In a world filled with Seattle Mariners podcasts, The Blight Bat is another one. New episodes twice a month. Great guests and a mediocre host try to divine meaning and purpose through the examination of baseball's most uniquely cursed franchise.
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The Blight Bat Ep. 12: ALCS Bombs Away w/ Jordan Shusterman
Jordan Shusterman discusses the Seattle Mariners' dominance, Josh Naylor's performance, the balance of analytics and team vibes, and the challenges of being a fan, in an interview.
2 Oct 2025
The Blight Bat Ep. 11: Ball Knowers Gala 2025
Jage, Ty Dane Gonzalez, and Ben Ranieri join the hosts to discuss the Mariners' front office validation in 2025, analyze their potential ALDS rotation, and explore foundational gatherings, in this ensemble episode.
1 Oct 2025
Blight Bat Ep. 10: Where Mets and Mariners Leave Company (feat. David Roth)
David Roth analyzes the contrasting seasons of the New York Mets and Seattle Mariners, exploring the factors behind their unexpected trajectories and the significance of narratives in baseball, in this interview.
30 Sept 2025
The Blight Bat Ep. 9: Danny O'Neil, Playoffs!?, and the Joy of Luck
Danny O’Neil of The News Tribune analyzes the Seattle Mariners' 2025 season with the hosts, exploring the team's success and its impact on long-time fans in this interview.
29 Sept 2025
The Blight Bat Ep. 8: Shimmering Through Time with Mike Duncan
Author and podcaster Mike Duncan joins Nathan to discuss the Seattle Mariners' recent success, including winning their division and the experience of watching the team's historic season in this interview episode.
9 Aug 2025
The Blight Bat Ep. 7: You Gotta Like These Guys (w/ Mike Duncan)
Mike Duncan, NYT-Bestselling Author, joins the podcast to discuss MLB stadiums, Ichiro's HOF inauguration, Felix Hernandez’s HOF candidacy, and the 2025 Seattle Mariners in this interview episode.
25 Jun 2025
The Blight Bat Ep. 6: Youth Pastor Ryan Divish
Seattle Times' Mariners beat writer Ryan Divish discusses the current state of the team, Cal Raleigh's impressive season, and the qualities that define great ballplayers in this interview episode.
30 May 2025
Load-Bearing Leo Rivas feat. Meg Rowley
Meg Rowley discusses how working in baseball impacts fandom and analyzes the unique expectations of Mariner fans, in an interview with Leo Rivas.
30 May 2025
Load-Bearing Leo Rivas w/ Meg Rowley
Meg Rowley discusses how working in baseball impacts fandom and explores the unique expectations of Mariner fans in an interview with The Blight Bat.
14 May 2025
The Blight Bat Ep. 4: Doom and Badlam
Scott Weber and David Skiba discuss the ebbs and flows of sports fandom, focusing on the Mariners, NFL, and NBA, while reflecting on lasting friendship and life's seasons in this interview episode.
14 May 2025
Doom and Badlam
Beep bop boop it's good to be back. This episode of the Blight Bat welcomes back old (and we mean old) friends Scott Weber and David Skiba, both formerly of Lookout Landing and Dome and Bedlam, now both full-time dads and increasingly casual Mariner fans.
This episode talks about how and why fandom ebbs and flows; both with the Mariners specifically, and with sports overall. There's some digressions into the NFL, a bit of NBA, and a lot more profanity than is normal for The Blight Bat. We're sorry about that.
Mostly this episode is about long, lasting friendship and connecting through the different seasons of life. A huge thanks to David and Scott - whom I am overwhelmingly grateful to have in my life for these many years and seasons - for carving out time to chat with their friend the Baseball Content Sicko.
We'd be remiss if we didn't thank our sponsor, The 2nd Annual Lagerhead Beer Festival (https://web.charityengine.net/lagerhead2025). Make sure you get your tickets for great drinks, amazing food, and supporting an awesome cause. Thanks as always for listening and supporting The Blight Bat!
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1 May 2025
The Blight Bat Ep. 3: Gross Gas Con 2025 (feat. David Roth of Defector)
David J. Roth of Defector Media joins the podcast to analyze the market inefficiencies fostered by upper management in baseball and examine the New York Giants' quarterback situation in this interview.
30 Apr 2025
Gross Gas Con 2025 (feat. David Roth of Defector Media)
Welcome back to The Blight Bat: The Light Bat Podcast! I am so happy to welcome David J. Roth of Defector Media to the show. David is one of my very favorite sportswriters, and his recent* turn as one of the internet's most thoughtful and insightful commentators on our current times has been a huge benefit to us all.
In the show we discuss the similarities and disparities between our respective cursed (and current first place residing) baseball teams. After some lovely chit chat bringing each other up to speed on the how/why of the 2025 Mariners/Mets, we get into the nitty gritty of how the venal nature of upper management and ownership classes allows for continued market inefficiencies. The show wraps up with what can only be described as a lovely examination of the New York Giants QB room. All in all, a triumph.
Huge thanks to David for his time. Please check out and support Defector and the Distraction podcast ( Defector and the Distraction podcast).
*Since exactly 2016
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17 Apr 2025
The Blight Bat Episode 2: An Exploration of Maritime Baseball
Patrick Dubuque from Baseball Prospectus joins the show to discuss the Seattle Mariners' surprising projections and the financial strategies of the Pittsburgh Pirates ownership, also exploring baseball's role in daily life in this interview.
16 Apr 2025
An Exploration of Maritime Baseball
The great Patrick Dubuque of the mighty Baseball Prospectus joins the show. We lament the various trials of children of a certain age, marvel at the Seattle Mariners being projected to have one of the American League's best teams despite having so many bad baseball players, and find ourselves deeply curious in the financial loss leaders of the Pittsburgh Pirates ownership group.
There's a fair amount of chatter about the ways we like to consume baseball, its utility in our daily lives, and some lamenting about how many of the sport's paths can be drawn back to online gambling. But, as Patrick was clear to articulate, none of us is free of sin. Let's go Mariners.
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2 Apr 2025
Top 10 Mariner Prospects as Beers
REPENT for a Mariners-adjacent podcast is upon thee!
Nathan and Chris Crawford - of Emerald City Spectrum and My Oh Why - talk about getting your foot in the door of sports media, the genesis of Mollywhop Monday, what makes a good scout a good scout, and a bit about the meandering paths we all walk. Stick around as Chris goes into great detail (and effusive praise) on his Top 10 Mariners prospect list.
SUPPORT LOCAL JOURNALISM
Emerald City Spectrum - https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/
My Oh Why - https://www.youtube.com/@ChrisVCrawford
The Light Bat - https://thelightbat.substack.com/
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Who has been a guest on The Blight Bat
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Jordan Shusterman
Jage
Ty Dane Gonzalez
Ben Ranieri
David Roth
Reach and audience
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Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
5 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 22 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
31
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
32
Contact The Blight Bat
Guest appearances
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