The knuckleball is a beautiful, mysterious, fang-toothed monster of a pitch. It is Ali-like in its ability to both float and bite, seemingly at random. It’s uncontrollable for throwers, catchers, and prospective hitters. It’s no wonder so much… Read more »
The purpose of this series has always been to shed light on aspects of the Negro, and associated, Leagues that deserve recognition. Great seasons that have never gotten their due, excellent careers that went unnoticed,… Read more »
Welcome to the fifth edition of Banished to the Pen’s annual win prediction and projection extravaganza. In the name of making everyone accountable for predictions they usually didn’t want to make, as well as keeping… Read more »
There has been much consternation, and dare I say some gnashing of teeth, about the state of the Boston Red Sox bullpen on the doorstep of the 2019 season. In its annual positional power rankings,… Read more »
[Ed. note: This preview was split three ways with John LaLoggia handling the fungoes, while Brandon Lee sought some answers on projection systems from Darius Austin] A song to play while reading about the Cubs:… Read more »
[Ed. note: This preview was split between two of our resident Tigers fans, AD and Mark Sands. Enjoy!] A song to play while reading about the Tigers: “Rich Kid Blues” by the Raconteurs. Led by… Read more »
A song to play while reading about the Blue Jays: “Eyes on the Prize” by Arkells Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. is the “face” of the Toronto Blue Jays. He has also yet to play even… Read more »
A song to play while reading about the Phillies: “Let’s Get It On” by Marvin Gaye The opening bars of Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On” might have popped into Bryce Harper and Scott Boras’s… Read more »
Song to play while reading about the Braves: “Just The Way You Are” by Billy Joel The Braves had some cash to burn this offseason (Craig Kimbrel is still available, folks), and some great young… Read more »
A song to play while reading about the Dodgers: “Walkie-Talkie Man” by Steriogram. This was one the best songs on one of the best soundtracks of one of the best baseball video games ever: MVP… Read more »
A song to play while reading about the Reds: “Here Comes the Sun,” by The Beatles because there’s finally reason for optimism about this team. While some contenders with more resources largely sat idle this… Read more »
A song to play while reading about the Yankees: “Never Going Back Again,” by Fleetwood Mac. After years of big spending on aging veterans under George Steinbrenner, Yankees GM Brian Cashman has taken the reins… Read more »
A song to play while reading about the Pirates: “Bankrupt On Selling,” by Modest Mouse. This is likely evergreen for the Bob Nutting-era Pirates, but just as appropriate in 2019 as ever. I have indeed… Read more »
A song to play while reading about the Brewers: “Love & Hate,” by Michael Kiwanuka An entire generation of Brewers fans, myself included, weren’t even alive the one and only time they appeared in the… Read more »
A song to play while you’re reading about the Nationals: “I Will Survive,” by Gloria Gaynor. This team will be fine with Bryce Harper hitting 40 homers for a division rival. Just…just fine. The Washington… Read more »
A song to play while reading about the Red Sox: I honestly never understood the appeal of “Theme Song to New York, New York” until it became the Red Sox’ preferred way to troll the… Read more »
A song to play while you’re reading about the Cardinals: “The Glory of Man” by Minutemen. This song is track 20 on the 1989 CD release of Double Nickels on the Dime, and in 2019… Read more »
A song to play while you’re reading about the Rays: “Roll With It” by Oasis It is eight years since Jonah Keri’s The Extra 2% was published and over a decade since the remarkable 2008… Read more »
A song to play while you’re reading about the Orioles: “Baltimore,” by Randy Newman. I was tempted to use Nina Simone’s version, but Randy’s is just so good. Newman is a dark comedy genius, however,… Read more »
A song to play while you’re reading about the Giants: “LOVE” by Kendrick Lamar, ft. Zacari. (As Kendrick uses his song about love to talk mostly about loyalty, the Giants will find out how many… Read more »
A song to play while you’re reading about the Twins: “Sometimes It Snows In April,” by local hero Prince — because a series of home dates likely to be impacted by weather may set the… Read more »
A song for a team going their own way, and to listen to while reading about the Royals: “Never Follow Suit,” by The Radio Dept. The 2018 Royals may have lost nearly twice as many… Read more »
A song to play while reading about the Mets: “Secret Garden,” by Bruce Springsteen – It’s cliche for a baseball writer to go back to the Springsteen well, but hey, if you change all the… Read more »
A song to play while you’re reading about the Marlins: “Hurt” by Nine Inch Nails Some things are more important than baseball. If the game ceased to exist, we would miss it terribly, but we’d… Read more »
A song to play while you read about the Padres: “Afternoon Delight,” as sung by San Diego’s own Ron Burgundy. After the Machado signing and seeing how the team’s top prospects have performed so far… Read more »
A song to play while you’re reading about the Rockies: “Rocky Mountain High,” by John Denver The natural urge or human exploration and ambition is to go where few others have gone before. For some… Read more »
A song to play while reading about the Diamondbacks: “All We Got” by Chance the Rapper Back in 2012, the Angels were in a playoff hunt thanks to strong veteran seasons from pre-decline Albert Pujols… Read more »
Heading into the 2019 season, the Cleveland Indians look to continue their streak of Division Titles. 2018 marked their third in a row and fifth winning season since Terry Francona took over the manager’s seat… Read more »
A song to play while you’re reading about the White Sox: “Almost” by Bowling for Soup. White Sox fans went into the offseason uncharacteristically optimistic about the team’s chances to land either Manny Machado or… Read more »
A song to play while you read about the Rangers: “It’s Gonna Take a Little Bit Longer” by team minority owner Charley Pride. There was little fanfare for Arlington Stadium during its last season in… Read more »
