All About Baseball with Byron Copley

A listener asked me to provide more information about the story that I offered in the episode published on January 19, 2026, “Humility Personified,” to fill in the details, add color and context, and clear up some questions she had about Lou Gehrig and Wally Pipp. So, this episode, called “Humility Personified (Continued)” hopefully does just that, as it focuses on the impa...

Inspired by a humble gesture of an unnamed High School baseball player, who recognized that his acceptance of a college baseball offer was in no small part due to the play of his catcher, I reflect on this stellar example of humility and also (finally) after more than 100 episodes of All About Baseball, offer a treatment of whom I consider to be the most humble player in MLB history. He also happe...

I can see Ryan’s house from my front yard, and I asked him if he’d be willing to share his experiences as a D1 college baseball player at Gardner Webb, a small Christian college near Charlotte, North Carolina. What came through the most was Ryan’s gratitude and humility throughout the conversation. At the end of the podcast, I chronicle just a few of his numerous and substantial...

Baseball, unlike the other sports, has, in my opinion, more opportunities to reinforce important virtues, among them being accountability, humility, objectivity, and charity. This podcast presents what these virtues mean in the context of the game of baseball and how to express them. I also share an early memory from when I was 10 years old that helped to help me learn the importance of being acco...

Podcasts should grow and evolve as they stick to their fundamental principles. That’s what this episode reinforces, as it projects to expect in 2026. As I continue to cultivate a like-minded band of listeners who share my passion for the game of baseball, I also plan to make each episode more inspiring and more interactive, while covering the game in the same, eclectic way that I have for th...

In the spirit of Christmas Day, I thought it appropriate to offer a replay of a podcast from September 28, 2024, that tells the story of a man with a vision to give of himself 365 days a year. From the original podcast description: “After a 16-year Major League career, Hank Aguirre established a company called Mexican Industries in 1979, with the intent of employing fellow Mexicans and other...

I want to share my recommendation for you to read the book, “Tinker to Evers to Chance — The Chicago Cubs and The Dawn of Modern America.” It’s an excellent account of this famous shortstop (Tinker), second baseman (Evers), and first baseman (Chance) combination that helped the Cubs to dominate the National League for the first 10 years of the 20th century (1901-1910) and a...

To commemorate surpassing the 100-episode mark of All About Baseball, I wanted to actually do a podcast about how a Major League Baseball is made: the materials used, the manufacturing methods, and the standards that each baseball has to pass. Instead, I discovered something much more important to talk about — the people who work at the. MLB-owned Rawlings plant in Turriabla, Costa Rica, who...

A listener asked me this question that I had not previously considered. I was comfortable just letting this scenario play out. His inquiry led me to respond with an answer that presents a specific plan gives the Tigers the best chance to responsibly sign Skubal or, more likely, receive the best possible and comparable value in a trade. Be alerted that this podcast delves into the granular numbers...

The title says it all: I express my gratitude to all who have made this podcast possible, including Almighty God, my creator. I also offer a preview of three future episodes. May your Thanksgiving be filled with joy, good food, and fine company. bcpodcastbaseball@gmail.com byroncopley.com https://byroncopley.com/ Link to Tinker to Evers to Chance Book Review: https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/b...

A bike accident, a dislocated index finger, and a suggestion from my wife prompted me to dig into the life and career of Mordecai “Three-Finger” Brown, who suffered a sudden and gruesome amputation of his right index finger at the tender age of five (or seven, depending on the source). As a result of this, Mordeaci Brown, a Hall of Famer and considered in everyone’s top-30 list o...

With the recent indictments of Cleveland Guardians’ pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luiz Ortiz, for throwing baseballs in the dirt to win bets for their partners, it appears that MLB is doing all it can to sweep this situation under the rug by taking the tepid measure of limiting the amount of money someone can make on prop bets like this to $200. But, with FanDuel as an important sponsor, MLB w...

This Latin phrase, translated to In English, means “after, therefore because of it.” This fallacy in logic is all too often applied to the outcome of sporting events . It’s been never more prevalent than in the circumstances of the ninth inning of Game 7 of the 2025 World Series where Isiah Kiner-Falefa was forced out at home by a literal inch, denying the Blue Jays what would ha...

