Best Steven Goldman Podcasts (2025)

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Infinite Inning 345: In Which Babe Ruth Marries a Man and Mickey Mantle Feels Poorly 56:56

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2d ago56:56

56:56

Babe Ruth backs the attack as Babe Ruth gets married, but to a guy named H.C., not a former model named Claire. Cal Raleigh goes on a rampage and Mickey Mantle finishes 1961 quietly, but why did the latter happen and what can we learn from the way he and Billy Martin lived their lives? The Infinite Inning is a journey to the past to understand the …

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Infinite Inning Reissue 16 (011): You Have to Be Resilient in Baseball 40:43

5d ago40:43

40:43

...Because you might just field the ball with your skull. This week’s new remarks include further reflections on the national calamity unleashed last week, leading into a reissue episode focused on a time the manager of the Dodgers, a chronic lie, told a self-protective, CYA fib that got away from him and nearly cost him his job. We also get a look…

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Infinite Inning 344: If Czolgosz Had Read the Box Scores 48:05

9d ago48:05

48:05

In which the outfielder called Zaza is rediscovered, as is the hit “dirty” turn-of-the-century play that gave him his name. We then briefly pause for a Dodgers outfielder’s career to come to a sudden end, leading to an unusual inning in more ways than one, and the ride concludes with a visit to the world of September 1901 and an argument about who …

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Infinite Inning Reissue 15 (055): A Baseball Conversation with Davey Johnson 1:08:19

13d ago1:08:19

1:08:19

We return to 2018 and a conversation with the late great manager Davey Johnson, with a cameo from his very excited dogs. This week’s new remarks expand on Johnson’s Hall of Fame case, though it’s now beside the point. We also have a brief story in which Babe Ruth gets hurt, but someone else suffers a worse injury. The Infinite Inning is a journey t…

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Infinite Inning 343: Yankees First Baseman America I 47:59

17d ago47:59

47:59

First a catcher and an umpire supposedly participate in a physically impossible act, a computer program vexes the host and leads to a discussion of one possibly beneficial use of AI, and the Yankees acquire a very good hitter because everyone else is in the Army. Will it happen again in a darker way? The Infinite Inning is a journey to the past to …

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Infinite Inning Reissue 14 (209): Baseball Before Vaccines 1:14:10

19d ago1:14:10

1:14:10

This week’s new remarks are occasioned by the Florida surgeon general’s decision (which he may or may not have the power to enforce) to repeal all vaccine mandates in the state. Then we return to the first time the Pirates traded a future MVP and revisit the sad story of Cardinal catcher Bill DeLancey. Apologies for the lack of a farewell note--the…

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Infinite Inning 342: To Kill a Baseball Team 53:04

24d ago53:04

53:04

An obscure umpire-punching incident by a Washington Senators outfielder helps cement the death of the franchise, the slowness of catchers is recalled when a famously leadfooted example steals a base, a sad manager and a sadder junior high school history test recalled. The Infinite Inning is a journey to the past to understand the present using base…

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Infinite Inning Reissue 13 (041): The Yankees, the Senators, and the Circle of Cows 53:17

26d ago53:17

53:17

In this week’s new remarks, we consider a revival of the baseball musical Damn Yankees which may let the bigoted owners of the original Washington Senators off the hook for destroying their franchise, with a quick look at the Homestead Grays’ residency in the District of Columbia. In the reissue part of the show, we return to “The Turtle Who Was Ha…

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Infinite Inning 341: Oh Say Can You See Bad Yankees Trades 1:09:01

1M ago1:09:01

1:09:01

We’re back after an unanticipated medical time out! Casey Stengel gives a medical report and so does the host; why the bad parts of American history give meaning to the good parts, and vice-versa; a whirlwind tour of Pirates-Yankees trades, including one that should have happened but was preempted by an overzealous commissioner. The Infinite Inning…

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"Have a Fulfilling LIfe—Then Write About It" with Candace Kade 27:54

1M ago27:54

27:54

Bestselling authors William and Lara Bernhardt discuss the latest news from the book world, offer writing tips, and interview Candace Kade, the author of The Hybrid series, a YA sci-fi trilogy. 00:00 Opening Thoughts LAST CALL for WriterCon 2025 at the Skirvin Hilton in OKC over Labor Day weekend, August 29-September 1. Over 60 speakers and over 10…

