Take Me In To The Ballgame

TBG 74 - Air Bud: Seventh Inning Fetch

podcasts@pitcherlist.com (Ellen Adair, Eric Gilde) — Sun, 29 Mar 2026 05:00:00 +0000

Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde discuss the 2002 family film, "Air Bud: Seventh Inning Fetch," and all of its ramifications, grading it on the 20-80 scouting scale. This is Ellen's favorite episode that Ellen + Eric ever did. They introduce the film (1:05), with an overview of the story, cast, and director. If you're just joining, a review the 20-80 baseball scouting grades for rating the film (7:09). Then, they grade "Air Bud" on Amount of Baseball (16:25), Baseball Accuracy (24:19), Storytelling (55:22), Score (1:43:16); Acting (1:49:28); Delightfulness of Catcher Character (1:54:28), Delightfulness of Announcer (1:56:29), and Lack of Misogyny (2:02:56). No spoilers on the following segments: Yes or No (2:12:03), Six Degrees of Baseball (2:15:05), Favorite Moment (2:15:45), Least Favorite Moment (2:18:57), Scene You’d Like To See (2:20:12), Dreamiest Player (2:24:03), Favorite Performance (2:25:41) and Next Time (2:28:32).

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TBG 73 - Charlie Brown's All Stars with Ben Lindbergh

podcasts@pitcherlist.com (Ellen Adair, Ben Lindbergh) — Sun, 1 Mar 2026 06:00:00 +0000

Ellen Adair and Ben Lindbergh discuss "Charlie Brown's All Stars," grading it on the 20-80 scouting scale. Ellen welcomes Ben, who discusses his lifelong love of "Peanuts" and getting to meet creator Charles M. Schulz! They introduce and summarize the cartoon (8:31) and review the 20-80 scouting scale (11:45) before hearing about Ben's fictional scouting director and real-life experience with the Sonoma Stompers (12:51). With Amount of Baseball (15:35), Ben favorably considers that there is more baseball in this 25 minute cartoon than hockey in six episodes of "Heated Rivalry," and discusses the "Effectively Wild" tradition of dubbing films "baseball movies." Ellen finds this cartoon does the little things right. In Baseball Accuracy (19:31), they discuss the lack of an opposing team and float competing theories, whether it is magical realism charged by Charlie Brown's emotional life, or perhaps baseball ghosts. They also discuss the very long hang time for the ball in the initial sequence, and the implications for Charlie Brown's range. Ellen dives deep into the stats Linus provides, considering them on an imagined per-game basis. They discuss clutch-ness and the power of belief at various levels. In Storytelling (38:20), they discuss various non sequiturs, editing oddities, and the interlude to Snoopy's imaginative plane. They also examine the depiction of various different kinds of baseball fans, and the lack of hustle on Charlie Brown's team, and some inconsistencies in character point of view. An intermission with Ben Lindbergh features his answers to the Nine Things (56:20) , including his choice three baseball players and three baseball moments--no spoilers! Our intrepid scouts return with the Score Tool (1:28:20), enjoying the music provided by the Vince Guaraldi Sextet. In Acting (1:31:40), they discuss the quality of the distinctive charm of the performances, which as a whole are truly creative of a style rather than interpretive of life. Particular shout-out to Peter Robbins as Charlie Brown, Christopher Shea's liquid l's, Sally Dryer's pronunciation of "uniform," and Director Bill Melendez as decades of Snoopy and Woodstock. In the Delightfulness of Catcher Character (1:38:22) the scouts parse a fondness for Schroeder with his excellence as a lovable team leader or helpfulness to his pitcher. Delightfulness of Announcer (1:43:21) offers no announcer, but some discussion of the possible existence of an official scorer. Lack of Misogyny (1:44:26) balances Charlie Brown standing up to a misogynist league policy with the blame for the all-gender ridicule of Charlie Brown landing solely at the girls' feet. No spoilers on the following segments: Yes or No (1:50:49), Six Degrees of Baseball (1:56:01), Favorite Moment (1:58:11), Least Favorite Moment (2:00:31), Scene That We'd Like to See (2:05:34), and Dreamiest Player and Favorite Performance (2:12:06). Find Ben on Effectively Wild, Hang Up and Listen, Button Mash, and the new Plot Hole or Not Hole on YouTube. The (evergreen) Ella Black episodes of Effectively Wild are 2309-2311. Find Ellen on @ellenadair.bsky.social and @ellenadairg on IG.

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TBG 72 - The Sluggers Wife

podcasts@pitcherlist.com (Eric Gilde, Ellen Adair) — Sun, 25 Jan 2026 06:00:00 +0000

Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde discuss the 1985 film, “The Slugger’s Wife.,” written by Neil Simon and directed by Hal Ashby. It’s a doozy of an episode that once again sends our hosts to their mental and emotional limits. The magical timestamps are as follows: 1:24 – Intro; 6:41 – Review of 20/80 Scouting Scale; 14:00 – Amount of Baseball; 20:10 – Baseball Accuracy; 47:31 – Storytelling; 1:26:58 – Score; 1:33:22 – Acting; 1:38:19 – Delightfulness of Catcher Character; 1:39:11 – Delightfulness of Announcer; 1:40:18 – Lack of Misogyny; 1:50:06 – Yes/No; 1:52:36 – Six Degrees of Baseball; 1:53:10 – Favorite Moment; 1:54:18 – Least Favorite Moment; 1:55:32 – Scene You’d Like to See; 1:57:53 – Dreamiest; 1:58:21 – Favorite Performance; 2:01:06 – Next Time.

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TBG 71 - Mr. Baseball

podcasts@pitcherlist.com (Ellen Adair, Eric Gilde) — Sun, 4 Jan 2026 06:00:00 +0000

Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde discuss the 1992 film "Mr. Baseball." They introduce the film (1:07), with an overview of the story, the cast, and filmmakers, and review the 20-80 baseball scouting grades for rating the film, with a new metaphor (5:31). Amount of Baseball (14:02) has a good variety, and they contrast the unnecessary Yankee stadium with the real Japanese baseball stadiums, plus the Frank Thomas appearance and a player comp. Baseball Accuracy (19:52) is strong, although the MLB and NPB do not trade, and you shouldn't bring your top hand over. A dive into the shuuto pitch (Yu Darvish, Aaron Nola, Shohei Ohtani) and Ricky Davis's debut (Frank Thomas, JP Arencibia). There are timeline issues with MLB/NPB seasons and the Dodgers series, there are problems with Doc the Agent, the nightmare as a hitter's nightmare, and some poor scouting practices. But there are fun references to the hotfoot tradition (Roger McDowell?) and John Kruk. A brief history of the Chunichi Dragons franchise and their most famous player Michio Nishizawa, plus Larry Doby, Don Newcombe and Matt Stairs. NPB home run records include discussion of Sadaharu Oh, Randy Bass, Tuffy Rhodes, Alex Cabrera and Wladimir Balentien. Cultural differences between Japanese baseball and American baseball, including facial hair (Bob Horner, Eric Thames), the "Gaijin strikezone," extra innings, and the cap-tipping tradition (Osamu Higashio, Dick Davis). Also the Brett Myers/Kyle Kendrick prank, Don Mattingly comparisons, and Tom Selleck's athleticism. Storytelling (50:30) discusses how a formula is good for reversals but bad for long scenes, the bunting trope in baseball movies, the film's cultural in/sensitivities, Cleveland/Nagoya comparisons, the bath scene, and problems with the Lame Romantic Subplot. The Score Tool (1:15:37) discusses this 1992 timepiece from Jerry Goldsmith, which slightly divides our scouts. Acting (1:19:18) considers the performances of Tom Selleck, Ken Takakura, Toshi Shioya, Aya Takanashi, and the baseball team ensemble. Neither Delightfulness of Catcher (1:26:08) or Delightfulness of Announcer (1:27:18) offer much. In Lack of Misogyny (1:27:56), they consider the believability of the Lame Romantic Subplot, Hiroko's own issues, and the repairing of the father/daughter relationship. But why does Hiroko like Jack? No spoilers on the following segments: Yes or No (1:40:23), Six Degrees of Baseball (1:44:12), Favorite Moment (1:45:26) Least Favorite Moment (1:47:44), Scene We Would Have Liked to See (1:49:42), Dreamiest Player (1:51:03), Favorite Performance (1:51:27), and Next Time (1:53:15).

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TBG 70 - 61*

podcasts@pitcherlist.com (Ellen Adair, Eric Gilde) — Sun, 14 Dec 2025 18:00:00 +0000

Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde discuss the 2001 film "61*." They introduce the film (1:10), with an overview of the story, the cast, and filmmakers, and review the 20-80 baseball scouting grades for rating the film, with a new metaphor (5:51). In Amount of Baseball (14:41), they discuss the use of actual Mark McGwire footage, the strength of this tool throughout, and the impact of the authenticity. There is a player comp. Baseball Accuracy (20:39) starts off with discussion of Billy Crystal as Mantle's friend and "Rain Man" on set, and then delves into the history, talking about Ford Frick, Fay Vincent, and the asterisk itself, Roger Maris and Babe Ruth plate appearances, Maris and Mantle's relationship with the press, Pascual or Ramos, the imbalanced AL/NL in 1961, Babe Ruth breaking Ned Williamson's record, Maris trade rumors, Mantle running to first in three seconds, Joe DiMaggio Jerk-o-meter, Moose Skowron, Elston Howard, Billy Martin escapades, Maris signing an X on a ball, Rogers Hornsby, Casey Stengel and Mantle, the slick nickname, Mantle's arm injury, Hoyt Wilhelm and Tom Candiotti. Storytelling (54:16) considers everything added by the inclusion of the McGwire framing device, the function of Claire Ruth and Pat Maris in the story, the opening day scene, and the handling of exposition. There are a few small instances of Shakespearing. The scouts discuss the nuanced depiction of male friendship, the character of the media, the character of Bob Cerv, and the cinematography and lighting. The Score Tool (1:24:53) discusses the main theme, the volume of the score, and songs by The Ventures, Bobby Darin, and the Shirelles. Why TF is there a Lyle Lovett song? Acting (1:31:20) pretty much worships Barry Pepper, Thomas Jane, Bruce McGill, Michael Nouri, Richard Masur, Peter Jacobson, Seymour Cassel, Chris Bauer, Anthony Michael Hall, Christopher McDonald and Joe Grifasi, plus the rest of the ensemble. Delightfulness of Catcher (1:51:17) considers 17% of Yogi Berra and not enough Elston Howard. Delightfulness of Announcer (1:52:44) revels in both the accuracy and the high delight of the depictions of Phil Rizzuto, with all of his Rizzuto catchphrases and digressions, and Mel Allen trying to reign him in. Ellen has a (Rizzuto-esque?) digression into a comparison with "Eight Men Out." In Lack of Misogyny (1:59:51), they discuss Mantle's womanizing, and how it's tempered with Maris's point of view, consideration of Pat's perspective, and the existence of female fans. No spoilers on the following segments: Yes or No (2:04:31), Six Degrees of Baseball (2:07:28), Favorite Moment (2:08:09) Least Favorite Moment (2:11:04), Scene We Would Have Liked to See (2:12:52), Dreamiest Player (2:15:49), Favorite Performance (2:16:30), and Next Time (2:19:05).

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TBG 69 - Replay Review: Ed

Sun, 16 Nov 2025 06:00:00 +0000

It’s another Replay Review episode! Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde are joined by Ashley MacLennan, Darby Robinson and Brett Rutherford of “Who’s on Worst” to discuss one of the baseball movie genre’s worst offerings: “Ed.” That’s right. They watched it AGAIN. They intro the movie (1:24), and, after some spirited discussion, review the 20-80 scouting scale (21:53). Then, they receive the three other scouts’ grades on the following tools: Amount of Baseball (23:36), Baseball Accuracy (28:57), Storytelling (46:01), Score (1:16:27), Acting (1:23:14), Delightfulness of Catcher (1:30:31), Delightfulness of Announcer (1:35:37) and Lack of Misogyny (1:40:08). In “Who’s on Worst” fashion, everyone also picks the player they would want for their team (1:50:05) and shares some final thoughts (1:57:12).

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TBG 68 - Hardball

podcasts@pitcherlist.com (Eric Gilde, Ellen Adair) — Sun, 26 Oct 2025 05:00:00 +0000

Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde discuss the 2001 movie "Hardball," starring Keanu Reeves. They introduce the film (1:34), with an overview of the story, the cast, and filmmakers, and review the 20-80 baseball scouting grades for rating the film, with a new metaphor (8:14). In Amount of Baseball (17:50), the scouts initially disagree, but slightly convince each other. Ellen has two potential player comps. Baseball Accuracy (25:26) compares this Little League play to other films, with just a couple of editorial / geographical issues. Ellen defends Frank Thomas's honor and digs in on Sammy Sosa's consecutive homers, and records by Ken Griffey Jr, Don Mattingly, and Kevin Mench. That is not Wrigley. Those are not NBA games. Luis Garcia's dance step is considered. Storytelling (39:23) is a real challenge, when the entire inveterate gambler storyline does not work. Plus, white savior problems, a very confusing moral, and a complete lack of necessary exposition. There are so many unanswered questions. How does he earn their trust? Why does G-Baby have to die? Eulogy issues, uniform issues. At long last, the Score Tool (1:24:13) is only a partial respite, with some small problems of its own. They consider some of the soundtrack songs, including "Ghetto," "Hardball," "Big Poppa," "Where the Party At," and R. Kelly. Acting (1:30:21) considers the ceiling and floor of a slightly mis-cast Keanu Reeves. Diane Lane was trying, John Hawkes had an impossible task, D.B. Sweeney deserves better. Young actors Michael B. Jordan, Bryan Hearne, Julian Griffith, and DeWayne Warren almost save the movie. Neither Delightfulness of Catcher (1:39:26) or Delightfulness of Announcer (1:40:27) offer much. In Lack of Misogyny (1:41:00), they discuss the insipidity of the lame romantic subplot. No spoilers on the following segments: Yes or No (1:45:06), Six Degrees of Baseball (1:48:56), Favorite Moment (1:50:43) Least Favorite Moment (1:53:00), Scene We Would Have Liked to See (1:54:54), Dreamiest Player (1:56:50), Favorite Performance (1:57:09), and Next Time (2:00:32).

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TBG 67 - Major League: Back to the Minors

podcasts@pitcherlist.com (Eric Gilde, Ellen Adair) — Sun, 5 Oct 2025 05:00:00 +0000

Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde revisit the world of Major League with its direct-to-video second sequel, Major League: Back to the Minors! 2:09 – Intro; 7:47 – Review of 20/80 Scouting Scale; 15:36 – Amount of Baseball; 18:59 – Baseball Accuracy; 53:08 – Storytelling; 1:19:00 – Score; 1:24:01 – Acting; 1:31:40 – Delightfulness of Catcher; 1:33:37 – Delightfulness of Announcer; 1:38:51 – Lack of Misogyny; 1:42:19 – Yes or No; 1:46:18 – Six Degrees of Baseball; 1:47:21 – Favorite Moment; 1:48:26 – Least Favorite Moment; 1:51:25 – Scene You’d Like To See; 1:55:33 – Dreamiest Player; 1:55:56 – Favorite Performance; 1:58:22 – Next Time.

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TBG 66 - Homer at the Bat

podcasts@pitcherlist.com (Ellen Adair, Eric Gilde) — Sun, 14 Sep 2025 05:00:00 +0000

On this episode of Take Me In to the Ballgame, Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde discuss the iconic Simpsons episode, “Homer at the Bat.” 1:27 – Intro; 6:30 – Review of 20/80 Scouting Scale; 13:23 – Amount of Softball; 17:16 – Softball Accuracy; 49:04 – Storytelling; 1:06:16 – Score; 1:09:32 – Acting; 1:13:50 – Delightfulness of Catcher; 1:17:52 – Delightfulness of Announcer; 1:20:08 – Lack of Misogyny; 1:25:15 – A bonus segment???; 1:32:44 – Yes or No!; 1:38:01 – Six Degrees of Baseball; 1:39:41 – Favorite Moment; 1:41:36 – Least Favorite Moment; 1:43:06 – Scene You’d Like to See; 1:44:32 – Dreamiest Player; 1:45:13 – Favorite Performance; 1:46:35 – Next Time. Enjoy, rate and review, please!

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TBG 65 - Brewsters Millions

podcasts@pitcherlist.com (Eric Gilde, Ellen Adair) — Sun, 24 Aug 2025 05:00:00 +0000

Eric Gilde and Ellen Adair discuss the 1985 comedy, “Brewster’s Millions,” starring Richard Pryor and John Candy. Introduction to the film (1:28); Review of the 20/80 Scouting Scale (7:10); Amount of Baseball (17:04); Baseball Accuracy (23:29); Storytelling (41:29) Score (1:16:03); Acting (1:20:49); Delightfulness of Catcher Character (1:27:02); Delightfulness of Announcer (1:32:26); Lack of Misogyny (1:35:19); Yes or No (1:41:44); Six Degrees of Baseball (1:45:15); Favorite Moment (1:46:52); Least Favorite Moment (1:48:35); Scene We’d Like to See (1:49:56); Dreamiest Player (1:52:05); Favorite Performance (1:52:54); Next Time (1:54:29). We hope you enjoy!

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TBG 64 - The Winning Team

podcasts@pitcherlist.com (Ellen Adair, Eric Gilde) — Sun, 10 Aug 2025 05:00:00 +0000

Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde discuss the 1952 Grover Cleveland Alexander biopic, "The Winning Team." They introduce the film (1:36), with an overview of the story, the cast, and filmmakers, and review the 20-80 baseball scouting grades for rating the film (7:00). Amount of Baseball (11:53) reveals a new take on this tool from Eric. Ellen has a player comp. Neither scout can refrain from getting into Baseball Accuracy in this category, but when it finally does come around, Baseball Accuracy (17:35) is a doozy. They discuss Alexander's Hall of Fame plaque, his nicknames (Alex, Pete, Dode, and later "Down and Away Alexander") Bill Killefer and David Ross comps, Galesburg team accuracy, old timey team names, and geography issues. How long was Alexander knocked out? When was he sold to the Phillies? Unsurprisingly, Ellen looks at how bad the Phillies usually were in the first half of the 20th century. They also discuss Eddie Plank, Eddie Collins, Rogers Hornsby, Alexander in WWI, his drinking, tragic Christy Mathewson inaccuracy, and the complete mess of the timeline of Alexander's career, as depicted. Oh, and the relationship with Aimee is a complete fabrication. Some accuracy issues with the 1926 World Series, and the famed Lazzeri at bat. Storytelling (53:47) essentially considers the following question: is this the worst thing that these scouts have ever seen? Ellen has some theories about some of the reasons it's bad, which only serve to make it worse. Score (1:16:51) is a relief, by comparison. Acting (1:17:14) considers various insufferable and unbelievable moments from Ronald Reagan, Doris Day, Gordon Jones, and others. How did Ronald Reagan become President? In Delightfulness of Catcher (1:26:32), Bill Killefer and James Millican do fine. Brief mention of catcher archetypes in "Game of Thrones." Delightfulness of Announcer (1:31:31) discusses whether the World Series announcer was a secret producer of the film, how many times he blinks, and why these scouts are obsessed. In Lack of Misogyny (1:37:17), they discuss some early Aimee story points and the general pre-feminism of the film. No spoilers on the following segments: Yes or No (1:43:11), Six Degrees of Baseball (1:47:17), Favorite Moment (1:47:46) Least Favorite Moment (1:49:28), Scene We Would Have Liked to See (1:50:27), Dreamiest Player (1:51:48), Favorite Performance (1:52:13), and Next Time (1:54:30).

