Analyzing Baseball Podcasts

Podcast #1: MLB Trade Rumors Podcast

link: http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2015/02/mlbtr-podcast-with-guest-andrew-miller.html

I frequent MLBTR several times a day for the most up to date baseball news so I knew I was going to check out one of their podcasts upon hearing about this assignment. This podcast stood out to me because it featured an interview with new Yankees' pitcher Andrew Miller so I was very interested in listening to it. Overall I enjoyed listening to the podcast; however, there were a few things that stood out to me. First I noticed that the host of the show didn't have a typical radio style personality, this caused a problem for me because I found myself dozing off at times. Besides that, I enjoyed the format of the show, it starts with a summary of what you're to expect from the rest of the show, then jumps right into the interview, which is what I really wanted to hear. The interview was handled very well, he asked great questions that the interviewee seemed to respond well too. Due to the host, Jeff Todd's un radio-like personality, I probably wouldn't go out of my way to check out this podcast again unless it had another interesting interview.

Podcast #2: 3/19/15: MLB.com Extras | New York Yankees 

link: http://mlb.mlb.com/fan_forum/podcasts/index.jsp?c_id=nyy 

If you're as big of a Yankee fan as I am, then you've probably heard of Bryan Hoch, beat writer for the Yankees. When I found out he is regularly featured in a Yankees podcast on MLB.com, I knew I had to check one out. Hoch has provided me with very inciteful posts on my team over the years and his podcast was no different. The Yankees star center fielder, Jacoby Ellsbury is questionable for opening day and I was hoping to hear what Hoch thinks on the injury. Very useful information that you might not usually hear about in the preseason. I liked how the host Matthew Leach covered a lot of questions with Hoch in a very short amount of time, nothing dragged on and it was quite informative. I would probably stick to reading Hoch's blog posts but this was not bad at all, if I noticed he did a podcast and I wanted to hear a little more about a certain player or topic, I might be inclined to check it out.

Podcast #3: Baseball Prospectus: Yankees 2015 Season Preview

link: http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=25685

This podcast caught my eye because it featured an interview with my #1 favorite Yankees' beat writer, Chad Jennings. Jennings writes for the Journal News as well as authors my favorite sports blog, the LoHud Yankees blog. Before Jennings was interviewed, host Sam Miller interviewed co host Ben Lindbergh who claims that Derek Jeter was extremely productive for the team in 2014, his final season. I get what he's saying how he produced loads of revenue for the team, and that's true; however, his abysmal season hitting primarily in the number 2 spot in the batting order crippled the Yankees in 2014. It is very well known that Derek Jeter was detrimental to the team in 2014, so it was very interesting for me to hear someone explaining their opinion on why he was actually beneficial to the team. Jennings followed about halfway through the podcast and provided a very interesting interview. He talked about a journalist's perspective on the whole A-Rod situation and how it's annoying and repetitive, yet amazing to cover something like it. He continued to talk about other aspects of the Yankees, which is always interesting.

As far as getting my baseball information goes, I'll probably stick to reading blog posts and articles as opposed to listening to podcasts simply because it's hard for me to stay focused on them. Overall I enjoyed all three of these podcasts, I might continue to check them out in the future, but it won't be my primary source for baseball information.