Tipping Pitches

Bobby and Alex take a look at how Slam Corp stock is doing, then discuss a recent article about Diamond Baseball Holdings’s minor league shopping spree and what the encroachment of private equity means for the developmental arm of the sport. Then they settle on a slogan for the A’s and answer some mailbag questions about how to denote outs on scorebugs, governmental investigations, the outlook for robot pitchers, MLB in the Middle East, and more. Links: What is Diamond Baseball Holdings up to? Rockies under investigation by the FAA Every 2024 scorebug Join the Tipping Pitches Patreon Tipping Pitches merchandise Songs featured in this episode: Arm's Length — "Dirge" • Booker T & the M.G.’s — “Green Onions” --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/tipping-pitches/message

Bobby and Alex are joined by Hannah Keyser to run through a grab bag of topics, including the Shohei Ohtani/Ippei Mizuhara investigation updates, the state of the Designated Hitter across the league, why pitchers are not more...anxious, whether Jordan Montgomery leaving Scott Boras portends anything, team slogans, and more. Follow Hannah on Twitter. Links: The billionaire behind the scenes in White Sox’ stadium plan Join the Tipping Pitches Patreon Tipping Pitches merchandise Songs featured in this episode: At the Drive-In — "Lopsided" • Jimmy Eat World — "Christmas Card" • Booker T & the M.G.’s — “Green Onions” --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/tipping-pitches/message

Alex and Bobby break down the quote that's got them saying "Let's Go Brandon" and check in on some news items regarding a Sacramento baseball team and a recent rash of elbow injuries. Then they take stock of MLB's current bedfellows by ranking this year's jersey patch sponsors based on their benefit (or lack thereof) to society. We're talking grocery stores and oil spills, baby! Links: Join the Tipping Pitches Patreon Tipping Pitches merchandise Songs featured in this episode: Madonna — "Material Girl" • The Saints — "Know Your Product" • Booker T & the M.G.’s — “Green Onions” --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/tipping-pitches/message

Bobby and Alex preview the 2024 season (three days into the season) by putting together a bingo card of some off-field events they'll be watching for this year, including billionaire shopping sprees, the encroachment of sports betting, political donations, Twitter settings tweaks, and more. Play along with your own card at the link below! Links: A-Rod, Marc Lore and Glen Taylor clash publicly over Wolves, Lynx ownership Play Tipping Pitches Bingo: https://bingobaker.com/#660a190e3bb4104e Songs featured in this episode: Smirk — "Violent Game" • Booker T & the M.G.'s — "Green Onions" --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/tipping-pitches/message

Return of the pod! Alex and Bobby are back to kick off the 2024 season with this year’s banned topics, a list which includes a media member, a sport, an oft-repeated lie from owners, a uniform decision, and more. Plus, some discussion of a couple small stories from the last week involving Shohei Ohtani and the MLBPA. Everything is fine here! Links: Players move to oust Bruce Meyer from union Join the Tipping Pitches Patreon Tipping Pitches merchandise Songs featured in this episode: Thin Lizzy — “The Boys Are Back In Town” • Gulfer — “Clean” • Booker T & the M.G.’s — “Green Onions” --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/tipping-pitches/message

[From April 20, 2020] Alex and Bobby are joined once again by Washington Nationals closer Sean Doolittle to break down Game 5 of the 1999 ALDS between the Boston Red Sox and Cleveland Indians. It’s a game that features plenty of dingers, plenty of Hall of Famers, and vintage Pedro Martínez in the tightest pants imaginable. Plus: a dive into the story of Albert Belle and the greatest heist in baseball history. Follow Sean on Twitter at ⁠@whatwouldDOOdo⁠. Links: ⁠Watch along with Tipping Pitches Classics⁠ Songs featured in this episode: Jamiroquai — "Canned Heat" • Booker T. & the M.G.’s — “Green Onions” --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/tipping-pitches/message

