Dan Szymborski FanGraphs Chat – 1/25/16

by
January 25, 2016
12:01
Dan Szymborski: I see like the first 10 questions in the queue are off-topic. Saving most of them for the Lightning Round.
12:01
Guest: If the Astros do end up signing Gallardo, where would a rotation of
12:01
Guest: Where would a rotation of Keuchel/McHugh/McCullers/Fiers/Gallardo rotation rank in the AL if the Astros do indeed end up signing him?
12:01
Dan Szymborski: Ah, found the rest farther down.
12:02
Dan Szymborski: Not doing final ranks until we get closer to the season. I’m not high on Gallardo though so I can’t say it would be significant.
12:03
Dan Szymborski: There are some very scary trends in Gallardo’s line.

12:03
Scott: I’m a bit confused on the ZIPS statistical comps. When I see the #1 comparison to player X’s projected season is player Y, does that mean player X is projected to have a season similar to the average of player Y’s career statistics, or just one of player Y’s seasons? If the latter, which season?
12:03
Dan Szymborski: Recent past seasons.
12:04
Operation Shutdown: BY-Park is clearly going to hit 50+ HR’s for the Pirates this year, yes?
12:04
Dan Szymborski: Well, I guess if there is like an Human Resources Night and there’s a big section of Human REsources Directors and he fouls off a whole bunch of pitches into that section, maybe.
12:04
Paul: I’m at work feeling pretty sick. Do I go home early, or just sit here and do nothing for 6 more hours?
12:05
Dan Szymborski: Might as well stick it out. You already did the part of waking up and going to work, so might as well finish. Waste of sick time to use it on a day you already made effort
12:05
Eric: I’m not even going to try and cleverly disguise it, this is a fantasy question (points for honesty?). How many games do you think Machado plays at SS this year?
12:05
Dan Szymborski: 5
12:06
Steve: Even though he’s out of options, Rymer Liriano seems like he’d be a better option than the in house ones for Baltimore. Do the O’s bring him on board?
12:07
Dan Szymborski: Doubt he makes it to O’s in a claim
12:08
Dan Szymborski: and the O’s don’t have a lot to offer in a trade.
12:08
David Stearns: What type of return can I expect for Ryan Braun right now?
12:08
Dan Szymborski: Not much. Brewers foolishly extended a great deal with a mediocre deal YEARS in advance.
12:09
Dan Szymborski: Would Braun get 5/105 if he had been a free agent this winter? I don’t think so.
12:09
Dan Szymborski: Cespedes and Upton are both younger awith better recent track records.
12:09
Sir Nerdlington: Where do think the MLBPA should focus their attention in the CBA? Raising the luxury tax is the obvious top priority but it seems to me that 4x’ing (or some other crooked number) the league minimum would do far more for everyone in the sense that team-friendly extensions would be harder for team’s to get since those with only a year of service time have already locked in their first millions. Thoughts?
12:09
Sir Nerdlington: Following up on the CBA, it seems like the MLBPA should be doing some subversive posturing at this point. E.g. collusion as it relates to top hitting FAs not moving (though two weeks ago would have been the time for this). With a $9B pie, why is the MLBPA not publicly fighting harder for their positions?
12:10
Dan Szymborski: The thing about collusion is it requires evidence – there was significant evidence when findings were made.
12:10
Dan Szymborski: There will likely only be tinkering around the edges.
12:11
Dan Szymborski: I think a better explanation for the hitters is simply that teams are wising up to the idea that you don’t give massive contracts to corner outfielders decline years.
12:11
Eric: Why do you think Cespedes had to settle for such a small contract?
12:12
Dan Szymborski: See previous answer. A team signing Cespedes doesn’t get to have his 2015 because that’s not how time works.
12:12
Vic Romano: Which version of Rendon shows up in 2016? The 2014 baseball-thumping version or the 2015 endlessly-injured version?
12:12
Dan Szymborski: It could be both.l
12:12
Stevie G: Do you predict, as of today, that the Nationals will win the NL East? If not, are they a wild card winner?
