In The Wheelhouse

This week on Peanuts and Popcorn, either a deal is in place to start the season, or we are looking at waiting until 2021, but as five Phillies test for COVID-19, is this all a waste of time? Pitchers hitting may soon be a thing of the past,.  The Minnesota Twins are in the news of late, we’ll tell you why and we'll give our thoughts on the ESPN documentary on the 1998 Home Run Chase; in the “Popcorn” segment of the show, our movie of the week is The Motorcycle Diaries Next  Next Week: Sunset Boulevard.

This week on Peanuts and Popcorn, there is still no final word as to whether we will see baseball in 2020, and yet MLB pushed ahead with a five-round amateur draft. We’ll examine the picks made by the Tigers, Cubs and White Sox as well as recall players who went straight from the draft to the Majors. 50 years ago this week, Dock Ellis pitched a no-hitter on LSD.  In our Cubs discussion, we prepare for the new ESPN documentary on the 1998 home run chase between Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire.  Our classic movie of the week : Amelie.  Next Week : The Motorcycle Diaries

This week on Peanuts and Popcorn as protests sweep the nation, we learn what it's like to be a black man in the Major Leagues. The Bears and Cubs each release statements in the wake of the George Floyd murder.  The owners and the players are still unable to come to an agreement as over 1,000 minor league players are given their release. The Governor of Nebraska brings shame to the Chicago Cubs and this week’s movie discussion is The Color of Money.

This week on Peanuts and Popcorn, protests and riots visit America’s metro areas while baseball’s millionaires and billionaires fight it out over how much everyone will get paid. David Price will give a portion of his sizable earnings to Dodger minor leaguers.  We’ll talk about the legacy of Eddie Collins.  Estaban Loaiza takes a wrong turn.   We’ll get into Trevor Bauer, Kyle Lohse, Jaden Agassi, Roy Halliday.  Our film discusssion  this week is the Coen Brothers classic, Fargo.

This week on Peanuts and Popcorn, Major League Baseball and the Players Union try to figure out how to begin the 2020 season. Joe Posnanski reminds us of when Buck O’Neil “heard the sound again”.  Alex Bregman fires his agent, Big Sexy wants to make a comeback. Joe Maddon is set to discuss the 2016 World Series with Bob Costas and our movie chat this week is on Michael Mann's Heat.  Next Week: Fargo

This week on Peanuts and Popcorn, Blake Snell refuses to play baseball in 2020 which begs the question: What happens to players who opt out this year? We talk about how Michael Jordan helped a young man from the Dominican Republic learn English. Bob Watson passes away, and ESPN tells America Trevor Bauer’s phone number. We’ll remember Jackie Robinson stealing home in the '55 World Series and the oddities of playing ball at the Polo Grounds. This week’s movie discussion is Martin Scorcese’s Raging Bull.  Next Week: Michael Mann's Heat.

This week on Peanuts and Popcorn… Will there be Major League Baseball in 2020? Leagues in Taiwan and Korea may show us the way. Many changes are being considered, will the universal DH be one of them. Joe Posnanki teaches us about Walter Johnson and Minnie Miñoso. We’ll talk about the day Ichiro Suzuki met Michael Jordan, and whether or not Pete Rose corked his bats. I also have a trivia question for Tom. We’ll talk about the latest with the Chicago Cubs and our classic movie discussion is on The Big Lebowski.  Next week: Raging Bull

This week on Peanuts and Popcorn, we announce the creation of the annual Peanuts and Popcorn PAR Excellence award in Baseball Writing.  Jayson Stark reminds us of why we watch baseball.  Bartolo Colon homers and Manny Ramirez is attempting a comeback at the age of 48.  This week's Top 100 is the legendary Lou Gehrig.  The Hall of Fame induction ceremony is postponed and the Little League World Series is canceled. It’s the anniversary of Cub's manager Lee Elia 1983 rant and we also discuss how the COVID pandemic is affecting Andre Dawson’s funeral home business. Our movie this week is the Alfred Hitchcock classic: Rear Window.  Next Week: The Big Lebowski.

This week on Peanuts and Popcorn, we react to the first episodes of The Last Dance on ESPN. The results of the investigation into the Boston Red Sox sign-stealing activities has been released. There will be pro baseball played in 2020… in Taiwan and South Korea.  We look at the career of Steve Carlton .  The Tigers and the Rockies show that it isn’t always about the bottom line, JLO and AROD are trying to buy the New York Mets.  We  each share a Wrigley Field memory and our classic movie discussion in on Mel Brooks, Blazing Saddles.  Next Week: Rear Window.

This week on Peanuts and Popcorn will begin with a prelude to the airing of The Last Dance,  Doug Glanville outlines how baseball players will have to come together to police cheating in baseball; Barry Bonds checks in a #3 on Joe Posnanski’s Baseball 100; 73 years ago this week Jackie Robinson made his debut and we will talk about the man who scouted him; Damaso Garcia, Glenn Beckert, Jim Frey and Brian Dennehy all passed away this week; we’ll look back on the careers of John Tudor and Mario Mendoza and we examine how missing time for strikes and pandemics may impact a player’s chances for enshrinement in the Hall of Fame.  We’ll touch on the Cubs and our classic movie discussion is on The Good the Bad and the Ugly.  Next Week: Blazing Saddles.

