Podcast appearances and mentions of Jarrod Saltalamacchia

From 'Baseball Isn't Boring' (subscribe here): Jarrod Saltalamacchia lived the life of a major leaguer over 12 seasons, winning a World Series title with the Red Sox in 2013 while coming up with one of that team's most memorable hits. There were stops with the Rangers, the Marlins, the Braves and the Tigers. But now Salty has landed as a coach for the back-to-back-Cape Cod League-winning Bourne Braves. Bradfo catches up with Jarrod to talk about how his experience on the Cape has altered his perspective on this day and age of baseball. He also goes into great detail regarding one of the most impactful moments in Red Sox history. To top things off, Bella Geskos talks with Boston pitcher Zack Kelly for another great Draft Day story. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Braves bats wake up in Seattle, Orlando Arcia's star turn, Mississippi Masher, FSU QB dies, Bad Deion resurfaces, stopping CFB players from opting out of bowl games, Falcons strange NFL Draft revisited, Cousins vs Penix, new Bears stadium goes down in flames, Chris Sale domination, Shohei Otani's gambling woes, being in 1st place on May 1, Mike Trout injured again, Scherzer's setback, Rockies plumb new depths, no MLB team in Monterrey please, Royals & Chiefs homeless? Bison 1 Man 0, Tommy Lee wins Kentucky Derby? the great Earl Campbell, David Beckham, Kyle Busch, Sarah Langs battle with ALS, WWI veteran tennis player, Norm Van Brocklin, Jack Kemp, Junior Seau, Bobby Unser, 1st NL homer, Hall of Famer Rube Waddell traded for a cigar, night lights, Lou Gehrig benches himself, Ted Williams joins the Marine Corps, all-Jewish lineup, Stan Musial & Nate Colbert's record, gay umpire Dave Pallone's beef with Pete Rose, Nike's Chicks Dig the Long Ball ad with Glavine and Maddux, the ballad of Jarrod Saltalamacchia, plus Pete's Tweets, This Day in Sports History, Ripley's Believe It or Not! and quotes from Elston Howard and Branch Rickey!

Have a listen as we discuss the career of former World Series Champion Jarrod Saltalamacchia. A first round pick who battled numerous injuries in his career but still managed to pop over 100 home runs in a productive 12 MLB seasons. Congrats to our newest inductee Jarrod Saltalamacchia!

Hey Cape Cod Baseball League fans. Today you're going to hear from former MLB player and current Bourne Braves icon, Jarrod Saltalamacchia. We talked about his coaching style, his ability to braid, and SO MUCH MORE. I apologize for the audio issues but hopefully you enjoy this episode as much as I did.

2013 World Series Champion Jarrod Saltalamacchia joins the show to talk about his experience working with the Cape Cod Baseball League, some of the biggest moments from the 2013 postseason, the evolution of the game from the standpoint of a catcher, his interest in working in the booth, and of course, some ghost stories. That, and much more!

Big Boss hangs it up, kind of, Yoenis Cespedes is helping Aaron Judge hit homers, kind of, and Jarrod Saltalamacchia is dethroned as clubhouse managers least favorite player. All that plus some crazy tales from the dugout as we run through some quick stories of forgotten players, games and rainouts from the past this week. In Wax Pack Heroes we rip some Score and Donruss to see who can compile the best team based on stats and mustaches.  Twitter - @twostrikenoise Instagram - @twostrikenoise Two Strike Noise on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvh7epD-mqT9qCIV7CNqhog Twitch - https://www.twitch.tv/twostrikenoise E-mail - twostrikenoise@gmail.com We pull ALOT of commons in Wax Pack Heroes. If you've got those Tom Foley or Ernest Riles cards just sitting around you can donate those commons to charity and maybe spark a child's interest in baseball and collecting. Find out more here: http://commons4kids.org/ #podernfamily #podnation #baseball #mlb #history #podcast #baseballcards

A-Block (1:46) SPECIAL COMMENT: Trump threatens violence against Mitch McConnell and Marjorie Trailer Park Greene implies Republicans should kill Democrats but the real sign over the weekend that the GOP has transformed entirely into a nihilist mob is neither of them (2:44) It's Susan "I Haven't Learned My Lesson" Collins, who has just noticed that "a Senator or House member (might be) killed." (8:30) It is the Collinses of this nation who have let Trump echo his cultists' call for Civil War by valuing their own offices and power more than they do the nation.  B-Block (13:53) EVERY DOG HAS ITS DAY: Stella in St. Louis (14:58) POSTSCRIPTS TO THE NEWS: Brazil's Burn The Amazon vote goes to a runoff; they've identified the DeSantis Trafficking Coyote; Prime Minister Truss attacks the King; Trailer Park Greene self-owns. (17:37) IN SPORTS: Aaron Judge now has one homer in his last 49 plate appearances; Angels sign Ohtani - to trade him? T.J. Watt beats Fox to an exclusive about his A-Fib and they'll close a loophole to keep future Tuas on the bench. (21:18) THE WORST PERSONS IN THE WORLD: Michigan's Tudor Dixon (WHO THE HELL IS NAMED 'TUDOR') competes with Conservative unemployables Sophie Corcoran and Alex Bruesewitz (whose entry is one of the most despicable public statements I've ever covered). C-Block (28:25) THINGS I PROMISED NOT TO TELL: It's the anniversary of the week David Letterman revealed, on his show, that he was being blackmailed. Incredibly, I WORKED WITH the blackmailer 40 years ago at CNN, and somehow I also worked with the other victim when the Trumpists tried to blackmail Jeff Bezos!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Red Sox are set to play a crucial six game stretch against the Blue Jays and Rays from Fenway Park. We introduce our Pumpkin Spice Series MVP, we pick who we think will be crucial to the Sox success over the next six games. Boston needs to come out of this stretch no worse than 4-2 on the homestand. With Eric Hosmer on the IL the guys ask the question, where's Triston Casas? How close is Trevor Story to returning to the lineup? Bill Burr recap and Chris is Jarrod Saltalamacchia's GM in the WEEI Bradfo Sho Fantasy Football League. Grab a beer, kick back and enjoy the latest show. Please follow the podcast on Twitter @ObstructView and @BeyondtheMnstr. Check out our free Substack at www.beyondthemonster.substack.com!

On the latest Baseball Isn't Boring Bradfo Sho, former Red Sox catcher Jarrod Saltalmacchia joins Bradfo and Courtney to talk the art of winning championships, having just come off his Cape Cod League title with the Bourne Braves. Salty gives insight into the actual act of winning a baseball championship few can understand unless they have lived it.. The trio also starts the trash talk for the upcoming Bradfo Sho Fantasy Football League.   Subscribe to the Bradfo Sho HERE!

On the latest Baseball Isn't Boring Bradfo Sho, former Red Sox catcher Jarrod Saltalmacchia joins Bradfo and Courtney to talk the art of winning championships, having just come off his Cape Cod League title with the Bourne Braves. Salty gives insight into the actual act of winning a baseball championship few can understand unless they have lived it.. The trio also starts the trash talk for the upcoming Bradfo Sho Fantasy Football League.   Subscribe to the Bradfo Sho HERE!

On the latest Baseball Isn't Boring Bradfo Sho, former Red Sox catcher Jarrod Saltalmacchia joins Bradfo and Courtney to talk the art of winning championships, having just come off his Cape Cod League title with the Bourne Braves. Salty gives insight into the actual act of winning a baseball championship few can understand unless they have lived it.. The trio also starts the trash talk for the upcoming Bradfo Sho Fantasy Football League.   Subscribe to the Bradfo Sho HERE!

Hour 2 - Gresh and Keefe kicked off the hour with What if? Wednesday.  Rob Bradford, of WEEI.com, joined the guys to discuss the return of Chris Sale, the play of Trevor Story, the importance of J.D. Martinez,  the Red Sox future at first base, and his interview with former Red Sox catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia.  Finally, it's the Primetime Parlay.

Rob Bradford, of WEEI.com, joined the guys to discuss the return of Chris Sale, the play of Trevor Story, the importance of J.D. Martinez,  the Red Sox future at first base, and his interview with former Red Sox catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia.

Rob Bradford, of WEEI.com, joined Gresh and Keefe to discuss the return of Chris Sale, the play of Trevor Story, the importance of J.D. Martinez,  the Red Sox future at first base, and his interview with former Red Sox catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia.

Bradfo and Coop are joined by former Red Sox catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia, who is trying his hand at coaching this summer with the Bourne Braves of the esteemed Cape Cod League. Salty offers some previously untold insight and stories from the world championship 2013 season, what really happened when he left the Red Sox and the time ghosts came to visit him in the team hotel. It's definitely worth a listen.