12:12
Dan Szymborski: I think the Nats and Mets are very closely matched right now and that as of now, the wild card is more likely to come from the NL Central
12:13
Sir Nerdlington: Do you publish confidence levels/error bars for the ZiPS projections? Any idea who ZiPS missed the most on last year (high or low)?
12:13
Dan Szymborski: I publish lots of odds stuff in the final spreadsheet.
12:13
Skarp Hedin: Prospects are highly valued right now. But does the league properly value the ease/difficulty of stocking a farm system?
12:14
Dan Szymborski: I’m not sure I understand the question. Prospects are highly valued because the benefits of prospects are built into the system. It’s not like valuing high-OBP guys 15 years ago because OBP was underrated, you get to pay prospects less than their market value no matter how many people know abou tit.
12:15
Sirras: Are you surprised that the Mets brought back Cespedes? Are you surprised by the terms of the deal?
12:16
Dan Szymborski: Once the market dragged on without him signing, less so.
12:16
Vic: Towson, MD…down the street from Loyola Blakefield. Still not plowed. I created a mountain by shoveling. Will Bubba Starling ever climb the mountain?
12:16
Dan Szymborski: Sledding there was always good.
12:16
Dan Szymborski: I lived on Kenilworth growing up.
12:16
Dan Szymborski: But the best sledding? You can’t do it now, but you know that wooded inclined hill on the charles street kenilworth corner?
12:18
Dan Szymborski: There — at least used to be — a really clear trail through those woods that was an amazing sledding run. It was like a luge track. You could start halfway up and get an amazing curvy ride and you’d never ben in danger of htiting a tree because the trail was slightly recessed with sides.
12:18
Dan Szymborski: We used to make a ramp coming out of those woods so you’d fly 10 feet and nearly brake every bone in your body.
12:18
Dan Szymborski: The lightest one of us, a friend of mine named Bob, would go down first, becuase he had the easiest time stopping before running into the intersection.
12:18
Dan Szymborski: And he could help catch the rest of us to keep us from going into traffic.
12:19
Strelnikov: Your thoughts on Carlos Rodon? Can he take a big step forward and repeat his last August? And it appears that the ChiSox defense will improve somewhat over last year.
12:19
Dan Szymborski: I think he’ll be fine. Lot of upside.
12:19
Sir Nerdlington: Do you include any of Zimmerman’s DL probability data into the projections?
12:19
Dan Szymborski: Yup
12:19
Ryan: If the White Sox sign Fowler what do you think would be their best outfield alignment? I would assume Cabrera, Fowler, Eaton from left to right given Eaton has a better arm than Fowler, but I wonder what your projections say.
12:19
Dan Szymborski: Eaton has a better arm than fowler, but Fowler’s range isn’t that great.
12:19
Jake Harris Levine: Yo. What are Trout’s comps? Surely if Bryce gets Teddy Ballgame…
12:19
Jake Harris Levine: What’s the ZiPS schedule this week, brosef?
12:19
Dan Szymborski: You’ll have to wait and see, won’ tyou!
12:20
Dan Szymborski: Shared schedule on Twitter. It would be unfair to the people who endure me on Twitter to say otherwise here.
12:20
Matt: Hey Dan.
12:20
Dan Szymborski: Yo
12:20
Skarp Hedin: Ask people to mark their off topic q’s, dude. Easier on you
12:20
Dan Szymborski: There’s a star button.
12:20
Jesse: Rough AL Tiers?:

Red Sox

Astros
Yankees
Indians
Rangers

Blue Jays
Mariners
Angels
Rays

Some Ordering of the Rest?
12:20
Dan Szymborski: The Red Sox are not in a tier above.
12:21
Dan Szymborski: Frankly, I’d put most of the AL in the same top tier. All the best and worst teams are i nthe NL.
12:21
Sirras: Not ranking but close I guess: Whose rotation would you take if you were to bet on the most effective staff for this coming year? Cubs? Mets? Nats? The field?
12:21
Dan Szymborski: Cubs
12:21
Matt: When do you expect to have all of the ZiPS projections done?
12:21
Dan Szymborski: Before spring training opens.
