Episodes

  • The 2022 State of Labor in Baseball (feat. Michael Baumann)

    To ring in the New Year, Bobby and Alex bring back Michael Baumann, staff writer at The Ringer, for their third annual State of Labor in Baseball, where they survey baseball’s current labor landscape and examine the key dynamics that will define the sport’s coming years. Amid the ongoing lockout, they look at whether the…

  • The National Ballparks Service

    Coming up on the end of 2021, Alex and Bobby take a moment to reflect on the past year and dig into why it feels harder than ever to separate baseball as a business from baseball as a form of entertainment. Of course, they then go on to break down — surprise — the recent…

  • How Media Distorts Sports Labor Fights (feat. Adam Johnson)

    This week, Bobby and Alex finally discuss the Business Insider report that MLB knowingly used two baseballs — that performed very differently — for the entirety of the 2021 season, without informing players, teams, or fans. They, they’re joined by Citations Needed co-host Adam Johnson to discuss the way the media industry covers lockouts, strikes,…

  • The CBA ABCs: Revenue Sharing (feat. Nathaniel Grow)

    With the recent expiration of Major League Baseball’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, Alex and Bobby are taking some time to break down key concepts that will be on the table in the coming weeks and months and examine what’s at stake for each side. To round out the series, they bring on Nathaniel Grow, associate professor…

  • The CBA ABCs: Competitive Balance Tax (feat. Maury Brown and Lindsey Adler)

    Now that Major League Baseball’s Collective Bargaining Agreement has expired, Alex and Bobby are taking some time to break down key concepts that will be on the table in the coming weeks and months and examine what’s at stake for each side. This week, they do a deep dive on the competitive balance tax, looking…

  • The CBA ABCs: Salary Arbitration (feat. Jerry Blevins & Kevin Goldstein)

    With the imminent expiration of Major League Baseball’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, Alex and Bobby are taking some time to break down key concepts that will be on the table in the coming weeks and months and examine what’s at stake for each side. This week, they look at salary arbitration, tracing its roots back to…

  • The Tipping Pitches CBA Crash Course

    If you, like a lot of baseball fans, have been trying to ignore the impending doom of an MLB lockout and now need to catch up on what the hell an MLB lockout is, fear not. Here are the essential episodes of Tipping Pitches to listen to if you’re trying to understand what’s happening in…

  • If the Industry Could Speak

    Bobby and Alex banter about the Rays doing Rays things with a generational talent, then break down the new plan to provide minor leaguers with housing and why it’s a bittersweet victory. Then, a close reading of Rob Manfred’s comments about the state of CBA negotiations. Links: Jeff Passan’s roundup of Rob Manfred’s comments Songs…

  • ‘Tis the Damn Offseason (Bobby and Alex’s Version)

    Bobby and Alex chronicle the latest in CBA negotiation news, including an outlandish proposal to replace salary arbitration with a payment system based on FanGraphs Wins Above Replacement. Then, they discuss Scott Boras, and whether his annual comments at the GM Meetings align with MLBPA interests or not. Finally, they finish by answering listener questions…

  • The #200 Mailbag: Brawls, Caffeine, Hot Dogs, Star Wars, and Taylor Swift

    For their 200th episode, Alex and Bobby open up the mailbag and spend an episode taking listener questions about baseball and far beyond, including a baseball podcaster brawl, deadly caffeine consumption, Star Wars characters in bed, all things Taylor Swift, secondary podcast ideas, episode music choices, and much more. Thanks to those who submitted questions,…

  • Which Side Are You On?

    Bobby and Alex talk Jon Heyman’s growing sentience, then take stock of the World Series so far, examining what has made it enjoyable — or not — to watch. Then they discuss the looming likelihood of a strike, assessing what they think a potential work stoppage will look like and where the power balance stands…

  • What Does Rob Manfred Want Me To Feel?

    Alex and Bobby check in on Bob Nightengale’s latest exploits, then discuss how they ~feel~ about a Houston-Atlanta World Series, what makes these teams hard to root for, the complexity of the Dodgers’ exit, and more. They also take listener messages about rooting for the Astros as a Dodger fan, Kevin Millar the scab, and…