The Infinite Inning
The Infinite Inning is not only about baseball but a state of mind. Steven Goldman, rotating cohosts Jesse Spector, Cliff Corcoran, and David Roth, and occasional guests discuss the game’s present, past, and future with forays outside the foul lines to the culture at large. Expect stats, anecdotes, digressions, explorations of writing and fandom, and more Casey Stengel quotations than you thought possible. Along the way, they’ll try to solve the puzzle that is the Infinite Inning: How do you find the joy in life when you can’t get anybody out?
Episodes
September 24, 2021 • 127 min
Cliff Corcoran, David Roth, Jesse Spector with a rare collective sighting as the starting rotation reflects on four years of episodes, 20-plus years of writing about baseball, managers who aged before our eyes, Javier Baez, and so much more. Plus tales of a manager making that one fatal mistake and Tris Speaker gets a heart.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Babe Ruth Doesn’t Quite End Two Careers with One Hit*Tris Speaker, His Mom, and Healing Old...
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Babe Ruth Doesn’t Quite End Two Careers with One Hit*Tris Speaker, His Mom, and Healing Old...
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September 13, 2021 • 62 min
A new hour-long mini-episode features yet another John McGraw insult, a discussion of vaccine mandates, Holocaust analogies, and the logical fallacy of hasty generalization both in and out of baseball (Babe Ruth has two legs and plays baseball and Isan Diaz has two legs and plays baseball, so they must be exactly the same), and a tale of catching great Ernie Lombardi mouthing off to his boss with predictable consequences. Guests re...
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September 4, 2021 • 47 min
A medically-necessary solo episode has a lesson about keeping your eye on the ball rather than your fingers on the banjo, some Zen advice from Casey Stengel, and the tale of a busted prospect who could have used some Zen of his own.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
The Pirates Try to Sing Their Way to a Pennant*Just Tra-La-La (Yankees and Mets versions)*Sympathy for Roy Parmelee*Goodbyes.
The Infinite Inning is not only about baseball but a state o...
TABLE OF CONTENTS
The Pirates Try to Sing Their Way to a Pennant*Just Tra-La-La (Yankees and Mets versions)*Sympathy for Roy Parmelee*Goodbyes.
The Infinite Inning is not only about baseball but a state o...
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August 21, 2021 • 119 min
David Roth returns to discuss the Mets’ fall from the pennant race, the Baltimore Orioles’ complete absence therefrom, and the 1982 Yankees vs. the Afghanistan withdrawal. Plus tales: A pitcher who did everything right and yet everything went wrong and the Orioles compared to the Mary Celeste.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
The Book of Koob*Rebuilding vs. Tanking vs. Not Giving a Damn*David Roth: Maine is Another Country/Misplaced Darwinian Stru...
TABLE OF CONTENTS
The Book of Koob*Rebuilding vs. Tanking vs. Not Giving a Damn*David Roth: Maine is Another Country/Misplaced Darwinian Stru...
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August 15, 2021 • 119 min
Craig Goldstein (Baseball Prospectus) returns to talk Dodgers, diving for balls, and salary caps. Plus tales: A short shortstop fails to measure up and Roy Campanella asks the wrong team for a job.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Tommy Macmillan and the Non-Magical Manger*Campy’s Plea to the Phillies*Craig Goldstein: Baseball is Everything it Touches*The Trea Turner: Time-Traveler?*Cool Papa Calls In/Joe DiMaggio Didn’t Dive*Seager vs. Turner?*On...
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Tommy Macmillan and the Non-Magical Manger*Campy’s Plea to the Phillies*Craig Goldstein: Baseball is Everything it Touches*The Trea Turner: Time-Traveler?*Cool Papa Calls In/Joe DiMaggio Didn’t Dive*Seager vs. Turner?*On...
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August 6, 2021 • 133 min
Cliff Corcoran returns to talk trading deadline and Olympic-mandated underwear worn as outwear. Plus tales: A player loses half of what he’s got below the waist and another loses everything, period, on two hellish plane-flights.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Schang!*Cool Papa Bell and Roy Parnell*Proper Comportment for Airline Passengers, 1935 and 2021*Cliff Corcoran: The Busiest Trading Deadline in History*The Trevor Story Story*Juan Samuel Tin...
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Schang!*Cool Papa Bell and Roy Parnell*Proper Comportment for Airline Passengers, 1935 and 2021*Cliff Corcoran: The Busiest Trading Deadline in History*The Trevor Story Story*Juan Samuel Tin...
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July 30, 2021 • 117 min
Jesse Spector returns to talk everything from Olympic softball to Australian-rules football with a great deal of trade deadline chatter in-between. Plus tales of a player whose bat-control skills got him punched in the face and some Negro Leaguers recall one time they struck back.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Twenty-Seven Foul Balls Equals One Punch*Revenge on Bobo*Jesse Spector: Olympic Ennui*Softball, Carl Mays, Dan Quisenberry*Watching for ...