12:21
mtsw: Are teams signing guys to opt-out contracts taking insurance policies out against the possibility they don’t opt out? Seems like any situation where say, Cespedes or Heyward stay is a situation where they’ve been hurt or declined dramatically.
12:22
Nelson: I heard your voice for the first time ever last week (on XM). Why do you sound so happy? Calm down, some of us are bitter and depressed and dont need to hear you chirping about.
12:22
Dan Szymborski: It’s hard to tell – teams don’t usually share much info on their insurance policies.
12:22
Dan Szymborski: Oops, out of order
12:22
Dan Szymborski: I’m very excitable. And the more excited I am, the faster I start to talk and the higher-pitched my voice gets.
12:23
Dan Szymborski: I write about baseball for a living, now with some eSports in the mix. I’m in the BBWAA now, I got a cool nickname. Why wouldn’t I be happy?
12:23
Dan Szymborski: If i was grumpy, that would be kinda ungrateful, don’t you think?
12:23
Guest: Think it’d be wise for the Astros to look into extending Carlos Gomez? What kind contract do you think that would look like?
12:23
Dan Szymborski: No, I think he’s on the decline.
12:23
Dan: What are the projection systems missing when it comes to the Royals?
12:23
Dan Szymborski: I’m not sure they are. There’s a very quick tendency to assume errors are predictive.l
12:24
Colin: With the Cardinals and Pirates pretty clearly behind the Cubs at this point in the NL Central, which one of them would you be less surprised to see upset Chicago and win the division?
12:24
Dan Szymborski: Cardinals
12:24
Dan Szymborski: But close.
12:24
cena: Carlos Peguero vs rymer liriano
12:25
Dan Szymborski: Liriano
12:25
Dinger: What about Rymer and the Rox?
12:26
Dan Szymborski: It makes too much sense for the Rockies to do. They prefer spending $10 million a year to get a 4th outfielder’s declining years and pretending it’ll help them win 69 games instead of 68 and that makes their rebuilding easier because crazy reasons.
12:26
mtsw: Is the swap of borderline non-tender Mark Trumbo for out-of-options third catcher Steve Clevenger the lowest amount of value that’s ever changed hands in a trade involving two major leaguers?
12:26
Dan Szymborski: I dunno, there are a lot of nothing trades of MLBers.
12:26
Rick: Does Rymer Liriano make sense for a team like the Braves or Phillies to take a flyer on?
12:26
Dan Szymborski: Yes
12:26
Matt: The new CBA should find a way to ban Curt Schilling from ever being able to do anything with or relating to baseball. Agree?
12:26
Dan Szymborski: No.
12:27
Matt: AL East: Yanks, Jays, Sox, Os, Rays – in that order.
12:27
Dan Szymborski: I wouldn’t be shocked by any order, though I do think the first 3 are a step above the last 2.
12:27
Pete : The chance that Carlos Rodon becomes an “ace” is _____%?
12:27
Dan Szymborski: 30
12:27
Guest: Why are there so many bust prospects in mlb? Seems like NFL and nba have a lower bust rate
12:27
Dan Szymborski: Well, for one, the NFL doesn’t get players until they’re essentially at AAA
12:28
Dan Szymborski: If minor leaguers were independent and teams had to draft from AAA, there would be a lot fewer busts.
12:28
GSon: Bobbi Bradley has been rated as the # 4 1B prospect.. Does he make it to the corner of Carnegie and Ontario this season?
12:28
Dan Szymborski: Bobbi? Is that a porn star version?
12:29
Dan Szymborski: Let’s not go nuts, he only made a brief cameo at high-A.
12:29
RotoLando: Did you have to change everything you thought about The Rays in 2016 because of The Steve Pearce Signing? (yeah, I capitalized it.)
12:29
Dan Szymborski: No
12:29
Curtis: Arismendy Alcantara have any trade value given the lean nature of 2B depth?
12:29
Dan Szymborski: Too much uncertainty. I think he’ll be a good role player.
12:29
Nelson: Instead of saying the Mets will get 3 WAR out of Yoenis in 2016, could you argue its actually 5 or 6, since they also took 3 away from their main competitior?
12:30
Dan Szymborski: I guess you could, but it’s very easy to make wacky and or too-cute arguments with this line of reasoning.
