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Almost Cooperstown

Gordon Kolier & Mark Kolier

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We're a father & son who love to talk and argue about baseball! Baseball is the professional sport that has the longest history so there is a lot to talk about. We launched Almost Cooperstown noting that baseball contains a long history of players that, for whatever reasons, have been shunned by the electors of the Hall of Fame. Consequently here are many 'Almost' players still waiting their turn for induction. With less than 1.5% of the now more than 23,000 players in the HOF, we feel there ...
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Send us a Text Message. Willie Mays did not flaunt it as much as did Joe DiMaggio who reveled in being called Greatest Living Ballplayer (GLB) that he insisted on being introduced that way at public events. But after Joe D. passed away the debate was between Henry Aaron and Willie Mays with Mays' superior defense being a deciding factor. Both Aaron…
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Send us a Text Message. Why did McDonald's allow Grimace to throw out the first pitch at a Mets game? It looked bad until the Mets promptly won 7 games in a row! The White Sox had a player get doubled off to end a game when he forgot how many outs there were. Kyle Finnegan pitch-clock violated the game-winning run - the first time that's happened s…
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Send us a Text Message. Since we are father and son we're very interested in baseball fathers and sons. Bobby and Barry Bonds are at the top of the all-time father and son combinations when it comes to bWAR. We talk about them and all the other top father-son combinations. We also cover the 19 father-son combinations represented in MLB today based …
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Send us a Text Message. There were many big stories in baseball last week. We did not even talk about the College World Series which had 3 walkoff wins in the first two days! More injuries for the Orioles pitching staff and the Astros have more to deal with too. Aaron Judge continues to fly and #Rangers pitcher David Robertson had a week he'll neve…
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Send us a Text Message. Last season the Los Angeles #Angels with Shohei Ohtani pounded the Colorado #Rockies 25-1. It was 23-0 in the 4th inning so as we see it a true blowout in which the runs are scored early and often for a team winning by 10 or more runs. Are blowouts fun for fans? It depends. Losing side managers hate them as the goal becomes …
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Send us a Text Message. Yankees-Dodgers series, Phillies go across the pond vs. the Mets. And betting on baseball is out of control. What was your big moment last week? We cover a bunch of things in a quick hitting episode. All-Star game voting is in full force but there are also changes in All-Star weekend this year at Globe Life Field in Arlingto…
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Send us a Text Message. The argument that team owners would be unwilling to give up the revenue from the 8 additional games between 154 and 162 is weaker than ever. The additional playoff games would more than make up for the incremental loss of gate and TV revenue. Players could have a bit more rest and maybe we would not need to start the MLB sea…
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Send us a Text Message. Angel Hernandez umpired 33 years of MLB. He stepped down this week and received no demand that he continue. His time was over. Reigning NL MVP Ronald Acuna Jr. went down with an awful ACL injury (again), and will miss the rest of the 2024 season. The last time Acuna Jr. had a season-ending injury the Braves won the World Ser…
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Send us a Text Message. The infield shift has been banned for about 1 1/2 seasons and the results are that left handed hitters have had some benefit mostly at the expense of right handed hitters. Baseball batting averages are still among the lowest in MLB history. Watching teams struggle to get hits and score runs can be a chore. Pitcher injuries c…
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Send us a Text Message. Happy Memorial day to all of our listeners and their families. A memorial service could be held for a few #MLB teams including the #Mets and #Rockies. But the #Guardians and #Phillies keep flying high. The #Royals won 9 out of 10 but gained no ground in the AL Central. #Orioles have starting pitcher health issues. #Astros ar…
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Send us a Text Message. Blasts and swords will become terms baseball nerds will use to describe batter's strengths and weaknesses. Squared-up contact too. We took a look at the new nomenclature put out by Statcast/Baseball Savant and it interesting and amusing. We talk about what is the actual description of the bat's 'sweet spot' and how that figu…