We break down the recent report analyzing MLB's top young talent, look at the recent signings and Jarrod Saltalamacchia's retirement, speculate why Baseball Tonight isn't returning to ESPN's nightly schedule, and much, much more!

Drew Pomeranz is gone and we are just a bit excited about it. We recap an up and (very) down couple of years for Dwew in Boston, also recap our guy Jarrod Saltalamacchia's time with the Sox after he announced his retirement, talk the addition of Jenrry Mejia even though he was banned from baseball, dig deeper as to what that pic with Brock and Kimbrel might mean, talk David Price trolling Steve on the Twitter machine, break down your suggestions for which Red Sox player would make the best Patriots player, and close with your phenomenal Down in the DM questions. Enjoy!

Mike Shipley (@99Xenon99) joins Tom to talk all about the Toronto Blue Jays. Mike stays positive, even when talking about Jarrod Saltalamacchia and his potential time at the plate. To Toms disappointment, Josh Donaldson doesn't feature in the silly questions to finish.

Jays From the Couch Radio presents Episode 110 of our podcast. This week, we dig into the very early story lines coming out of the first few games of the Toronto Blue Jays 2017 Spring Training. We look at some early performances by Rowdy Tellez, Glenn Sparkman, Conner Greene, Kendrys Morales, Jarrod Saltalamacchia and more. We bring back our "Hot Takes" segment to make some bold statements about left field and a former Blue Jay. All of this and more await you in Episode 110 of JFtC Radio Podcast.--- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jays-from-the-couch-radio/support

www.JaysFromtheCouch.com @JaysFromCouch presents Episode 106 of the Jays Nest Podcast, which brings you a quick look at our reaction from the news that the Toronto Blue Jays signed Jarrod Saltalamacchia. Our impressions were rather favorable, as the minor league deal has some interesting implications for the team. From there we dove into the organization's top pitching prospects. you'll hear us talk about Conner Greene, Sean Reid-Foley, T.J. Zeuch, Jon Harris, Justin Maese and we each choose a sleeper prospect to watch for this coming season. We wrap the episode up with some great questions on the Blue Jays' lineup construction and more!--- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jays-from-the-couch-radio/support

