey Johnson
We return to 2018 and a conversation with the late great manager Davey Johnson, with a cameo from his very excited dogs. This week’s new remarks expand on Johnson’s Hall of Fame case, though it’s now beside the point. We also have a brief story in which Babe Ruth gets hurt, but someone else suffers a worse injury.The Infinite Inning is a journey to the past to understand the present using baseball
Infinite Inning 343: Yankees First Baseman America I
First a catcher and an umpire supposedly participate in a physically impossible act, a computer program vexes the host and leads to a discussion of one possibly beneficial use of AI, and the Yankees acquire a very good hitter because everyone else is in the Army. Will it happen again in a darker way? The Infinite Inning is a journey to the past to understand the present using baseball as our time
Infinite Inning Reissue 14 (209): Baseball Before Vaccines
This week’s new remarks are occasioned by the Florida surgeon general’s decision (which he may or may not have the power to enforce) to repeal all vaccine mandates in the state. Then we return to the first time the Pirates traded a future MVP and revisit the sad story of Cardinal catcher Bill DeLancey. Apologies for the lack of a farewell note--the mixdown was being very wonky and I couldn't get t
Infinite Inning 342: To Kill a Baseball Team
An obscure umpire-punching incident by a Washington Senators outfielder helps cement the death of the franchise, the slowness of catchers is recalled when a famously leadfooted example steals a base, a sad manager and a sadder junior high school history test recalled. The Infinite Inning is a journey to the past to understand the present using baseball as our time machine. America's brighter mirro
Infinite Inning Reissue 13 (041): The Yankees, the Senators, and the Circle of Cows
In this week’s new remarks, we consider a revival of the baseball musical Damn Yankees which may let the bigoted owners of the original Washington Senators off the hook for destroying their franchise, with a quick look at the Homestead Grays’ residency in the District of Columbia. In the reissue part of the show, we return to “The Turtle Who Was Hated By God,” which is exactly what it sounds like,
Infinite Inning 341: Oh Say Can You See Bad Yankees Trades
We’re back after an unanticipated medical time out! Casey Stengel gives a medical report and so does the host; why the bad parts of American history give meaning to the good parts, and vice-versa; a whirlwind tour of Pirates-Yankees trades, including one that should have happened but was preempted by an overzealous commissioner. The Infinite Inning is a journey to the past to understand the presen
Infinite Inning Reissue 12 (068): The Dodgers, the Giants, and Being More Criminal Than You Have a Right to Be
In this week’s new remarks, a sentimental farewell to the great Ryne Sandberg, the traffic en route to Citi Field and the world outside our windows, and a lesson from position players pitching. Then in our flashback segment, the entertaining but ill-fated Pea Ridge Day and the oddly parallel fates of a 1920s movie star and a New York Giants center fielder. The Infinite Inning is a journey to the p
Infinite Inning 340: The Yankees, Buhner, Phelps, and the Pinstriped Excuse
In a Yankees-centric episode for deadline week, we revisit a rare homegrown Yankees third baseman at a moment he refused to sit down even as injuries ate him alive. Then we take another look at the Buhner-Phelps deal. The Yankees could hardly have done worse... But could they truly have done better? The Infinite Inning is a journey to the past to understand the present using baseball as our time m
Infinite Inning Reissue 11 (019): The Greatest Pitcher in A’s History and the Death-Dealing River
The recent tragic flooding in Texas causes us to revisit the passing of one of baseball’s greatest and strangest southpaws and, in this week’s new remarks, wonder just when it is that anyone actually learns anything, and then how long will it be until they forget it again? The Infinite Inning is a journey to the past to understand the present using baseball as our time machine. Baseball, America's
Infinite Inning 339: The Greatest Deadline Deal and the L.A. White Sox Bring the Hall of Famers
We revisit one of the greatest baseball trade deadline deals. Hint: It came on June 15, 1964, and then visit early 20th century Los Angeles and take a look at a neglected corner of baseball history, starting with Joe DiMaggio’s father in Sicily, journeying to Japan, and wrapping up in Texas with a player called “Goo-Goo.” And don’t forget “Sore” Feets!The Infinite Inning is a journey to the past t
Infinite Inning 338: Superman Almost Defunds the Negro Leagues
The baseball content in Action Comics no. 1 has a bad effect on those who appeared, particularly the Yankees, the new Superman film, the nature of the character, and Superman vs. the gamblers in a 1939 issue with a Casey Stengel (Braves) and Ducky Medwick (Cardinals) appearance. Then we revisit a statement of values (the opposite of “Nazi” is “baseball”) and dip into Baseball’s Brief Lives to revi
Infinite Inning Reissue 10 (053): On Cobb, Robinson, American Values, and 3000 Hits
In new remarks for this week’s baseball, history, and politics reissue, we discuss the Infinite Inning creed and ask what it is we can infer about whole groups if Johnny Bench was a better player than Johnny Roseboro or Lou Gehrig more of a slugger than Vic Power? (Hint: not a damned thing). Then we return to stories of Paul Waner’s 3000th hit and Ty Cobb’s racism and how it intersected with Ameri
Infinite Inning Reissue 9 (079): Cubs in the Stands, Giants on the Breadline, and Lou Reed in New York
In new remarks for this week’s baseball, history, and politics reissue, we apply Lou Reed’s classic 1989 album New York to this week’s events in Washington and elsewhere, a discussion which also affords us a momentary visit to that year’s Yankees trying to make some absurd trades (and the Mets actually consummating one of the worst). The flashback segment revisits Hack Wilson’s trip into the stand
Infinite Inning 337: Yankees and Cubs Have Wants and Desires
Infinite Inning 337: Yankees and Cubs Have Wants and Desires Babe Ruth asks for a small favor from Yankees owner Jacob Ruppert—well, 100,000 small favors—and is rebuked in the papers, suggesting a modern problem is actually an old one as well. Then a Cubs great goes to California and finds that prohibition is no impediment to his drinking, a tale which leads to stories of another drinker and a mur
Infinite Inning Reissue 8 (050): Everyone Rejects Roy, Even the Yankees, But Everyone Takes the Money
In new remarks for this week’s baseball, history, and politics reissue, we consider the heat dome hovering over half the country and wonder what it means for baseball. Then we revisit the offensively potent but frequently discarded outfielder Roy Cullenbine and take a visit to interwar Washington for a mostly non-baseball story of political corruption. The Infinite Inning is a journey to the past
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