Summary[]
Ben Lindbergh and guest co-host Ellen Adair banter about Ellen's acting career and baseball background, the causes of (and possible solutions to) the Phillies' post-McCutchen slump, what the (extremely far-fetched) idea of the Rays splitting time between Tampa Bay and Montreal might look like in practice, Ellen's script for a baseball series, and her solution for maintaining her Phillies fandom in the wake of Odubel Herrera's domestic violence suspension. Then (44:51) they bring on San Diego Padres Baseball Operations Fellow Sam Schultz to discuss her work in the Padres' front office, her indirect route to baseball, her training in physics, the MLB Diversity Fellowship Program, the value of diversity of thought, why she chose to work for the Padres, her recommendations for baseball job-seekers, and more.
Topics[]
- Interview with Sam Schultz
- Sam's role with the Padres' front office
- MLB Diversity Fellowship Program
- Sam's background in astrophysics
- Sam's work with her college baseball team
- Business analytics in baseball
- Dog attendance at baseball games
- Developing interest in baseball careers
- What got Sam interested in the Padres
- Skill sets useful for front office employees
- Episode 1389 follow-up: Minor league halls of fame
Banter[]
- Ellen Adair is joining as a guest co-host while both Meg and Sam are on vacation.
- Ellen's acting career
- Ellen's love of baseball and the Phillies
- Phillies' recent slump and rest of season outlook
- The Rays have gotten approval from MLB to explore playing half their games in Tampa and half in Montreal. Ben and Ellen wonder how this would work in reality from both an economic and fan perspective.
- Ellen is currently working on developing a scripted series about two sportswriters navigating the changes in sports media and challenges faced in the industry.
- Ellen discusses her feelings around Odubel Herrera's suspension and possible solutions for how fans can address domestic violence issues in MLB. She advocates that fans should "forgive, but not forget" in these instances.
Notes[]
- Ellen describes appearing on the podcast as like the product of some kind of "make-a-wish foundation for grown adults."
- Editor's note: The Tampa/Montreal split season was presciently suggested by a listener in Episode 657.
- Sam works for the Padres as a Baseball Operations Fellow, doing research for both the Padres and their minor league affiliates.
- The MLB Diversity Fellowship Program was started by MLB as a way to increase the number of women and minorities working in front offices. Sam was one of 22 MLB Diversity Fellows selected from a pool of thousands of applicants.
- Sam says that the "newness" and "youngness" of the Padres was one thing that drove her decision to select the Padres.
Links[]
- Effectively Wild Episode 1392: All the Phils
- Link to Craig Edwards on Nola
- Link to Ellen's website
- Link to Ellen's article about Herrera
- Link to article about Sam
- Link to website for MLB's Diversity Fellowship Program
- Link to Ben on the sabermetrics of marketing
- Link to Ringer MLB Show episode on baseball business analytics
- Link to Astudillo's catch
- Link to Ben's Trout piece