Talking About Birds: A St. Louis Cardinals Podcast

Nate & Ben discuss the upcoming spooky season, hitting golf balls on the moon, Coors Light, the cancelled end of season presser, how the Cardinals should handle the pitching staff, who to DFA, the playoffs, and much more!

Nate & Ben discuss Nate's trip to Budapest, running a half marathon, the final record of 2023, how the Cardinals faired against the NL Central, bad defense and how to fix it, Adam Wainwright and the front office's mismanagement of him, mid-season predictions, the playoffs, and much more!

Ben is joined by Kyle Reis (@kyler416) to discuss their feelings about the 2023 season, a break down of players received by the Cardinals at the trade deadline, we check in on the farm and much more!

Nate & Ben discuss an upcoming trip and a half-marathon, Waino getting to 200 wins (hurray!), the 2024 organizational changes, how Mozeliak can fix this, alllll the injuries, and much more!

Nate & Ben talk about the Lemons race, what is Grimace, a deep apology, Liberatore's role in the bullpen and beyond, Jordan Walker's defense, Nolan Gorman's evolution against LHP, the last 16 games and what to look for, the available pitching coming over from the NPB, the NL Central, and much more!

Nate & Ben discuss terrible car races, Jordan Walker's breakout, Masyn Winn's future, the return of Ryan Helsley, Matthew Liberatore's return to the bullpen, Dakota Hudson and his magic show, Taylor Motter the forever Cardinal, Tommy Edman's role in 2024, load management, and much more!

Nate & Ben discuss still enjoying the 2023 Cardinal season, Adam Wainwright (again!), the now dead offense. not prioritizing winning, Jordan Walker's future, blowing up mailboxes (BAD, ILLEGAL), blowing up construction cones (GOOD, FUN) the near return of Ryan Helsley (!!!), the return of Gorman!, Tekoah Roby's debut, Mozeliak being good at something, Moises Gomez, Chip Caray and Brad Thompson, Edmonds, the Paul DeJong interview and whether Oli/Mo are bad, THE REVOLUTION, and much more!

Nate & Ben discuss doofus Pete Alonso, Masyn Winn's promotion and what to realistically expect, Drew Rom, the Palacio bros, Saggase, Roby, alllll the recent injuries, the dynamic duo of Contreras and Knizner, how to handle catching in 2024, and much more!

Nate & Ben discuss the Pirates long running defeat at the hands of the Cardinals, Adam Wainwright and the no good terrible very bad year, Mozeliak's upcoming "aggressive" approach to pitching, Dylan Carlson, Luken Baker, Casey Lawrence, the series against the Mets, and the upcoming series against the Pirates!

On this very special episode, coming to you LIVE from the San Francisco Airport, Nate & Ben discuss Masyn Winn, all our birds on other bird teams (and the Rangers), Willson Contreras, the new look starting rotation, Lars Nootbaar is once again Juan Soto'ing, Drew Rom and some other recently acquired players, on field brawls, the shitty Orioles ownership, and much more!

Nate & Ben discuss ((on a slightly laggy connection)) Nate's first golf trip in 25 years, the trade deadline from a broader perspective, each individual trade and why it was both a great deadline and also kind of underwhelming, the new look roster and where each piece could fit, the NL Centrals overall lack of ambition, and much more!

Nate & Ben are back together and ready to talk about Ben's time in Canada, the wave (again), Scott Rolen, Jordan Hicks and his possible extension, the Trade Deadline and the many-many-many possibilities, Willson Contreras' on the trade block, the rest of the NL Central's approach to the Trade Deadline, and much more!

Nate is joined by Kelsey Burd (@kburdtweets) to discuss her trip to the London series, the wave, Dylan Carlson, Marmol's leadership, the upcoming trade deadline, the current hot streak, preparing for 2024, and much more!

Nate & Ben discuss fishing in Canada, the Home Run Derby, the All Star Game, well dressed Arenado, what the Cardinals should do now that they are officially "sellers" (NOT REBUILDERS!!!!), the 2023 Draft & Chase Davis, the comically bad outfield defense, some bold predictions for the second half, why do we even call it the second half, and much more!

