Tater Tots

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: tatertotspod@gmail.com  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: tatertotspod@gmail.com  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: tatertotspod@gmail.com  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: tatertotspod@gmail.com  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 tatertotspod@gmail.com . 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!

Today, the topic of our podcast is the humble catfish. Did you know you can find subspecies of this feisty feline can be found in freshwater environments all over the world? What's more, those subspecies can range in size from 40 centimeters long (the South American Candiru, or toothpick fish) to over 3 meters long (the Mekong giant catfish, native to southeast Asia, which can also grow to be up to 350 kg!) Coincidentally, there also happened to be a pitcher for the Oakland A's named Catfish Hunter who was a Tater Tot in the late '60s and early '70s, fulfilling our requirement for baseball content on this podcast. He was the first baseball player to receive a million-dollar contract in free agency, and is the namesake of a Bob Dylan song.  Here is a Youtube video of an intrepid catfish hunter using a snake to flush 6 catfish from a hole using a snake. Seems unfair to me but whatever. 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.

Can you believe this year is the 46th anniversary of Orlando Cepeda's final season in the major leagues? Personally, it is impossible for me to believe or accept that. Regardless, on this episode, we discuss what it sounds like to rewind, the lack of commemorative plaques where old baseball stadiums used to be, and how Catfish Hunter got his nickname. Links: What are you gonna' do? Stab me?  This cool Malayan Green Whip Snake! People Discussed Pedro Cepeda Orlando Cepeda Roberto Clemente Willie McCovey Alvin Dark Ray Sadecki Willie Mays Joe Torre Denny McLain Luis Aparacio Luke Walker Bruce Kison Annie Pino Nydia Fernandez Mirian Ortiz Mike Schmidt Jeff Burroughs Catfish Hunter Mike Hargrove Steve Garvey Mike Marshall Bake McBride Donate to Baseball For All Our theme music is Littlest League Possible by Guided By Voices. Our artwork is by Shelby Criswell Email: tatertotspod@gmail.com  Facebook: facebook.com/tatertotspod Twitter: twitter.com/tatertotspod

In commemoration of the 53rd anniversary of Reggie Jackson's Tater Tot season, we humbly present you with a podcast. As we feel around for a new format, we stumble upon the talking points of champagne celebrations in the time of COVID, Reggie Jackson's online marketplace for vintage auto parts, and whether or not pitchers should be proud of giving up certain home runs. *** Players discussed on this week's episode: Reggie Jackson Carl Yastrzemski Jim Lonborg Rod Carew Orlando Cepeda Mike McCormick Tom Seaver *** Reggie Jackson's Naked Gun cameo *** 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 artwork is by Shelby Criswell.

Sorry this episode is late, we were busy designing a locomotive. Our train is able run without tracks, helping it to navigate traffic. However, it does not work in the rain and has already been invented. We discuss the MLB trade deadline, but, having recorded on Sunday, we missed most of the action, and there were a ton of blockbuster deals! Today’s Tot is Sandy Koufax, and we narrow in on his 1963 season. Links: Sound from The ASMR Podcast #123 | Intense Mouth Sounds 👄 Ear Eating 👂🏻 Scalp Massage & Hair Brushing 💆🏼‍♀️, Tim’s new shoes, Former Pirates GM’s big boner. Donate to Baseball For All Our theme music is Littlest League Possible by Guided By Voices. Our artwork is by Shelby Criswell Join our live streams on Thursday at 7ET: https://discord.gg/ZRuCxw9 Email: tatertotspod@gmail.com  Facebook: facebook.com/tatertotspod Twitter: twitter.com/tatertotspod

Here's your precious podcast. We're talking about every baseball news under the sun as punishment for not doing any of our chores this week, including the Oakland A's' Nazi batting coach and the Miami Marlins' Olympic medalist second baseman. plus some fast facts about Meridian, Idaho. For your reference, here is a photograph of King Tut. Donate to Baseball For All Tweet us Facebook like us Twitch with us Email us 

It's back to basics week here on Tater Tots as we return with an episode on a player who hit just one home run in a season. However, we've got a special treat for you, because Don Kessinger was a Tater Tot not once, not twice, not five times, not six times. Seven times? No! Eight times a tot! That's right, we're bringing the life and career of the co-king of Tater Tots under our unrelenting microscope to try to suss out why and how he remained such a mainstay in in the 1970s. If you are worried that our return to tots would mean we are returning to our format from episode one, then you would be mistaken! In fact, Tim continues to leap, and both of us continue to math. We also consider the return of the baseball season, and all the accompanying news. It's worth noting, though, that we recorded this on Sunday, and with the season in question, our conversation already seems wildly out of date! Donate to Baseball For All Our theme music is Littlest League Possible by Guided By Voices. Our artwork is by Shelby Criswell Twitch (Live on Thursdays at 7pm EST / 4pm PST): twitch.tv/tatertotspod Email: tatertotspod@gmail.com  Facebook: facebook.com/tatertotspod Twitter: twitter.com/tatertotspod

