Toy Cannon Canon

Vik, Jacob and Murphy finalize their pitching staffs and benches. Vik finally picks up the two batting legends that have been dangling for his team all draft, Jacob splits some hairs between all-timers and Murphy continues to make decisions that leave the two hosts scratching their heads.

Vik, Jacob, and guest Alex Murphy resume their Wine Cellar MLB Draft with part 3 of 4. Rotations are set, bullpens are established, benches are crafted and tensions are, as always, at a fever pitch.

Rounds 6-10 of the ultimate MLB Wine Cellar Draft featuring Alex Murphy continues as Murph builds a strange rotation and Vik and Jacob almost draft in lockstep in terms of eras. As a refresher: each drafter can only take one player from a given franchise and they need at least one player from every decade.

Vik and Jacob celebrate reaching their tenth episode with a special program. Alongside guest Alex Murphy, our heroes conduct a Wine Cellar Draft spanning the entirety of MLB's modern era. "Wine Cellar" is a Bill Simmons concept wherein you pick "vintages" of a player, such as 2012 Miguel Cabrera or 1966 Frank Robinson, as opposed to drafting a player's entire career. Each GM can only select one player from a franchise and they must select at least one player from every decade. The eventual rosters will consist of 5 starting pitchers, 3 relievers, 8 starting fielders, 1 DH, and 3 bench batters. Who will craft the perfect team?

Get ready for laments and requiems. Featuring "Live From The Lounge" host Gary Lightman, Vik and Jacob get together for a round of reminiscing. First, Vik waxes poetic about a baseball uniform style that has recently gone out of vogue, despite it's close ties to some of the sport's greatest moments (2:45). Then Gary remembers one of his favorite Philadelphia Phillies from 50 years ago, who should by nearly every measure be in the Hall of Fame already (30:11). Finally, after what's been a tough week for Minor League Baseball, Jacob offers a requiem for not only what the organization once was, but also the career of the man who embodied its mythic past and utilitarian future (56:32).

In light of the recent and approaching waves of cuts across Minor League Baseball, Jacob canonizes the all-time minor league phenomenon. Not a prospect, but a vestige of an earlier era, one in which a game could be a game and a man could be a myth.

Guest Gary Lightman (host of Live From the Lounge) joins Vik and Jacob to canonize Dick Allen, who was cut from such a similar cloth as Jimmy Wynn that this podcast could be called the Wampum Walloper Wall of Fame or the Allen All-Stars. You don't have to try too hard to make Allen's HOF case, yet circumstances have left him outside Cooperstown for nearly 40 years.

Vik is joined by Jacob and guest Gary Lightman as he kicks off Episode 9's many lamentations with a memorial service for a jersey associated with underdogs and fringe teams that is also closely tied to baseball's greatest moments over the last 60 years. From Bill Mazeroski to Ken Griffey Jr., the uni is iconic, easy on the eyes, and so unfortunately seldom worn anymore.

Jacob and Vik talk about the current and former state of NASCAR (something which they know next to nothing about). Plus, they preview an exciting week to come featuring Harrisburg radio and podcast legend Gary Lightman of "Live From the Lounge". Finally, the game this week is shamelessly ripped off from yet another respected baseball media institution as the boys play "Is This Guy Good?" with relief pitchers from the 2019 MLB season.

Special guest Varun Raghupathi joins the fold as he, Jacob and Vik canonize athletes who stood alone in their respective endeavors. First, Jacob presents the only man with a baseball card that says pinch runner (3:32). Then, Varun honors an athletic marvel who had the awful luck of being obscured at every stage of his career because someone was always doing similar things more prominently. However, all told, no one ended up doing what he did (37:08). Finally, Vik waxes poetic about his favorite play-by-play call of all time: one in which decades of lonely pursuits are packed into three words (1:04:40).

Vik breaks down his favorite play-by-play call in baseball history: Duane Kuiper's work on Barry Bonds' 756th career home run. How an epic story told over multiple careers and lifetimes led to a few of the most hauntingly poetic words ever uttered in a broadcast booth. Some added fun stems from the fact that guest Varun Raghupathi is a professional play-by-play commentator and Jacob was the color analyst alongside Vik's play-by-play work in high school.

Guest host Varun Raghupathi joins Jacob and Vik to present his canondate: the oft overshadowed Brian Jordan. Jordan was nothing but an utterly competent and valuable piece on multiple playoff teams in both the NFL and MLB. But whether it was being in the same defensive backfield as Deion Sanders, being a two-sport athlete at the same time as Primetime and Bo, or even being an athlete who peaked in the 90s named Jordan, there was always someone doing what he was doing more prominently. The athletic marvel finally gets his due as he enters The Canon.

Jacob canonizes one of the many inane schemes of famed former Oakland A's owner Charlie Finley: the designated runner. Herb Washington was perhaps the fastest man on earth and easily the fastest man in the major leagues when he signed for the princely 1974 sum of $60,000. Along with Vik and guest Varun Raghupathi, Jacob breaks down how an unprecedentedly limited role and a locker room full of two-time defending World Series champions couldn't stop Herb Washington--but a righty's pick-off move often could.

