Episodes
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To vote or not to vote for the Hall of Fame with C. Trent Rosecrans
Marc and Andy are joined by the new president of the Baseball Writers Association of America, The Athletic's Reds reporter C. Trent Rosecrans. They debate some of the big topics facing the Hall of Fame and its voters including whether or not writers should be voting at all. Marc and Andy also…
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The Virtual Winter Meetings special with Mike Ferrin
Mike Ferrin joins Andy and Marc for a celebration of the virtual Winter Meetings. They cover everything they would have in the lobby at the real Winter Meetings right here on the podcast. -Surprisingly active free agency -Updating the arbitration system -The state of tanking -The Phillies are a...
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Bill Plaschke talks Dodgers and 25 years of columns, Carig is loving the Cohen era of Mets baseball
Marc and Andy weigh in on the early days of Steve Cohen's ownership of the Mets and how unrecognizable it is from the Wilpon era. Then L.A. Times columnist and Around the Horn regular Bill Plaschke joins the show to tell tales of 25 years as a sports columnist in Los Angeles. How does he continue...
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The Dodgers are champions, Cash's blunder and the return of Cora and Hinch
Major League Baseball has a new champion and almost made it through the postseason without a major COVID-19 story. Andy and Marc discuss the Dodgers win over the Rays in what became a potential super-spreader event in Texas. The guys dig into Kevin Cash's decision to pull Blake Snell, attempting...
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Clayton Kershaw is good, Mookie Betts is great, and the Rays can be tough to watch
The World Series is underway and Marc and Andy dive into the key storylines between the Dodgers and Rays. A fresh look at the Clayton Kershaw narrative. The misery of Red Sox fans watching Mookie Betts shine this October. Every club has analytics, so what makes the Rays different? Marc also vows...
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Is the Astros championship window slamming shut?
The Athletic's Astros reporter Jake Kaplan joins Marc and Andy to delve into the state of the Astros. Will they try to bring back George Springer? Should they shake up the roster to better separate themselves from the cheating scandal? Did Dusty Baker do a good job managing the team in 2020? The...
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What type of villain are the Astros, what's wrong with playoff openers and why is MLB allowing fans?
Andy and Marc begrudgingly welcome back third mic Evan Drellich to the show to discuss why MLB is allowing fans at games, what to make of the Astros in this postseason, what J.A. Happ is so mad about and much more.
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David Wright opens up about his back injury the GQ shoot, and the time Carig burned him
David Wright had to deal with Andy and Marc in the Mets clubhouse during his playing days and yet somehow they convinced him to join the podcast. He looks back on the highs and lows of his All-Star career in New York. Confronting Chase Utley after the controversial slide that injured Reuben…
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Jorge Arangure on sports versus news and the most exciting team in baseball
Jorge Arangure has covered sports for ESPN, the Washington Post and Vice. Now he's doing the news thing at the New York Times. He talks to Andy and Marc about his journey and his lasting love of the Padres. The guys also talk about what we can take from the 60-game season that is winding down and...
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Grisham and Roberts Were Both Right and the End of an Era in Queens
Steve Cohen has agreed on a deal to purchase the Mets and Andy and Marc weigh in on what it all means. Yes he's rich, but will he spend the right way to build a successful franchise. Also, how will the Wilpons be remembered. Then the guys dive into the debate surrounding Trent Grisham's home run...
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The Yankees Stink, Plus James Fegan on the White Sox Who Are Good
After some reflection on the best football books of all time (Friday Night Lights), Marc and Andy try to figure out why the Yankees are not a good baseball team. From injuries, to bad defense and fundamentals, the guys explain what drove Brian Cashman to visit Buffalo and how big a deal it is.…
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Evan Drellich on Rob Manfred's five years as MLB commissioner
Evan Drellich becomes the first two time guest on Beyond the Scrum. He takes Andy and Marc behind the scenes of his latest story on MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred. They discuss what kind of leader Manfred is, whether or not he loves the game, how baseball has failed with diversity and much more.
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The Small Sample Size Midseason Awards!
Sure the season's only 60-games long. That's not stopping The Athletic's Marc Carig and Andy McCullough from handing out MLB Midseason Awards! (Yes, they included Trout) The guys also discuss if the season can be considered a success so far and what team should the Dodgers fear the most in the...
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Fernando Tatis Jr. & Unwritten Rules with Dennis Lin
Marc and Andy welcome The Athletic's Padres reporter Dennis Lin to the show to make sense of the Twitter-storm around Fernando Tatis Jr.'s breaking of baseball's unwritten rules. The guys also dive into the origins of the unwritten rules and try to explain why they won't go away.
