Indy Neidell's Baseball History Time Machine

The 1968 Winter Meetings saw a lot of changes happening to baseball, a lot of them made to somehow get more bodies into the ever emptier stadia, as the lack of offensive was driving away casual fans by the middle of the decade. One such change is known today as the Gibson Rule, but does it really deserve that name? Also- sidetracks into things like Mike Shannon's career, why the owners were being exceptional dicks just that winter, and what in the world is the Global League?

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In yet another installment of the Tragic Tales series we take a look at Lyman Bostock and Austin McHenry. Of course, there are the usual sidetracks into things like Pickles Dillhoefer, the brief major league career of Red McColl and St. Louis team nomenclature, and plenty more.

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What do we get today? We get Chick Stahl, the 1920 World Series, a sidetrack about mayonnaise, single season headhunter records, and Carl Mays' career story.

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Today we continue telling tragic baseball tales with perhaps the most famous one- the death of Ray Chapman, but there's also the usual side stories and sidetracks, digging into topics like Lightning Ray Caldwell, the 1920 AL pennant race, Wimpy's, and the much anticipated story of Jack Quinn.

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A couple of tragic baseball deaths today for you, and the full story of Jim Creighton's rise to stardom and what he brought to baseball in his brief, tragic career, as well as side tracks into things like 1860s cricket play and the evolution of the called strike.

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We continue the mini series of pitchers who've struck out 19 or more hitters in a single game with Steve Carlton, but also the usual sidetracks into all sorts of weirdness- Noodles Hahn, the reserve clause, the 1972 players' strike, and more.

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This week begins as another installment of the '19 K Club' series, but soon sidetracks into Ernie Shore's non-perfect game; Babe Ruth slugging an umpire; Slam Agnew's and Pinch Thomas' nicknames; a whole lot about Luis Tiant, and game six of the 1975 World Series.

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This excellent mini series continues, covering two more pitchers who struck out 19 or more players in a single major league game, Tom Cheney and Luis Tiant, but there also sidetracks as usual. In fact, there are more sidetracks than ever! Indy and Berns veer off into Fidel Castro and Cuban amateur baseball, the history of Indy's last name, the career of the elder Luis Tiant... and plenty more.

(...AND AS A BONUS, you even get a bumping sound off and on during the whole episode, since it turns out Indy's mike stand kept banging the table edge whenever anyone would move)

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The second in the mini series covering those players in MLB History who have struck out 19 or more batters in one game. Today we start off still in 1884 with Charlie Sweeney, but we have the usual sidetracks into things like Sloppy Thurston, Old Hoss Radbourn, and winning games out of spite.

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Because of illness and daily life just getting a little overwhelming, we unfortunately can't release an episode today, but we'll be back next Sunday, and then continue all summer long every other week like always.

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The first episode in a mini series on those pitchers who've struck out 19 or more batters in a major league game, but it also has several cool sidetracks into other things- like Prince Hal Newhouser and his grand nephew's kindness, the Independent 1880 New York Mets, and pitchers who won 180+ games before they turned 30. Another instant classic!

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Another installment of the 1970s Sluggers mini series for you, kicking off with a long look at Jeff Burroughs, but also featuring loads of sidetracks into things like how to steal home according to Billy Martin, the etymology of Vic Power's name, Cleveland's 10c beer night- and also Cleveland's 5c beer night (which often gets overlooked), a surprising Joe DiMaggio stat, and more!

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After sidetracking on everything under the sun the past two episodes, Indy finally tells us the incredible thing Rogers Hornsby did NOT do, but someone else did. Not to worry, though, there are still plenty of sidetracks into Harry Heilmann, interesting facts about Wahoo, Nebraska, the 1925 American League batting race, and more.

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There's something that Rogers Hornsby did NOT do that Indy was supposed to talk about in the first episode of season two. That's on the agenda today, but there are the usual sidetracks- this time about the 1926 World Series, Bubbles Hargrave, the McDLT, and a bit of an homage to Grover Cleveland Alexander.

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Indy and Berns kick off Season 2 of this weirdness in top Time Machine form: Indy sets the scene for what the episode is about, and then spends the rest of the entire episode side tracking about... well, loads of things... let's see... the most important game ever played, Chicago single season batting average leaders, Guy Hecker, leaving the game for love, rule changes in 1876- Lord, where do these idiots not side track to?

A new season but the same old great stuff (and yes, we are aware of the mild buzzing noise, but this was recorded on Good Friday so you get what you get).

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Indy and Berns get back to the Sluggers of the 1970s Mini Series, today covering a pair of early 70s White Sox homer champs. Also the usual sidetracks into things like Ed Walsh's clutch run at the end of the 1908 season and a guy who played for nearly every team in his league. Same old great stuff as always.

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Just after the last episode was recorded- which was about the death of former Pirate star Roy Face- another Pirates legend, Hall of Famer Bill Mazeroski, also passed away. This episode is an homage to him, but also covers those two former major leaguers who are still alive at over 100 years old, and also, of course, Indy's usual sidetracks into things like the Homer in the Gloamin', Game 7 of the 1960 World Series, and 'Face'.

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Instead of continuing the sluggers of the 1970s mini series, Indy and Berns spend the episode talking about the late great Roy Face, and some pretty impressive relief wins and winning percentage records from the 1960s and 1970s.

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We continue this fabulous 70s sluggers mini-series, this week talking about the first team to ever have three guys hit 40 homers the same season before going into dives into George Foster and Dave Kingman, as well as side tracks into things like the 80s collusion scandal. Another instant classic.

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This 70s sluggers mini series continues, today featuring numbers 3, 4, and 5 on the most homers of the 1970s list, as well as the usuall side tracks into things like Dave Nocholson's strikeouts, Rosie Bonds and the 1964 Olympics, and Catfish Hunter's name. Another tour de force!

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