Bryce Harper, Goose Gossage and baseball's culture war

The StewPod: Baseball, pop culture & more

Baseball, like society at large, is still trying to digest its on-going divide between the new school and the old school. We saw that in no uncertain terms Thursday, as Bryce Harper and Goose Gossage dominated the headlines for straddling each side of baseball's bubbling culture war. There's Harper, who called baseball "tired" because of its unwritten rules that don't allow players to have flair and personality. He said baseball needs more players like Cam Newton and Steph Curry, more players with express themselves. And there's Gossage, who speaking independently of Harper, expressed his disgust with the current state of baseball. He doesn't bat flips (particularly Jose Bautista's) and sabermetrics and Ivy League-educated execs running teams. Each of these were their own story, but they're stories from the same tree. So on this week's podcast, we delve into both cases and look at baseball (and society's) culture war in a broader sense. Why do young players want the game to be more open? Why do old veterans so loudly object to the way the game is played today? Along the way, Bad News Ramen joins in for a Three Strikes segment and, spoiler alert, his takes are much more old school. Here's a full rundown of this week's episode: • Goose Gossage's mad about everything • Bryce Harper says "express yourself" • What if Bryce Harper called his shot? • What's the right amount of celebration? • Hurt feelings and participation trophies • Three Strikes with Bad News Ramen • Happy Ending: What are the fun stories of the week? [Music: Thao & The Get Down Stay Down - "The Evening"]