Wellity, wellity, wellity - against our strong urging, it looks like baseball is back, back, back again! Starting July 23rd, the Boys of Summer will be breaking the COVID bubble to play ball, which means it'll shortly be curtains for your own beloved Book Boys. Before we return to our regularly scheduled programming, we've got a top-tier discussion of Jeff Passan's 2016 exposé The Arm, which explores the problems of elbow injuries that have been vexing MLB these past few decades. Elsewhere in the episode, we talk about surd expressions and coterminal angles, and dream on all the chaotic results of the upcoming shortened season. This episode comes with the Henry the Orange Cat Seal of Approval! *** DONATE to Baseball for All FOLLOW us on Twitter LIKE us on Facebook STREAM with us on Twitch SEND us an e-mail, dang it! *** Our theme music is "The Littlest League Possible" by Guided by Voices and our artwork is by Shelby Criswell

Happy 100th birthday to the Negro Leagues. We’re celebrating this week by discussing Jackie Robinson’s autobiography I Never Had It Made, as told to Alfred Duckett. We also commit to an unannounced discussion of The Jackie Robinson Story, the 1950 biopic starring Jackie Robinson as himself. The film features a short baseball player known only as “Shorty”, as well as disconcerting amounts of racism, and some strikingly composed shots. This week also marks the formal introduction of our new and tenuous segment “Add Some Integers to your Integral” in which Tim and I discuss our various fascinations and frustrations with the world of mathematics. There was finally some Tot Stove news this week with the announcement of a 60 game baseball season, but all is not well in Mudville, as coronavirus cases are spiking throughout America, including among MLB players and staff. Donate to Baseball For All Our theme music is Littlest League Possible by Guided By Voices. Our artwork is by Shelby Criswell Twitch (Live on Thursdays at 7pm EST / 4pm PST): twitch.tv/tatertotspod Email: tatertotspod@gmail.com  Facebook: facebook.com/tatertotspod Twitter: twitter.com/tatertotspod

Hellooooo, m'precious blueberries! Welcome back to the wonderful world of book club. I hope this podcast finds you safe and well. This week, with the absence of very much good news on the slam-dunking front, we've decided to put the "Add Some Inches to Your Vertical" segment of the podcast on the backburner (cue a very sad rendition of "Jump (For My Love)") in favor of a new segment, starting next episode: "Add Some Calculus to Your Brain" (title pending). Will we learn anything? Maybe.  The Tot Stove has nearly disintegrated with the news that a shortened 2020 MLB season is likely to commence, over the protests of the Players' Association, and surprise, surprise, the MLB draft happened. I'm sure you watched it. I know I did! This week book club went to Michael Chabon's YA high-fantasy baseball novel, Summerland. We discuss mythmaking, and baseball's role within it, as well as Chabon's clunky plotting. The man's a Pulitzer Prize winner he can take a little criticism from a podcast. DONATE to Baseball for All FOLLOW us on Twitter LIKE us on Facebook E-MAIL us Our theme music is "The Littlest League Possible" by Guided By Voices and our artwork is by Shelby Criswell

TAKE ACTION TO SUPPORT THE ONGOING PROTESTS Who could have guessed a book called the "The Resisters" would feel so timely? Our next book will be Summerland by Michael Chabon. Our theme music is Littlest League Possible by Guided By Voices. Our artwork is by Shelby Criswell Twitch (Live on Thursdays at 7pm EST / 4pm PST): twitch.tv/tatertotspod Email: tatertotspod@gmail.com  Facebook: facebook.com/tatertotspod Twitter: twitter.com/tatertotspod

좋은 날 to all our listeners! The book boys have shed our outer, bookish layer to re-emerge in our ardor for baseball players at the margin of the home run column. This time, we're catching up with the Tater Tots formerly of Major League Baseball who are now plying their trade in the Korean Baseball Organization. That's right, some of your old favorites have returned! Dixon Machado! Aaron Altherr! Taylor Motter! Not to mention some new friends who we're learning about for the first time like Jared Hoying, Hwang Jae-gyun, and Kim Hyun-soo (no, not that Kim Hyun-soo, the other Kim Hyun-soo. No, not that Kim-Hyun Soo either! Ugh, just listen to the episode). We also express our frustration at MLB's hastiness to get its season back underway in the face of the pandemic in which we are still currently living, and Tim learns a thing or two about snakes. Grab some popcorn, be sure to boot up STATIZ and force your favorite A.I. to give us a listen! DONATE to Baseball for All FOLLOW us on Twitter LIKE us on Facebook STREAM with us on Twitch, Thursdays at 1900e/1600p Send us a ding-dang E-MAIL Our theme music is "The Littlest League Possible" by Guided By Voices and our artwork is by Shelby Criswell

