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PODCAST

Almost Cooperstown

Gordon Kolier & Mark Kolier

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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All Episodes

44:35

2024 trading deadline FINAL - every MLB team in 44...

Almost Cooperstown ·

2024/08/01

Send us a Text Message.We thought we could do all 30 teams in 30 minutes but it took longer despite how fast we talked. Most teams were in the middle but there were winners and there were losers and we called them out. No top 100 prospects were traded. No big names were traded. The whole thing was a big dud! But that did not stop us. Intro & Outro music this season courtesy of Mercury Maid! Check them out on Spotify or Apple Music! Please subscribe to our podcas...

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27:08

We try not to talk about trading deadline TWIC...

Almost Cooperstown ·

2024/07/29

Send us a Text Message.Players have been traded but we didn't really talk about that. Dylan Cease pitched a no-hitter for the #Padres & is on an amazing run. #Mets Kodai Senga pitched so well in his return from a shoulder injury. He then went down for the season with a calf inju/ry. So Mets. Some teams have been positioning themselves by removing salaries so they can perhaps acquire an expensive player. But will there be the BIG deal that so many baseball fans want to hear about?&nbs...

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27:50

2024 HOF Inductions of 4 greats & trading deadline...

Almost Cooperstown ·

2024/07/25

Send us a Text Message.Manager Jim Leyland, along with all-time greats Adrian Beltre, Todd Helton, and Joe Mauer all were officially inducted into Cooperstown this past Sunday. All 4 made heartfelt and good speeches. It's always great to see the amount of HOFers that show up on a hot July afternoon to sit outside in a jacket and tie to show their respect for the newest inductees. Helton and Mauer played their entire careers for one team only - the Rockies and Twins respectively. Beltre c...

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28:56

All-Star Game yawn, weekend series wrap. trading...

Almost Cooperstown ·

2024/07/22

Send us a Text Message.At least we got to see Paul Skenes pitch to Aaron Judge. It lasted all of one pitch however. The All-Star Game lost its juice years ago. Mark suggested counting All-Star stats in career totals. For whatever that would be worth. To add to that there are no longer Thursday games post All-Star break so four full days without real baseball that counts is awful! What's remaining in the 2024 season is essentially a pandemic-legnth season around 60 games. Too many to dete...

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28:32

AC midseason awards & season review through All Star...

Almost Cooperstown ·

2024/07/18

Send us a Text Message.Best manager of the first 100 games? MVP candidates? Who might be traded? Will the Orioles hold on?: How about the @clevelandguardians? Are the @brewers for real? Who might win the triple crown? There are several good choices. Who are the best rookies and there are a bunch of them! We talk about the teams that might be sellers and buyers. And that what's left after the All-star break is not as much of a season than it used to be? Intro & Outro ...

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25:39

All-Star week is here but No REAL baseball until...

Almost Cooperstown ·

2024/07/15

Send us a Text Message.MLB's annual trade show and conference for players has started. It's only for the best players as the non-All-Stars are home with their families. For four days! The break for players is welcomed. Fans may feel differently. There are 36 first-time All-Stars. That's amazing! The Phillies have 8 All-Stars. @Pirates Paul Skenes is starting the All-Star game for the National League and that's right. Elly de la Cruz will play in the All-Star game due to the injury ...

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24:13

Famous stolen Bases are great but... Ep. 531

Almost Cooperstown ·

2024/07/11

Send us a Text Message.The most famous stolen base in MLB history occured in the playoffs but not the World Series. Gordon mentioned that before the modern era there was a period in which taking an extra base - like going first to third, was counted as a stolen base. MLB wants more action to show off player athleticism. They succeeded but stealing bases does not automatically lead to winning MLB games. It sure beats watching guys strikeout and more outs on the bases means fewer strikeout...

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24:32

Miranda rights an all-time record - Devers hits a big...