Nate & Ben talk the sad reality of the Cardinals 2023 playoff chances, the upcoming trade deadline and what it means to sell, Adam Wainwright, the return of Ivan Herrera and other roster moves, Arenado's All Star bid, the home run derby, the collapsing bullpen, and much much more! Talking About Birds is listener supported on Patreon. www.patreon.com/talkingaboutbirds

On this very special episode, Nate and Ben are joined by Akira O'Connor to discuss his trip to London to watch the Cardinals play in the very famous, very well known, Trafalgar Square. Nate and Ben also discuss the recent Ken Rosenthal piece, how the Cardinals should handle the trade deadline, what to do with Tyler O'Neill, the upcoming series against the Yankees, the upcoming series against the Marlins, and Nate tries to debut a new segment.

We are good at planning, and this week it shows! Ben is hosting SOLO as Nate is out of town (or is he?). Ben discusses Jordan Walker's return and his excellence, the continued confusion of Edman in Center, Dylan Carlson's return, Lars Nootbaar's return, the upcoming series in London, and much more!

It's bad, man. Real bad. But, is there still reason for optimism? Can the Cardinals pull themselves out of the basement and compete in a terrible division? Is a resurgent Arenado, Donovan, and Montgomery enough to get the team going again? Should the Cardinals sell, buy, or do a bit of both? We are nearing the halfway point of one of the worst Cardinal seasons in memory, but don't worry, we still have a ton of very real, normal, bird facts to talk about! Talking About Birds is listener supported on Patreon! www.patreon.com/talkingaboutbirds

The Cardinals are struggling again, but Jordan Walker IS BACK. What should the Cardinals do with their roster? What is your sparkbird? Luken Baker is Luken Baker-ing! Carlson is coming back, but what should the outfield actually be? Flaherty and Mikolas are looking good (whew) but is that enough? If the Cardinals are "moving talent," who do they move? It's rough out there right now for Cardinals fan, but maybe some interesting facts can lighten the mood?!?!

The 19 day stretch of games has come to end and the Cardinals are in a better place, though that may still be barely above last place. Still, with Mikolas and Flaherty starting to turn it around and the offense staying strong, it's hard not to feel at least a little optimistic about the team. Of course, the shitty division helps. Is Knizner the captain now? Will Contreras get it going again? How long will Liberatore stay in the rotation? What do we do with Waino? It's June, the Cardinals are in 4th place, but their pythag hints at better things to come!

Is Paul DeJong for real, for real? What can we reasonably expect from Oscar Mercado? What the heck are the Cardinals doing with Matthew Liberatore? Why are they so good at messaging, all the time? LUKEN BAKER IS KING AND CHANDLER REDMOND IS LUKEN BAKERING. How good is Nolan Gorman? Will he continue this absurd production? Spoilers: It sure seems like it! The Cardinals are slowly dragging themselves out of the basement of the NL, and as always we've got a ton to talk about! Talking About Birds is listener supported on Patreon! www.patreon.com/talkingaboutbirds

Is it too soon to call this a turnaround? Are the Cardinals back? What will we see from Jack Flaherty going forward? How lucky are we that the NL Central is straight trash? How long will we see Mercado in the majors? The Cardinals are on a bit of a heater, and Daniel Shoptaw (@c70) joins to break it all down!

The losing streak may be over, but has the losing actually stopped? Is Busch Stadium ripping us off? What are the odds of the Cardinals still making the playoffs? Should Hicks still be on the team? What the fuuuuuu is going on with the front office and could they have handled this situation any more poorly? How many roster moves will it take before this team is good? Can the Cardinals continue turning it around in Boston, or at home against the Brewers? Times are tough, but there is still a lot of baseball to play!

Nate & Ben are back from the fishing trip and ready to dig in to another week of mediocre baseball. How annoying are the new ads on the jersey? Is Mike Shannon the GOAT? Why did the Cardinals send down Jordan Walker? Do they have an actual plan? Can Zack Thompson and Matthew Liberatore save the rotation, or what's left of it? Why is Arenado slumping so hard, and how can he turn it around? Is the pitching bad, unlucky, or both? With an upcoming series against the struggling Tigers and the upswing Cubs, the Cardinals need a turnaround, and they need it fast.

Paul DeJong is back and will his new approach stick? Waino is returning, can he pull us out of this slump? Jordan Walker is struggling (kinda), whats next for him? Is Genesis back for good, and what does this mean for the bullpen? How excited are you for the Nolan Gorman breakout? Ben is back from Coachella, we have a fishing tournament coming up, and the Cardinals are playing terribly - let's talk about it!

