The Barbecast

Welcome to Barbecast 111. This is the last Barbecast. As you may or may not know by now, we are transitioning to Tha BBQ Part II, aka the part where we work for MLB Advanced Media. You can read all about that by clicking here. But this is our last hurrah, the final victory lap for this audio adventure we've been on for nearly four years. As is only right, this episode features arguably the three most important guests of Barbecast lore, but we began with a large pile of fantastic e-mails from you wonderful listeners, including questions about Kelly vs. Avril, Napoleon Bookbindery, baseballers on rollerskates, and of course, a beautiful final story from OBP himself. Thank you all so much for all the kind words. Our first special guest (at 42:10) is Craig Goldstein, our inaugural guest and one of our favorite people. We talked about Craig stuff. Our second special guest (at 52:40) was the most frequent guest in Barbecast history and we like her even more than we like Craig. It's Lana Berry! Lana recently had a tweet get over 100,000 likes. We talked about that and then said goodbye forever. Our third and final special guest (at 1:05:40) is Kieran Lovegrove, right-handed pitcher in the Cleveland Indians organization and the OFFICIAL minor leaguer of the Cespedes Family BBQ. Kieran is a Lynchburg Hillcat now, so we checked in on how his season is going and how he likes his new logo. We concluded (at 1:18:15) with some details about our new job, and some final hearty thanks for all of your support. For one final time (on here): thanks for listening <3

Music: A somber version of IMDABES

Outro: Jake's rendition of IMDABES

Actual end: The beginning of Barbecast 1

 

Direct download: Pod_111.mp3
Category:Cespedes Family Barbecast -- posted at: 11:41pm EDT

Welcome to Barbecast 110! And yes, you read the title right...it's the second-to-last Barbecast as you know it. Why? We still can't really tell you. Anyway, our special guest this week (at 22:15) is Brace Hemmelgarn, official team photographer of the Minnesota Twins. We asked Brace about how he went from D-III baseball player to MLB photographer almost instantly, the major league photography community, why everyone on the Twins calls him Bruce, and his favorite players to shoot on the job. After Brace (at 51:45), another B-Ref Battle ensued featuring the fourth Moose in Barbecast history and a guy who once struck out Babe Ruth and bragged about it. We conclude (at 59:00) with Jake's Professional Baseball Update about how his independent league tryout went, and some vague allusions to our professional futures. Thanks for listening <3

Music: Bye Bye Bye

Click here for the B-Ref Battle Name Database!

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Direct download: Pod_110.mp3
Category:Cespedes Family Barbecast -- posted at: 5:33pm EDT

Welcome to Barbecast 109! No guest or B-Ref (or really even e-mails) this week, we just wanted to check in and let you guys know how things are not that are college days are officially behind us and the terrifying prospect of adulthood is staring us right in the face. First, we tried to catch up on the division standings since we have not been paying super close attention to real baseball lately. Then we do one final Varsity Baseball Update about the end of Jake's collegiate career before transitioning into Jake's Professional Baseball Update (?!?!?!?!) with a fairly exciting announcement about where Jake will be for the next week. Then we say goodbye. Thanks for listening <3

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Direct download: Pod_109.mp3
Category:Cespedes Family Barbecast -- posted at: 11:35am EDT

Welcome to Barbecast 108! We've got two special guests this week. First up (at 24:30) is Tom Hackimer, professional side-armer in the Minnesota Twins organization. Tom is both a) our kind of guy; and b) almost everything Jake aspires to be as a poo-slinging reliever. We talked about how he went from a walk-on at St. John's to dominating for four years while also majoring in physics, getting drafted by his not-actual-favorite time, the one home run he is ever allowed, and a bunch of nerdy side-arm related stuff that Jake was understandably curious about. After Tom, (at 1:06:15), we brought on Jamal Collier, who covers the Nationals for MLB.com, to discuss the team's outrageously hot start (particularly on offense), Ryan Zimmerman's resurrection, Tanner Roark, and the wonderful mess that is their bullpen. We concluded (at 1:39:15) with a Varsity Baseball Update that actually is more of a Professional Baseball Update (?!?!?!) about Jake's Frontier League tryout, before some brief general D-III baseball talk. Then we say goodbye. Thanks for listening <3

Music: Lil Yachty 

Click here for the B-Ref Battle Name Database!