The co-creator and co-writer of the #1 international hit podcast Welcome to Night Vale and New York Times bestselling co-author of the novel of same name, Jeffrey Cranor, dropped by the show to talk about the importance of collaboration, deadlines, and bad writing. In addition to producing and touring with the theater ensemble The New York Neo-Futurists, the playwright and author tours with live shows for the Night Vale Presents production banner, co-created with Joseph Fink. Night Vale Presents now produces four podcasts that regularly sit at the top of the charts — including Within the Wires, also created by the author — and recently published two volumes of episode transcripts that include extras for fans of their original show. Welcome to Night Vale has been described as “NPR meets The Twilight Zone,” a sci-fi broadcast about a small desert community where strange mythologies abound, and all conspiracy theory is potentially real. If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please click subscribe to automatically see new interviews. In Part One of this file Jeffrey Cranor and I discuss: Why writing collaboratively can help you become less ‘precious’ about your work How a hit podcast producer and novelist divides his time An author’s comforts in coffee and sports talk radio Why the law of averages says you won’t always find the words The import of building a platform and setting a deadline for publish Listen to The Writer Files: Writing, Productivity, Creativity, and Neuroscience below ... Download MP3 Subscribe by RSS Subscribe in iTunes The Show Notes Audible is Offering a Free Audiobook Download with a 30-day Trial: Grab Your Free Audiobook Here – audibletrial.com/rainmaker How #1 Hit Podcast ‘Welcome to Night Vale’ Co-Creator Jeffrey Cranor Writes: Part Two Welcome to Night Vale Welcome to Night Vale on Facebook Night Vale Presents Jeffrey Cranor on Amazon Jeffrey Cranor’s website NY Neo-Futurists Theater Company Jeffrey Cranor on Twitter Kelton Reid on Twitter The Transcript How #1 Hit Podcast Welcome to Night Vale Co-Creator Jeffrey Cranor Writes: Part One Voiceover: Rainmaker FM. Kelton Reid: Welcome back to The Writer Files. I’m your host, Kelton Reid, here to take you on yet another tour of the habits, habitats, and brains of renowned writers. The co-creator and co-writer of the number one international hit podcast, Welcome to Night Vale, a New York Times best selling co-author of the novel of the same name, Jeffrey Cranor dropped by this week to talk to me about the importance of collaboration, deadlines, and bad writing. In addition to producing and touring with the theater ensemble, The New York Neo-Futurists, the playwright and author tours with live shows for the Night Vale Presents production banner co-created with Joseph Fink. Night Vale Presents now produces four podcasts that often sit atop the charts, including Within the Wires, also created by the author. They recently published two volumes of episode transcripts that include extras for fans of their original show. Welcome to Night Vale has been described as NPR meets The Twilight Zone. A sci-fi broadcast about a small desert community where strange mythologies abound, and all conspiracy theory is potentially real. In part one of this file, Jeffrey and I discuss why writing collaboratively can help you become less precious about your work, how a hit podcast producer and novelist divides his time, an author s comforts and coffee and sports talk radio, why the law of averages says you won’t always find the words, and the importance of building a platform and setting a deadline for publish. If you’re a fan of the Writer Files, please click subscribe to automatically see new interviews as soon as they’re published. This episode of The Writer Files is brought to you by Audible. I ll have more on their special offer later in the show but if you love audiobooks or you’ve always wanted to give them a try, you can check out over 180,000 titles right now at Audibletrial.com/Rainmaker. We are rolling, today, with a very special guest, Jeffrey Cranor, co-author and co-creator of the international phenomenon that is Welcome to Night Vale. Thanks for coming on the show, Jeffrey. Jeffrey Cranor: Thanks for having me, Kelton. Kelton Reid: I’m just fascinated by kind of what you guys are doing and all the writing projects you must have in the hopper just is inspiring to see. It looks like you ve just recently released some new books. They look like transcripts, so those are collections of kind of the transcripts of the shows. There are two collections now, is that right? Jeffrey Cranor: Yeah. We put out the first two volumes which would be the first two years of Welcome to Night Vale episodes. That gets us through June of 2014. Kelton Reid: Wow. Jeffrey Cranor: We’ll hopefully have the next two years published pretty soon, and then we’ll, hopefully our goal is just to have an annual volume of Night Vale episodes each year. We added a bunch of, just so it wasn’t just transcripts, we added a bunch of kind of director s-notes-style background info on some of the episodes, and things like that. Kelton Reid: Right. There’s some bonus stuff in there for the die hards and they can kind of see, like glimpse into your brilliance as a writer. You’ve done so many things as a writer. I understand you have a theater background, you’ve been a playwright and a theater producer. Now you are a best selling author, a New York Times bestselling author of this novel, Welcome to Night Vale, of the same name. So you’re a busy guy, and you have all these other projects in the hopper with the Night Vale Presents, it seems like you have four shows now under that banner. Jeffrey Cranor: Mm-hmm (affirmative). The Challenges of Being an Aspiring Playwright Kelton Reid: Just a lot going on. Maybe to start out, for listeners who aren’t familiar with the Night Vale international phenomenon that is the podcast and the best selling books. Give us a little bit about your origin just as a writer, and how you got here. Jeffrey Cranor: Sure. Origin as a writer is really just, I don’t know, I think kind of just like origin of any other sort of career, you just sort of like it a lot. I can t remember when I started writing, I remember as early as elementary school, just writing satires of some of the books that were read to us in classes by teachers. You would write these little goofs on that and it would be a thing that you would, that I would just pass it to a friend and they would laugh and giggle and stuff. It would be a one page deal. It wasn’t like I was writing books as a ten year old. So yeah. For me, I read a lot of just whatever seemed fun to read. I remember reading Hardy Boys. I remember reading a lot of Choose Your Own Adventure books. I read Alice in Wonderland over and over as a kid. I visited my grandparents a lot as a kiddo, and they had a lot of humor books, people like Erma Bombeck and Dave Barry and Lewis Grizzard, and I read a lot of them. I really liked comedy. I just always thought, I just realized at a young age I wanted to be a comedy writer. And I wasn’t really sure what course that would take, because I’m not really a get up in front of people and make people laugh type of person, but writing seemed a lot of fun. So yeah, I got really into Dave Barry all throughout high school, and I tried to be a humor columnist for my high school newspaper, and got into journalism, and that is what my degree was in when I went to university. I think that was sort of my goal, but I got really invested in theater in college, I just enjoyed it so much. I enjoyed watching stage plays. I enjoyed reading them, so I started my hand at playwriting and trying that, that’s been kind of a long process for me, because the world of making theater is really expensive. There’s a lot of gatekeepers along the way. It’s a very tough field to break into. It just takes a long time to get your work accepted there’s a lot of different stops along the way. It’s not like submitting a manuscript to a publisher and saying, “Hey. I’d like to print my book.” You just get a lot of no, no, no, no. Then, eventually someone will say, “Sure. We’ll print this book.” In playwriting it’s just a lot of people going, “Sure. We’ll get some actors together and do a staged reading,” and that’s fun but also a little disheartening, just because it takes so long to produce stuff. Why Writing Collaboratively Can Help You Become Less Precious About Your Work Jeffrey Cranor: Anyways, I got involved, like in my early 30’s, so almost ten years ago I got involved in a theater company called The New York Neo-Futurists here in Manhattan. It’s a collective of writers and performers, and we do this weekly show called Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind, and it is basically 30 plays on a timer of 60 minutes. We do a show where we have 30 short plays. Kelton Reid: Wow. Jeffrey Cranor: We do them in a random order every night based on every play, the audience just calls out the next play that they want to see, and we do that play. We have a timer on the wall that is 60 minutes long, if it runs out before we’re done, well too bad, we just stop in mid-show and say, “Goodnight, everyone,” and send you home. It becomes this kind of theater-as-sport sort of thing as competing against a timer, and we write new plays every week for it, too. Kelton Reid: Amazing. Jeffrey Cranor: It was just really a wonderful thing for me as a writer to do that because it forces you to not be precious about your work, it forces you to make new things constantly, to always think about reinventing yourself. That was really good for me. That really helped take a lot of the load off because as a playwright, it’s all about this one work, and you spend months and months, and maybe years just trying to make a thing, and the Neo-Futurists sort of taught me that, that’s not really necessary. Just find a stage and get something up, just make something happen. Be in the now. Be in this moment. Podcasting was really that way, too. Then, I met my co-writer Joseph, who created the concept of Welcome to Night Vale through the Neo-Futurists and we just loved podcasts a lot, so we started making the Welcome to Night Vale show. Kelton Reid: Amazing. Yeah. It s exploded from there into this number one international podcast and best selling book, and more to come. Do you have another novel in the works? The first one is really cool. Jeffrey Cranor: Thank you. Kelton Reid: It’s a standalone story, right? Jeffrey Cranor: Yeah. Kelton Reid: It’s kind of an offshoot of the podcast. Jeffrey Cranor: Yeah. Our goal in writing that novel was to make a novel that anyone could read. We’re not trying to supplement the expanded universe of Welcome to Night Vale. Although, expanded universe is such a weird loaded term. That, and canon, and things like that are always sort of stuff we avoid saying. But yeah, we didn’t want to write a novel that only fans of the podcast would like, because that just seemed sort of dull. I think the podcast develops it’s own fans, and I think we wanted to write something that, if you liked the podcast you would like the novel. I don’t know. It’s been really interesting. We’ve met a few people that never heard about the podcast, saw the book, liked the cover, or something like that, or had vaguely heard about it and read it, and just thought it was wonderful. That was sort of our goal, was to make something that you didn’t really need any other context for. Kelton Reid: Yeah. Jeffrey Cranor: We are working on another one. We are working on a second novel. I don’t have a release date for it yet, but we’re almost finished writing it. Kelton Reid: Cool. Jeffrey Cranor: That’s going to be exciting. It will be set in the same universe, I guess, is the right word to say, for Night Vale. But yeah, we’re just going to try to follow different stories, and kind of create a separate kind of standalone piece that kind of connects to the podcast, connects to the other novel, things like that, but ultimately is it’s own thing. Kelton Reid: Yeah. Amazing stuff. Congrats on all the successes that you all have had. Joseph Fink is the co-author and co-creator of Welcome to Night Vale, and now you’ve been on a book tour, you re doing live shows. You have, now, these four other podcasts, and you re producing Within the Wires, is that correct? Jeffrey Cranor: Yeah. That’s right. Yeah. We’re down to our last two episodes of that show. Kelton Reid: It is quite a ride. Jeffrey Cranor: Thanks. Kelton Reid: I was really enjoying it, today, this morning over breakfast. Jeffrey Cranor: Awesome. I hope you got your breathing exercises in Kelton Reid: I wasn’t sure if I was feeling relaxed afterwards, but it was a lot of fun. It’s amazing, amazing stuff. The newest addition is the Mostly Void, Partially Stars. I’m totally mispronouncing that. Then, The Great Glowing Coils of the Universe and those are those collections that can be found at welcometonightvale.com. And where else can we find your writing? I understand you have a couple of other websites where you put stuff. Jeffrey Cranor: Yeah. Mostly I would say if anything, like my writing is mostly through Welcome to Night Vale, and also through the Within the Wires podcast, and then we have these books out. I occasionally post to my website, but I say occasionally. I may have not updated in the last four or five years. I bet if you went to my personal website right now it would say, “Working on a new podcast idea with Joseph Fink.” We’ll see how that goes. Then, I have my Tumblr blog, Happier Man on Tumblr, so I post to that occasionally. Then, also my writing through the Neo-Futurists I don’t get to perform as often as I used to. Kelton Reid: Yeah. Jeffrey Cranor: We’re going to be, I’m pretty excited, because the first three weekends in London, the first three weekends in November I’m going to be in London, and we’re going to be doing Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind performances at the Rosemary Branch Theater in London for the first three weeks in November. I’m really excited about that, because I one, get to do Too Much Light, again, and two, will get to perform in a totally different country. Kelton Reid: Yes. Jeffrey Cranor: Which will be great, so anyway I’ll be in London at the Rosemary Branch the first three weekends of November, performing my own original writing and the original writing of everyone else in the company. Kelton Reid: Love it. Wish I could be there. I’d love to dig into your process a little bit as a writer. I’m fascinated by kind of the depth and breadth of the stuff you do. I know that I have this memory of someone asking, or Neil Gaiman writes about kind of like people asking him, “Where do you get your ideas?” I’m sure a