Episode #81 - Austin Barnes

We are back to yak! Yak about baseball that is. This week, we discuss Duncan's bootleg W.P. Kinsella work, a dead umpire, Wandavision, the unlimited potential of MLB The Show 21, and the continuing saga of the SSG Landers, fka SK Wyverns of the Korean Baseball Organization. DONATE to Baseball For All FOLLOW us on Twitter LIKE us on Facebook EMAIL us Our theme music is "The Littlest League Possible" by Guided By Voices and our artwork is by Shelby Criswell

We're talkin' baseball: Willie, Mickey, and the Duke. Actually we talk about none of those players, but we do talk about Robert Pattinson's career for a surprisingly long time. Links Jon Morosi's tweet about Albert Pujols and the All-Star Game,  Grant Brisbee’s breakdown of how all the teams got their names Donate to Baseball For All Our theme music is Littlest League Possible by Guided By Voices. Our artwork is by Shelby Criswell Email: [email protected]  Facebook: facebook.com/tatertotspod Twitter: twitter.com/tatertotspod

For the first time in Tater Tots history, a baseball figure who has hit exactly zero home runs graces our airwaves. It is baseball's own greatest showman, Bill Veeck, who we discussed last week for his unfortunate flop with Disco Demolition Night. Never fear! In this episode we discuss Bill Veeck's greatest triumphs, including the signing of Eddie Gaedel, Grandstand Manager Day, and his advocacy on behalf of Curt Flood which brought us modern free agency. These are just a few examples of the ways in which Veeck has impacted the game we love, and they are probably not even the best ones. You'll have to tune in to find out more!! DONATE to Baseball For All FOLLOW us on Twitter LIKE us on Facebook EMAIL us Our theme music is "The Littlest League Possible" by Guided By Voices and our artwork is by Shelby Criswell

"Burn, Baby Burn."  The now infamous words uttered by 24-year-old shock jock Steve Dahl upon witnessing his famous disco inferno in 1979 live in infamy, marking the night when everyone got really mad about disco for some reason. Donate to Baseball For All Our theme music is Littlest League Possible by Guided By Voices. Our artwork is by Shelby Criswell Email: [email protected]  Facebook: facebook.com/tatertotspod Twitter: twitter.com/tatertotspod

Hello, fishing fanatics! Today on the podcast we are talking all about the things you might need to hook that next champion bass for your Tinder profile -- nah, just yankin' yer chain, we're back again just like usual talking Tater Tots. It's a very special episode this week, since there's absolutely no way Yordan Alvarez would've made our list in a non-COVID year. Still, he fell to us and we're grateful for it. As a bonus, we also watched Yordan's first home run as a big leaguer, which is equally sick. Elsewhere in the episode, we discuss the semantics of the new minor league baseball invitations and the plight of the Fresno Grizzlies. That's right, we've got another minor league moment for you! Hope you enjoy it :~) DONATE to Baseball for All TWEET us a li'l tweet LIKE us on Facebook EMAIL us sweet nothings Our theme music is "The Littlest League Possible" by Guided by Voices and our artwork is by Shelby Criswell

If you don't have a local library card, you're just robbing yourself of a tremendous community resource. Even if your library isn't open, I strongly encourage you to check out their broad selection of ebooks and audiobooks. They will make you regret ever trying to read a physical book made of paper! Listen, this is just a public service announcement. I don't really have much to say about baseball. On today's episode of Table Cloth, we discuss Dodgers uh catcher Austin Barnes. Links: Barnes's August 13 home run,  Barnes hits a safety squeeze and a three run Tater in the same World Series game,  statcorner.com/mlb/catcher-report Whee Snaw,  The Lake Elsinore Storm's spooky hat,  Dale Thayer's notable mustache,  Donate to Baseball For All Our theme music is Littlest League Possible by Guided By Voices. Our artwork is by Shelby Criswell Email: [email protected]  Facebook: facebook.com/tatertotspod Twitter: twitter.com/tatertotspod