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Analyzing Characters with Sydney Pruett 32:08

1M ago32:08

32:08

Bestselling authors William and Lara Bernhardt discuss the latest news from the book world, offer writing tips, and interview Sydney Pruett, a therapist who helps authors make their characters (fiction and nonfiction) psychologically compelling and consistent. 00:00 Opening Thoughts WriterCon is almost here! Come join the best writers conference in…

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Romantasy & Fairy Tales with Abigail O'Bryan 34:53

2M ago34:53

34:53

Bestselling authors William and Lara Bernhardt discuss the latest news from the book world, offer writing tips, and interview Abigail O'Bryan, who recently released her first novel, Iron Rose—a dark YA reimagining of Beauty & the Beast meets Hunger Games. 0:00 Opening Thoughts You are cordially invited to WriterCon, our annual writers conference, t…

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Infinite Inning Reissue 12 (068): The Dodgers, the Giants, and Being More Criminal Than You Have a Right to Be 48:10

2M ago48:10

48:10

In this week’s new remarks, a sentimental farewell to the great Ryne Sandberg, the traffic en route to Citi Field and the world outside our windows, and a lesson from position players pitching. Then in our flashback segment, the entertaining but ill-fated Pea Ridge Day and the oddly parallel fates of a 1920s movie star and a New York Giants center …

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Infinite Inning 340: The Yankees, Buhner, Phelps, and the Pinstriped Excuse 47:22

2M ago47:22

47:22

In a Yankees-centric episode for deadline week, we revisit a rare homegrown Yankees third baseman at a moment he refused to sit down even as injuries ate him alive. Then we take another look at the Buhner-Phelps deal. The Yankees could hardly have done worse... But could they truly have done better? The Infinite Inning is a journey to the past to u…

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Infinite Inning Reissue 11 (019): The Greatest Pitcher in A’s History and the Death-Dealing River 38:22

2M ago38:22

38:22

The recent tragic flooding in Texas causes us to revisit the passing of one of baseball’s greatest and strangest southpaws and, in this week’s new remarks, wonder just when it is that anyone actually learns anything, and then how long will it be until they forget it again? The Infinite Inning is a journey to the past to understand the present using…

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Math and Mysterious Moments with Nova McBee 35:06

2M ago35:06

35:06

Bestselling authors William and Lara Bernhardt discuss the latest news from the book world, offer writing tips, and interview Nove McBee, author of a young adult action-adventure series called Calculated—and a keynote speaker at this year's WriterCon! Opening Thoughts Bill announces his new book scheduled for release in 2026: The Superman Wars: The…

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Infinite Inning 339: The Greatest Deadline Deal and the L.A. White Sox Bring the Hall of Famers 38:09

2M ago38:09

38:09

We revisit one of the greatest baseball trade deadline deals. Hint: It came on June 15, 1964, and then visit early 20th century Los Angeles and take a look at a neglected corner of baseball history, starting with Joe DiMaggio’s father in Sicily, journeying to Japan, and wrapping up in Texas with a player called “Goo-Goo.” And don’t forget “Sore” Fe…

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Infinite Inning 338: Superman Almost Defunds the Negro Leagues 52:13

2M ago52:13

52:13

The baseball content in Action Comics no. 1 has a bad effect on those who appeared, particularly the Yankees, the new Superman film, the nature of the character, and Superman vs. the gamblers in a 1939 issue with a Casey Stengel (Braves) and Ducky Medwick (Cardinals) appearance. Then we revisit a statement of values (the opposite of “Nazi” is “base…

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Infinite Inning Reissue 10 (053): On Cobb, Robinson, American Values, and 3000 Hits 57:11

2M ago57:11

57:11

In new remarks for this week’s baseball, history, and politics reissue, we discuss the Infinite Inning creed and ask what it is we can infer about whole groups if Johnny Bench was a better player than Johnny Roseboro or Lou Gehrig more of a slugger than Vic Power? (Hint: not a damned thing). Then we return to stories of Paul Waner’s 3000th hit and …

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"Your Dream Will Arrive" with Bestselling Debut Novelist Laurie L. Dove 39:08

3M ago39:08

39:08

Bestselling authors William and Lara Bernhardt discuss the latest news from the book world, offer writing tips, and interview Laurie L. Dove, WriterCon keynote speaker and bestelling author who scored a huge success earlier this year with her debut novel, Mask of the Deer Woman, a thriller set on a Native America reservation with indigenous charact…