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Send us a Text Message. Like Lazerus, the #Astros are finally rising from the ashes, while the #Guardians continue to surprise, #Yankees and #Orioles are the class of the AL East. The #Phillies are better than we thought w/the #Braves looking up at them for a change. #Cubs Shota Imanaga is the early Cy Young candidate along with Ranger Suarez and C…
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Send us a Text Message. HOFer Cy Young's record 511 wins are safe in the record books as ones that truly will never be broken. DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak has a better chance of being broken. 20-game winners are also going by the wayside with only Spencer Strider last season, Kyle Wright the year before and Julio Urias in 2021. None of those …
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Send us a Text Message. Aaron Judge and Juan Soto for the Yankees are keeping them close to the first place Orioles. The AL playoffs are a long way away but teams can play their way out of the wild card if they're not careful. Pirates Paul Skenes finally made his #MLB debut vs. the Cubs and topped 100 MPH 17 times striking out 7 and got the win in …
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Send us a Text Message. We love baseball books and Vince Wetzel's 'Lose Yourself' is a fun read. Fictional Oakland A's OF Brett Austen is trying to join the great Ted Williams as the newest member of the .400 batting average for a season club. A's fans don't have much to cheer about despite this year's decent start for the undermanned team. Since t…
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Send us a Text Message. The Twins won 12 in a row with a little help from a bizarre packaged summer sausage that the Twins kept in their dugout. Whatever the impact the Twins are squarely back in the hunt in the AL Central which is still led by the Guardians. The Dodgers had an interesting week highlighted by a zero strikeout game by the offense on…
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Send us a Text Message. 2nd baseman Ryne Sandberg is deservedly in the Hall of Fame. So is Roberto Alomar. On the other hand, Bobby Grich, Lou Whitaker, and Jeff Kent are not, and it's unlikely that Robinson Cano will ever make it for off-the-field reasons. Chase Utley has a chance, and Jose Altuve is on track. We compared all of these players stat…
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Send us a Text Message. Braves Max Fried had gotten off to a spotty start to his season but his 92 pitch shutout in an hour and 54 minutes vs. the Marlins announced he's just fine. Shohei Othani has 17 doubles already which is on pace for an all-time record. How about Elly De La Cruz? 1.7 bWAR in a month. If he keeps up what he's done in April he w…
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Send us a Text Message. 58 of the 273 (21%) players elected to the Hall of Fame played only for one franchise. As Gordon pointed out, before baseball had free agency players did not move around nearly as much not because they didn't want to but because they were not allowed to! We talk about the only set of teammates that were elected to the HOF in…
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Send us a Text Message. The Angels were 9-9 for a moment this week with Mike Trout leading the way. Could they possibly make the playoffs? Then they proceeded to lose 3 straight. Same old. AL West is a dogfight even with the Astros still mired in last place. The Twins have been having trouble scoring. They could use a good week coming up as the Gua…
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Send us a Text Message. Having a discussion around MLB player union issues can easily make your eyes roll. So we sprinkled in a little Scott Boras since he's one guy everyone loves to hate. Except for his clients of course. When MLB brought in the MiLB players into the union 2 years ago it went kind of quietly but it's no small deal. Rumors of muti…
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Send us a Text Message. Are the Pirates and Royals for real? Both teams have gotten off to great starts but we've seen it before. We're at nearly 10% of the 2024 season has been played and there are a bunch of things that are happening as predicted. But not everything! Shohei Ohtani is great as is Juan Soto. The Dodgers are good. So are the Yankees…
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Send us a Text Message. If the expression 'chicks dig the long ball' is still true as it was in the 1990s when Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine did a TV spot about the baseball's obsession with home runs, today's pitchers love to light up the radar with triple digits or at least get as close to that as they can. Pitching labs are the newest tool to get …
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Send us a Text Message. What was the signature moment of the past full week in MLB? Ronel Blanco's no hitter? The earliest date for a no-hitter in history! Or was it Bryce Harper's three home runs in a game last week? It might have been a few moments when star pitchers Eury Perez (Thursday), Shane Bieber (Friday) and Spencer Strider (Saturday) all …