In 2016, Evan Ungar from Canada set the highest vertical jump Guinness World Record at 63.5 inches. Will Tim surpass that milestone? If this week's results are any indicator, I would say yes, definitely. He need only add 35 and a quarter inches, which, to me, is child's play. If I wanted to set the vertical jump record I could also do it, but I have more pressing concerns to attend to. For example, watching Claire Saffitz make gourmet Tater Tots. I was also busy reading Robert Coover's 1968 novel The Universal Baseball Association, Inc., J. Henry Waugh, Prop. It's lucky that I did that because on this episode of the podcast, we discuss the book in full, and even go so far as to discuss the themes of the book including: The power of fiction/ the role of the author Postmodern metafiction Reflection on age/time passing The nature of God & the development of religion obsession/addiction Yep, another light-hearted romp through he world of the Tater Tot 🤠 Programming note: next week we will discuss the Tater Tots currently plying their trade in Korea. On the following episode, we will discuss Gish Jen's  new novel The Resisters. Donate to Baseball For All Our theme music is Littlest League Possible by Guided By Voices. Our artwork is by Shelby Criswell Twitch (Live on Thursdays at 7pm EST / 4pm PST): twitch.tv/tatertotspod Email: tatertotspod@gmail.com  Facebook: facebook.com/tatertotspod Twitter: twitter.com/tatertotspod

This is your captain speaking: please put your tray tables up and return your seatbacks to their upright positions, we're approaching our descent into the last three chapters of Emily Nemens' novel, The Cactus League.  If you'll look out of the right side of the plane, you'll see an update on Tim's progress in jumping a basketball, and on the left side, a discussion of the future of esports as well as the state of the Chinese Professional Baseball League.  The flight attendants are coming up the aisles to discuss positions of privilege within the all-consuming black hole of baseball's ecosystem in the last three chapters of the novel.  The weather is partly cloudy and the forecast calls for a discussion of The Universal Baseball Association, Inc., J. Henry Waugh, Prop., a novel by Robert Coover in two weeks. I hope you had a comfortable trip and thank you for flying Tater Tots Book Boys Air! *** Donate to Baseball for All Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Stream with us on Twitch Email us! "Babu Frik" is written by Jonathan Mann as a part of the Song A Day Project, our outro theme is "The Littlest League Possible" by Guided By Voices, and our artwork is by Shelby Criswell.

Personally, I haven't listened to a podcast in a month. I usually crack open the podcatcher and throw back my earbuds on my commute or during a walk around the neighborhood, but to listen to a podcast at home? Well, it requires a certain level of intention I'm not used to. That's to say that if you're even reading this, you've come to Tater Tots purposefully—and for that, let me offer you a nice smile : ) Thanks for being a devotee, you shiny diamond! We're back at the book club this week, and chapters 4-6 of The Cactus League offer even more intrigue than chapters 1-3. Who could have guessed? Next week's concluding chapters may offer even more of said intrigue, although it is possible they will offer the same amount, or possibly less. Donate to Baseball For All Our theme music is Littlest League Possible by Guided By Voices. Our artwork is by Shelby Criswell Twitch (Live on Thursdays at 7pm EST / 4pm PST): twitch.tv/tatertotspod Email: tatertotspod@gmail.com  Facebook: facebook.com/tatertotspod Twitter: twitter.com/tatertotspod

Listeners, take a deep breath of fresh air because finally, we have emerged from the bewildering fog of April Fools' Day. Finally, Truth has returned to its throne, like Persephone emerging from the clutches of Hades for another Spring and finally, the long-awaited promise of Tater Tots Book Club is fulfilled to you, our beloved ones. This week the topic for discussion on TTBC is the first three chapters of The Cactus League by Emily Nemens. We talk about Joe DiMaggio, the realities of aging within baseball and without it, the natural order of things, what it means to be a cliché, how to be a good judge of character, and rattlesnakes. DONATE to Baseball for All STREAM with us on Twitch! Every Thursday night at least until the quarantine ends TWEET us a tweet 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

On this traditional, normal, and regularly scheduled episode of Tater Tots, we consider the Tater Tot™: the deep fried, shredded potato product that took Ore-Ida from a rinky dink frozen corn joint to a series of letters on vaunted to New York Stock Exchange. We also take the time to appreciate the fine work of the Bon Appétit Test Kitchen, and the strange tradition of the tater tot casserole. Links: Jeff Daniels' dinger,  History of the Tater Tot,  Anonymous South Carolina man leaves $1000 tip. Donate to Baseball For All Our theme music is Littlest League Possible by Guided By Voices. Our artwork is by Shelby Criswell Email: tatertotspod@gmail.com  Facebook: facebook.com/tatertotspod Twitter: twitter.com/tatertotspod

