The Second First Season

Episode 8: The Parks

Note: This episode contains strong language. There are 203 ballparks currently being used by affiliated, professional baseball teams in the United States: 30 in the Major Leagues, 23 spring training facilities used by the big league clubs and their Rookie League affiliates, and 150 Minor League stadiums spread over six levels of baseball. The last three of those 203 parks opened this season: The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches, the new spring training facility for the Houston Astros and the Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate [http://wnpr.org/donate] See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

Episode 7: The Manager

Yard Goats manager Jerry Weinstein is a man of many little self-contradictory terms. Words like "simplexity." Or this one he has for a pitch that could be a strike or a ball: a... "striball." And it's not just these seemingly nonsensical little chestnuts, either. There are deeper contradictions in the manager that is Jerry Weinstein. Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate [http://wnpr.org/donate] See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

Episode 6: The Umpires

Since I first started following Minor League Baseball, there's been this ongoing tension that I've felt at all the games. On the one hand, you're pretty much surrounded by people who are living their dreams. On the other hand, kind of by definition, none of those people is really happy, is really satisfied where they are. Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate [http://wnpr.org/donate] See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

Episode 5: The Mascots

The Yard Goats' mascots were first unveiled to the world in October, 2015 , as the last part of a string of branding reveals that included merchandise, logos, logotypes, and uniforms, and that had begun with a Name the Team contest . Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate [http://wnpr.org/donate] See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

Episode 4: The Prospects

I think the reality is that on Hartford’s whole 25-man roster, there are probably maybe two, maybe three guys who will go on to have Major League careers of any length. Could be a couple more, but it could be a couple fewer too. Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate [http://wnpr.org/donate] See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.