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Send us a Text Message. How do you feel about Major League Baseball players giving each other a hot foot during the game? It was fairly commonplace for a long time but no longer. Being thought of as a character is not as cute as it once was either. Is it because MLB players make too much money? Are there still any good pranks being played in MLB? W…
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Send us a Text Message. MLB 2024 Opening Day has come and gone but there was drama in New York at 2nd base with new Brewer Rhys Hoskins and Mets Jeff McNeil. Each week of the season on Monday we will recap the week that was with games through Saturday and we will try to keep it to 30 minutes or less. Watch the episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/8…
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Send us a Text Message. We had such a good time last year in Episode 401 talking with Author Michael Ortman who wrote 'Opening day 50 for 50' where he recounted attending 50 straight opening days. We talked about some of this year's opening day matchups, why some pitchers are declining to take the opening day start, which was unthinkable not that l…
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Send us a Text Message. Here we are, the 1st episode in season 5 where we offer our predictions in order of finish of all the MLB teams. Who will be be the 2024 MVP in each league? Who will win the Cy Young in each league? Who will be Rookie-of-the-Year in 2024? Are the Dodgers really the class of the National League? How about the Texas Rangers? C…
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Send us a Text Message. When it comes to Pat Ahearne, it's a really interesting story. He was the NCAA CWS MVP in 1992 when his Pepperdine Waves went all the way. That effort surely helped Pat get his 1st MLB contract with the Detroit Tigers. He pitched 4 games for them in 1995 starting three of them, over a two week period in June. But he was not …
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Send us a Text Message. The last of our 6 division previews. It might be saving the best for last although the AL East might tip the scales. Dylan Cease to the Padres will make a difference and the Padre lineup is formidable, but who can top Betts, Ohtani, and Freeman as a top three in the lineup. The D'Backs will not catch anyone by surprise this …
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Send us a Text Message. The NL Central is better than the AL Central. But that's about it. The Cubs with new manager Craig Counsell will be a top division contender with the Reds being heard from as well. The Brewers, Cardinals, and Pirates have some issues. Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/RBe0xEchXxs Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks f…
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Send us a Text Message. Our 4th division primer on the NL East. The Braves and Phillies are the class of the division with the Mets, Marlins and Nationals all hoping that they are the team that will surprise. We talk about all 5 teams 40-man rosters, and who the best players are in the division. Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/WcpmH0kB3jc Please…
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Send us a Text Message. We noted that Rangers are under-appreciated. The Astros are still formidable and the Mariners not to be ignored. The AL West will be fun to watch this season unless you're a fan of the Angels or A's. The 3rd of our 6 division breakdowns. Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/gkUf2J4Wjco Please subscribe to our podcast and thank…
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Send us a Text Message. Jose Ramirez is one of the best players fans under-appreciate. The Guardians are not at the top of the list of AL Central favorites but should not be ignored either. We talk about the rosters of all 5 teams in what will be a dogfight of teams all lacking a key ingredient. This is the second of what will be 6 consecutive podc…
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Send us a Text Message. While we didn't pick the teams which we will do in our season preview episode, we did dig deep into each team's 40 man roster. The AL East is the best division in baseball and yet we had trouble picking more than 3 top starting pitchers! This is the first of what will be 6 consecutive podcasts doing division primers. Watch o…
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Send us a Text Message. 2024 MLB Spring Training has begun and would-be rookies impact teams ultimate performance (think Corbin Carroll and Evan Carter last year) more and more frequently . But some Rookie's of the Year never reach the heights they touched in their first campaign. That doesn't mean they don't have a career and flame out after a cou…
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Send us a Text Message. We hear about the unwritten rules of baseball all the time. Don't walk the leadoff hitter. Don't bunt in a no-hitter. Some of the unwritten rules are more strategic preferences than unwritten rules. We discuss that as well as how stealing signs has evolved over the years and if it can still be done today. Watch on YouTube: h…