lot of people ask you that, but I’m not going to ask you that, here. Jeffrey Cranor: Great. Because I don’t know. Kelton Reid: Right. He said, “I make them up out of my head. What else is there.” Jeffrey Cranor: Mm-hmm (affirmative). How a Hit Podcast Producer and Novelist Divides His Time Kelton Reid: I understand that the hard part is the execution, and kind of getting your butt in the chair, and actually getting those ideas down. How much time per day would you say that you are reading or doing research for stuff? Jeffrey Cranor: I guess it’s pretty loose depending on how much, I guess, it’s depending on how strictly you define research. Right? Kelton Reid: Yeah. Jeffrey Cranor: There’s some days where I don’t write a single thing, and I don’t read a single thing, but it may be a day where I’m listening to podcasts all day, or I’ve got an audiobook on in my head, which is sort of like reading. I listen to a lot of podcasts. I spend a lot of time without a book, or even a computer in my hand, and it might just be because I’m going for a run or mowing the lawn or something, and I’m just plowing through some podcasts. Kelton Reid: Yeah. Jeffrey Cranor: Which is, in a lot of ways, given my job in writing podcasts, is the equivalent to a writer reading a book. Right? Kelton Reid: Yeah. Jeffrey Cranor: It’s just getting in the flow of that. Listening to a lot of podcasts, and reading a lot of books. I spend a good chunk of each day trying to do a little bit of that. Some days, like the past couple of weeks, I’ve tried to be in front of a computer every day, writing several thousand words a day, so we can finish the novel. Kelton Reid: Yeah. Jeffrey Cranor: So I can finish the last few episodes of Within the Wires, and all that kind of stuff. It kind of varies, but yeah, I try to get down a few words every day, just because it just feels good to just kind of spit out a few things, and a lot of those are just in a file I call rough material on my computer. It’s just a text file full of miscellaneous junk. Sometimes I’ll try and write a little traffic report for a Welcome to Night Vale episode, or something. Kelton Reid: Mm-hmm (affirmative). Jeffrey Cranor: Maybe it’s just a diary thing. I don’t know. Talking about the leaves changing here in New York. It’s really beautiful out, right now. Just to kind of get a little bit of that out. Kelton Reid: We will be right back after a very short break. Thanks so much for listening to The Writer Files. This episode of The Writer Files is brought to you by Audible, offering over 180,000 audiobook titles to choose from. Audible seamlessly delivers the world’s both fiction and nonfiction to your iPhone, Android, Kindle or computer. For Rainmaker FM listeners, Audible is offering a free audiobook download with a 30 day trial to give you the opportunity to check them out. Grab your free audiobook right now by visiting Audibletrial.com/Rainmaker. I just hopped over there to grab Stephen King’s epic novel 11/22/63, about an English teacher who goes back in time to prevent the assassination of JFK. You can download your pick or any other audiobook free by heading over to Audibletrial.com/Rainmaker. To download your free audiobook today, go to Audibletrial.com/Rainmaker. An Author s Comforts in Coffee and Sports Talk Radio Kelton Reid: Are you brewing a pot of coffee before you sit down to write? Jeffrey Cranor: I brew a lot of coffee. I try to stop drinking coffee once it s past 12pm, just for general health, but yeah, I mean I just love coffee. Yeah. I’ll brew coffee every morning. My morning is kind of my time that if I’m going to just not do anything, I will sit and have a coffee. Sometimes I’ll go out and sit on the porch, if the weather is nice, and just drink coffee, and maybe put on a podcast, just listen to that for a little bit. Maybe do a crossword, just kind of unwind from the stress of sleep, and then kind of once I’ve kind of gotten through my morning coffee, I’ll run downstairs and start actually typing on things. Kelton Reid: Nice, nice. Once you get going and kind of get into the writing mode, then do you still have the headphones on? Do you listen to music, or do you prefer silence? Jeffrey Cranor: For a long time I used to just have headphones on all the time. I’ve gotten to the point now, especially in writing, in writing the novel, I’ve kind of gotten out of the habit of listening to anything while I write. Now, I kind of try and work in silence if I can, but for many years I would write while listening to sports talk radio. I would tune in to, and I don’t know why that is, I think it’s because I’ve listened to, I’m a sports fan, so I would listen to sports talk for a long time. I don’t know that sports talk radio is good or good for you, however it’s kind of relaxing to me. I don’t know. It just sounds like people in the background chatting. It is kind about the same thing, over and over again. Every now and then there’s a moment when I can stop and hear a really interesting story, like this person really did some research and has this interesting story to tell, so I’ll stop and listen to that. A lot of it is just, I don’t know, callers calling in complaining about the Cowboys defense or something. It’s like, okay, this is just comforting. This is just a thing happening. It feels good to just kind of type with some energy happening in the background. Music is hard for me, because I will start getting into the music, and then will forget to write. Kelton Reid: Yeah. That’s an interesting one. I haven’t heard it before. I imagine it’s kind of like those guys you meet in a bar who are just total strangers, but all of a sudden they want to share their opinion with you. Jeffrey Cranor: Right. Kelton Reid: It’s okay, it’s like, Yeah, totally. Yeah. All right, man. Go on about the defense. Jeffrey Cranor: You hear the same thing over and over again. I mean there’s only so much you can hear about, worry about any usage of the Red Sox middle relief rotation. It’s like I’ve heard all these arguments before. This is great. It’s very comforting because it’s something from childhood. Why The Law of Averages Says You Won t Always Find the Words Kelton Reid: Cool. Here’s the million dollar question for all writers. Do you believe in writer s block? Jeffrey Cranor: No. I don’t. I mean, let me hedge that a little bit by saying, I believe if you feel that you have writer s block, then I guess you do. I’m not saying that you can overcome any moment where you can t think of a good idea. There are some days, I don’t know, just writing is harder than other days. Some days running is harder than other days. Some days I don’t want to have to mow the lawn. You just do, and some days you just do a better job at mowing the lawn than others. I think the thing with writers block is that, I don’t know, let’s go back to the sports analogy, it’s like a batting slump. Right? The law of averages in baseball is just that you are not going to constantly hit 300. You are not going to hit three out of every seven, or three out of every ten at bat. You are going to have stretches where you’re only get three hits out of 20, or 25 at bats, some days you’ll have ten straight at bats with a hit, or getting on base. It doesn’t necessarily mean that it s not going to come back around. You always, like in baseball, as in writing you just sort of trust your process, trust your body, trust you mind, that you’ve been doing this for years. It’s going to come back around and I don’t think there is any shame in taking a step away from your computer for a little bit and saying, It’s just not there. I think you have to give yourself a fighting chance, and not give up after 30 minutes. Some days it’s not there for you, and go out, clear your mind, do something else, come back later. Read a book. Listen to a podcast. Do something to kind of help start it up. I don’t. Writers block sounds so, has always sounded so, like, permanent and that this is a condition that you can t get over. Neurologically, maybe there is something to that. Chuck Knoblauch of the New York Yankees once just stopped being able to throw the ball to first base. He literally could not throw the ball to first base. I think the same thing happened to the Red Sox catcher, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, who just stopped being able to throw the ball correctly. I’m sure there’s some neurological thing that says, oh suddenly you cannot remember how to do a really basic function. Kelton Reid: Right. Jeffrey Cranor: I don t know, I think there are a lot of ways around it. I think if you are writing all the time, that’s great. I think where writer s block seems really profound is when you are on a deadline. You re like, I have until 8am tomorrow morning to finish this ten page paper due for my econ class. I have writer s block. Well, of course you have writer s block now, because there s a lot of pressure on you to finish it immediately. Kelton Reid: Can we see a note from your doctor? I’d love to take in your workflow because, I mean, it seems with the different types of writing you are doing that you have some processes in place. Are you a Mac or a PC guy? Jeffrey Cranor: I’ve been on a Mac for the last, probably the last seven years, now. Kelton Reid: Yeah. And are you working in Microsoft Word or Scrivener primarily, or do you kind of bounce around? Jeffrey Cranor: I have a program called TextWrangler, which is a software developing platform, it’s basically a text only platform. It’s made for programmers. I usually just set it to text only, and not HTML, or Java, or C++, or whatever it’s wanting to do it’s programming. I used to make websites as a freelance job. I used to code websites, back when web coding was really simple, like back in the late 90s and early aughts when it was HTML CSS sort of stuff. I’ve always had a program like this on my computer and I started writing in it because there is no formatting. Kelton Reid: Right. Jeffrey Cranor: There is just, you just have your letters, and spaces, and paragraphs, and that’s it, It kind of keeps me from messing with all the bells and whistles of Microsoft Word. Kelton Reid: Yeah. Whereas my friend Sonia says, “The dancing bologna.” Jeffrey Cranor: Right. The Import of Building a Platform and Setting a Deadline for Publish Kelton Reid: Cool. Do you have some organizational hacks that kind of keep you in line with your multiple projects, multiple deadlines that you can share with us? Jeffrey Cranor: I think the number one, and this seems sort of obvious, but I think the number one thing to keep me organized is deadlines. And that seems really obvious, because it’s built right into your question, which is deadlines. But, I think on the outside of any project, when I want to do something and I cannot tell you how many times in my life I’ve said, I want to do a thing, and then I just never do it. And you tell people, I’m thinking about this kind of project, I’m going to write, a thing where it’s like this, and people are like, “Cool, cool.” But, then you don’t every really actually do it. And I found in theater once I sort of, you know, talking about the Neo-Futurists earlier this idea of just getting your work out there, finding a platform upon which to put your work, and not wait around for like submitting it to places or going through this longer process of just saying, “You know what? I’m going to self produce this,” or “I’m just going to find a place that I can do this, and I’m going to take it on myself.” Once you do that, you have a deadline. You’ve rented a theater. You’ve set a place to do a thing, and now you have to do it. Once you have a deadline that solves 90% percent of your problems, because after that you know just have to make it. I feel like, for me anyway, having the responsibility to actually make something, because then it’s no longer about whether or not I have a good idea, now it’s whether or not I’m going to fulfill the promise I made to the theater that I rented, and the people I invited to see the show. Now it has nothing to do with the quality of my idea. I just have to trust that I’m good at writing enough to execute it. Kelton Reid: Right. Jeffrey Cranor: That helps a lot, and I’ve done a lot of bad writing and a lot of bad theater. I’ve done a lot of bad of those things, but that’s fine. You just do it and you move on. I think the other thing that I’ve found really helpful, in podcasting and theater you just sort of naturally have to do this, which is working with collaborators, and having collaborative efforts as a writer is really, really great because it just … One, it broadens your own horizons as a writer. It makes you think about the way other people write, and other people have good ideas. There is someone else in the process to be like, “I don’t know that that’s a good idea,” or “I’d kind of like to avoid this particular trope.” Kelton Reid: For sure. Jeffrey Cranor: That’s really good to hear in a collaborative process. Plus, they help you stick to you deadlines. It s one thing to let yourself down, it’s totally another thing to let other people down, and I don’t like doing the latter. Kelton Reid: Yeah. Jeffrey Cranor: So that’s it. Other organizational hacks, when I sit down to write I’ve taken to turning off my phone, and my WiFi on my computer. I don’t write by hand anymore, because it s just too slow. Sometimes I jot notes in a notebook, but mostly everything is done on the computer, now. I will shut down my WiFi and I will close everything but my text editor. Then, I’ll just write. If I have a question that I need to look up, I will just highlight it with a series of pound signs, so I can go back and search for those later. So yeah, I do that just to keep me from going down the rabbit hole of, You know what I’m going to check, I just got a text message, let’s see what this is, or, Oh, somebody needs this from me on email. I’m going to go ahead and do that. I’m just trying to go back to the 80s and 90s when you just couldn’t reach everyone all the time, whenever you wanted. Kelton Reid: Right. Yeah. That’s fantastic. Because, you know, I hear writers say that they’ve got these apps that will shut off the internet, or whatever, but the easiest way to do it is actually shut off the internet. Jeffrey Cranor: Yeah. Just go completely off the grid. Kelton Reid: That’s the way it should and there’s no going back. Thanks so much for joining me for this half of a tour through the writer’s process. If you enjoy The Writer Files podcast please subscribe to the show and leave us a rating or a review on iTunes to help other writers find us. For more episodes, or to just leave a comment or a question, you can drop by WriterFiles.FM. You can always chat with me on Twitter @KeltonReid. Cheers, talk to you next week.

