{"podcast":{"title":"Rates & Barrels: A show about Baseball","slug":"rates-barrels-a-show-about-baseball-692652","podcast_index_feed_id":692652,"rss_url":"https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/6818a1a4eb737caf8ca41879","website_url":"https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/podcasts/","image_url":"https://assets.pippa.io/shows/6818a1a4eb737caf8ca41879/1774225915041-25aacc15-e115-4d2e-b3fa-72decc9773cb.jpeg","author":"The Athletic","episode_count":1068,"summary":"In baseball, numbers are everywhere. But they’re not just numbers. For Derek VanRiper and Eno Sarris, they’re the keys to solving the most fun problem in sports. Every weekday, join DVR and Eno as they unpack baseball in ways you’ve never heard before, endeavoring to figure out all they can about a sport that’s constantly changing. Alongside contributors Britt Ghiroli, Trevor May and Jed Lowrie, the Rates & Barrels crew breaks down all the latest MLB news through an analytical lens, feeding your unhealthy addiction to numbers, while helping you master your fantasy baseball GM skills. But wait, there's more: come back for Saturday mornings in Starkville, where Jayson Stark and Doug Glanville talk to some of the most important players, coaches, and thought leaders in the league. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-26T10:19:52.816182+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/rates-barrels-a-show-about-baseball-692652"},"episode":{"title":"Starkville | Is It Ever Too Early to Fire a Manager?","slug":"starkville-is-it-ever-too-early-to-fire-a-manager","published_at":"2026-05-02T12:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/rates-barrels-a-show-about-baseball-692652/starkville-is-it-ever-too-early-to-fire-a-manager","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/rates-barrels-a-show-about-baseball-692652","url":"https://shows.acast.com/rates-barrels-a-show-about-baseball/episodes/starkville-is-it-ever-too-early-to-fire-a-manager","audio_url":"https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/6818a1a4eb737caf8ca41879/e/69f4d5b0a51cc7d847825ea0/media.mp3","summary":"Jayson Stark and Doug Glanville are back in Starkville to dig into the stunning April firings of Alex Cora and Rob Thomson, breaking down how it unraveled and what it reveals about the ever-shrinking margin for managers. Then, MLB broadcaster Ron Darling joins the show to share his thoughts on the moves, the mounting pressure on today’s skippers, the Mets’ ongoing struggles, and his memories of the iconic 1986 Mets. Rundown: 0:00 Starkville Is Back! 3:25 April Firings: Alex Cora and Rob Thomson 8:24 Ron Darling Joins the Show 9:18 Darling on Thomson 11:53 Managers in Peril 15:49 Where will Cora Go Next? 17:40 In-season Managerial Changes 18:57 How the Manager Role Has Changed 25:37 What’s Wrong with the Mets? 33:09 40th Anniversary of the ‘86 Mets 39:02 Looking Back at Darling’s Book, ‘The Complete Game’ 43:04 Favorite Pitchers Follow Jayson on Bluesky: @jaysonst.bsky.social Follow Doug on Bluesky: @dougglanville.bsky.social E-mail: starkville@theathletic.com Subscribe to The Athletic: theathletic.com/ratesandbarrels Hosts: Jayson Stark & Doug Glanville With: Ron Darling Producer: Jason Potere Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.","meta_description":"Jayson Stark and Doug Glanville are back in Starkville to dig into the stunning April firings of Alex Cora and Rob Thomson, breaking down how it unraveled…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3278,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/rates-barrels-a-show-about-baseball-692652/episodes/starkville-is-it-ever-too-early-to-fire-a-manager/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/rates-barrels-a-show-about-baseball-692652/starkville-is-it-ever-too-early-to-fire-a-manager.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}