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Direct download: pod_108.mp3
Category:Cespedes Family Barbecast -- posted at: 5:14pm EDT

Welcome to Barbecast 107! We have two special guests this week. First up (at 17:25) is Steve Gerken, Average Dude from Austin, Texas. Who the hell is Steve Gerken? Good question! Steve sent us an e-mail for Barbecast 106 in which he explained that he basically has never played baseball (in any form!) despite being a totally normal 21-year-old guy. We asked him to defend himself. After Steve (at 29:20), we brought on J.B. Bukauskas, junior right-handed pitcher at the University of North Carolina. While J.B.'s ERA (1.40) is nearly double Jake's (0.72), J.B. has a significantly higher chance of being drafted in the first round of the 2017 Draft. We talked about growing up playing baseball in the DC area, being on campus when UNC won March Madness, and the best players he's faced during his time in Chapel Hill. After J.B. (at 53:00), we participated in a wonderful B-Ref Battle featuring an obscure record-holder, and one of our favorite players in the history of the segment, thanks to his outrageously strange and convoluted background. We will never get tired of this. We concluded (at 1:10:00) with a brief discussion on Our New Overlord Eric Thames and provide a Varsity Baseball Update about Jake's brief stint ATOP a real actual leader board. Then we say goodbye. Thanks for listening <3

Music: A song about birds

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Direct download: Pod_107.mp3
Category:Cespedes Family Barbecast -- posted at: 12:38pm EDT

Welcome to Barbecast 106! A lot has happened since the last Barbecast, so we decided to take this episode to reflect on all that has gone on over the past 6 weeks or so -- mainly, baseball is back, and Jake Mintz is suddenly really good at it. No special guests, just us being excited that the 2017 season is finally here. We began by answering several e-mails on topics such as the Red Sox flu crisis, 17 players being ejected from the same team in the same game, our favorite minor league experiences, and perfect sitters. After e-mails (at 34:43), we took some time to draw some major conclusions about the playoff race after one week of play, and mentally prepare ourselves for a Twins-Diamondbacks World Series. Next (at 43:00), we participated in *another* B-Ref Battle of extraordinary old-timey baseball names. We concluded (at 49:40) with perhaps the most exciting Varsity Baseball Update in the history of the Barbecast: Jake is good now. We discussed some of the highlights of the first half of the WashU Bears season, including Jake unknowingly blowing a no-hitter, sweeping Emory, and how in the world he currently has a 0.44 ERA (?!?!?!?!?!?!?!). Then we say goodbye. Thanks for listening <3

Music: Chance, duh

Click here for the B-Ref Battle Name Database!

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Direct download: Pod_106.mp3
Category:Cespedes Family Barbecast -- posted at: 3:36pm EDT

Welcome to Barbecast 105! Two special guests this week, as has become fairly customary. First up (at 23:30) is Anthony Castrovince of MLB dot com and Sports On Earth. Anthony is one of our favorite writers and we knew he would be a good candidate to participate in a fun Barbecast game with us, so we invited him on to draft Weird Spring Training Things (AKA Silly Spring Stuff) with us. We each selected three particularly odd Spring Training things that we especially enjoy. After Anthony, we brought on arguably the most important guest in Barbecast history (at 1:00:15), Chattahoochee Valley Community College first baseman, Fuzzy Furr. Yeah, that Fuzzy Furr. We talked to Fuzzy about how he got the name Fuzzy at such a young age, and the blessings and curses of living with such a glorious name. After Fuzzy (at 1:18:00), we did a rapid fire B-Ref battle that was relatively short but still great (albeit less impressive in an episode that features a guy named Fuzzy Furr). We concluded (1:23:00) with a discussion about Blake Swihart's yips, a mild hot take on the proposed extra innings rules, Jake's Varsity Baseball Update, and an ode to the glorious Magic iPod. Thanks for listening <3 

Musical guest: The Magic iPod

Note: Yes, we forgot to ask Castrovince Kelly/Avril, we are v v v v sorry. 

The B-Ref Battle is brought to you by Baseball-Reference. Use the coupon code “bbq” for $6 off a one-year subscription to the Play Index, the essential tool for statistical baseball research. Click here to order your Play Index now!

Click here for the B-Ref Battle Name Database!

Please rate and review us on iTunes! We’d really appreciate it!

Direct download: Pod_105.mp3
Category:Cespedes Family Barbecast -- posted at: 12:10am EDT

Welcome to Barbecast 104! Two special guests again this week, one repeat and one podcast rookie. First up (at 20:00) is Mariners pitching prospect Andrew Moore, making his third Barbecast appearance in three years. We've watched Andrew grow from a wee-little Pac-12 Friday starter to a mildly impressive professional rookie to a dude that just dominated Double-A for most of a season. We are so proud. We talked about Andrew's full-season debut, how much he's looking forward to hitting in the big leagues, and how he's spending his offseason now that he's no longer a JV basketball coach. After Andrew (at 47:00), we brought on Rob Arthur, one of our favorite writers and also the guy whose clenched fist is in all of those memes (I think?). We talked to Rob about how he got from master's degree in genetics to baseball writing, the strange experience of covering the 2016 as a longtime Cubs fan, his thoughts on the proposed extra-inning rule, and the reason for his unusual Twitter handle. After Rob (at 1:16:00), we participate in another B-Ref Battle featuring two more extraordinary names from yesteryear. We conclude (at 1:23:00) with a mildly exciting varsity baseball update, and a quick discussion on Russell Westbrook because Jake loves him very much. Then we say goodbye. Thanks for listening <3

