E31video: Manager Earl Weaver + Book Review, League Update & The Midnight Sun Game

A baseball game that starts at 10 p.m. with no stadium lights sounds impossible, yet Fairbanks pulls it off every year. We kick things off with the Midnight Sun Game, a summer solstice tradition that has been running since 1906, and the Alaska Goldpanners, a legendary college summer team with an alumni list that includes Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, and more. If you love baseball travel, weird history, and the parts of the sport that still feel handmade, this story is a perfect entry point. Then we bring in our friend Edwin Nolan for a tight, energetic spin around MLB. We hit each division with the headlines that matter right now: surges, slumps, injuries that change the math, and the questions that are already shaping the trade deadline. It’s a quick way to recalibrate your baseball brain without drowning in hot takes. The main event is our deep dive into Hall of Fame Orioles manager Earl Weaver, guided by John W. Miller’s Casey Award winning book The Last Manager. We talk about Weaver’s winning track record, his famous philosophy (pitching, defense, and the three-run homer), and the surprising ways he looked like a modern analytics manager decades early, from matchup index cards to radar-gun obsession. And yes, we get into the legendary blowups: 96 career ejections, umpire theatrics, and the kind of dugout character baseball rarely produces anymore, plus the trivia answer that tops even Weaver. Subscribe on your favorite podcast app, share this with a baseball friend, and leave us a review so more fans can find Fungos and Fastballs. What’s your favorite piece of baseball history that sounds made up but is 100% true? Email us at [email protected]