Clear the Field Podcast

This Week’s Lineup:- Why they sell a Cubs-themed parrot at Wrigley Field- Broadcast shenanigans in Houston- Recapping Pope Hat Night and tipping our mitres to the supreme homer- Brand-new old gloves- Travis Bazzana brings cricket into baseball—succeedsSupport UsIf you’re a fan of the podcast, nothing says it like becoming a paid subscriber at Project 3.18. Paid subscribers receive some special newsletter perks and help us build on what we’re doing with Clear the Field. You can also follow the show for free on your favorite platform:Apple Podcasts Spotify RSSGive a Rating, Like, or RestackIf you enjoyed an episode on a platform like Spotify or Apple Podcasts, can you give it a quick rating and let folks know? A 5-Star rating helps our podcast appear as suggested and helps people find us.Here on Substack, restacking an episode is one click that really helps us, so if you had fun, please click that button up there on the far right of the episode that has two circling arrows on it.EmailIf you have comments or details that add to our stories or ideas for future installments, send us an email at [email protected]. Gentle corrections are also welcome.Warning: If a comment is particularly enlightening and/or funny, we might read it during a future episode.On Social MediaPaul: Substack Instagram FacebookTed: SubstackOriginal Research and Writing: Paul JacksonProduction and Music: Ted WalkerDesign: Ketaki Kulkarni Get full access to Project 3.18 at www.project-318.com/subscribe

In the conclusion of our deep-dive into a rare baseball forfeit in 1949, an outraged crowd unleashes a veritable grocery store on three stoic umpires.Here’s the first part of the story, in case you need it:Episode Highlights:- The fiercest wolves in baseball- The difference between cute projectiles and ugly projectiles - One fan, one hundred glass bottles thrown- Ted gives this week’s baseball poetry reading - A forfeit swaps one kind of Phillies loss for another- The unsportsmanship of the malletheads- A mysterious orange mixture and ballpark concessions in the late 1940sSupport UsIf you’re a fan of the podcast, nothing says it like becoming a paid subscriber at Project 3.18. Paid subscribers receive some special newsletter perks and help us build on what we’re doing with Clear the Field. You can also follow the show for free on your favorite platform:Apple Podcasts Spotify RSSGive a Rating, Like, or RestackIf you enjoyed an episode on a platform like Spotify or Apple Podcasts, can you give it a quick rating and let folks know? A 5-Star rating helps our podcast appear as suggested and helps people find us.Here on Substack, restacking an episode is one click that really helps us, so if you had fun, please click that button up there on the far right of the episode that has two circling arrows on it.EmailIf you have comments or details that add to our stories or ideas for future installments, send us an email at [email protected]. Gentle corrections are also welcome.Warning: If a comment is particularly enlightening and/or funny, we might read it during a future episode.On Social MediaPaul: Substack Instagram FacebookTed: SubstackOriginal Research and Writing: Paul JacksonProduction and Music: Ted WalkerDesign: Ketaki Kulkarni Get full access to Project 3.18 at www.project-318.com/subscribe

In 1949, a team of showboating umpires tangled with the last group of fans still being served (non-alcoholic) drinks in glass bottles. It didn’t end well.Episode Highlights:- The Philadelphia Phillies’ mid-life identity crisis- Three performative umpires - Ted tries to make “Pafko” happen- Shibe Park: No booze, but projectiles welcome- History repeats itself and Richie Ashburn lights a fire under the toughest crowd in sportsWe’ll be back next week with the conclusion, when the worked-up crowd causes enough chaos to drive at least one umpire into retirement and prompts some much-needed changes to beverage distribution procedures at Shibe Park.Support UsIf you’re a fan of the podcast, nothing says it like becoming a paid subscriber at Project 3.18. Paid subscribers receive some special newsletter perks and help us build on what we’re doing with Clear the Field. You can also follow the show for free on your favorite platform:Apple Podcasts Spotify RSSGive a Rating, Like, or RestackIf you enjoyed an episode on a platform like YouTube or Apple Podcasts, follow/subscribe to the show, and if you really want to support our work, can you give it a quick rating and let folks know? A 5-Star rating helps our podcast appear as suggested and helps people find us.EmailIf you have comments or details that add to our stories or ideas for future installments, send us an email at [email protected]. Gentle corrections are also welcome.Warning: If a comment is particularly enlightening and/or funny, we might read it during a future episode.On Social MediaPaul: Substack Instagram FacebookTed: SubstackOriginal Research and Writing: Paul JacksonProduction and Music: Ted WalkerDesign: Ketaki Kulkarni Get full access to Project 3.18 at www.project-318.com/subscribe

This Week’s Lineup:- A visit to the National Ballpark Museum in Denver- Keeping tabs on author Eric Nusbaum- Wrigley Field needs an F-16 rule- Cal Raleigh and Hack Wilson(Here’s an outstanding write-up of Hack Wilson, the good and the ugly, by writer Jacob Bielecki)- Shifts in starting pitching milestones. Who’s the next pitcher to throw 2,000 innings? Will anyone?- The Altoona Curve and a rabbit hole of train history- Old-school check-in featuring Jefry Yan, Davis Martin, and Sal StewartWhat’s This?Every few weeks in “Slap Hits,” Ted and I cover whatever has delighted us from present-day baseball (or sometimes things even further afield) in a lightning round.There will be news (of a kind), opinion, banter when we agree, and arguing when we don’t. We’re looking at items big and small, obscure or viral, we’re going quick, and we’re not stopping to fact-check.Got a Slap Hit?Send us an amusing, baseball adjacent item (interpretation is up to you) you’d like us to mention, bonus points for weird and obscure. Listen to a few episodes of “Slap Hits” and you’ll get the sense of what we like to cover, and it’s often things that don’t get covered elsewhere that delight us the most. If we use it, we’ll credit you for the submission during the show!Email tips and suggestions to [email protected] or leave a comment here on the episode. Get full access to Project 3.18 at www.project-318.com/subscribe

In 1983, Dave Winfield thought the bird would clear the field. It didn’t.Episode Highlights:- What’s a gull? Canada edition- Exhibition Stadium, scene of the crime (?)- Dave Winfield throws and a life is “pffft” out, but what really happened?- A Canadian Inspector Javert and his pinstriped Valjean- The Toronto justice system wakes up with a bevy of regrets- A forensic examination turns the case upside-down- Winfield makes amends and Toronto comes around on bird population controlSupport UsIf you’re a fan of the podcast, nothing says it like becoming a paid subscriber at Project 3.18. Paid subscribers receive some special newsletter perks and help us build on what we’re doing with Clear the Field. You can also follow the show for free on your favorite platform:Apple Podcasts Spotify RSSGive a Rating, Like, or RestackIf you enjoyed an episode on a platform like Spotify or Apple Podcasts, can you give it a quick rating and let folks know? A 5-Star rating helps our podcast appear as suggested and helps people find us.Here on Substack, restacking an episode is one click that really helps us, so if you had fun, please click that button up there on the far right of the episode that has two circling arrows on it.EmailIf you have comments or details that add to our stories or ideas for future installments, send us an email at [email protected]. Gentle corrections are also welcome.Warning: If a comment is particularly enlightening and/or funny, we might read it during a future episode.On Social MediaPaul: Substack Instagram FacebookTed: SubstackOriginal Research and Writing: Paul JacksonProduction and Music: Ted WalkerDesign: Ketaki Kulkarni Get full access to Project 3.18 at www.project-318.com/subscribe