Infinite Inning 149: Hey, Barney, Play Ball!

Craig Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus returns to discuss the MLB reopening, how the “legitimacy” question is misapplied to this season, and repudiates greeting cards. Plus: Tales of a Native American ace who overlooked the many slurs he heard and an owner who tried to retaliate against a manager and got burnt—but maybe he should have been heard. TABLE OF CONTENTSChief Bender Copes*Wear Your Mask*“Hey, Barney!”*Craig Goldstein: Hating Hallmark Holidays*Special Pleading for MLB Restart*Player Health and Safety in 2020*“Legitimacy” and the Ship of Theseus*Postseason Legitimacy*Reverting to the Pre-Draft System*The Grievance*The Lifespan of an Owner*Will Baseball Be “Irreparably Damaged?”*Baseball-Free Prospectus?*Goodbyes.The Infinite Inning is not only about baseball but a state of mind. Steven Goldman, rotating cohosts Jesse Spector, Cliff Corcoran, and David Roth, and occasional guests discuss the game’s present, past, and future with forays outside the foul lines to the culture at large. Expect stats, anecdotes, digressions, explorations of writing and fandom, and more Casey Stengel quotations than you thought possible. Along the way, they’ll try to solve the puzzle that is the Infinite Inning: How do you find the joy in life when you can’t get anybody out?