The Infinite Inning 057: Rebel Without a Draft

Rotation regular Jesse Spector rejoins Steve for a discussion that starts dark and soon gets silly, with Jesse fighting to the death to abolish the June amateur draft. Also features Steve stories on Hank Greenberg, Tyler O’Neill, and Long Tom Winsett.

TRIGGER WARNING: In the Hank Greenberg segment, Greenberg himself is quoted describing anti-Semitic slurs to which he was subjected. There is also a cussword embedded in a quote early on. Hide the children.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

With Great Winsett Power Comes Great Responsibility*Hank Greenberg Demands Respect*Jesse Spector: Hot spots and high school reunions*The Morbidity and Mortality section*How did we get breaking news before the internet?*How many Frans are on the Padres?*Should baseball draft picks be tradeable?*The Albert Pujols Contract*The Stouffer’s example*Yankees drafts of the 2000s*Do the Reds have a plan?*Brackman and Culver*More on tradeable picks*An admittedly strange Delmon Young reference*Marveling over Miguel Andujar*The George Burns argument*The Dodgers will rise, Cleveland’s bullpen, and other 2018 quick hits*Elevator music?*Goodbyes.

The Infinite Inning is not only about baseball but a state of mind. Steven Goldman, rotating cohosts Jesse Spector, Cliff Corcoran, and David Roth, and occasional guests discuss the game’s present, past, and future with forays outside the foul lines to the culture at large. Expect stats, anecdotes, digressions, explorations of writing and fandom, and more Casey Stengel quotations than you thought possible. Along the way, they’ll try to solve the puzzle that is the Infinite Inning: How do you find the joy in life when you can’t get anybody out?