Can the Cardinals bad luck offense turn it around? Is the pitching also facing just a bunch of bad luck? Would we care so much if this was the middle of the season? Are you scared of birds, especially those that fly? What's your velo? Will the Mariners and Giants series go better? Kelsey Burd (@kburdtweets, Host of Peace, Love, and Baseball & Babe's Babes) joins (from her original Busch II seats) to discuss these things and much more! Note: The sound issues era continues as Nate's daughter cries loudly in the background during parts of the episode. But, you wouldn't get mad a baby, would you?!?!?

NOTE: This episode was recorded live and in person, so the sound is a bit off at times. Thanks for your understanding!The uneven pitching continues but the offense is looking up. How long can Jordan Walker keep this up? Is Flaherty turning a corner? Is Montgomery the best pitcher in the rotation? Will our Gormania ever calm down? Do we even want that? Is Nate going to survive the rest of the trip in Denver? Why is this town so close to the sun? We talk about our time in the speed cage at Coors Field and much, much, more!

Week one of the 2023 season is in the books and it's almost exactly as we expected. The offense is good! The pitching might be a problem! Walker is great! O'Neill is in a fight with Marmol? UGH. The Braves and the Blue Jays were a tough way to start the season, but will the Brewers and Rockies be any easier? How fast can Nate and Ben throw a pitch? Baseball!

BASEBALL IS BACK! WE DID IT! YOU DID IT! Happy Opening Day everyone! Is Jordan Walker the best player in baseball? Should we reset expectations on how good Walker will be? NO. How excited for Woodford are you? Will Mikolas retire a Cardinal? How long before Yepez (we say Yay-pez) gets another shot? How will the Cardinals do against such a strong opening set of teams? We breakdown the upcoming series and generally freak out about the start of the 2023 season, and much more!

Is the World Baseball Classic the best thing to happen to baseball, ever? Is Jake Woodford finally getting some respect? How good is Shaq at making chicken? Will the Brewers keep it close in the NL Central this year? The WBC is over, Japan is king, and the regular season is about to start!

Did the Cardinals just make room for Jordan Walker? Why let Pacheco go? Will team USA advance to the next round of the WBC? How much fun are Arenado, Goldy, Waino, and the rest of the Cardinals having? Could the Cubs be good this year? The WBC is going strong, Spring Training is nearing an end, and we are getting ready for REAL BASEBALL!!!

Is Lars Nootbaar having the best offseason of all time? Will Ohtani take his pepper grinder to STL? Do we dare to dream? Besides Jordan Walker, who else has impressed this Spring? Are all of these power explosions real? We discuss these questions, continue our coverage of the NL Central, and begin our coverage of the WBC!

Is the pitch clock creating a better experience? Is CB Bucknor a petty coward? Is Donovan a power threat? Can we find a way to relax a bit about Jordan Walker? NO. NO WE WON'T. Box scores are piling up and Spring Training is fully underway as we begin a new segment breaking down every NL Central team, and try, try, try to not overreact too much to the early results... EXTEND JORDAN WALKER!!!

Spring training has started and we have a full week of news! It's the podcasts 1 year anniversary! Tyler O'Neill is somehow even more buffed out of his mind, pitchers are bringing in new pitches, and we have our first Best Shape of his Life report. Could it get any better than that? Should baseball change its arbitration system? (YES). Are we super excited that Rolen chose STL as his hat for the HOF? (YES) Are we weirded out by Emo Night at Busch? (YES) Baseball!

BASEBALL PLAYERS ARE DOING BASEBALL ACTIVITIES. The Cardinals have a sudden abundance of Beef Boys™ and we are ready to see how they do in 2023. How does everyone feel about the Mozeliak trade? Who are we excited about this Spring, and should we believe Oliver Marmol when he says it's an open competition? Will the Cardinals put a TAB logo on their jerseys? Is Bally Sports dead, and why is that a good thing? We're about to have actual box scores to talk about, and it's time to get ready for the 2023 season!

