Almost Cooperstown

Send us a textAaron Judge and Juan Soto are 1-2 in xwOBA. Expected Weighted On-Base Average (xwOBA) tell the story of a player's season based on quality of and amount of contact, not outcomes. It takes out being unlucky. Why can't we get into the College World Series? Rafael Devers is a Giant in the first pre-trading deadline deal of the 2025 #MLB season. Devers said he'd play anywhere once he went to San Francisco. Maybe the Red Sox just didn't ask nicely? Not great for Alex Cora and Craig Breslow. Shohei Ohtani is back on the hill but will he take his turn every 6th day? Cal Raleigh has 30 home runs and is poised to have the greatest hitting season in catcher history.  Yes there is a long way to go. James Wood is a superstar in the making. We wish Ron Washington well as he recovers from a medical issue. www.almostcooperstown.com

Send us a textAs a father and son doing a podcast we're keenly aware of the bond that baseball can bring to a family.  We loved talking with a real live recent (and possibly future) MLB player and his father about their relationship and journeys in baseball.  What's it like playing #MLB today?  How hard is it to hit today's pitchers and get out Major League hitters?  John Sr. is on a book tour with his latest release "Diamond Duels" which we recommend highly. He's also written "Last Time Out" and a non-baseball book "Nashua" which is where he hailed from but it' not about his childhood. Jr. grew up in Tallahassee and always wanted to be a baseball player for Florida State and he did that and so much more - while his Dad covered the team for the local paper. They go by 'Nogo' and the 'Big Nogowski' thing is fun and done for a charity which John Jr. relates. Father's Day and baseball - they go together so well! Intro & Outro music this season courtesy of Mercury Maid! Check them out on Spotify or Apple Music!  Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you can give us 4 or 5 star rating that means a lot. And 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 X @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page or YouTube channel.  And please tell your friends! www.almostcooperstown.com

Send 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 any player since 2015. Is he a HOFer. We think so. #Dbacks are a disappointment as are the #RedSox and #Orioles.   How about #Royals? Shouldn't they be better? #Tigers have been great and #Guardians will hang around w #Twins. Mets season so far has featured pitchers over-performing expectations and hitters like Soto and Nimmo underperforming. Can it last? We have our doubts. The bullpen has also been excellent led by Edwin Diaz who looks like prime "Sugar" and arms that find ways to get outs. Manager Carlos Mendoza has already become one of the best in the game.  Can Pete Alonso keep it up? Francisco Lindor continues to play at a Hall of Fame level every day. What will the team do with Brett Baty, Mark Vientos, Luisangel Acuna and Ronny Mauricio? They all cannot get playing time. And Jeff McNeil is starting to produce wherever he plays. Intro & Outro music this season courtesy of Mercury Maid! Check them out on Spotify or Apple Music!  Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you can give us 4 or 5 star rating that means a lot. And 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 X @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page or YouTube channel.  And please tell your friends! www.almostcooperstown.com

Send us a text#Phillies pfell out of pfirst place in the #nleast given a very unusually poor start on Saturday vs. #Brewers.  Phillies #Cubs, #Dodgers, #Mets all started Sunday at 36-22. They are the class of the league while in the #americanleague #Yankees  & #Tigers seem better than all the other teams. #Braves despite the returns of Spencer Strider & Ronald Acuna can't get it together. There's still time but the injury to AJ Smith-Shawver hurts more than it should. His teammate Chris Sale had his 2,500th strikeout this week in his likely HOF career. We didn't completely agree. #Rockies have not won a series this 2025 #MLB season. They are the fastest team to 5-0 losses in the modern era. So few MLBers get to 3,000 hits for a career. Is a career with 2,500 hits the new 3,000 hit career? Few players even achieve 200 hits in a season. In order to make it to 3,000 hits you'd need to AVERAGE 200 hits for 15 seasons!  Some of the less-than-3,000 hits for a career players like Johnny Damon with 2,769 career hits didn't get much HOF consideration. Will that change with time?Intro & Outro music this season courtesy of Mercury Maid! Check them out on Spotify or Apple Music!  Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you can give us 4 or 5 star rating that means a lot. And 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 X @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page or YouTube channel.  And please tell your friends!www.almostcooperstown.com

Send 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 run on the first pitch he saw! Then he hit another on Saturday. We talk about being 1/3 of the way through the 2025 #MLB season and how stats might project out if the current rates are maintained. Will #Mariners Cal Raleigh hit 51 home runs? Probably not but it's fun to think about what could happen.  All the divisions are covered and we're still doubting #Cardinals and #Phillies. Or at least Mark is.Intro & Outro music this season courtesy of Mercury Maid! Check them out on Spotify or Apple Music!  Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you can give us 4 or 5 star rating that means a lot. And 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 X @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page or YouTube channel.  And please tell your friends!www.almostcooperstown.com

Send us a textThree managers have been fired already before Memorial Day!  #Pirates Derek Shelton, #Rockies Bud Black, & #Orioles Brandon Hyde all were dismissed and it kind of makes sense. You can't fire 26 players!  #Twins won 13 straight before finally losing on Sunday. They move to 2nd place in the #ALCentral. #Tigers are the best team in #MLB right now and look strong enough to hold that position. How about #Mariners hitting? After years of putrid offense, the M's are leading the #ALWest over tired #Astros & underperforming #Rangers. Only #Yankees are over .500 in the #ALEast. #Dodgers still leading the #NLWest but the #Padres, #Giants, & #Dbacks are all good teams and will vie for a playoff spot all season. #Cubs may be the only #NLCentral team to make the postseason. #Mets lead #NLEast, #Phillies lose Jose Alvarado to PED suspension, and Aaron Nola is on the IL. #Braves are righting the ship & will be heard from. We also talked about inside the park home runs which are an increasing rarity. Ballparks are smaller, players are better athletes and understand how to play the outfield in the various parks. There have only been 10 inside the park homers in the World Series. When was the most recent?  We tell all! Intro & Outro music this season courtesy of Mercury Maid! Check them out on Spotify or Apple Music!  Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you can give us 4 or 5 star rating that means a lot. And 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 X @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page or YouTube channel.  And please tell your friends!www.almostcooperstown.com