What's your favorite kind of taco? No particular reason, just wondering. Mine is al pastor.  This week! We discuss the KBO champion NC Dinos and their humongous sword, which is thematically appropriate given that we are honoring nerd power with a podcast dedicated to the one and only Eric Sogard. That's right! The Arizona State alumnus and utility infielder extraordinaire. It was a real trip to discover I'd been Mandela'd regarding Eric's run at Face of the MLB in 2014, but I maintain he is the rightful winner of that particular contest. Elsewhere in the podcast, we discuss LASIK surgery, what makes a Padres name, and the future of the Pittsburgh Pirates. I hope you enjoy this podcast as much as I enjoy a delicious al pastor taco on a hot summer's day. Eric Sogard's very cute daughter DONATE to Baseball For All TWEET us on Twitter BOOK us on Facebook MAIL us an e-mail Our theme music is 'The Littlest League Possible' by Guided By Voices and our artwork is by Shelby Criswell

I have tremendous news:  my beloved NC Dinos won the Korean Series this morning. This development comes with several important benefits: A sense of pride and exhalation that they have done it, A fitting reward for an excellent season turned in by Koo Chang-Mo, Park Min-Woo, Sung Bum-Na, Yang Eui-Ji, Park Suk-Min, and all of the strong and talented boys comprising the Dinos team, An end to 4:30am alarms, A happy November 24th, A line of new NC Dinos championship merchandise, A gargantuan sword. There is a portion of this podcast in which we discuss whether out listeners may be able to watch at least one game of Korean baseball in the waning days of the 2020 season, and this provides a conclusive "no," so at minimum, we have closure. Today's pod focuses on the magnificent Willians Astudillo, god of contact and slayer of three true outcomes. Links: Astudillo's September 12th home run,  Y101: The Tri-State's Biggest Variety: Where Did the Baseball Saying 'A Can of Corn' Come From?  MLB's glossary of idioms,  The no-look pickoff,  The hidden ball trick,  MLB's clips package (including Astudillo falling flat on his face and riding on Chris Gimenez's back),  The wonderful, WONDERFUL home run in the Venezuelan Winter League (please watch this),  Travis Sawchik's breakdown of Astudllio's prodigious 2018,  The New York Times feature on La Tortuga,  Donate to Baseball For All Our theme music is Littlest League Possible by Guided By Voices. Our artwork is by Shelby Criswell Email: [email protected]  Facebook: facebook.com/tatertotspod Twitter: twitter.com/tatertotspod

All right, smart guy, I'd like to see you name some colors. And don't even start with me on that 'indigo' crap! Fool me twice... This week we're talking about Rays' outfielder and defensive savant Manuel Margot. Margot is Exhibit A for how the shortened season really screwed up our concept since his tater tot comes at the toll of 75% of his average plate appearances.  With this in mind, we'll discuss his explosive postseason performance, and wonder what would've become of that hot streak over 162 games. We'll also go into detail on Margot's defensive prowess and whether the Rays could leverage it along with Kevin Kiermaier's beautiful eyes to field a two-player outfield. *** DONATE to Baseball For All FOLLOW us on Twitter LIKE us on Facebook SEND us an e-mail Our theme music is 'The Littlest League Possible' by Guided By Voices and our album artwork is by Shelby Criswell

Come take a mystical voyage with us back to Monday night. To a time when the result of the World Series was still up in the air and no MLB players had tested positive for the novel coronavirus in the middle of the game and then game back onto the field at the end and took their mask off and kissed their wife on the face and breathed all over cancer survivor Dave Roberts. A simpler time :) We engage in our usual Monday night tradition of discussing the life and career of Vida Blue at some length. If you're so inclined, you may be interested to see this portrait of him adorning the cover of Time Magazine's August 28, 1971 issue. You may also wish to ogle at the accumulated career statistics of Keith Hernandez's mustache. Perhaps you might even enjoy listening to to the prog rock/electronica/funk band Vida Blue's rendition of Most Events Aren't Planned. If you are uninterested in those things, perhaps you'd like to instead donate to Baseball For All. You can also listen to our theme music: Littlest League Possible by Guided By Voices. Or maybe appreciate the other work of our the author of our cover art Shelby Criswell. Or maybe send us a nice email at [email protected] . Or maybe check out our bustling Facebook page at facebook.com/tatertotspod. Otherwise just catch us on Twitter at twitter.com/tatertotspod. See you next time!