Jacob and Vik are joined again by Matt Wilson and Jimmy Arvan to load up a great week of content. First, the guys reflect on a whirlwind week in which Toy Cannon Canon was a rising entity on KBO Twitter (0:57). Then they re-introduce the concept behind The Canon for any new listeners (13:00). Jacob and Vik detail the exciting Week 8 ahead, with three different but equally intriguing canonizations (18:48). Finally, the quartet plays a psychologically taxing game of Baseball Guess Who (21:52).

Vik and Jacob are joined by special guest Noah Averick to trumpet the Hall of Fame cases for three borderline candidates. Jacob's nominee was an icon and a machine when it came to 30 homer/30 steal campaigns, but the advanced metrics don't quite reflect his impact on the game (3:32). Vik touts the résumé of one of MLB's quietest stars of the 2000s; a player whose baseball-reference page would shock most visitors (30:48). Finally, Noah surprises even the hosts with his mystery wide receiver: a noted head case whose statistics stick out even in the golden age of the wideout (1:06:00).

Special guest Noah Averick justifies the HOF case for an all-time head case. In an era stacked to the gills with talented and productive wide receivers, Noah's pick tends to get lost in the shuffle. He moved to a few different cities, had a plethora of off-field problems, and never played for a successful playoff team. But, he holds a number of individual records and ranks among the best wideouts both of all time and of his star-studded era. Can you guess the mystery man with such an intriguing HOF résumé?

Alongside Jacob and guest Noah Averick, Vik canonizes one of the great underappreciated players of the early 2000s: Bobby Abreu. Stuck on underachieving Phillies teams, Abreu got little national attention and his critics were louder than his supporters. However, Abreu came to the ballpark day after day, and steadily mounted one of the most compelling HOF cases of any player.

Jacob presents the HOF case for Alfonso Soriano, one of the most potent power/speed combos ever. Joined by Vik and guest Noah Averick, we go through Soriano's eye-popping counting stats, underwhelming advanced metrics, and undeniable icon status during his peak. Is Alfonso Soriano a Hall-of-Famer? He's certainly worthy of The Canon.

Welcome to the first edition of our Monday series: "Loading the Canon". Vik & Jacob detail what's coming up on this week's episode of The Canon (0:43). Then Jimmy Arvan and Matt Wilson join to play the Baseball Prospectus Annual Game, where contestants receive only a short blurb about an MLB player and have to identify him (2:08). Play along at home and see if you can guess the overarching theme! Finally, the quartet discusses MLB rule changes (31:35).

Jimmy Arvan comes back on as a guest for a varied class of inductees. First, Vik canonizes the unsung component of the Backyard Sports catalog (2:57). Jimmy takes us back over 100 years to a college football legend whose winning ways and dour demeanor made him the Bronze Age Belichick (26:42). Finally, Jacob enters a baseball player worth 2.1 bWAR into The Canon because his effect on his hometown team goes far beyond his meager statistics (45:07).

The third and final part of Episode 6 sees Jacob canonize a seemingly irrelevant figure in baseball history. However, his impact on his hometown team ended up being far greater than he ever could've imagined.

Continuing in our new format, here's the second individual canonization from Episode 6. Guest Jimmy Arvan comes on to discuss one of the greatest coaches in college football history, who smacks of the similarly dour captain of Foxboro's sidelines.

The Canon is trying something new: individual canonizations on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, and the entire, largely uncut pod on Friday. So, if you're into the whole brevity thing, the midweek pods will be perfect. If you prefer long pods on the beach, Friday drops will be for you. Vik, Jimmy and Jacob canonize the unsung hero of the Humongous Entertainment catalog: Backyard Soccer.

Vik and Jacob welcome guest Jared Deluccia to canonize the 20th round pick who set the baseball world on fire for 15 days (2:30) and MLB's best-kept secret of the 70s and 80s (14:29). Plus, Vik shares a hot take as he inducts The Canon's first film entry (23:21).

Vik and Jacob are joined by guest Jimmy Arvan to expand the powers of the canon. Vik canonizes the chaotic Dominican some call the best hitter of the 80s (2:16). Jimmy welcomes the first non-baseball player into the Toy Cannon Ohana (15:00). And Jacob makes 200 points as he inducts a non-athlete altogether (26:50)!

In honor of Passover, Jacob canonizes baseball's first Jewish great, who likely was the first star of professional baseball. Then Vik presents a young pitcher whom everyone believes was in the wrong place at the wrong time. But the pitcher considers himself as lucky as they come.

Vik and Jacob canonize two hot-headed players both held back by the Brooklyn ball club. One gets remembered for his cartoonish name rather than his outstanding play. The other hardly gets remembered at all. Now, both get immortalized in The Canon.

Jacob Wessels, Vik Raghupathi, and Matt Wilson canonize the inaugural class and answer some age-old questions. Why did everybody hate Scott Hairston? Why didn't Denny McLain start the 1969 All-Star Game? Plus, the boys picked the perfect time to celebrate Easter.

Vik Raghupathi and Jacob Wessels introduce themselves and the concept of the Toy Cannon Canon, while also talking a little about its inspiration: Jimmy "Toy Cannon" Wynn.