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Checking in on the Cardinals' Mess with Mark Saxon
Cardinals beat writer Mark Saxon joins the show to talk with Marc and Andy about all the issues the Cardinals have faced the last two weeks. The team hasn't played since July 29 after a COVID-19 outbreak, and is now facing an uphill battle to play a true competitive season. Saxon fills us in with...
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The Mets did it again, plus Matt Gelb talks Phillies
Marc and Andy have both experienced the wonders of covering the Mets beat. That qualifies them to weigh in on the latest mess in Flushing as the club and Yoenis Cespedes part ways. Then The Athletic's Phillies reporter Matt Gelb joins the show to discuss everything going on with the team that…
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Dusty Baker's Brilliance, Bad Baseball and the Marlins Outbreak
Marc Carig and Andy McCullough "celebrate" the return of baseball. The guys explain why Dusty Baker's dugout and postgame comments about Joe Kelly and the Dodgers were brilliant (20:00). They consider the implications of the COVID outbreak with the Marlins (2:00) and bemoan the expanded playoffs...
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In a big week for baseball David Roth joins the show!
Talented writer, former Deadspin editor and optimistic Mets fan David Roth joins the show. The guys discuss at what moment they realized they were excited for the 2020 baseball season, why baseball owners don't join Twitch, who's high school has the most famous alumni and much more.
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Ranking Ballparks, Naming the Aces and Looking Ahead to Opening Day
Andy has major problems with Marc's ballpark rankings and takes him to task (3:00). Then the guys name the aces of MLB and coming up with a shortlist of four current players (12:00). Finally the show dives into the dilemma fans face this season trying to cheer on their favorite team while also...
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Howard Bryant on Bruce Maxwell, Baseball's Evolving Black Player Movement and more
ESPN National baseball writer Howard Bryant joins the show to explain how his recent Bruce Maxwell story came together. Andy, Marc and Howard go on to discuss why African Americans have less and less of a presence in the sport, why the players are ready to dig in for the next labor negotiation…
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Play Ball! (and prepare your grievance)
MLB is ready to go but will we ever hear the words "Play Ball?" Andy and Marc have their doubts and dive into the problems the sport is still facing.1:45 - Players are ready to report as COVID-19 cases climb9:14 - Marc does NOT hate baseball!18:10 - Should baseball have gone with bubble…
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Former MLBPA Director of Communications Greg Bouris Joins the Show
Rundown 1:28 How Did The Parties Get Here? 5:01 How Did the System Break Down? 11:06 Any Way the Relationship Could Become a Partnership? 15:43 Can the MLBPA Ever Stay Even with the Owners? 19:29 Was the Post-Strike Generation Unprepared for Something Like This? 24:11 Worried about What This Will...
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What Systemic Racism Looks Like in the Press Box
Rundown 1:45 Facing Uneasy Truths 5:46 Marc's Experience as a Filipino-American Baseball Writer 10:37 A Personal Story from Marc 18:08 The Pernicious Influence of "Individualism" 21:52 How Systemic Racism Manifests Itself in Baseball Coverage 30:30 The Resource and Opportunity Gap 40:00 The...
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Former Dodgers GM Ned Colletti on 2020 MLB Season Negotiations, Bizarre Trade Requests, Lee Elia, and More
Rundown 0:58 Ned Colletti Joins the Show 4:30 The State of MLB's and MLBPA's Negotiations 10:17 Is This Really Going to Break Down over Money? 17:20 Bizarre Trade Discussions 21:05 What Hasn't Changed in the GM Game? 26:46 Irritations with the Media 32:23 Ned's Personal Story about Lee Elia's...
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Ron Washington Stories, Life as a Musician on Tour, and more with Levi Weaver
Rundown 1:02 Ron Washington Stories 3:02 MLB's Health and Safety Protocols for the 2020 Season 12:03 Levi's Stay-at-Home Experience 14:14 Levi's Unlikely Route to Covering Baseball for a Living 19:27 Songwriting Troubles and a Life in Music 27:46 Baseball Travel vs. Musician Travel 32:41...
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Rangers GM Jon Daniels on Good and Bad Trades, Changes in the Business, and More
Rundown 0:49 Rangers GM Jon Daniels Joins the Show 3:14 Staying on Top of COVID-19 Developments 7:08 The Cliff Lee Trade 12:19 Lessons Learned from the Adrian Gonzalez/Chris Young Trade 17:05 How Different Was the Job a Decade Ago? 19:05 What Would You Tell The First-Year GM Version of Yourself...