Send us a text#Yankees Aaron Judge is now on pace for 56 home runs which would surprise exactly nobody!  Judge also has a #MLB leading 39 RBIs which over 162 games would be 156 RBIs. That hasn't been done since A-Rod did it for those same Yankees in 2007. But the real question is can Judge maintain his +.400 batting average? Doubtful but fun to watch! #Pirates CF O'neil Cruz leads MLB on pace for 60+ SBs. Can he keep that up? He has a new manager now that Derek Shelton has been let go. Bud Black of the #Rockies was also dismissed this weekend. Probably doing him and the franchise a favor as the team has been historically awful and had a historically awful week! Max Fried has a MLB league leading ERA at 1.04. He's in place to start the ASG if this keeps up. But how about #Royals Kris Dubic? He's had an excellent start to the season and is largely forgotten behind Cole Ragans and Seth Lugo. #Tigers Skubal has rounded into form but the loss of Casey Mize will hurt the Motor City kitties. #Dodgers Shohei Ohtani has been routinely amazing such that it's no longer notable! Intro & Outro music this season courtesy of Mercury Maid! Check them out on Spotify or Apple Music!  Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you can give us 4 or 5 star rating that means a lot. And 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 X @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page or YouTube channel.  And please tell your friends!www.almostcooperstown.com

Send us a textIt was more fun talking about This Week in Baseball goings-on since #MLB team captains are kinda unimportant. A vestige of 19th century baseball, there are only three team captains in the Majors today. # Yankees Aaron Judge #Royals Salvador Perez, & #Rangers Marcus Semien.  Why aren't there more? We dive into that thought in this week's episode. Four of the five teams in the #ALWest are .500 or better. Who'da thunk it? Jacob DeGrom is looking like prime DeGrom for Texas. Pitching injuries continue to be the story of the 2025 season.  Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow of the #Dodgers are both on the IL. The boys from L.A. keep on winning.  How about the Tampa Bay #Rays?  They have had a bunch of home games scheduled in the early part of the season because there is not roof over Steinbrenner Field in Tampa - the temporary home of the Rays. If you didn't know, it rains a bunch in the afternoons and evenings in Tampa in the summer. So MLB is trying to avoid rainouts and scheduled the Rays for a lot of road trips after May. ]#RedSox puzzle us. Injuries yes, to Tristan Casas, hurt,  but the Sox just find ways to lose instead of ways to win. #Yankees are in 1st place by default. Intro & Outro music this season courtesy of Mercury Maid! Check them out on Spotify or Apple Music!  Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you can give us 4 or 5 star rating that means a lot. And 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 X @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page or YouTube channel.  And please tell your friends! www.almostcooperstown.com

Send us a text#Pirates rookie 27 YO Matt Gorski hit a home run in his first #MLB at-bat this week!  But maybe #Dbacks Eugenio Suarez outdid him by clubbing 4 home runs in a game versus the #Braves, that Arizona ended up losing!   Are the #Giants & #Tigers built for the long haul?  Is #Yankees Paul Goldschmidt really back in HOF form?  We cover the big and little stories of the past week. Like the phantom triple play turned by the Nationals in their crazy win Friday vs. #Mets. AND, then there's checked swings. In the Arizona Fall League last year Mets Drew Gilbert was the first player to call for a check swing review using the technology that was tested. The criteria is that the swing cannot go past 45 degrees beyond the edge of home plate. It worked just fine and we hope that along with ABS, ACS (automatic check swing?) will become part of daily life in the majors. Getting the call right is what all fans want most! Here's the clip on the first check swing review in the Arizona Fall League in 2024 - https://www.mlb.com/news/mlb-testing-check-swing-challenge-in-arizona-fall-leagueIntro & Outro music this season courtesy of Mercury Maid! Check them out on Spotify or Apple Music!  Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you can give us 4 or 5 star rating that means a lot. And 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 X @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page or YouTube channel.  And please tell your friends!www.almostcooperstown.com

Send us a textAbout 1/8th of the season is past so you can pretty much take #MLB player stats and multiply by eight. Tyler Soderstrom of the #athletics s is not going to hit 72 home runs. But #yankees  AaronJudge could definitely finish with 56 or more homers. Umpire Hunter Wendelstedt was taken out by a line drive foul ball last week in the #Mets #Twins series at Citi Field. Hoping that he's going to be ok but it was a scary thing. Is the National League really that much better than the American League this season?  It may seem so at first but it's too early to be certain. Might be that the top #NL teams #Padres #Dodgers #Cubs #Giants #Phillies and Mets are stronger than those in the #AL where the #Rangers & Yankees stand out. Is Manny Machado a sure-fire HOFer? He plays 3B which is generally underrepresented in the HOF. He's closer than you think and is in his 14th season of a stellar career. We talk about the slam dunk HOFers playing (Verlander, Scherzer, Kershaw), and others who are probably already there as well as those knocking on the door.Intro & Outro music this season courtesy of Mercury Maid! Check them out on Spotify or Apple Music!  Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you can give us 4 or 5 star rating that means a lot. And 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 X @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page or YouTube channel.  And please tell your friends!www.almostcooperstown.com

Send us a text#Angels in first place is something we did not expect. Mike Trout leading the #AL in homers is not as shock but that he has 6 HRs and 10 hits is at least surprising!  The #Tigers are in 1st place as are #Yankees, #Padres, #Cubs w #Mets & #Phillies tied for 1st place in the #NLEast as of Sunday morning. Justin Steele may have an injury to his elbow that could change the Cubs fortunes. #Giants Wilmer Flores also has 6 HRs. #Mets Pete Alonso is off to a raging start which is good since many of the other hitters on the team are still not in full gear. Since we are avid Mets fans we put them first in our round up of all 30 teams best five starting pitchers in franchise history. We will do this periodically through the 2025 season. Intro & Outro music this season courtesy of Mercury Maid! Check them out on Spotify or Apple Music!  Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you can give us 4 or 5 star rating that means a lot. And 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 X @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page or YouTube channel.  And please tell your friends! www.almostcooperstown.com

