What’s a Message Pitch?
Great question. In baseball, a message pitch is defined by the Dickson Baseball Dictionary as a pitch thrown close to a batter to “send a message,” usually to not crowd the plate. Baseball Almanac (which is a fantastic site you should visit when you’re done here) has a complete definition on their page. It’s basically a snarky way to unnerve a batter by breaking up the status quo of what a normal at-bat should be for both pitcher and batter.
We picked that name because we thought it was funny, it was off-beat, and it perfectly described what we do and the way we do it. Sure, it gets confusing if you don’t know baseball terminology, and our SEO isn’t great, but it just fit too great not to use.
We’re going to give you a perspective unlike any other podcast/website. We’re willing to bet that if you’re here, you either 1.) don’t understand what we do but really like us as people and want to see us succeed, or 2.) love pop culture and sports and how the two tend to meet. Either way, we’ll take it.
So is this a baseball-only thing?
NO. We love baseball, and we try to cover the beauty of Opening Day like the National holiday it should be. But we are located in the South and know our fanbase is rabid about football, particularly college football. So much so, we have our own College Football Correspondent, Jordo. Plus, there’s the pop culture thing.
So what exactly is the point of this?
This started after years of sitting at tables at a Buffalo Wild Wings outside of Birmingham in college talking about sports and intertwining pop culture throughout the conversations. Between a campus “radio” show in college that was a mild hit, Drew working as a sports editor for a legitimate news outlet, Matt knowing every player stat, movie title, and being human Shazam before the app was ever invented, Will being able to think like a general manager of a pro franchise before he could drive, and all three being able to quote movies, music, and general 90s nostalgia at an alarming you-guys-probably-need-help rate, it became apparent an outlet was needed.
Thus, The Message Pitch was born. Started as a podcast in 2019, and expanded to this webpage shortly thereafter, The Message Pitch covers the corner of sports and pop culture through episodes and articles. One day we might be discussing the SEC, the next, Goldeneye. It may seem a little haphazard, but it works. Just go look through our archives. We’re a small-budget program, and we embrace it through the use of terrible stock and/or public domain photos. And we hope you can laugh with us and not at us. Then again, we’re laughing at ourselves already, anyway.
So what can I expect?
We have always described ourselves as like your favorite sports bar, but better. And the health department isn’t questioning our methods. And we have always strived for that. We want a small corner of the internet where you can go and take your mind off your troubles, talk a little sports and pop culture, and enjoy yourself for a minute. No matter who you are or where you’re from.
Look, if you want left-wing sports, go to Deadspin. If you want right-wing sports, go to Outkick. If you want frat-tastic sports go to Barstool. If you want whatever ESPN is now, go there. But if you want a place where you can come in, unwind, and enjoy a quick break before heading home, we’re your place. We’re glad to have you, and we hope you enjoy it here.
Because that’s what The Message Pitch is, and is all about.
The Message Pitch 