• USAWNT Baseball Player – Beth Greenwood - Women in Baseball
• Player Development Coach
• Won the Championship with the Comets at the AmericanGirlsBaseball.org
• Path to the USAWNT Baseball team
• Making the 40 player team with Ila Borders, Meggie Meidlinger, Tamara Holmes
• Competition to make it to the final roster becomes more challenging year after year
• Catchers the Managers of tomorrow
• Al Lopez, historic catcher/manager at Tampa Baseball Museum
• Catchers like Veronica Alvarez who took the tough job when others deferred in youth baseball
• Facing the hard throwing pitchers
• Making adjustments – getting tighter and tighter to the plate
• Beth working with Player Development in Phillies program / Jersey Shore Blue Claws
• What is Player Development – Helping Players to advance to the big leagues through game planning, nutrition,
• Excitement for development of a Women’s Professional Baseball League
• Professional League will give women a full-time job to focus on being an athlete and will increase the level of play
• Many women who play baseball need an alternate source for income. Some who have become architects, coaches & firefighters like Veronica Alvarez, Tamara Holmes, Valerie Perez
• Womens Professional Baseball League, Kat Williams & Leslie Heaphy
• Jason Varitek of Boston Red Sox was Beth’s baseball favorite catcher as a youngster
• Later Beth later looked to USAWNT players for favorite players
• Rachel Balkovec – wore a lot of hats to advance in baseball strength coach, batting coach, manager of Tampa Tarpons, now director of Player Development for the Marlins
• While working with the Threshers, a Phillies affiliate Beth met Rachel Balkovec
• Benches emptied between Threshers & Tarpons – a lot of emotion
• Baseball Travel what a calendar year looks like
• Beth is playing at Roy Hobbs tournament this week in Fort Myers Florida
• A fly on the wall in the 40’s & 50’s listen to AAGPBL players
• Maybelle Blair, Shirley Burkovich are some of the AAGPBL legends that Beth has met
• Future of Women’s Professional Baseball League
• Look into the future with Michael Goodmon toward a Women’s League
• Hope that all Women’s baseball groups can come together to make a league happen
• Beth remembers playing in 2011 with Baseball for All girls teams & tournament
• Greenwood’s performance with the Comets at AGB, Durham
• Beth recounts 7th inning of tournament Bases loaded, full count, payoff pitch, foul tip into Beth’s glove
• Roy Hobbs tournament this weekend in Fort Myers - https://royhobbs.com/world-series/schedules/women-team

References:
Beth catches for the Comets in this championship game - https://www.mlb.com/video/agb-peaches-vs-agb-comets-138730 - check out at 2:23 timestamp for top of 7th.
Third Annual All-American Women’s Baseball Classic Results - https://americangirlsbaseball.org/third-annual-all-american-womens-baseball-classic/

Mark is on BlueSky at @baseballbizondeck.bsky.social & and at http://www.baseballbizondeck.com

Special thank s to XTaKeRuX for the music “Rocking Forward

• Hurricane Brain in Tampa Bay
• Pinellas County Commission vote to not vote on Rays stadium bond
• Where does the county funds come from to build a new stadium
• Timeline of approval of Rays deal with both the City of St Pete & Pinellas county
• County Bed Tax – can only be used for tourism – cannot be used for renourishing the beaches
• Timelines & Delays are not helped by Stu’s antagonistic communications
• Commissioner Brian Scott – shows disappointment with Stu & Tampa Bay Times’ headlines “End of the stadium deal?
• Reflect Reds Castellini & White Sox Reinsdorf poor communications
• When Billionaires speak people listen
• Need Erik Neander to negotiate
• MLB teams as a tax haven
• Quebec govt putting on a $875 million roof for their stadium
• Other options for Rays – Montreal, Nashville &
• County Commissioners Brian Scott & Kathleen Peters – Rays stadium investment will be a generational & transformative action for the future
• “reeks of corporate selfishness” a commissioner’s remarks of Rays recent media tactic
• Is it Rays strategy to motivate commissioners to vote no & give Stu option to move Rays
• What if MLB Commissioner, Rob Manfred, visited Tampa Bay and brokered a deal with Rays & Yankees at Steinbrenner Field, add 5,000 site
• Pinellas fields not suitable for the Rays to hold their 2025 season
• Blue Jays 2020 @ Sahlen field
• Jose Siri traded to New York Mets, for reliever Eric Orze
• Will Chandler Simpson a roster spot
• Could Dylan Carlson replace Siri
• Willie Adames – ex-Ray – declines Brewers qualifying offer
• Could Willy land with Dodgers or Tigers – what about Javy Baez
• Angels should release Francisco Lindor bring in Adames – Eeyore to Tigger move
• Bret Phillips now a pitcher and a future as a broadcaster
• BallySports - FanDuel – Diamond Team Broadcasting
• Utah Jazz - unique model, broadcasts local games live and is still profitable
• Perth Heat – Australian Baseball League – Tampa Bay Rays
• Eyes on Angel Mateo
• Post-season viewing & reading Beyond baseball:
• Mat: It’s not all about Batman – The Penguin & the Marvelous Miss Maisel
• Mark: Ila Borders book – Making my Pitch & watching Saint of Second Chances
• Roki Sasaki in the Rays future?
• What would Rays rotation look like with Sasaki
• How will stadium issues impact Free Agents attraction to the Tampa Bay Rays
• Reflect on Nate Eovaldi & Wilson Ramos signings as players who came to the Rays as they needed to rebuild their value
• Expect the Rays to be aggressive in possibly bringing on Danny Jansen or Kyle Higashioka – revenge on the Yankees
• Rays will show that they are ready to compete in 2025 if they keep Brandon Lowe, Yandy Diaz, Jeffrey Springs & Pete Fairbanks
• Ken Hagan on WDAE – talks about the City of Tampa’s early offer to keep the Rays