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Twenty-Seven Foul Balls Equals One Punch*Revenge on Bobo*Jesse Spector: Olympic Ennui*Softball, Carl Mays, Dan Quisenberry*Watching for ...
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July 22, 2021 • 124 min
Warrior for the Underdog Sheryl Ring returns to discuss Trevor Bauer, the limits of consent, and why it’s so difficult to escape an abusive situation. Plus tales of a Yankees-Braves trade that nearly happened but didn’t and we look at the lessons of a shooting outside the Nationals game.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Roberto Kelly for Jeff Blauser*Shooting at the Nats Game*Sheryl Ring: Eviction Moratorium*Collapse in Florida*Trevor Bauer: Power ...
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Roberto Kelly for Jeff Blauser*Shooting at the Nats Game*Sheryl Ring: Eviction Moratorium*Collapse in Florida*Trevor Bauer: Power ...
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July 13, 2021 • 119 min
Craig Calcaterra returns to talk All-Star Game Ennui, Enjoyable MLB 2021 surprises and disappointments, Richard Donner’s “Superman,” and much more. Plus tales of bad knees and collapsing teams in both baseball and the larger world.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Mourning Ronald Acuna’s Knee and Other Things as Well*The Orioles, the Astros, and the Danger of Deferred Maintenance*Craig Calcaterra: “Swell” and “Superman: The Movie”*The All-Star Game...
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Mourning Ronald Acuna’s Knee and Other Things as Well*The Orioles, the Astros, and the Danger of Deferred Maintenance*Craig Calcaterra: “Swell” and “Superman: The Movie”*The All-Star Game...
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July 3, 2021 • 116 min
David Roth returns to discuss the upcoming trading deadline, climate change, and Mets injury-setbacks that aren’t setbacks. Plus the Yankees’ disappointing season provokes a remembrance of George Steinbrenner’s cruelty and generosity and (TRIGGER WARNING) Trevor Bauer is discussed in the context of a great old baseball horror story.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Some of George Steinbrenner’s Greatest Hits*George Steinbrenner and the Vets’ Reunio...
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Some of George Steinbrenner’s Greatest Hits*George Steinbrenner and the Vets’ Reunio...
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June 23, 2021 • 112 min
Cliff Corcoran returns to talk sticky stuff and celebrate the Negro Leagues, plus tales of players having catastrophic organ failure on the field and reacting to some of the game’s longest losing streaks.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
When Your Organs Fail Mid-Pitch and Other Digressions*Nazi Losing Streaks Never End (with the Arizona Diamondbacks)*Cliff Corcoran: No team in a sombrero*A “Bring It On” Reference on the Infinite Inning?*The Cheate...
TABLE OF CONTENTS
When Your Organs Fail Mid-Pitch and Other Digressions*Nazi Losing Streaks Never End (with the Arizona Diamondbacks)*Cliff Corcoran: No team in a sombrero*A “Bring It On” Reference on the Infinite Inning?*The Cheate...
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June 14, 2021 • 121 min
Jesse Spector returns to talk grip-enhanced cheating and “snack cakes,” plus tales of Satchel Paige under attack by a man imitating a pig and John McGraw hit below the belt.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Piersall, Paige, and the Walk-Off Grand Slam*The Church of B’Grobus*McGraw, Crossfire, and an Accusation*Jesse Spector: Hostess vs. Drakes*Gerrit Cole, Spider-Grip, Et Al*Jacob deGrom in the Age of the Inquisition*“Sticky Stuff is Central to Bot...
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Piersall, Paige, and the Walk-Off Grand Slam*The Church of B’Grobus*McGraw, Crossfire, and an Accusation*Jesse Spector: Hostess vs. Drakes*Gerrit Cole, Spider-Grip, Et Al*Jacob deGrom in the Age of the Inquisition*“Sticky Stuff is Central to Bot...
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June 5, 2021 • 112 min
Mike Bates and Bill Parker (This Week in Baseball History) talk about the baseball stories you keep and a Twins team you might want to return to the store: Plus tales of unscarred players and damaged veterans meeting on a train, dairy-splashed homers, Lou Gehrig at Coney Island, and games called for wardrobe failures.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Braves Ashamed on the Train*Dairy Homer*Lou Gehrig Day Thoughts*The First Baseman Has No Pants, th...
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Braves Ashamed on the Train*Dairy Homer*Lou Gehrig Day Thoughts*The First Baseman Has No Pants, th...
