Episode Details

A Note for TP&R Listeners

From time to time, it helps to talk about something other than politics in order to understand politics.

Sports is one of the last shared civic spaces where identity, loyalty, disagreement, trash talk, and even tribalism can play out without destroying relationships. In other words, many of the same human instincts we explore on Talkin’ Politics & Religion Without Killin’ Each Other show up in a baseball season just as clearly as they do in an election season.

So today’s episode comes from another show in the SCAN Media family, East Meets West Sports, co-hosted with veteran broadcaster Rick Garcia. Same curiosity about why people care so deeply about what they care about. Just with box scores instead of polling numbers.

If it’s your thing, great. If not, regular TP&R programming resumes next episode.

Talkin’ Politics & Religion Without Killin’ Each Other is proud to be part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts examining what is broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it.

And thank you to Pew Research Center (pewresearch.org) for helping make conversations like this possible.

East Meets West Sports with Rick Garcia and Corey Nathan

Rick Garcia and Corey Nathan kick off baseball season with a deep dive into the offseason moves that have everyone talking and at least one list that has Corey fuming about West Coast bias.

They break down the Dodgers' superteam additions of Edwin Diaz and Kyle Tucker, the Mets' stacked roster and farm system, and why teams like Pittsburgh can scout great talent but can't hold onto it. They also get into the salary cap debate, Steve Cohen's "no captain" declaration, and whether meddling owners ever really help their teams.

And in Pop That Culture, they tackle the biggest controversy heading into the Winter Olympics: Norway's ski jumping suits, a crotch-area aerodynamics scandal that has to be heard to be believed.

Find Us On

Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube

Follow Rick Garcia: @RickGarciaNews on X (Twitter)

Follow Corey Nathan: @coreysnathan on Substack, Threads, Instagram, X & more

Key Takeaways 1. The Dodgers Just Keep Getting Better

Yahoo Sports graded the Dodgers' offseason an A+, and it's hard to argue. Adding Edwin Diaz from the Mets and Kyle Tucker as a free agent gives them arguably the deepest roster in the game (even if Tucker now ranks as maybe the seventh-best player on his own team).

2. Corey Is Very Excited About the Mets (No Surprise There)

Two surefire Hall of Famers in Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto, a legit ace in Freddie Peralta, a deep rotation, improved defense up the middle, and a top-five farm system, even after trading prospects. Rookie of the Year candidate Nolan McLean headlines a wave of young talent coming up. Corey believes. Rick is... skeptical.

3. The "Most Improved" List Has a West Coast Bias Problem

A MLB.com ranking of teams that improved most this offseason had the Giants and