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We're a father & son who love to talk and argue about baseball! Baseball is the professional sport that has the longest history so there is a lot to talk about. We launched Almost Cooperstown noting that baseball contains a long history of players that, for whatever reasons, have been shunned by the electors of the Hall of Fame. Consequently here are many 'Almost' players still waiting their turn for induction. With less than 1.5% of the now more than 23,000 players in the HOF, we feel there ...
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SiriusXM and the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum present, “The Road to Cooperstown,” a podcast series featuring exclusive interviews with baseball Hall of Famers. Hosted by Jon Paul Morosi, each episode will dive into the challenges and obstacles the all-time greats of the game overcame to become enshrined in the most exclusive club in sports. In baseball, the ability to thrive amid adversity is a prerequisite for greatness. On this podcast you’ll hear their tales of brilliance and ...
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Send us a text 79/113/122 those are the numbers representing the amount of days until pitchers & catchers report, #Dodgers #Cubs opening games in Tokyo March 18, and the REAL opening day on March 27. MVP, Cy Young, Rookie of the Year, and Manager of the Year were all awarded. There were exactly ZERO surprises. Guess that's but it's also kind of bor…
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Send us a text Baseball fans may have heard the story that Stan Musial began his career in baseball as a pitcher/outfielder. A shoulder injury forced him to become a hitter and outfielder full-time for which #MLB is forever grateful. Stan-the-Man had 3,630 hits - the same 1,815 hits at home as he had on the road! He missed only one season due to WW…
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Send us a text Japanese sensation 23-year-old Roki Sasaki wants to play #MLB. He finally got Chibu to allow him to have that opportunity. Yoshinobu Yamamoto showed the #Dodgers that top-tier NPB pitchers can dominate in the Majors. Gerrit Cole thought about leaving the #Yankees and then thought the better of it. We didn't discuss Shohei Ohtani's su…
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Send us a text If you are using Baseball-reference.com or Football or Basketball reference you will be using aspects what Sean Lahman created 30 years ago. Sean is a member of SABR and has generously donated the database to SABR so it's in excellent hands! We asked Sean how to use the database, how much and how long it took to put it all together (…
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Send us a text No longer can #dodgers be talked about as not having won a WS in this century in a 162-game season. There are a few players like Max Muncy who remember taking Covid-19 test after winning the 2020 World Series. No parades. No cheering from the fans. The 2024 championship behind a great job of managing by future HOF manager Dave Robert…
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Send us a text Just last season the #dbacks came from 2-0 down to beat the #Phillies in the NLCS. So the #Yankees being down 2-0 is not insurmountable. But their fans are going nuts and negative since presumptive AL MVP Aaron Judge has struck out 6 times in 2 games. How will the Yankee fans greet Judge upon his return to the Bronx? #Dodgers Shohei …
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Send us a text Do today's Yankee and Dodger fans care about the 1981 World Series? That was the last one between the teams. The Yanks and Dodgers played 11 times from 1941 through 1981. They did not like each other. Really. That's not the case today as all belong to a very exclusive club of millionaires and billionaires. In the #ALCS #Guardians gav…
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Hall of Famer, Ken Griffey Jr., class of 2016, sits down with Jon Paul Morosi for a conversation about how his father’s footsteps helped lead him to Cooperstown. Griffey Jr. discusses patterning his game after his dad, being a part of the first father-son duo in the big leagues, lessons he’s shared with Lebron James, the guidance he received from H…
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Hall of Famer, Mariano Rivera, class of 2019, sits down with Jon Paul Morosi for a conversation about how a kid from Panama became the first player ever unanimously inducted to the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. One of the most dominant pitchers of his generation, Rivera discusses overcoming the language barriers he faced in communicating with teamma…
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Send us a text As #Mets fans of course we're excited that somehow our favorite team is still in it. Yet the prospect of a subway series vs. #Yankees is very enticing and exciting. #Dodgers will have a lot to say about it and Shohei will likely not have another subpar series. #Guardians surprised #Tigers Tarik Skubal with former #National Lane Thoma…
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Hall of Famer, Jack Morris, class of 2018, sits down with Jon Paul Morosi for a conversation about the evolution of his game and his focus along his path to Cooperstown. Morris discusses his journey from position player to pitcher, the ongoing struggles he faced with his command while pitching in the Minors, overcoming doubt to become one of the be…