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Reinventing Romance with Lauren Smith 38:45

3M ago38:45

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Note: This episode was delayed for technical reasons, so some may be confused by the opening when William teases his latest book sale. If you follow him on social media, you've already seen The Big Reveal. And if not—check out the next episode. Also, that is indeed William and Lara's dog, Baxter, expressing his enthusiasm for the new Amazon Kindle …

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Infinite Inning Reissue 9 (079): Cubs in the Stands, Giants on the Breadline, and Lou Reed in New York 59:09

3M ago59:09

59:09

In new remarks for this week’s baseball, history, and politics reissue, we apply Lou Reed’s classic 1989 album New York to this week’s events in Washington and elsewhere, a discussion which also affords us a momentary visit to that year’s Yankees trying to make some absurd trades (and the Mets actually consummating one of the worst). The flashback …

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Infinite Inning 337: Yankees and Cubs Have Wants and Desires 49:33

3M ago49:33

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Infinite Inning 337: Yankees and Cubs Have Wants and Desires Babe Ruth asks for a small favor from Yankees owner Jacob Ruppert—well, 100,000 small favors—and is rebuked in the papers, suggesting a modern problem is actually an old one as well. Then a Cubs great goes to California and finds that prohibition is no impediment to his drinking, a tale w…

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Infinite Inning Reissue 8 (050): Everyone Rejects Roy, Even the Yankees, But Everyone Takes the Money 45:54

3M ago45:54

45:54

In new remarks for this week’s baseball, history, and politics reissue, we consider the heat dome hovering over half the country and wonder what it means for baseball. Then we revisit the offensively potent but frequently discarded outfielder Roy Cullenbine and take a visit to interwar Washington for a mostly non-baseball story of political corrupt…

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Infinite Inning 336: The St. Louis Cardinals, a Trade, and a Kidnapping 38:20

3M ago38:20

38:20

Emotional trades happen, and the Cardinals—anticipating the exile of Rafael Devers from Boston—made one with a future Hall of Famer (who eventually wound up in Boston). Then a Cardinals pitcher is kidnapped—or was he?—and the host questions whether he once witnessed an example of the same on the mean streets of New Jersey. The Infinite Inning is a …

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Infinite Inning Reissue 7 (023) The Red Sox vs. Niccolo Machiavelli, the Mets vs. Vietnam, A’s Fans vs. the President 37:26

3M ago37:26

37:26

In new remarks for this week’s baseball, history, and politics reissue, notes from the 1500s on kings and princes vs. the mob and what that might tell us about the Rafael Devers trade. Then we revisit two acts of resistance: Tom Seaver and John Lennon have an indirect team-up to remind us of our own power, and the wrong president shows up at the Wo…

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Infinite Inning 335: The Yankees-Iran Nuclear Arms Agreement 51:18

3M ago51:18

51:18

A 1980s designated hitter is traded to the National League, a fish-needs-a-bicycle baseball moment reminiscent of recent US diplomacy, and a 20-game winner who pitched as Theodore Roosevelt charged up San Juan Hill throws it all away in favor of good diction. The Infinite Inning is a journey to the past to understand the present using baseball as o…

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Infinite Inning Reissue 6 (064): The Dodgers Say No to America First 1:00:47

3M ago1:00:47

1:00:47

In new remarks for this week’s baseball and history reprise, we argue about bunts, kites, and kings—why would anyone wish for any of them? Kites are okay, of course, but the other two are problematic. We then revisit the Brooklyn Dodgers with Jackie Robinson asked to comment on a fallen Hall of Famer who had once been his teammate, then jump back t…

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Infinite Inning 334: The Cleveland Indians (and Other Parties) Send Mixed Messages 39:14

4M ago39:14

39:14

There are very few general managers in the Hall of Fame, but that doesn’t mean your local team executive doesn’t know what he’s doing—it’s just that there are only so many obvious choices to make in any baseball season whether your name sounds something like “Ranch Bickey” or “Cryin’ Rashman.” Then, following a quick stop with Babe Ruth and a close…

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Infinite Inning Reissue 5 (173): Lou Gehrig Dreams of Smiting Nazis for the Yankees 1:15:26

