AI Summary
5 min readBen Maller opened his show the night of August 5 by watching the much-hyped Dodgers debut of pitcher Tarik Skubal, acquired in a blockbuster trade from Detroit. Skubal delivered a quality start — two runs, four hits, six innings, six strikeouts — but the Dodgers lost 5-1 to the Cubs at Wrigley Field. That loss, however, was not the story Maller wanted to tell. The real story was the reaction to the trade itself: a wave of outrage from baseball fans who believe the Dodgers have ruined the sport by hoarding talent. Maller spent the hour dismantling that outrage, arguing that it reveals something ugly about the current state of baseball fandom.
The Skubal debut and the "boss level" mindset
Skubal’s performance was solid but unspectacular — "as advertised," Maller said, "wasn't the greatest, wasn't bad, was a solid professional pitcher." The Dodgers, meanwhile, are in a five-game losing streak, their hitters are slumping, and Mookie Betts "stinks" right now. Maller used this as a reality check: "The contract size, the name on the back of the uniforms … it's not like they spot you three runs because you have the bigger sexy names on the team."
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What you'll learn
- 1 (02:52) **Opening Impressions of Terry Skubal’s Dodger Debut** - Ben Maller sets up the show’s lead: Skubal’s first start in Dodger Blue at Wrigley Field and the fan backlash it has triggered.
- 2 (07:56) **Skubal’s Performance: As Advertised** - Maller breaks down what he actually saw on the mound, arguing the debut was a solid professional outing.
- 3 (11:02) **Skubal Defends the Dodgers – and Fans Lose Their Minds** - The pitcher’s pre-game comments praising the organization have ignited a fresh wave of outrage.
- 4 (14:29) **What the Skubal Trade Exposed: Extreme Soft Serve** - Maller delivers his thesis: the backlash is a symptom of a pathetic, loser mindset among a subset of fans.
- 5 (18:31) **The Anthony Volpe Accountability Debate** - Maller pivots to the Yankees, where George Lombard Jr. homered in his debut while Anthony Volpe was demoted to Triple-A.
- 6 (21:20) **Volpe Deserves No Mulligan** - Maller dismantles the idea that Volpe gets a pass because the organization mismanaged him.
- 7 (25:00) **Caller Dan on the Dodgers as Baseball’s Villain** - A caller from St. Louis argues that the Dodgers and Yankees losing games is advantageous because it undermines calls for a salary cap.
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Guests on this episode
Show Notes
Ben Maller talks about Tarik Skubal's debut for the Dodgers as he gets the L against the Cubs, what the trade has exposed among MLB fans, if Anthony Volpe gets a pardon from blame because he was set up to fail by the Yankees, and more!
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