Music: Russell Westbrook on a Farm

The B-Ref Battle is brought to you by Baseball-Reference. Use the coupon code “bbq” for $6 off a one-year subscription to the Play Index, the essential tool for statistical baseball research. Click here to order your Play Index now!

Click here for the B-Ref Battle Name Database!

Please rate and review us on iTunes! We’d really appreciate it!

Direct download: Pod_104.mp3
Category:Cespedes Family Barbecast -- posted at: 11:27am EDT

Welcome to Barbecast 103! We have two special guests this week. Hope that's cool with you. Our first special guest (at 25:15) is Cody Ponce, one of the top pitching prospects in the Milwaukee Brewers system, as well as a general enthusiast of nonsense. That is why he is on the Barbecast. We talked to Cody about the origins of his devastating lactose intolerance, his insistence that PITCHERS ARE ATHLETES, how he stayed entertained in the dugouts of the Florida State League, being best friends with fellow Damien High School alumnus Mark McGwire (they are not best friends at all) and more. After Cody (at 54:05), we brought on Baseball America's JJ Cooper with the hope of discussing some of our favorite prospects. That did not happen. Instead, since we are huge D-III baseball dorks with an obvious bias, we talked to JJ about the process of preparing the Small College Preview for Baseball America, and how JJ goes about even attempting to cover the lower levels of college baseball when there are such an outrageous number of teams and the competition level is all over the place. We found it super fascinating. After JJ (at 1:33:00), we competed in our customary B-Ref Battle brought to you by Baseball-Reference, featuring one blatantly silly name and one guy who had to retire from baseball so he could milk cows full time. What a world. We concluded (at 1:43:00) with a brief discussion on Bad and Boujee, Joel Embiid, and of course, Jake's Varsity Baseball Update. Then we say goodbye. Thanks for listening <3

The B-Ref Battle is brought to you by Baseball-Reference. Use the coupon code “bbq” for $6 off a one-year subscription to the Play Index, the essential tool for statistical baseball research. Click here to order your Play Index now!

Click here for the B-Ref Battle Name Database!

Please rate and review us on iTunes! We’d really appreciate it!

Direct download: Pod_103.mp3
Category:Cespedes Family Barbecast -- posted at: 5:54pm EDT

Welcome to Barbecast 102! We have two special guests this week -- two very different ones. First up (at 27:15) is Phillies prospect Rhys Hoskins, who we first met over the summer when he was mashing dingers with the Double-A Reading Fightin' Phils, the winningest team in the minors. Rhys talked about what it was like to play for such a fun team that won all the time, competing with his teammate Dylan Cozens for the minor league home run title, that time he went 0-0 with 5 walks, and his beloved Oakland Raiders' chances in the playoffs. After Rhys (at 1:01:00), we brought on Lincoln Mitchell, author of "Will Big League Baseball Survival?: Globalization, the End of Television, Youth Sports, and the Future of Major League Baseball." We attempted to tackle a modicum of the big questions posed in Lincoln's book, and discussed where baseball has been, and the challenges/advantages it has today, particularly in relation to the other major American sports. Then we talked about the former Soviet country of Georgia, which is Lincoln's other area of immense expertise. Next, (at 1:37:20) the B-Ref Battle brought to you by Baseball-Reference returned with one strictly silly name and one guy with one of the more illustrious careers in the segment's history. We concluded (at 1:46:50) with a brief homage to Sam Miller and Effectively Wild, as well as our additional podcast inspiration, Up and In. Then we said goodbye. Thanks for listening <3

Note: We will hanging out at Foleys in NYC around 8 PM on Saturday, January 7th. Come by and say hello! 

You can buy Lincoln's book by clicking here!

The B-Ref Battle is brought to you by Baseball-Reference. Use the coupon code “bbq” for $6 off a one-year subscription to the Play Index, the essential tool for statistical baseball research. Click here to order your Play Index now!

Click here for the B-Ref Battle Name Database!

Please rate and review us on iTunes! We’d really appreciate it!

Direct download: Pod_102.mp3
Category:Cespedes Family Barbecast -- posted at: 9:58pm EDT

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