meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
Effectively Wild: A FanGraphs Baseball Podcast

Effectively Wild Episode 1365: If a Bat Flips in a Forest

Effectively Wild: A FanGraphs Baseball Podcast

Ben Lindbergh, Meg Rowley

Sports, Baseball

4.72.7K Ratings

🗓️ 19 April 2019

⏱️ 75 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

EWFI
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Meg seeing the Padres in person, the Phillies’ attendance surge, rooting for writers who’ve taken team jobs, and the Mariners’ lousy last week, then discuss the aesthetic and competitive ramifications of the huge spike in home-run rate in the majors and minors, why Rob Manfred is still insisting that the ball isn’t responsible, and what, if anything, MLB should do. Then (35:18) they talk to veteran baseball writer Danny Knobler, author of the new book Unwritten: Bat Flips, the Fun Police, and Baseball’s New Future, about the purpose and future of the unwritten rules, the latest incidents involving Chris Archer and Derek Dietrich and Brad Keller and Tim Anderson, whether MLB is being hypocritical by promoting celebratory displays without condemning intentional plunkings, the concept of “respect,” and the current cultural conflict’s fault lines.

Audio intro: Sloan, "Flying High Again"
Audio interstitial: Sloan, "Who Taught You to Live Like That?"
Audio outro: The Tragically Hip, "The Rules"

Link to Rob on the Triple-A rabbit ball
Link to summary of MLB ball report
Link to Manfred comments from February
Link to Sam on MLB disclosing changes to the ball
Link to video of Vlad Jr. homer
Link to Danny’s book, Unwritten
Link to Sam on unwritten rules
Link to Boone bat-flip commercial
Link to preorder The MVP Machine

 iTunes Feed (Please rate and review us!)
 Sponsor Us on Patreon
 Facebook Group
 Effectively Wild Wiki
 Twitter Account
 Get Our Merch!
 Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com

Source

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

We can make it like we never met

0:03.2

Keeping my life that you never hear the end of it

0:07.4

It went okay so far so good I guess

0:11.2

At least until all of people get out of it

0:15.4

I'm here

0:34.5

Hello and welcome to episode 1365 of Effectively Wild A Baseball Podcasts from Vangrass presented

0:41.1

by our Patreon supporters I am Ben Buehred of the Ringer joined by McRally of Vangrass

0:46.4

Hello Mick

0:47.4

Hello

0:48.4

You do not sound like you normally sound because on the road you are in San Diego

0:53.4

You thought the Padres were so fun the MLB TV was not cutting it and you had to go see them

0:59.0

So what was that like?

1:00.3

It was great it was the first time I've been to Petco

1:03.8

Yes I do apologize for sounding a little pinny I am recording from a hotel room

1:07.6

I am not up to my usual audio standards

1:10.4

Petco is beautiful what a fun ballpark Padres did not win

1:15.5

So I apologize to Padres fans maybe I am bad luck

1:19.4

But it was fun it was when C. Chris Batic was my rookie year and I'll work here the year pick preseason

1:26.9

He did not pitch quite as well as he usually does

1:29.3

But I got to watch Joey Votto hit a home run after he had a very strange week of pop-up

1:36.9

So it was nice to see him working more like himself

1:40.9

I learned that Padres fans have not let any of the Matt Kemp stuff go

...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Ben Lindbergh, Meg Rowley, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Ben Lindbergh, Meg Rowley and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.