The Windup: The Roundtable | 2010's Baseball Nostalgia & Are the Mets Back?

Episode #172 — August 29, 2025
Hosts: Grant Brisbee, Sam Miller, Andy McCullough

Overview

This episode dives deep into baseball’s era shifts, the elephantine grip of nostalgia, the evolving identity of fandom, and a lively check-in on the suddenly surging New York Mets — with special attention to rookie pitcher Nolan McLean. The hosts dissect their own baseball love through the lens of memory, process how technology and strategy have redefined the sport, and consider what makes a team or a moment truly compelling. Along the way, they celebrate the game’s surprises (and its mundane firsts), lament what’s lost in the modern media world, and share plenty of wry, self-aware asides about both baseball and themselves.

Episode Breakdown

1. Baseball’s Eras, Nostalgia, & the Nature of Fandom

The Power (and Peril) of Nostalgia

• Andy McCullough kicks off with a reflection on unsettling AI-generated “the 80s miss you” videos, using them as a springboard to analyze how we attach meaning to the “eras” we invest in.
• He identifies clear breaks in baseball’s recent history:
  • 2010s: Tech and data revolution, culminating in the Astros scandal and COVID-shortened 2020.
  • Post-2020: New rules (pitch clock, DH, ghost runner), labor strife, looming changes like expansion/realignment.
• Key question:

  "Is evolution in baseball a feature or a bug?... Does its importance to you stem from foundational memories, the present enjoyment, or curiosity about the future?"
  — Andy McCullough, [07:31]

Responses & Reflections

• Sam Miller: Nostalgia is central, but it’s recent nostalgia — “I would rather look at a 2008 top 30 and see what went haywire than to look at a current top 30 and, like, forecast all the unpredictability inherent within it.” [11:26]
• Grant Brisbee: The best thing about baseball, across every era, “is its capacity to surprise. And that hasn't necessarily changed.” The present always offers something new, even if nostalgia is seductive. [09:48]
• Memorable exchange:

  “Our identities are just sunk costs and we're bound by pride to keep being more ourselves with each passing day. I think that's true with our interests too.”
  — Sam Miller quoting Patrick Dubuque [13:14]

Era Naming & Dividing History

• Sam floats the idea of official era naming — like in science fiction, to create boundaries (and new records) for each “age.”
• They recognize baseball already has de facto eras ("the 70s", "the 80s", the "Mitchell Report era"), but naming them explicitly might deepen fans’ emotional attachment.
• Andy: “We are deeply loyal to our eras for some reason...and I would like baseball to lean into that even a little bit more than they do.” [19:07]

2. The Flaws and Highs of 2010s Baseball

Least Favorite Parts

• Tanking & Its Consequences:
  • Sam: The “inevitability” of tanking leading to World Series wins (Cubs, Astros) and his enjoyment when that model started failing. [22:09]
• Playoff Formats:
  • Grant: Loss of the “perfect playoff format” — the tension and drama of the one-game wild-card (“that was the pinnacle of 2010's baseball...it doesn't get better than that”). [23:01]
• Ball (Equipment) Drama:
  • Andy: Constant equipment complaints and needing to care about the baseball itself. [21:43]
• Front Office Obsession:
  • Andy: Previously, stories about front office processes were illuminating, but now provoke reader backlash ("That's McKinsey garbage" etc.), even when they’re descriptive, not valorizing. [24:19]
  • Sam: The initial “expansion” of the world after Moneyball eventually soured, as front office types became less compelling. [25:16]

Favorite Aspects

• They all circle back to the thrill of baseball’s unpredictability and the way a single game (2014 A’s–Royals Wild Card) can become instant legend.

3. Are the Mets Actually Back?

State of the Race

• Sam Miller: After a sweep of the Phillies, the Mets look revitalized, but the playoff chase is underwhelming (“only a sliver of drama left”).
• Met’s postseason spot now looks secure; other races are tepid.

Nolan McLean’s Debut

• McLean, rookie pitcher, wins his first three MLB starts — the first MET ever to do so.

