The Barbecast

Welcome to Barbecast 79! We've got a couple special guests for you this week, but we decided to shift the format a tiny bit. So, after e-mails (at 19:40) will be the second installment of Jake and Jordan Talk 'Bout Baseball. This week, we're talkin' why we think Ben Zobrist to the Cubs is actually kind of strange, and what the hell is going on in Arizona (mainly the Shelby Miller trade). After baseball talk (at 44:10), we brought on our first of two pitcher friends, Lucas Giolito of the Washington Nationals, to talk about what he's been doing this offseason. Topics include his own EuroTrip, his favorite video games, and when Lucas is going to pass us in Twitter followers. Next, we brought on Spencer Trygg, another former Barbecast guest and now former minor league baseball player. Spencer talked to us about his life after baseball and the strange process of being released from an organization. Next (at 1:33:00) , we participated in a brief B-Ref Battle before bringing on Lana for the shortest Tales from Logdog ever. We concluded (at 1:39:50) with some reflections on the end of our time in Europe, and look ahead to our return to the US of A. Thanks for listening <3

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Direct download: Pod_79.mp3
Category:Cespedes Family Barbecast -- posted at: 11:33am EDT

Welcome to Barbecast 78! Our special guest this week is Meg Rowley (at 22:05), new writer over at Baseball Prospectus and veteran writer at Lookout Landing. We brought Meg on to discuss her recent piece on baseball's impending situation surrounding the domestic abuse allegations towards Jose Reyes, and her concerns about how MLB will handle them after watching the NFL mishandle so many similar situations. Furthermore, we discuss the emotional challenges of rooting for athletes who we know aren't the best people off the field. Then we switched gears and talked about Meg's favorite team, the Mariners, and a new kind of optimism now that Jerry Dipoto is in charge. After Meg (at 1:11:47), we introduced a new segment for the offseason titled Jake and Jordan Talk About Baseball, during which we actually talk about current baseball events. This week covers the David Price signing, the Dodgers putting Dave Roberts *and* Gabe Kapler in the dugout, and where we think Yoenis ends up (click here for our comprehensive Yo free agency guide!). Next (at 1:26:33), we participated in a brief B-Ref Battle and discussed our larger plans for the B-Ref Battle Bracket (coming soon!). After B-Ref (at 1:37:50), Tales from Logdog with Lana Berry covered how many billions of dollars Lana would keep if she had Mark Zuckerberg money. We concluded (at 1:48:33) with a recap of Jake's visit to Copenhagen and the Champions League handball match we saw. Handball is awesome. Thanks for listening <3

Music: The David Price pun

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Direct download: Pod_78.mp3
Category:Cespedes Family Barbecast -- posted at: 9:06am EDT

Welcome to Barbecast 77! We have two extremely different but equally special guests this week. First (at 25:30), we talked to Arthur Lenk. Who is Arthur Lenk, you may ask? Arthur is a Mets fan! Arthur is also the Israeli ambassador to South Africa, Swaziland, Lesotho, and Mauritius! Naturally, we connected with him and invited him on the podcast for a fascinating discussion about...

  • the state of Israeli baseball
  • helping organize the Israel team for the World Baseball Classic
  • recruiting Jewish pro players to play for Team Israel
  • being a baseball fan in a country/occupation that doesn't have a lot of baseball'
  • following the Mets playoff run while living in South Africa and having to wake up and do important stuff the next day
  • ...and more!

After Ambassador Lenk, we brought on recently acquired Pirates minor league pitcher Trevor Williams (at 1:00:00) to talk about...

  • playing in the Arizona Fall League
  • getting traded while playing in the Arizona Fall League
  • the mindset difference between starting and relieving
  • not giving up any dingers
  • playing Magic the Gathering
  • the need for an enormous professional baseball Clash of Clans tournament 
  • ...and more!

We followed our two interviews with a relatively brief B-Ref Battle (at 1:38:45) before calling Lana (at 1:51:45) to talk about Peyton Manning for Tales from Logdog. We concluded (at 2:00:00) with some thoughts on the recent Hot Stove action/inaction, a brief Varsity Baseball Update, and a quick highlight from my trip to Prague. Thanks for listening <3

Music: 5,000 Candles In the Wind

Direct download: Pod_77.mp3
Category:Cespedes Family Barbecast -- posted at: 8:36am EDT

Welcome to Barbecast 76! Our special guest this week is Sam Miller (at 18:07), he of 1,000 Pitch Bullpen Barbecast fame, as well as the EIC at Baseball Prospectus. As the co-host of Effectively Wild, Sam is accustomed to drafting things on podcasts, so we invited him on to our podcast to draft the best moments of the 2015 season with us. Of course, Sam has been busy running a professional baseball team, so he shared two fantastic stories about that experience, as well as a couple favorite things from the 2015 MLB season. Sam also managed to derail the draft a number of times throughout to discuss things such as ethics in baseball journalism. We also drafted five things each, covering everything from Bautista's bat flip to Bryan Price's epic f-bomb tirade (remember that?). It was a fun conversation, excessive length be damned. After Sam (at 1:50:15), another one-name-each B-Ref Battle commenced featuring a kind gesture and a famous war figure. Tales from Logdog with Lana Berry (at 2:01:25) was messy as always. Sorry 'bout that. We concluded (at 2:07:55) with some thoughts on the World Series and the disappointing end to Yo's season, and look ahead to the Potentially Super Hot Hot Stove. Thanks for listening <3

Music: , Sound of

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Direct download: Pod_76.mp3
Category:Cespedes Family Barbecast -- posted at: 2:55pm EDT

Welcome to Barbecast 75, Yoenis Cespedes Is About To Play In The World Series Edition. Our special guest this week (at 15:00) is Boog "Jon" Sciambi, ESPN broadcaster and one of the 100 best broadcasters nicknamed Boog in the 21st century. We talked to Jon about...