12:30
mtsw: Why has no team experimented with treating/paying minor leaguers like human beings? Seems like the payoff would be well worth the cost. Is there a class-solidarity thing going on where no team wants to be the one that steps up and demonstrates that having minor leaguers paid okay is possible?
12:31
Dan Szymborski: Well, some teams *are* trying to do a better job with their minor leaguers. But progress in baseball is glacial.
12:31
marlinfan: Will either Chris Johnson or Edwin Jackson help the Marlins this year?
12:31
Dan Szymborski: Jackson might, though more likely if he gets sent back to the bullpen.
12:32
Dan Szymborski: Chris Johnson? No.
12:32
RotoLando: Which current player most deserves to have his name universally written in all caps?
12:32
Dan Szymborski: Trout
12:32
Andrew: At what point should the Astros seriously attempt to extend Correa? Don’t they lose leverage the longer the wait? Did the Angels time it perfectly with Trout?
12:32
Dan Szymborski: They shoudl attempt it at the earliest possible time.
12:32
David: Who is the worst player in baseball in 2016 according to ZIPS?
12:33
Dan Szymborski: I’m not even done all the projections!
12:33
Joe: Do you do any kind of forecasting for other sports? Should the Steelers sign Bell to an extension?
12:33
Dan Szymborski: I’ve been working on some other things, though baseball tends to take priority
12:33
MLB 2K16: Do you think MLB will ever have a min/max budget for teams to spend? Remember readin something in the past where MLB supposedly encouraged the Marlins to spend more due to their low team salary.
12:33
Dan Szymborski: Probably not.
12:33
Skarp Hedin: Sure. Prospects are cost effective right now. But what if they aren’t a scarce commodity? In the sense that it might not be as hard to build or renew a farm as generally thought?
12:34
Dan Szymborski: It’s a lot easier to get water than it used to be, but that doesn’t make water not crucial.
12:34
Guest: If cespedes has another 30-35 hr yr will be get more $ nxt yr given the weaker class?
12:34
Dan Szymborski: Depends what kind of 30-35 homer year it is.
12:35
Dan Szymborski: As a general rule, I don’t think he’ll find the market all that better. He’s likely going to be coming off a worse year than 2015 and will be a year older and I don’t think a weaker FA market will balance that out.
12:35
Tom Brunansky: I hear that Ryan Kalish has had a pretty good winter playing in Puerto Rico. Odds on a comeback reaching the majors? 100 to 1? He’s only 27!
12:36
Dan Szymborski: Better than 100 to 1. Jason Lane even made it back.
12:36
TJ: Who rolls the dice on Cliff Lee ?
12:36
Dan Szymborski: I’m not sure how much Cliff Lee is really willing
12:36
Matt: If you were the Red Sox, would you trade Andrew Benintendi and a lower level pitcher for Julio Teheran? Seems to me to be mutually beneficial.
12:36
Dan Szymborski: I think Braves want and get more.
12:37
Dan Szymborski: Yeah, he looks really good so far, but I think they’ll do better as an overall package.
12:37
Tyler: With Cespedes off the market, do the nationals look to make a big trade for Lucroy or Cargo?
12:37
Dan Szymborski: I think probably no.
12:37
Druidiful: How much faith do you have in the Yankees’ staff staying mostly healthy this year?
12:37
Dan Szymborski: I don’t have faith in any pitchers staying healthy.
12:37
Q-Ball: Dan: Historically, do LHH have more of a same-handedness platoon split than RHH? If so, why is that…..maybe RHH get more practice vs. same-handed pitching?
12:38
Dan Szymborski: Lefties tend to have larger platoon splits though the *exact* why is kinda difficult.
12:38
Dan Szymborski: While that’s a reasonable theory, it’s hard to prove.
12:40
Noah: Why do you prefer Cubs rotation over Mets? Once you realize that Lester is a terrible fielder who will do worse than FIP (and Lackey bound for regression), decision seems easy. ZiPS doesn’t take into account pitcher fielding (or a pitcher not being able to throw to first).
