|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Play Now with Streaming Audio
|
Download MP3 : PC Users : right-click the above links and "Save target as ..." Mac users : press "control-click" and choose "Download link to Disc". Podcast : URL is HERE *Add that URL to your podcast receiving software and you will be subscribed to BoA Audio. Help : Contact binnall if you have any technical problems. As always, feedback on the interviews is appreciated. | Make a Donation: |
|
BoA:Audio's annual off-kilter spring tradition returns as we present the 2014 edition of our Baseball Special. In this long overdue edition of the special, we welcome back Greg Bishop, Jason Offutt, Adam Gorightly, Paul Kimball, and theusofe.com's 'redsonsuperman' for candid and casual conversations about America's pastime. As always, there's a myriad of side tangents and off-topic avenues explored as well as updates from the guests regarding their latest works in the world of the paranormal. And, of course, predictions for the 2014 baseball season!
Full Preview: We begin the festivities with the 2013 Prediction Contest winner Greg Bishop and we reflect on Greg's close victory over Adam Gorightly and Binnall. We then take a look at the LA Dodgers' rollercoaster 2013 which was followed closely by Greg throughout the season. This leads to some talk about the much-discussed Yasiel Puig, who makes headlines for doing either incredibly awesome or insanely foolish things. We then talk about the Dodgers' trip to the NL Championship and how the public seemed to turn on St. Louis, but the national media still seemed to favor them.
This segues into some talk about the East coast v. West Coast bias in sports coverage as well as the battle over TV rights to Dodgers games in LA. We then talk about the off season moves made by the Dodgers and whether or not Greg is concerned about the massive long term contracts given to Dodgers' star players. We also learn about what MLB teams look for in pitchers, based on a fan gathering that Greg attended a few years ago. And, wrapping up the segment, we get Greg's predictions for the 2014 season as well as find out what's cooking for Greg on the paranormal front in 2014.
Following that, we welcome longtime BoA:Audio friend Jason Offutt for a discussion on his Kansas City Royals, who seem poised to finally get back into the playoffs in 2014. We start by reflecting on the Royals' 2013 season, which saw them in contention until the very end of the season but falling short of the playoffs. We then discuss some of the analysis of the prospects of the Royals' 2014 and whether or not it is a "make or break" season. We stray from the AL Central talk to get Jason's opinion on Robinson Cano taking a massive deal to go to the hapless Seattle Mariners.
Since Jason is an old school baseball fan, we get his opinion on the expansion of instant replay in 2014. Returning back to the Royals, we discuss their signing of pitcher Jason Vargas and the emergence of rookie Yordano Ventura. Jason also fondly remembers a former Royals manager who threw a phone at a reporter and we find out if Jason is happy or sad that Carlos Beltran didn't return to the Royals. This leads us into Jason's predictions for the 2014 season as well as an update on what he's been up to since his last appearance on BoA:Audio, including a major new book deal.
Up next, we speak with the always-enlightening Adam Gorightly, making his first appearance on the BoA:Audio since last year's Baseball Special. We begin by reflecting on Adam's ongoing quest to finally capture a predictions championship on the special and how he keeps getting incredibly close but falling short at the end. This leads to us talking about the championship hangover which afflicted Adam's San Francisco Giants in 2013. Next, we discuss the Giants' offseason and their unique strategy of locking down their core players to long term contracts before they hit free agency.
Adam also reflects on the evolution of Tim Lincecum, who recently re-signed with the Giants, and we get Adam's feeling on the start of the 2014 season. Additionally, we find out about Adam's semi-annual trips to the ballpark to see the Giants play and he muses about the onslaught of stimuli in such a situation. From there, we get Adam's annual postseason predictions and he, stunningly, decides to abandon the gimmicked system and goes with pure predictions for 2014. And then, in a historic first, the tables get turned as Adam becomes host of the show to procure Binnall's predictions for the 2014 postseason. Wrapping up the segment, we find out what's new from Adam Gorightly including his new website Historia Discordia which presents Adam's vast and rare archive from the beginnings of the Discordian Movement.
Batting clean up on this year's special is 2012's Prediction Contest winner, paranormal pundit Paul Kimball. Considering that Paul was very bullish on the Toronto Blue Jays last year, we find out where he thinks things went wrong for the Jays in 2013 and whether their outlook for 2014 is promising at all. This leads to talk about teams dismantling and resetting their franchise. We also ask PK if he foresees a team that may surprise baseball pundits and contend for a playoff spot as well as what teams may be overrated this year. This leads to some talk about the cyclical nature of contention in baseball.
The conversation transitions into some talk about the expansion of instant replay and Paul shares his perceived pros and cons regarding the new system. We also get Paul's opinion on the rash of PED suspensions that hit baseball last Summer, which leads to an extended discussion on Alex Rodriguez as well as the Baseball Hall of Fame. Wrapping up the segment, we learn what Paul's been working on since we spoke with him last, including upcoming films and other exciting projects.
Closing out the program, we welcome the winner of BoA's usofe.com Prediction Contest and frequent BoA:Audio contributor 'redsonsuperman.' We kick things off by reflecting on how the Red Sox miraculously bumped off the Tigers in the 2013 ALCS, specifically David Ortiz' magical grand slam in Game 2. From there, we move on to discussing the many different off season moves made by the Tigers, starting with the transition from Jim Leyland to Brad Ausmus as manager. We then get RSS' take on the Prince Fielder trade and how that led to a series of changes on the team, including the controversial Doug Fister trade.
RSS then laments the shakeup at the shortstop position for the Tigers as phenom Julio Iglesias is now out for the season. We also talk about the massive contract that Miguel Cabrera recently received from the Tigers as well as Detroit's attempts to re-sign Max Scherzer.
|
TBA