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TBG 63 - The Rookie

podcasts@pitcherlist.com (Eric Gilde, Ellen Adair) — Sun, 27 Jul 2025 05:00:00 +0000

Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde discuss the 2002 Disney film "The Rookie." They introduce the film (2:02), with an overview of the story, the cast, and filmmakers, and review the 20-80 baseball scouting grades for rating the film (5:07). Amount of Baseball (13:02) revels in this embarrassment of riches, and the excellence of the District Championship Game. Baseball Accuracy (20:35) cites Jim Morris's own opinion of the film's accuracy, and his relationship to his father, along with the radar sign scene, and the St. Rita story. There are oil rig gameplay questions. Did he try out in jeans? Did his dad get the baseball? Steve Cox erasure and some other accuracies with Jim Morris's MLB debut, Royce Clayton's foul ball, Morris pitching "for two seasons," and his tryout in the rain. The scouts also discuss his teammates Jose Canseco, Wade Boggs, and Kevin Stocker, the 1999 Devil Rays. The casting of the RuffNecks is hilarious, including the batter Carlton Fisk-ing the ball in the wrong direction. Randy Quaid's pitching motion, plus smart use of his pitching double Jeff Dowdy. Eric fact-checks Texas distances, and there is an Ellen Adair Breakdown on pitchers hitting 98 MPH in 1999 and today (h/t Nick Pollack). Can Ellen name more than five who threw more than 98 MPH in 99? Storytelling (49:34) dissects the interesting film structure created by its central bargain, the function of the nuns, and the Disney veneer balanced with excellent editing and cinematography. Ellen appreciates attention being paid to the football/baseball disparity, and both laud the excellent storytelling with the early scene with the father. But where is the middle child for the first hour of the film? They discuss the first minor league game sequence, the child's questions about the Devil Rays, and the relief pitcher as hero (w/r/t Seranthony Dominguez, JoJo Romero and Ranger Suarez). Brief St. Patrick's Day Accuracy. Score (1:11:22) addresses Carter Burwell's use of flute and John Bissell's music supervision, including Guy Clark's "Stuff That Works," Willie Nelson's "Nothing I Can Do About It Now," Elvis Presley's "Run On," and House of Pain's "Jump Around." Acting (1:17:14) discusses the performances of Dennis Quaid, Rachel Griffiths, Brian Cox, Angus T. Jones and Blue Deckert. Delightfulness of Catcher (1:21:24) praises the perfect catcher behavior of Owls catcher Joel de la Garza, along with great acting by Angelo Spizzirri. The catcher at the try-out and at Jim Morris's debut also do not disappoint. Delightfulness of Announcer (1:24:56) considers the benefits of the announcer being a character in the rest of the film, and the great performance by David Blackwell. Good storytelling with the Orlando Rays announcer. Lack of Misogyny (1:27:32) considers the strength of Lori the character versus her story function, and some disappointment on the gendered role of the children and the impetus for Lori's reversal. No spoilers on the following segments: Yes or No (1:33:01), Six Degrees of Baseball (1:38:59), Favorite Moment (1:40:58) Least Favorite Moment (1:42:08), Scene We Would Have Liked to See (1:44:30), Dreamiest Player (1:46:44), Favorite Performance (1:47:42), and Next Time (1:49:03).

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TBG 62 - Phillies, Yankees, and Extra Innings with Brennan Brown

podcasts@pitcherlist.com (Ellen Adair, Brennan Brown) — Sun, 13 Jul 2025 05:00:00 +0000

Ellen Adair and Brennan Brown talked so much during their review of EEPHUS (the episode before this one) that some of their baseball-related chatter had to be cut out. But now it's an episode of its own! They talk about Ellen's fundamentalist hatred of the Yankees and Brennan's crush on Bryce Harper. In "Nine Innings with Brennan Brown," Brennan talks about riding motorcycles, playing drums, and his upcoming Netflix series, THE BEAST IN ME, opposite Claire Danes, Jonathan Banks (and other heroes). In innings 4-9, Brennan gives many Yankees-related answers -- no spoilers here -- which Ellen forbears. They conclude by talking about the origins of Brennan's Yankees fandom, and issues with the Phillies, Yankees, and their chances this year.

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TBG 61 - Eephus

podcasts@pitcherlist.com (Ellen Adair, Brennan Brown) — Sun, 29 Jun 2025 05:00:00 +0000

Ellen Adair and Brennan Brown talk about the brand-new instant-classic baseball film EEPHUS. Ellen introduces Brennan (0:40), and then the film (3:50) overviewing its festival appearances, the director Carson Lund, and some of the cast. They summarize the film (10:40) and review the 20-80 scouting scale (13:25) and talk about the scouting director to whom Brennan will be reporting Eephus's grades (14:30). They begin with Amount of Baseball (18:50), discussing this film's tool-defining wealth of baseball in numerous ways. Baseball Accuracy (26:37) delves into the baseball ability as depicted, and some of the questionable ball/strike calls that end the game. Ellen brings up an apparent What Inning Is It discrepancy that is not what it seems, and Graham as the MIA third base coach. They discuss Franny's paraphrasing of the baseball quotes in the film from Lou Gehrig, Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, Branch Rickey, Rickey Henderson and Yogi Berra. Ellen, scarred from REVERSE THE CURSE, has some trauma around the amount of Yankee content in a Massachusetts-based movie, which gets the scouts into a heated conversation. They talk about the definition and history of the eephus pitch, discussing Rip Sewell, Maurice van Robays, Ted Williams, Fernando Abad, Luis Tiant, Yu Darvish, Steve Hamilton, Phil Niekro, Dave LaRoche, Carlos Zambrano, Vicente Padilla, Satchel Paige, Clayton Kershaw, Rich Hill, Zack Greinke, Brock Holt, and, of course, Bill Lee. A small sidebar on position players pitching, and a longer dive into some delightful Easter eggs with Bill Lee's appearance, and some of the magic realism of his existence. In Storytelling (1:03:45), our scouts discuss the tradition of slow cinema and how that applies to EEPHUS. They marvel at the way information is skillfully planted for the audience to put together, and appreciate the even-handedness of the depictions of the teams, if with some disagreements about the way the audience's empathy is guided. The fact that no one else besides the men involved care much about the game feels important, as does the fall setting, and this season as a thematic character. They discuss the film's relationship of comedy to tragedy. Brennan brings up GOODBYE DRAGON INN, and thinking about transcendental filmmaking leads to a conversation about being present, acting, baseball, time, mortality, and the spiritual exercise of play. The metaphor of the fireworks is explored. The Score Tool (1:51:26) discusses Carson Lund's percussive score and the use of radio as background scoring. In Acting (1:56:56) they discuss the performances of Russell J. Gannon, Cliff Blake, Keith William Richards, David Torres Jr., Ray Hryb, Peter Minkarah, David Pridemore, Theodore Bouloukos, Ethan Ward, Patrick Garrigan, Conner Marx, Brendan Burt, and the commendable evenness of tone across the whole ensemble. Delightfulness of Catcher Character (2:09:28) discusses the performances of John R. Smith, Jr, as John and Chris Goodwin as Garrett. Brennan is vulnerable with a personal trial that mirrors a moment in the film. Delightfulness of Announcer (2:22:23) considers the presences of Frederick Wiseman and Joe Castiglione. Lack of Misogyny (2:26:00) addresses Bobby's light moment of misogyny, balancing the film's intent with lack of full female characters. They also discuss the film's view of male friendship and male loneliness. No spoilers on the following segments: Yes or No (2:36:26) Six Degrees of Baseball (2:40:49) Favorite Moment (2:41:10) Least Favorite Moment (2:45:50) Scene We'd Like to See (2:46:01) Dreamiest Player (2:48:20) Favorite Performance (2:49:40).

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TBG 60 - The Baseball Scene in Twilight

podcasts@pitcherlist.com (Ellen Adair, Eric Gilde) — Sun, 15 Jun 2025 05:00:00 +0000

Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde discuss the baseball portions of "Twilight." They introduce the film (1:49), with an overview of the story, the cast, and filmmakers, and review the 20-80 baseball scouting grades for rating the film (6:01). Amount of Baseball (10:35) opens with a true conundrum: what is the amount of baseball in the baseball portion of "Twilight"? Do we consider the "first Mariners game" and spring training? Baseball Accuracy (15:30) considers the viability of a four-vampire baseball team and a three-vampire baseball team, with the varying degree of problems that arise. Discussion of vampires' familiarity with John Fogarty's "Centerfield," seventh-wheel vampires, and the Mike Fiers of vampires (?). Ellen has issues with the lack of analytical positioning, and Eric queries the notion of thunder from an aluminum bat. Is Alice tipping her pitches? A brief history of baseball gloves (w/r/t Charlie Waitt, Albert Goodwill Spalding, Bill Doak, Rawlings). Some baserunning headscratchers with Carlisle. There is no spring training in Jacksonville (h/t Meg Rowley), but there ARE spring training/regular season timeline issues in this film. Storytelling (40:11) digs in on the substance of the vampire feud, Ellen's annoyance with the notion of the Cullens as "vegetarians," and Eric's annoyance with the sparkliness. Are they good at baseball? Would putting Bella's hair down really help mask her human scent? Some discussion of the directorial style and costume choices. Score (55:39) addresses the use of Radiohead, the Black Ghosts, Muse, and the squealing guitars. Acting (1:00:03) discusses the performances of Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Peter Facinelli, Elizabeth Reaser, and Edi Gathegi, with shout-outs to Anna Kendrick and Gil Birmingham. Delightfulness of Catcher (1:04:57) weighs the Moment of Utmost Delight, Elizabeth Reaser's line deliveries, and the matriarch as catcher, while Delightfulness of Announcer (1:07:28) doesn't offer so much. Lack of Misogyny (1:08:01) considers the strength of female players, the film's upgrade over the book, with only a brief foray into the misogyny of the whole premise. No spoilers on the following segments: Yes or No (1:14:20), Six Degrees of Baseball (1:19:52), Favorite Moment (1:22:01) Least Favorite Moment (1:23:50), Scene We Would Have Liked to See (1:26:37), Dreamiest Player (1:28:12), Favorite Performance (1:29:41), Review Thank You (1:30:41) and Next Time (1:32:39).

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TBG 59 - Porky's Baseball Broadcast

podcasts@pitcherlist.com (Ellen Adair, Eric Gilde) — Sun, 1 Jun 2025 05:00:00 +0000

Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde discuss the 1940 Warner Brothers cartoon, "Porky's Baseball Broadcast." They introduce the cartoon (1:23), with an overview of the script, the cast, and creators, and review the 20-80 baseball scouting grades for rating the cartoon (5:10). (Again, the lawyers advise that this is a cartoon, and nothing in this podcast can be used to relitage Posnanski v. Sepinwall.) Amount of Baseball (11:10) once again relies on this being a ratio and not counting stat for a seven-minute cartoon, some which even feels padded for time. Baseball Accuracy (15:00) digs in on the truly most confusing question in this cartoon: which, and how many, teams are even playing in this World Series, with the Red Sox, Yankees, Cubs and Giants all being candidates. The colorization doesn't help. The two-headed pitcher has a flaw in his/their plan, plus do they use a Pat Venditte glove? Some discussion of the 1940 World Series, including Willard Hershberger, Ernie Lombardi and Jimmy Wilson, along with the Carl Hubbell reference. Storytelling (36:45) grapples with the unsatisfying nature of the baseball play as a story, and discusses the many simple jokes. The scouts debate the pros and cons of the "round dog looking for his seat" storyline. Eric reveals the recycled material from "Boulevardier from the Bronx," and they discuss the screamingly problematic section of the cartoon. Score (50:27) addresses Carl W. Stalling's handiwork, including the tick method and musical references. In Acting (53:19), they discuss whether or not Mel Blanc is responsible for all of the voice acting, and if that impacts the score. Delightfulness of Catcher (55:18) presents our scouts with a conundrum, given the derivation of the turtle catcher. The rabbit catcher is unquestionably adorable. Delightfulness of Announcer (1:00:49) weighs the notion that the eponymous Porky Pig is the star of the show. Are the double-entendres part of his delightfulness, or just the cartoon? Lack of Misogyny (1:04:29) had the scouts scouring the background of every single frame, and coming up disappointed. No spoilers on the following segments: Yes or No (1:07:32), Six Degrees of Baseball (1:13:18), Favorite Moment (1:13:57) Least Favorite Moment (1:14:53), Scene We Would Have Liked to See (1:18:01), Dreamiest Player (1:20:09), Favorite Performance (1:22:52) and Next Time (1:22:52).

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TBG 58 - The Babe

podcasts@pitcherlist.com (Ellen Adair, Eric Gilde) — Sun, 18 May 2025 05:00:00 +0000

Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde discuss the 1992 Babe Ruth biopic, "The Babe." They introduce the film (1:36), with an overview of the script, the cast, and filmmakers, and review the 20-80 baseball scouting grades for rating the film (4:05). Amount of Baseball (10:01) is surprisingly baffling for a relatively objective tool, but our scouts try to parse the true amount given the unsatisfying, nothing-but-dingers nature of the gameplay. There is a sad player comp. Baseball Accuracy (15:00) dives in on this film's Babe Ruth pitcher erasure, including striking out Ty Cobb, and inaccuracies with Ruth's first career game and his performance in the 1916 World Series. His time with the Orioles and Jack Dunn also elided, with some unfortunate consequences including the creation of his nickname. Some examination of very young George as a rapscallion, his home life, and his time at St. Mary's Industrial School for Boys, plus Brother Matthias accuracy. Did Babe Ruth ever come late to a game drunk? There are many, many timeline problems, particularly with Claire and Helen. Ellen plays a game of What Year Is It. Discussion of Joe Dugan, Dorothy, Ruth punching an umpire, Ernie Shore's "combined" no-hitter, Eddie Bennett, Harry Frazee's sale of Ruth, the Called Shot, the Johnny Sylvester story, the feud with Lou Gehrig, and Ruth's "milk." Ruth's relationship with Miller Huggins, and his desire to become a manager himself, including anecdotes with Frank Navin and Connie Mack, are examined. WTF is up with the depiction of Ruth's athleticism, (including his purported use of a courtesy runner)? The final game has as many problems as the rest of the film. Storytelling (1:04:02) highlights this film's main problems: the classic biopic problem of trying to tell the entire life story, timeline jumbles, and the depiction of Ruth as a dumb man-child. Yankee Stadium propaganda. Ellen has a list of Unanswerable Questions. Score (1:20:10) envisions the scenario in which consummate professional Elmer Bernstein was asked to compose the music for this film. Acting (1:23:13) discusses this disappointing John Goodman performance, backed by a whole lot of It's Fine. Ellen uplifts one Trini Alvarado moment. Delightfulness of Catcher (1:29:00) had so many good catcher names and Ruth's own catcher feats as possible fodder, but nothing is made of them. Delightfulness of Announcer (1:30:31) considers the culpability of the announcers for the inaccuracies. Lack of Misogyny (1:33:40) has much to contend with given Ruth's biographical philandering, but somehow this movie makes it so, so much worse. No spoilers on the following segments: Yes or No (1:40:39), Six Degrees of Baseball (1:44:42), Favorite Moment (1:45:22) Least Favorite Moment (1:46:45), Scene We Would Have Liked to See (1:47:47), Dreamiest Player (1:49:50), Favorite Performance (1:50:28) and Next Time (1:51:36).

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TBG 57 - Game 6

podcasts@pitcherlist.com (Ellen Adair, Eric Gilde) — Sun, 4 May 2025 05:00:00 +0000

Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde discuss the 2005 film "Game 6," about the 1986 World Series. They introduce the film (2:01), with an overview of this Don DeLillo script, the cast, and filmmakers, and review the 20-80 baseball scouting grades for rating the film (8:35). Amount of Baseball (14:25) considers the dilution of watching someone watch baseball, and reviews the game six events pictured, including the Dwight Evans RBI, Roger Clemens being lifted from the game and the Greenwell pinch hit, Lee Mazilli scoring to tie, Dave Henderson's homer, Wade Boggs scoring on Marty Barrett's hit, and the tenth inning implosion. Sad player comp. Baseball Accuracy (17:40) considers the references to Bob Ojeda and Daryl Strawberry, the quality of Mets vs. Red Sox losses, a brief Red Sox postseason rundown, the 1949 Red Sox, the 1946 Series vs. the Cardinals featuring Enos Slaughter's mad dash and Johnny Pesky's late throw. Why is there a Red Sox broadcast talking about Roger Clemens in a New York cab? Storytelling (31:08) delves in on the Screenplay by a Novelist issues, and some tone and style disconnect. What's up with the character of Lone Eagle? What is the function of so many taxi rides? They also discuss how the film plays post-2004, DeLillo's understanding of work shifts, scheduling, and existence in a capitalist society, Nick Rogan's arc, and theatrical accuracy. Score (1:08:82) debates how much Yo La Tengo's mystical non-sports-movie score helps tell this story. Acting (1:13:10) praises the ensemble as a whole, with discussion of Michael Keaton, Robert Downey Jr. and Griffin Dunne, with a shout-out to some legendary actors in smaller roles, such as Arnie Burton, Nadia Dajani, Roger Rees, Harris Yulin, and Bobby Steggert. Delightfulness of Catcher (1:21:39) weighs what we receive from Rich Gedman and Gary Carter, while Delightfulness of Announcer (1:22:47) comes down to an Amount of Vin Scully debate. Lack of Misogyny (1:25:19) balances Nicky and Stephen's treatment of women with the very large number of female characters, who are not all simply defined by the men in the film. Some discussion of repeating "alla puttanesca." No spoilers on the following segments: Yes or No (1:31:00), Six Degrees of Baseball (1:35:11), Favorite Moment (1:36:21) Least Favorite Moment (1:39:14), Scene We Would Have Liked to See (1:40:40), Dreamiest Player (1:42:41), Favorite Performance (1:43:28) and Next Time (1:45:21).