4M ago1:15:26

1:15:26

In early February 2021 it seemed as if the danger of internally-inflicted fascism might be over, and so we looked at an occasion when Lou Gehrig was confronted with the same kind of movement and had a visceral reaction. Plus a lighter tale of a semi-pro pitcher who injured himself in an unusual way. We also revisit some of Twins executive Kevin Gol…

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Infinite Inning 333: Leadership, Dodgers Style 52:09

4M ago52:09

52:09

We take another trip around a past sun with the Brooklyn Dodgers, wondering about the origins of Uncle Robbie’s pronounced facial scar and then question a couple of old stories involving his lack of education: Were umpires really policing his spelling? Then, after a brief pause to ponder the nature of unrequited love, we rejoin the pennant-winning …

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Infinite Inning Reissue 4 (044): Cookie Says Just the Tip 41:27

4M ago41:27

41:27

We return to the program’s first year for two of our more fun baseball profiles, both featuring Brooklyn Dodgers—one from the 19th century, one from the 1940s, and both a little uncomfortable. In a new introduction, we explore different modes of parenting and a form of relationship for which we lack the right word. The Infinite Inning is a journey …

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Infinite Inning 332: Women at the Park and Dictators in the Dugout 1:06:45

4M ago1:06:45

1:06:45

Infinite Inning 332: Women at the Park and Dictators in the Dugout The Chicago Cubs push hard on Ladies Day promotions, but a few object claiming that women don’t know the game of baseball Then baseball managers as autocrats compared to the real thing, and why confusing one for the other is a very dangerous idea, featuring Ossie Vitt and the Crybab…

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Crime and Baseball with Mark Stevens 44:26

4M ago44:26

44:26

Bestselling authors William and Lara Bernhardt discuss the latest news from the book world, offer writing tips, and interview Mark Stevens, author of several crime novels, including Trapline. His new novel No Lie Lasts Forever involves a reporter investigating a cold-case serial killer who may have returned. 00.00 Opening Thoughts Jesse has returne…

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Infinite Inning Reissue 3 (013): Derek Jeter, Joe Biden, and the Dumbest Conspiracy 37:21

4M ago37:21

37:21

Before we revisit episode 13 and it’s discussion of the O’Connell-Dolan scandal, starring a player and a coach lately sprung off the banned list by Rob Manfred, we have a new introduction discussing Joe Biden’s cancer diagnosis, the death of Franklin Roosevelt, Derek Jeter’s refusal to move off of shortstop, and we give one more encore to the most …

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Infinite Inning 331: Runners Down in the Lanes 58:48

4M ago58:48

58:48

The secret to managers’ success is revealed and dispensed with, in a hypothetical version of 1976, George Steinbrenner gifts Reggie Jackson with a plane, Hal Chase isn’t off the list because he was never on the list, a pre-Orioles pitcher becomes ill indeed, and baserunners are obstructed in 1928 and 2025, with differing outcomes suggesting the way…

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Infinite Inning Reissue 2 (006): Go Home, Snooks! 31:34

4M ago31:34

31:34

In this return to one of this baseball podcast’s earliest episodes, we discover two utility infielders, the Yankees’ Wayne Tolleson and, well, nobody’s Snooks Dowd (he was a Tigers, A’s, and Dodgers reject) who weren’t where they were supposed to be—or maybe they were exactly where they were supposed to be, but those in authority had a different op…

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Infinite Inning 330: The Great Boston Red Sox Depression 55:27

5M ago55:27

55:27

A pope who supposedly wanted baseball but caved to the Nazis instead, an amateur pitcher who cost a team a pennant, the Perdicaris incident, a Pirates manager is fired and the way his predecessor resigned, and the 2025 Colorado Rockies versus the 1932 Boston Red Sox and both in the hands of the President of the United States. The Infinite Inning is…

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Infinite Inning Reissue 1 (146): The Rulebreakers & The .399 Loser 1:07:44

5M ago1:07:44

1:07:44

For the show’s first reissue, we return to an episode from almost precisely five years ago which compares players who wouldn’t follow rules and inspired their clubs not to follow rules back, a subject framed by our once and possibly future public health crisis. We then turn to one of the great baseball stories, the misbegotten career of Don Padgett…

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Infinite Inning: 328 Some of Us Just Have a Type 1:03:46

5M ago1:03:46

1:03:46

We consider the legacy of the great Venezuelan players who have graced the game going back to Alex Carrasquel in 1939, constructing an all-star team of players from that beleaguered nation. What can any one of them tell us about Venezuelans as a whole? Hint: it’s the same thing that a highway serial killer can tell us about your best friend’s gramm…