Send us a textBaseball movies are rarer than they used to be. Has there been a great one that you love in the past 10 years?  Gordon and Mark participated in a roundtable with 4 other baseball writers/podcasters/personalities - Vince Wetzel (author of "Lose Yourself" and a past Almost Cooperstown guest, Scott Bolohan (host of the Twin Bill podcast and content), Kelly Franco (Three Inning Fan the podcast), and former ESPN and The Athletic writer, current Substack author and author of "The Best Team Money Can Buy" Molly Knight.  We each picked two movies to feature as one's we'd recommend watching again or for the first time if you haven't seen it!  Spoiler alert - nobody picked "The Natural" or "Field of Dreams" or "Eight Men Out".  To find out which ones we did pick listen or watch the podcast! Intro & Outro music this season courtesy of Mercury Maid! Check them out on Spotify or Apple Music!  Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you can give us 4 or 5 star rating that means a lot. And 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 X @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page or YouTube channel.  And please tell your friends!www.almostcooperstown.com

Send us a textThe #Dodgers finally lost & #Braves finally won. Yet it's the #Giants who are in 1st place in the NL West. #Padres also lost but still are off to a great start. #Cubs are looking good as are #Phillies who beat L.A. 2 out of 3 this weekend. #Mets bullpen is over-performing but they will take it for now. #D'backs have good news and bad news. #Yankees are still clubbing home runs and the #ALEast is already a dogfight. At one point this week all the #ALCentral teams were 2-4 but it was the #Tigers who ended up in 1st place after this weekend. #Rangers are in 1st in the #ALWest over the surprising #Angels? #Astros are scuffling and the #Athletics are flawed but interesting. #MLB commissioner Rob Manfred had some interesting thing to say about the future of baseball including Robo-Umps as well as competitive balance. We also talked about our podcast that will drop on Thursday with 4 other great #baseball personalities/writers/podcasters where we shared our thoughts on 2 baseball movies we felt fans should take another look at!Intro & Outro music this season courtesy of Mercury Maid! Check them out on Spotify or Apple Music!  Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you can give us 4 or 5 star rating that means a lot. And 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 X @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page or YouTube channel.  And please tell your friends!www.almostcooperstown.com

Send us a textIt's not really been a week in baseball but the Dodgers & Cubs have played 5 games now (Dodgers have won them all and are on a path to be undefeated) so that's close to a week. There are no narratives written in March for MLB teams. That goes for April too although teams will be almost 30 games into the season when April ends. #Yankees Aaron Judge was on a pace for nearly 500 RBIs this season when he had 11 RBIs in his first 11 ABs.  That goes with his 4 home runs in three games putting him second to Adrian Gonzalez for most homers in a season's first 3 games. Judge hit 3 HRs Saturday to become the 4th Yankee to do that including Babe Ruth and A-Rod. Lou Gehrig surpassed that with (4) 3-HR games! The Yankees spanked the #Brewers and gave Nestor Cortes a bad reception at Yankee Stadium in his first game pitching for the Brewers. It was a game in which the Bronx Bombers hit 9 home runs. Shohei is hitting homers. Mookie Betts is back in the lineup and the 2024 World Series combatants are a combined 8-0 in 2025. We pick who we think will win MLB awards this season. Rookie-of-the-Year, Cy Young, MVP, and Manager of the Year for both leagues. It's not as easy as it sounds after Ohtani! Intro & Outro music this season courtesy of Mercury Maid! Check them out on Spotify or Apple Music!  Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you can give us 4 or 5 star rating that means a lot. And 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 X @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page or YouTube channel.  And please tell your friends!www.almostcooperstown.com

Send us a textAs we launch our 6th season of Almost Cooperstown podcasts we start by saying thank you to our listeners and viewers. 280 episodes in the can and still going strong!  Thank you for liking to hear and watch us talk about our favorite thing - baseball! We go division by division picking all 30 teams in order of finish. It's a long episode for that reason but we just couldn't stop ourselves!  Take it in bites if you can't listen all at once. Will the #Dodgers go 162-0?  Can any team beat them in the NL West? Which teams will surprise? Which teams will disappoint? What will happen in Sacramento this season? Or Tampa? Both are hosting #MLB teams who've not played regular season games at their ballparks. Intro & Outro music this season courtesy of Mercury Maid! Check them out on Spotify or Apple Music!  Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you can give us 4 or 5 star rating that means a lot. And 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 X @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page or YouTube channel.  And please tell your friends!www.almostcooperstown.com

Send us a textAuthor of 19 books, Keith O'Brien grew up in Cincinnati and had a front row seat to much of Pete Rose's career. Keith's 2024 book "Charlie Hustle" won awards from the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and The New Yorker. We both enjoyed the book immensely and recommend it highly. Pete Rose was addicted to gambling, something he finally admitted, but only when he was trying to get baseball to reinstate him to be eligible for the Hall of Fame. Pete always played to win and also always managed his teams to win. But his lifelong association with gamblers and gambling proved to   be his ultimate undoing. He does have the most hits in MLB history AND a 44-game hitting streak that remains a National League record. Keith has so many great stories from having interviewed Pete for 27 hours and talking with so many people who knew and interacted with Pete Rose on a daily basis. Keith asked us if what we thought about Pete Rose being in the HOF! Intro & Outro music this season courtesy of Mercury Maid! Check them out on Spotify or Apple Music!  Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you can give us 4 or 5 star rating that means a lot. And 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 X @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page or YouTube channel.  And please tell your friends!www.almostcooperstown.com

Send us a textEven before Judge Kennesaw Mountain Landis banned eight #Whitesox players for their attempted fix of the 1919 World Series, players had been banned, blacklisted and banished from baseball mostly for trying to fix games but not always. Once Commissioner Landis was given the job and power to kick players and people out of baseball he used it liberally as did his successors. Even Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle were banned from #MLB in 1983 for being greeters at different casinos in Atlantic City. Finally Peter Ueberroth un-banned them which might have been his finest moment as commish. Sometimes it's gambling, other times drugs, and still other instances are even more serious and criminal. We talk about the difference between black-listing and blackballing and how #baseball hopes one of the other major sports has a gambling scandal before MLB does. Intro & Outro music this season courtesy of Mercury Maid! Check them out on Spotify or Apple Music!  Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you can give us 4 or 5 star rating that means a lot. And 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 X @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page or YouTube channel.  And please tell your friends!www.almostcooperstown.com