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Send us a Text Message. This is it! The last of our MLB teams deep dives. The Yankees are saved for last since they are first in World Series wins. They have 3x or more as many World Series titles compared to any team but the St. Louis Cardinals who have 11 WS titles. The greatest Yankees is a long list indeed as well as the list of retired numbers…
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Send us a Text Message. This is our 200th episode and we are so grateful that we have listeners that are interested in hearing us talk about baseball. So THANK YOU to all who take a few minutes here and there to listen and engage with Almost Cooperstown! Since we recorded this podcast Jorge Soler signed with the Giants. Finally. The Marlins are sti…
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Send us a Text Message. The 11-time World Series Champion St. Louis Cardinals actually won an American Association championship in 1882. Besides winning in 1926, 1931, 1934, 1942, and 1946 - 6 championships in 21 seasons, they also won in 1964, 1967, 1982, 2006, and most recently in 2011. There are amazing Hall-of-Fame players spread out throughout…
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Send us a Text Message. We don't often focus on the negative aspects of baseball in the Major Leagues. But there have been some bad people who've made it to the game's grandest stage. Some of the things these heinous characters did during and after their playing career are almost unbelievable. We should have mentioned that Ben Chapman was portrayed…
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Send us a Text Message. The nine time champion A's won 5 World Series before 1931. They won three in the 1970s. And one more in 1989. That's it. Nine WS is 2nd all-time tied with The Red Sox and Cardinals who we will deep dive on next week. The Athletics turned A's (thanks to Charlie O. Finley) have fallen on desperate times. But there are many gre…
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Send us a Text Message. Author Mark Stevens joins the podcast to discuss his terrific #baseball novel - The Fireballer. Ever think what would happen if a pitcher could regularly throw 110 MPH? Batters wouldn't have a chance! What if one of those pitches got away from him? We had a great time talking with Mark and are keen to find a way to make the …
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Send us a Text Message. Another original AL team, the 9-time World Champion Red Sox won the 1st World Series as the Boston Americans. They have been a streaky World Series team and we tell you why. Who's the best pitcher in Red Sox history? How about shortstop or manager? We discuss it all in this quick hitting podcast. Thanks to all of our listene…
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Send us a Text Message. For the 2nd straight year we were lucky enough to have Daniel Brown join the podcast. Dan is a Staff Editor and Writer for the Athletic and is also a card-carrying BBWAA member and votes each year for the Hall-of-Fame. We discuss who he voted for and who he did not and why. We also preview the 2024 Ballot likely candidates a…
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Send us a Text Message. 8 World Series Titles. 10 World Series losses. The Giants began playing in 1883 in the Polo Grounds and never played in another stadium in New York. They went to the Bay Area in 1958 and appeared in the World Series in 1962 but not again until 1989, finally winning their 1st WS in 56 years in 2010? Hall of Famers abound in G…
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Send us a Text Message. We thought we were going to do an episode on the greatest players of each decade starting with Ted Williams and Joe DiMaggio. It was more difficult to do that but we did compare several sets of Hall-of-Famers like Ted and Joe (we added in Stan the Man just for fun) as well as others from later decades. Let us know if you'd l…
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Send us a Text Message. The Dodgers have won 7 WS titles and appeared in the playoffs 37 times. Their list of players include some of the best who've ever played baseball. We go position by position picking the greatest Dodger at each including relief pitchers. A few corrections: Gary Sheffield played 4 seasons for the Dodgers not 7. The Dodgers al…
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Send us a Text Message. Thinking about the great baseball rivalries over the years many come to mind. But most of them are within either the National League or American League. Sure the Brooklyn now Los Angeles Dodgers had nearly annual World Series tilts with the Yankees (losing them all until 1955), but generally the big rivalries are inter-leagu…
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Send us a Text Message. The Pirates like the nearby Reds, have won five World Series and lost only two. In their history they've had a bunch of Hall of Famers play all over the field but often those players did not get the satisfaction of winning it all! We talk about the players, the managers - HOF Jim Leyland actually had a losing record while ma…
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