This is just a quick announcement in lieu of a full episode this month. Catch us on Twitch at twitch.tv/tatertotspod tomorrow, March 23rd at 6pm EST/3pm PST. Next week, we'll be starting the Tater Tots Book Club with the first three innings of Emily Nemens' The Cactus League. Stay safe! DONATE to Baseball for All FOLLOW us on Twitter LIKE us on Facebook E-MAIL us sometime! Our theme song is "The Littlest League Possible" by Guided By Voices, artwork by Shelby Criswell

Well, what else is there to do in quarantine but spend an hour with the tater boys? This week, we're covering Ben Zobrist's unlikely rise from a corn-fed Bible belter to an unlikely star in the constellation of baseball in the 21st century. We also discuss Tim's inability to develop a weightlifting routine, how the pandemic will affect our podcast, and devise a plan to start a book club. Don't forget to wash your hands!! DONATE to Baseball for All FOLLOW us on Twitter LIKE us on Facebook E-MAIL us sometime!  Our theme song is "The Littlest League Possible" by Guided By Voices, artwork by Shelby Criswell

I finally figured out why my sound has been so weird the past few weeks! Please tune in next week to hear my sound go back to normal. I’m excited. This weeks, Tim regales us with Stories From The Gym® and we discuss what exactly makes a baseball player interesting to us. Obviously this week’s episode was recorded before baseball was cancelled. We’ll have our takes on that next week, but spoilers: we are sad. Today’s Tater Tot: Steven Brault. Links: Brault’s dinger (September 1st, 2019), Daniel Brault’s Twitter account, “Baseball and Chill” with Amy Brault, Preorder “A Pitch At Broadway”, Details on Brault’s K-less streak, Brault’s interview on Effectively Wild, Brault’s first career strikeout at the plate, Brault’s first anthem performance in the majors, Donate to Baseball For All Our theme music is Littlest League Possible by Guided By Voices. Our artwork is by Shelby Criswell Email: tatertotspod@gmail.com  Facebook: facebook.com/tatertotspod Twitter: twitter.com/tatertotspod

Are you you? Are you us? Are you Rajai Davis? Are you Aaron Altherr? These are the questions we can afford to ponder now that spring training is in full effect, and most of our tater babies have found jobs. This week the format is wide open and we take full advantage to talk about big apples, pumpkins, the very nature of identity, and about Tim's jumping progress. Please send encouragement in the form of weightlifting tips - he could use all the help he could get. We break down Rajai Davis' odd travel habits and try in vain to find a historical record of Aaron Altherr's dad's soccer career.  Rajai Davis' dinger Aaron Altherr's dinger DONATE TWEET FACEBOOK EMAIL Our theme song is "The Littlest League Possible" by Guided By Voices and our artwork is by Shelby Criswell.

This week, we debut our world-shaking new segment “add a few inches to your vertical.” Please do not stop clicking next until we tell you to. Thanks. Today’s Tater Tot: Steve Pearce Links: Pearce’s dinger, Pearce’s ultimate grand slam, Putting Pearce’s age-31 season in context, Foolish Baseball’s Jef Mathis video, Chart Party: We decided to erase the three-pointer, Donate to Baseball For All Our theme music is Littlest League Possible by Guided By Voices. Our artwork is by Shelby Criswell Email: tatertotspod@gmail.com  Facebook: facebook.com/tatertotspod Twitter: twitter.com/tatertotspod

Come on and slam! And welcome to the yams!* The slam dunk contest has come and gone, which can mean only one thing: spring training is right around the corner. Tim pledges to train to slam dunk a basketball by 2021, an endeavor in which he is certain to be successful. Other than that, we have an action-packed episode of Tater Tots for you this week! The Mets go out of their way to belittle the labor of their minor leaguers, Mookie Betts is at long last a Dodger, Rob Manfred, desperate for any distraction from the disastrous Astros' press conference and its resultant fallout, announces the possibility of playoff expansion, and the Red Sox hire a white man to be their interim manager. Later in the episode, we reckon with the sordid past, injury history, and overall streaky play of one Matt Kemp. Join us! You can read up on Jerry Colangelo's son Bryan's exploits on Twitter here! * - The yam is closely related to the potato, from which the tater tot is derived; we all agree that this is an appropriate pun. DONATE to Baseball For All TWEET us on Tweeter LIKE us on Likebook SEND us a gosh dang e-mail! Our theme song is "The Littlest League Possible" by Guided By Voices, and our artwork is by Shelby Criswell.