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TBG 56 - Angels in the Outfield (1994)

podcasts@pitcherlist.com (Pitcher List) — Sun, 20 Apr 2025 05:00:00 +0000

Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde discuss the 1994 version of "Angels in the Outfield." They introduce the film (0:56), with an overview of the story, cast, and filmmakers, and review the 20-80 baseball scouting grades for rating the film (8:30). Amount of Baseball (17:28) appreciates the variety and the strong finish, with a couple of possible player comps. Baseball Accuracy (20:45) delves in on various issues with Mel Clark's last-minute activation, and the film's pitcher use in general. Bass gets no respect. Real-life baseball dives into consecutive shutouts (w/r/t Cliff Lee, Orel Hershheiser and Don Drysdale) and the record of the Cincinnati Reds. Knox's MVP award raises some questions, as does Mel's pitch count in the final game, leading to discussion of Tim Wakefield, Leon Cadore, Joe Oescher, Nolan Ryan, Gerrit Cole, Trevor Bauer. The Angels' losing streak brings up the 1889 Louisville Colonels, the 1961 Phillies, and the 2021 Orioles. There are also some issues with Hemmerling's "home run" and Ben Williams' outfield positioning. Eric dives in on Gene Autry, while Ellen considers precedent for chucking the ball into the stands (Dave Righetti, Rob Dibble, David Wells, Byung-Hyun Kim, Carlos Zambrano, Fernando Rodney, Chris Perez, and Jeremy Guthrie) and broken-bat homers (Jack Howell, Bill Haselman, Glenallen Hill, Damian Jackson, Barry Bonds, Mark Teixeira, Justin Upton, Chris Davis, Miguel Cabrera, Mike Napoli, Nelson Cruz, Joey Gallo, Yandy Diaz, and Bryce Harper). What's with the Blue Jays erasure, White Sox? Angels in outfield, yes, kids in the dugout, no. Plus, what percentage of pitches would an angel need to help a pitcher with for an effective start? Storytelling (52:51) takes on this central premise of angels as cheats. What is the angels' motivation? There are many issues with the angels' rules, as set out, including, but not limited to, God picking a side, with a line-reading from Shakespeare's "Henry V." Some moments are overly goofy (angels love crotch shots!). What is up with deciding not to believe in angels in act four? And the court timing? And the sandlot game? And people in this Christian-dominated country freaking out about seeing angels? Trusting your defense might be the real miracle. The Score (1:21:09) does its job, plus "The Hippy Hippy Shake" and Curtis Mayfield. Acting (1:23:03) praises this ensemble (including four Oscar winners) put together by Pam Dixon, specifically enjoying Neal McDonough, Ben Johnson, Milton Davis Jr., Joseph Gordon Levitt, Danny Glover, Tony Danza, Christopher Lloyd, Brenda Fricker, Jay O. Sanders, and Diane Amos. Delightfulness of Catcher (1:31:34) considers Triscuitt Messmer and a bonus catcher, while Delightfulness of Announcer (1:34:41) weighs Jay O. Sanders' performance vs. Ranch's inaccuracies and antagonism. Lack of Misogyny (1:40:28) considers how embarrassed this film should be that the 1951 film was infinitely better, regards this tool. Lack of female roles--even for angels! No spoilers on the following segments: Yes or No (1:44:30), Six Degrees of Baseball (1:46:01), Favorite Moment (1:47:00) Least Favorite Moment (1:49:17), Scene We Would Have Liked to See (1:50:05), Dreamiest Player (1:53:04), Favorite Performance (1:54:42) and Next Time (1:57:03).

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TBG 55 - The Unauthorized Bash Brothers Experience

podcasts@pitcherlist.com (Ellen Adair, Eric Gilde) — Sun, 6 Apr 2025 05:00:00 +0000

Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde discuss the 2019 Lonely Island special, "The Unauthorized Bash Brothers Experience." They introduce the "visual poem" (2:04), with an overview of the story, cast, and filmmakers, and review the 20-80 baseball scouting grades for rating the film (9:39). Amount of Baseball (14:28) includes whether or not our scouts have to swear on a holy book and their ruling on whether or not eating the brains of a baseball counts. Baseball Accuracy (16:28) addresses the central premise, with reference to 80s raps from the Mets and Chicago Bears, before moving on to Alf, Alex P. Keaton, Steven Segal, Kathy Ireland, and IHOP. Were they Gold Glove Goliaths? The scouts dive in on 40/40 players (Jose Canseco, Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, and Alfonso Soriano), Canseco's career homers and stolen bases, Vince Coleman, Mickey Mantle, Mark McGwire's home run to at bat ratio, plus years leading the league in BBs, OBP, SLG and OPS. Tax evasion, Jose Canseco's martial arts career, issues with fathers, the Athletics' "Monster Bash," side effects of steroids, and Canseco and McGwire's relationship today are all discussed. The scouts have different nits to pick with the expansion teams that are included and not included in the baseball team verse. Storytelling (44:24) addresses the history of visual albums such as Beyonce's "Lemonade," The Beatles' "A Hard Day's Night," and Pink Floyd's "The Wall," and enjoys the overlap of Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire with the fandom of Andy Samberg and Akiva Schaffer, referring in particular to Kirk Gibson, and his homers off Dennis Eckersley and Goose Gossage. The videos' aesthetics reference Def Jam, Bad Boy, Hype Williams, Busta Rhymes, TLC's "Creep," and home movies. They assess the non-traditional storytelling, with appreciation for the Terrence Malick tropes and heroic grandiosity. They lavish The Score (59:07) with unambiguous praise, with some conversation about similarities to the Beastie Boys, the Fugees, A Tribe Called Quest, the Sugarhill Gang, Janet Jackson, and the Lonely Island's own "We Like Sportz." In fact, they are still listening to the score. Acting (1:12:40) praises Andy Samberg and Akiva Schaffer as well as the supporting players (Jenny Slate, Hannah Simone, Sterling K. Brown, Jim O'Heir). Delightfulness of Catcher (1:18:52) isn't, but Delightfulness of Announcer (1:19:32) discusses, again, a nonzero amount of Vin Scully, and others. Lack of Misogyny (1:20:32) weighs the misogyny of the 1980s sports world and hip-hop culture, versus the Lonely Island's lampooning of it, and some structural anti-misogyny. No spoilers on the following segments: Yes or No (1:29:19), Six Degrees of Baseball (1:34:27), Favorite Moment (1:35:14) Least Favorite Moment (1:36:52), Scene We Would Have Liked to See (1:39:09), Dreamiest Player (1:41:33), Favorite Performance (1:43:38) and Next Time (1:45:18).

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TBG 54 - The Pride of St Louis

podcasts@pitcherlist.com (Ellen Adair, Eric Gilde) — Sun, 23 Mar 2025 05:00:00 +0000

Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde discuss the Dizzy Dean biopic, "The Pride of St. Louis." They introduce the film (1:13), with an overview of the story, cast, and filmmakers, and review the 20-80 baseball scouting grades for rating the film (5:54). Amount of Baseball (11:46) addresses the consistency of the baseball as particularly good for the era, and provides a 2021 player comp. Baseball Accuracy (14:23) delves into the details of Jerome Dean's early life, his stint in the army, the Texas League, and signing by the Cardinals organization. Various possible origins of the nickname "Dizzy" are discussed, along with his courtship of Pat, and fact vs. fiction with his first MLB game. Diving into Dizzy Dean stats references Van Mungo, Corbin Burnes, Aaron Nola, and Jacob deGrom. They discuss the hardworking Paul Dean and Dizzy Dean and their strike, the brothers' injuries, Dizzy's retirement, Dizzy as broadcaster with the Cubs and St. Louis Browns, Navin Field vs. Briggs Stadium, and English teachers vs. Dean. Storytelling (46:28) addresses Dizzy's folksiness and audience's familiarity with the character of Dizzy Dean, Ted Lasso, the attempts at darkness at the end of the movie, the Johnny Kendall confusion, the rehab montage, and some blocking choices. The Score (58:33): the horror. Acting (1:03:06) praises Dan Dailey and Joanne Dru, Richard Crenna, Richard Hylton, and does not praise the terrible doctor. Delightfulness of Catcher (1:07:04) considers whether or not Paul functions as a catcher, with some discussion of Gus Mancuso, Jimmy Wilson, Spud Davis, Bill Delancy, and Bruce Ogrodowski. Delightfulness of Announcer (1:11:00) discusses the cornucopia of announcers and the supreme delightfulness of Dizzy as an announcer. Lack of Misogyny (1:13:49) delves in on the portrayal of Pat, with Dizzy steamrolling Pat in their courtship vs. the film's possible comeuppance. That woman in the stands with her boyfriend definitely comes up. No spoilers on the following segments: Yes or No (1:20:55), Six Degrees of Baseball (1:23:44), Favorite Moment (1:25:22) Least Favorite Moment (1:27:18), Scene We Would Have Liked to See (1:28:44), Dreamiest Player (1:31:26), Favorite Performance (1:32:12) Review Thank You (1:33:14) and Next Time (1:33:37).

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TBG 53 - Reverse the Curse

podcasts@pitcherlist.com (Ellen Adair, Scott Leger) — Sun, 9 Mar 2025 06:00:00 +0000

Ellen Adair and writer/director/filmmaker Scott Leger discuss the 2023 film "Reverse the Curse," written by and starring David Duchovny. Introduction to Mr. Leger (0:35) and then an introduction to REVERSE THE CURSE (5:39) with cul-de-sac into where Scott and Ellen were when the Red Sox won in 2004, which is not at all what this movie is about, to our surprise. A summary of the film (12:57), followed by discussion of writer/director and other leads. We review the 20-80 scouting scale (17:02), meet Scott's Scouting Director (17:39) and then begin with Amount of Baseball (19:00). Mostly, the lack of baseball has these scouts cranky, plus how this led to Ellen's mammoth discovery of how this is a Trojan Horse of a Red Sox movie, changing literally everything. Baseball Accuracy (30:09) discusses the curse reversal possibility within the film, Harry Frazee's sale of Babe Ruth being erroneously attributed to "No No Nanette," the film failing to reckon with the larger context, ie, 1986 or 1975 and the oddness of it being set in 1978, a rundown of what happened in the Red Sox 1978 season since this movie doesn't really get into it, the Boston Massacre, everything that happened in the 1978 tie-breaking game, background on Ron Guidry and Mike Torrez, context on Bucky Dent, bad blood between Reggie Jackson, Thurman Munson and Jackson and Billy Martin, the origin story of the "Mr. October" nickname, the inaccuracy of the Red Sox final eight games, and the inaccuracy in Marty's final monologue. Storytelling (56:51) dives in on superstition in sports and the equivalence of your team losing an important game and death, along with the utility of the tribalism. They discuss the ways in which the film undercuts Marty's Red Sox fandom, the disappearance of the Eva Gonzalez plotline and the issues this creates, Marty & Teddy trying to get to the tie-breaking game, Marty's attachment to the Red Sox, David Duchovny as multi-hyphenate, this story as novel vs. screenplay, the aging makeup, and the dialogue. An Intermission: Nine Innings with Scott Leger! (1:19:15) The Score Tool (1:26:00 ) discusses music by Vincent Jones and the album Africa by Amanaz. Acting (1:30:03) considers the performances of David Duchovny, Logan Marshall Green, Stephanie Beatriz, Pamela Adlon, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Jason Beghe, Evan Handler, Santo Fazio, and Bryce Feeser. In Delightfulness of Catcher Character (1:37:06), Ellen talks about Carlton Fisk because this movie does not. Delightfulness of Announcer (1:38:45 ) weighs Colin Cosell as "Sports Broadcaster" plus Dick Stockton and Ken Harrelson. Lack of Misogyny (1:39:44 ) discusses the well-roundedness of the love interests and Marty's occasional misogyny. No spoilers on the following segments: Yes or No (1:41:42) Six Degrees of Baseball (1:44:17) Favorite Moment (1:44:41) Least Favorite Moment (1:45:40) Scene We'd Like to See (1:46:23) Dreamiest Player (1:46:52) and Favorite Performance (1:47:22). Find Scott Leger on @scotterybarn on Twixter and Bluesky and @scotbot3000 on IG and Ellen @ellen_adair on Twixter, @ellenadair on Bluesky and Tikotk, and @ellenadairg on IG.

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TBG 52 - Tiger Town

podcasts@pitcherlist.com (Ellen Adair, Eric Gilde) — Sun, 23 Feb 2025 06:00:00 +0000

Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde discuss the 1983 Disney movie "Tiger Town." They introduce the film (1:52), with an overview of the story, cast, and filmmakers. They review the 20-80 baseball scouting grades for rating the film (6:16). Amount of Baseball (12:47) considers photos of baseball, tight shots, and slow-mo, with reference to Wesley Snipes in "Major League." Don't hate the player comp. Baseball Accuracy (10:36) discusses the "Angels in the Outfield Without the Literal Angels" premise and the quantum physics observation principle, Roy Sheider's age and athleticism, the Tigers' record of the previous 30 years, Al Kaline, and the 1968 World Series vs. the Cardinals (Bob Gibson, Lou Brock, Orlando Cepeda, Roger Maris). Eric shouts-out to Gate Brown, and Ellen breaks down the Tigers' required second-half winning percentage. Billy Young's batting average and RBI are problematic. The scouts also examine Alex's Dream Ballet, weekday games for the 1983 Tigers, Sparky Anderson, and score discrepancies in the final game. Storytelling (43:53) considers the various beliefs and superstitions and many issues with the cinematic storytelling. Why is the dad both unemployed and dying, and why the structural suddenness of his death? Why isn't there a B plot? Are we in MOMA? From whence this disposable income? Why not help anyone else? The ride to the stadium is long but that bike deal is absolutely INSANE. The Score (1:11:46) debates the usage of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame," the Renn Faire music, and the drum solo. In Acting (1:17:21), they assess Justin Henry's performance as a young actor, Roy Scheider's limited involvement, and the atrocious scenes with mom. Delightfulness of Catcher (1:21:11) doesn't offer much, but Delightfulness of Announcer (1:21:27) appreciates the inclusion of Ernie Harwell, Al Ackerman, and Ray Lane. Lack of Misogyny (1:24:32) bemoans the lack of development or consistent point-of-view for the mother, with a brief digression about the "Star Spangled Banner" record. No spoilers on the following segments: Yes or No (1:28:51), Six Degrees of Baseball (1:32:18), Favorite Moment (1:33:13) Least Favorite Moment (1:35:48), Scene We Would Have Liked to See (1:37:15), Dreamiest Player (1:38:34), Favorite Performance (1:39:06), Review Thank You (1:40:10) and Next Time (1:40:22).

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TBG 51 - Summer Catch

podcasts@pitcherlist.com (Ellen Adair, Eric Gilde) — Sun, 9 Feb 2025 06:00:00 +0000

Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde discuss the 2001 movie "Summer Catch." They introduce the film (1:15), with an overview of the story, cast, and filmmakers, and diatribe about the title. They review the 20-80 baseball scouting grades for rating the film (5:35), with a why-not metaphor. Amount of Baseball (10:20) is helped by the fullness of the baseball narratives. Baseball Accuracy (12:54) attacks the film's mysterious attitude towards relief pitching and warming up, with the sub-category Brian Dennehy Is a Bad Manager. They dive into the Cape Cod Summer League history and a few CCBL alum (Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio, Nomar Garciaparra, Mo Vaughn, Frank Thomas, Carlton Fisk, Pie Traynor, Henry Davis, Spencer Torkelson, Adley Rutschman, Casey Mize, Pat Burrell, Aaron Nola, Jason Varitek, Chase Utley), the use of wooden bats in CCBL, Chatham A's championships, and Cape Cod League baseball cards. There are some in/accuracies with scouting and signing (references to Joe Mauer and Adrian Gonzalez), signing deadlines (references to Stephen Drew, Jered Weaver). The scouts wonder about the sample size on Billy's batting average, issues with the Hyannis Mets, and the practicality of the Greg Maddux advice. WTFork with the called/swinging strikes. Velocity then and now! Ellen predictably gets into the Phillies lineup at the end (Bobby Abreu, Jimmy Rollins, Doug Glanville, Marlon Anderson, Mike Lieberthal, Pat Burrell, Travis Lee). Points for the Batavia Muckdogs. Storytelling (44:55) tries to sort out the preponderance of storylines, including the American Pie / Bull Durham mashup plaguing Dom (Wilmer Valderrama). Ellen outlines this movie's early assault on rational thought. Is Dede an ally or a hindrance? Why is Tenley interested in Ryan? Does this movie think this league is important? What are the stakes for these characters? Can we get some consistent points-of-view pls? Everyone Has to Be a Ten, fat phobia, other issues with Miles's (Marc Blucas) storyline, and the extremely, extremely weird relationship with the Mulligan siblings. The Score (1:19:09) weighs the onslaught of pop music, highlights including LL Cool J, Tarsha Vega, and the Dandy Warhols, with the hotel lounge jazz combo score. Acting (1:22:21) considers the performances of Jessica Biel, Freddie Prinze Jr., Brittany Murphy, Matthew Lillard, Brian Dennehy, Fred Ward, Bruce Davison, and John C. McGinley. Everyone deserved better. Delightfulness of Catcher (1:27:27) balances Matthew Lillard's charisma and the good pitcher/catcher dynamic with the unheroic things about the character. Delightfulness of Announcer (1:25:11) generally appreciates Curt Gowdy's contributions to the film. Lack of Misogyny (1:22:21) considers the fat phobia / misogyny Venn Diagram, but appreciates the character of Katie Parrish, and has a brief digression on the topic of her search for a mascot for the A's. A quick psychoanalysis of the writers of this film, vis-a-vis their depiction of female characters. No spoilers on the following segments: Yes or No (1:41:54), Six Degrees of Baseball (1:48:42), Favorite Moment (1:50:12) Least Favorite Moment (1:51:34), Scene We Would Have Liked to See (1:54:47), Dreamiest Player (1:57:16), Favorite Performance (1:58:11), Review Thank You (2:00:35) and Next Time (2:00:54).

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TBG 50 - The Soul of the Game

podcasts@pitcherlist.com (Ellen Adair, Eric Gilde) — Sun, 2 Feb 2025 06:00:00 +0000

Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde discuss the 1996 film "Soul of the Game." They introduce the film (1:16), with an overview of the story, cast, and filmmakers. They review the 20-80 baseball scouting grades for rating the film (4:32). Amount of Baseball (7:50) highlights baseball in credits, some Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson and Jackie Robinson heroics, and a quick player comp. Baseball Accuracy (10:36) begins with a discussion of Josh Gibson's erratic behavior and drinking depicted in the film, versus his real-life diagnosis of a brain tumor, with anecdotes from Buck O'Neil, Orlando Cepeda, Don Newcombe, Josh's sister and Sean Gibson. Gibson's history with the Pirates and William Benswanger, Wendell Smith and Cum Posey, as well as his meeting with Clark Griffith of the Senators, are discussed. Degree of blame for Kennesaw Mountain Landis. Satchel Paige as Rookie of the Year (Alvin Dark says, Excuse me)? Satchel Paige's age? What were the mechanics of his hesitation pitch? Context for the team assembled by Trujillo, in addition to Paige's experience and performance on the team, with reference to Sam Bankhead and Cool Papa Bell. Satchel's arm pain and the number of teams Paige pitched for are also discussed. Conversation about Willie and Cat Mays in Chattanooga and Harrisburg, the 1945 East-West All Star Game, Satchel Paige sayings, Roy Campanella, Monte Irvin, Hilton Smith, Marion Anderson, Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, Josh Gibson's power (972 homers?), the absence of Clyde Sukeforth and Wendell Smith, Jackie Robinson's number on the Monarchs, and the weird Black/white All-Star Game. Storytelling (55:38) considers the mythic nature of the Negro League stars, the opening montage, the dynamic between Paige and Robinson, and the story of why Robinson was the Black ballplayer who was chosen. They discuss the Willie Mays bookends, the girl at the gas station, and Steve Buckley the scout. The Score (1:10:02) includes usage of jazz, blues, and music that gets an entirely disproportionate response from Ellen. In Acting (1:12:52), admiration is lavished upon the ensemble, but particularly on Delroy Lindo, Edward Hermann and Mykelti Williamson. Blair Underwood, Salli Richardson and Gina Ravera are also praised. Delightfulness of Catcher (1:22:57) presents a conundrum of evaluating the real Josh Gibson versus the delight of this portrayal. "Light seasoning" for Delightfulness of Announcer (1:25:11). Lack of Misogyny (1:27:10) considers whether this film has actually improved upon the truth in this area, with the exception of the omission of Josh's dead wife Helen. No spoilers on the following segments: Yes or No (1:31:02), Six Degrees of Baseball (1:34:52), Favorite Moment (1:36:19) Least Favorite Moment (1:38:11), Scene We Would Have Liked to See (1:40:28), Dreamiest Player (1:44:00), Favorite Performance (1:44:28), Review Thank You (1:45:38) and Next Time (1:46:05).

