Comedian Nate Bargatze and Orioles General Manager Highlight Weekly Roundup Show

Comedian Nate Bargatze and Orioles General Manager Highlight Weekly Roundup Show

A famed comedian and the general manager of the Baltimore Orioles were among the notable
guests on the penultimate episode of the PBL Roundup Show. Hosts Thom Brennaman, Bill
Bavasi, and Joe List also discussed various hot topics in baseball, including the new MLB
schedule and minor league unionization efforts.

List spoke with his good friend and fellow comedian Nate Bargatze about their experiences
playing baseball and some funny moments from their times together. The two spoke about one
incident where List and Bargatze were supposed to go to a Dodgers game together, but List
accidentally got Bargatze a ticket for the wrong day, so he was turned away at the gate. Bargatze
also spoke about how he used to steal bases whenever he drew a walk when he was playing little
league. A Nashville native, Bargatze said he was able to help out some of the Vanderbilt
University baseball players during their workouts. List recalled hanging out with Bargatze long
before he became a big act, and spoke highly of his abilities.

Bavasi sat down with Baltimore Orioles general manager Mike Elias to discuss the club’s
resurgence this season. Elias spoke about how difficult long rebuilds can be, and how he’s had to
go through the process with the Orioles and the Houston Astros. Elias said he’s very happy with
how the team has performed this year and the way the city of Baltimore has responded to the
team’s success. However, Elias noted that the city never lost its passion for the Orioles, even
during their struggles.

Bavasi also spoke with Tim Mead, the former president of the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
The two discussed the new MLB schedule that was released last week, and how there are some
benefits to having every team face each other at least once every season. Mead specifically spoke
about how fans will no longer have to wait multiple years for certain star players to come to their
home ballpark.

PBL President Mike Shapiro joined the show to discuss the recent efforts to unionize the minor
leagues. Shapiro said it’s a big step forward, especially after MLB was hit with a lawsuit that
resulted in them paying a hefty settlement to minor-league players. Shapiro also pointed out that
the PBL is the only one of the MLB Partner Leagues that pays its players minimum wage, and
actually pays more than some minor leagues do.
Comedian Will Durst provided his latest segment of “Who’s on Durst?”, in which he discussed
the upcoming MLB playoffs. Durst said that the playoffs are like dessert, and that the regular
season is the main course.

The show finished up with a live interview with some players and coaches from the Missoula
Paddleheads before their game. Lamar Sparks and Jayson Newman both said they enjoyed
having List on their roster for a day, and that while their individual accomplishments have been
great, they’re looking forward to defending their title in the playoffs. McClain O’Conner said
that his game-winning grand slam on Tuesday night was satisfying to break out of a slump, and
Brandon Riley talked about what it’s like being the team’s lead-off hitter. Manager Michael
Schlact and hitting coach Jeff Lyle both said they’d love to have List back and had fun watching
him take batting practice. Both coaches also said the team is very loose and does a great job
policing themselves, which is a big reason why they’ve been so successful. To cap off the
Missoula segment, the Paddleheads showed off their pregame ritual with their pitchers getting
pumped up for the game.