Effectively Wild Episode 2481: Tarp Off the First
Effectively Wild: A FanGraphs Baseball Podcast
Ben Lindbergh, Meg Rowley
4.7 • 2.7K Ratings
🗓️ 21 May 2026
⏱️ 109 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the “tarps off” fan-shirtlessness trend sweeping MLB ballparks, early grand slams, inside-the-park home runs, and “little league home runs,” more sources of baseball embarrassment, Blake Snell’s bone spurs (and the Dodgers’ perennial pitcher-injury issues), Gerrit Cole’s return to the Yankees, Gio Urshela and other players who excelled for one team but struggled for others, updates on early-season sensation Joey Wiemer, John Brebbia, and this season’s class of rookie hitters, and the league’s trend toward catcher challenges.
Audio intro: Ted O., “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Philip Bergman, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Link to shirtless Rockies fans
Link to Rockies fan photos
Link to shirtless Cardinals fans
Link to shirtless Mariners fans
Link to shirtlessness trendpiece
Link to AP piece on the trend
Link to latest Giants thrust
Link to Snell surgery update
Link to MLBTR on Cole
Link to MLBTR on Fried
Link to MLBTR on Westburg
Link to MLBTR on Berríos
Link to Wiemer option news
Link to Brebbia update
Link to MLB rookie offense
Link to FG post on Padres timeliness
Link to Arenado grand slam
Link to Arenado game play log
Link to previous Slam Blast
Link to Wood ITPGS
Link to Lee’s ITPHR
Link to Clemens LLHR
Link to Ohtani LLHR
Link to Sam on the LLHR
Link to “Yakety Sax”
Link to “Yakety Sax” wiki
Link to Urshela retirement post
Link to Urshela wRC stats
Link to Small retrospective
Link to Chavez Stat Blast
Link to Mariners game story
Link to Wilson pinch-hitting complaints
Link to Sheehan on ABS
Link to Sheehan Bluesky post
Link to Trueblood on ABS
Link to Tap to Challenge
Link to MLBTR on Crawford
Link to 2025 Cortes article
Link to Kimbrough wiki
Link to Kimbrough SABR bio
Link to Kimbrough book excerpt 1
Link to Kimbrough book excerpt 2
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Effectively wild |
| 0:03.5 | It's the only show I did |
| 0:07.0 | hosted by Ben Lindbergh and Meg Riley |
| 0:13.0 | I want to hear about show Hale |
| 0:18.0 | Tani |
| 0:19.0 | or Mike Trout with Three Martin |
| 0:26.3 | Hello and welcome to episode 2481 of Effectively Wild, a baseball podcast from |
| 0:34.6 | Fangraphs, present by our Patreon supporters. |
| 0:37.6 | I am Ben Lindberg of the Ringer, joined by Meg Rally of FanGraphs. |
| 0:41.0 | Hello, Meg. |
| 0:42.0 | Hello. |
| 0:43.0 | Well, we don't do these podcasts on video, so no one will ever know if I'm telling the truth, |
| 0:47.5 | but I'm going tarps off for this pod. |
| 0:50.6 | This is a tarps off episode, for me, at least. |
| 0:54.0 | No obligation to join me. |
| 0:55.3 | Just in recognition of the trend, the craze that is sweeping the nation at baseball stadium. |
| 1:03.9 | And that is the tarps off look. |
| 1:05.9 | Guys are going shirtless, I think just guys, as far as I'm aware. |
| 1:09.6 | But lots of skin being shown in baseball |
| 1:14.4 | stadia these days. And this is a very un-baseball behavior. I think this is being covered as if it's |
| 1:24.1 | some new innovation in fan behavior. |
| 1:32.5 | Right. And football fans, college football fans, maybe most of all are like, you just discovered that you could remove part of your clothing at a sporting event. But it is, |
... |
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