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Kaira Rouda Keeps You in Suspense! 45:09

5M ago45:09

45:09

Bestselling authors William and Lara Bernhardt discuss the latest news from the book world, offer writing tips, and interview Kaira Rouda, the author of many bestselling novels of domestic suspense, translated into more than a dozen languages. Her new novel is Jill is Not Happy. Openting Thoughts NaNoWriMo has shut down—but don't let that stop you …

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Infinite Inning 327: Moon, Sheriff, Dutch, and the Mighty Quinn 53:52

5M ago53:52

53:52

We begin with two players who would have been crowded off of modern rosters, and also couldn’t have made the 1970s Oakland A’s due to the owner’s insistence on carrying two pinch-runners at once. Then we travel to Philadelphia and visit two pitchers seemingly on parallel tracks, one who might pitch forever as the other confronts a life-threatening …

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Infinite Inning 326: The Cult of Pennant Park 47:23

5M ago47:23

47:23

We visit the high-flying world of Florida real estate speculation 100 years ago with the volatile manager of the New York Giants John J. McGraw. When the bubble burst, would it be a case of murder? The Infinite Inning is a journey to the past to understand the present using baseball as our time machine. America's brighter mirror, baseball reflects,…

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Writing for TV and Books with Matt Goldman 47:45

5M ago47:45

47:45

Errata: William acknowledges that the fifth book in the Douglas Adams Hitchhiker series is "Mostly Harmless," not "Mostly Serious" although he thinks both equally inaccurate. The Faulkner quote he butchers is "The past is never dead. It's not even past." The title of the Barry Friedman series we didn't say aloud is Jack Sh*t 1 & 2, lovely vignettes…

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Infinite Inning 325: No Dead Man Should Have a Watch This Nice 46:57

5M ago46:57

46:57

We examine the Los Angeles Angels’ hot start in light of the 1987 Milwaukee Brewers’ hot start and what happened afterwards, and stumble across a writer saying inappropriate things about Spike Owen and Teddy Higuera. Then we talk about the tragic loss of Octavio Dotel, “The Pitt,” and Philadelphia’s 1903 “Black Saturday.” Trigger Warning: There’s n…

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Infinite Inning 324: The Way We Live Now (Again) 46:10

6M ago46:10

46:10

Infinite Inning 324: The Way We Live Now (Again) In a largely improvised episode we reexperience current events through the lens of Joe DiMaggio’s 1941 hitting streak, counting the days while the war stays away, while once again a government effort requires us to rally ‘round Jackie Robinson—and Abraham Lincoln too, and we do so while checking in o…

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Infinite Inning 323: I Fought the Law 44:17

6M ago44:17

44:17

We debate whether a victim of the First World War and the 1918 influenza pandemic was the heretofore unidentifiable Greatest Lost Prospect, we make a quick stop to compare takes on the 1915 World Series to Social Darwinism, and rediscover a dirty owners’ trick after a pitcher gathers up all his many girlfriends and drives into a wall. The Infinite …

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Gothic Horror with Emily Carpenter 39:19

6M ago39:19

39:19

Bestselling authors William and Lara Bernhardt discuss the latest news from the book world, offer writing tips, and interview Emily Carpenter, a former actor, producer, screenwriter, and behind-the-scenes soap opera assistant. She is also the author of the bestselling novels Burying the Honeysuckle Girls and The Weight of Lies. Her new novel is cal…

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Infinite Inning 322: Hollywood Crossed with Uz 1:05:04

6M ago1:05:04

1:05:04

A pitcher reaching a breaking point with his creator sends us scurrying back to the Old Testament for guidance, and then we unpack the stories behind Steve’s Baseball Prospectus column this week, a reaction to the Department of Defense labeling Jackie Robinson as “deisports.” Should you wish to read the column, it’s available free (no paywall) at B…

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Infinite Inning 321: Man's Life's a Gamble 56:19

6M ago56:19

56:19

Casey Stengel (our mascot, hero, and deity) steals a couple of uniforms and feels bad about it, and then a successful manager of the Red Sox is fired under dubious circumstances, and then virtually everyone in the story catches tuberculosis. Trigger Warning: There are a couple of fleeting mentions of self-harm in the second act of the show. The Inf…