Presented by FanaticU Download and listen how you can win a VIP experience Monday June 27th 2016 6pm at the FanaticU--Brighton Store Location! Meet a Detroit Tiger, win a signed baseball! Listen to the details!

Jarrod Saltalamacchia is shaping up to be a huge asset. MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince caught up with Tigers reporter Jason Beck to find out how Salty's contributing at the dish and behind it, how the back end of the bullpen will shape up, and how Nick Castellano's first-pitch approach is paying off.

Inside this edition of "Without a Curse," Alex speaks with 18-year-old MLB Daily Dish insider Chris Cotillo. Despite just being a senior in high school, Chris has already broken a myriad of stories including the Twins' signing of right-hander Ricky Nolasco last week. Alex asks Chris how he developed strong sources at such a young age, and how he balances his time between breaking baseball stories and working on math homework. Alex and Chris also talk about what constitutes news in today's increasingly saturated era of media. The Red Sox have been relatively quiet thus far this offseason, though rumors continue to swirl about the statuses of Jacoby Ellsbury, Mike Napoli, Stephen Drew and Jarrod Saltalamacchia. Alex and Chris discuss which free agents are most likely to return, and which are most likely to leave. Napoli seems to be the most important free agent for the Red Sox to resign, as they don't have a clear in house replacement for his services. This year's Hall of Fame ballot was released last week, so Alex delivers his yearly diatribe about why the baseball writers should vote supposed, rumored, alleged and confirmed steroid users into Cooperstown if their numbers are worthy of the recognition in the "Around the League" segment. It may be difficult to compare players who played in the steroid era to players who played in different eras, but that's not how players should be elected. Players who were elite among their peers should be voted into the Hall of Fame. It's impossible to discern everyone who used steroids, and how much steroids aid performance. All the baseball writers, as mere mortals, have the ability to do is figure out who the best players were. They should leave the moral judgments to a higher power. Email Alex at areimer@bu.edu, and follow him on Twitter @AlexReimer1.

Inside this edition of "Without a Curse," Alex speaks with Tim Daloisio of Fire Brand AL. Alex and Tim talk about which of the four free agents2013Jacoby Ellsbury, Mike Napoli, Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Stephen Drew2013are most important for the Red Sox to resign. Though the market for Ellsbury has been developing slowly, Alex and Tim both feel he'll eventually receive a big payday. There is more money around the game than ever before, and not a lot of premium talent on the free agent market. Ellsbury will get a substantial deal, even if it takes a little longer than expected. The likelihood of Saltalamacchia and Drew leaving now that the catcher and shortstop markets have been set, as well as the possibility of the Red Sox dealing one of their starting pitchers is discussed as well. Prior to the interview with Tim, Alex says the Matt Kemp trade rumors are foolish, and resigns himself to the fact that Drew is likely a goner. In the "Around the League" segment, Alex gives his take on Alex Rodriguez's most recent antics. Though A-Rod storming out of his arbitration hearing and then crying on the radio to WFAN's Mike Francesa shows he is a petulant, egotistical, maniacal, self-absorbed, delusional, hypocrite, he kind of has a point. MLB's evidence against him may be copious, and he may have little chance to avoid the 211-game suspension. But the evidence was gathered in a dirty, criminal manner. Bud Selig went on a witch hunt to sink A-Rod, and now A-Rod wants to sink MLB along with him. There was a lot of hot stove action last week, as the Yankees signed Brian McCann, the Cardinals inked Jhonny Peralta, and the Tigers and Rangers pulled off a blockbuster trade involving Prince Fielder and Ian Kinsler. The McCann contract may look bad at the end, but the terms were to be expected. The most troubling thing for Yankees fans should be that the signing indicates the Yankees aren't changing their approach. They forfeited a first-round pick when they signed McCann, which means that they still don't value building organizational depth. They appear destined to continue to cycle through overpaid free agents in their 30s. The Fielder and Kinsler swap could work for both teams, as the Tigers cleared $76 million and the Rangers potentially acquired one of the elite power hitters in the game. The Rangers took on more risk, however, especially if Fielder's 2013 is an indication of a slow, painful decline. Alex concludes the show by paying respects to former MLBPA head Michael Weiner, who passed away at 51 after a 15-month battle with brain cancer last week. Email Alex at areimer@bu.edu, and follow him on Twitter @AlexReimer1. Happy Thanksgiving!

Inside this edition of "Without a Curse," Alex says why John Farrell didn't deserve to win the American League Manager of the Year award. Though the Red Sox greatly surpassed expectations last season, Terry Francona did more with less. Farrell had a championship caliber core at his disposal, and one of the game's highest payrolls. The only positional player on the Indians who would've started on the Red Sox is Carlos Santana. Alex also talks about the latest rumors surrounding the Red Sox's four major free agents, and the likelihood that Jacoby Ellsbury, Mike Napoli, Stephen Drew and Jarrod Saltalamacchia return. The Red Sox should continue to negotiate with all four players, but aren't beholden to any of them. Ben Cherington has an immense amount of flexibility, and now it's all about how uses it. In the "Around the League" segment, Alex expresses his displeasure at the fact that Miguel Cabrera ousted Mike Trout in MVP balloting for the second consecutive year. It's amazing that Trout has become the face of the sabermetric movement, especially because of his diverse skill set. Trout has been the best player in baseball over the past two years by any statistical measure. The best player should also be the most valuable player, because, well ... he's the best. The better a player is, the more valuable he is to his team. The Braves are moving to Cobb County in 2017, and taxpayers are financing a new $450 million stadium. It's a joke that owners continue to swindle taxpayers into financing stadiums for them. Cobb County is more than $80 million over its education budget, and can't produce enough revenue to keep the schools open for a full academic year. Taxpayer money should be used to keep the schools open. Let the billionaires build their own stadiums. Email Alex at areimer@bu.edu, and follow him on Twitter @AlexReimer1.

Inside this edition of 201CWithout a Curse,201D Alex previews the upcoming GM Meetings and talks about the latest rumors surrounding the world champion Red Sox. Alex discusses the statuses of Jacoby Ellsbury, Mike Napoli, Stephen Drew and Jarrod Saltalamacchia, and gives his take on the likelihood of them returning to the Red Sox. Though all four are good players, the Red Sox shouldn2019t overextend themselves for any of them. Ellsbury played well in a Red Sox uniform, and was most certainly a part of the team2019s core. But it would be a poor decision to invest over $100 million in him long term, especially given the track record of other outfielders who have recently received $100 million contracts. Napoli seems to fit the Red Sox perfectly, and is worthy of a multi-year deal. In a market bereft of power bats, however, his services may be difficult to come by. The Red Sox should be willing to overpay for Napoli on a yearly basis in exchange for a short-term commitment. A two-year, $30 million contract would be an overpay worth making. Drew apparently has numerous suitors on the open market, and he should. After all, he2019s an elite shortstop. Ideally, the Red Sox would like to sign him to a two-year extension, but it seems as if he2019ll command a three-year deal worth more than $40 million in free agency. If that2019s the case, the Red Sox should move on and put Xander Bogaerts at shortstop for the next decade. But there2019s no mandate to play Bogaerts at shortstop immediately. It would be a better left side of the infield with Bogaerts at third base and Drew at shortstop than with Will Middlebroks at third and Bogaerts at short . Unfortunately, that may not be feasible. Saltalamacchia wasn2019t presented with a qualifying offer, and it was the right move for the Red Sox to make. Saltalamacchia would be vastly overpaid at $14.1 million for one season, and his flaws were exposed in October. However, he had the fourth-highest OPS among catchers with at least 450 plate appearances last season, and his game-calling has improved immensely. Saltalamacchia would be the ideal bridge to catching prospects Christian Vazquez and/or Blake Swihart. The problem is, he may command a four-year this winter. If that2019s the case, the Red Sox should walk away and sign another veteran to pair with David Ross. Alex also talks about the possibilities of Carlos Beltran, Brian McCann and other veteran free agents joining the Red Sox. In the 201CAround the League201D segment, Alex explains why a boatload of money will be thrown around this offseason, and also shares what he thinks the owners2019 number one priority should be this week at their meetings. Email Alex at areimer@bu.edu, and follow him on Twitter @AlexReimer1.