Send us a text#Yankees Giancarlo Stanton is injured. Again. This time it is tennis elbow in both elbows!  #Mets FA acquisition Nick Madrigal is doing his Jed Lowrie imitation as he's out for the season before it ever started!  Injuries are part of the game but you hope to get through Spring Training! Max Scherzer is not thrilled with ABS testing so far. But Max is never happy about, everything? Terry Francona of the #Reds told his players to ignore ABS since they are not going to use it this season anyway. Authir Keith O'Brien will join the podcast in 2 weeks to talk about his book "Charlie Hustle".  Pete Rose was in the news again as he's set to receive a pardon for his criminal activities (tax related) from President Trump. #MLB commissioner Rob Manfred then piped in that they will take another look at Pete's explusion. The youngest player to play MLB was LHP Joe Nuxhall in 1944. He was still 15 years old and only in high school!  He pitched one game, got shelled, and didn't come back to the show for 7 years!  Joe pitched 16 seasons and won 135 games a pitcher and became a long time broadcaster for Cincinnati with HOF broadcaster Marty Brennaman. We also talked about NY Giants Freddie Lindstrom who became a HOFer - somehow, and still is the youngest player to ever play in the World Series. Even younger than #Braves Andruw Jones! Intro & Outro music this season courtesy of Mercury Maid! Check them out on Spotify or Apple Music!  Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you can give us 4 or 5 star rating that means a lot. And 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 X @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page or YouTube channel.  And please tell your friends! www.almostcooperstown.com

Send us a textAlex Bregman homered in his first Spring Training game for #redsox. He also went 3-3. #Mets Juan Soto went oppo toco deep in his first AB with his new team. #yankees Aaron Boone got a contract extension and Giancarlo Stanton has tennis elbow. In both elbows?  Frankie Montas now of the Mets is injured. Justin Turner goes to #Cubs. Does that give them an edge?  ABS made its debut in Spring Training and teams are testing it out. Yankees also rescinded the facial hair policy. It lasted 49 years. #reds had a longer time not allowing whiskers - from 1902-1999!  Marge Schott put a stop to it of all people! We also dream that a salary cap attempt by owners backfires into a salary floor with NO salary cap!  It could happen but probably won't.  Deadball era pitchers like Christy Mathewson, Lefty Grove, Rube Waddell, Cy Young made it tough on hitters and were a bigger part of hitters failures than pithcers were given credit for.  Hitters used heavy bats and their approach to hitting was limited once foul balls were counted as strikes - which they were not until 1901 in the NL and 1903 in the AL. We're so glad the deadball era is past but starting pitchers today are a dying breed.Intro & Outro music this season courtesy of Mercury Maid! Check them out on Spotify or Apple Music!  Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you can give us 4 or 5 star rating that means a lot. And 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 X @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page or YouTube channel.  And please tell your friends!www.almostcooperstown.com

Send us a textThere was enough news for us to talk about what went on this week. Alex Bregman #redsox was the biggest player news. #Angels Rendon is out of action for the season. Again. Before it even started! Who will be the dark horse teams in #MLB 2025? How about caps for the HOF inductees? Is C.C. really a #Yankees player?  Then there's the Deadball era which occurred from 1901-1919. It was not completely consistent and happened for a variety of reasons. Ty Cobb led #americanleague with 9 home runs in 1909! Offense did improve with the change in #baseballs in 1910 but pitchers found new ways to cut, slather and doctor baseballs.Note: Gavy Cravath actually did lead the lead in home runs 6 times during the Deadball era. Intro & Outro music this season courtesy of Mercury Maid! Check them out on Spotify or Apple Music!  Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you can give us 4 or 5 star rating that means a lot. And 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 X @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page or YouTube channel.  And please tell your friends!www.almostcooperstown.com

Send us a textWell here we are with spring training at hand as pitchers & catchers are reporting for #Cubs today. Other teams will follow shortly. Football season is over and baseball is on the way!  How did the NL teams offseason go? #Dodgers, #Giants and #Mets were noisy.  #Reds have Terry Francona at the helm. #Padres are puzzling. #Dbacks are dynamic w Corbin Burnes at the top of the rotation. #Cubs get Ryan Pressley to close. #Brewers were baffling. #Phillies added Jesus Luzardo, #Braves will get Strider and Acuna back early in the season. #Nationals wish they played in a different division. #Pirates were pretty quiet. #Cardinals got older. #Rockies return to play again. Intro & Outro music this season courtesy of Mercury Maid! Check them out on Spotify or Apple Music!  Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you can give us 4 or 5 star rating that means a lot. And 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 X @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page or YouTube channel.  And please tell your friends!www.almostcooperstown.com

Send us a text#MLB Pitchers and catchers report in about 10 days. So officially baseball winter is over as the sound of balls hitting gloves is imminent!  Watching video of #Rangers Jacob DeGrom is compelling and full of promise!  The fate of the team is likely tied to how DeGrom pitches in 2025 and how much! We talk about the American League teams and what they did of interest since the 2024 season regular season ended in early October.  Four months is a long time!  Which AL teams got better? Did any?  #Yankees lost Juan Soto and Clay Holmes as well as Anthony Rizzo. They brought in Max Fried, Paul Goldschmidt, and Cody Bellinger.  Seems like it could be a good exchange if the three play to their best selves. But who's gonna play third base for the Yanks especially when Max Fried pitches? We cover every team on the Junior Circuit - even the team that formerly played in Oakland and was called the Athletics. We have no idea what they will be when they play in Sacramento this and the following two years at least. "This is the year" is one of our favorite expressions that is too often hope triumphing over experience. Correction - Matt Manning did not pitch for #Tigers in playoffs. It was Matt Boyd who is now with the #Cubs. Intro & Outro music this season courtesy of Mercury Maid! Check them out on Spotify or Apple Music!  Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you can give us 4 or 5 star rating that means a lot. And 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 X @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page or YouTube channel.  And please tell your friends!www.almostcooperstown.com

Send 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 more candidates than the current limit of 10. Gordon suggested that if a player got one vote in his first year on the ballot he could stay on for year 2 and then be subject to some sort of minimum percentage - 5% or even less. As #Mets fans we are thrilled that Billy Wagner finally made it. New Yorkers will be traveling to Cooperstown this coming July to celebrate CC and Billy. Dan is working on a couple of new articles including an upcoming one on Babe Dahlgren's foray into video analysis more than 70 years ago!Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you can give us 4 or 5 star rating that means a lot. 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 X @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page or YouTube channel.  And please tell your friends!www.almostcooperstown.com

