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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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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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

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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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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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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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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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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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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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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