The Blight Bat

Nathan Bishop
  • 5.0 (5)
  • SPORTS
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

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. thelightbat.substack.com

Episodes

  1. 10/14/2025

    The Blight Bat Ep. 12: ALCS Bombs Away w/ Jordan Shusterman

    It is widely understood at this point that podcasting is a blight on the land, and one that may be directly traceable to the once-slow but now seemingly-accelerating decline of western civilization. That said, with the Mariners leading the Blue Jays 2-0 in the ALCS The Blight Bat has no choice but to continue on. FORTUNATELY the inherent harm of the medium has been, at least today, mostly alleviated by the presence of Jordan Shusterman of Yahoo Sports and the Baseball Bar-b-cast Podcast. Mere moments from hopping a flight to Seattle to bask in the long-awaited dominance of our Seattle Mariners, Jordan hops on with us to talk about the team, Josh Naylor’s unexpected delights, the vibes/analytics duality, and the inherent insanity of rooting for a team that starts its games at 10 PM your time. Jordan is the best, entirely more gracious than I deserve, and I could not be more grateful for his time. Check out the podcast, read his work, and THRIVE. The Light Bat is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thelightbat.substack.com

    48 min

  2. 10/02/2025

    The Blight Bat Ep. 11: Ball Knowers Gala 2025

    What a week of podcasting it has been, and what a grand finale we have for you with today’s show. An ensemble episode welcomes Jage, who you know from recapping Jerry Dipoto’s radio shows back in 2022-2023 AKA: HELL. Also joining the show from Locked on Mariners is Ty Dane Gonzalez. Rounding out our, uh, roundtable is the show’s resident Montanian (Montanan? Montanite? Montsman?) Ben Ranieri from the Sea Level newsletter. A lively show touches on what level of validation the Mariners front office should feel over 2025, and if it is enough for us to shed our frustration and cynicism about this org moving forward. We also break down how the Mariners could/should slot together their rotation for the ALDS, and which of the presumptive four most gives us the ick. Everyone loves it when the boys are back in town, but what nobody ever talks about is that for it to occur the boys first need a foundational gathering in town to come back to. My hope is this episode lays just such a foundation. Many thanks to Jage, Ty, and Ben for their time. Support their work, folks. Thanks as always for listening! The Light Bat is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thelightbat.substack.com

    1h 11m

  3. 10/01/2025

    Blight Bat Ep. 10: Where Mets and Mariners Leave Company (feat. David Roth)

    These are unfamiliar times for Mariner fans. With the team enjoying not only its sixth-ever playoff appearance, but also its first ever playoff bye, we are unmoored and untethered from ourselves. Into this space between our souls and terra firma we gratefully find the 2025 New York Mets; not the Mariners we deserve or the Mariners that we have, but the Mariners we need. To discuss the Mets, and the Mariners, and how a century of intense analysis and study can sometimes boil down to one team simply having juice and the other being juiceless, David Roth of Defector Media re-joins the show. How do the Mets, with a payroll approximately the size of the GDP of at least one of Trinidad or Tobago, post a 21-36 record in August and September? How do the Mariners, careening towards Yet Another Mariners Season into the season’s final weeks, become an unbeatable colossus? What does any of it mean? Does any of it mean anything? Also, why stories matter in the Cal Vs. Judge MVP Race, and we ceremoniously conscript David into God’s Army of Mariner Fans for the remainder of the season. We hope you are enjoying Podcast Week at the Light Bat. We’ll have one more episode Thursday or Friday to get you ready for the unthinkable: Mariner home playoff games. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thelightbat.substack.com

    1h 9m

  4. 09/30/2025

    The Blight Bat Ep. 9: Danny O'Neil, Playoffs!?, and the Joy of Luck

    Another day, another audio treat for you, the erstwhile Seattle Mariner Experiencer. Today’s guest, Danny O’Neil of The News Tribune, joins the show for a lively discussion on the 2025 Mariners. This is the first episode in some time to discuss what the team’s success means for two fans who have been openly critical of the franchise over the years, but we try to not grandstand about it too much. Also, World Series plans, the joy of experiencing life with hidden information, the 2025 Mariners as a mountaintop memory, and the power of connection. Subscribe to Danny’s newsletter, subscribe to The News Tribune, and thrive! The Light Bat is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thelightbat.substack.com

    54 min
  5. The Blight Bat Ep. 8: Shimmering Through Time with Mike Duncan

    09/29/2025

    The Blight Bat Ep. 8: Shimmering Through Time with Mike Duncan

    The podcast is back after a short hiatus. Today author and podcaster Mike Duncan returns to the show because, well, it’s simply very very fun to talk about the Mariners at the present. Mike and Nathan talk at length about the experience of watching this team the past month. Where does 2025 rank in the annals of team history? What was it like to watch the Mariners win a division for the first time in 24 years? How about watching your catcher hit 60 (!) home runs? How about both happening on the same night?! Afterwards, a discussion on the AL MVP, effusive Aaron Judge praise, and closing with some thoughts on the upcoming playoffs. Buy Mike’s books, listen to his podcast (It really might be my favorite podcast of all-time). Thanks as always for listening! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thelightbat.substack.com