  “Mathematically, he should be their third or fourth pitcher who's done it, and he's the first.” — Sam Miller [29:57]

• McLean is “extremely pleasant to watch,” “making hitters look like they’d taken mushrooms.” [31:17]
• The hosts discuss how much fun baseball’s “never happened before” moments can be (see also: Padres’ long no cycle/no no-hitter drought). [31:41]

The Mets’ Rotation

• The emergence of McLean (and upcoming debut of Jonah Tong) means the once-unremarkable staff is “all of a sudden...very watchable.”
• Grant: For fans, the excitement of a hotshot rookie can flip quickly to fear ("what happens when he can’t find the strike zone?...As a general baseball fan it’s fun, as a Mets fan, I’m kind of scared"). [33:07]
• “Their non-youth infused rotation... quite simply walk too many fellows — and eventually death comes for that sort of staff.” — Andy McCullough [33:19]

Mets Culture & Vibes

• The team’s new meme: Alec Bohm’s microphone frustration, which delighted the fanbase and provided a rallying point.
• Sam and Andy: Having memes is almost essential for a postseason run.

Juan Soto’s Season

• Grant and Sam analyze why Soto remains great despite a misleading narrative — “It’s Juan Soto, like by the expected statistics, by exit velocity, all that stuff. He is having the most Juan Soto season ever.” — Grant [34:33]
• His value isn’t flashy in RBI or narrative terms because much production is coming with the bases empty.
• The park effects are discussed; Yankee Stadium’s reputation as a tough hitting environment is revisited.

Why Did We Ignore the Mets for So Long?

• The panel discusses both the slow-burning tension of the Mets season and the lack of pressure from other (especially NL) teams.
• Andy: “I've never felt that they were not a good baseball team. I never felt that they were like the best team in baseball...you just, like, don't really pay attention to it and just, you know, trust that it will meet sort of what the expectations are." [36:26]
• Sam notes the year lacks a lively set of chasing teams, so it’s hard to get worked up about the Mets’ midseason lulls.

4. Playoff Format Frustrations & the Illusion of Fairness

• Sam and Andy recall the years when playoff formats produced both outcry and, at times, perfection.

• “If we add five playoff spots, this year would be pretty interesting. If we had four, this year would be pretty interesting. It just happens to be the wrong year for exactly six...” — Sam Miller [39:27]

5. The Endgame: Facial Hair, Memory, and Identity

A Lighthearted Finale

• The trio digresses into the aesthetics and self-consciousness of facial hair: why 1990s baseball goatees are best left in the past, and their own failed/successful beard attempts.

  “I don't think there is anyone who looks good in the 90s goatee in a baseball context, like Ken Caminiti, maybe...” — Grant Brisbee [41:08]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Andy McCullough:

  "Is evolution in baseball a feature or a bug?... Does its importance to you stem from foundational memories, the present enjoyment, or curiosity about the future?" [07:31]

• Sam Miller:

  “Our identities are just sunk costs and we're bound by pride to keep being more ourselves with each passing day.” [13:14]
  “I would rather look at a 2008 top 30 and see what went haywire than to look at a current top 30 and, like, forecast all the unpredictability inherent within it.” [11:26]

• Grant Brisbee:

  “My favorite thing about baseball is its capacity to surprise. And that hasn't necessarily changed.” [09:48]
  “That 2014 A's Royals game, that is the pinnacle of baseball.” [24:12]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Era/nostalgia discussion begins: [02:35]
• Baseball’s evolution & nostalgia: [07:31]
• Prospect handbooks & investment in storylines: [11:26]
• Patrick Dubuque ‘sunk cost’ quote: [13:14]
• Era-naming discussion: [17:29]
• Least favorite things from 2010s baseball: [21:17]
• Wild card game “pinnacle” argument: [23:01]
• Front office/media discussion: [24:19]
• Mets’ resurgence & playoff picture: [26:10]
• Nolan McLean’s historic debut: [29:57]
• The beauty/absurdity of baseball’s "firsts": [31:41]
• Mets’ rotation/season vibes: [33:07]
• Juan Soto, stats, and narrative: [34:33]
• Why the Mets got overlooked: [36:06]
• Playoff format, fairness, and drama: [39:27]
• 1990s facial hair & personal anecdotes: [41:08]

Summary

The episode is a thoughtful, entertaining meditation on why and how we love baseball: how our attachment to eras shapes perception; how the sport’s continual churn either excites, annoys, or reassures; and how, through all the nostalgia, anger, and change, there’s still always the promise of something new and weird to make us fall for the game again. The Mets — on a rare upward trajectory — serve as the week’s perfect symbol: sometimes, even the most familiar of teams can still surprise.