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May 30, 2021 • 105 min
Eric Stephen returns to talk about the Dodgers’ up and down season and what it’s like to cover the team from inside a Zoom window. Plus tales: The most and least hits in a game put into perspective and the relationship between an intense third baseman and a crooner remembered.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
When You’re Cold, You’re Cold*The Ballad of Hoak and Corey*Eric Stephen: The Risk of Hot Takes*Post-COVID Back in the Ballpark*The Postgame ...
TABLE OF CONTENTS
When You’re Cold, You’re Cold*The Ballad of Hoak and Corey*Eric Stephen: The Risk of Hot Takes*Post-COVID Back in the Ballpark*The Postgame ...
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May 22, 2021 • 121 min
Craig Calcaterra returns to talk ballpark villages, elevator test shafts, and Robert Culp: Guest-Star. Plus tales of relationships that went wrong or never happened with the sharp-tongued outfielder Bibb Falk and Reds relievers in the Summer of Love.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Bibb Falk Alone*McCool, Davidson, and a Gun*Craig Calcaterra: The Greatest American Hero, Bob Culp, and “Columbo”*The Low Maturity Level of Old-Time Television*The Oakl...
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Bibb Falk Alone*McCool, Davidson, and a Gun*Craig Calcaterra: The Greatest American Hero, Bob Culp, and “Columbo”*The Low Maturity Level of Old-Time Television*The Oakl...
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May 13, 2021 • 122 min
Frank Guridy discusses THE SPORTS REVOLUTION: HOW TEXAS CHANGED THE CULTURE OF AMERICAN ATHLETICS. The arrival of the Texas Rangers, the rise of the Astrodome, the origins of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders and much more! Plus tales: An outfielder participates in a rundown but doesn’t run into a tree, and a true bigot is inspired to great heights of rhetoric by a stolen base.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Don’t Die on Third!*Hi Myers and the We...
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Don’t Die on Third!*Hi Myers and the We...
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May 6, 2021 • 103 min
Amanda Smith (Disaster Girls podcast, Le Renard Argente) returns to cope with the pandemic, discuss emotional distance in disaster films, dating while living a public life, and the Dodgers’ up-and-down start. Plus tales: The Braves stake a hat on a pair of rookie outfielders and a third baseman for not being famous tells a story of his own.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Schulmerich, Worthington, and Seize the Day*Harry Eisenstadt’s Sand Crab Y...
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Schulmerich, Worthington, and Seize the Day*Harry Eisenstadt’s Sand Crab Y...
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April 28, 2021 • 121 min
Cliff Corcoran (The Cycle newsletter) returns to run down the state of the early season, plus tales: Death stalks the Polo Grounds and Gallen and Bumgarner meet Dizzy and Paul.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Multiple Fatalities at the Polo Grounds*Dizzy but Not Daffy*Cliff Corcoran: Rougned Odor and the Yankees*Low Offensive Levels/The Strikeout Rate*A Strikeout Was Just Another Out*How We Watch Now*Fix Baseball (No Forks)*Dodgers v. Padres*Dodge...
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Multiple Fatalities at the Polo Grounds*Dizzy but Not Daffy*Cliff Corcoran: Rougned Odor and the Yankees*Low Offensive Levels/The Strikeout Rate*A Strikeout Was Just Another Out*How We Watch Now*Fix Baseball (No Forks)*Dodgers v. Padres*Dodge...
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April 20, 2021 • 124 min
David Roth returns to talk baseball and social responsibility during our still-ongoing pandemic. Plus tales: Pee Wee Reese undeflected and Casey Stengel taunts a cross-eyed pitcher (and throws up his breakfast).
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Pee Wee Reese’s Journey*Casey and the 1922 Tour of Japan*David Roth: Owning a Zamboni*Baseball-is-Back Euphoria*Pow! Bullpen Management*The Clubhouse 15 Percent Has the 85 Percent Hostage*Tailgating Analogy*...
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Pee Wee Reese’s Journey*Casey and the 1922 Tour of Japan*David Roth: Owning a Zamboni*Baseball-is-Back Euphoria*Pow! Bullpen Management*The Clubhouse 15 Percent Has the 85 Percent Hostage*Tailgating Analogy*...
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April 12, 2021 • 109 min
Luke Epplin, author of OUR TEAM: The Epic Story of Four Men and the World Series that Changed Baseball, talks about three key players and one owner who made the 1948 Cleveland team the unique creation it was. Plus tales: No-hitters don’t influence the future and a Casey Stengel rule is applied to Domingo German.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Joe Musgrove, No-Hitters, and Fate*Mike Marshall, Casey Stengel, Domingo German*Luke Epplin: Why 1948?*Th...
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Joe Musgrove, No-Hitters, and Fate*Mike Marshall, Casey Stengel, Domingo German*Luke Epplin: Why 1948?*Th...
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