    1h 11m

  6. 08/09/2025

    The Blight Bat Ep. 7: You Gotta Like These Guys (w/ Mike Duncan)

    After a short hiatus The Blight Bat makes a triumphant return, welcoming NYT-Bestselling Author, Podcast Gawd, and Mariners fan Mike Duncan to the show. Topics Include: -Best/worst MLB stadiums -The Ichiro HOF inauguration, and the many faces of Ichiro -Felix Hernandez’s HOF candidacy -Realizing Mike possesses the Lathe of Heaven -The Era of Dumper -The unexpected enjoyment that is the 2025 Seattle Mariners For any of you who do not know Mike’s two podcasts, The History of Rome and Revolutions, are available anywhere you get your podcasts. I can say without hyperbole or brown nosing they are two of my favorite podcasts of all-time. Additionally, you can check out his books The Storm Before the Storm and The Hero of Two Worlds anywhere you get your books, including your local library. They’re both awesome reads. Finally, if you’re so inclined you can support Mike’s incredible work directly at the Revolutions Patreon. It’s well worth it, and you’re supporting a fellow Mariners fan. Thanks as always for listening to The Blight Bat! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thelightbat.substack.com

    1h 14m

  7. 06/25/2025

    The Blight Bat Ep. 6: Youth Pastor Ryan Divish

    Welcome back to another Blight Bat! This episode the show is happy to host Seattle Times’ Mariners beat writer Ryan Divish. We meander around topics here; there’s discussion about the current state of the team, Cal Raleigh’s absurd season, Ryan laying the groundwork for his sabbatical, the different experience of watching the team without writing about them, what makes ballplayers great, and a lot more.Stick around for some great insight on Kyle Seager’s cussedness, the God-kissed right arm of Felix Hernandez, Dave Niehaus profanity, and how bad teenage boys make a rain-soaked Montana cabin smell.Huge thanks to Ryan for his time and insight, and thanks to you as always for listening! If you enjoy the show, please feel free to subscribe and rate it wherever you get your podcasts. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thelightbat.substack.com

    1h 5m

  8. 05/30/2025

    Load-Bearing Leo Rivas feat. Meg Rowley

    The list of great guests continues to march ever onward, as The Blight Bat returns with another episode to soothe your ears and balm your soul. Today's episode feature Fangraphs' Editor-In-Chief, and Effectively Wild-stalwart Meg Rowley. Come for the thoughtful discussion on how being in baseball as a vocation effects your fandom. Stay for the exploration of how and why the standards and expectations of Mariner fans are (rightfully) different than other teams, and how Mariner ownership and management struggle to understand that.Meg does a wonderful job outlining in fair terms both the pros and cons of how the Mariners operate, and where they fall contextually within the fabric of the league. For anyone curious for what a broader view of the team outside of our insipid, self-loathing little tribe may be, I think it’s a very worthwhile discussion. Additionally, there are some good Italian hand gestures in this episode. Given the visual medium that is podcasting we hope you enjoy them. Support Fangraphs and all the people who work tirelessly to enrich your understanding and enjoyment of baseball! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thelightbat.substack.com

    1h 5m

  9. 05/14/2025

    The Blight Bat Ep. 4: 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. 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! PLEASE NOTE: This episode was recorded in a different spot with worse WiFi than normal. My apologies for the audio snafus, even though in this case they are emphatically on-brand. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thelightbat.substack.com

    1h 9m
  10. The Blight Bat Ep. 3: Gross Gas Con 2025 (feat. David Roth of Defector)

    05/01/2025

    The Blight Bat Ep. 3: Gross Gas Con 2025 (feat. David Roth of Defector)

    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. *Since exactly 2016 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thelightbat.substack.com

    1h 14m

  11. 04/17/2025

    The Blight Bat Episode 2: 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. Read, subscribe, and support Baseball Prospectus. Purchase the annual here or at your favorite local bookshop. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thelightbat.substack.com

    1 hr
  12. The Blight Bat Ep. 1: Top 10 Mariner Prospects as Beers

    04/02/2025

    The Blight Bat Ep. 1: 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/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thelightbat.substack.com

    1h 39m
  • 12 Episodes

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
5 Ratings

About

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. thelightbat.substack.com

Information

  • Creator
    Nathan Bishop
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    12
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Nathan Bishop
  • Show Website
    The Blight Bat