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TBG 49 - Rhubarb

podcasts@pitcherlist.com (Ellen Adair, Eric Gilde) — Sun, 26 Jan 2025 06:00:00 +0000

Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde discuss the 1951 comedy, “Rhubarb.” They introduce the film (0:55), with an overview of the story, cast, and filmmakers. They review the 20-80 baseball scouting grades for rating the film (7:17), then begin their grading with Amount of Baseball (13:58). Baseball Accuracy (18:09) considers the origin of the term “rhubarb” and its journey into baseball terminology (Red Barber), as well as Rhubarb the cat’s luckiness (Brad Miller). Also considered are the 1914 Braves (Joe Connolly, Rabbit Maranville, Johnny Evers, Bill James, Lefty Tyler, Dick Rudolph), cats on the field, and the rally squirrel (Dominic Brown, Scott Kingery, Aaron Altherr), suspended and tie games, and mascot origins. Storytelling (43:55) wrangles with the film’s silliness, as well as Banner’s will, the many cats of the courtroom, Rhubarb’s capture, Polly’s sniffing abilities, making it rain (literally), pets inheriting money, as well as a quick overview of Rhubarb’s two sequels. The Score (1:17:17) does not have a lot going on, but there are some definite highlights to the Acting (1:21:16). With little in the way of baseball, however, Ellen and Eric are limited in their consideration of Delightfulness of Catcher (1:25:06) and Delightfulness of Announcer (1:25:28). Myra’s athleticism and attitude are a big part of the discussion of Lack of Misogyny (1:27:39), as is the pretty admirable character of Polly. No spoilers on the following segments: Yes or No (1:38:56), Six Degrees of Baseball (1:44:11), Favorite Moment (1:45:29) Least Favorite Moment (1:47:02), Scene We Would Have Liked to See (1:48:30), Dreamiest Player (1:50:59), Favorite Performance (1:51:37) Review Thank You (1:54:07) and Next Time (1:55:28).

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TBG 48 - The Natural

podcasts@pitcherlist.com (Ellen Adair, Eric Gilde) — Sun, 19 Jan 2025 06:00:00 +0000

Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde discuss the classic 1984 film, "The Natural." They introduce the film (2:00), with an overview of the story, cast, and filmmakers. They review the 20-80 baseball scouting grades for rating the film (6:52), and then Ellen issues the first apology in Take Me In to the Ballgame history. Amount of Baseball (15:88) kicks us off with a disagreement, as they discuss the Amount of Non-Baseball versus the iconic, thirst-quenching nature of the baseball depicted, plus a player comp. Baseball Accuracy (21:27) discusses Eddie Waitkus and Ruth Ann Steinhagen, Ted Williams, Wheaties and Lou Gehrig, the Wrigley clock and Bama Rowell, and spitballs and Burleigh Grimes. Is there an issue with Roy Hobbs hitting a walk-off homer on the road? Eric enlightens us on the process of boning a bat. Ellen wonders if Pop is a bad manager. They also address baseball superstition (with reference to Rhys Hoskins and Wade Boggs), commemorative patches, the 1939 Giants (Mel Ott & Carl Hubbell), Reds (Ernie Lombardi & Bucky Walters) and Pirates, the bribe amount, and disintegrating baseballs (Martin Maldonado). Ellen considers the One Baseball Superman problem, the Baseball Is Hard problem, and does a breakdown of Hobbs's final at bat. Storytelling (54:20) addresses Arthurian and Homeric legends, the beautiful cinematography, the "16 years later" cut, the nature of Harriet's mental illness, and some confusion around Roy's flaw and the shame of being shot. What was Roy doing for 16 years? Can someone explain these medical issues? They also discuss Roy's magic, the newspaper photos of Iris, various issues with Judge, the son's whereabouts, and Roy's stay in the maternity ward. The Score (1:24:29) lays praise at the majestic feet of Randy Newman's score. Acting (1:28:56) lauds the ensemble, with special mention of Robert Redford, Glenn Close, Wilford Brimley and Richard Farnsworth, and a question about Kim Basinger. Delightfulness of Catcher (1:39:15) considers Olsen's catcher-esque story function and recognition of Hobbs despite not knowing he was a pitcher, without being a prominent character. Plus, some bonus catchers. Delightfulness of Announcer (1:42:44) is another disagreement. Get ready for Lack of Misogyny (1:46:31), in which our scouts discuss women as either bad-luck seductresses or patient angels in a Madonna/Whore binary, where ultimately women are only a function of their impact on men. No spoilers on the following segments: Yes or No (1:55:37), Six Degrees of Baseball (2:03:21), Favorite Moment (2:05:33) Least Favorite Moment (2:08:09), Scene We Would Have Liked to See (2:10:22), Dreamiest Player (2:12:09), Favorite Performance (2:13:26) Review Thank You (2:17:58) and Next Time (2:18:25).

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TBG 47 - The Battery

podcasts@pitcherlist.com (Ellen Adair, Eric Gilde) — Sun, 12 Jan 2025 06:00:00 +0000

Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde discuss the 2012 indie zombie film "The Battery." They introduce the film (2:13), with an overview of the story, cast, and filmmakers--including the almost supernatural circumstances of its making. They review the 20-80 baseball scouting grades for rating the film (8:44), and have a brief parental advisory: there will be some discussion that is not appropriate for younger listeners. Then, they begin with Amount of Baseball (15:43), discussing the feasibility of fielding a full baseball team in the zombie apocalypse, or in a film with six total living characters. "The Benchwarmers" rears its head. They consider the baseball activities shown instead, including killing a zombie with a baseball bat, and dissecting a baseball, with reverence to the work of Dr. Meredith Wills. Baseball Accuracy (21:27) queries what kind of pitcher Mickey is, and addresses the theory of friendship between a pitcher and a catcher. Eric dives in on Pittsfield baseball history, and Ellen discusses an excellent BP article by Octavio Hernandez about changeup and curveball usage amongst Dominican and Venezuelan baseball players. The John Kruk defense is invoked. Storytelling (54:43) addresses the establishment of the dynamic between Mickey and Ben, the careful and deliberate way that the past is shared with the audience, the toothbrushing scene, usage of long takes, the Mickey Needs Some Action storyline, and the subversion of expectations. The Score (55:09) revels in music by Rock Plaza Central, Brother Claude Ely, Sun Hotel, Wise Blood, The Parlor, and Ryan Winford's score. The scouts also refer to their appearances on Al Melchior's "You Me and an Album" and the "Jaws"-reference usage of "Show Me the Way to Go Home." Acting (1:03:08) focuses on the performances of Jeremy Gardner and Adam Cronheim. Delightfulness of Catcher (1:09:02) considers the very high Amount of Catcher, and what a catcher would do in a zombie apocalypse. Delightfulness of Announcer (1:12:59) also, in its way, considers the Amount of Announcer. In Lack of Misogyny (1:13:38), the scouts find they have a lot to say about the one live woman and the one main dead one, and how women function in the storytelling. No spoilers on the following segments: Yes or No (1:25:21), Six Degrees of Baseball (1:29:07), Favorite Moment (1:30:07) Least Favorite Moment (1:32:22), Scene We Would Have Liked to See (1:35:57), Dreamiest Player (1:37:47), Favorite Performance (1:38:17) Review Thank You (1:39:02) and Next Time (1:39:50).

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TBG 46 - Little Big League

podcasts@pitcherlist.com (Ellen Adair, Eric Gilde) — Sun, 29 Dec 2024 06:00:00 +0000

Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde scout the 1994 movie, “Little Big League,” grading it on the 20-80 scouting scale. They introduce the film (2:29) before reviewing the 20-80 baseball scouting grades for rating the film (8:26). In Amount of Baseball (15:05), they are dazzled by the variety and amount of on-field play, and a player comp comes courtesy of MLB The Show. Baseball Accuracy (19:32) considers the overwhelming number of players referenced and appearing in the film (Babe Herman, Dazzy Vance, Ralph Branca, Bobby Thompson, Willie Mays, Moses Fleetwood Walker, Jackie Robinson, Roger Clemens, Walter Johnson, Whitey Herzog, Bobby Valentine, Bob Lemon, Rickey Henderson, Tommy LaSorda, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Ted Williams, Ty Cobb, Wahoo Sam Crawford, Mark McGwire and Jose Canseco (indirect as Billy’s friends are called the B.B.), Reggie Jackson, Wade Boggs, Sammy Sosa, Bob Uecker, Bo Jackson, Danny Tartabull, Cecil Fielder, Casey Stengel, Freddy Lindstrom, with APPEARANCES by Dave Magadan, Dean Palmer, Eric Anthony, Alex Fernandez, Lenny Webster, Lou Piniella, Rafael Palmeiro, Pudge Rodriguez, Sandy Alomar Jr., Wally Joiner, Mickey Tettleton, Carlos Baerga, Tim Raines, Paul O’Neill, Ken Griffey Jr, and Randy Johnson), Rickey Henderson’s free agency, owners being managers and stadium ownership, illegal pitches (Joe Niekro, Kevin Gross, and Roger McDowell), the crowd at the end, and Little League accuracy. The film’s quality to popularity ratio sends Ellen into an existential crisis to start off Storytelling (51:26), which then leads to discussions of growing up too quickly, the importance of having fun, the issues of presenting Jenny as a struggling single mother, the case for Billy as a bad manager, questionable child references, undercutting O’Farell’s tantrums, the security guard, and kid vs. adult wish fulfillment. Score Tool (1:19:54) laments the music that the team considers forgettable and uninspired, as well as John Fogerty’s “Centerfield” and the Band’s cover of Muddy Waters’ “Stuff You Gotta Watch.” Acting (1:25:07) considers the entire ensemble, including Luke Edwards, Timothy Busfield, Kevin Dunn, John Ashton, Jason Robards, Dennis Farina, Jonathan Silverman, as well as the general dynamic between child and adult actors. Delightfulness of Catcher (1:31:12) focuses on the value of Mark’s redemption, with some time devoted to Mickey Tettleton’s bad attitude. Delightfulness of Announcer (1:33:56) is a celebration of John Gordon and the weirdly specific baseball stats he shares. Lack of Misogyny (1:36:32) is a bit unfortunate in comparison, with female characters only presented in relation to men and frequently being pretty vapid. Some strange song choices, too! No spoilers on the following segments: Yes or No (1:41:38), Six Degrees of Baseball (1:45:36), Favorite Moment (1:48:05) Least Favorite Moment (1:50:43), Scene We Would Have Liked to See (1:53:02), Dreamiest Player (1:55:27), Favorite Performance (1:56:32), Review Thank You (1:59:32), and Next Time (1:59:56)

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TBG 45 - Replay Review - Rookie of the Year

podcasts@pitcherlist.com (Eric Gilde, Scott Thomas) — Sun, 22 Dec 2024 06:00:00 +0000

With Ellen Adair away, Eric Gilde brings in Chicago native Scott Thomas to revisit “Rookie of the Year” in a “Replay Review!” After introductions are made (1:25), they review the 20-80 baseball scouting grades for rating the film (16:45). In Amount of Baseball (25:12), Scott does some geographic detective work, and also shares his grading philosophy. The consideration of Baseball Accuracy (18:35) is not just for the sport but for Chicago baseball generally, with much discussion of players of the era (Randy Myers, Jose Bautista, Mark Grace, Andre Dawson, Ryan Sandberg, Kerry Wood, Greg Maddux, Sammy Sosa, Frank Thomas, and Ozzie Guillen, among others!). Storytelling (37:20) has a number of fresh takes, and Score (45:08) hits not just on Bill Conti, but Aaron Copland and Puff Daddy, as well. Acting (52:26) gets praised for its high floor, with a few real standouts. There is quick agreement on Delightfulness of Catcher (56:28) and a fresh take on John Candy’s performance for Delightfulness of Announcer (56:57). After continuing to sing Amy Morton’s praises as a part of Lack of Misogyny (1:00:37), the two move on to an abridged version of the remaining questions (1:03:12), before a reminder of what to catch Next Time (1:11:28).

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TBG 44 - "Seinfeld: The Boyfriend"

podcasts@pitcherlist.com (Ellen Adair, Eric Gilde) — Sun, 15 Dec 2024 06:00:00 +0000

Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde discuss the 1992 Seinfeld episode, “The Boyfriend.” They introduce the episode (1:34), and review the 20-80 baseball scouting grades for rating it (5:47). In Amount of Baseball (12:28), the scouts consider how the presence of actual baseball players impacts their scoring. Baseball Accuracy (17:02) considers Keith Hernandez’s status as a Civil War buff, defensive acumen, and 1979 MVP award (with nods to Greg Maddux and Willie Stargell). Also discussed are Roger McDowell’s antics (Gary Carter and Tommy Greene) and the 1986 World Series. Praise of jokes and structure make up a lot of the discussion of Storytelling (37:20), as does an examination of Keith and Jerry’s friendship. After talking about the Score (51:59), Eric and Ellen then talk acting (54:44), with praise of the ensemble and thoughts on Jerry Seinfeld’s acting ability specifically. Delightfulness of Catcher (1:01:14) and Delightfulness of Announcer (1:01:59) are pretty thin, but Jerry’s behavior around Keith and George’s date give Ellen and Eric plenty to consider in Lack of Misogyny (1:02:14). No spoilers on the following segments: Yes or No (1:08:31), Six Degrees of Baseball (1:12:59), Favorite Moment (1:13:36), Least Favorite Moment (1:15:47), Scene We Would Have Liked to See (1:18:53), Dreamiest Player (1:21:11), Favorite Performance (1:21:37) Review Thank You (1:24:00) and Next Time (1:24:45).

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TBG 43 - "Hey Arnold! : The Baseball" & the 2024 Dodgers

podcasts@pitcherlist.com (Ellen Adair, Brian Gene White) — Sun, 8 Dec 2024 06:00:00 +0000

Ellen Adair and Brian Gene White grade an episode of "Hey Arnold!" entitled "The Baseball" on the 20-80 scouting scale, with an intermission on the 2024 World Series Champion Dodgers. They introduce the show, with background on the creators (1:58) and provide a summary of this episode's story (6:12). A quick overview of the 20-80 scouting scale for those just joining us (7:15). Amount of Baseball (8:07) looks at a couple of ways that Ellen breaks with precedent in scoring this category, and at the diversity of the kinds of baseball in this episode. Baseball Accuracy (17:44) discusses the player positioning in the streetball game and some other animation faux pas, whether physics-accuracy-is-baseball-accuracy applies to this cartoon, the accuracy of Quigley Field w/r/t Ebbets Field, Shibe Park, and the Polo Grounds, and issues with Arnold having Mickey Kaline as his favorite player. The scouts dive in on some Mickey Mantle and Al Kaline comparisons with the fictional Mickey Kaline, along with references to Babe Ruth and Ted Williams. Ellen tests their ability to do a teeny tiny deep dive considering every player who homered on their last at bat, and talks about the accounting of Al Kaline's last game in Joe Posnanski's BASEBALL 100. Storytelling (43:31) talks about the primacy of stories of baseball players facing retirement in baseball media, and its metaphorical implications. They consider a few real-life baseball players, such as Chase Utley, Albert Pujols, Roberto Clemente, Ken Griffey Jr., and parallels to what's currently happening in the TV/film industry. Brian shares an interesting fact about the young voice actors in "Hey Arnold!" Both envy Arnold's room and community, and discuss Kaline's nickname. Ellen compares a story moment to Don Delillo's UNDERWORLD. Then, an INTERMISSION (1:00:16) in which Brian and Ellen discuss the 2024 Dodgers and their postseason, with a segment Ellen has titled Three Things, which challenges both of them to choose three answers to various Dodgers-related prompts. No spoilers on the names and moments discussed here as they look at the Dodgers' path to their 2024 World Series Championship. They return to grading with the Score Tool (1:25:38). Acting (1:29:00) considers the performances of Dan Castellaneta, Tress MacNeille, Ron Perlman, Toran Caudell, Jamil Walker Smith, Francesca Marie Smith, James Keane, and Dom Irrera. Delightfulness of Catcher Character (1:35:29) weighs Helga as catcher and Delightfulness of Announcer (1:38:45) Billy Riback as "TV Reporter/Announcer." Lack of Misogyny (1:40:27) leaves us feeling good. No spoilers on the following segments: Yes or No (1:43:15) Six Degrees of Baseball (1:45:56) Favorite Moment (1:46:22) Least Favorite Moment (1:46:50) Scene We'd Like to See (1:47:10) Dreamiest Player (1:48:41) and Favorite Performance (1:48:52). Follow Brian Gene White on Instagram/Threads @briangenewhite, and find Ellen Adair on Bluesky and Tiktok @ellenadair, on Twitter at @ellen_adair, and on Instagram/Threads @ellenadairg.

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TBG 42 - How to Play Baseball

podcasts@pitcherlist.com (Ellen Adair, Eric Gilde) — Sun, 1 Dec 2024 06:00:00 +0000

Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde discuss the 1942 Disney short, “How To Play Baseball,” starring many, many Goofys. They introduce the cartoon (1:55), with Ellen clarifying precedent established concerning cartoon short eligibility as a baseball film (per a previous ruling discussed between Alan Sepinwall, Joe Posnanski, and Mike Schur). This is of course followed by a review of the 20-80 baseball scouting grades for rating it (7:59). Amount of Baseball (14:30) gets help from its status as ratio-based. Baseball Accuracy (16:50) considers the cartoon’s example and argument of the game’s simplicity, the ball and glove (A.G. Spalding, Rawlings, Charlie Waitt, Doug Allison, Bill Doak), descriptions of pitch types, the World Series player shares, and hitting the cover off the ball (Martin Maldonado, Tony Walters, Jose Reyes, Bryce Harper, Jose Abreu). Ellen and Eric then turn to Storytelling (47:55), where they consider the cartoon’s structure of a descriptive half followed by a narrative half. Goofy and goofiness are praised, generally, and questions arise about fights with the umpire, which team the viewer really should be rooting for, and the notion of sentient baseballs. Swing music and high stakes come into play when discussing the Score (56:46), and Acting (58:31) discusses the skill and limits of Fred Shields’ narration. Delightfulness of Catcher (59:56) and Delightfulness of Announcer (1:02:25) and Lack of Misogyny (1:04:21) discussions are limited due to the nature and contents of this short cartoon. No spoilers on the following segments: Yes or No (1:06:12), Six Degrees of Baseball (1:12:07), Favorite Moment (1:15:16) Least Favorite Moment (1:16:49), Scene We Would Have Liked to See (1:19:46), Dreamiest Player (1:21:37), Favorite Performance (1:23:20) Review Thank You (1:25:30) and Next Time (1:27:25).