[From Dec. 9, 2019] For their 100th episode, Alex and Bobby take a look back at the 2010s by picking a player from each year who best represented the decade as a whole. The resulting list is a collection of players who were not necessarily the best, but who made the biggest cultural impact in the last 10 years, or who changed the way that we as fans consume the game. Does Yasiel Puig make the cut? Listen to find out… Songs featured in this episode: Lorde — “Supercut” • Booker T. & the M.G.’s — “Green Onions” --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/tipping-pitches/message

[From Jan. 17, 2022] Bobby and Alex are back with a very special episode this week. They’ve invited on their friends Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman of Céspedes Family BBQ to do the unthinkable: draft the owners who they would actually want — or wouldn’t hate — to have running their team. Some of the choices may surprise you and some may not, but the episode reveals the colorful history of some of baseball’s lesser known owners and is sure to give you a better understanding of the billionaires who run the sport we love to hate and hate to love. Follow Céspedes Family BBQ on Twitter at @CespedesBBQ. Songs featured in this episode: H.E.R. — "Do To Me" • Booker T & the M.G.’s — “Green Onions” --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/tipping-pitches/message

[From Feb. 19, 2018] On this episode, Alex and Bobby banter a bit about baseball’s resident dad Mike Scioscia, the return of The Freak, and Hunter Pence’s board game/video game/comic book/live streaming/podcasting café in Houston (a.k.a our new recording studio). Then they bring on writer and prolific tweeter Eireann Dolan to talk about activism in baseball, a painfully slow offseason, baseball reality shows, and how she met her husband Sean Doolittle (spoiler: it was Twitter). She also has some great ideas for how we should monetize. Follow Eireann on Twitter ⁠here⁠. Links: ⁠Pedro Moura on Ohtani/Scioscia ($)⁠ / ⁠the Scioscia quote⁠ ⁠Hunter Pence’s foray into the coffee business⁠ Songs featured in this episode: X — “Los Angeles” • Japanese Breakfast — “Everybody Wants to Love You” • Jeff Rosenstock — “Nausea” • The Eagles — “Already Gone” --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/tipping-pitches/message

[From March 12, 2018] Inspired by an article by Zach Kram at the Ringer last year, Bobby and Alex take a deep dive into the history of “Backyard Baseball,” the kids-video-game-turned-cult-classic that they grew up with. They bring on Nick Mirkovich, one of the game’s co-creators, to talk about the game’s inception and its evolution through the years, and speculate on why the game remains so firmly embedded in the minds of this generation. They dive into the colorful personalities of each character and reminisce on what made the game so special in the first place. It’s a full-on nostalgia sesh, featuring real gameplay and cameos from Sunny Day, Vinnie the Gooch, and the one and only Pablo Sanchez. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/tipping-pitches/message

Hi everyone, We'll be taking a small hiatus from the show. In the meantime, we'll be running old classics and hidden gems from before many of you were subscribed. Thanks for your understanding, we look forward to being back with new episodes soon! —Alex and Bobby --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/tipping-pitches/message

Please enjoy this 'Moneyball' watchalong commentary track, unlocked from the Tipping Pitches Patreon, while Alex and Bobby take the week off from the feed to recover from the chaos of Billionaire Hunting. 'Moneyball' is currently streaming on Netflix in the United States. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/tipping-pitches/message

Bobby and Alex discuss the sale of the Baltimore Orioles to billionaire hedge fund manager David Rubenstein. Then, in one of their most unhinged efforts ever, they run through the Forbes list of the 100 richest people in America to try and find a new owner for the Oakland Athletics. Links: Michael Baumann on the sale of the Orioles ⁠Join the Tipping Pitches Patreon⁠⁠ ⁠ ⁠Tipping Pitches merchandise ⁠ Songs featured in this episode: Parquet Courts — “NYC Observation • Booker T & the M.G.’s — “Green Onions” --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/tipping-pitches/message

Bobby and Alex banter about a World Series between the most likable teams, then discuss the bubbling age fraud story in the Dominican Republic and its fallout, run through a grab bag of listener topics, and float an idea for how to raise the stakes of the Hall of Fame selections. Links: Age fraud in the Dominican Republic Adrian Beltre gets the call to the Hall Join the Tipping Pitches Patreon Tipping Pitches merchandise Songs featured in this episode: Jess Williamson — "Hunter" • Booker T & the M.G.’s — “Green Onions” --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/tipping-pitches/message