When you Google “bird puns” the first thing that comes up is a meme of a toucan that says “toucan play at that game.” One thing that “toucan” play at is hosting an episode of Tater Tots. The two people in question are me and Tim and the episode of Tater Tots is dedicated to erstwhile Yankees first base-person Greg Bird. You see, his name is bird. On this episode of the podcast we discuss the Mookie Betts trade that did then didn’t then did then didn’t go through. (After we ended the recording it went through again.) We also briefly touch on the morality of gambling, the efficacy of extra bones, the miraculous ostrich pillow, and hairless cats. Today’s Tater Tot: Greg Bird Links: Bird’s bomb (March 28, 2019), Donald Trump loves cheaters (except when he doesn’t), Matt Kemp finally sold his house for an insultingly low price, Greg Bird’s boat of solitude, The ostrich pillow, “A Sphynx cat wearing commercially available clothes” Donate to Baseball For All Our theme music is Littlest League Possible by Guided By Voices. Our artwork is by Shelby Criswell Email: tatertotspod@gmail.com  Facebook: facebook.com/tatertotspod Twitter: twitter.com/tatertotspod

*Monday Night Football voice* Are you ready for a podcast! Since we recorded this episode on the morning of the S*p*r B*wl, we decided to convert to a football podcast. Fortunately, the scheduled Tater Tot of the week, the Toronto Blue Jays' young centerfielder Anthony Alford, has a football background so the transition was easy for us. You'll get predictions for the Big Game, which have since been proven largely incorrect. (Tim picked the Chiefs, but his prediction of a Scorigami sadly missed the mark.) We also discuss the differences between the MLB on FOX theme and the NFL on FOX theme (there are very few), and our favorite Superb Owl watch party snacks. Shortly after that, we run out of steam and return to baseball talk. The Astros have signed a new manager, the Macavity of the baseball world, Dusty Baker, and Tim makes his first foray into Wikipedia editing. DONATE to Baseball for All FOLLOW us on Twitter (you can also follow Tim on Twitter, since he cravenly made his return to the website so he could tweet about the football game.) LIKE us on Facebook Our theme music is "The Littlest League Possible" by Guided By Voices and our artwork is by Shelby Criswell.

Whether you call it Spit-take Season or Sad Season, there’s no question you are reading the episode description for season 2 episode 11 of Tater Tots. On this one, we discuss further fallout from the Astros cheating—the LA City Council’s attempt to retroactively change the results of the world series, and the Met’s replacement for the erstwhile manger Carlos Beltran. We also go deep on some two-way players. We consider three separate tater tots, all with the potential to make a big impact as a two-way player. Please give me your word for the opposite of nostalgia. Send me an email with your word and I’ll try to use it in a sentence on our next episode. Our tots this week are last year's two-way players: Jared Walsh, Brendan McKay, and Michael Lorenzen Links: The LA City Council demands MLB award 2 World Series to the Dodgers, New Orleans attorneys demand the NFL send the Saints to last year’s Super Bowl, Larry Walker’s Spongebob jacket, Everyone in Colorado is mad at Jeff Bridich again, Check out the transaction section on Rene Rivera’s Baseball Reference page, The Pirates slick new unis, Jared Walsh’s sweeet donger (September 10th), Brendan McKay’s taaaaasty tater (September 22nd), Michael Lorenzen’s Ruthian feat, Fangraph’s article on the history of two-way players. Donate to Baseball For All Our theme music is Littlest League Possible by Guided By Voices. Our artwork is by Shelby Criswell Email: tatertotspod@gmail.com  Facebook: facebook.com/tatertotspod Twitter: twitter.com/tatertotspod

A belated happy Old Rock Day to all of our listeners! I got a haircut shortly before recording this episode and it still needs to grow in a little bit so if the energy feels a little off, just know that that's why. This week, the Astros' cheating scandal grew to such a size that it swallowed up the Mets, too. Extended family members of baseball's inner circle got involved, too - some for better, but mostly for worse. Plus our Tot of the Week is Abraham Almonte, who struggled against alcoholism before finding God and his place in the Majors. Almonte's dinger A profile of Almonte, detailing his conversion experience. DONATE to Baseball For All TWEET us on Twitter LIKE us on Facebook E-MAIL us Our theme music is "The Littlest League Possible" by Guided By Voices and our artwork is by Shelby Criswell.