Send us a text#pirates and #whitesox Smoky Burgess had a pretty good career with a career OPS+ of 116. But he's third all-time in pinch hits and was a beloved player at the end of his career. We talk about the changes in pinch hitting and why all-time pinch hitting records are likely safe!Intro & Outro music this season courtesy of Mercury Maid! Check them out on Spotify or Apple Music!  Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you can give us 4 or 5 star rating that means a lot. And 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 X @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page or YouTube channel.  And please tell your friends!www.almostcooperstown.com

Send us a textAs Director of Product Adam has been part of Sports-Reference for a long time. Keeping Baseball -Reference.com fresh, being part of the addition of Football, Basketball, (both college and pro), and hockey has proven to be groundbreaking. Adam has also worked on bringing in Negro League player data into BR. We talk Hall of Fame (Adam is a Dustin Pedroia advocate), and what's next for Adam!Intro & Outro music this season courtesy of Mercury Maid! Check them out on Spotify or Apple Music!  Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you can give us 4 or 5 star rating that means a lot. 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 X @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page or YouTube channel.  And please tell your friends!www.almostcooperstown.com

Send us a textWe don't know about you, but we forget things that happened during a baseball season even when it was LAST season!  Sure the #dodgers beat #yankees in the #worldseries but besides Shohei and Aaron Judge, and Skubal, Sale and Skenes, there still were a lot of interesting and even amazing things that happened. We discuss the four no-hitters, the pitching triple crowns, and sad things like the #whitesox season. Remember how many #MLB managers got fired during the season. We do!  This was a way more fun exercise for us than we first thought and we hope you agree!  And since it's our first podcast drop for 2025 - Happy New Year!Intro & Outro music this season courtesy of Mercury Maid! Check them out on Spotify or Apple Music!  Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you can give us 4 or 5 star rating that means a lot. And 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 X @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page or YouTube channel.  And please tell your friends!www.almostcooperstown.com

Send 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 St. Louis and becoming the Browns. HOFers Eddie Murray, Cal Ripken Jr. and Frank Robinson are in the top 5. But Besides being mostly terrible, the Browns had few home run threats. The #bluejays and #Rays are more recent additions but only Fred McGriff is in the top five of either team and is a HOFer. Carlos Delgado rules the roost for Toronto. Edwin Encarnacion has 424 career homers not 434 #guardians #tigers #whitesox #twins #royals have familiar names in their top two but once you go deeper it gets more difficult. #athletics #angels #rangers #astros #mariners have a few HOFers on their list.Link to an article by Mark - https://almostcooperstown.substack.com/p/career-home-run-leaders-for-each-be7?r=6m2o9Intro & Outro music this season courtesy of Mercury Maid! Check them out on Spotify or Apple Music!  Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you can give us 4 or 5 star rating that means a lot. And 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 X @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page or YouTube channel.  And please tell your friends!www.almostcooperstown.com

Send us a textWho are the home run leaders while wearing a team's uniform?  Sounded like a interesting episode topic but then Rickey Henderson so sadly and suddenly passed away at age 65. Rickey's 66th birthday would have been on Christmas this Wednesday. With 1,406 stolen bases Rickey doesn't only have the most stolen bases in one season, or in a career, he also scored the most runs in baseball history with 2,295! He also had 81 career leadoff home runs, the most in history. Rickey is and was the best leadoff hitter in #MLB history. He will be sorely missed. #Padres Manny Machado became the franchise home run leader. But he hasn't been there that long. It was surprising! With 167 he passed Dave Winfield, Nate Colbert, Phil Nevin, and the former leader Adrian Gonzalez. Gordon and Mark go team by team in the #nationalleague to reveal the top 5 in home runs for each team while wearing their uniform. Here's a link to an associated article by Mark: https://almostcooperstown.substack.com/p/career-home-run-leaders-for-each?r=6m2o9Intro & Outro music this season courtesy of Mercury Maid! Check them out on Spotify or Apple Music!  Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you can give us 4 or 5 star rating that means a lot. And 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 X @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page or YouTube channel.  And please tell your friends!www.almostcooperstown.com

Send us a textSteve Phillips has been a radio personality for 20 years starting not long after his time his time as GM for our #mets. Steve brought in Mike Piazza who had the biggest non-playoff home run in Mets history - until this year maybe? Today Steve hosts 'The Leadoff Spot' on Sirius/XM radio weekdays from 7-10AM. Steve also broadcasts some Toronto Blue Jays games and is a regular contributor the #mlbnetwork. We didn't want to ask him about Bobby Bonilla but did finally at the end, and we did not have time to get into the failed deal for A-Rod or the Kenny Rogers meltdown in 1999 so we will have Steve back hopefully very soon! Intro & Outro music this season courtesy of Mercury Maid! Check them out on Spotify or Apple Music!  Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you can give us 4 or 5 star rating that means a lot. And 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 X @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page or YouTube channel.  And please tell your friends!www.almostcooperstown.com

Send us a textHow about the #Giants finally getting their man in Willy Adames. But it was a big price to pay. Clay Holmes to the #mets as a starter? Luis Severino to Sacramento is a big deal for the franchise formerly known as the #athletics who seem like they will eventually move to Vegas. Frankie Montas to the Mets was the reason Severino headed west. But still no word on Juan Soto but we think it will happen this week. Classic Era baseball committee came up with Dick Allen and Dave Parker but we thought Luis Tiant might make it and that all 8 candidates were worthy - well at least 7 of them. How about the Golden at-bat? Is this #MLB fan trolling? Commissioner Rob Manfred knew he'd be raked over the coals. But did it anyway. Why? It's a terrible idea and in no way makes #baseball better. HOFer Mickey Mantle is the greatest switch hitter of all time. End of story. HOFer Eddie Murray was the other switch hitter that has 500 career (504) home runs. Switch hitting is happening less frequently as the benefits are more questionable than ever. Intro & Outro music this season courtesy of Mercury Maid! Check them out on Spotify or Apple Music!  Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you can give us 4 or 5 star rating that means a lot. And 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 X @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page or YouTube channel.  And please tell your friends. www.almostcooperstown.com