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The Mookie Betts Trade, the New-Look Red Sox, and Boston Sports Media with Jen McCaffrey
Rundown 1:19 Marc's Bizarre Jeter-Era Yankees Draft 5:36 The Temperature of the Red Sox Fanbase 9:40 The Mookie Betts Trade 16:02 The Red Sox' Timeline for Contention 19:13 Why Letting Jon Lester Go Still Stings 24:07 Where is the Fanbase on Alex Cora? 27:10 Covering Sports in Boston 34:28 The...
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Previous Lives, Baseball's 2020 Fate, and More with Evan Drellich
Rundown 1:58 Evan Drellich Joins the Show 3:33 Memories from the Radio Days 8:03 Being on an Island in Major Sports Cities 11:00 Dealing with Teams as Beat Reporters 18:01 The Business of Baseball During the Pandemic 25:45 Can There Possibly be Minor League Baseball in 2020? 30:22 Covering the...
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Richard Wang, the English-Language Voice of Taiwanese Baseball, Joins Beyond the Scrum
Rundown 1:15 The Red Sox Get a Slap on the Wrist 4:18 The Culture of Cheating (or Gamesmanship) in Baseball 7:00 Power Dynamics and Playoff Shares 12:02 Baseball in Taiwan 14:08 Our Interview with Richard Wang 15:08 Richard's Experience with Sudden Worldwide Attention 20:02 Broadcasting in Your...
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The Players We Hope to See in 2020
Rundown 2:44 Marc Checked Out Taiwanese Baseball 6:35 The Arizona Plan is Probably MLB's Most Realistic 11:03 The Players We Want to See This Year 11:41 Andy on Yu Darvish 14:17 Marc on Nelson Cruz 17:39 Andy on Mookie Betts 19:57 Marc on Keston Hiura 21:25 The White Sox and Brewers 23:47 The...
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Is MLB's Arizona Plan Feasible?
Rundown 2:38 Laying out the Arizona Plan 8:54 No Good Solution 13:31 Perspective from the Players 19:44 Taking the 2020 Season Seriously 25:40 Missing Sports 28:32 Baseball as a Companion 32:24 Is the Plan Feasible? Follow Trent on Twitter: @ctrent Follow Andy on Twitter: @ByMcCullough Follow…
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The Cubs, the Shutdown and Sports Writing with Sahadev Sharma
Rundown 2:57 Where are the Cubs? 4:28 Sahadev's Shutdown Experience 6:18 The Cubs' Post-World Series Trajectory 10:43 Front Office Fallibility 15:20 Exploring the Nuance of a Dynasty That Wasn't 22:21 Why Were the Cubs Slow to Adjust? 26:05 Characterizing the Cubs' Spending 30:18 The Eventual…
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Ken Rosenthal and the Surreality of the Moment
Rundown 2:45 The Challenges of Covering Baseball Right Now 8:46 The Day Baseball Shut Down 13:19 What Does Ken Miss about Opening Day and the Game? 16:15 What it Was Like Being on the Same Beat as Tim Kurkjian 24:27 A New Project with Jayson Stark 28:10 Are People around the Game Bored? 32:07...
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Uncertainty Grips the World of Sports
Rundown 2:17 What Can Sportswriters Provide in a Time Like This? 10:32 Marc's "Best Lineup Ever" Story 13:00 Breaking the MLB Routine 19:56 Andy's Working on a Poker Story 23:00 What's Marc Working On? 30:04 Things We Miss about Opening Day 38:39 Tom Brady Buries the Lede Follow Andy on Twitter:...
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Coronavirus Shuts the Media Out of MLB Clubhouses
Rundown 1:50 Importance of Clubhouse Access to All Stakeholders 11:17 Creating Relationships with Players 16:45 Giving Players Freedom Away from the Park 19:52 Can Baseball Afford to Limit Access? 22:21 A Game of 1 (Yes) or 0 (No) 27:33 Has MLB Given Barry Bonds Been a 'Death Sentence?' Follow…
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Welcome to Beyond the Scrum
Rundown 2:34 What 'Beyond the Scrum' Is All About 10:07 The Value in Putting Microphones on Players 15:41 Working in Big Markets vs. Small Markets 21:15 The Art of the Post-Game Interview 24:42 Quizzing One Another on Their First Teams Covered 29:02 A-Rod on the Astros Follow Andy on Twitter:...
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Beyond the Scrum - Trailer
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