Tim told me to “get out of town,” but I didn’t realize he meant it as in “wow.” Long story short, I spent the last 3 weeks in a tent on the lawn out front of Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church in Paxton, Nebraska. Needless to say, I had limited access to the microphones and other equipment that allows me to put out the podcast on a weekly basis so that explains the hiatus. This week we discuss the details of the Boston Red Sox video room cheating scandal, Scott Boras’ colorful description of the upcoming decade, the fate of Nick Martini, and also how come the Long Beach State baseball team calls themself the Dirtbags. Our Tot this week is Troy “Tulo” Tulowitzki. Links: Elizabeth Warren’s skincare routine, MLB’s sign stealing controversy broadens ($), Scott Boras on the 2020’s ($), Tulo’s dinger (3/30/19), Unassisted triple play, Blue Jays Game 5 ALDS: "The Unforgettable Inning”, The Tulowitski Eulogy, Tulo’s incredible injury history, The iconic gif. Donate to Baseball For All Our theme music is Littlest League Possible by Guided By Voices. Our artwork is by Shelby Criswell Email: tatertotspod@gmail.com  Facebook: facebook.com/tatertotspod Twitter: twitter.com/tatertotspod

This week on Tater Tots, we're breaking down the sun, its powerful rays, and their strange effect on Madison Bumgarner. We wonder about how to stop the rise of the machines, the White Sox's chances in 2020 with the signing of Dallas Keuchel and about whether Scott Boras is a billionaire yet. We discover that there is still a baseball team in Miami and that there is still life in Erik Kratz's baseball-playing lungs. Our Tot of the Week is the White Sox's own Nicky Delmonico, who overcame an Adderall addiction to become a fan favorite on Chicago's South Side. Adderall is a tricky subject in the discourse surrounding PEDs and we tried our best to navigate it.  Delmonico's 3-run walk-off dinger (and the CHW rally that preceded it) Lars Anderson's article about Adderall in MLB Our theme song is "The Littlest League Possible" by Guided By Voices Artwork by Shelby Criswell DONATE to Baseball for All FOLLOW us on Twitter LIKE us on Facebook SEND us a dang e-mail

"Fair is foul and foul is fair”—The witches from Macbeth, who were the first MLB play-by-play commentators The Winter of Our Discontent: the disheartening news that Madison Bumgarner is set to join the loathsome Diamondbacks in Phoenix is perhaps tempered slightly by the knowledge that he will play alongside this week’s Tater Tot Tim Locastro. Hopefully this episode finally answers the question “2B or not 2B.” The answer, as we see it, is “not 2B,” because a home run is much better :) Links: The dinger (July 31st), Foolish Baseball’s breakdown of why Tim Locastro is his favorite weird baseball player, Black Water Reptiles’ scorpions for sale, Bob Lozinak named 2019/2020 King of Baseball, An Auburn Citizen reader wonders if the Tims Locastro have made local history, An Auburn Citizen photographer recounts seeing Locastro’s home run. Donate to Baseball For All Our theme music is Littlest League Possible by Guided By Voices. Our artwork is by Shelby Criswell Email: tatertotspod@gmail.com  Facebook: facebook.com/tatertotspod Twitter: twitter.com/tatertotspod

This episode contains discussion of domestic violence. As the MLB Winter Meetings kick off in sunny San Diego, Tater Tots podcast kicks off in Brooklyn New York, for a rare in-person recording. Unlike the Winter Meetings, there will be no trades made or big free agents signed during this episode. But, like the Winter Meetings, this podcast features a fair bit of inane conversation between white men, much of it about baseball. We consider the issue of bipartisanship—whether there’s hay to be made of Kevin McCarthy and Bernie Sanders singing the same baseball-letter, along with a vulgar word* uttered by Rays pitcher Blake Snell upon learning of a trade involving his teammate. Tim loses his whole mind thinking about statistics, and we celebrate the major and minor signings from the hot stove. Finally, we discuss the case of Odubel Herrera, and the role of domestic violence in major league baseball. Links: Unity on congress cause of baseball, Sam Miller’s divisive article on statistics, Odubel Herrera’s home run (April 9), Phillies management comments on Herrera. Donate to Baseball For All Donate to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence Our theme music is Littlest League Possible by Guided By Voices. Our artwork is by Shelby Criswell Email: tatertotspod@gmail.com  Facebook: facebook.com/tatertotspod Twitter: twitter.com/tatertotspod *The word is “slapdick”

Scheduling dilemmas and technical difficulties marked our post-Thanksgiving swoon but the Tater Boys emerge as ever, unbowed and unbroken, to bring you another week of nonsense. This week, we fully embrace our transition to communism in the newly-minted Comrades of Baseball segment by discussing the intimation that Starling Marte might be traded, finally ringing the last death knell for the vaunted Pittsburgh Pirates teams of the mid-2010s, prejudging Derek Shelton based on handsomeness, as is tradition with new baseball managers, and taking a detour into the brief history of Japanese basketball players in the NBA for some reason. Then, we try in vain to get the tot stove up and running but darned if the pilot light isn't still out! Ah, well. Congratulations to Josh Harrison, and welcome to Philadelphia. From there, it's on to our Tot of the Week, journeyman catcher and amateur magician, Tyler Heineman. No discussion of Heineman's home run is included in this podcast, as we turn instead to literary analysis of a magic show he performed for his Arizona Diamondbacks teammates. In our opinion, more baseball players should have interesting hobbies that we can exploit for podcast fodder. TWEET FBOOK EMAIL Our theme music is "The Littlest League Possible" by Guided By Voices and our artwork is by Shelby Criswell.

