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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about whether <a href="https://www.fangraphs.com/players/jr-ritchie/31760/stats/pitching" target="_blank">JR Ritchie</a> should want to keep the ball that was hit for a homer on his first major league pitch, <a href="https://www.fangraphs.com/players/jose-soriano/22100/stats/pitching" target="_blank">José Soriano&#8217;</a>s season-starting hot streak, and the Yankees&#8217; new alternate uniforms, plus follow-ups on accidental challenges, player pecks on the cheek, jersey numbers, and <a href="https://www.fangraphs.com/players/nolan-mclean/33703/stats/pitching" target="_blank">Nolan McLean</a>&#8217;s apology, and a mini-Blast about the Rockies&#8217; historically hot start (compared to last year). Then (50:36) they take a break from interviewing octagenarian former players to interview a youthful, quadragenarian former player: former All-Star <a href="https://www.fangraphs.com/players/brad-lidge/563/stats/pitching" target="_blank">Brad Lidge</a>. An infamous manager once <a href="https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Only_Rule_Is_It_Has_to_Work/Z-e2CgAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22the+closer%27s+the+closer+because+he%27s+the+closer%22&pg=PT149&printsec=frontcover" target="_blank">proclaimed</a>, &#8220;The closer is the closer because he&#8217;s the closer.&#8221; But what if the closer becomes an archaeologist? Ben and Meg talk to Lidge at length about his post-playing pivot to archaeology: what drew him to the field, how he&#8217;s pursued a second profession (and how it differs from his first one), ancient Etruscans, misconceptions about archaeology, what he could learn from excavating a ballpark, discovering dice (note: not a gambling ad), discussing his career reinvention at cocktail parties, the pleasures and procedures of communing with the past, archaeology&#8217;s moneyball, and much more, followed by his thoughts on fellow fastball-slider artist <a href="https://www.fangraphs.com/players/mason-miller/31757/stats/pitching" target="_blank">Mason Miller</a>.
Audio&nbsp;intro: PJ Harding, &#8220;<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1GaXmQoPFfbQdNZTyMqkTGmuPIRdlG22G/view?usp=drive_link" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Effectively Wild Theme</a>&#8221;
Audio&nbsp;outro: Philip Bergman, &#8220;<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1r_SutdDwCAJtoMBaw5CjiM-mhsRmG6ii/view?usp=drive_link" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Effectively Wild Theme</a>&#8221;

<a href="https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Only_Rule_Is_It_Has_to_Work/Z-e2CgAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22the+closer%27s+the+closer+because+he%27s+the+closer%22&pg=PT149&printsec=frontcover" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Link to The Only Rule closer line</a>
<a href="https://effectivelywild.fandom.com/wiki/The_Closer_Is_the_Closer" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Link to line&#8217;s EW wiki entry</a>
<a href="https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/brad-lidge/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Link to Lidge&#8217;s SABR bio</a>
<a href="https://www.sports-reference.com/stathead/sharing/0OPfB" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Link to postseason saves leaders</a>
<a href="https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders/major-league?pos=all&lg=all&type=8&month=0&ind=1&stats=rel&startdate=&enddate=&qual=0&season1=1988&season=2026" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Link to best post-&#8217;88 RP seasons</a>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsEuTYbDRwE" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Link to Pujols homer</a>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-dJtmTbvNY" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Link to 2008 WS victory</a>
<a href="https://www.mlb.com/video/jr-ritchie-in-play-run-s-to-james-wood" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Link to Wood&#8217;s HR</a>
<a href="https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/48573771/braves-jr-ritchie-rebounds-first-pitch-hr-wins-debut" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Link to Ritchie game story</a>
<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7217246/2026/04/22/yankees-players-alternate-road-jerseys/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Link to Yankees jerseys report 1</a>
<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7222735/2026/04/23/yankees-alternate-jerseys-decision-timetable/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Link to Yankees jerseys report 2</a>
<a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/yankees-players-propose-alternate-road-jerseys" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Link to Yankees jerseys report 3</a>
<a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=j_zNttV8VSwC&lpg=PP1&vq=jersey%20number&pg=PA319#v=onepage&q&f=false" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Link to jersey number history</a>
<a href="https://bsky.app/profile/themetsnewsletter.com/post/3mk6xmlupm22m" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Link to Vargas &#8220;accidental&#8221; challenge</a>
<a href="https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/sporty-videos?playId=b21e7051-d486-3b66-bd09-9d40c72302f9" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Link to Gonzales &#8220;accidental&#8221; challenge</a>
<a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/baseball/comments/1su6y9j/white_sox_pitcher_davis_martin_practices_kissing/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Link to Martin-Davis smooch</a>
<a href="https://www.fangraphs.com/players/jose-soriano/22100/graphs?position=P&statArr=118&legend=1%2C2&split=base&time=game&ymin=&ymax=&start=2024&end=2026&rtype=mult&gt1=6&dStatArray=" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Link to Soriano&#8217;s six-start stretches</a>
<a href="https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders/major-league?pos=all&stats=pit&lg=all&qual=0&type=8&month=1000&ind=0&startdate=2025-06-04&enddate=2025-07-03&season1=&season=&team=0&players=22100" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Link to Soriano&#8217;s 2025 stretch</a>
<a href="https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders/major-league?pos=all&stats=pit&lg=all&qual=0&type=8&month=0&ind=0&startdate=&enddate=&team=0&players=22100&season1=2026&season=2026" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Link to Soriano&#8217;s 2026 stretch</a>
<a href="https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/a-baseballs-exit-velocity-is-five-parts-hitter-one-part-pitcher/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Link to exit velo responsibility</a>
<a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/jose-soriano-start-against-blue-jays" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Link to Soriano article 1</a>
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betteridge%27s_law_of_headlines" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Link to Betteridge&#8217;s law 1</a>
<a href="https://www.mlb.com/angels/news/jose-soriano-breakdown-april-2026" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Link to Soriano article 2</a>
<a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/why-nolan-mclean-good-citizen-021454904.html" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Link to follow-up McLean report</a>
<a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1VFd6_vIFrbD4-7gyoOv7jVcI_VEPvjcpRPHBb7ZUknQ/edit?usp=sharing" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Link to fastest team improvements data</a>
<a href="https://ftw.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2018/09/27/brad-lidge-archaeology/81688004007/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Link to 2018 archaeoLidgey article</a>
<a href="https://www.penn.museum/blog/major-league-archaeology/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Link to 2026 archaeoLidgey article</a>
<a href="https://50.explorers.org/community/brad-lidge/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Link to Lidge Explorers Club</a>
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poggio_Civitate" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Link to Poggio Civitate wiki</a>
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etruscan_civilization" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Link to Etruscan civilization wiki</a>
<a href="https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/how-often-do-you-think-about-the-roman-empire" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Link to Roman Empire meme</a>
<a href="https://www.researchgate.net/scientific-contributions/Brad-Lidge-2311756295" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Link to Lidge&#8217;s publications</a>
<a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/400918910_The_Sacred_and_the_Mundane_Divergent_Dice_from_Poggio_Civitate" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Link to Lidge&#8217;s dice paper</a>
<a href="https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1121072" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Link to North American dice article 1</a>
<a href="https://theconversation.com/archaeologists-have-discovered-12-000-year-old-dice-heres-what-they-reveal-about-the-history-of-play-280545" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Link to North American dice article 2</a>
<a href="https://www.theringer.com/2018/01/15/tv/detectorists-mackenzie-crook" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Link to Ben on Detectorists</a>

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Effectively Wild Episode 2470: The Closer Who Became an Archaeo-Lidge-ist

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