All About Baseball with Byron Copley – Details, episodes & analysis

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 would rather make half-measures like this instead of eliminating the very possibility of making these bets at all. bcpodcastbaseball@gmail.com www.byroncopley.com Music: "Field Grass," by Sergei Pavkin

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 have been the winning run and a World Series championship. This podcast reminds us that asking "what if" (Kiner-Falefa had taken a bigger lead) introduces an entirely new chain of events that no one can predict. Yet these same people blame his decision to stay close to third base -- as directed by his coaches -- as the cause of the Blue Jays losing Game 7. Naturally, this episode also mentions how I met my wife of 42 years and why the Titanic sank. bcpodcastbaseball@gmail.com www.byroncopley.com Music: "Field Grass," by Sergei Pavkin Titanic: Ship of Dreams Podcast

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. byroncopley@gmail.com www.byroncopley.com Link to article on Heavy.com

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 collapse of the Philadelphia Phillies in 1964, when the bottom dropped out of the tub in the final ten games of the season. byroncopley@gmail.com www.byroncopley.com Music: "Field Grass," by Sergei Pavkin

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. Also, I offer a somewhat novel wrinkle to the post season that rewards the all best teams who deserve a shot at a World Series championship. bcpodcastbaseball@gmail.com www.byroncopley.com "Field Grass," by Sergei Pavkin

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 Grass," by Sergei Pavkin

Now that this podcast is approaching 100 episodes, with no intention of slowing down, I'm going to start working in past episodes from time to time. This one is one of my favorites to date, and bears a second listen -- or a first if you have never heard it. bcpodcastbaseball@gmail.com www.byroncopley.com Music: "Field Grass," by Sergei Pavkin

This rather clumsy podcast title was born out of the emergence of Jen Powol, the first woman to ever umpire a Major League baseball game in the regular season. The historical significance of this event would be better served if everyone dismissed her gender and acknowledged that measuring her performance at the same standards of her male peers, without bias in either direction, is what really matters. The best umpires are rarely, if ever, noticed, and the best compliment to Jen Powol would be to allow her that same opportunity. bcpodcastbaseball@gmail.com www.byroncopley.com Music: "Field Grass," Sergei Pavkin

The current size of the Little League World Series Baseball field, which features a 46-foot pitching distance from home plate, 60-foot bases, and 225-foot fences, is limiting the development of the 12-year-olds who compete every summer for the LLWS Championship as well as many plays that baseball at the Little League level would offer on a larger field. This podcast identifies specific plays and situations that this small field adversely affects or eliminates altogether, to the detriment of the game. bcpodcastbaseball@gmail.com www.byroncopley.com Music: "Field Grass," by Sergei Pavkin

Are the scandals involving Cleveland Guardians' pitchers Luis Ortiz and Emmanuel Clase, who suspiciously threw several pitches well out of the strike zone with the identical count of 0-0 on the leadoff hitter in the inning the result of satisfying bets for their own benefit? This podcast does not answer that question. Instead, it offers a simple solution for rendering these incidents as moot: ban legal gambling from the landscape of Major League Baseball, after "scraping to the bottom of the kettle" to eradicate such possibilities -- for the integrity of the game and potential well-being of MLB players, who could be at the mercy of similar nefarious forces who fixed the 1919 World Series. Will MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred follow these recommendations? I wouldn't bet on it. Special guest appearance by Vern, our Briard puppy, who we adopted from our late son, Stuart. May he rest in peace. In Memoriam: Stuart Mitchell Copley, January 4, 1989 - June 27, 2025. Gus Sands vs. Roy Hobbs in The Natural bcpodcastbaseball@gmail.com www.byroncopley.com Music: "Field Grass," by Sergei Pavkin