Alex and Bobby try and parse Amazon’s rescue of Diamond Sports Group and what it means for the future of broadcasts, then discuss Jerry Reinsdorf’s quest to make his mark on the South Side with a new stadium, and dive into what Sports Illustrated’s untimely demise means for the future of the media landscape (it’s not great!). Links: Amazon investing in Diamond Sports Group White Sox in “serious talks” for new stadium Matthew Trueblood on Jerry Reinsdorf’s stadium dreams Join the Tipping Pitches Patreon Tipping Pitches merchandise Songs featured in this episode: The Mother Hips — “White Falcon Fuzz” • Booker T & the M.G.’s — “Green Onions” --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/tipping-pitches/message

You know him, you love him. It's FanGraphs writer Michael Baumann's fifth time appearing to assess the state of labor in baseball, which this year features a macro-analysis of the minor league CBA, a final consensus on whether deferred money in player contracts matters all that much, and predictions over whether streaming's collapse will have adverse effects on labor in the future. Subscribe to Mike's cycling newsletter here: https://wheelysports.substack.com/ Links: ⁠Join the Tipping Pitches Patreon ⁠ ⁠Tipping Pitches merchandise ⁠ Songs featured in this episode: Desaparecidos— “Mall of America” • Booker T & the M.G.’s — “Green Onions” --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/tipping-pitches/message

New year, same Tipping Pitches. Alex and Bobby ring in 2024 by running through some REAL baseball news (the contents of Jeff Passan’s Twitter account) over the last few weeks, including a pair of moves from the Red Sox, even more rule changes, and Harrison Bader (that’s right). They also make some New Year’s resolutions, field some listener questions, and start planning out Alex Rodriguez’s presidential campaign. Links: Join the Tipping Pitches Patreon Tipping Pitches merchandise Songs featured in this episode: Indigo Moiré — “Whole, Again” • Booker T & the M.G.’s — “Green Onions” --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/tipping-pitches/message

Unlocked from the Patreon feed, Alex and Bobby give you a podcasters' commentary of the seminal coming-of-age baseball flick The Sandlot. Come for the Green Onions lore, stay for the Stevie barks, maybe leave for when they eat s'mores. TO GET MORE PATREON CONTENT, SIGN UP AT: patreon.com/tippingpitches Links: ⁠Tipping Pitches merchandise⁠ Songs featured in this episode: Counting Crows — "Big Yellow Taxi" • Booker T & the M.G.’s — “Green Onions” --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/tipping-pitches/message

Bobby and Alex banter about colds and cold opens before delving into the disastrous discourse that is Shohei Ohtani's whopping $680 million of salary deferral and what it means for the Dodgers competitive balance tax bill. To close, they tell you everything you could possibly ever want to know about the Mariners and ROOT Sports and why you might actually not need to know any of it. Links: Shohei Ohtani Contract Explainer Mariners to take full control of ROOT Sports NW ⁠Join the Tipping Pitches Patreon⁠ ⁠Tipping Pitches merchandise⁠ Songs featured in this episode: Oso Oso — "reindeer games" • Booker T & the M.G.’s — “Green Onions” --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/tipping-pitches/message

Alex and Bobby discuss Shohei Ohtani’s free agency and the resulting media frenzy, Juan Soto’s heel turn, and a prospective Orioles sale, then bring on Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman of Céspedes Family BBQ for a game of Overrated/Underrated that includes MLB.tv, Jumbotrons, ballpark flyovers, Jackie Robinson, and more. Links: John Angelos says the Orioles aren’t for sale The doomed search for a perfect Statcast data interpretation Join the Tipping Pitches Patreon Tipping Pitches merchandise Songs featured in this episode: Spiritual Cramp — "Talkin' On The Internet" • Taylor Swift — "Mastermind" • Booker T & the M.G.’s — “Green Onions” --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/tipping-pitches/message