  • his broadcasting experience at Boston College
  • how he got into primarily baseball broadcasting
  • being the voice of the Marlins at basically the only good time to be the voice of Marlins
  • how he incorporates sabermetrics into his broadcasts
  • the difference between broadcasting on radio vs. TV
  • the Mets and the Royals (those are the teams playing in the World Series)
  • ...and more!

After our conversation with Jon (at 1:03:40), we introduced a slight twist to our weekly B-Ref Battle -- fewer names! We still managed to blabber on for 15 minutes about our respective players, though. After B-Ref (at 1:20:49), Tales from Logdog with Lana Berry covered The Baby Hitler Question because it didn't make sense to talk about that during any other part of the podcast. Thanks Lana! We concluded (at 1:28:40) with an explanation for this week's music and an amusing few minutes from Jake's inebriated friend. Thanks for listening <3

Music: Why You Always Lying?

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Direct download: Pod_75_Rea.mp3
Category:Cespedes Family Barbecast -- posted at: 9:26am EDT

Welcome to Barbecast 74! This is our super-special playoff preview podcast in which 30% of this 2+ hour long marathon is anything resembling a playoff preview. We have two special guests this week. Our first special guest (at 15:00) is Jeff Passan, MLB columnist for Yahoo Sports and PLAYOFFS EXPERT. We pondered a bevy of playoff-related questions with Jeff, including:

  • Which playoff team is most surprisingly in the playoffs?
  • When does everyone start freaking out about the Cubs possibly winning the World Series?
  • How can the Cardinals lose?
  • How can the Blue Jays win?
  • Why did Jeff think it was a good idea to call us when he was in an Uber?
  • What is Jeff's book about?
  • Why is Todd Coffey the subject of Jeff's book?
  • Can Jake throw a 1,000 Pitch Bullpen?
  • ...and more!

Our second special guest (at 56:52) has been on the Barbecast before, but we decided to bring him back on to talk about some recent controversial happenings in the major baseball league. It's John Baker! Topics include:

  • Papelbon vs. Harper, and whether fights like they had actually happen all the time (hint: they don't)
  • The time Wes Helms (!!!) almost fought Hanley Ramirez
  • the idea of "protecting" players who have been hit
  • the amazing Jose Ramirez pimp job and its aftermath
  • a fantastic story about 19-year-old Prince Fielder pimping a home run against John's team in the 2003 Midwest League 
  • John's most egregious bat flip when he was playing at Cal (also a fantastic story)
  • being in Spring Training with Frank Thomas and Mike Piazza
  • ...and more!

After John (at 1:36:42), we participated in yet another B-Ref Battle for the ages, including a player who the tallest pitcher in baseball for over 60 years. For Tales from Logdog with Lana Berry (at 2:03:51), we called Lana immediately following her beloved Rangers' epic collapse against the Angels on the penultimate day of the season and invoked the memory of the great Carlos Garcia (Seriously, go listen to it). We conclude this audio voyage (at 2:13:45) with our own playoff picks (the Nationals are gonna win it all!!11!1) and a somewhat somber Varsity Baseball Update. Thanks for listening <3

Music: PLAYOFF HYPE SONGS

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Direct download: POD_74.mp3
Category:Cespedes Family Barbecast -- posted at: 2:50am EDT

Welcome to Barbecast 73! In the spirit of Yom Kippur, we're atoning for the sins of the previous 72 Barbecasts with two special guests and an inordinate amount of actual baseball talk. Our first special guest this week (at 19:55) is Cardinals minor league pitcher Kyle Grana. (It's Gran-uh, not Grahn-uh. alternatively: Kyle Grandma).We talked to Kyle about how he went from being an undrafted D-II starter to a shutdown reliever with two full seasons of an ERA under 1.00 in the minors. Our second special guest (at 58:10) is Andrew Stoeten, Blue Jays Ambassador to the United States of America. We talked to Andrew about his beloved Jays as they march towards the postseason for the first time in over 20 years. The Jays are awesome! After our special guests (at 1:33:04), another B-Ref Battle took place and included an instant classic in the Agamemnon Baca category and some prominent religious figures. Tales from Logdog with Lana Berry (at 1:56:30) reached an all-time high in the Ridiculous Recording Conditions category as the 8/9-hour time difference afforded us the ability to keep this god damn segment alive. We concluded with a brief draft of our favorite Yogi Berra quotes and some exciting general BBQ news. Thanks for listening <3

