Baseball Isn’t Boring

One year ago, baseball was supposed to be on its deathbed. The sport was in the heart of a lockout, with sports fans ready to turn their back on the great game. But here were are, with spring training not only ready to kick off with as much enthusiasm as ever, but also with MLB feeling like the last 365 days may have allowed for its biggest step forward perception-wise in years. Ken Rosenthal of T...

All of a sudden, older pitchers are being accepted more than every in the world of Major League Baseball. Case in point: Yu Darvish signing a six-year deal at the age of 36 years old. Bradfo sits down with San Francisco Giants Director of Pitching Brian Bannister to explore why teams are all of a sudden valuing guys in their late 30's and early 40's, and when this shift actually happened. Banniste...

Shawn hosts Team Israel's young buck, Josh Wolf, to talk about how he ended up playing for the country and what it means to be competing against some of the game's biggest names so early in his career. Israel has a deep resource pool as far as coaching and personnel go, but the real question is how they will survive pool play.

Once again, Jonathan Papelbon and Bradfo are out to prove that not only isn't baseball boring, but betting on baseball isn't boring. It's why the two teamed up one again, this time to go through which teams are the best bets in each division. Along the way they formulate the 'Pitch of Destiny' where Papelbon sets the over/under on throwing a fastball at 89.9 mph. We also get to the bottom of exact...

Shawn has some good news and some bad news. With Pitchers and catchers reporting to Spring Training this week, some big-name players have dropped out of the WBC. The good news is that it means a new batch of professional ballplayers with an opportunity of representing their country on the world stage.

With the football season officially in the rearview mirror, it's time for baseball to step into the spotlight. That's why was a perfect time for one of the game's best personalities, Jake Burger of the White Sox, to join Bradfo on the podcast. The guys talk about the controversial spring training hats, who Joe Kelly helped turn Burger's season around, the important discussion involving mental heal...

In the heart of Super Bowl week, baseball took over thanks to Coop joining Joe Kelly in dominating Radio Row to talk about the book, "A Damn Near Perfect Game: Reclaiming America's Pastime". Bradfo was joined by Coop to offer a first-hand account of what he encountered in Phoenix.

Director and writer for El Extrabase, Daniel Alvares-Montes talks to Shawn about the strength of the Venezuelan roster and how they'll match up in pool play during the World Baseball Classic.

Bradfo jumped on MLB Network Radio with Jenny Cavnar to take a deep dive into the forthcoming best-selling book "A Damn Near Perfect Game: Reclaiming America's Pastime" while also picking apart what to expect with the Red Sox.

Should they play. Shouldn't they play. It's always a tough decision for players and teams every time the World Baseball Classic comes around, with this year being no exception. One of the more noteworthy case this season has been Ji-Man Choi, who wanted to play for South Korea but the Pirates steered him away from the roster. Pittsburgh Ben Cherington joined Bradfo to discuss that dynamic along wi...

Shawn Spradling jumps on a live stream for the World Baseball Classic's roster announcement to give his thoughts on how each team is shaping up. Along the way, he brings on other voices covering the tournament and a few players to get their thoughts and gauge their excitement as the WBC draws near.

In the heart of football's biggest week, leading into the big game, Baseball Isn't Boring took over in Phoenix. BIB Ambassador Joe Kelly - with Coop by his side - dove head-first into Radio Row to talk about the great game of baseball and the soon-to-be-released book "A Damn Near Perfect Game: Reclaiming America's Pastime". Equipped with a brand new Baseball Isn't Boring red t-shirt, a book and pl...

Pirates general manager Ben Cherington is the latest executive to jump aboard the Baseball Isn't Boring express, joining Bradfo to reflect on key parts of his path while offering insight into such current issues as the Bryan Reynolds and Ji-Man Choi situations. It's the kind of perspective that will make you appreciate where Cherington came from and where he and his Pittsburgh organization is goin...