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TBG 41 - Fear Strikes Out

podcasts@pitcherlist.com (Ellen Adair, Eric Gilde) — Sun, 24 Nov 2024 06:00:00 +0000

Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde discuss the 1957 film "Fear Strikes Out." They introduce the film (1:26), with an overview of the story, cast, director and writer. They review the 20-80 baseball scouting grades for rating the film (8:45), with autobiographical metaphors (appropriately). In Amount of Baseball (14:38), the scouts' differing viewpoints on this tool yield different assessments, but they both agree that the movie is not extremely interested in the actual baseball action. Ellen has a 2020 player comp. However, in Baseball Accuracy (18:35), they start by considering the accuracy of the on-field play that we do see, particularly ball trajectories and one geographical issue. There are a few inside-the-park-home-run inaccuracies and one Pat Venditte situation. They discuss Piersall's history of stolen bases (w/r/t Luis Aparicio and Maury Wills), Fenway Accuracy, Joe Cronin, Lou Boudreau, and the Sox outfield (Clyde Vollmer, Dom DiMaggio, Hoot Evers, Faye Throneberry and Ted Williams). With appreciation to Mark Armour's SABR article, they discuss the nature of Jimmy's outbursts and on-field antics in contrast to what is depicted in the film. Storytelling (32:48) brings up Ellen's problem with many biopics, and Eric's view of the melodrama. They discuss the storytelling around Jimmy's illness and Mrs. Piersall's illness, Mr. Piersall's overbearing nature (as depicted), the camera work, Edith Head's costumes, and the exposition. Boy howdy, the exposition. Is The Score (1:03:50) overbearing or not? Acting (1:21:39) compliments the ensemble, but our scouts canNOT shut up about how fantastic Anthony Perkins and Karl Malden are. Delightfulness of Catcher (1:20:19) and Delightfulness of Announcer (1:20:58) do not offer much. Lack of Misogyny (1:22:06) considers Jimmy Piersall in an apron. No spoilers on the following segments: Yes or No (1:24:22), Six Degrees of Baseball (1:22:49), Favorite Moment (1:29:20) Least Favorite Moment (1:33:25), Scene We Would Have Liked to See (1:34:49), Dreamiest Player (1:36:35), Favorite Performance (1:36:59) Review Thank You (1:42:30) and Next Time (1:43:09).

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TBG 40 - War Eagle Arkansas

podcasts@pitcherlist.com (Ellen Adair, Eric Gilde) — Sun, 17 Nov 2024 06:00:00 +0000

Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde discuss the 2007 film "War Eagle Arkansas." They introduce the film (2:25), with an overview of the story, cast, director and writer. They review the 20-80 baseball scouting grades for rating the film (5:20), with a metaphor for the ages. In Amount of Baseball (9:35), Eric tries to find baseball wherever he can, while Ellen remembers the Jared Hughes / J.T. Realmuto moment. Baseball Accuracy (13:25) considers Wheels's assessment of Enoch's pitching, Luke Grimes' pitching motion, and Pops's baseball career. The scouts dive in on Albert Pujols career (recorded before his release, but this goes out to you, Pujols), and the Dizzy Dean vs. Bob Gibson vs. Cy Young controversy, with references to Lefty Gomez, Carl Hubbell, Jacob deGrom, and Corbin Burnes. Some discussion of WWE/WWF, Jerry Lawler, and birds. Storytelling (32:48) addresses questions about the rivalry with Nardler and the Eureka Springs boys, Pops' baseball career, contradictory impulses vs. an inconsistent point-of-view, and whether or not Enoch actually likes baseball. Our scouts discuss the film's message vs. their own personal wiring, and the binary presentation of Enoch's choice. Did we need Pops's funeral, or the scene with the deer? We absolutely needed the cinematography; props to Masanobu Takayanagi. The Score (1:14:45) praises Will Churchill's guitar compositions and the bluegrass music depicted in the film, with reference to Ola Belle Reed, and the poetry of Miller Williams. Acting (1:21:39) compliments Brian Dennehy, Mare Winningham and Mary Kay Place, and revels in the performances of Luke Grimes and Dan McCabe. Delightfulness of Catcher (1:27:39) considers Pops as a catcher. Delightfulness of Announcer (1:28:59) sets a record? Lack of Misogyny (1:29:07) mulls how Wheels's misogynist comments should be graded. No spoilers on the following segments: Yes or No (1:33:56), Six Degrees of Baseball (1:37:07), Favorite Moment (1:39:58) Least Favorite Moment (1:41:14), Scene We Would Have Liked to See (1:42:25), Dreamiest Player (1:44:37), Favorite Performance (1:45:53) Review Thank You (1:44:14) and Next Time (1:49:43).

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TBG 39 - Major League II

podcasts@pitcherlist.com (Ellen Adair, Eric Gilde) — Sun, 10 Nov 2024 06:00:00 +0000

Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde discuss the 1994 movie "Major League II." They introduce the film (1:13), with an overview of the story, cast, director and writer. They review the 20-80 baseball scouting grades for rating the film (4:58), with a metaphor that leads Ellen to bring up her earliest baseball writing. Then, they begin with Amount of Baseball (11:09), comparing it to "Major League," and celebrating the healthy amount throughout, and how it is shot. Player comps are still for 2020. Baseball Accuracy (15:18) dives in on Rick Vaughn's pitching mix (with excellent input from the sensei, Nick Pollack) and the film's fundamental misunderstanding of both pitching and the role of the relief pitcher. But there are many other questions. Why aren't people more excited about these pitchers pitching 8.2 innings? Ellen refers to Aaron Nola, Vince Velasquez, and Nick Pivetta. Who is catching when Rube is in the bullpen? HOW many homers is Jack Parkman going to hit? Eric cites Johnny Bench and Javy Lopez. Does Rick Vaughn need glasses? Why are the White Sox villains? Talk about divisions, Skunk in the Outfield Play, and the numbers on Dorn's purchase of the franchise. Some historical dives on Runners Jumping Over Catchers (Chris Coughlan, Matt Carpenter, Jason Kendall, Deon Sanders, Andrew McCutchen and J.T. Realmuto), Birds Hit by Baseballs (Eric Davis, Dave Winfield, Dion James, Randy Johnson, Shin-Soo Choo and Coco Crisp) and ways in which the film was Ahead of Its Time (offseason skills changes; Asian players, w/r/t Masanori Murakami, Hideo Nomo, Mac Suzuki and Chan-Ho Park; billboards; Hayes' A-Rod move). Eric discusses Lou Boudreau and Bob Feller, while Ellen looks at players with the yips, particularly Mackey Sasser and Jarrod Saltalamacchia, but also Rick Ankiel, Steve Blass, Chuck Knoblauch and Steve Sax. Storytelling (54:43) addresses the inevitable comparisons to Major League Number One, weighing the excellent jokes to the panoply of offensive stereotypes. Eric has some storyline issues with Rick Vaughn, and Ellen wonders why they had to set the movie the very next season. "Get out of your head" and "have fun" baseball movie tropes surface. They discuss the return to the Rachel Phelps well and unaddressed character changes for Roger Dorn. What happens with Nikki's White Sox fan boyfriend? - and other issues with the Nikki storyline. Fact checks on her middle school classroom. The Score (1:18:47) is mostly what they want for this. Acting (1:21:03) compliments the returning cast of Charlie Sheen, Tom Berenger, Corbin Bernsen, Dennis Haysbert, James Gammon, and Margaret Whitton. David Keith's villainy is delicious. Ellen has a take on Omar Epps' version of Willie, and advocates for Eric Bruskotter. Eric has a Remember Some Guys moment with Randy Quaid. Delightfulness of Catcher (1:35:06) discusses the rich variety of catchers presented in Jake Taylor, Rube Baker, and Jack Parkman, and considers "amount of catchers." Delightfulness of Announcer (1:41:55) lauds Bob Uecker and Monty's moment in the spotlight. Some discussion of costume design and announcer questions. Lack of Misogyny (1:45:05) considers, again, Rachel Phelps' villainy, the role of Vaughn's agent girlfriend Rebecca Flannery, Nikki, and Dorn's assistant. No spoilers on the following segments: Yes or No (1:49:14), Six Degrees of Baseball (1:53:16), Favorite Moment (1:54:11) Least Favorite Moment (1:55:56), Scene We Would Have Liked to See (1:58:17), Dreamiest Player (2:00:53), Favorite Performance (2:01:02) Review Thank You (2:05:00) and Next Time (2:06:07).

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TBG 38 - The Court-Martial of Jackie Robinson

podcasts@pitcherlist.com (Ellen Adair, Eric Gilde) — Sun, 3 Nov 2024 07:00:00 +0000

Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde discuss the 1990 TV movie "The Court-Martial of Jackie Robinson." They introduce the film (1:27), with an overview of the story, cast, director and writer. They review the 20-80 baseball scouting grades for rating the film (5:48), with a metaphor that Mike Schur would not enjoy. Then, they begin with Amount of Baseball (9:48), discussing whether or not this is a baseball movie, plus amount of football. Player comp? Baseball Accuracy (12:35) considers things that the film gets right about the court-martial, the stakes of the event, and its role in Jackie Robinson's life. They also discuss Jackie's friendship with Joe Louis and the latter's fights with Max Schmelling, Wendell Smith timeline issues, Branch Rickey and the United States League, why Robinson left UCLA and his post-college life, and the breakup with Rachel. Storytelling (35:24) praises the way the film represents racism as a spectrum, not a binary, with a variety and intensity of characters' racism. Wendell Smith's importance in this film is a bonus. They discuss the storytelling of the opening photo montage, the high-variance player of the dialogue, and filmic treatment of the bus scene itself. Score Tool discussion (56:35). Acting (1:01:14) lays praise at the feet of Andre Braugher, Stan Shaw, Ruby Dee, Daniel Stern, Bruce Dern, and J.A. Preston. Delightfulness of Catcher (1:08:57) and Delightfulness of Announcer (1:09:25) do not offer much. Lack of Misogyny (1:10:00) is helped by the amazing women who were actually in Jackie's life. No spoilers on the following segments: Yes or No (1:12:57), Six Degrees of Baseball (1:17:13), Favorite Moment (1:18:42) Least Favorite Moment (1:21:20), Scene We Would Have Liked to See (1:23:18), Dreamiest Player (1:26:01), Favorite Performance (1:26:40) Next Time (1:28:16) and Review Thank You (1:30:03).

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TBG 37 - Aunt Mary

podcasts@pitcherlist.com (Ellen Adair, Eric Gilde) — Sun, 27 Oct 2024 05:00:00 +0000

Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde discuss the 1979 TV movie "Aunt Mary," about Mary Dobkin, the first female little league coach in Baltimore. They introduce the film (1:27), with an overview of the story, cast, and director. They review the 20-80 baseball scouting grades for rating the film (5:21), with an on-the-nose metaphor. Amount of Baseball (9:50) makes some borderline calls on baseball on the radio and stickball, and appreciates Cal Abrams in the footage. Eric may not appreciate Ellen's player comp. Baseball Accuracy (15:22) references "Rookie of the Year" for the first practice, while Nicholas's baseball skill is called into question: that's a lot of choking up for a power hitter. The real Aunt Mary's coaching timeline brings up a discussion about the level of integration in baseball in 1950-1955, with reference to Jehosie "Jay" Heard, Hank Aaron, Jackie Robinson, Willie Mays, the 1954 Dodgers and World Series teams. More background on Aunt Mary's biography, and a dive into her baseball opinions, w/r/t bunting, Leo Durocher, slider grips, and the 1955 Orioles. An Ellen Adair Breakdown on her assertions about Gus Triandos and Eddie Waitkus. Pete Gray, Bob Turley, Clint Courtney, and the Orioles' minor league team are also discussed. In Storytelling (44:10), our scouts admire the direction, pacing, and perspective on baseball, though they discuss when the exposition does and doesn't work. The amputee joke and the lip-syncing kids definitely don't work, but they do bring to mind screening rooms at MOMA. Everybody Wants to Get With Aunt Mary. Strasberg Is the Worst. Can we see the books of the ice cream guy? They also discuss the gradations of racists in the final game, its outcome, similarities to "Take Me Out to the Ballgame," Mary's rules, and Baltimore marble. The Score (1:15:14) balances some schmaltz with some fun choices. Acting (1:17:40) praises Jean Stapleton, but the scouts are mixed on Martin Balsam and Harold Gould. The young actors are sufficient. Delightfulness of Catcher (1:24:19) discusses Tony Rocco and Aunt Mary as a catcher. Delightfulness of Announcer (1:27:04) considers radio announcing. Lack of Misogyny (1:29:14) wonders if Strasberg gets sufficient comeuppance for his micro-aggressions. The kids' attitudes, with Old Maid vs. Bachelor Girl, testing of Mary's baseball knowledge, and the What Man Taught You About Baseball phenomenon, are also discussed. Dr. Hoxley is always an issue, but again: Everyone Wants to Get With Aunt Mary. No spoilers on the following segments: Yes or No (1:42:03), Six Degrees of Baseball (1:47:50), Favorite Moment (1:48:15) Least Favorite Moment (1:49:40), Scene We Would Have Liked to See (1:53:22), Dreamiest Player (1:56:07), Favorite Performance (1:56:57) Next Time (1:58:38) and Review Thank You (1:59:55).

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TBG 36 - The Scout

podcasts@pitcherlist.com (Ellen Adair, Eric Gilde) — Sun, 20 Oct 2024 05:00:00 +0000

Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde scout the 1999 movie, "The Scout," grading it on the 20-80 scouting scale. They introduce the film (2:00), with an overview of the story, cast, and director. They review the 20-80 baseball scouting grades for rating the film (10:05), with a bit of a search for a metaphor. In Amount of Baseball (14:51), Eric stays on the wagon, despite personal conflict. They discuss the size and duration of shots, Cheetos for dinner, Keith Hernandez, Bret Saberhagen and a 2020 player comp. Baseball Accuracy (20:18) tackles the ability to sign amateurs, particularly college students, with reference to the Phillies signing Mike Adams and the Nats signing Bryce Harper. There's either a huge problem with understanding how scouting works, an organizational player development problem, or both. A brief foray into players who have signed and gone straight to the majors, including Bob Feller, Harmon Killebrew, Sandy Koufax, Dave Winfield, Catfish Hunter, Garrett Crochet and Mike Leake. Tommy Lacey and Adrian Houser compare-and-contrast. Issues with Mexican baseball accuracy refer to Julio Urias and Joaqim Soria, and pitch speed accuracy refers to Nolan Ryan, Bob Feller, and Steve Dalkowski. Brendan Fraser's form is discussed. Issues with the final game bring up immaculate innings, including Zach Plesac, Danny Jackson, Red Barrett, Ron Necciai, along with Don Larsen, Ozzie Smith as a power hitter, Billy Martin, and the number 42. Storytelling (46:57) addresses many questions: is Al good at his job? Did no one think through the King Kong analogy? What is the tone of this movie? Who thought these Mexico scenes were okay? What is the movie's attitude towards therapy? Why won't Steve pitch? What's the deal with his contract? Ellen has an additional series of "WHY" questions. They also discuss Steve's interactions with the press, Jimmy Piersall, Fernando Valenzuela, and the price of Dom Perignon. Score Tool (1:18:31) wonders if this is Bill Conti's floor as a composer. Some discussion of "You've Gotta Have Heart" from "Damn Yankees," and the Tony Bennett sequence. Acting (1:22:34) discusses the performances of Albert Brooks, Brendan Fraser, Dianne Wiest, Michael Rappaport and Lane Smith. George Steinbrenner is fine. Delightfulness of Catcher (1:26:16) weighs the various bowled-over people responding to Steve. Does Al count as a catcher? Delightfulness of Announcer (1:26:16) weighs the merits of Bob Costas and Tim McCarver versus the stupid things they are given to say. Eric fact-checks world series viewership. Ellen defends Costas/McCarver, but not John Sterling. Lack of Misogyny (1:32:07) balances Al's misogyny with the many excellent things about Dr. Aaron, Dianne Wiest's character. Some consideration for the character of Jennifer. No spoilers on the following segments: Yes or No (1:33:04), Six Degrees of Baseball (1:40:29), Favorite Moment (1:41:49) Least Favorite Moment (1:43:57), Scene We Would Have Liked to See (1:44:26), Dreamiest Player (1:47:50), Favorite Performance (1:48:47) Next Time (1:50:40) and Review Thank You (1:51:58).

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TBG 35 - Take Me Out to the Ballgame

podcasts@pitcherlist.com (Ellen Adair, Eric Gilde) — Mon, 14 Oct 2024 05:00:00 +0000

Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde discuss the 1949 Busby Berkley musical "Take Me Out to the Ballgame," grading it on the 20-80 scouting scale. They introduce the film (1:34), with an overview of the story, cast, and director. They review the 20-80 baseball scouting grades for rating the film (11:10), with another apropos metaphor. Amount of Baseball (15:50) revisits what counts towards baseball quantity. They discuss the wait for a proper baseball scene, baseball montages without baseball, and the illustrations in the opening credits. Ellen points out the moment that Goldberg considers stretching a single. With Baseball Accuracy (18:53), our scouts dive in on the history of ballplayers in vaudeville, discussing Ty Cobb, Christy Matthewson, John McGraw, Mike Donlin, Cap Anson and Rube Marquard. They determine the year depicted in the film using T206 baseball cards, and tell stories about Rube Waddell and Ossee Shreck. Ah, Rube Waddell. Teddy Roosevelt and clowning accuracies are considered. They debate the 1908 vs. 1927 version of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" and problems with arguing balls and strikes, season scheduling, deadball-era observations, and the final game, with shout-out to Brett Phillips and Randy Arozarena. An unofficial Ellen Adair breakdown on baseball weight, citing Jose Altuve, Ronald Torreyes, Candy Cummings, Dummy Leitner, and Johnny Evers. Storytelling (46:31) examines this film as a high-variance player. They discuss baseball-relevant songs like "O'Brien to Ryan to Goldberg," with reference to "Tinker to Evers to Chance" and Hank Greenberg, baseball-irrelevant songs like "The Hat My Father Wore on St. Patrick's Day," and horrifying songs, like "Yes, Indeedy." Are the people writing the songs and the dialogue talking to each other? That's a lot of milk. Consideration of Denny's (Frank Sinatra) moonlight serenade of KC Higgins (Esther Williams), and Shirley's (Betty Garrett) pursuit of Denny. They also discuss Leo Durocher's connection to the film, Phil Rizzuto, and various manufactured problems. Score (1:14:32) generally appreciates Roger Eden's catchy, peppy style despite questions about the content. Acting (1:14:51) discusses the undeniable charisma of Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Esther Williams and Betty Garrett, plus praise for Tom Dugan, Jules Munchin, and the whole cast. Delightfulness of Catcher (1:20:41) weighs Goldberg as a clown catcher and catcher stand-in versus various traits of the Senators catcher. Delightfulness of Announcer (1:23:08) does not offer much. Lack of Misogyny (1:23:58) speculates on how the movie itself thinks it would score in this tool, with O'Brien and Ryan as romantic foils. The film's ultimate attitude towards KC Higgins and O'Brien's lack of character development are problems. No to the caveman approach. Just, no. And no spoilers on the following segments: Yes or No (1:34:00), Six Degrees of Baseball (1:40:07), Favorite Moment (1:41:02) Least Favorite Moment (1:43:34), Scene We Would Have Liked to See (1:44:55), Dreamiest Player (1:47:20), Favorite Performance (1:48:40) Next Time (1:50:05) and Review Thank You (1:51:46).