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Send us a text If you know our podcast you know we are huge Mets fans. This week was one of the better ones in the team's history. Playing the only games in #MLB on Monday and Thursday, the Mets were the Drama Queens from Queens! Now that #Brewers are vanquished #Phillies await and will be a much tougher task. We preview the best of 5 series betwee…
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Send us a text The #Mets & #Braves split a doubleheader on Monday. Game 1 of the DH was one of the best baseball games a Met fan has ever seen. So we're naturally happy. But there were a ton of other things this week in baseball. We didn't discuss Luis Arraez 3rd straight batting crown, or Shohei Ohtani at all! Our segment on things you might not h…
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Hall of Famer, Joe Mauer, class of 2024, sits down with Jon Paul Morosi for a conversation about the challenges he faced on his journey to Cooperstown. Mauer discusses his childhood growing up in St. Paul, Minnesota, the uncertainty he faced on Draft day in 2001, the disappointment resulting from the 2006 Twins postseason, and how a 2013 concussion…
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Send us a text The Rookie League championships took place at the end of July! There's have also been championships settled in Low A and High A Ball. This week the AA and AAA finals are being played with the AAA overall championship a one game 'winner take all' playoff this Saturday Sept. 28th. Do minor league players get trophies for winning a mino…
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Hall of Famer, Adrian Beltre, class of 2024, sits down with Jon Paul Morosi for a conversation about the resilience and consistency that led him to Cooperstown. Beltre discusses growing up in the Dominican Republic, overcoming the initial culture shock in the minor leagues, battling through various injuries throughout his career, working to unify A…
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Send us a text What was CJ Abrams of the Washington Nationals thinking when he stayed out until 8AM before a day game!! The White Sox tie the Mets record for futility with 120 losses. Tigers believe! Twins like the Royals are sinking. Mariners are hanging on and the Braves go home to play the Mets for the playoff lives. Dodgers will need to hold of…
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Send us a text #Tigers Tarik Skubal and #Braves Chris Sale are both in line to win the AL and NL pitching triple crowns this season. Most wins, most strikeouts, and lowest E.R.A. is the criteria. It was last done in 2020 in the pandemic season by #Guardians Shane Bieber. It's happened 33 times in #MLB history which is more than double the amount of…
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Hall of Famer, Jim Leyland, class of 2024, sits down with Jon Paul Morosi for a conversation about the pivotal managerial decisions that led him to Cooperstown. Leyland discusses teaching tough lessons to all-time greats, learning from heartbreak, accepting the harsh reality that he wouldn’t be a big league player, the one ballpark he just couldn’t…
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Send us a text Tyler Glasnow is out for the year. Yamamoto might be able to throw 6 innings by playoff time. What will the #Dodgers do? #Rangers had the future and the past happen this week with Kumar Rocker, Jacob DeGrom and Max Scherzer start consecutive games. Why did Gerritt Cole intentionally walk Rafael Devers while working on a no-hitter? It…
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Send us a text Albert Belle isn't in the HOF. Nor did he ever win an MVP although he deserved one in 1998. Instead Juan Gonzalez of the #Rangers (also not a HOFer). But Belle's not the biggest snub ever for MVP. There are lots of other more worthy, or unworthy, candidates! #Giants Barry Bonds ruined it for #Cardinals Albert Pujols in 2003. But Bond…
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Hall of Famer, Todd Helton, class of 2024, sits down with Jon Paul Morosi for a conversation about the physical and mental hurdles he overcame on his path to Cooperstown. Helton discusses his father’s influence, the comment that drove him to become a Gold Glove 1B, the time he was almost traded to the Red Sox, the lessons he learned through the hea…
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Schwarber thinks it's June - is it ok to bunt to break up a combined no-hitter? TWIB - 9.9.24 - Ep 548
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Send us a text Parker Meadows had the backyard moment for the #Tigers in San Diego this week hitting a 2 out 2 strike grand slam in the 9th inning with his team down by 3 runs. #Cubs Shota Imanaga was part of a combined no-hitter this week. Meh! We didn't talk about the #Brewers because they are still in cruise mode. #Dodgers & #Phillies have best …
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Send us a text Automated balls and strikes, will be instituted in MLB, eventually NCAthers wont be able to 'steal' strikes by trying to trick the umpires. Tennis hasn't missed anything moving to an automated line calling system and neither will MLB. Will catchers be able to focus more on baserunners? Maybe. Will they have to hit more than they do n…