This week on Peanuts and Popcorn, MLB tries to find creative ways to get the season started. We talk about Hammerin’ Hank and we remember Fernandomania. We mourn the loss of Tiger great Al Kaline., a former St. Louis Cardinal is stepping up to the plate to fight the Coronavirus.  We reveal our favorite Chicago food joints and we find out where the Cubs rank in terms of overall value.  Our movie discussion this week is on the Robert Altman classic film, Gosford Park.  Next week: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.

This week on Peanuts and Popcorn, the two peas in a podcast will talk about Evan Gattis, the first Houston Asterisk to come clean about stealing signs. Meanwhile, his former manager and general manager wonder if they will ever work in baseball again. We’ll delve into Tom’s memory banks as we look back on the career of former Detroit Tiger, Dave Rozema. White Sox broadcaster and former reliever, Ed Farmer passes. Tom will review some of the video baseball games he used to play and Jim Edmonds tests positive for COVID-19. We’ll cover the latest on the Chicago Cubs and our movie discussion is on the Redford and Newman classic, The Sting.

This week on Peanuts & Popcorn,  the two peas in the podcast watches Opening Day come and go without real baseball.  We discuss Satchel Paige, maybe baseball's greatest pitcher as covered by Joe Posnanski's great Athletic series.  The Red Sox will soon learn their fate as Manfred wraps up his sign-stealing investigation.  Does Ken Boyer belong in the HOF?  We discuss the Cubs pitchers 2020 outlook.  All this and our Classic Movie is the Great Race.

This week on Peanuts & Popcorn,  the two peas in the podcast talk about life in Illinois as we hold in place. As we always do, we remain dutifully socially distant as we talk about Chris Sale’s upcoming Tommy John surgery as well as some of the other problems the Red Sox face.  You too can steal the opposition’s signs and The Athletic shows you how.  Would you have Rogers Hornsby on your baseball team?  We talk about the Cubs and the White Sox, and our classic movie discussion is on Sidney Lumet’s Dog Day Afternoon.

This week on Peanuts & Popcorn, we talk about the COVID-19 outbreak and very little else at this point.  We ask what happened to the digital strike zone? Barry Bonds says he’s in baseball limbo and it looks like Trevor Bauer is learning to be a good teammate.  All this and our classic movie discussion is on John Huston's Key Largo.

This week on Peanuts & Popcorn, we discuss the Christian Yelich extension as well as dish on an excellent series in The Athletic by Jo Posnanski on the top 100 players of all time. We recall Luke Apling’s home run in an old-timers game, at the ripe age of 75.  Chris Sale is hurt and Trevor Bauer is intentionally tipping his pitches. The White Sox lock up their third baseman for the next seven years and they make Dallas Keuchel trim his beard. Then Keuchel takes everyone to dinner.  We chat about the latest at the Chicago Cubs camp and our great movie discussion is on The Shawshank Redemption.

This week on Peanuts & Popcorn, we discuss baseball’s moral compass while the Houston Astros are STILL stealing signs; Madison Bumgarner has an unusual side gig.  The New York Yankees lose Luis Severino for the year; the Mets have a new manager, and at least one of us will be rooting for them.  We congratulate Kerwin Danely on being named the first African-American crew chief…in 2020.  We talk about the Chicago Cubs and the White Sox, and warming up in the bullpen is our classic movie discussion on the movie, 12 Years a Slave. 

This week on Peanuts & Popcorn, the self-righteous tour continues as the Houston Asterisks aren’t getting a whole lot of sympathy. Rob Manfred sticks a hunk of metal in his mouth, as David Ortiz finds a way to ruin his credibility. Still no punishments announced for the Boston Red Sox, can we please get on with our lives? A Rod Serling revival in Cincinnati has a connection to the Cincinnati Reds. We’ll have a chat about the Chicago Cubs and our great movie discussion is on another Kubrick classic, Dr. Strangelove.

This week on Peanuts &Popcorn, the Houston Astros meet the press and the results are less than satisfactory. A former Major League pitcher files a lawsuit against the Astros, we can expect more of the same. A new playoff format has been proposed and Trevor Bauer hates it. Friend of the show, Bartolo Colón is back in the news and a Tigers minor league invitee has some odd housing this spring. The Cubs open their camp and they talk about… the Houston Astros! We’ll have all that and our film discussion is on the Stanley Kubrick classic, Paths of Glory.

This week on Peanuts & Popcorn (P&P), disgraced former Astros manager, AJ Hinch gives a one-on-one interview with MLB Network, the Red Sox may have arrived on a replacement for Alex Cora, we’ll also have the latest on the Mookie Betts trade. Jessica Mendoza resigns from the New York Mets, and Pete Rose applies for reinstatement. We’ll discuss the passing of Roger Kahn as well as speculate as to the impact of the three-hitter minimum rule for relievers. The Cubs add yet another reliever and our movie discussion will be on our favorite and least favorite Best-Picture winners.