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TBG 34 - For Love of the Game

podcasts@pitcherlist.com (Ellen Adair, Eric Gilde) — Sun, 6 Oct 2024 17:00:00 +0000

Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde discuss the 1999 fim, "For Love of the Game," grading it on the 20-80 scouting scale. They introduce the film (1:19), with an overview of the story, cast, and director, and a PG-13 discussion of Kevin Costner nudity, w/r/t both this film and "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves." They review the 20-80 baseball scouting grades for rating the film (9:05) and aim to make some personal discoveries at the same time. Amount of Baseball (13:31) considers the tragedy of ratio stat vs. counting stat for this film, with some of the best major league fictional baseball competing with its overall runtime. The turkey question montage rears its ugly head this early in the podcast, plus, a player comp. Baseball Accuracy (20:20) starts off auspiciously with discussion of Brandon McCarthy's seal of approval, Costner's athleticism and the attention to detail. An Ellen Adair Breakdown considers Billy Chapel's strikeouts, with reference to both other perfect games pitched by Dennis Martinez, Addie Joss, Sandy Koufax and Matt Cain, and Chapel's provided stat line with Juan Guzman and Jack Morris. How Am I Supposed to Feed My Family with This? I've Got Another Pitcher That I Researched a Lot. They discuss the 10-and-5 rights, Billy's start, Fenway Accuracy and the Jose Conseco-esque homer moment. Vin Scully is a surprisingly unreliable narrator. They also address Dave Eiland's role in the film, franchises with the most perfect games and Roy Halladay reminiscences, Kirk Gibson, Sparky Anderson and Dick Williams in the 1984 World Series, Armando Galarraga, and Yankee fan accuracy. In Storytelling (46:44), our scouts attempt to wrap their minds around the contrast in execution of the baseball and romance scenes, and the lengths they went to in order to avoid their boredom with the latter. Issues with Jane: the sign-wearing hypothesis; as a writer; going to a baseball field to avoid a pitcher; game attendance; motherhood; more. They are confused by Billy's morning schedule and annoyed with Mr. Wheeler and various communication issues. Mixed feelings about the V-8 conversation. Eric takes issue with the title, while Ellen has a question about Billy's parents. The Score (1:22:43) reminds Ellen of The Sims, at best. Song selection, including Shaggy, Vince Gill, and the "Paint It Black" does not help much. Acting (1:27:19) praises the ensemble, particularly John C. Reilly, Brian Cox, Jenna Malone, J.K. Simmons and his moustache. Competing but supporting theories about Kelly Preston. They rank this Costner performance. Shout-outs to Michael Papajohn as Sam Tuttle, Arnetia Walker as the bartender, Joshua Young as the airport bar Yankees fans, Shelly Desai as the taxi-driver and Jacob Reynolds as Wheeler's nephew: way to cast, Lynn Kressel. A George Steinbrenner anecdote. Delightfulness of Catcher (1:37:30) delights in John C. Reilly as Gus, his speech, and the Phillies defense and Aaron Nola. Delightfulness of Announcer (1:39:34) praises Vin Scully, Steve Lyons, and the Steve Lyons pants moment. Lack of Misogyny (1:44:30) considers Jane and her many issues, and Heather's interest in baseball. Is Ellen broken? No spoilers on the following segments: Yes or No (1:49:40), Six Degrees of Baseball (1:54:40), Favorite Moment (1:55:20) Least Favorite Moment (1:57:00), Scene We Would Have Liked to See (1:58:50), Dreamiest Player (2:01:14), Favorite Performance (2:01:36) Next Time (2:04:19) and Review Thank You (2:05:29).

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TBG33 - I Will Buy You

podcasts@pitcherlist.com (Ellen Adair, Eric Gilde) — Sun, 29 Sep 2024 05:00:00 +0000

Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde discuss the 1956 Japanese film "I Will Buy You," directed by Masaki Kobayashi, grading it on the 20-80 scouting scale. They introduce the film (1:11), with an overview of the story, cast, and director. If you have not seen this film and are following along at home, use this handy reference. Kishimoto: the scout. Kurita: the baseball star. Kyuki: the coach. Fueko: Kurita's girlfriend. Ryoko: Kyuki's mistress, also Fueko's sister. Also, if you're just joining, a review the 20-80 baseball scouting grades for rating the film (9:05). Amount of Baseball (12:14) considers different interpretations of the title sequence, and Ellen speculates about a kinship with a 1950s Japanese audience, adding a personal baseball-in-Japan anecdote. Player comp...exists. With Baseball Accuracy (18:53), our scouts dive in on Japan's history of player acquisition, as best as they can (with help from Jim Allen and Kozo Ota). Ellen refers to Allen's piece about Testuya Yoneda and Masanori Murakami, while Eric provides equivalents for the salary numbers discussed. What is the Toyo in Toyo Flowers for? Is it a joke? They also discuss Japanese team names, Mordecai "Three-Finger" Brown, and a brief history of Japan's baseball origins. Storytelling (34:17) revels in the spy movie vibes, the opening and closing of the film, and some well-planted storyline seeds. But some issues exist with the usage of voiceover, misdirected storytelling in the early film, and our introductions to both Fueko and Kyuki. Feelings are mixed about Kishimoto shoving Kyuki into a car and the little plastic airplane, but a travel discussion highlights the isolation of Shikoku. They imagine giving this many gifts to J.T. Realmuto. They also discuss the complexity of the characters, the panoply of gambling, trickery and corruption, Kyuki's illness, sneaky letters, baseball players as commodities, and Ellen's Favorite Kind of Story. There is comparatively little to discuss with the Score (1:12:34). Acting (1:14:51) praises Keiji Sada's (Kishimoto) more modern style of acting, Yunosuke Ito's (Kyuki) incredible performance and physical life, Minoru Oki's (Kurita) subtlety, and excellent moments from Keiko Kishi (Fueko). Delightfulness of Catcher (1:19:23) and Delightfulness of Announcer (1:20:17) follow. Lack of Misogyny (1:21:41) considers the characters of Fueko and Ryoko, and the wise handling of the chemistry between Fueko and Kishimoto. No spoilers on the following segments: Yes or No (1:29:10), Six Degrees of Baseball (1:35:01), Favorite Moment (1:39:04) Least Favorite Moment (1:41:27), Scene We Would Have Liked to See (1:43:11), Dreamiest Player (1:45:00), Favorite Performance (1:45:27) Next Time (1:46:50) and Review Thank You (1:48:24). Bonus plug to check out the podcast "Sometimes It Rains!"

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TBG32 - Murder at the World Series

podcasts@pitcherlist.com (Ellen Adair, Brian Gene White) — Sun, 22 Sep 2024 05:00:00 +0000

Ellen Adair and multi-hyphenate writer/actor/baseball fan Brian Gene White discuss the hilariously bad 1977 made-for-TV movie, "Murder at the World Series." They talk about Brian's upcoming comic book series, DEATH'S ASSISTANT, his play IS NOT THAT STRANGE, and the 2020 World Series, an apropos topic for Brian's Dodgers's fandom. Ellen kicks off an introduction to the film (6:14) "Murder at the World Series," including approximate synopsis, writer, director and some cast credits. After a review of the 20-80 scouting scale (13:46) and an introduction to Brian's scouting director (15:04), they dive in on Amount of Baseball (15:58). Baseball Accuracy (23:02) examines the accuracy of lineups and game seven pitching match-up, Brian's deep dive on J.R. Richard (with quotes from Jeff Pearlman), Bill Virdon Fun Facts, Astros and A's 1976/77 IRL, promoting a rookie for game six of the World Series, brief discussion of the 2022 and 2017 World Series, Brian's experience of fan bases from being a tour guide at Dodger stadium, the character of Alice listing Brooklyn Dodgers from the 1940s, Mary Shane and the history of female baseball broadcasting, w/r/t Jenny Cavnar, Suzyn Waldman, Jessica Mendoza, and some fan accuracy. This film requires a new segment, The Relevant-o-meter (57:11), rating how relevant the various characters are to the central plot. They get into the meat of Storytelling (1:09:43), clarifying that no, this is not based on Tom Seaver's book, and discussing the very (unintentionally) hilarious moments in this movie that made the scouts laugh til they wept, the creepy van, unearned Stockholm syndrome, the (un)likelihood of the Houston Astros paying ransom and other various ransom storyline plotholes, Steve as a walk-on try-out (with some context from Keith O'Brien's CHARLIE HUSTLE), this film's structural destruction of its midpoint action sequence, the dynamite in Steve's pants, the problems of baseball stakes vs. thriller stakes, and more. The Score Tool (1:48:22) discusses how John Cacavas's score is redolent of the 1950s and 1970s, and mostly adds to the hilarity. Acting (1:53:21) considers the performances of Michael Parks, Murray Hamilton, Gerald O'Laughlin, Tamara Dobson, Joseph Wiseman, Nancy Kelly, Janet Leigh, and Bruce Boxleitner, and discussion of 1970s film acting versus 1970s TV acting, with some thoughts about changes in acting style scale from the 1940s to today. Brian brings up the Dramas in the Emmys that year. Delightfulness of Catcher Character (2:02:00) finds not enough of Gene Tenace or Astros Catcher, but Delightfulness of Announcer (2:02:41) appreciates Dick Enberg's excellent contribution. Lack of Misogyny (2:05:11) discusses largely structural misogyny problems, with the film punishing the women with the most sexual partners, and some ridiculous double standards. No spoilers on the following segments: Yes or No (2:14:44), Six Degrees of Baseball (2:18:03) with bonus discussion of Jamie Lee Curtis as "dialogue coach," Favorite Moment (2:19:27), Least Favorite Moment (2:20:23), Scene We Would Like to See (2:21:13 Scene We Would Like to See), paging Rian Johnson, Dreamiest Player (2:24:24) and Favorite Performance (2:25:23).
Follow Brian Gene White @briangenewhite on Instagram/Threads, or Ellen Adair @ellen_adair on Twixter, @ellenadairg on Instagram/Threads, @ellen.adair on Tiktok / Bluesky

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TBG31 - Baseball Bugs

podcasts@pitcherlist.com (Ellen Adair, Eric Gilde) — Sun, 15 Sep 2024 05:00:00 +0000

Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde discuss the 1946 Looney Tunes Bugs Bunny cartoon, "Baseball Bugs." They introduce the cartoon (1:20), with an overview of the story, cast, director and writer, and discussion of the title's play on words. A Legal Disclaimer (6:55) clarifies that this review establishes no precedent for the cartoon to be viewed as a "film," w/r/t the dispute of Alan Sepinwall v. Joe Posnanski / Mike Schur. They review the 20-80 baseball scouting grades for rating the film (9:01), with an apropos metaphor. Amount of Baseball (12:17) begins joyously, considering the density of baseball content, and at attempt at a player comp. Baseball Accuracy (14:43) opens with a consideration of judging cartoon baseball accuracy, and the ramifications of Bugs playing multiple positions, including his sprint speed, with reference to Roman Quinn and Tim Locastro. The Gas House Gorillas appear to flout roster-size regulations, both at bat and in the field. A Dylan Bundy outing is remembered. They discuss the inconsistency of who is the home team, background on the Gashouse Gang Cardinals, Dizzy and Daffy Dean, Madison Bumgarner, Zack Wheeler, the Polo Grounds, and how many players are on the Tea Totallers. Some issues: Bugs' final out, with reference to Duaner Sanchez, Clayton Kershaw and Marcell Ozuna, and his super-immaculate inning (or is it?). That is not a regulation bat. That IS a balk. Where is the pitching rubber? Storytelling (38:46) discusses the evolution of Bugs Bunny, and this cartoon as ultimate wish fulfillment, the Tea Totallers, the Bat Boy, and the screaming liner. Rating the Score (46:57) praises the iconic Looney Tunes music, the genius and career of Carl Stalling, the benefits of a full studio orchestra. Musical puns bring reference to the Atlanta Braves' organist. Acting (51:09) revels in Mel Blanc's virtuosity, even if this is not the most prime vehicle. They contemplate how writing creates a ceiling for acting; roles, not actors, are Oscar-caliber. Delightfulness of Catcher (54:58) weighs Bugs vs. the Gas House Gorillas' catcher, who clearly deserves a suspension. Delightfulness of Announcer (58:35) wonders: does the barbershop quartet count? Is the announcer visiting, or a Gorillas' partisan? Lack of Misogyny (1:02:35) considers the problem of the only female forms being literal objects. No spoilers on the following segments, although there is one moment when Ellen Completely Loses It: Yes or No (1:04:59), Six Degrees of Baseball (1:07:40), Favorite Moment (1:08:59) Least Favorite Moment (1:11:50), Scene We Would Have Liked to See (1:12:25), Dreamiest Player (1:13:53), Favorite Performance (1:15:38) Next Time (1:15:54) and Review Thank You (1:17:59).

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TBG30 - The Benchwarmers

podcasts@pitcherlist.com (Ellen Adair, Eric Gilde) — Sun, 8 Sep 2024 05:00:00 +0000

Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde gird themselves to discuss the 2006 Happy Madison production, "The Benchwarmers," grading it on the 20-80 scouting scale. They introduce the film (1:20), with an overview of the story, cast, director, writers, and the sources of its "humor." A backstory on why David Spade and Rob Schneider were cast! They review the 20-80 baseball scouting grades for rating the film (8:52), with an on-the-nose metaphor. Amount of Baseball (11:28) sees Eric return to the quality vs. quantity debate, while Ellen tries to be generous while they have the opportunity to do so. Reference to the double-play from the sporting goods store owner's team and maple syrup on a Ho-Ho. But with Baseball Accuracy (15:42), Ellen reassesses a long-established precedent. They examine the feasibility of a three-person baseball team, particularly given Clark (Jon Heder) and Richie's (David Spade) unbelievable lack of motor skills. The one-person team idea rears its head again with Gus (Rob Schneider), with references to Shohei Ohtani, as always, and Jackie Bradley Jr. Batting order ramifications are also touched on: how could they be up 17-0? An Ellen Adair breakdown on more scoring problems in a different game, and a dive in to history with the story of Danny Almonte. They also discuss Reggie Jackson and Jon Moscot's appearances, the classic MLB parks folded into the new stadium, however improbable its construction timeline, the tournament structure, and physics accuracy problems. Lastly: are the Benchwarmers even appropriately named? Storytelling (42:26) goes back through the dusty files to compare to scoring on "Ed." Age and time also do not exist in this film. The movie's mean-spiritedness is discussed, with its bevy of homophobic and fatphobic jokes, its attitude towards the character of Marcus, whom Gus used to bully, and little people in general. The training montage with Reggie Jackson irks one scout. Confusion about Mel's (Jon Lovitz) profession leads to a discussion about adult nerds, a Diet Coke ad, a sick burn about using the internet, and the Star Wars product placement. Nick Swardson's character: why? Also there is a robot butler. They bring up "The Bad News Bears," Jack Todd's Dave Dombrowski anecdote, Gus's weird Mountain Time lie, and violence against opposing children. Rating the Score (1:11:24) brings up "Take Me Out to the Ballgame," "Jerk It Out," a Gandalf meme, and need for therapy. Acting (1:13:11) is a philosophical inquiry: could anyone do better? Eric gives his spontaneous hypothetical. Jon Lovitz is always excellent. Ellen shares their affection for David Spade, but misgivings about the casting. Delightfulness of Catcher (1:19:28) considers Spade as a catcher character, specifically, and the opposing catchers. Delightfulness of Announcer (1:20:45) considers the two podcasting children and why the girl is given almost no lines. But also: Lack of Misogyny (1:21:48) considers the lack of intelligence required of the female characters in order to be love interests to their unpleasant male counterparts, and the universe in which mean and/or stupid derps get smoking hot chicks 3/3 times. Gus's baffling avoidance of sex with his model-gorgeous wife is also discussed, plus: ovulation accuracy. No spoilers on the following segments: Yes or No (1:28:12), Six Degrees of Baseball (1:31:29), Favorite Moment (1:33:45) Least Favorite Moment (1:36:32), Scene We Would Have Liked to See (1:37:48), Dreamiest Player (1:39:39), Favorite Performance (1:40:12) Next Time (1:42:58) and Review Thank You (1:44:29).

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TBG29 - Bang the Drum Slowly

podcasts@pitcherlist.com (Ellen Adair, Eric Gilde) — Sun, 1 Sep 2024 05:00:00 +0000

Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde discuss the classic 1973 film, "Bang the Drum Slowly." They introduce the film (1:19), with an overview of the story, cast, director and writer. They review the 20-80 baseball scouting grades for rating the film (8:04), with Eric's best metaphor yet. Then, they begin with Amount of Baseball (10:33), discussing the lack of extended baseball sequences, the desire for a Jomboy breakdown, and a 2020 player comp. Eric surprises Ellen with his scoring. Baseball Accuracy (15:42) considers Bruce's stupidity as a catcher, Henry's left-handedness, the excellence of the Athletics and Orioles at the time, the appearance of Brooks Robinson, and filming at Yankee Stadium, Shea, and the Phillies' Clearwater venue. Some questions are answered, others are pondered: why does Bruce call Henry "Arthur"? What will our scouts call him? Crucially, are the New York Mammoths, the team depicted, in the American or the National League? The confusion of fictional teams playing real teams is discussed, with reference to the "new" Phillie Phanatic. Ellen also brings up Steve Carlton and the 1972 Phillies, plus Don Money. There are other problems: reverse phantom baserunners, visitors to the dugout, the organizational decision-making structure. An Ellen Adair Breakdown on a comparison for Henry's contract negotiations, pre-Catfish Hunter, concurrent with Curt Flood. A strange Thurman Munson coincidence! Storytelling (40:06) discusses the overture of the beginning, expectations and confusion, Tegwar, and Dutch's pursuit of the truth to the Minnesota trip. The contract negotiation scene is revisited, leading to a conversation about adapting a novel to a film. Praise for the movie's deft handling of heavier themes, confusion about the fly speech. Rating the Score (1:05:06) examines Stephen Lawrence's composition and his "Sesame Street" background, along with the Ken Burns moment, "The Streets of Laredo," "The Unfortunate Rake" "Spanish Ladies," "Look Before You Weep," and Ralph Kiner. Acting (1:13:11) lays praise at the feet of Michael Moriarty and Robert DeNiro, in particular, as well as Vincent Gardenia and Phil Foster. The actor who plays Bradley is not a favorite. Delightfulness of Catcher (1:16:54) revels in an abundance of catchers with a lovable Bruce Pearson at the center, despite a Gary Sanchez burn. The age of Robert DeNiro and Tom Ligon is addressed, along with Piney's costumes, Goose's lovely scene with Henry, and Red's advice. Delightfulness of Announcer (1:23:21) does not offer much. Lack of Misogyny (1:23:45) debates whether or not the film itself has a misogynist viewpoint on Katie, Bruce's call-girl fiancee, and the female owner of the Mammoths. Props to Tootsie. A high number of female characters for a baseball movie is a positive takeaway. No spoilers on the following segments: Yes or No (1:31:58), Six Degrees of Baseball (1:34:59), Favorite Moment (1:35:52) Least Favorite Moment (1:38:19), Scene We Would Have Liked to See (1:39:55), Dreamiest Player (1:41:25), Favorite Performance (1:42:13) Next Time (1:43:56) and Review Thank You (1:44:54).