Someone's mother has four sons; three of them are named North, South, and West. What is the fourth son's name? ***DM ME WITH THE ANSWER IF YOU LOSE YOU HAVE TO SHARE THIS PODCAST*** This week on Tater Tots, the never-ending power struggle between the Royal House of the Kings of Baseball and The Commissioner's Office takes a dire turn as Rob Manfred threatens the very existence of 18% of all minor league baseball teams. Eventually, however, we concede the point. You win this round, Manfred... Later, we mourn the fates of no fewer than three of the Tater Tots Class of 2019, who hit the chopping block in advance of the Rule 5 Draft. The pity party proceeds to focus on the sorry performance of Detroit Tigers play-by-play announcers (Parkinson's disease notwithstanding - sorry, Gib) and the regrettable career trajectory of one Josh Harrison. (EDITOR'S NOTE: Josh Harrison signed a minor league deal with the Phillies a few hours before this posting; here's hoping whatever team he winds up on doesn't wind up getting deleted by MLB.) Josh Harrison's tater tot Kirk Gibson and Dennis Eckersley swap pro-tips on how best to grow a potato in a jar. Our theme music is "The Littlest League Possible" by Guided By Voices and our artwork is by Shelby Criswell TWEET FBOOK EMAIL

As we often do on a weekly basis, we’re releasing a new episode of Tater Tots today. The subject of this week’s episode? Free agent lefty Hyun-Jin Ryu. On this one, we dive deep into the misfortune emanating from within and around the game of baseball, reflecting on the Giants’ hiring of Gabe Kapler, the Astros cheating scandal, and Erik Gonzalez’s continuing miserable fortunes. To dig us out of the smelly trenches, we consider the alluring ambitions of the US olympic baseball squadron, more of super-agent Scott Boras’ amusing analogies, and Hyun-Jin Ryu’s captivating career. Links: Ryu’s dinger (English) (Korean), LA Times Profile of Ryu. Jomboy Media’s video demonstration of the Astro’s scheme. Donate to Baseball For All Our theme music is Littlest League Possible by Guided By Voices. Our artwork is by Shelby Criswell Email: tatertotspod@gmail.com  Facebook: facebook.com/tatertotspod Twitter: twitter.com/tatertotspod

Twice is nice this week on Tater Tots! We're visiting with the members of the Tater Tots Class of 2018 who found their way back on our list in this season. But first, we discuss the vices and virtues of Davey Martinez's confrontation with the umpires in the World Series and turn the Tot Stove down to a light simmer.  The tots: Erik Gonzalez Alex Blandino Nick Martini Jon Lester DONATE to Baseball For All FOLLOW us on Twitter LIKE us on Facebook E-MAIL US Our theme music is "The Littlest League Possible" by Guided By Voices and our cover art is by Shelby Criswell.

We’re back. We’re sorry we were away for so long. We missed you. We are here now and that’s the most we can give! Hopefully you enjoyed the postseason action. Sorry again. As the real-life seasons change, our podcast season also changes. How ironic. On the season 2 premiere of Tater Tots, we declare a team of the decade and least team of the decade. We also cook up some tasty updates on the newly ignited tot stove and reflect on a World Series that was by considering this week’s Tater Tot: Stephen Strasburg. Links: Strasburg’s hot tot shot, Ben Lindbergh’s analysis of the team of the decade, Tango Tiger’s Twitter thread on the team of the decade, Our theme music is Littlest League Possible by Guided By Voices. Donate to Baseball For All Our artwork is by Shelby Criswell Email: tatertotspod@gmail.com  Facebook: facebook.com/tatertotspod Twitter: twitter.com/tatertotspod

