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A fastball that “blue bayou” sounds like something you’d hear in a music documentary, not a baseball broadcast, but that’s exactly why we love the game. We kick things off with one of our favorite bits of baseball terminology: Tim McCarver’s “Linda Ronstadt,” his nickname for a pitch so nasty it just whizzes past the hitter. It’s a perfect reminder that baseball history and baseball trivia aren’t side quests. They’re how the sport keeps its personality.

From there, we hop in the Wayback Machine to 1876 and dig into the origins of the National League, the foundation of modern Major League Baseball. We walk through why owners wanted a new league in the first place, including the National Association’s chaos: unstable franchises, teams skipping road games, players breaking contracts, and the early mix of alcohol and gambling around the park. We also spotlight the power players who shaped the league, especially Chicago’s William A. Hulbert, and we talk through the NL’s early attempts at real structure with rules about markets, scheduling, and ticket prices.

We also play a quick guessing game with the eight original National League teams and reveal the two that still exist today, even if you know them by different names now. Along the way, we hit classic old-school details like Albert Goodwill Spalding’s role in the business of baseball and the forgotten slang where shutouts were once called “Chicago games,” and getting blanked meant you got “Chicagoed.” Then we wrap with a fun sprint of 2026 World Series predictions from our fantasy league at Rally Cap.

If you’re into MLB history, the National League, and the strange little stories that make baseball feel alive, hit subscribe, share this with a baseball friend, and leave a review. What’s your bold 2026 World Series pick?

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