Inside this edition of "Without a Curse," Alex speaks with Jon Couture of The New Bedford Standard-Times. Alex and Jon talk about how the 2013 World Series championship has vindicated this ownership group, as the Red Sox have now won three titles under John Henry, Tom Werner and Larry Lucchino's watch. No Red Sox fan may want to have a beer with any of the three men, but every person should toast Henry, Werner and Lucchino next time they sit down to have a cold one. They have been the best owners in franchise history. With the page turning to the offseason, Alex asks Jon which of the four major free agents (Jacoby Ellsbury, Mike Napoli, Stephen Drew and Jarrod Saltalamacchia) he would bring back for next season and beyond. The Red Sox, with a strong farm system and a plethora of financial flexibility, seem poised for another stretch of prolonged dominance as long as they continue to make the right personnel decisions. Both Jon Lester and David Ortiz are signed for next year, but they may want long-term extension this winter. Alex and Jon talk about what the market value for Lest and Ortiz is, and if the Red Sox should pay it before they have to. In the return of the "Around the League" segment, Alex says the Yankees plan to get under the luxury tax and to compete in 2014 is contingent on Alex Rodriguez's status for next season. If A-Rod isn't suspended for the year, it would seem to be near impossible for the Yankees to have a payroll under $189 million and compete for a playoff birth. Email Alex at areimer@bu.edu, and follow him on Twitter @AlexReimer1. "Without a Curse" will be published every Monday throughout the offseason.

The World Series is tied up at two games a piece, as a full team effort lifted the Red Sox over the Cardinals in Game 4. Inside this edition of 201CWithout a Curse,201D Alex recaps Games 2, 3 and 4 and previews the rest of the series. The Red Sox beat themselves in Game 2, as the game-winning score on Craig Breslow2019s errant throw to third base. Breslow has been awful in the series, and should no longer pitch in high leverage situations. Game 3 was arguably the craziest ending to a World Series game ever, as no sport fan likes to see a game decided by a technicality (unless it2019s the tuck rule). But though Jim Joyce2019s obstruction call is how the Red Sox lost the game, it2019s not why they lost the game. The game was lost because Jarrod Saltalamacchia decided to launch a throw to third base when he had no chance of getting the base runner. The game was also because John Farrell apparently has no idea what a double switch is, as he had Brandon Workman bat in the top of the ninth of a tie game in the World Series. If Farrell had wanted Workman to pitch in the bottom of the ninth, he should2019ve subbed out Saltalamacchia for Ross in the bottom of the eighth, and had the pitcher and catcher2019s spots flipped in the order (Saltalamacchia had struck out to end the top of the eighth 2026SURPRISE, SURPRISE). What2019s even weirder, though, is that Farrell removed Workman after he allowed a bloop single to Yadier Molina in the ninth. So if Farrell was going to go to Koji Uehara in the inning anyway, he should2019ve had Mike Napoli pinch-hit for Workman in the top of the frame and then removed him once the bottom of the ninth came around. The decision to let Workman bat while Napoli sat on the bench was inexcusable, and hardly confidence inducing. Farrell has had a shoddy postseason. One of Farrell2019s crutches has been keeping Jonny Gomes in the starting lineup even though he2019s slumping. It2019s ironic, then, that Gomes was the hero on the one night he almost sat. Gomes was inserted into the lineup 90 minutes before Game 4, as Shane Victorino was scratched because of a bad back. After an impassioned speech from David Ortiz prior to the inning, Gomes launched a three-run homer off Cardinals reliever Seth Maness. The Red Sox have had a knack this postseason for coming up big when one would least expect it, and Gomes fit that bill on Sunday night. Clay Buchholz battled through four gritty innings of one-run ball, and is deserving of an apology from every sports talk radio caller out there. The notion that professional baseball players ask out of World Series games because they 201Cdon2019t want it201D is asinine. Maybe Buchholz2019s severely diminished velocity on Sunday will finally convince people that he2019s actually hurt. Felix Doubront picked up Buchholz, and tossed two and two-third scoreless innings out of the bullpen. It2019s amazing that he said he 201Cwasn2019t comfortable201D in a bullpen role just one month ago. John Lackey pitched a scoreless eighth inning of relief, and Koji Uehara nailed down his sixth save of the playoffs in the ninth inning. Uehara picked off pinch-runner Kolten Wong to end the game, leaving the tying run, Carlos Beltran, at the plate. Games 5, 6 and possibly 7 should be terrific. This is what it2019s all about. Email Alex at areimer@bu.edu, and follow him on Twitter @AlexReimer1.

Oct. 13, 2013 will forever be known as the day in which Boston sports flashed back to 2004. Tom Brady led a 70-yard drive to propel the Patriots to victory in the afternoon, and David Ortiz hit a grand slam that defied all of the odds to lead the Red Sox to victory on Sunday night. This is the Golden Age of Boston Sports. Fans should appreciate what they get to see on a weekly basis, because it isn2019t going to last forever. The Red Sox had been no-hit through five innings for the second consecutive game on Sunday. Anibal Sanchez struck out 12 batters in Game 1, and Max Scherzer fanned 13 men in Game 2. It looked bleak, especially with Justin Verlander scheduled to start in Game 3. But then the Red Sox exposed the soft underbelly of the Tigers middle relief core. They loaded the bases in the eighth inning, and set the table for Ortiz to smash a game-tying grand slam off closer Joaquin Benoit. Defensive miscues cost the Tigers in the bottom of the ninth, as Jose Iglesias airmailed a through the first base (HAHAHA), which allowed Jonny Gomes to advance to second base. Gomes scored on a Jarrod Saltalamacchia ground ball that advanced past the outstretched Iglesias on the left side of the infield (HAHAHA). Red Sox relievers combined to throw three and one-third scoreless innings in relief of Clay Buchholz on Sunday, and didn2019t let the game get out of hand. Craig Breslow and Junichi Tazawa haven2019t allowed a run this postseason, as the bridge to Koji Uehara no longer appears to be a concern. Tigers starting pitchers have only allowed one run over the past 23 innings. Verlander will be opposed by John Lackey in Game 3, who has a 3.83 career ERA at Comerica Park. It will be a tall task for the Red Sox in Game 3, but it is no longer a must-win contest thanks to their heroics in Game 2. The Red Sox have a favorable pitching match-up in Game 4, as Jake Peavy will take on Doug Fister. Though Sanchez and Scherzer were dominant in Games 1 and 2, neither pitcher reached the eighth inning. This relentless Red Sox lineup grinds pitchers down, and will almost always reach a team2019s bullpen. Even if Verlander is terrific in Game 3, it is unlikely he2019ll pitch into the eighth or ninth inning. If the game is close, the Red Sox will have a chance. In the 201CAround the League201D segment, Alex talks about the NLCS, and explains why the Cardinals continue to show why they2019re one of the best organizations in baseball. Alex also tells you why Carlos Beltran is a better postseason hitter than Babe Ruth was. Emil Alex at areimer@bu.edu, and follow him on Twitter @AlexReimer1.