What should the Cardinals do with Paul DeJong? Can they survive without him? Why does it seem suddenly like he is a very important part of 2023? How has this podcast made it to episode #50? Should we stop doing it? How much more can we complain about Chip Caray? What is going on with Bally Sports? Daniel Shoptaw (@C70) joins this week to discuss these topics and much more as we inch towards the 2023 season!

Nate & Ben discuss the fact that baseball is starting,SOON, the WBC, Willson Contreras, rooting for TEAM USA USA USA, top prospects lists, being hyped about Walker, Winn, Hence, and Graceffo, the Cardinals mediocre off-season, the new rules, Jazz, how dumb the Rockies are, and much more!

Nate & Ben discuss theater popcorn, Alamo Drafthouse, Scott Rolen and what hat he should wear, Chip Carey and the problems with hating your own sport, the ZIPS projections and how they project the 2023 Cardinals, The Royals, baseball movies, and much more! Talking About Birds is supported on Patreon. Join our Patreon and join our private Discord server! www.patreon.com/talkingaboutbirds.

Nate & Ben discuss all the various Winter Warm Up interviews, the DeWitts telling everyone they won't spend more money, Mozeliak making a very pedantic point about spending more money, Arenado's decision to stay, Paul DeJong's leg kick, Matt Holliday resigning and the Joe McEwing hire, the WBC, all the exciting no-roster invitees, the bevy of international signings, Tommy Pham's continued revenge tour, and much more!

Nate & Ben discuss David Lynch films/TV, Jack Flaherty, the Marlins and their depth of great pitching, Jim Bowden and the no good very bad tweet, Edwin Rios/Tyler Naquin, Aaron Goldsmith, Correa (at home with the Twins!), love to Liam Hendriks, and much more!

Nate & Ben discuss the New Years, TEQUILA!, Bollywood, Lars Nootbaars hot offseason, the pros and cons of bat speed, Drive Line, the Cardinals broadcaster situation, the City Connect jerseys, vexillology, the dumb Braves and their amazing lineup, the Cubs, Rich Hiil (dick mountain), Trevor Bauer (ugh), and much much more!

Nate & Ben discuss Chris Sale, Correa, Profar, La Stella, and a bunch of other stuff that won't matter as much as BATTLEFIELD BASEBALL. Check out the wiki page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battlefield_Baseball for more info.

Nate & Ben discuss watching crazy baseball movies (join us next week as we watch Battlefield Baseball!), the Rodon deal, the current remaining starting pitching, the trade market, acquiring a relief pitcher (or two), the Cubs recent moves, bird names, and much more!

Nate, Ben, and Kyle discuss the Sean Murphy trade, the Willson Contreras signing, the Cardinals approach to the trade market and free agency, the rule 5 draft, hyped and unhyped prospects, large men and children, Arby's, Jim Beam advent calendars, all the recent moves across the league, and much much more!

Nate & Ben discuss Aaron Judge, Willson Contreras, next steps, Zuniga, Rodon, who else plays catcher, Herrera, Knizner, John Mozeliak's muppety tenor, the NL Central, the biggest moves so far, and so much more!

Nate & Ben discuss the upcoming winter meetings, the Thanksgiving holiday, trading for Jesse Winker, the best parts of the 2022 season, the worst parts, and everything in between!

Nate & Ben discuss Thanksgiving, Goldy winning the MVP, Pujols winning Comeback Player, Alex Reyes :( :( :(, Stratton, Mercado, NOOTBAAR and the WBC, Maddux joining the Rangers (???), the starting rotation and Quintana, the Angel's surprisingly smart start to the offseason, ownership collusion, and much more!

Nate & Ben discuss adopting stray cats, Connor Thomas, Platinum Arenado, Donovan, Jordan Walker, the catcher position, adding more outfielders, and all the various moves that have happened around the league. Also, a familiar aquatic foe returns!

Nate & Ben discuss hating the Astros because they cheated, hating the Astros because of long held rivalries, hating the Astros because of tanking, hating the Astros because of the Correa/Luhnow shenanigans, hating the Astros because they are a dynasty, and also a whole bunch of other interesting Cardinal news and updates!

Nate & Ben discuss scary movies, the Oscars, Nolan Arenado's contract, what the Cardinals should do with the extra cash, lol at the Rockies, Donovan's Gold Glove, Edman's deserved Gold Glove, the Phillies surprising (and fun) continued run, Dusty Baker, semi-robo umps, and much more!