Send us a textHaving worked with HOFer Roland Hemond with the Chicago #whitesox, Dan Evans took on the job of rebuilding the #dodgers in 2001. He was there for four seasons and had a winning season each year before being fired with almost 200 others. The Dodgers went 71-91 the next season and Dan tells us it did not bother him a bit! Dodgers GM from 2001-2004 having a winning record each year, Dan Evans is a baseball lifer with a lot of life left ahead!  We could have talked with Dan for hours and hours! Not being the GM that traded Beltre was very interesting to hear since Dan knew he was watching one of the greats, but others in the Dodger organization did not see it or agree. Dan also was the GM who brought back HOFers Duke Snider, Sandy Koufax, and #dodgers star Maury Wills into the Dodger family. Dan also talked about conversations he had with the teammates of Jackie Robinson and how special it was to know Jackie's widow Rachel. A historian of the game, Dan sees the future at the same time making him one of the most interesting interviews we've ever done on the podcast. We will have him back hopefully very soon as we've much left to discuss! Dan's course for those thinking about being involved for baseball can be found here: https://www.sportsmanagementworldwide.com/users/dan-evansAnd our apologies for the audio difficulties in the podcast. Intro & Outro music this season courtesy of Mercury Maid! Check them out on Spotify or Apple Music!  Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you can give us 4 or 5 star rating that means a lot. And 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 X @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page or YouTube channel.  And please tell your friends!www.almostcooperstown.com

Send us a textWhy aren't more teams on #MLB free agent Juan Soto? They make plenty of money but are afraid. Afraid even though they are increasing franchise value and have more revenue streams than ever before. Teams should be spending more on Free Agents. We tell you which ones. Which teams should be spending more period? After Juan Soto signs who will be next?  Pete Alonso? Anthony Santander? Blake Snell and Tommy Edman have already signed w L.A. Dodgers. But are the #Dodgers done? Where are the #Tigers #Royals & #Guardians?  #Phillies #Braves have $ but are holding back! We cover which teams have the highest franchise value and which ones have the highest & lowest payroll obligations over the next few years. Intro & Outro music this season courtesy of Mercury Maid! Check them out on Spotify or Apple Music!  Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you can give us 4 or 5 star rating that means a lot. And 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 X @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page or YouTube channel.  And please tell your friends! www.almostcooperstown.com

Send us a text79/113/122 those are the numbers representing the amount of days until pitchers & catchers report, #Dodgers #Cubs opening games in Tokyo March 18, and the REAL opening day on March 27. MVP, Cy Young, Rookie of the Year, and Manager of the Year were all awarded. There were exactly ZERO surprises. Guess that's but it's also kind of boring. News Flash - #Mets Francisco Lindor did not win anything but a silver slugger. Sure he gets paid but what does Lindor have to do to get recognized as one of #Baseball's best? Who will get in on the recently released 2025 HOF ballot? #Mariners Ichiro Suzuki is on the ballot & may be a first ballot HOFer. Should he be unanimous? We give reasons why yes, and why no.  Felix Hernandez & C.C. Sabathia are also on the ballot for the 1st time. Will they get in first time around? How about #Astros #Mets #Phillies Billy Wagner? This is his last time around. Will he get in? Intro & Outro music this season courtesy of Mercury Maid! Check them out on Spotify or Apple Music!  Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you can give us 4 or 5 star rating that means a lot. And 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 X @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page or YouTube channel.  And please tell your friends! www.almostcooperstown.com

Send 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 All-Star 24 times. That's not a misprint and Gordon and I tell you why. Was he better than the 'Spendid Splinter' Ted Williams? Maybe not as a hitter but he did have more hits in his career. Williams out-homered Stan despite carding 3 fewer seasons. But we highlight the most unusual facet of Musial's career which was his shuttling between the outfield and first base (where he played more than 30% of his games during his illustrious career). Both Musial and Williams started their careers long before Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in #baseball. Intro & Outro music this season courtesy of Mercury Maid! Check them out on Spotify or Apple Music!  Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you can give us 4 or 5 star rating that means a lot. And 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 X @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page or YouTube channel.  And please tell your friends!www.almostcooperstown.com

Send us a textJapanese sensation 23-year-old Roki Sasaki wants to play #MLB. He finally got Chibu to allow him to have that opportunity. Yoshinobu Yamamoto showed the #Dodgers that top-tier NPB pitchers can dominate in the Majors. Gerrit Cole thought about leaving the #Yankees and then thought the better of it. We didn't discuss Shohei Ohtani's surgery but he'll be ready for Opening Day. We discussed the Gold Glove winners who were announced this week. The Classic Baseball committee put out their ballot this year to be voted on by 16 yet unnamed voters. Dick Allen and the late Luis Tiant are our favorites. But there are other worthy candidates including Negro League stars John Donaldson and Vic Willis. And Brooks Robinson won 16 consecutive Gold Gloves. Amazing! Intro & Outro music this season courtesy of Mercury Maid! Check them out on Spotify or Apple Music!  Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you can give us 4 or 5 star rating that means a lot. And 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 X @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page or YouTube channel.  And please tell your friends! www.almostcooperstown.com

Send us a textIf you are using Baseball-reference.com or Football or Basketball reference you will be using aspects what Sean Lahman created 30 years ago. Sean is a member of SABR and has generously donated the database to SABR so it's in excellent hands! We asked Sean how to use the database, how much and how long it took to put it all together (Bill James was an inspiration) and ways the average fan can make use of the Lahman Database which can be found at baseball1.com.  We think you'll agree that Sean is engaging and easy to talk with and we had a great time and learned more than a few things and you will too!Intro & Outro music this season courtesy of Mercury Maid! Check them out on Spotify or Apple Music!  Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you can give us 4 or 5 star rating that means a lot. And 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 X @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page or YouTube channel.  And please tell your friends!www.almostcooperstown.com