Music: First Place - Taylor Swift

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Direct download: POD_73.mp3
Category:Cespedes Family Barbecast -- posted at: 4:16pm EDT

Welcome to Barbecast 72! Our special guest this week (at 28:45) is Rangers prospect and Integalactic Defender of Unpopular Opinions, Mike Matuella. Mike was the Rangers' third round pick in the 2015 Draft out of Duke University just a couple months after getting Tommy John Surgery like all the other cool kids. We talked to Mike about a whole host of topics tangentially related to baseball, including:

  • growing up in the DC area and the kind of pitcher he was in high school
  • choosing Duke over Maryland
  • going from throwing 88 to throwing 98 in two years
  • pitching in the ACC
  • getting Tommy John before getting drafted
  • rehab getting him into the Best Shape of His Life
  • goals for the 2016 season
  • Mike's vehement defense of Nickelback as Not The Worst Band In the World
  • a strong argument against the cult-like nature of Chipotle
  • ...and even more controversial opinions on nonsensical crap that you rarely hear from professional baseball players 

Mike was great! Follow him on Twitter @mikematch30 for more scorching hot takes. After Mike (at 1:22:50), another B-Ref Battle commenced which included one of the more incomprehensible names we've ever heard as well as an incredible Honus Wagner story. Next (at 1:46:40), Tales from Logdog with Lana Berry asked HOW MANY FINGERS?!?! We concluded (at 1:53:57) with some thoughts on our inaugural baseball experiences here in Europe: Jake watching actual baseball in London, and my inexplicable sighting of a Billy Koch painting at a Copenahagen pub. Thanks for listening <3

Music: Nickelback (Blame Mike)

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Direct download: Pod_72.mp3
Category:Cespedes Family Barbecast -- posted at: 9:09am EDT

Welcome to Barbecast 71! Our special guest this week (at 24:55) is Ben Hill, minor league roadtrip aficianado and writer for MiLB.com. It's Ben's job to drive around America and document the ins and outs of minor league teams, from the on-field promotions to the weirdest ballpark food, and everything in between. It's basically the coolest job in the world (to people like us) so we asked him a bunch of fun experiences about what it's been like for the past five years gallivanting around the country watching minor league baseball. Ben's great! After Ben (at 1:05:15), yet another B-Ref Battle took place and included some guys from the 1850's LOL THAT IS SO RIDICULOUSLY LONG AGO. After B-Ref, we called Lana while she was at the Padres/Dodgers game and interrupted her pleasant afternoon. Tales from Logdog, everybody! We concluded with some updates our life in Europe (including Jake's internship with Manchester City FC), and a look at the week ahead. Thanks for listening <3

Music: Corey Feldman performing at a State College Spikes game?!?!?!

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Direct download: POD_71.mp3
Category:Cespedes Family Barbecast -- posted at: 6:30pm EDT

Welcome to Barbecast 70! You thought you'd get a break from this podcast with us being in Europe. You thought wrong. All the way from Manchester, England and Copenhagen, Denmark, it's a brand new Barbecast with two special guests and all the usual fun we squeeze into these longform audio ramblings. Our first special guest this week (at 16:20) is Carson Cistulli, fringe-prospect fanatic and rennaissance man over at FanGraphs and The New Enthusiast. Carson also has experience living in a European country during baseball season, so we asked him for advice on how to adjust to being surrounded by people that couldn't care less about the beisbol. We also talked about two of Carson's favorite fringe-prospects, Willians Astudillo and Blayne Weller, and even squeezed in some Danish soccer talk as well. Our second special guest this week (at 1:03:30) is a genuine real-life friend of the BBQ and Generally Awesome Person Kinza Baad! Kinza plays softball at the University of Virginia and spent this summer scouting the Cape Cod League for a major league baseball team. We asked about her experience as the incredibly rare female scout and her advice for girls that want to get into that part of the game. We also talked about softball because we also love softball now. After Kinza (at 1:26:25), we participated in yet another B-Ref Battle of baffling baseball names. Next (1:47:00), Tales from Logdog with Lana Berry covered Lana's somewhat timid excitement for football season (sorry for the shitty audio here -- Lana is so damn far away). We concluded (at 1:52:35) with some observations on our time in Europe thus far and what you can expect from us going forward this semester. Thanks for listening <3

Music: The Countries of the World (Europe edition)!