Playoff baseball is here! If you are listening on Tuesday, the first Wild Card game is today. Who will be the winner? Will it be those weird Nats or perhaps that strange Brew Crew. If, as is likely, you are listening after the conclusion of the contest, please write me an email so I can know who won. There is content in this episode of Tater Tots, including a discussion of the Hollywood movie Whiplash. We discuss the 1920's supergroup The Red Onion Jazz Babies, and the South African Jazz legend Hugh Masekela, who is not in the Jazz Hall of Fame. This week's Tater Tots are Hall-of-Famer/titan of solid contact Joe Sewell, along with Hall-of-Famer/speedster/"speed"ster Tim Raines. Also, this is the season finale of Tater Tots. Please enjoy the playoff action as we ready our spreadsheets for season 2 coming in early November. Links: George Burns,  Tim Raines' triumphant return to the Expos. Music: Littlest League Possible - Guided By Voices, Cake Walking Babies (from home)-The Red Onion Jazz Babies,  Send Me-Hugh Masekela,  Old People, Old Folks-Hugh Masekela Grazing in the Grass-Hugh Masekela Donate to Baseball For All Artwork by Shelby Criswell Email: tatertotspod@gmail.com  Facebook: facebook.com/tatertotspod Twitter: twitter.com/tatertotspod

🎶They tried to make us do a podcast and we said ... sure, you got it! 🎶 Another week of Tater Tots has us wondering what kind of a jazz villain Paul Whiteman would make and whether Rhapsody In Blue counts as a cover. We also explore the early work of Amy Winehouse and take a deep dive on the history of helmets in Major League Baseball as our subjects this week are noted murderer Carl Mays and Japanese game show winner Tsuyoshi Shinjo. Please click on the following link to see a picture of Shinjo's nightmare mask and sound off in the comments about when you have seen something so horrid! DONATE to Baseball for All FOLLOW us on Twitter LIKE us on Facebook E-MAIL me some time! I never hear from you anymore!!

Hello. Thank you for calling episode 41 of Tater Tots Podcast. Para español, oprima numero dos.  To reach a customer service representative, press 1 now. Otherwise, stay on the line to hear the episode. *classical music* All our hosts are currently busy. Please stay on the line, and the episode will begin shortly. *classical music* While you wait, we’re pleased to provide you with a summary of this week’s episode. This week on Tater Tots, we discuss the evolution of jazz, considering the 20’s style and anticipating changes on the horizon. We also consider the spate of injuries to baseball’s brightest stars. Our Tater Tots this week are Lou Gehrig and Ellis Burks. *classical music* Your call is very important to us. Please continue to hold. *classic music* None of our hosts are currently available. Goodbye. *click* Links: The Downbeat Jazz Hall of Fame, More asbestos, Lou Gehrig’s Tarzan photoshoot, Lou Gehrig on the dugout steps the day he benched himself, Surviving newsreel footage of Gehrig’s famous speech, Gary Cooper’s portrayal of Gehrig in Pride of the Yankees Music: Littlest League Possible - Guided By Voices, High Society-King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band, 1968-Bill Frisell. Donate to Baseball For All Artwork by Shelby Criswell Email: tatertotspod@gmail.com  Facebook: facebook.com/tatertotspod Twitter: twitter.com/tatertotspod

Wow! It's another episode of Tater Tots! 2005 is old hat for your friendly neighborhood tater-boys (cf. episode 30) so we brought some Quick Tots this week! Just pop 'em in the toaster oven and enjoy! Elsewhere, we discuss the short stories of F. Scott Fitzgerald, the music of Thelonious Monk and John Coltrane, and expanded rosters in baseball. Finally, we settle in for a discussion of the long and varied career of Babe Pinelli, and wonder whether the perspective of the humble umpire has been unfairly ignored. The other podcast that I (tim) mention in the cold open is Elle Rose's My First Fanfiction. Please enjoy listening to all of it, including the latest episode featuring me (tim). DONATE to Baseball for All FOLLOW us on Twitter LIKE us on Facebook E-MAIL us a picture of Keanu Reeves if you read all the shownotes Artwork by Shelby Criswell  Outro music is "The Littlest League Possible" by Guided by Voices

September is back again. It feels like every year we have one of these. We don’t have an episode every week though. After taking a week off, we promptly lost the recording of last week’s episode leaving our loyal listeners free for a merciful two weeks. We try to make it up to you with a beep beep beep recap of everything we discussed last week, INCLUDING the all-important snake fact. In this episode, we compare the King of Baseball segment to the devising of nuclear launch codes, consider two honorary tater tots, and lament the Twins already breaking the record for most team home runs in a season. We also consider whether Paul Whiteman was truly as sad about wang wang as his song title would suggest Our Tater Tots this week are Leon “Goose” Goslin and Curtis Pride. Links: The Amazing Paradise Flying Snake | Wildest Islands Of Indonesia Music: Littlest League Possible - Guided By Voices, Crazy Blues - Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds (discussed), River: The Joni Letters - Herbie Hancock (discussed), Wang Wang Blues - Paul Whiteman, Jordan - Ornette Coleman. Donate to Baseball For All Artwork by Shelby Criswell Email: tatertotspod@gmail.com  Facebook: facebook.com/tatertotspod Twitter: twitter.com/tatertotspod