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TBG28 - Twelve

podcasts@pitcherlist.com (Ellen Adair, Eric Gilde) — Sun, 11 Aug 2024 05:00:00 +0000

Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde discuss "Twelve," a 2019 family film about a little league baseball player. They introduce the film (1:18), with an overview of the story, cast, and writer/director. 20-80 baseball scouting grades for rating the film (4:08), they begin with Amount of Baseball (5:43), discussing the abundance of high-quality baseball, with reference to particular moments and a 2020 player comp. Baseball Accuracy (11:36) considers Kyle’s pitch speed vs. real-life velocity from 12 year-olds, including the fastest Little League pitch, and the effect of the shorter distance between mound and home plate in Little League, with reference to Patrick Corbin, Dylan Bundy and Mike Minor. Eric shares his top pitching speed and looks into the feasibility of Kyle’s heart-stopping pitch. There are some issues with Lou Grey the Stanford scout, citing Ozzie Smith, Andrelton Simmons, Asdrubal Cabrera, Kevin Frandsen, Spencer Torkelson, and Bryce Harper. Kyle's knuckle-curve is a bright spot. Plus, is he a Stephen Drew fan?! Eric dives in on other players who wore 12, and has some videogame accuracy issues. Storytelling (36:40) discusses the confusing passage of time, "spring break"?, ADR or lack thereof, balanced with excellent baseball storytelling. Ted's work status is confusing and Chad and Ted's confrontation less than satisfying, but the tight structure of this as a family film is praised. They appreciate the moral about practice and the film's version of wish fulfillment, but are less fans of the Xavier storyline. Consideration of Kyle's pitching rival and their insane postseason stats. Rating the Score (1:02:00) examines Joe Carrano's composition, which is heroic without being heavy-handed. Acting (1:04:55) considers navigation of the script's pitfalls, and the pair dives in on the ramifications of budget on shooting schedule, with reference to soap opera shooting schedules. Delightfulness of Catcher (1:15:47) asks several philosophical questions, while Delightfulness of Announcer (1:19:42) does not offer much. Lack of Misogyny (1:22:13) examines the three-dimensionality of Beth, the mom, and Brooke, the girlfriend. No spoilers on this game, or the following segments: Yes or No (1:27:55), Six Degrees of Baseball (1:32:51), Favorite Moment (1:33:55) Least Favorite Moment (1:36:02), Scene We Would Have Liked to See (1:37:24), Dreamiest Player (1:40:54), Favorite Performance (1:41:17) Next Time (1:44:49) and Review Thank You (1:45:34).

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TBG 27 - "The X Files" The Unnatural

podcasts@pitcherlist.com (Ellen Adair, Eric Gilde) — Sun, 4 Aug 2024 05:00:00 +0000

Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde discuss a baseball-themed episode of "The X-Files," titled "The Unnatural" (season 6, episode 19). They introduce the episode (1:19), with an overview of the story, cast, and writer/director. After a description of the 20-80 baseball scouting grades for rating the show (5:25), they begin with Amount of Baseball (7:41). The episode presents a similar grading challenge to "The Mighty Casey," but with further conundrums. Three true outcomes baseball in 1947? A rundown of all the baseball events in the episode ensues. Baseball Accuracy (11:36) considers Negro League accuracy, with the Roswell Grays vs. the Homestead Grays, Josh Exley vs. Josh Gibson, and the tearing at the fabric of reality, with the angel of Leon Carter ("Bingo Long...") and the devil of Bobby Rayburn ("The Fan") on the scouts' shoulders. Brief shout-outs to James Raleigh "Biz" Mackey and Buck Leonard. Mickey Mantle's home runs bring up the concept of naming specific stats as a test of baseball acumen, with reference to Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Bartolo Colon, Aaron Nola, and Cliff Lee. Eddie Perez also tears at reality's fabric somewhat, and the team speculates about the 90s Braves, specifically Greg Maddux, John Smoltz and Chipper Jones. Mulder's ode to box scores and the "Pythagorean Theorem for jocks" are both examined, along with night games and the Kansas City Monarchs, cactus accuracy, Jackie Robinson and Larry Doby. The Ellen Adair Breakdown considers the opening game, including the field's boundaries, the umpire, Gibson's folkloric Pittsburgh home run, baserunning and Fred Merkle, and Exley's home run "pace." (Don't @ us, Tom Tango.) Why do the Yankees scouts leave mid at-bat? Typical. Storytelling (40:53) discusses references to "E.T.," "Citizen Kane" and Pete Rose, before wondering about the intentionality of metaphors to the unknowability of Negro League stats and Jim Crow alien parallels. Dales' argument that all the greats are aliens, like Babe Ruth, Willie Mays and Sandy Koufax, solves some problems and creates others. Is Arthur Dales an unreliable narrator? The fairytale of the ending of Exley's story, the persistence of metaphor in the episode, and the tagline all add up to...? Ellen has problems with a Gibson-esque player being an alien, and Eric has problems with inconsistent head bonks. What is the aliens' "project"? Who is the strange child? So. Many. Questions. Rating the Score (1:07:14) examines Mark Snow's composition and Blind Willie Johnson's "Go with Me to that Land." Acting (1:09:15) discusses the enduring excellence of David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson, along with guest stars Jesse L. Martin, Frederic Lehne and M. Emmet Walsh. Delightfulness of Catcher (1:10:54) considers the obvious catcher snippets--but is there a catcher hiding in plain sight? Delightfulness of Announcer (1:15:46) poses the philosophical question: how delightful is two seconds of Vin Scully? Lack of Misogyny (1:15:46) weights Scully's smarts versus her disdain for baseball and appreciation of nonfat tofutti rice creamsicle, as the only speaking female role in the episode. Consideration of the moment that Exley turns into a woman. And a BONUS one-time-only segment: Alien Or Not (1:19:15)! But no spoilers on this game, or the following segments: Yes or No (1:24:12), Six Degrees of Baseball (1:28:29), Favorite Moment (1:29:08) Least Favorite Moment (1:29:46), Scene We Would Have Liked to See (1:31:27), Dreamiest Player (1:32:53), Favorite Performance (1:33:19) Next Time (1:35:00) and Review Thank You (1:35:58).

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TBG26 - Fever Pitch

podcasts@pitcherlist.com (Ellen Adair, Eric Gilde) — Sun, 21 Jul 2024 05:00:00 +0000

Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde discuss the movie "Fever Pitch," the 2005 Jimmy Fallon and Drew Barrymore romantic comedy, set against the backdrop of the Red Sox 2004 season. They introduce the film (1:24), with an overview of the story, cast, and director. After a description of the 20-80 baseball scouting grades for rating the film (3:26), they begin with Amount of Baseball (5:10). How do baseball clips, not scenes, rate? What is the minimum requirement for a baseball scene? Plus, date movie deception, and a player comp. Baseball Accuracy (9:50) considers the fictional Red Sox regular season 9th inning rally versus the Yankees, the legitimacy of Lindsey (Barrymore) running across the field in the ALCS, and binoculars that can see into the future or past. Editing around Lindsey getting hit with a foul ball creates some discrepancies for Mike Myers and Miguel Tejada. Our hosts delve into some historical moments: Dwight Evans's two-homer game in 1980, Pesky's Pole, Johnny Pesky, Thomas Yawkey, Ted Williams, the Polo Grounds, and Curse of the Bambino examples, ie. Roger Moret, Tony Conigliaro, Ed Armbrister and Carlton Fisk, Bucky Dent, Bill Buckner, Grady Little and Pedro Martinez, and other missing curse elements. They also discuss the possibility of a Cubs-based story, Bart Giamatti, spring at Fenway accuracy, Johnny Damon's ass, and offseason fandom. Storytelling (34:00) has much love for the dozen Pete Roses e-card, but much confusion about the timeline of the courtship, made problematic by Boston weather accuracy and things Lindsey should really be able to infer about Ben (Fallon) from context clues. Tonal inconsistency dominates. Is Ben sweet or creepy? Is he insecure or confident? Examination of the first date includes the difficulty of genuine vomiting sounds in television and film. Bonus subsections from Ellen: "Extracurricular Activity Accuracy" and "I Empathize." They discuss Ben's baseball elegies, luck in baseball, portrayals of fandom as addiction, cell phone gags (with a realization), and Lowell Ganz, Babaloo Mandel and "A League of Their Own." Rating the Score (1:05:11) examines The Standell's "Dirty Water," Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline," the Dropkick Murphy's "Tessie," with deep-dives on the history of these songs by Eric. Nick Drake's "Northern Sky" and "The Yastrzemski Song." Acting (1:15:16) sees a debate on Jimmy Fallon's performance, discussing the pull of sketch, spontaneity, ad-libbing, and Jim Carrey in "The Truman Show." Drew Barrymore's believability in this film also discussed. Delightfulness of Catcher (1:22:56) presents a conundrum, but the pair reminisce about meeting Jason Varitek and Ellen reads a short poem. Delightfulness of Announcer (1:25:40) is also a challenge, with such excellent examples present as Joe Castiglione, Peter Gammons, Bob Lobel, Harold Reynolds and Dave O'Brien. Lack of Misogyny (1:27:41) examines the depiction of Lindsey's friend Robin versus the women in the film on the whole, and the "not like the other girls" conundrum. No spoilers on the following segments: Yes or No (1:33:30), Six Degrees of Baseball (1:38:14), Favorite Moment (1:39:20) Least Favorite Moment (1:41:02), Scene We Would Have Liked to See (1:45:48), Dreamiest Player (1:47:50), Favorite Performance (1:48:34) Next Time (1:49:44) and Review Thank You (1:50:32).

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TBG25 - The Stratton Story

podcasts@pitcherlist.com (Ellen Adair, Eric Gilde) — Sun, 14 Jul 2024 05:00:00 +0000

Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde discuss the "The Stratton Story," the 1949 biopic about Monty Stratton starring Jimmy Stewart. rating it on the 20-80 scouting scale. They introduce the film (3:09), with an overview of the story, cast, and director. After a description of the 20-80 scouting grades for those who are unfamiliar (9:46), they begin with Amount of Baseball (11:10), slightly hungover from "The Fan," but touch on baseball-related montages. No spoilers on the player comp! Baseball Accuracy (13:04) considers Stratton's praise for the film's accuracy, the existence of Barney (Frank Morgan), and Stratton's real career vs. its portrayal, including his first career game, All-Star season, and WHIP in 1936 vs. 2020. His post-accident life is also addressed: his spirits, his artificial leg, and references to Roy Campanella and "It's Good to Be Alive." The All-Star game at the end leads to questions about his pinch runner and bunting on Stratton, and the accuracy of this game. Discussion about the trajectory of the ball in the opening game, Stratton's career batting statistics, Jimmy Dykes, Barney's player knowledge, Bob Feller, and reference to the 2020 Phillies and Mets. Ellen questions the depiction of Stratton's control and has a small breakdown on Stratton's K/9. But Storytelling (31:58) examines the way inaccuracies bolster the storytelling, with fine seeds planted with all of Stratton's nimble running, and excellent misdirection about the dancing lessons. They compare the film's structure to Sam Wood's other baseball film, "Pride of the Yankees." Contrasting his injury as depicted with real life leads brings up Yoenis Cespedes and dangerous pitcher hobbies. Ma Stratton, Baby Stratton, and paternity leave in sports are considered. Discussion of the weirdness of the scene where Barney is made coach, he believability of Monty and Ethel's first date, haircut speculation, "The Brothers K," and the Astros and Mattress Mack. They rate the Score (1:01:27) and Acting (1:02:20) praises Jimmy Stewart, June Allyson, Agnes Moorehead's simplicity, and Frank Morgan's choices. Ellen uplifts three specific Jimmy Stewart acting moments. Delightfulness of Catcher (1:02:19) lauds Barney's catcher virtues, Ethel as catcher, Eddie's flameless glove, dreamboat Bill Dickey and his improved acting, and Milliken. Delightfulness of Announcer (1:05:58) and Lack of Misogyny (1:11:09) follow, the latter considering the character development of the female leads, and Ma's moment with the radio. No spoilers on the following segments: Yes or No (1:18:33), Six Degrees of Baseball (1:23:11), Favorite Moment (1:25:16) Least Favorite Moment (1:26:38), Scene We Would Have Liked to See (1:28:54), Dreamiest Player (1:31:11), Favorite Performance (1:32:03). Stick with us to the end for some bonus Classics jokes.

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TBG24 - The Fan

podcasts@pitcherlist.com (Ellen Adair, Eric Gilde) — Sun, 7 Jul 2024 05:00:00 +0000

Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde discuss the truly baffling 1996 thriller “The Fan,” rating the film on the 20-80 scouting scale. They introduce the film (2:20), with an overview of the story, cast, and director Tony Scott’s style. After a description of the 20-80 scouting grades for those who are unfamiliar (6:33), they begin with Amount of Baseball (7:57), pondering whether the finale counts as a baseball scene. They also consider how the average shot length impacts the amount of baseball received and include a 2020 player comp. Baseball Accuracy (11:28) opens with a consideration of how Barry Bonds being mentioned in this film tears at reality’s very fabric. The two talk Carl Hubbell, Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, question Primo’s actual position, and wonder how Bobby Rayburn (Wesley Snipes) can return to a game after leaving it. The character that John Kruk plays has a truly superhuman hitting feat, and heads explode as they ponder a game in which it appears the Giants play multiple teams. The category wraps up with a brief history of baseball players murdered in the midst of their careers. Storytelling (39:42) examines Roy and Gil’s relative likeability, issues with Gil’s career as a knife salesman, and the strangeness of the bathroom and sauna scenes. Meanwhile, what is up with their drink orders?! Plus, an idea for a drinking game if you would like to get trashed while watching this movie. There are 10,000 questions raised by the wild and confusing finale. Score (1:18:48) feels some Gladiator vibes with this Hans Zimmer composition, and raises the question of how to consider a score that’s better than its movie when separated from it. Some consideration of the Rolling Stones subplot. Acting (1:23:45) praises not just Robert DeNiro and Wesley Snipes, but Benicio del Toro, John Leguizamo, Ellen Barkin, Kurt Fuller, Patti D’Arbanville, Chris Mulkey, and the young actors Andrew J. Ferchland and Brandon Hammond. Also, props to Snipes’ stunt double. The Delightfulness of Catcher (1:28:37) reveals truths about Gil’s friend Coop before a quick look at the Delightfulness of Announcer (1:30:39). Lack of Misogyny (1:31:47) considers Ellen Barkin’s character, as well as her excellent bar scene with Wesley Snipes. No spoilers on the following segments: Yes or No (1:36:36), Six Degrees of Baseball (1:43:38), Favorite Moment (1:46:23) Least Favorite Moment (1:47:58), Scene We Would Have Liked to See (1:49:49), Dreamiest Player (1:55:40), Favorite Performance (1:56:27), Next Time (1:58:38), and Review Thank You (1:57:55).

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TBG23 - The Sandlot

podcasts@pitcherlist.com (Ellen Adair, Eric Gilde) — Sun, 30 Jun 2024 05:00:00 +0000

Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde discuss the 1993 fan favorite "The Sandlot," rating this classic movie on the 20-80 scouting scale. They introduce the film (4:29), with an overview of the story, cast, and some artistic touch-points for writer and director David Mickey Evans. After a description of the 20-80 scouting grades for those who are unfamiliar (9:42), they begin with Amount of Baseball (10:33), continuing a debate on what constitutes a baseball scene, and delighting in the return of a favorite little league team. No spoilers on the player comp! Baseball Accuracy (14:05) addresses the questionable scope of Smalls' knowledge re: Babe Ruth, s'mores, tobacco, and baseball in general, and his bad baseball playing relative to "Bad News Bears" and "Rookie of the Year." Eric gets nerdy about the stitching on the Babe Ruth baseball. They also examine Ham's homer, the sandlot's team roster size, Benny's rundowns, oppo tacos, and the democracy of player size and shape, with loving reference to John Kruk, Prince Fielder, Carl Edwards Jr., Jose Altuve, Jimmy Rollins, Joe Morgan, Bartolo Colon, Hack Wilson and Smokey Burgess. Some thoughts about Mr. Myrtle's (James Earl Jones) blindness and barnstorming play, and Maury Wills' stolen base record, with small shout-outs to Rickey Henderson and Lou Brock (RIP, who had not passed when the podcast was recorded). Storytelling (31:58) examines Adult Smalls' (LOL) narration and bookending scenes with continued contemplation of his perplexing relationship with baseball. Comparing the kids' summer vibe with "Bad News Bears" unearths the original title of the film. The team has questions about replacing the Babe Ruth ball, Bill's (Dennis Leary) baseball collection room, and the kids' level of education. Discussion of the high stakes, other genres referenced within the film, the original vision in casting, and whether Benny might be secretly rich. What ends up happening with Benny's hat? They debate the Score (52:51), including Ray Charles' version of "America the Beautiful" and similarities to "A Christmas Carol" and "Field of Dreams" scores. Acting (56:33) praises the cast. Patrick Renna and Chauncey Leopardi are National Treasures, and James Earl Jones is perfect at literally everything he ever does. An interesting acting challenge for Red Sox fan Dennis Leary! Delightfulness of Catcher (1:02:19) lauds incredible trash talking, an excellent model for a catcher despite Benny being the lovable group leader, the insult scene that almost wasn't, and "that wimpy deer" (reprise). Delightfulness of Announcer (1:05:58) brings up a debate on narration as announcing, with an anecdote about filming at Dodger's Stadium that includes Tommy LaSorda. Plus: where's Vin Scully?!?! Lack of Misogyny (1:11:09) takes a frank look at the lack of complex female characters that offset the misogyny of various insults traded in the film, and gets real about Squints and Wendy. No spoilers on the following segments: Yes or No (1:16:32), Six Degrees of Baseball (1:26:45), Favorite Moment (1:28:41) Least Favorite Moment (1:31:37), Scene We Would Have Liked to See (1:34:33), Dreamiest Player (1:37:07), Favorite Performance (1:39:03), Next Time (1:42:21), and Review Thank You (1:42:54).

