About this episode
Lincoln Mitchell returns to discuss his new book, San Francisco Year Zero: Political Upheaval, Punk Rock, And A Third-Place Baseball Team, about the surprising 1978 Giants and the way the events of that year, including/especially the assassinations of Harvey Milk and George Moscone, changed the city’s future. Plus: An A’s fan lights a flame and a manager takes his owner with him. TABLE OF CONTENTS A’s Fans Burnin’ Down the House*Bucky Harris Speaks Frankly *Lincoln Mitchell: The third-place 1978 San Francisco Giants?*The almost-Toronto Giants*Memories of Candlestick Park and other Giants dysfunction*Giants vs. Seals (and Burritos in the Mission)*The Milk and Moscone Assassination and Its Effects*The Potato-Stand Graft*Why Did We Turn to Violence in the 1960s and 1970s?*The Potato Stand Quid Pro Quo and Ukraine (But not the Ukraine)*Phony Beatlemania (The Hippies vs. The Punks)*All the Wasted Giants’ Prospects*Johnny LeMaster: “BOO”*Vida Blue Reappraised*And Jonestown, Too*Goodbyes. The Infinite Inning is not only about baseball but a state of mind. Steven Goldman, rotating cohosts Jesse Spector, Cliff Corcoran, and David Roth, and occasional guests discuss the game’s present, past, and future with forays outside the foul lines to the culture at large. Expect stats, anecdotes, digressions, explorations of writing and fandom, and more Casey Stengel quotations than you thought possible. Along the way, they’ll try to solve the puzzle that is the Infinite Inning: How do you find the joy in life when you can’t get anybody out?