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Send us a text Can a team go 22-3 to make a playoff run? It can happen but it's not likely. That's where some of the teams that are on the bubble are right now. #Cubs, #Tigers, #RedSox are those kinds of teams with the #Mets not far behind. September baseball is fantastic and there are still many things left to be decided before we start hearing ab…
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Hall of Famer, Trevor Hoffman, class of 2018, sits down with Jon Paul Morosi for a conversation about the pivotal choices he made on his path to Cooperstown. Hoffman discusses his transformation from shortstop to pitcher, the lessons he learned thru the heartache of losing the 1998 World Series, his perseverance in reaching 600 saves and how a day …
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Send us a text We didn't need to wait until the end of the #MLB season to review the #Mets performance. Are we happy? Yes and No? Was it a good season? Yes and No. The team has undergone a lot of changes since Opening Day. Rosters are different, a rookie manager Carlos Mendoza has navigated as best he can without having his #1 starter Kodai Senga i…
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Hall of Famer Jim Thome, class of 2018, sits down with Jon Paul Morosi for a conversation about the challenges he faced on his road to Cooperstown. Thome discusses the heartbreak of not bringing a World Series title to Cleveland, overcoming personal loss and relying on a strong support system to hit over 600 home runs and how the movie “The Natural…
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Send us a text 40 Homers and 40 steals is cool - Ronald Acuna of the #braves showed that last year. Shohei Ohtani is vying to have a 50/50 season - 50 home runs and 50 steals! Plus Ohtani is throwing off the mound! Will he come back for the playoffs? OK not likely but wouldn't that be cool? Aaron Judge hit HR's 50 & 51 on Sunday to lead the #yankee…
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Send us a text The pitcher who has hit the most batters in MLB history is one that you have almost certainly never heard about before - Gus Weyhing. Walter 'Big' Train Johnson is 2nd and Randy 'Big Unit' Johnson third all-time hitting batters and they pitched 75 years apart. If you think players are getting hit and injured more often there's reason…
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Hall of Famer, Fergie Jenkins, class of 1991, sits down with Jon Paul Morosi for a conversation about the numerous hardships and heartbreaks he endured to reach Cooperstown. Jenkins discusses the sacrifices of his father that made his own Hall of Fame journey possible, how he was discovered playing baseball in the hockey hotbed of Canada, and the s…
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Send us a text We did not even talk about #phillies Weston Wilson who became the first Phillie rookie to hit for the cycle! Complete game shutouts are back in vogue. Injuries still are in the picture for pitchers. Outfield defense is better than ever. We talk about why. Intro & Outro music this season courtesy of Mercury Maid! Check them out on Spo…
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Send us a text Mark has been a SABR member for 4 years but has never attended the annual convention. This year it was in Minneapolis in early August and the Twin Cities proved to be a great location for a content-rich three days of baseball talk and presentations. HOFers Rod Carew and Tony Oliva were on a hitter's panel together and HOFers Bert Bly…
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Hall of Famer Alan Trammell, class of 2018, sits down with Jon Paul Morosi for a conversation about his long overdue path to Cooperstown. Trammell discusses how he excelled and endured for two decades in Detroit, the MVP vote that likely delayed his induction, the influence Sparky Anderson and Lou Whitaker had on his career and how a Halloween cost…
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Send us a text Episode #250! #Phillies, #Brewers, #Dodgers, #Orioles, #Yankees, #Guardians all are within a game of one another for the best record in #baseball! Juan Soto hit 2HRs Sunday to lead the Bombers over the fading #Rangers who lost Max Scherzer for the year to a bad shoulder. BTW Jacob DeGrom still has not pitched in 2024. It's getting to…
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Send us a text The #Mariners won 116 games in 2001 but could not win a playoff series. The 1906 #Cubs also won 116 games and did win the World Series. It's happened other times as well. But most of the time if a team can win 108 games or more they do go on to win the World Series. Which of those teams do we think is the best of them best? 1998 Yank…
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Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr., class of 2007, sits down with Jon Paul Morosi to discuss his disciplined and resilient path to Cooperstown. Baseball's Iron Man shares how The Streak almost came to a premature end due to an on-field brawl, his ability to overcome pressure and expectations to perform in the game’s biggest moments and how the Yankees on…
