Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Welcome to the Moth. I'm Larry Rosen, and it's October. It's time for sweaters, leaves turning, and pumpkin spice. And perhaps, most importantly, if you're a baseball fan, the World Series. Well, there's a lot to say about the series and about October baseball in general. This is why I am thrilled to be joined for this episode by a beloved moth storyteller and my really good friend, Manish Jain.
Manish has worked in baseball for 21 years as a producer, writer, photographer, and the host of several baseball themed podcasts. Hello, Manish. Hello, Larry.
Thanks for being here. Thank you for having me. I love you. I love the moth. I love baseball. Let's go.
Okay, great.
So you've always told me that October baseball is a complex experience. What is that about?
October baseball is the best. October baseball is the worst, especially if your team is in it. For those of you listening at home, I have an old English D on my head. I'm a born and raised Detroit Tigers fan, and I've always got some type of Detroit paraphernalia for the world to see.
And as of this moment, not to timestamp the episode, but the Tigers are playing the Guardians in game one of the wildcard. So my heart is beating 4 million miles per minute. I hope it doesn't come through on the podcast. And my stomach is in one giant knot. When I was walking to the studio today with my Tigers gear, I had strangers yelling out to me, How you feeling? Scoobs looks good.
I hope y'all do okay today. I mean, baseball is a cheat code for connection. I don't have to know anything about you. You don't have to know anything about me, but you see the logo on my head and you understand the stakes of what we're all dealing with right now.
And honestly, I don't think there's anything else in my life, at least, that instantly connects me to a stranger more than baseball, especially in October.
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Chapter 2: What special experience did Bridget Flaherty and her son have at the baseball stadium?
I've been a baseball coach for 20 years. A couple of years ago, I was coaching a team of 12 and 13-year-olds. And I'd known most of these kids for years. I'd coached them in various teams. And it was late July. And late July for 12 and 13-year-olds means it's the playoffs, which is very exciting. My team was pretty good. We'd won most of our games.
But there was one other team that was better than us. And that team was better than us because the three coaches of that team had rigged the player draft so that they had the three best players. And so they beat everybody, which was awesome. And as luck would have it, on this July night, we had to play that team in the playoffs. And it was a beautiful Friday, July evening. It was late at night.
8 o'clock, which is late for 12-year-olds. And it was under the lights, which is very exciting for 12-year-olds.
Chapter 3: How did Ian's love for baseball develop during a game with his mother?
And because it was so late, all the families were there. There were 75 or 100 parents spread out around the game. And the game started out really well for us. We were ahead 8 to 1 after two innings. And I'd like to tell you that it's because our team played really well. And we did play pretty well. We hit the ball and we caught the ball.
But the truth is, we were ahead eight to one because the umpire had made three or four awful calls. And all of them went my team's direction. And as a result, I got to watch the three coaches in the other bench go through the three stages of coach meltdown. And the first one is you throw shit.
And the second one is you passively, aggressively yell out at your own players things that are actually directed for the umpire, but you have plausible deniability because you're talking to your own kid. And the third stage is like on TV, where you interrupt the game and you go out and you throw things and kick dirt. And they had done all of that after two innings.
The third inning, my team scores another run. And it was another bad call by the umpire. And they lose their minds. The three coaches come running out of the dugout. And they surround the umpire. And there's some shoving. And there's definitely swearing and yelling and raised voices. And I should tell you now that the umpire is working by himself. And he's 14 years old.
But worse, behind them are 75 grown-ups who are also losing their minds. About a third of them are yelling at the umpire. And about a third of them are yelling at the coaches. And all of them are yelling back and forth at each other. And there's people standing. There's red faces. There's swearing. It's chaos. And so my instinct is... try to help this poor 14-year-old umpire.
So I come out of the dugout and before I can even get halfway to home plate, the coach runs over and gets in my face and asks me what the fuck my problem is. And so, screw the umpire, he's on his own. And so, I turn around and I gather my children up. I gather my kids and I take them all out to left field, way out in left field by the fence. And this is where the wonders happen.
I get out there with my kids, and Tommy's the quiet kid who never talks. He says something once a day, and everybody listens. He's the quiet leader, right? And Tommy says, those guys are assholes. This sucks. And I think about some sort of corrective action about his language, but under the circumstances, I let it go.
And a few minutes later, the umpire, who has somehow escaped, comes over and he says, coach, the other team is ready to resume the game. We need you to get your team back out on the field. And so I look at my guys, and they kind of huddle without me saying anything. They talk. And Tommy speaks for them, and he says, we don't want to play with those bastards. This sucks. This is no fun.
And I realize at that moment that I've totally succeeded, right? They value fun, integrity. being a grown-up, respecting the game, and I'm very proud. But at that point, the umpire interrupts and says, well, guys, you're ahead nine to one, but if you don't go back on the field, it's a forfeit. And so I look at the guys, and they don't even talk this time.
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Chapter 4: What unexpected moments occurred during Ian's spring training visit?
Hope it isn't. We'll see.
And to everyone listening, from all of us here at The Moth, enjoy your October. Oh, before we go, if you are looking for another story about baseball, our friend Manish told a wonderful one about visiting all of the U.S. baseball stadiums in one season. We featured it on the Moth main stage and on the Moth Radio Hour and the podcast.
You will find a link to it in the show notes and also on our website, themoths.org forward slash extras.
Larry Rosen is a master instructor at The Moth. After 25 years teaching, directing, and practicing theater and comedy performance, Larry discovered the simplicity, power, and beauty of true stories. Shortly thereafter, he found The Moth. As they say, timing is everything. This episode of the Moth Podcast was produced by Sarah Austin Janess, Sarah Jane Johnson, and me, Mark Sollinger.
The rest of the Moth's leadership team includes Sarah Haberman, Christina Norman, Marina Cloutier, Jennifer Hickson, Jordan Cardinale, Kate Tellers, Suzanne Rust, and Patricia UreƱa. The Moth Podcast is presented by Odyssey. Special thanks to their executive producer, Leah Reese Dennis. All moth stories are true, as remembered by their storytellers.
For more about our podcast, information on pitching your own story, and everything else, go to our website, themoth.org.
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