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Direct download: Pod_70.mp3
Category:Cespedes Family Barbecast -- posted at: 10:23am EDT

Welcome to Barbecast 69, the nicest Barbecast yet. We have THREE special guests this week in honor of the special occasion. Our first special guest this week (at 25:53) is Jared Diamond -- no, not THAT Jared Diamond -- the Jared Diamond who covers the Mets for the Wall Street Journal! Amidst one of the craziest weeks in franchise history, the Mets traded for our beloved hero and all that comes along with him, so we asked Jared about how Yo's stay in New York has been thus far. We also talked about the Wilmer Flores fiasco, the inexplicably awesome Jacob deGrom, and more! Our second special guest (at 1:00:40) is John Baker, former major league catcher and current major league critic. We last spoke to John when he was still with Triple-A Tacoma back in April. This week, John came on to talk about what he's been doing since becoming a free agent, how he watches baseball as a fan, and his ongoing transition into his post-playing career. Our third special guest (at 1:41:18) insisted that he be included on this special episode long ago: it's Jesse Spector of Sporting News, who came on to discuss his fascinating piece on the history of major league players wearing #69 and why those few players ended up with the number in the first place. After our special guests (at 1:48:30), another B-Ref Battle of extraordinary proportions took place. Tales from Logdog (at 2:10:01) with Lana Berry covered Lana's new podcast, which is weird because she's still on this podcast every god damn week. We concluded (at 2:17:41) with some updates on our respective study abroad programs and a look ahead at the challenges the Barbecast may face in coming weeks. Stay tuned! Thanks for listening <3

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Direct download: Pod_69.mp3
Category:Cespedes Family Barbecast -- posted at: 12:58pm EDT

Welcome to Barbecast 68! This week's show has two special guests: a minor league pitcher and a major league ballgirl. Our first guest (at 26:03) is Chase De Jong, a right-handed pitcher in the Dodgers organization who was recently traded from Toronto for international bonus money. We talked to Chase about that experience and much more, including...

  • having a cousin that played for the Jays
  • being a 2nd round pick 
  • playing in the Appalachian League
  • an hour-by-hour timeline of getting traded to the Dodgers
  • ...and more!

Next (at 1:00:35), we participated in yet another B-Ref Battle of extraordinary baseball names and laughed at them because they are funny. Our second special guest this week (at 1:25:16) is Celine Fowler, a softball player for Central Washington University and one of the many ballgirls for the Seattle Mariners. We talked to her about softball and how the hell she became a major league ballgirl. It was great! Tales from Logdog with Lana Berry (at 2:00:01) covered what Lana would trade in her life for something from our lives. It was a tremendously strange conversation. We concluded with a somber Barbecuers update on the tragic end to our season :( Thanks for listening!

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Direct download: Pod_68.mp3
Category:Cespedes Family Barbecast -- posted at: 8:27pm EDT

Welcome to Barbecast 67! Our special guest this week (at 21:30) is the author of "The Best Team Money Can Buy", Molly Knight. TBTMCB is Baseball Twitter's favorite thing at the moment and we also enjoy it quite a bit, so we had Molly on to talk about some of the highlights of the book, including...

  • PUIG. Duh. 
  • The evolution of Zack Greinke as a Dodger
  • what the hell Ned Colleti is up to
  • how writing the book has affected Molly's Dodger fanhood
  • ...and more!

After Molly, we participated in yet another B-Ref Battle chock full of absurd sounds that are actually names and a fair share of World War II jokes. Tales from Logdog with Lana Berry covered how her roommate Molly's book has positively and affected HER life since she moved in...and how much she likes the book, of course. We concluded with an exciting Barbecuers update and an update on our remaining summer plans. Thanks for listening <3

Buy Molly's book! 

Music: DJ YRS JERZY

Direct download: Pod_67.mp3
Category:Cespedes Family Barbecast -- posted at: 7:51pm EDT

Welcome to Barbecast 66! After last episode's 1,000 pitch festivities, we've returned this week with a fairly regular Barbecast -- at least, as regular as Barbecasts go. Our special guest this week (at 15:47) is Luke Ramirez, one of the most notorious players in Little League World Series history and a huge part of the 2009 LLWS Champion Chula Vista team. We talked to Luke about all the ridiculousness surrounding the Little League World Series, including:

After we talked to Luke (at 59:05), we participated in yet another B-Ref Battle of extraordinary baseball names. After B-Ref (at 1:18:08), Tales from Logdog with Lana Berry covered Lana's #FinalVote candidacy and why she doesn't even really wanna get voted into the All-Star Game. We conclude with a brief discussion on our recent trip to North Carolina and look ahead to the rest of the summer. Thanks for listening <3

Music: Phineas and Ferb

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Direct download: Pod_66.mp3
Category:Cespedes Family Barbecast -- posted at: 11:21pm EDT

Welcome to Barbecast 65! This is not a normal Barbecast. There will be no e-mails or B-Ref Battle. This is a Barbecast about the possibility of Jake throwing a 1,000-pitch bullpen. Inspired by the one and only Wes Yee, we brought on 10 special guests (including Wes himself) to discuss this absurd proposition. As a result, this podcast is longer than usual. A list of all our guests (with timestamps, for your convenience):

1. Wes Yee, creator of the 1,000-Pitch Bullpen (Intro), on how this idea came about and his vision for how it will go down

2. Sam Miller, EIC of Baseball Prospectus (15:23), on the rules and regulations of the bullpen

3. Kyle Boddy, founder of Driveline Baseball (31:36), on what Jake can do to physically and mentally prepare for the bullpen

4. Doug Thorburn, pitching mechanics guru (47:00), on how Jake's mechanics (click here for video) will help/hurt his pursuit for 1,000 pitches

5. Lucas Giolito, Pretty Good Pitching Prospect (1:03:10), on his concerns for who in the world is going to catch this bullpen