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Send us a text @yankees Aaron Judge was walked to lead off the bottom of the 2nd inning. Apparently the Blue Jays felt he was in scoring position (thanks @threeinningfan !), Jackson Holliday returned to replace the injured Jordan Westburg for the Orioles and he returned with bang in the form of a grand slam! #phillies are leaking oil but Zach Wheel…
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Send us a text We thought we could do all 30 teams in 30 minutes but it took longer despite how fast we talked. Most teams were in the middle but there were winners and there were losers and we called them out. No top 100 prospects were traded. No big names were traded. The whole thing was a big dud! But that did not stop us. Intro & Outro music th…
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Hall of Famer Tom Glavine, class of 2014, sits down with Jon Paul Morosi to discuss the challenges he faced and overcame on his road to Cooperstown. From losing 17 games in his first full season to facing three straight future Hall of Famers as the starting pitcher in his first All-Star Game to his legendary performance in Game 6 of the 1995 World …
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Send us a text Players have been traded but we didn't really talk about that. Dylan Cease pitched a no-hitter for the #Padres & is on an amazing run. #Mets Kodai Senga pitched so well in his return from a shoulder injury. He then went down for the season with a calf inju/ry. So Mets. Some teams have been positioning themselves by removing salaries …
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Send us a text Manager Jim Leyland, along with all-time greats Adrian Beltre, Todd Helton, and Joe Mauer all were officially inducted into Cooperstown this past Sunday. All 4 made heartfelt and good speeches. It's always great to see the amount of HOFers that show up on a hot July afternoon to sit outside in a jacket and tie to show their respect f…
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A day after being inducted into the Hall of Fame, Adrian Beltre, Todd Helton, Joe Mauer and Jim Leyland sit down with Jon Paul Morosi to discuss their roads to Cooperstown. Hear some great stories and plenty of laughs as Beltre discusses trash-talking with Felix Hernandez, Mauer talks about his ability to break up no-hitters, Helton celebrates bein…
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All-Star Game yawn, weekend series wrap. trading deadline thoughts, all in TWIB! - Ep. 534 -
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Send us a text At least we got to see Paul Skenes pitch to Aaron Judge. It lasted all of one pitch however. The All-Star Game lost its juice years ago. Mark suggested counting All-Star stats in career totals. For whatever that would be worth. To add to that there are no longer Thursday games post All-Star break so four full days without real baseba…
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Send us a text Best manager of the first 100 games? MVP candidates? Who might be traded? Will the Orioles hold on?: How about the @clevelandguardians? Are the @brewers for real? Who might win the triple crown? There are several good choices. Who are the best rookies and there are a bunch of them! We talk about the teams that might be sellers and bu…
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Hall of Famer Joe Torre, class of 2014, sits down with Jon Paul Morosi to discuss his long and winding road to Cooperstown. In part two of their conversation, Torre talks about his first impressions of Derek Jeter, his most painful defeats--the 2001 World Series and 2004 American League Championship Series--and the one game from his Yankees tenure …
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Hall of Famer Joe Torre, class of 2014, sits down with Jon Paul Morosi to discuss his long and winding road to Cooperstown. In part one of their conversation, Torre talks about getting hired by George Steinbrenner after being fired from his three previous managerial jobs, the lessons he learned playing with Hank Aaron and the mistake he made when h…
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Send us a text MLB's annual trade show and conference for players has started. It's only for the best players as the non-All-Stars are home with their families. For four days! The break for players is welcomed. Fans may feel differently. There are 36 first-time All-Stars. That's amazing! The Phillies have 8 All-Stars. @Pirates Paul Skenes is starti…
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Send us a text The most famous stolen base in MLB history occured in the playoffs but not the World Series. Gordon mentioned that before the modern era there was a period in which taking an extra base - like going first to third, was counted as a stolen base. MLB wants more action to show off player athleticism. They succeeded but stealing bases do…
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Hall of Famer Craig Biggio, class of 2015, sits down with Jon Paul Morosi to discuss his "up and down" road to Cooperstown. From his decision to play baseball over football to becoming an accomplished catcher, infielder and outfielder, hear how Biggio willed his way to the Hall of Fame. Plus, you will not believe how close this Astros legend came t…
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