The Second First Season

Sep 27 2017 8 ep. 23 mins 5

The Second First Season Podcast artwork

Take a behind-the-scenes look at the making of a Double-A baseball team on a year-long do-over. Jonathan McNicol tells the story of the Hartford Yard Goats' second season -- their first season in a new city, their first season in a new ballpark, and their first season playing home games.

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Episode 8: The Parks

Sep 27 2017 25 mins

Note: This episode contains strong language. There are 203 ballparks currently being used by affiliated, professional baseball teams in the United States: 30 in the Major Leagues, 23 spring training facilities used by the big league clubs and their Rookie

Episode 7: The Manager

Sep 08 2017 22 mins

Yard Goats manager Jerry Weinstein is a man of many little self-contradictory terms. Words like "simplexity." Or this one he has for a pitch that could be a strike or a ball: a... "striball." And it's not just these seemingly nonsensical little chestnuts,

Episode 6: The Umpires

Aug 04 2017 25 mins

Since I first started following Minor League Baseball, there's been this ongoing tension that I've felt at all the games. On the one hand, you're pretty much surrounded by people who are living their dreams. On the other hand, kind of by definition, none

Episode 5: The Mascots

Jun 30 2017 28 mins

The Yard Goats' mascots were first unveiled to the world in October, 2015 , as the last part of a string of branding reveals that included merchandise, logos, logotypes, and uniforms, and that had begun with a Name the Team contest .

Episode 4: The Prospects

Jun 03 2017 19 mins

I think the reality is that on Hartford’s whole 25-man roster, there are probably maybe two, maybe three guys who will go on to have Major League careers of any length. Could be a couple more, but it could be a couple fewer too.

Episode 3: The Team

May 12 2017 20 mins

This is episode three, and it's the first we're really talking about the actual team, the actual baseball, the actual wins and losses. And I'll say this right at the beginning here: The Yard Goats are... not good. So far, anyway.

Episode 2: The Field(s)

Apr 21 2017 20 mins

I want to get this spoiler out of the way right at the top here: Hartford has baseball , the Yard Goats have a ballpark, and the ballpark — after a 372-day delay — has a fully-functional baseball field where real, live, professional baseball games are

Episode 1: The First First Season (And A Few Years Leading Up To It)

Apr 10 2017 25 mins

Note: This episode contains strong language. The plan is to tell the story of the Yard Goats' second season -- their first season in a new city, their first season in a new ballpark, their first season as a home team.