Infinite Inning #020: The Hammer And The Banana

Before Cliff Corcoran of Sports on Earth takes his regular spot in the rotation and turns the conversation to an extended fantasia about beluga whales and other zoo-going experiences, Steve is joined by MLB Ambassador for Inclusion Billy Bean. Also: How Walter Johnson was like incorrectly eating a Stroopwafel.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Walter Johnson vs. Stroopwafels*Billy Bean and Shred Hate*ZooTalk of the Infinite Inning *Is the 2017 baseball season anticlimactic?*The Twins revival*Has Byron Buxton turned the corner?*If Buxton was a 1980s Yankee*How long to great outfield defenders last?*One last check on the Royals*Lorenzo Cain, agent of destruction*And Carlos Santana, too*Teams waste the designated hitter*Why being a DH makes some players more valuable*The tragedy of David Wright*Wright and Mets retired numbers*David Wright among the great third basemen*Stan Hack for the Hall of Fame*National League MVP debate: The Hammer and the Banana*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?