6. Matt Ball, Not As Good Pitching Prospect (1:15:42), on why Jake is crazy

7. Lance McCullers, 1,000-Pitch Bullpen Pessimist (1:22:05), on why a 1,000-pitch bullpen is utterly impossible

8. Kazuto Yamazaki, Tokyo resident and Japanese baseball expert (1:34:35), on whether anything like this has been attempted in Japan

9. Lana Berry, That Lana Girl On Twitter (1:41:53), on her unexpected concerns for Jake's well-being

10. Jake's parents, parents of Jake (1:48:30), on their completely expected concerns for Jake's well-being

We conclude (at 2:04:40) with some final thoughts and share what we've learned by talking to all of these sane people about this preposterous idea. We had fun. We hope you enjoy it as well. Thanks for listening <3

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Direct download: Pod_65.mp3
Category:Cespedes Family Barbecast -- posted at: 10:05pm EDT

Welcome to Barbecast 64! After over a month hiatus during which we did a whole bunch of awesome stuff, this god damn podcast is finally back. Our special guest this week (at 23:40) is Kiley McDaniel, the Lead Prospect Analyst over at FanGraphs dot com. We talked to Kiley for lot longer than you'll actually get to hear, mostly because our conversation was completely derailed in the middle by the Jake-Mintz-Hasn't-Podcasted-In-A-Long-Time Experience, resulting in a whole lot of garbage that needed to be edited out. Luckily, we got back on track and talked to Kiley about a whole bunch of fun stuff, -- mostly Draft related -- including:

  • teams' particular strategies when it comes to drafting "unsignable" players
  • Plane Tinder
  • the Josh Naylor surprise and the advantages of playing for the Canadian National Team
  • enormous 1B/DH type prospects that have no position but can mash
  • how D-III players can get drafted
  • how Jake can get drafted
  • ...and more!

After Kiley (at 1:25:52), we participated in our 50th (!!!) B-Ref Battle of extraordinary old baseball names. Our database of all past B-Ref names will be up on the site within the next week. (It's incredible that we're still doing that segment but we love doing it every week and don't plan on stopping anytime soon). Next (at 1:48:13), we brought on that Lana Berry person for her customary Tales From Logdog, in which we discussed the Cardinals hacking fiesta, and what we should do with our Mariners Macklemore bobblehead. We concluded (at 1:57:00) with some general updates on our last month, our trip, Jake's college baseball team, and our plans for the rest of the summer. It's good to be back. Thanks for listening <3

Music: In honor of Kiley's affinity for airhorns, it's a whole bunch of airhorn remixes. Enjoy!

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Direct download: Pod_64.mp3
Category:Cespedes Family Barbecast -- posted at: 10:26pm EDT

Welcome to Barbecast 63! Our special guest this week (at 19:45) is Cardinals minor league outfielder and D-III success story Collin Radack! Live from his hotel in Cedar Rapids, Collin talked to us about a whole bunch of things, including:

  • How he ended up at Hendrix College in the middle of Arkansas
  • The difference between D3 schools in the south vs. other parts of the country
  • How he got scouted/drafted
  • His transition from D3 pitching to pro ball pitching
  • ...and more!

After Collin (at 55:45), we participated in our weekly B-Ref Battle of extraordinary baseball names featuring a tremendous contradiction and a guy who holds an MLB single-season record. Next (at 1:15:40), Tales from Logdog with Lana Berry talked about .... . We concluded (at 1:19:35) with an update on our respective schools' baseball seasons, as Jake is going to regionals and Wooster is going home. Thanks for listening <3

Music: Division-III Baseball Song

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Direct download: Pod_63.mp3
Category:Cespedes Family Barbecast -- posted at: 9:50pm EDT

Welcome to Barbecast 62! We've returned to our our two-special guest format for this week, and one might argue that this podcast has three, even four special guests! It's all a matter of interpretation. Our first guest this week (at 18:20) is Chris Iott, MLive.com Tigers beat writer. We asked Chris about the Tigers' hot start, how #blessed he is to cover Yoenis Cespedes on a daily basis, the immobility of Victor Martinez, the realness of JD Martinez, and how long Miggy can avoid people complaining about his monstrous contract. Next (at 52:25), we participated in our customary B-Ref Battle of extraordinarily old extraordinary baseball names. After B-Ref (at 1:14:55), we talked to the OFFICIAL MINOR LEAGUER OF CESPEDES FAMILY BARBECUE, Kieran Lovegrove! Live from extended spring training in Arizona, Kieran (alongside his roommate/teammate Justin Garcia) gives his outlook for the upcoming season and answers some questions regarding when it is appropriate to throw at a batter on purpose, if ever. We love Kieran, and you should really follow him on Twitter so he stops bitching about his follower count :)  Next (at 1:39:51), Barbecast 61 guest Lucas Giolito hops back on the pod to give us a quick movie recommendation while his roommate Erick Fedde fails to come up with a single movie he has seen at any point in his life. Tales from Logdog with Lana Berry (at 1:43:15) covered the NFL Draft for about 30 seconds until we realized we should probably talk about Josh Hamilton. We concluded with a few minutes of Bubba Trammell love, and Varsity Baseball Update with our respective schools' playoff odds. Thanks for listening <3  

Music: Good Charlotte ??????????????