Send us a textNo longer can #dodgers be talked about as not having won a WS in this century in a 162-game season. There are a few players like Max Muncy who remember taking Covid-19 test after winning the 2020 World Series. No parades. No cheering from the fans. The 2024 championship behind a great job of managing by future HOF manager Dave Roberts makes all the noise go away.Was #yankees manager Aaron Boone outmanaged by Roberts? It sure felt that way. UCLA beat USC in this one. Except Gerrit Cole went to UCLA. Yankees did all the little things worse than the Dodgers and that is what it takes to win a World Series. Intro & Outro music this season courtesy of Mercury Maid! Check them out on Spotify or Apple Music!  Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you can give us 4 or 5 star rating that means a lot. And 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 X @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page or YouTube channel.  And please tell your friends!www.almostcooperstown.com

Send us a textJust last season the #dbacks came from 2-0 down to beat the #Phillies in the NLCS.  So the #Yankees being down 2-0 is not insurmountable. But their fans are going nuts and negative since presumptive AL MVP Aaron Judge has struck out 6 times in 2 games. How will the Yankee fans greet Judge upon his return to the Bronx? #Dodgers Shohei Ohtani will play in game three and lead off. His subluxation of his left shoulder (partial dislocation) may impact how hard he swings - which in case you have not noticed is VERY hard!  The pitching has been better and Freddie Freeman has been spectacular hitting homers in game one and two the first one being a walk-off grand slam!  The Yankees came from 2-0 down to beat the Dodgers in 1978. The Dodgers returned the favor on the Yankees three years later in 1981. It can be done!  Don't count out the Bronx Bombers just yet.  Gordon and Mark give their reasons why this series is not over. Intro & Outro music this season courtesy of Mercury Maid! Check them out on Spotify or Apple Music!  Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you can give us 4 or 5 star rating that means a lot. And 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 X @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page or YouTube channel.  And please tell your friends!www.almostcooperstown.com

Send us a textDo today's Yankee and Dodger fans care about the 1981 World Series? That was the last one between the teams. The Yanks and Dodgers played 11 times from 1941 through 1981. They did not like each other. Really. That's not the case today as all belong to a very exclusive club of millionaires and billionaires. In the #ALCS #Guardians gave it their best shot vs. #Yankees but it was far from enough. Yet Cleveland had great moments from Lane Thomas, Johnkensey Noel, and David Fry but the relentlessness of GIancarlo Stanton and Juan Soto prevailed. In the #NLCS our beloved #Mets were slapped around so much by #Dodgers that their collective heads were spinning. Too many walks, too many exhausted Met relief pitchers was the reason the magic ran out. Too much Shohei, Mookie, and Tommy Edman. Tommy Edman? We review the seasons of the four semi-finalists and look forward to the World Series and make our picks. We were half right on the LCS. Intro & Outro music this season courtesy of Mercury Maid! Check them out on Spotify or Apple Music!  Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you can give us 4 or 5 star rating that means a lot. And 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 X @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page or YouTube channel.  And please tell your friends!www.almostcooperstown.com

Send us a textAs #Mets fans of course we're excited that somehow our favorite team is still in it. Yet the prospect of a subway series vs. #Yankees is very enticing and exciting. #Dodgers will have a lot to say about it and Shohei will likely not have another subpar series. #Guardians surprised #Tigers Tarik Skubal with former #National Lane Thomas providing two huge blows. We wrap up the Division series including the #Padres meek ending by not scoring in the final 24 innings!  #Phillies bullpen let them down as Zach Wheeler did all that he could but it was not enough. Our picks are also in this episode for which teams will face off in the World Series. The next three weeks are going to be thrilling! #LGM  Intro & Outro music this season courtesy of Mercury Maid! Check them out on Spotify or Apple Music!  Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you can give us 4 or 5 star rating that means a lot. And 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 X @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page or YouTube channel.  And please tell your friends!www.almostcooperstown.com

Send us a textIf you know our podcast you know we are huge Mets fans. This week was one of the better ones in the team's history. Playing the only games in #MLB on Monday and Thursday, the Mets were the Drama Queens from Queens!  Now that #Brewers are vanquished #Phillies await and will be a much tougher task. We preview the best of 5 series between#Yankees #Royals#Guardians #Tigers#Dodgers #PadresWe make our picks and talk about what happened to the #Orioles #Astros & #Braves. Intro & Outro music this season courtesy of Mercury Maid! Check them out on Spotify or Apple Music!  Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you can give us 4 or 5 star rating that means a lot. And 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 X @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page or YouTube channel.  And please tell your friends!www.almostcooperstown.com

Send us a textThe #Mets & #Braves split a doubleheader on Monday. Game 1 of the DH was one of the best baseball games a Met fan has ever seen. So we're naturally happy. But there were a ton of other things this week in baseball. We didn't discuss Luis Arraez 3rd straight batting crown, or Shohei Ohtani at all! Our segment on things you might not have heard included some rarely discussed oddities. The #2024MLBplayoffs start today with 4 Wild Card games. And the Wild Card Series will be over on Thursday with the Division Series beginning on Saturday.  It's October baseball and things move fast! Listen and watch us pick the winners. We do review our picks publicly so that we can be laughed at later! Intro & Outro music this season courtesy of Mercury Maid! Check them out on Spotify or Apple Music!  Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you can give us 4 or 5 star rating that means a lot. And 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 X @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page or YouTube channel.  And please tell your friends!www.almostcooperstown.com

Send us a textThe Rookie League championships took place at the end of July!  There's have also been championships settled in Low A and High A Ball. This week the AA and AAA finals are being played with the AAA overall championship a one game 'winner take all' playoff this Saturday Sept. 28th. Do minor league players get trophies for winning a minor league title? Do they care? The cities in which they play are connected even if players come and go during the season as the MLB parent takes precedence.Intro & Outro music this season courtesy of Mercury Maid! Check them out on Spotify or Apple Music!  Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you can give us 4 or 5 star rating that means a lot. And 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 X @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page or YouTube channel.  And please tell your friends!www.almostcooperstown.com

Send us a textWhat was CJ Abrams of the Washington Nationals thinking when he stayed out until 8AM before a day game!!  The White Sox tie the Mets record for futility with 120 losses. Tigers believe!  Twins like the Royals are sinking. Mariners are hanging on and the Braves go home to play the Mets for the playoff lives. Dodgers will need to hold off the Padres this week and the D'Backs won't go away. This last week of the 2024 regular season is going to be a great one! Intro & Outro music this season courtesy of Mercury Maid! Check them out on Spotify or Apple Music!  Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you can give us 4 or 5 star rating that means a lot. And 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 X @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page or YouTube channel.  And please tell your friends!www.almostcooperstown.com

