Over The Monster Podcast: Recent Episodes
Over The Monster
Brendan O'Toole and Matt Kory (me!) talk'n 'bout the Red Sox. No big woop. We dig into Jackie Bradley, Rusney Castillo, Allen Craig, Yoenis Cespedes, and the logjam that is the 2015 Red Sox roster (at the moment!). It's quite the conundrum and should make for a fun off-season. But we try to stay the heck away from that because... well, duh. Obviously.
Jared talks Red Sox with Matt Kory. They discuss the trying season, whether it's easier to take given the team's success in 2013, they compare the team with the 2012 squad, and the look to see how the organization is squared up for future success.
This year's trade deadline was a pivotal one for the Red Sox, one we'll likely look back at and think about as a defining moment for the franchise. With that in mind, Brendan O'Toole and Matt Kory give it one more go, analyzing less the deals and more of the strategies behind them, before looking forward at the off-season and what impact the deadline has had on future Red Sox plans. It's an informative and forward-looking 110th Over The Monster Podcast.
With their season effectively over, the Red Sox traded away almost 30 percent of their team at the trade deadline. This included their top two starters, their starting shortstop, an ace reliever, and Felix Doubront who immediately got injured. Oh well, they can't all be winners. Matt Kory and Marc Normandin of the website Over The Monster discuss the Red Sox big day, what each trade means for the team, what they gave up, and what it all means going forward. It's a terrifying, yet enlightening 109th Over The Monster Podcast!
The trade deadline is upon us and with the Red Sox hopelessly out of contention, the discussion has turned to dealing assets. Prime among those is Red Sox ace Jon Lester, he of the expiring contract. I (Matt Kory) am joined by the excellent Brian MacPherson, Red Sox beat writer for the Providence Journal. Brian and I discuss the goings on with Lester's contract, whether or not the team should re-sign the pitcher, and what his value might be on the trade market. We also get into what not signing Lester says about the team's policies going forward, and where the 2015 team will hope to get pitching and more than that offense from. It's an enlightening and yet, if you're a Jon Lester fan, kinda sad, 108th episode of the Over The Monster Podcast.
The trade deadline is coming up and the Red Sox will likely be big players this season, but not for the reason Sox fans would like. Instead, the team's rough start turned into a rough go and a close to last in the AL place in the standings. Thus, instead of Boston eyeing players from other teams, Sox players are the subject of other team's dreamy eyes. Or at least, eyes. On this, the 107th Over The Monster Podcast, Matt Kory and Brendan O'Toole are joined Marc Normandin to discuss the Sox place at the deadline and what it might mean to their star pitchers, Jon Lester and Koji Uehara. Before getting into that though there is a discussion of A.J. Pierzynski and his (recently ended) tenure with the Sox. Are we surprised he was cut? Do we think his signing was a bad idea? These and other questions are broached, dissected, and then baked to a fine, crusty goodness on the latest edition of the OTM Podcast!
The Red Sox are 8.5 out of the division at the (almost) end of June and not coincidentally they have an 8.5 percent chance to make the playoffs. That's not good odds. That's bad odds, even. So, in this, the 106th OTM Podcast, Matt Kory and Brendan O'Toole discuss a potential teardown. Who would go, who should go? Should anyone go? Where will they go? Actually, we don't talk about where they'll go but you could! We had enough on our plates going through the roster. Jon Lester will be a free agent. Will they re-sign him? Maybe! Maybe not! We discuss his situation as the team approaches the deadline. Same with John Lackey. And Jonny Gomes, and AJ Pierzynski. Actually, we barely discuss AJP because really, what is there to say except, trade him yesterday. We also discuss the interesting case of Koji Uehara. Should he be dealt? What should they do? We have the answers (or not) right here at the 106th OTM Podcast!
The draft came and went with hardly much of an acknowledgement here at the OTM Podcast. There was too much else going on. Bad baseball, losing streaks, good baseball, winning streaks, and then throw the draft on top of that and it was all too much to handle in an hour. But now we've finally caught up, many thanks to Chris Hatfield of Sox Prospects. Chris joins Matt Kory and Brendan O'Toole to break down the Red Sox' draft. We run down some of the top players picked and look at some of the guys further down the list to see what they might be. Then we turn our attention (quickly) to the 2013 draft, where Chris provides an update on some of the guys drafted. It's a fun and knowledge-producing 105 OTM Podcast!
Another day, another dispiriting loss. But at least we have each other, right? And the OTM Podcast can even one-up that, as the OTM Podcast has Chad Finn of the Boston Globe and Boston.com. Chad and co-hosts Brendan O'Toole and Matt Kory discuss the Red Sox rough start to the season, whether the team should look to re-sign Jon Lester, the problems with the offense, the specter of Giancarlo Stanton, potential improvements to the team (this year), and a final word is dropped on the draft. It's an informative and fun Over The Monster Podcast!
The Red Sox need some help in the outfield and the guys at OTM Podcast are ready to help! No, not by playing the outfield, but by making suggestions. Yay suggestions! And this episode they're joined by someone in a better position to make suggestions: Joon Lee of Over The Monster and WEEI.com where he covers the Red Sox "in the room" as they say. Joon joins Matt and Brendan to break down the Red Sox outfield situation (as if it needed any more breaking). The following topics are discussed:
Daniel Nava (not) Giancarlo Stanton Jonny Gomes Trades Mookie Betts
and maybe more!
Then we get into the whole David Price/throwing at people/suspension thing. Much swearing ensues.
Also, Brock Holt!
It's a rousing, fun, and God-forbid informative Over The Monster podcast!
With the Red Sox facing the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series, it made sense to have a Cardinals fan on the podcast, and there is no Cardinals fan I'd rather talk baseball with than Will Leitch. Mr. Leitch is author of a ton of books, the founder of Deadspin, and Senior Writer for Sports on Earth. He joined Matt Kory to discuss the Cardinals, Cardinals fans, success, the World Series, preserving your fandom as a professional writer, and a bunch of other things. It's Will Leitch on the Over the Monster Podcast! So you should listen to it!
It's not what we expected, but nobody is complaining. The Red Sox are back in the World Series and Matt Kory and Brendan O'Toole are here to break it all down for you. They discuss a bit how the ALCS ended, but mostly this podcast attempts to analyze the unanalyzable: a seven game best-of-four series of baseball games. Still, Matt and Brendan give a good go. They go through the teams and match-ups, discuss the pitching, the hitting, the defense, the base-running, the narratives, the advantages and disadvantages for the home town Red Sox, and then at the very end, they make predictions that will probably be wrong because they are predictions. It's, hopefully, an informative and fun episode that should help you get ready for the spectacle that is The Fall Classic. Go Red Sox!
It's time for yet another informative episode of the Over The Monster Podcast! In this episode, Matt and Marc attempt to answer the eternal question as it pertains to Vernon Wells: Why? Then they move on to less pressing matters and discuss the stand-outs down in Fort Myers. The Red Sox have had a number of pleasant surprises this spring and a few disappointments. They are all discussed! The Jackie Bradley! Discussed! John Lackey's return! Discussed! After listening to the 85th OTM Podcast you'll feel like you've heard many Red Sox topics discussed!