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Direct download: Pod_62.mp3
Category:Cespedes Family Barbecast -- posted at: 8:46am EDT

Welcome to Barbecast 61! Our special guest this week(at 20:12) is the consensus worst pitching prospect in baseball and member of the Washington Nationals organization, Lucas Giolito! If you recall, we had Lucas' dad on the Barbecast way back on Episode 42, and that went pretty well so we decided to have Lucas on also. We talked about a plethora of mostly baseball-related stuff, including:

  • when he realized he was pretty good at the whole pitching thing
  • his experience with Tommy John Surgery
  • the secret highlight of playing in Hagerstown
  • when he realized he had an alien curveball
  • giving up the dinger in the Futures Game to Javier Baez
  • watching Max Scherzer in Spring Training
  • ...and more!

After we talked to Lucas (at 1:17:15), we participated in yet another B-Ref Battle Bonanza, and went over the 300 Crazy Name mark in Barbecast history. After B-Ref (at 1:36:28), Tales from Logdog with Lana Berry discussed HER FINALLY BEING IN GOD DAMN LOS ANGELES after four months of anticipation. We concluded this week's show (at 1:43:38) with a discussion on Angel Berroa, and Jake's Varsity Baseball Update includes a dramatic telling of Jake's HBP that lead to his 4-game suspension. Fun for all! Thanks for listening <3

Music: A Tribe Called Quest  

 

Direct download: Pod_61.mp3
Category:Cespedes Family Barbecast -- posted at: 12:31pm EDT

Welcome to Barbecast 60! Our special guest this week (at 27:15) is veteran catcher and Twitter All-Star John Baker, who is currently with Triple-A Tacoma in the Seattle Mariners organization. Live from the depths of the Albuquerque Isotopes ballpark, John talked to us about a whole bunch of stuff, including...

  • Getting traded for Wade LeBlanc
  • Lance Cormier (!!!)
  • Coming up with the Moneyball A's
  • Recovering from Tommy John as a position player
  • Facing Aroldis Chapman
  • Aroldis Chapman
  • Meeting 21-year-old Nelson Cruz
  • Jesus Montero's side of the ice cream sandwich incident
  • ...and more!

After we talked to John (at 1:06:20), we commenced in our weekly B-Ref Battle which resulted in a lengthy conversation about a metal band named Junius (this week's musical guest). It was strange. After B-Ref (at 1:40:35), Tales from Logdog with Lana Berry covered Yasiel Puig's reported desire to cut down on batflips as well as a #BeefinWithLana update. We concluded with a brief discussion about Josh Phelps, an indifferent Varsity Baseball Update from Jake, and some exciting news regarding the fall semester. Thanks for listening <3

Music: Junius

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Direct download: Pod_60.mp3
Category:Cespedes Family Barbecast -- posted at: 12:10pm EDT

Welcome to Barbecast 59! For the second week in a row, we've got two special guests for you guys. First (at 24:20), we talked to Lance McCullers, one of the best pitching prospects in the Houston Astros organization. We talked about a whole bunch of fun stuff, including...

  • Being the son of a former MLB pitcher
  • when he first hit 90 MPH
  • why he dominated in high school
  • winning Gatorade Player of the Year
  • how he dealt with questions about being a starter or a reliever
  • his first experience in pro ball
  • his rough experience in the California League and why it's good for prospects to fail
  • ...and more!

After Lance (at 58:10), our weekly B-Ref Battle of Bombastic Baseball Names commenced and laughs were had by all. Our second special guest this week (at 1:24:38) is NBC HardballTalk's Craig Calcaterra, who you last heard on the Barbecast wayyyyyyyy back on Episode 19. 40 episodes later, he's back! This time, we talked to Craig about his beloved Braves and what the hell they have been up to this offseason.  After Craig (at 1:47:35), Tales from Logdog with Lana Berry covered A-Rod's triumphant return to baseball and quickly led us down a rabbit hole of tremendously strange A-Rod Internet content. We concluded with a brief appreciation for one Tony Womack and a relatively unexciting Varsity Baseball Update. Thanks for listening <3

Music: dope ass Braves music

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Direct download: POD_59.mp3
Category:Cespedes Family Barbecast -- posted at: 11:53am EDT

IMPORTANT NOTE: Jake made an editing error which resulted in the break music playing about 10 seconds later than it's supposed to. We would normally fix an error as such before uploading, but the result ended up being too hilarious to delete. What it does mean, though, is that the breaks are eerily silent -- whatever device you're listening on is not broken; it's just us. The music is in there though. We hope you appreciate it's fashionable tardiness as much as we do, and we promise our production quality will be back up our mediocre standard for Barbecast 59. Thanks! 