Send us a text#Tigers Tarik Skubal and #Braves Chris Sale are both in line to win the AL and NL pitching triple crowns this season. Most wins, most strikeouts, and lowest E.R.A. is the criteria. It was last done in 2020 in the pandemic season by #Guardians Shane Bieber. It's happened 33 times in #MLB history which is more than double the amount of batting triple crowns (15). We discuss why fans are less enthusiastic about pitching triple crowns than batting ones - if fans are even aware the award exists in the first place.  Miguel Cabrera was the last batter to win a Triple Crown in 2012 which was the first time a player had done it since #RedSox Carl Yastrzemski did it in 1967 - 45 years earlier! What if WHIP was the third metric instead of pitcher wins? Walks Hits per innings pitched is a better measure of a pitcher's effectiveness. Intro & Outro music this season courtesy of Mercury Maid! Check them out on Spotify or Apple Music!  Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you can give us 4 or 5 star rating that means a lot. And 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 X @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page or YouTube channel.  And please tell your friends!www.almostcooperstown.com

Send us a textTyler Glasnow is out for the year. Yamamoto might be able to throw 6 innings by playoff time. What will the #Dodgers do? #Rangers had the future and the past happen this week with Kumar Rocker, Jacob DeGrom and Max Scherzer start consecutive games. Why did Gerritt Cole intentionally walk Rafael Devers while working on a no-hitter? It totally backfired. Bobby Witt Jr. has 100 RBIs. #Royals will finish above .500. Gunnar Henderson has 37 home runs but Aaron Judge will still win AL MVP. #brewers Willy Adames might be the most unheralded quality shortstop in #MLB.#Mets Francisco Lindor is injured & the team's playoff chances hinge upon his health. Luisangel Acuna's debut was a success for him but not for the team as they lost two games to the #Phillies in which they had the lead this past weekend. We introduce a new segment this week called 'Things you may not have heard". This will be a regular thing. Intro & Outro music this season courtesy of Mercury Maid! Check them out on Spotify or Apple Music!  Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you can give us 4 or 5 star rating that means a lot. And 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 X @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page or YouTube channel.  And please tell your friends!www.almostcooperstown.com

Send us a textAlbert Belle isn't in the HOF. Nor did he ever win an MVP although he deserved one in 1998. Instead Juan Gonzalez of the #Rangers (also not a HOFer). But Belle's not the biggest snub ever for MVP. There are lots of other more worthy, or unworthy, candidates! #Giants Barry Bonds ruined it for #Cardinals Albert Pujols in 2003. But Bonds did that to #Cubs Sammy Sosa who also is not in the HOF although for different reasons. How about #Tigers Norm Cash in 1961? Or Willie Mays in 1955? #redsox Ted Williams won the Triple Crown twice but was not awarded the ALMVP as both times he lost out to #yankees Joe DiMaggio. We cover those and others that are incredible to believe. Intro & Outro music this season courtesy of Mercury Maid! Check them out on Spotify or Apple Music!  Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you can give us 4 or 5 star rating that means a lot. And 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 X @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page or YouTube channel.  And please tell your friends!www.almostcooperstown.com

Send us a textParker Meadows had the backyard moment for the #Tigers in San Diego this week hitting a 2 out 2 strike grand slam in the 9th inning with his team down by 3 runs.  #Cubs Shota Imanaga was part of a combined no-hitter this week. Meh! We didn't talk about the #Brewers because they are still in cruise mode. #Dodgers & #Phillies have best records over Milwaukee. #Yankees need a closer they can count on. So do #Orioles. Everyone would like to have a Clase to close! Playoff participants in the AL are pretty much set - only the actual positioning is in doubt. We doubt the #Mariners and #RedSox can swipe a spot. In the National League #Mets #Braves #Padres & #Dbacks are 4 teams playing for 3 spots. Should be a great final 18-19 games! Intro & Outro music this season courtesy of Mercury Maid! Check them out on Spotify or Apple Music!  Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you can give us 4 or 5 star rating that means a lot. And 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 X @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page or YouTube channel.  And please tell your friends!www.almostcooperstown.com

Send us a textAutomated balls and strikes, will be instituted in MLB, eventually NCAthers wont be able to 'steal' strikes by trying to trick the umpires. Tennis hasn't missed anything moving to an automated line calling system and neither will MLB. Will catchers be able to focus more on baserunners? Maybe. Will they have to hit more than they do now? Yes.  The job of pitch framing takes a lot of attention and finesse. Teams won't likely carry a defense first backup catcher as much since being a good pitch-framer will not be of benefit!  Intro & Outro music this season courtesy of Mercury Maid! Check them out on Spotify or Apple Music!  Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you can give us 4 or 5 star rating that means a lot. And 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 X @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page or YouTube channel.  And please tell your friends!www.almostcooperstown.com

Send us a textCan a team go 22-3 to make a playoff run? It can happen but it's not likely. That's where some of the teams that are on the bubble are right now. #Cubs, #Tigers, #RedSox are those kinds of teams with the #Mets not far behind. September baseball is fantastic and there are still many things left to be decided before we start hearing about 'Magic' numbers to clinch a division or playoff spot. Intro & Outro music this season courtesy of Mercury Maid! Check them out on Spotify or Apple Music! Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you can give us 4 or 5 star rating that means a lot. And 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 X @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page or YouTube channel.  And please tell your friends!www.almostcooperstown.com

Send us a Text Message.We didn't need to wait until the end of the #MLB season to review the #Mets performance.  Are we happy? Yes and No? Was it a good season? Yes and No. The team has undergone a lot of changes since Opening Day. Rosters are different, a rookie manager Carlos Mendoza has navigated as best he can without having his #1 starter Kodai Senga in the mix. We hope the team will rally and make the playoffs but that is far from a given. The Mets are also very good at celebrating much the fan's delight. Jose Iglesias smash hit OMG has been the team anthem.  Intro & Outro music this season courtesy of Mercury Maid! Check them out on Spotify or Apple Music! Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you can give us 4 or 5 star rating that means a lot. And 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 X @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page or YouTube channel.  And please tell your friends!www.almostcooperstown.com