The Best Podcast in Baseball
There's no doubt about it, Starting 9 Podcast is far and away the most interesting podcast in the baseball world. This podcast, brought to us by Barstool Sports, a sports-news outlet founded by Swampscott, Massachusetts native Dave Portnoy focuses on combining a fair amount of raunchy comedy with surprisingly accurate and passionate takes on current sporting events. Barstool's baseball podcast, titled Starting 9, has a unique mixture of baseball expertise as it brings together Dallas Braden, a former Major League Baseball player who happened to have thrown one of the few perfect games in major league history and Saugus native Jared Carrabis who covers baseball for Barstool as his full time job, also appearing on many Boston-based baseball television programs. The producer of the podcast, named Justin Havens, worked at ESPN for years before being laid off following the massive ESPN layoff’s in 2017. Another character the show often features in retired Major League closer Brian Wilson, best known for being an instrumental part to the San Francisco Giant’s 2010 world series run and for his intricate, massive black beard. The creative mix of former Major Leaguers with a comedian-style baseball fan and media personality allows for a totally different-feeling baseball podcast that centers not only around the actual current events in the game itself, but serves to entertain people who may not follow baseball as closely as die-hard fans.
Jared Carrabis, the main host of the Starting 9 Podcast, has a fairly respectable resume when it comes to the work he has done in the media, and a fairly diverse work experience. Starting his own blog at 18 years old, Carrabis realized his passion for writing and decided to incorporate his love for the Boston Red Sox into his work. While he still covers the Red Sox on Barstool and his Twitter account, this path has opened new opportunities for him along the way, including doing The Baseball Show on NBC Sports with Lou Merloni, but most prominently his role as the main baseball writer at Barstool Sports. Carrabis is an excellent journalist, as his sarcastic sense of humor and his wholeheartedly truthful takes on certain events serve to inform his listeners and readers with not only hilarious sound-bits, but also very intelligent subject matter that will inform whoever his audience is. When listening to Starting 9, you feel as if you are a part of his discussion on baseball, and the interviews that he conducts are not your typical stuffed-shirt interviews: They take into account deeper, and sometimes more comical questions that may not be answered in a different atmosphere. The athletes he interviews are comfortable around him and it allows for a more entertaining interview.
The other co-host of the Starting 9 Podcast, Dallas Braden, allows for a unique and more in-depth perspective on baseball and what goes on inside a Major League locker room. Having pitched multiple seasons in the Big Leagues prior to a career ending capsule tear in his throwing shoulder, Braden understands what it’s like to play major league baseball, and can easily counter any misguided points that Carrabis may have on the show. He personally knows many of the people they interview and may bring up subject matter that is personal to that interviewee. This can allow the listeners to achieve a more personal feel to interviews, which, consequently, allows for the listeners to form a more educated conclusion on what they feel of that particular interviewee.
Overall, Starting 9 Podcast has the perfect mix of information and comedy, allowing for a fun, yet informative platform to spread a wealth of knowledge.