***

Welcome to Barbecast 58! It's been over two weeks since the last Barbecast, so we return with two special guests! Our first special guest (at 29:17) is Howard Megdal, contributing writer to Capital New York, Sports Illustrated, and the author of the upcoming book, "The Cardinals Way". We talked to Howard about his inspiration for the book, the Cardinals complicated offseason, and his favorite young Cardinals player going forward. We also talked about Howard's experience being a Mets fan since Jonathon Niese was born, and whether or not he has any hint of optimism heading into the 2015 season.  After Howard (at 57:07), we talked to minor league friend Matt Ball, a pitcher in the darkest depths of the Chicago White Sox system. Matt explained to us the important differences between major and minor league camp in Spring Training, and gave us an idea of his 2015 schedule developmentally. Matt's great, and we appreciate him making his first (and probably last) career pinch-hit appearance when some of our other minor league friends are too busy to record this stupid podcast with us. After Matt (at 1:20:20), we participated in a spectacularly themed B-Ref Battle...this time, it's WAR. After B-Ref (at 1:44:10), Tales from Logdog with Lana Berry celebrated 50 EPISODES LOL LANA HOW DID WE MAKE IT THIS FAR and covered Lana's first experience playing fantasy baseball. We concluded (at 1:51:43) with a brief discussion on Mike Lieberthal and some of the greatest offensive seasons by a catcher in MLB history, as well as an exciting Varsity Baseball Update from Jake, who is now actually pitching for a varsity baseball team on a shockingly consistent basis. Thanks for listening <3

Music: DO YOU REMEMBA 

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Direct download: POD_58.mp3
Category:Cespedes Family Barbecast -- posted at: 1:17am EDT

Welcome to Barbecast 57! Our special guest this week (at 17:23) is one of the best college pitchers in the country, Andrew Moore! Andrew is the Friday starter for the Oregon State Beavers, and he decided to spend the night before his start against Arizona State talking to us about (mostly) silly things, including:

  • his self-scouting report
  • choosing Oregon State over Oregon
  • the Ducks/Beaver rivalry
  • pitch counts for college pitchers
  • playing with Michael Conforto
  • pitching for Team USA...
  • ...IN CUBA!

...and more! 

After Andrew, the weekly B-Ref Battle commenced, and included a guy named Butts, and yet another remarkably strange and unusual death. After B-Ref (at 1:12:08), Tales from Logdog with Lana Berry covered #FerrellTakingTheField, and the things we liked/disliked about it. We concluded by marveling at the astoundingly brief MLB career of Charlton Jimerson, and discussing the realities of Jake's Varsity Baseball Update. Thanks for listening <3

Musical guest: The Duck Song

Direct download: Pod_57.mp3
Category:Cespedes Family Barbecast -- posted at: 6:54pm EDT

Welcome to Barbecast 56! We have TWO special guests this week. Our first special guest (at 21:47) is Evan, the lead-vocalist and founder of the Isotopes, the World's Greatest Baseball Punk Rock band. We talked to Evan about how one starts a baseball punk rock band, being a baseball fan in Vancouver, Rey Ordonez, and (at 39:30) Evan shares arguably the greatest story in Barbecast history about how and why he was BANNED FROM THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. Evan is awesome! After Evan, our B-Ref Battle commenced, names were laughed at, and a guy named Crazy who looked like Hitler. After B-Ref (at 1:20:05), we brought on our second special guest: good friend of the BBQ and Buster Posey rookie card hoarder Wes Yee! We talked to Wes about the art of buying and selling baseball cards, playing NAIA baseball, and that time he asked a few adult film actresses Kelly Vs. Avril. Wes is awesome! Next (at 1:45:20), Tales from Logdog with Lana Berry covered that god damn awful dress. Sorry. We concluded with some appreciative words about the career of Benito Santiago and a mildly disappointing Varsity Baseball Update. Baseball is soon! Thanks for listening <3

Click here to listen to/buy some awesome Isotopes music!

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Direct download: Pod_56.mp3
Category:Cespedes Family Barbecast -- posted at: 12:01pm EDT

Welcome to Barbecast 55! Our special guest this week (at 13:32) is MLB dot com beat writer for the San Diego Padres, Corey Brock! Corey, like many of us, has been rather exhausted by the typhoon of Padres transactions over the last two months. We talked about how the Padres went from That Team Everyone Forgets About to whatever the hell they are now. Topics included:

  • The enigma that is AJ Preller
  • What the Padres could still do with their 73 outfielders
  • What happened to Everth Cabrera?
  • ODRISAMER DESPAIGNE!!!
  • Young Felix Hernandez
  • Barry Bonds' 755th career home run off Clay Hensley

...and more! It was a fun conversation and we're looking forward to actually watching some Padres games this year. After we talked to Corey (at 1:00:20), we proceeded with yet another B-Ref Battle Bonanza with an appropriately romantic name, a name that is almost Michigan, and one of the greatest NCAA basketball coaches of all time. After B-Ref (at 1:23:10), Tales from Logdog with Lana Berry covered some of the worst lies Lana has told in her past. We concluded this week's show with an intense discussion about former Padres reliever Scott Linebrink and an almost exciting Varsity Baseball Update. Thanks for listening <3

Musical guest: Vanessa

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Direct download: Pod_55.mp3
Category:Cespedes Family Barbecast -- posted at: 1:20am EDT