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TBG22 - It's Good to Be Alive

podcasts@pitcherlist.com (Eric Gilde, Ellen Adair) — Sun, 23 Jun 2024 05:00:00 +0000

Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde discuss the 1974 Roy Campanella biopic, "It's Good to Be Alive," rating this TV movie on the 20-80 scouting scale. They introduce the episode (1:19), with an overview of the story, cast, and expectations coming into the film. After a description of the 20-80 scouting grades for those who are unfamiliar (8:37), they begin with Amount of Baseball (10:12), discussing how to bring something up to code to be considered a baseball movie. Eric makes some claims about the scouting scale. No spoilers on the player comp! Baseball Accuracy (14:51) includes an Ellen Adair Breakdown on Campanella's hands and injury history, along with details of the car accident and initial expectations afterwards, Campy's thoughts about L.A., Ruthe's visits, Campy's salary and Walter O'Malley, and a compare and contrast of his real speech vs. the film speech. Storytelling (36:22) examines the usage of flashbacks, both good (a childhood scene about his biracial identity) and bad (a very puzzling scene with his son David). Discussion of the difficulties of Roy adjusting to his new life, Campy as a coach and manager, and the annoying reporter, with shout-out to Jason Vargas. Praise for the fly scene, and speculation about what Ruthe is drinking. They discuss the Score (1:03:17) and Acting (1:04:50), particularly Paul Winfield, Ruby Dee, and Louis Gossett, Jr. Ellen has a rundown of three specific excellent choices by Ruby Dee. Delightfulness of Catcher (1:10:45) is a fun tool to score for this film, with conversation about real Roy vs. his film depiction, some highlights of his real-life catching career, and mentioning early interest in him from the Phillies and Pirates. Ellen is not able to resist mentioning J.T. Realmuto, but just once. Delightfulness of Announcer (1:17:30) and Lack of Misogyny (1:18:11) follow, the latter considering that the film was written from Roy's point of view. Eric brings up some of the questions about the timeline on the night of Campanella's accident. Yes or No (1:25:16) briefly addresses Jackie Robinson and Satchel Paige easter eggs in the film, along with the Classic Questions. No spoilers on the following segments: Six Degrees of Baseball (1:29:42), Favorite Moment (1:31:34) Least Favorite Moment (1:33:28), Scene We Would Have Liked to See (1:34:25), Dreamiest Player (1:38:14), Favorite Performance (1:39:23), Next Time (1:42:33), and Review Thank You (1:44:14).

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TBG21 - The Twilight Zone's "The Mighty Casey"

podcasts@pitcherlist.com (Ellen Adair, Eric Gilde) — Sun, 16 Jun 2024 05:00:00 +0000

Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde delve into all the twists and turns surrounding this baseball-themed episode of "The Twilight Zone" entitled "The Mighty Casey!" Rating this 1960 TV episode on the 20-80 scouting scale may make for one of their most fun journeys yet. They introduce the episode (1:34), with an overview of the plot, actors, and a brief foray into Rod Serling's other writing about baseball. After a description of the 20-80 scouting grades for those who are unfamiliar (8:18), they begin with Amount of Baseball (9:22), including a discussion of whether or not Amount of Baseball is a ratio stat or a counting stat, Robert Sorrell's pitching double, and the concept of a montage expressing "he's doing well." Baseball Accuracy (13:04) touches on how much adding one pitcher could really help an awful team, Casey's pitching mix, how often a superman could plausibly pitch, connection to the Dodgers, the try-out flubs and a philosophical question about beaning. Storytelling (36:22) examines the fairytale nature of the story, the twists, Casey's mental fortitude with small shout-outs to Cliff Lee and Max Scherzer, Leo Durocher and the question of whether nice guys finish last, concerns about Dr. Stillman's motivations, Casey's age and implications for his Tommy John surgery. They discuss the Score (47:25) and Acting (48:35), particularly Robert Sorrells, Abraham Sofaer and Jack Warden, with our CRAZIEST TWIST YET! References to "Homeland," "Inception," and Ellen's final request. Plus, Robert Sorrells was a complex dude. Delightfulness of Catcher (56:59), Delightfulness of Announcer (59:23) and Lack of Misogyny (1:00:35) follow. No spoilers on the following segments: Yes or No (1:04:58), Six Degrees of Baseball (1:09:30) Favorite Moment (1:10:25) Least Favorite Moment (1:11:18), Scene We Would Have Liked to See (1:13:37), Dreamiest Player (1:15:47), Favorite Performance (1:16:22), Review Thank You (1:18:35) and Next Time (1:19:10).

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TBG20 - "Baseball: The Movie" and "Sugar" with Noah Gittell: A Replay Review

podcasts@pitcherlist.com (Ellen Adair, Noah Gittell) — Sun, 9 Jun 2024 05:00:00 +0000

Ellen Adair talks with Noah Gittell, journalist, film critic, and author of BASEBALL: THE MOVIE. They discuss ways in which Noah's Mets fandom has built character, the concept of love of baseball above all, surprises in researching the book, casting a movie about Jackie Robinson using actors from Jackie Robinson movies over the decades, and the worst baseball movie Noah had to watch. Noah has some hot takes about THE SANDLOT! They also talk about which baseball movie characters to put on the cover of the book, Noah's interview with Richard Linklater, and the decline in production of baseball movies in the past decade. Then, they get into Noah's grades for the brilliant 2009 film SUGAR, by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck. Parental advisory: there is some (very fun) conversation about a rated-R word used in the film in the "Lack of Misogyny" category. Ellen also fact-checks the earlier episode of SUGAR on an important "Yes or No" question.

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TBG19 - Mr 3000

podcasts@pitcherlist.com (Ellen Adair, Eric Gilde) — Sun, 2 Jun 2024 05:00:00 +0000

Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde discuss the 2004 comedy "Mr. 3000," grading its tools on the 20-80 scouting scale. They introduce the film (1:34), providing background on the director, writer, and some of the cast. After a description a description of the 20-80 scouting grades for those who are unfamiliar (5:06), they begin with Amount of Baseball (6:42), including a player comp (no spoilers). Baseball Accuracy (15:25) touches on Stan Ross's (Bernie Mac) Hall of Fame aspirations and his believability as a player, players with 3,000 hits, baseball "curfew," Roberto Clemente, Juan Soto, Barry Bonds, Ken Griffey, Jr., Phillies of the 2010s, the longest MLB game ever played, 1995 playoff race, Paul Molitor, Robin Yount, Cecil Cooper, Cap Anson, Chase Utley, and bat length and weight. Storytelling (36:22) examines the problems surrounding Stan's "Tonight Show" appearance, use of commercials and Charles Barkley, the irony of an Astros pitcher tipping pitches and Stan's early anti-cheating stance, Paul Sorvino's mostly silent manager, the sac bunt, the bottle moment, and the chain of 3,000 stores. The musical Score (1:04:18) looks at usage of "The Natural," Gustav Holst, The Nutcracker, "Jungle Boogie," "It Takes Two," "YMCA," "Let's Get it On," "Whoomp There It is" and "Endless Love." Shout-out to Rhys Hoskins' moustache, which Ellen learns they only loved all along by how sad they are now that it has left us. Acting (1:11:43) discusses Bernie Mac's charisma, Angela Bassett's all-around awesomeness, and performances from Brian White, Amaury Nolasco, Dondre T. Whitfield, Michael Rispoli, Paul Sorvino and Chris Noth. Delightfulness of Catcher (1:16:13) follows, and Eric gives props to Dick Enberg in Delightfulness of Announcer (1:18:31). Lack of Misogyny (1:22:11) praises Angela Bassett, though Ellen has small tirade on the idealization of tiny women being able to house junk food at all times. No spoilers on the following segments: Yes or No (1:26:00), Six Degrees of Baseball (1:31:09) Favorite Moment (1:32:03) Least Favorite Moment (1:34:37), Scene We Would Have Liked to See (1:36:33), Dreamiest Player (1:37:46), Favorite Performance (1:39:20), Next Time (1:41:13) and Review Thank You (1:41:55)

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TBG18 - Angels in the Outfield (1951)

podcasts@pitcherlist.com (Ellen Adair, Eric Gilde) — Sun, 26 May 2024 19:00:00 +0000

Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde discuss the original 1951 version of "Angels in the Outfield," grading its tools on the 20-80 scouting scale. They introduce the film (1:50), providing background on the director, writer, and some of the cast, including a synopsis of the film (6:14). Some interesting facts about the distribution and the film's foreign name (8:51) lead to a funny anecdote of confusion about the film "28 Days Later." After a description of the 20-80 scouting grades for those who are unfamiliar (11:24), they launch into Amount of Baseball (12:26), with both a player comp (no spoilers) and discussion of recency bias. Baseball Accuracy (15:25) touches on baseball parks used in filming, implausible base-running errors, Only Pitcher Disease, the Pirates 1920s-1950s, the Giants in 1951, Black players and managers on the Pirates, Ralph Kiner and Pie Traynor. Some discussion of women's preference for shortstops or third basemen, citing Anthony Rendon, Matt Chapman, Nolan Arenado, Mike Schmidt and Wade Boggs. Storytelling (36:10) examines mixed angelic messaging, eating steak with ketchup, swearing in the film, Shakespeare, the rhyme scheme of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame," this version versus the 1994 version, Joe DiMaggio, Ty Cobb, Bing Crosby and Harry Ruby, whether or not baseball managers can go to heaven, what is a reasonable team batting average for angels, Dusty Baker, Ketel Marte, Mike Trout, and Randy Johnson killing a bird. The musical Score (1:10:58) gives props to the angelic soundscape. Acting (1:13:20) looks mostly at the performances of Janet Leigh, Paul Douglas, and Donna Corcoran. Delightfulness of Catcher (1:18:11) and Delightfulness of Announcer (1:18:29) follow. Lack of Misogyny (1:21:22) contains references to Ray Searage, Barbara Billingsley, "Muppet Babies" and Tor Johnson. No spoilers on the following segments: Yes or No (1:27:11), Six Degrees of Baseball (1:32:00) Favorite Moment (1:33:39), Least Favorite Moment (1:34:25), Scene We Would Have Liked to See (1:35:30), Dreamiest Player (1:39:48), Favorite Performance (1:41:15), Next Time (1:43:20) and Review Thank You (1:43:57).

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TBG17 - Million Dollar Arm

podcasts@pitcherlist.com (Ellen Adair, Eric Gilde) — Sun, 19 May 2024 05:00:00 +0000

Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde discuss the 2014 film "Million Dollar Arm," grading its tools on the 20-80 scouting scale. They introduce the film (1:38), providing background on the director, writer, and some of the cast (2:32). After a description of the 20-80 scouting grades for those unfamiliar (5:00), they launch into Amount of Baseball (6:11), both providing player comps for the amount of baseball in this film (no spoilers here!). Baseball Accuracy (9:42) touches on being able to tell the velocity of a pitch by the sound of it hitting something, differences in cricket bowling vs. baseball pitching, the athletic backgrounds of Rinku Singh and Dinesh Patel, Rinku's delivery as depicted, with references to Marcus Stroman, Jason Vargas, and Roy Oswalt. Storytelling (33:49) examines some real life differences in JB Bernstein's life and whose idea the "Million Dollar Arm" program actually was. Stay tuned for what the "JB" in JB Bernstein stands for! They also discuss the party scene, the visit to the villages, the Lame Romantic Subplot, "Class A Jerks," Scotch faux pas, capitalism cake, and the importance of representation. A sub-section on India Accuracy (54:25) does not include grades. The musical Score (1:02:45) may or may not have made one of these scouts get up and dance. Acting (1:08:52) looks at the performances of Lake Bell, Jon Hamm, Alan Arkin, Bill Paxton, Aasif Mandvi, Allyn Rachel, Pitobash Tripathy, Suraj Sharma, Madhur Mittal, and Darshan Jariwala. Delightfulness of Catcher (1:12:44) and Delightfulness of Announcer (1:13:44) follow, rounded out by Lack of Misogyny (1:15:33). No spoilers on the following segments: Yes or No (1:19:10), Six Degrees of Baseball (1:23:02) Favorite Moment (1:24:53), Least Favorite Moment (1:27:12), Scene We Would Have Liked to See (1:28:01) including references to Josh Bell, Didi, Ji-Man Choi, Cole Hamels, Curt Schilling, plus baseball luminaries and nemeses, Dreamiest Player (1:32:08) with a bonus Baseball Accuracy fact that makes "Pride of the Yankees" into a verb, Favorite Performance (1:34:50), Review Thank You (1:37:07) and Next Week (1:37:40).

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TBG 16 - The Bad News Bears

podcasts@pitcherlist.com (Ellen Adair, Eric Gilde) — Sun, 12 May 2024 05:00:00 +0000

Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde discuss the 1976 classic "The Bad News Bears," grading its tools on the 20-80 scouting scale. They introduce the film (2:03), summarizing its premise (3:23), and providing background on the director, writer, and some of the cast (5:00). After a description of the 20-80 scouting grades for those unfamiliar (11:00), they launch into Amount of Baseball (12:18), also discussing shooting conditions and set practices, the difficulty of filming exteriors, and Ian Kinsler having 55 WAR. Baseball Accuracy (17:25) touches on rules kids would be confused about, ad-libs in the film, the 2018 Phillies defense, pitching low and outside, some Catfish Hunter history and the implications of this comparison, Vince Velasquez, and the Ellen Adair Breakdown of Amanda's purported curveball vs. curveballs in MLB. Storytelling (33:49) includes discussion of the film's depiction of childhood, generational differences, and the appropriateness of Denny's as a sponsor to the Yankees team. Pizza Hut and Book It also fondly remembered. The racism and intolerance depicted are discussed at length, along with the different kinds of beer, Kelly Leake's hustling, Coach Buttermaker's journey, montages, surprises, contradictions, and the ending of the movie. The musical Score (1:09:40) is debated, before Acting (1:13:18) looks at the performances of Walter Matthau, Tatum O'Neal, Joyce Van Patten, Vic Morrow, and other child actors. Delightfulness of Catcher (1:18:42) and Delightfulness of Announcer (1:20:35) follow. Ellen has many conflicts grading Lack of Misogyny (1:21:36), with a brief diversion into an interesting fact about the Mexican characters on the team. No spoilers on the following segments: Two Surprise Questions (1:25:41), Yes or No (1:28:38), Six Degrees of Baseball (1:34:21) Favorite Moment (1:35:36) with a small shout-out to Maria Aitken, Least Favorite Moment (1:37:51), Scene We Would Have Liked to See (1:39:47), Dreamiest Player (1:41:53), Favorite Performance (1:45:02), Review Thank You (1:45:02) and Next Week (1:45:04).

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TBG15 - Rookie of the Year

podcasts@pitcherlist.com (Ellen Adair, Eric Gilde) — Sun, 5 May 2024 05:00:00 +0000

Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde discuss the 1993 film, "Rookie of the Year," in which young Henry Rowengartner's broken arm heals in such a way that he can now throw a blazing fastball. Ellen lists all of the reasons why the Chicago Cubs clearly have no other relief pitchers, while Eric comes up with either the best or worst little league team name. Scoring this film on the 20-80 scouting scale includes discussion of Daniel Stern's extra-zany performance, Scott White's nickname for the Mets slugger, and wondering what's up with that boat. Also, we learn the name of Eric's fictional scouting director!

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TBG14 - Baseball Girl

podcasts@pitcherlist.com (Ellen Adair, Eric Gilde) — Sun, 28 Apr 2024 05:00:00 +0000

Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde discuss the excellent 2019 Korean film, "Baseball Girl," about a female pitcher trying to become a pro baseball player. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

TBG13 - Sugar

podcasts@pitcherlist.com (Ellen Adair, Eric Gilde) — Sun, 21 Apr 2024 05:00:00 +0000

Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde discuss a baseball movie superlative, the 2008 film "Sugar." Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

TBG12 - The Jackie Robinson Story

podcasts@pitcherlist.com (Ellen Adair, Eric Gilde) — Sun, 14 Apr 2024 05:00:00 +0000

Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde discuss the 1950 film, "The Jackie Robinson Story," starring Jackie Robinson himself! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

TBG11 - Ed

podcasts@pitcherlist.com (Ellen Adair, Eric Gilde) — Sun, 7 Apr 2024 05:00:00 +0000

Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde discuss the 1996 movie "Ed," starring Matt LeBlanc and a mechanical chimpanzee, widely regarded as one of the worst baseball films of all time. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

TMB10 - Eight Men Out

podcasts@pitcherlist.com (Ellen Adair, Eric Gilde) — Sun, 31 Mar 2024 05:00:00 +0000

Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde discuss the 1988 film, "Eight Men Out." Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

TMB9 - The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training Pt 1

podcasts@pitcherlist.com (Ellen Adair, Eric Gilde) — Sun, 24 Mar 2024 05:00:00 +0000

Eric Gilde and Ellen Adair discuss the 1977 film, "The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training." Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

TMB9 - The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training Pt 2

podcasts@pitcherlist.com (Ellen Adair, Eric Gilde) — Sun, 24 Mar 2024 05:00:00 +0000

Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde discuss the 1977 film, "The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training." Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

TBG8 - It Happens Every Spring

podcasts@pitcherlist.com (Ellen Adair, Eric Gilde) — Sun, 17 Mar 2024 05:00:00 +0000

Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde discuss the 1949 film, "It Happens Every Spring." Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

TBG7 - Field of Dreams

podcasts@pitcherlist.com (Ellen Adair, Eric Gilde) — Sun, 10 Mar 2024 06:00:00 +0000

Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde discuss the 1989 film, "Field of Dreams," starring Kevin Costner, James Earl Jones, and Amy Madigan. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

TBG6 - The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings

podcasts@pitcherlist.com (Ellen Adair, Eric Gilde) — Sat, 2 Mar 2024 06:00:00 +0000

Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde discuss the 1976 film, "The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings," starring Billy Dee Williams, James Earl Jones, and Richard Pryor. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

TBG5 - Spaceman Pt. 2

podcasts@pitcherlist.com (Eric Gilde, Ellen Adair) — Mon, 26 Feb 2024 06:00:00 +0000

Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde continue their discussion on the 2016 Bill Lee biopic, "Spaceman," starring Josh Duhamel. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

TBG5 - Spaceman Pt. 1

podcasts@pitcherlist.com (Ellen Adair, Eric Gilde) — Mon, 26 Feb 2024 06:00:00 +0000

Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde discuss the 2016 Bill Lee biopic, "Spaceman," starring Josh Duhamel. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

TBG4 - A League of Their Own

podcasts@pitcherlist.com (Pitcher List) — Wed, 21 Feb 2024 06:00:00 +0000

Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde discuss the 1992 film, "A League of Their Own" Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

TBG3 - The Pride of the Yankees

podcasts@pitcherlist.com (Ellen Adair, Eric Gilde) — Sat, 10 Feb 2024 06:00:00 +0000

Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde discuss the 1942 Lou Gehrig biopic, "The Pride of the Yankees" - a reissue Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

TBG2 - Major League

podcasts@pitcherlist.com (Ellen Adair, Eric Gilde) — Mon, 29 Jan 2024 06:00:00 +0000

Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde discuss the 1989 film, "Major League" - a rerelease. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

TBG 2 - Leo Durocher Meets Mr Ed, Pt 2

podcasts@pitcherlist.com (Eric Gilde, Ellen Adair) — Wed, 24 Jan 2024 02:40:28 +0000

Take Me In To The Ballgame

Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde continue their discussion around a very baseball-centric episode of Mr. Ed

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TBG 1 - Leo Durocher Meets Mr Ed, Pt 1

podcasts@pitcherlist.com (Eric Gilde, Ellen Adair) — Wed, 24 Jan 2024 02:15:39 +0000

Take Me In To The Ballgame

Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde discuss a very special episode of Mr. Ed.

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Take Me In To The Ballgame - An Introduction

podcasts@pitcherlist.com (Eric Gilde, Ellen Adair) — Wed, 24 Jan 2024 02:06:00 +0000

Take Me In To The Ballgame

Ellen Adair (@ellen_adair) and Eric Gilde (@EricGilde) grade baseball movies and TV shows on the 20-80 scale

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