Not always. In this podcast, I identify two different 2025 “all-star” lineups by position — one is stocked with underpaid players and the other with overpaid players. The point: demonstrate that owners are compensating many players based on past achievements and future promise instead of present performance, which is all that really matters. That owners, as explained by the Peter...

After 20-plus years of umpiring youth baseball, I’m calling it quits as suddenly as I entered the “profession” when I volunteered to umpire my son’s ball game because the assigned umpire didn’t show. This brief podcast explains my reasons why I made an on-the-field decision to walk away. bcpodcastbaseball@gmail.com www.byroncopley.com Music: “Field Grass,”...

On October 10, 2025, the Seattle Mariners defeated the Detroit Tigers in Game 5 of the American League Divisional Series (ALDS), in part because the Tigers committed two critical “little-league” mistakes that should never happen at the Major-League level. Both occurred on the base paths, with due credit given to Mariners’ first-baseman Josh Naylor’s fearlessness and with su...

In Game 7 of the 1940 World Series, in the seventh inning with the Detroit Tigers clinging onto a tenuous 1-0 lead, Tiger shortstop Dick Bartell inexplicably held the baseball in his right hand as Reds’ first baseman Frank McCormick sauntered home with the tying run. The Reds went on to win the game, 2-1. This podcast recounts that moment and chalks it up to human fallibility, which is what...

Winning 97 games in an MLB season “only” requires any team to win three of every five games. This podcast, influenced by a similar observation that I saw online, asked the question “is it really that easy?” The answer: No. It’s actually rather difficult, as it should be at the MLB level. In fact, the fewer teams that win 90-plus games in a given season indicates a mor...

Occasionally, I will replay posts that I think bear a second listen (or a first if it was missed). “Jack T. Jamison” (not his real name) is one of 4,486 Major League Baseball players who never got to make a 10th plate appearance. The story as to why is the the subject of this podcast, the details of which were related to me by two of my cousins. “Jack T. Jamison” is their great uncle, who played f...

The deluge of data that is delivered to viewers and spectators during a given MLB game, whether in person, on television, or even in a radio broadcast, renders the actual events on the field as specimens to examine rather than feats to admire. In regards to baseball, less data is “more appreciation” for the game itself. This podcast ruminates on the true nature of baseball. And real-ti...

What a difference a week makes. On September 8, the Tigers were 9.5 games ahead of Kansas City. Now, the 2025 Detroit Tigers, as of this day, are in the EXACT same position as the 1964 Philadelphia Phillies — 5.5 games in first place with 11 games to play, and they lost the National League pennant to the Cardinals. The present second-place team is the red-hot Cleveland Guardians. This podcas...

The New York Yankees offered a moment of silence on September 10, 2025, prior to its game against the Detroit Tigers, to recognize the assassination of Charlie Kirk, which had occurred earlier that day. This podcast supports that decision as a gesture to a person who was only attempting to exercise his right — and that of those with whom he disagreed — of free speech and discourse. byr...

Prior to the game of Friday, September 5, 2025, the Detroit Tigers held a 9.5 game lead over the second-place Kansas City Royals in the American League Central. Only a total collapse that would have to even be more catastrophic than the Tigers’ losing 12 of 13 game from July 9 to July 26 could allow the Royals to catch the Tigers. So, this podcast is a preventative measure that reviews the c...

Rob Manfred is at it again. He wants to expand MLB to 32 teams and organize them in divisions based solely on geographic proximity and dissolve the American and National leagues. His rationale is thin in substance and thick in deception. I think that this is merely about making the TV package negotiations in progress more lucrative for the prospective provider of MLB streaming and TV coverage. Als...

A listener-request inspired me to dig into the mystery of the so-called “catcher’s balk,” a term commonly used, but found nowhere in the rule book. Naturally, my investigation lead me into a discussion about the time-space continuum, which, unlike the “catcher’s balk,” definitely does exist. bcpodcastbaseball@gmail.com www.byroncopley.com Music: “Field Gra...