Thanks to Mat Germain for bringing his knowledge, wit and wisdom to the show. You can catch more of Mat on BlueSky @matgermain.bsky.social

Mark can be found on BlueSky at @baseballbizondeck.bsky.social & and at http://www.baseballbizondeck.com

BaseballBiz is on iheartradio, Stitcher, Apple, and Spotify

Special thanks to XTaKeRuX for the music “Rocking Forward

World Series Game 5 Expectations

• Dodgers’ unexpected struggle to close out the series,
• Freddie Freeman's impact: Mat highlights Freeman’s impressive streak with six home runs across six World Series games,
• Yankees’ Comeback Attempt: Anthony Volpe energized the Yankees, k
• Ohtani's Injury and Resilience with arm - Mat reflects on Ohtani’s ability to play while injured, likening his resilience to legends like Vlad Guerrero.
• Aaron Judge's Struggles and Adjustments
• Dodgers’ Pressure and Rotation Challenges
• Future Outlook Yankees' 2025 Roster Outlook &
  • Payroll
  • Young Talent on the Horizon
• Future of AL East Competition - The Orioles as Potential Favorites
• Tension for the Dodgers in Game 5
• Dodgers' Pitching Woes and World Series Strategy:
• Pitching Staff Injuries: Tyler Glasnow, Tony Gonsolin, and Clayton Kershaw.
• Three-Pitcher Strategy:
• Brent Honeywell's Dedication: commitment to helping Mookie Betts out of a slump, highlighting the dedication and team spirit essential in high-stakes playoff moments.
• Mookie Betts Post-Game Focus: he downplays fan drama to focus on the team’s performance.
• Fan Behavior and Stadium Etiquette
• Impact on Future Fans: Both hosts reflect on the importance of modeling good behavior to foster a respectful stadium environment.
• World Series Sweeps: 21 World Series have ended in sweeps, with the Yankees involved in over half of these.
• Fun with Baseball Stats:
• Pre-Game and Post-Game Performances:
• Ice Cube and Fat Joe Performances: Is it worth the ticket. Does this attract a younger audience?
• Babyface - National Anthem Performances and Commentary
• Memorable Moments and Player Challenges
• Shohei Ohtani’s underwhelming playoff performance and Mat’s admiration for Kike Hernández’s underrated postseason consistency.
• Documentary: See Her, Be Her
• WPBL Women’s Baseball Progress and New Leagues
• Baseball for All, a women’s baseball organization led by Justine Siegal, and the development of the Women’s Professional Baseball League (WPBL) slated for a 2026 launch. Mat and Mark discuss the potential for growth and visibility of women’s sports
• Mat on Funding and Broadcasting Women’s Baseball
• National Exposure and Strategic Marketing of Women in Baseball
• Upcoming Events: Arizona Fall League & Australian Baseball League
• Game 5 starting with Shohei Ohtani’s recent first-pitch pop-out in good spirits.
  
  
• Thanks to Mat Germain for bringing his knowledge, wit and wisdom to the show. You can catch more of Mat on Twitter x.com @Mat_Germain_
  Mark can be found on Twitter x.com @TheBaseballBiz & and at http://www.baseballbizondeck.com
  Subscribe, follow and rate the show. Thank you.
  BaseballBiz is on iheartradio, Stitcher, Apple, and Spotify
  Special thanks to XTaKeRuX for the music “Rocking Forward"