Shawn dives into the weekend's roster transaction whirlwind. MLB players have been entering the WBC at a record clip, but as spring training draws near some have decided to decommit. Shawn has you locked in with the biggest names that have dropped out and what that means for their home country's odds of winning the title.

Evan Drellich of The Athletic joins Bradfo to conduct one of his first interviews talking about his new book, 'Winning Fixes Everything: How Baseball's Brightest Minds Created Sports' Biggest Mess'. Drellich explains the process that went into constructing the book on the path to what led to the Astros' cheating scandal, what he learned while authoring the project, and what it all means for baseba...

Of all the winter fan celebrations, one stood out over all the others: The Padres' party. Bradfo is joined by Ben Fadden of 'Talking Friars' @talkingfriars, who was Baseball Isn't Boring's boots on the ground for the FanFest in San Diego over the weekend. It has gotten baseball crazy in San Diego, and Ben expertly paints that picture on the podcast.

With the current crop of free agents thinned out with spring training almost upon us, we turn to the big ticket items of next offseason. And there is no better ticket than Shohei Ohtani. Bradfo is joined by free agent correspondent Ed Hand to discuss where Ohtani might find himself a year from now, while also taking a look at what next offseason's free agent class - beyond Ohtani - is looking like...

With the release of his new book - A Damn Near Perfect Game: Reclaiming America's Pastime - taking place on Feb. 28, White Sox pitcher Joe Kelly calls in with Bradfo and Coop to announce some of his plans in the coming week, which will include a pass through the Super Bowl's Radio Row. Kelly also offers a fascinating passage from the book that offers insight into the 2018 Red Sox's reaction to the...

In Episode 2 of WBC Central, Shawn Spradling (@shawn_spradling) not only offers a flurry of updates regarding all things World Baseball Classic, but does an extensive question and answer session ... and there are some really good questions and some really good answers. With the rosters officially set to be announced next week, the anticipation is building. That's why WBC Central is becoming more i...

The oldest active player in any of the four major professional sports, Rich Hill of the Pirates, joins Bradfo once again, this time to reflect on how Tom Brady made it as far as he did before retiring, whether or not Hill is eyeing playing as long as Brady, and what it takes to play into your 40's. It's the kind of insight nobody else in baseball can currently give.

Bradfo is joined by actor Ellen Adair and Courtney Finnicum to offer the the ultimate springboard into February, with the trio passionately talking about the great game of baseball just a few weeks before spring training kicks off. Ellen - who has made her mark not only in the acting world, but also as an astute follower of baseball (and Phillies fan) - joins Baseball Isn't Boring regular Courtney...

Two players who have dove head-first into the world of chess - while they aren't playing baseball - are Reds star Joey Votto and Red Sox pitcher Garrett Whitlock. Both recently joined Bradfo on the podcast to talk about how the two games can intertwine and how they came to finding a passion in playing the game of chess. It's a fascinating conversation about two fascinating games. For the full podc...

In his latest Baseball Isn't Boring appearance, Pirates pitcher Rich Hill - who struck out Mike Trout in their only showdown - defined who he thought was the best hitter currently in baseball. His choice? New Marlin Luis Arraez. Hill goes on to explain why his former Twins teammate was the choice, and who else he would put on the short list of best hitters. For the complete episode, click here.

Former Red Sox pitcher Rich Hill, who has taken his talents to Pittsburgh for 2023, has a very real problem with what went down with the baseballs last season. With it coming out that Major League Baseball used three different kinds of baseballs in 2022, Hill takes MLB to task heading into the new season. To listen to the entire podcast with Hill, click here.

The highly-anticipated WBC Central podcast is officially here, with World Baseball Classic expert Shawn Spradling (@shawn_spradling) getting behind the mic to kick off what will be fascinating conversation, debate and endless entertainment all the way through to the tournament's final game. Shawn offers insight you can't find anywhere else, with the podcast serving as his latest springboard to a w...