Almost Cooperstown ·

2024/07/08

Send us a Text Message.#Twins Jose Miranda has hits in 12 straight at-bats. Amazing! Only three other hitters - Walt Dropo, Pinky Higgins, and Johnny Kling have done it before - but you knew that! #Cubs Justin Steele pitched a complete game on 95 pitches to get his first victory of 2024. It was a pseudo-Maddux. But the Cubs still struggled this week. Worst run-differential in MLB belongs to the #WhiteSox with the #Rockies and #Marlins pretty far behind. NL Wild Cards di...

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26:08

Halfway home for the 2024 MLB season - This Week in...

Almost Cooperstown ·

2024/07/01

Send us a Text Message.Mets closer Edwin Diaz got himself suspended for 10 games for having too much rosin and legal goop on his hand a week ago Sunday. The roster spot cannot be filled so the Mets will play short for 10 games. PED violations that result in a player suspension do not impact filling the roster spot the next day. Does that make ANY sense? Wild card race in the NL is nuts with 9 teams having 40-45 losses and all vying for the 2nd and 3rd Wild Card. What's wrong with t...

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27:44

Who's the Greatest living baseball player now? - Ep. 528

Almost Cooperstown ·

2024/06/27

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 and Mays were amazing and we discuss the whole idea of GLB being silly. Mays and Mickey Mantle were both barred from baseball by then co...

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26:40

Grimace is Good luck. Ending a game on a pitch clock...

Almost Cooperstown ·

2024/06/24

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 since the new rules were implemented in 2023. Both #Cubs Shota Imanaga and #Yankees Luis Gil were shelled last week impacting their chances to start the #M...

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31:29

Father's Day Episode - MLB Fathers & Sons - Ep. 526

Almost Cooperstown ·

2024/06/20

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 on opening day rosters. How may fathers were HOFers who had sons playing in MLB? Have sons ever made the HOF when dad didn't? Intro & Outro music...

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24:52

Umpires betting? Jose Abreu sent packing This Week In...

Almost Cooperstown ·

2024/06/17

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 never forget! Which teams might be sellers you don't expect? Intro & Outro music this season courtesy of Mercury Maid! Check them out on Spotify or ...

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22:32

Biggest Baseball Blowouts - Ep. 524

Almost Cooperstown ·

2024/06/13

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 save the pitcher arms. But a blowout is still only one loss and baseball always has a game tomorrow. We discuss blowouts in other sports (is 1-...

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34:51

All Star weekend changes, Baseball betting woes -This...

Almost Cooperstown ·

2024/06/10

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 Arlington. The futures games on Saturday will be followed by a new and bizarre event showcasing skills of players that may or may not ever play MLB. Intro &a...

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17:34

Baseball should go back to a 154-game season - Ep. 522

Almost Cooperstown ·

2024/06/06

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 season in late March and carry it through early October. Does the World Series need to end in early November? The addition of Negro League stats to MLB is ...

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30:13

Acuna Jr, injury, Angel Hernandez retires, Negro...

Almost Cooperstown ·

2024/06/03

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 Series. Josh Gibson is now the player with the highest all-time batting average in MLB. His .372 career BA beat Ty Cobb by 5 or 6 points depending on how you look at the...

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29:08

MLB's banning the infield shift has not worked so...

Almost Cooperstown ·

2024/05/30

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 continue to blossom. Can anything be done about it? We discuss some weird but intriguing considerations to help create more offense in baseball. ...

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26:15

Guardians & Mets going in different directions - This...

Almost Cooperstown ·

2024/05/27

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 are playing better but are relying heavily on Justin Verlander. The #White Sox lost to the #Orioles this week on a bizarre game ending double play. Ba...

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22:09

Having fun w Statcast's new batting stats - Ep. 518

Almost Cooperstown ·

2024/05/23

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 figures into some of the news stats. As would be expected the best hitters are near or at the top of many of the stats. But not all of them since hitters succeed and...

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