Welcome to Barbecast 54! Our special guest this week (at 18:54) is Chris Crawford of ESPN, Draft to the Show, and Barbecast 22 fame. We talked to Chris about his fantastic 2015 Draftbook (which you can buy for only $2.99! link below), some of his favorite prospects for the 2015 MLB Draft, how he uses the 20-80 scale, and more! We know the draft is months away, but it's never too early to start getting excited about prospects who will almost certainly disappoint you. After our conversation with Chris (at 1:02:22), we had one of our best B-Ref Battles in Barbecast history, all thanks to Based Hod. After the legendary B-Ref Battle (at 1:37:49), Tales from Logdog with Lana Berry covered Deflategate/Ballghazi and her Super Bowl pick. We concluded with a brief discussion about Max Scherzer to the Nationals, Duaner Sanchez, and a semi-exciting Varsity Baseball Update. Thanks for listening!

Musical guest: MESSSSSSSSSIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Buy Chris Crawford's 2015 Draftbook for $2.99!

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Direct download: Pod_54.mp3
Category:Cespedes Family Barbecast -- posted at: 11:57am EDT

Welcome to Barbecast 53! Our special guest (at 16:01) this week is former major league pitcher Glendon Rusch! We talked to Glendon about his journey from being a 17th round pick to pitching in the World Series against the Yankees in the Subway Series. We talked about a ton of fun stuff, including...

  • Whether or not he's the most famous Glendon
  • Being a part of a three-team trade that also included BENNY AGBYANI AND ROSS GLOAD OMG
  • The 2000 New York Mets
  • Dominating the Carolina League in 1995
  • His time with the Cubs
  • Facing Hall of Famers in the early part of his career 
  • Why Adam Dunn absolutely dominated him
  • ...and more!

It was a fantastic conversation, and at the end, Glendon shared some BREAKING NEWZ. After our interview with Rusch (at 57:40), we did our customary B-Ref Battle which included an amazing story about a guy who might as well be named Preliminary Soap. After the B-Ref Battle (at 1:17:39), we called Jake's mom when she was in the middle of doing something important. Tales from Logdog with Lana Berry (at 1:18:23) covered Lana's depression over the Cowboys' loss and her optimism heading into the Rangers season. We concluded with a brief Varsity Baseball Update and a random discussion about former big leaguer Robb Quinlan. Thanks for listening!

Music: Who do you think did it?

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Direct download: POD_53.mp3
Category:Cespedes Family Barbecast -- posted at: 12:16pm EDT

Note: This interview was recorded on Wednesday, December 17th right before we both went on vacation. We had planned for it to be the guest on Barbecast 52, but the timing and the content of the interview didn't end up fitting with what we eventually did. So, we decided to release this interview as its own thing -- a half Barbecast. 

Welcome to Barbecast 52.5! This is an interview with MLB player agent Joshua Kusnick, who represents players such as Michael Brantley, Jeremy Jeffress, and Steve Clevenger. Kusnick has a pretty incredible background, which Joe Lemire profiled in a piece for The Cauldron last month, which you can find by clicking here. We talked to Josh about a number of topics, including...

  • How he became an agent for guys like Michael Brantley
  • What it's like going to the Winter Meetings as an agent
  • "Transaction Monkeys" and Kusnick's guidelines for teenage reporters
  • What separates him from other agents
  • Kusnick's experience in stand-up comedy and meeting some of the most famous comedians of the last few decades
  • ...and more!

We hope you enjoy!

Please rate and review us on iTunes! We would really appreciate it. 

IMPORTANT LINKS:

iTunes link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/cespedes-family-barbecue-cespedes/id683535357

Link to all previous podcasts: http://cespedesfamilybarbecue.com/the-barbecast-cfb-podcast/

Tweeterz: https://twitter.com/CespedesBBQ

Click here to join our Facebook group!

Click here for the RSS feed

Click here to find us on Stitcher!

Direct download: Kushnick.mp3
Category:Cespedes Family Barbecast -- posted at: 10:07am EDT

Welcome to Barbecast 52! We know it's been a while, but the Barbecast is finally back and will hopefully be more consistent in the coming weeks. Our special guest this week (at 16:28) is Jorge Arangure, writer at VICE Sports. We talked about Cuban baseball, the impact of the recent changes in US-Cuba relations on baseball, and even some PREMIER LEAGUE CHAT about why Jake's an ass for being a Manchester City fan. After Jorge, we did our B-Ref Battle in which we asked a shocking number of questions about Catholicism. After B-Ref (at 1:36:25) we talked about basically everybody on the Hall of Fame ballot. We started from the bottom and now we're at Barry Bonds. We shared our ideal 10-man ballots and discussed the few players we disagreed on. Then (at 2:02:45) it was Lana Berry's turn to be on the podcast for the billionth podcast in a row! Tales from Logdog covered DEM COWBOYZ and some football stuff (including the Gronk erotica). We concluded with a brief Varsity Baseball Update and a brief Life Update as well. Thanks for listening <3

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Musical guest: Thin Lizzy (???)

Direct download: POD_52.mp3
Category:Cespedes Family Barbecast -- posted at: 11:09am EDT

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