The Red Sox are going to the ALCS for the first time since 2008 after beating the Rays in four games in the ALDS. Alex recaps games three and four at Tropicana Field, which included everything from questionable managerial decisions to catwalk interference. The Rays won game three on a walk-off home run from back-up catcher Jose Lobaton, who only entered the game as a defensive replacement because Joe Maddon lost the DH spot in the lineup when he had Matt Joyce replace Wil Myers in right field in the eighth inning. Lobaton homered off Koji Uehara, who hadn2019t allowed a home run since June 30. With left-hander Jake McGee on the mound and two men on in the top of the eigth inning, Farrell opted to not pinch-hit for neither Jarrod Saltalamacchia nor Stephen Drew. Alex questions those moves, especially because Farrell pinch-ran for David Ortiz in the inning. If a manager takes his best hitter of the lineup, he2019s playing to win the game right then and there. Thus, he should play the match-ups. The curious decisions to have Clay Buchholz pitch to Evan Longoria with first base open in the fifth inning, and summoning Brandon Workman instead of Uehara in the eighth inning are talked about as well. Like they2019ve done all season, though, the Red Sox came back from a disappointing loss in game three and won game four. They were shutout through the first six innings, but took the lead in the seventh inning after a wild pitch and Shane Victorino infield single to shortstop. Alex discusses the resiliency of the Red Sox, and game four demonstrated the value of Jacoby Ellsbury and Victorino to the bullpen. The bullpen was dominant, too, throwing three and one-third innings of shutout ball while striking out seven batters. Craig Breslow struck out the first four batters he faced. Amidst all of the hubbub about the Red Sox bullpen2019s performance and Maddon2019s self-aggrandizing (sorry, 201Cinnovative201D) managerial style in game four, it easy to forget about Jake Peavy2019s solid performance. Peavy tossed five and two-third innings of one-run ball, and should2019ve shut up the Jose Iglesias apologists for good. The Tigers and A2019s play game five of their series Thursday night, with the winner coming to Fenway Park to begin the ALCS on Saturday. Both teams would represent formidable opponents for the Red Sox, but Alex says he2019d rather see the Tigers. Though they look better on paper than the A2019s do, they appear to be more vulnerable. In the 201CAround the League201D segment, Alex talks about the upcoming NLCS, between the Dodgers and Cardinals, and says Braves manager Freddi Gonzalez should be on the hottest of hot seats after having closer Craig Kimbrel watch Juan Uribe2019s game-leading home run in the eighth inning on Sunday from the bullpen. At least Kimbrel will be rested for next April. (Shockingly, catcher Brian McCann didn2019t try to stop the Dodgers celebration after their win.) Joe Girardi2019s well-deserved managerial extension with the Yankees is discussed too. Email Alex at areimer@bu.edu, and follow him on Twitter @AlexReimer1.

Inside this edition of "Without a Curse," Alex says whether you're an optimist or a pessimistic determines how you view the Red Sox. They still lead the division, but are a mere five games from last place. With one bad week, the Red Sox could find themselves at the bottom of the division rather than at the top. The bullpen continues to implode, as Andrew Bailey was removed from the closer role this weekend. The Red Sox are running out of bodies in the back-end of the bullpen, but Alex still says they shouldn't panic and trade away valuable prospects for a veteran reliever at the trade deadline. The problem should still try to be solved internally. Plus, Ben Cherington doesn't exactly have a stellar track record when it comes to acquiring relievers. Jon Lester is still in the midst of an extended run of mediocrity, and Clay Buchholz may be on the disabled list longer than first expected. The starting rotation, which was so good earlier in the season, is now littered with uncertainty. If it wasn't for John Lackey, they would really be in trouble... (as weird as that is to say, it's true). Though Jose Iglesias continues to hit, many members of the lineup have slumped in the month of June. If Mike Napoli and Will Middlebrooks can't produce consistently, and if Daniel Nava, Mike Carp and Jarrod Saltalamacchia cool down, the Red Sox could struggle to score runs. Conversely, bullpens are volatile by nature and the Red Sox could find the right combination at the back-end at any moment. Lester could pitch like he did in April and Buchholz could return next week. Napoli's June could prove to be a blip on the radar screen, and this could truly be a year of progression for some of the seemingly overperforming positional players. It depends on how you look at it. In the "Around the League" segment, Alex looks at the AL East standings, and tells you just how dominant the Blue Jays have been in this 10 game winning streak. The Dodgers and Angels have not caught fire like the Jays have, and Alex says it is already too late for both of those teams. Email Alex at areimer@bu.edu, and follow him on Twitter @AlexReimer1.

Inside this edition of "Without a Curse," Alex talks about the first place Red Sox, who after taking two of three from the Rangers and Angels last week, have the best record in the AL. Jacoby Ellsbury returned to the lineup this weekend, and is in the midst of an eight game hitting streak. Ellsbury has nine extra base hits in this stretch, and is a vital component to the long-term success of this lineup. David Ortiz has hit three home runs in four days, as his OPS is well north of 1.000. Ortiz, like last season before he got injured, is one of the best hitters in baseball. Though those at the top of the lineup receive most of the attention, Alex says the role players on the team are arguably the biggest reasons why the Red Sox lead baseball in runs scored. There isn't an easy out anywhere in the lineup, and that is due to the contributions of Daniel Nava, Mike Carp, Jarrod Saltalamacchia and others. Jose Iglesias hasn't been an easy out since returning to the major leagues, as he's enjoying a 13 game hitting streak. Alex' long-term opinion on Iglesias hasn't changed, but he believes Iglesias should play everyday until he cools off. If that means taking at-bats away from Will Middlebrooks (once he returns) and Stephen Drew, then so be it. Last week's amateur draft, in which the Red Sox selected left-handed high school pitcher Trey Ball with the seventh overall pick, is briefly recapped as well. In the "Around the League" segment, Alex discusses the AL East standings, and wages a war on extra innings. Email Alex at areimer@bu.edu, and follow him on Twitter @AlexReimer1.

In this edition of "Without a Curse," Alex recaps the first two games against the Rays, and previews the rubber match of the series tonight. Alex talks about how a struggling offense, and those damned catwalks bit the Red Sox in the loss on Tuesday night. There is nothing we can do about how aesthetically displeasing Tropicana Field is, but can't we fix the ground rules surrounding the catwalks? It would be a shame if an important playoff game was decided because of those things. (Which is possible, because in case you haven't noticed, the Rays are good now.) Jon Lester, for the second consecutive start, rescued the Red Sox from falling into an even greater losing skid. Lester moved up to fifth all-time on the Red Sox strikeout list last night, and put forth another excellent performance in the win. Plus, Stephen Drew hit a grand slam! So there's that... The trade rumors surrounding Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Daniel Bard's continued struggles in the minor leagues are talking about too. In the "Around the League" segment, Alex takes a look at the AL East standings, as the Blue Jays have seemed to begin to hit their stride. The Mets have dominated headlines this week for all of the wrong reasons, as utility player Jordany Valdespin continues to cause controversy with his antics on and off the field. Yes, a utility player has caused this much commotion... Bryce Harper has been in the news this week too, after he collided with an unpadded scoreboard in Dodger Stadium on Monday night. The fact that this story has dominated ESPN for the past week, Alex says, is a great thing for baseball (the injury, of course, isn't). Email Alex at areimer@bu.edu, and follow him on Twitter @AlexReimer1.

Alex speaks with Jon Couture of The New Bedford Standard-Times about his reactions to Terry Francona's book, and some possible early Spring Training storylines. Alex asks Jon what his biggest takeaways from the book are, and if he feels worse about the state of the Red Sox after reading how Francona and Theo Epstein characterized ownership. Alex and Jon also talk about John Farrell's perception, the health concerns in the Red Sox lineup and the status of Jarrod Saltalamacchia. Pedro Martinez will rejoin the Red Sox as a special assistant to the General Manager, and though it's an obvious marketing plow, Alex doesn't understand why people are bemoaning the Red Sox for making the move. In fact, complaining about every Red Sox marketing scheme is getting a little passe. In the "Around the League" segment, Alex analyzes the implications of the Justin Upton trade, and what it says about baseball's culture war. Email Alex at areimer@bu.edu, and follow him on Twitter @AlexReimer1. Thanks as always to producer Dylan Richardson, and to you, the listener! Enjoy the Super Bowl this weekend. In case you haven't heard, Ray Lewis are retiring and Jim and John Harbaugh are brothers.

Last week, Alex spent some time reviewing what went wrong for the Red Sox in 2012. This week, Alex tells you what will go right for the Red Sox in 2013 (not what could go right. There is a difference). Alex also projects what the Red Sox may do with the rest of the season. Are they done maneuvering, or is there still room to deal some excess parts such as Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Andrew Bailey? In the "Around the League" segment, Alex reacts to Torii Hunter's recent comments about "not being comfortable with a gay teammate." It's ironic for Hunter to say that, considering many weren't all that comfortable with the idea of an African American teammate not all that long ago. This leads to a greater discussion about gays in sports, and how Alex believes when a prominent athlete finally does come out of the closet, it won't be as big a deal long-term as people may think. The BBWAA Hall of Fame ballot results will be released this week. Will a member of the steroid era be elected? Email Alex at areimer@bu.edu, and follow him on Twitter @AlexReimer1.

Alex speaks with Sean McAdam of Comcast Sports Net New England (CSNNE). Alex and Sean talk about the biggest differences between last offseason and this one, including Ben Cherington's demeanor and the hires to the coaching staff. Alex asks Sean what we can infer about Jarrod Saltalamacchia's future from the signing of catcher David Ross, and whether Sean thinks Ryan Lavarnway is ready to become an regular catcher. Jose Iglesias' role on the team, and whether the Red Sox will remain risk averse throughout the entire offseason is discussed too. In the "Around the League" segment, Alex looks at the latest round of trade rumors involving Justin Upton, and why he would be leery of surrendering the farm for him. Tom Verducci penned a column for Sports Illustrated last week about baseball's latest drug abuse problem, fast-acting synthetic testosterone. Alex explains why this news is further demonstrates the point that PED use in baseball will never be able to be stopped. It can only be controlled. Email Alex at areimer@bu.edu, and follow him on Twitter @AlexReimer1. Feel free to post on the message boards at www.thesportsstuff.com/boards. If big news breaks this offseason, Alex will begin a thread about it on the boards.

