Episode 21: Typewriter
(Aug 15, 2012).
Episode 22: Why BP Didn’t Break the Melky Cabrera Suspension
(Aug 16, 2012).
I wasn’t happy when Rob Manfred got the nod as Bud Selig’s successor and the new Commissioner of Major League Baseball. I can’t say I was livid, exactly, because my default disposition is awfully laid… Read more »
Earlier this month I saw this tweet from the Angels: As big as it gets here #AtTheBigA! Who's joining us for #MonsterJam tonight? pic.twitter.com/mPGn9VSZA7 — Los Angeles Angels (@Angels) January 11, 2015 “WHAT? MONSTER JAM?… Read more »
On Friday night, we lost another of baseball’s historical and personal giants. Ernie Banks died not far short of his 84th birthday, and perhaps, only a little further short of seeing the Chicago Cubs team… Read more »
When people talk about players who showed enormous potential early in their careers, but never truly fulfilled it, Cesar Cedeno is one of the first names they usually invoke. Cedeno hit the big leagues in… Read more »
The Chicago Cubs signed Jon Lester to a six-year, $155-million contract in December. Presumably, the Cubs believe they will be competitive, if not this season, then next, and therefore decided to get themselves an ace…. Read more »
As the dog days hit, the guys check in on two aging, injured left-handers, chat about another exciting prospect promotion, and try to divine the competitive implications of the new Wild Card system. Episode 19:… Read more »
This might feel like an odd moment to publish a scouting report on Max Scherzer, whose free agency ended earlier this week when the starting pitcher signed a seven-year, $210-million contract with the Washington Nationals…. Read more »
Earlier this week on Episode 3 of the Banished to the Pen Podcast, I told host Ryan Sullivan that I probably hadn’t purchased a pack of baseball cards since 1994 (I looked back on some of… Read more »
The 2013 Detroit Tigers starting rotation has a strong argument as the best rotation of all time–or at least on par with the 2011 Philadelphia Phillies rotation (which had Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, and Cole… Read more »
Episode 17: Manny Comin’ – August 9, 2012. Duration: 16:26. The Style: The show opens with someone whistling “The Farmer in the Dell.” That someone was Omar from The Wire. This particular clip was from Season… Read more »
In 2014, Dexter Fowler was 20 runs worse than an average defensive center fielder, according to Defensive Runs Saved (DRS). It was the worst figure posted by any center fielder in Major League Baseball. Fowler… Read more »
My favorite baseball movie of all time is The Natural. Go ahead, mock me.
I love it for all that is pure fantasy: whittling Wonderboy from a lightning-split tree, whiffing The Whammer, inexplicable shooting by a crazy woman, busted open balls, deadly outfield walls, exploding clocks in Wrigley, Glenn Close sold as attractive, a shadow lurking owner, Wilford Brimley being tangentially related to Kim Basinger, and of course… the bloody hero’s fireworks display.
Major League Baseball is trying to make the games go faster and so they’ve experimented with a 20-second pitch clock in the Arizona Fall League. The reports of the experiment were good and therefore the… Read more »
Sunday::funday. While Wisconsin lives this phrase almost every week, January 18, 2015 was destined to be an especially epic one. The state’s sports crown jewel, the Green Bay Packers, were set to meet the Seattle… Read more »
On Sunday, January 18th the New York Daily News reported that there were multiple changes made to various ownership committee changes at these past winter meetings. One of which included naming Fred Wilpon, whose family… Read more »
Now that the Washington Nationals have signed Max Scherzer to a seven-year deal, they have an opportunity to make a blockbuster trade involving one of their aces. The Nationals, for all intents and purposes, have… Read more »
Writer Alex Crisafulli talks cards with senior staffer Ken Maeda (content to take on a sidekick role here) and host Ryan Sullivan (not yet ecstatic from hearing of Scherzer’s signing). Then the trio talks Cards, as well as Angels, playoff disappointment, and Effectively Wild.
The Chicago Cubs traded third baseman Luis Valbuena and right-handed pitcher Dan Straily to the Houston Astros Monday, for outfielder Dexter Fowler. It’s a win-now move on both sides, as Valbuena will move offensively helpless… Read more »
While most of us were struggling to watch the 2nd half of the New England Indianapolis game last night, the Washington Nationals were completing a 7-year $210 million dollar pact with former Detroit RHP Max Scherzer…. Read more »
Washington Nationals GM Mike Rizzo isn’t afraid to be called heavy-handed. There’s never been anything subtle about his draft strategy, which is how he took players who spent at least some time as the consensus… Read more »
Trading the All-Star could signal a turning point for the Rockies front office.
When I was collecting cards, issues of Beckett Baseball Card Monthly had a page listing the address for each team’s stadium. It was easy to not pay this page much mind, but I saw it… Read more »
Recruiting is a dreadful but necessary part of the job. Perhaps, at a later date, I can go into the ways in which a coach must toe the line between truth-teller and snake oil salesman… Read more »
You miss baseball. It’s okay to admit. Since we’re waiting, some of the writers at Banished to the Pen thought it would be a good idea to consider why we love this game so much…. Read more »
This past Tuesday and Wednesday brought frustration and anger to Mets fans. On Tuesday, fans thought it would be the day that Mike Piazza got in; instead it was just Pedro Martinez who spent his… Read more »
The Phillies traded their franchise hits leader Jimmy Rollins to the Dodgers. They traded their best source of power, Marlon Byrd, to the Reds. Nobody is giving more than a laundry machine for Ryan Howard, so Ruben Amaro Jr. is currently eating that huge contract. However, Cole Hamels is still on the Phillies’ roster.
We’ve passed the halfway point between the last out of the World Series and the first pitch of Spring Training. This is always a dreary time in the calendar for baseball fans. Many of the… Read more »
As soon as Chicago Cubs prospect Javier Baez was called up in August, he was a must-watch, for one very specific reason: he swung a bat just about as hard as you can imagine anyone swinging…. Read more »
Episode 15: Cat Fight – August 7th, 2012. Duration: 15:51. The Style: The opening is simply audio of cats yowling during a fight, which is not only instantly painful to listen to but also goes on for… Read more »