Episode 102 This edition of the pod contains not only an interview with David Laurila — concerning his process, roots as a baseball writer, etc. — but also two interviews by Laurila, first with Red Sox catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia, and then with former outfielder Oscar Gamble. Don’t hesitate to direct pod-related correspondence to @cistulli on […]

The non-waiver trade deadline has passed and Alex spends time discussing the big...Mike Aviles trade! (Okay, 2 minutes you're never going to get back were spent on Aviles.) But Also mostly turns his attention to Erik Bedard, and how Bedard solidifies the starting rotation with Clay Buchholz's future still very much in jeopardy. Besides health, are there any other concerns worth paying attention to in regards to Bedard? The 3 game series against the White Sox is recapped too, with Alex talking about Jarrod Saltalamacchia's continued impressive play, and Jon Lester's continued dominance on the mound since returning from the DL. Plus, it also seems as if the Red Sox are somewhat comfortable with their current bullpen... In the "Around the League" segment Alex gives his take on the Yankees standing pat at the deadline. He also runs over some winners and losers, ranging from teams who dreamed big like the Phillies and Indians to teams that should've sold big like the Cubs. Post on the message boards at www.thesportsstuff.com/boards! Signing up is free, quick, and easy. "The Alex Reimer Show" airs Saturday's from 3-5 PM EST on 1120 AM WBNW Boston, www.moneymattersradio.net, and www.livestream.com/wbnw1120.

Osama Bin Laden has been captured and killed by American forces...a tremendous achievement for this nation that was the culmination of over a decade's worth of intelligence work. President Obama, however, deserves immense credit for being the one who "closed the deal." Of course, this is a Red Sox podcast, and Alex discuss the suddenly streaking Red Sox. The offense has come alive over the past couple of days, with Alex pointing to the Red Sox chasing the opposing starters of the game relatively early and lighting up the soft middle relief of the Angels. Alex also talks about the recent hot hitting from Carl Crawford, and whether he will be moved back up to the top of the lineup soon. Also, Jarrod Saltalamacchia is beginning to look more comfortable both behind the plate and at it. Alex previews the upcoming series against the Twins, and in the "Around the League" segment he discuss the Yankees and what they should do in regards to the struggling Derek Jeter. Alex also dishes on Francisco Liriano's unimpressive no-hitter (he walked 2 more times the amount of batter's he struck out...not 3 times the amount as Alex said on the show. Math isn't his strong suit)! The horrific situation with the Dodgers, and the DUI epidemic plaguing baseball players is discussed as well. Post on the message boards at www.thesportsstuff.com/boards. If you're not there, you should be there, as signing up is free, quick, and easy...new members are always encouraged and welcome to join! "The Alex Reimer Show" airs Saturday's from 3-5 PM EST on 1120 AM WBNW Boston, www.moneymattersradio.net, and www.livestream.com/wbnw1120.

The Red Sox are now 10-11, and are on an incredible tear thanks largely to a historically good run by their starting rotation. Alex looks at this string of spectacular starts, goes over some stats to illustrate how good the starters have been, and asks whether or not this run can continue for the foreseeable future. Alex also looks at the individual performances of Josh Beckett, Daisuke Matsuzaka, and John Lackey. Is Beckett maybe completely healthy for the first time since 2007? How much of a role has Curt Young played in Daisuke's improved performance? Is Lackey going to continue to strike out more batters? Also, just how good has Jonathan Papelbon been early this season? (The answer is, very good.) The lineup is starting to jell too, with Jacoby Ellsbury leading off again and Carl Crawford beginning to hit at the bottom of the order. The "post of the day" (www.thesportsstuff.com/boards) is handed out too, as Alex continues the discussion regarding whether Jarrod Saltalamacchia or Jason Varitek should be the regular catcher. In the "Around the League" segment, the AL East standings, the ownership situation with the Dodgers, MLB looking to expand the playoffs to 10 teams, and Ryan Braun's new contract are all touched upon.

Alex speaks with Jon Couture of The New Bedford Standard-Times. Alex and Jon discuss the ongoing "catcher controversy" between Jason Varitek and Jarrod Saltalamacchia, and which one of them should receive the bulk of the playing time. Alex and Jon also talk about the handling of Carl Crawford, Jed Lowrie's future at the shortstop position, and what a reasonable expectation is for the Red Sox in the final two weeks of April. Daisuke Matsuzaka's stellar start on Monday, the aggressive managerial style by Terry Francona, the upcoming series against the Angels, and much more is talked about too. In the "Around the League" segment, Alex looks at the AL East standings and the ridiculous story involving Cincinnati Reds' pitcher Mike Leake and shoplifting. Plus, MLB has now take control of the Los Angeles Dodgers. What's the next step? Post on the message boards at www.thesportsstuff.com/boards. The person who posts "best" will receive the "post of the day" award on Monday's show. If you're not on the boards, you should be on the boards, as signing up is free, quick, and easy... It's a busy time in sports, and "The Alex Reimer Show" airs Saturday's from 3-5 PM EST on 1120 AM WBNW Boston, www.moneymattersradio.net, and www.livestream.com/wbnw1120.

The 2011 season is officially underway, and it would have been a whole lot better if the Red Sox actually won a game... Alex recaps the first 3 games of the season, all disappointing losses to the Texas Rangers. Alex talks about Jon Lester looking flat on Friday, Clay Buchholz being mediocre on Sunday, and John Lackey being plain out awful on Saturday. The Red Sox pitchers allowed a combined 26 tuns over the weekend. The overall state of the lineup, including Carl Crawford being temporarily dropped from 3rd to 7th, Jarrod Saltalamacchia starting 3 consecutive games, David Ortiz homering twice, and Adrian Gonzalez's debut is analyzed as well. In the "Around the League" segment, Alex takes a look at the early season AL East standings and says that the Blue Jays and Orioles looked mighty impressive over the weekend (though Toronto seems a tad more legitimate). Alex also gives his take on the Barry Bonds perjury tail and what a waste of time he deems it to be. The "post of the day" (www.thesportsstuff.com/boards) is handed out too. At the end of the show, Alex plays his interview with former Tennessee Volunteers quarterback and current property of the New York Jets, Erik Ainge. Erik spoke with Alex about his ongoing recovery from drug addiction on his radio show, "The Alex Reimer Show," this past Saturday afternoon. The next edition of "Without a Curse" is this Thursday!

Alex tries to soothe you through a tough Patriots' loss by talking some baseball (okay, and he talks a little about the Patriots' game too). Alex breaks down the catching situation for the 2011 Red Sox, and begs the question, "why would anybody have a lot of faith in the catching tandem of Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Jason Varitek?" Alex also brings up the fact that Jonathan Papelbon filed for arbitration, and discusses whether it's a significant story or not. In the "Around the League" segment, the Yankees' signing of Rafael Soriano, as well as the state of their starting rotation is talked about. Albert Pujols' contractual status, and more is mentioned too! Post on the boards (www.thesportsstuff.com/boards)! "The Alex Reimer Show" has a new time slot! It airs Saturday's from 3-5 PM EST on 1120 AM WBNW Boston, www.moneymattersradio.net, and www.livestream.com/wbnw1120.

Alex gives his opinion on Victor Martinez signing with the Detroit Tigers. Alex says that he's disappointed that Martinez is no longer with the Red Sox, he certainly isn't surprised. Alex believes that with the way the Red Sox handled Martinez's pending free agency, this was all a foregone conclusion. The conversation turns to who will replace Victor Martinez. Alex is not high on Jarrod Saltalamacchia, and doesn't understand why so many people seemingly are. The "post of the day" (www.thesportsstuff.com/boards) is handed out. In the "Around the League" segment, Alex outlines the latest controversy regarding the Derek Jeter negotiations, talks about the Victor Martinez signing from the Tigers' perspective, and more. "The Alex Reimer Show" returns to the air this Saturday, 12/4, on 1120 AM WBNW Boston, www.moneymattersradio.net, and www.livestream.com/wbnw1120. "The Alex Reimer Show" now airs from 12-2 PM EST.

In 1972 Steve Blass suddenly lost the ability to control his pitches. Thirty years later, the same thing happened to Rick Ankiel. We expect professional athletes to be stoic, unaffected by danger and injury, but the culture of baseball can have profound consequences on the performance of even the most elite athletes.