12:40
Dan Szymborski: Mets will probably get a sizable dose of Colon, I don’t think they push Matz too hard, and Wheeler still has uncertainty giving the surgery he’s coming off of
12:40
Zonk: Cardinals are in kind of a weird spot, aren’t they? Enviable depth, good financial resources, but not a ton of impact talent at the top or on the farm. What direction will this franchise go, in your opinion?
12:40
Dan Szymborski: I think they’ll fine.
12:40
Dan Szymborski: be
12:41
mtsw: What lessons can e-sports take from baseball and vice versa? Feel like the fanbases have a lot to teach one another.
12:41
Dan Szymborski: I’d have to think more about that one.
12:41
Matt: Rymer and the Rox sounds like a pretty cool band name, no?
12:41
Zonk: I can’t see Rymer getting past the Brewers. Excellent fit there. What say you?
12:41
Dan Szymborski: Honestly, I think he gets traded, but the Padres have been weird enough with their decision making that they may not.
12:42
GSon: Who makes a bigger contribution to the Indians this year: Clevinger or Tomlin?
12:42
Dan Szymborski: Clevinger. ZiPS may not be high on him, but there’s at least a reasonable chance he’ll be good.
12:43
Dan Szymborski: Yeah, Tomlin had the reasonable ERA with his mess of a FIP, something he does once in awhile and never sticks.
12:44
Dan Szymborski: I’m probably being too mean, but I’m not a fan.
12:44
Dan Szymborski: I guess he could soft-toss his way to a 2 WAR season or something, but Clevinger has the potential to be actually interesting.
12:44
Zonk: Gun to your head, how would you rank the scrum that is the AL Central?
12:44
Dan Szymborski: I am calling the police. That is not a proper use of your gun.
12:45
Sean : What is the weirdest or most outlandwish thing that ZiPS uses for its projections?
12:45
Dan Szymborski: Not sure there is anything – ZiPS wouldn’t work if it went on crazy stuff.
12:46
Q-Ball: What current player, minors or majors, has the coolest name? How about nickname?
12:46
Dan Szymborski: The Flyin’ Hawaiian is still a damn good nickname
12:46
Dan Szymborski: The Toddfather?
12:47
Dan Szymborski: And The Millville Meteor is a good classic nickname
12:47
Dale: What’s Betts going to be like?
12:47
Dan Szymborski: Excellence.
12:47
J. Peterman: At what point (say, how many games/seasons into a career) does a player’s particularly high or low career babip look less like luck and more like he’s just doing something different than anyone else?
12:47
Dan Szymborski: Depends on the degree. It’s not like crossing a line.
12:47
Dan Szymborski: It’s like asking “When is it too warm for the clothes I’m wearing?”
12:47
Dan Szymborski: When you could be wearing shorts or a parka or something
12:48
Chip: Do you think that Buchholtz could make it thru an entire season injury free?
12:48
Dan Szymborski: He could, but pitchers are fragile.
12:48
MrMet33: Wouldn’t the Nationals be better off playing Murphy at 3B and Rendon at 2B and why won’t they do that?
12:48
Dan Szymborski: Yes
12:48
Dan Szymborski: New FAs don’t like changing positions.
12:48
James: How many wins did mets add to their previous “84” win projection with additions of cespedes and bastardo
12:48
Dan Szymborski: I never made an 84-win projection, so I can’t answer htis.
12:50
Noah: Do you really believe that Jon Lester is better than Harvey, deGrom, and Syndergaard, as ZiPS seems to believe?
12:50
Dan Szymborski: Has them all similar (Lester has a few more innings). Lester has a longer track record.
12:53
Dan Szymborski: Sorry, internet was weird
12:53
Loopy dude: If conforto didn’t lose his rookie status, where would we be seeing him on top 100 lists this offseason?
12:53
Dan Szymborski: Quite high.
12:53
Ryguy: Will the Crush Davis contract prohibit the Orioles from locking up Machado long-term?
12:54
Dan Szymborski: Honestly I don’t think it makes a difference. If the O’s were going to sign Machado to a long-term contract, their window closed years ago.
12:54
Sean: bullish or bearish on Kolten Wong this year…platoon possibility isnt’ great to hear but if he puts it all together he could be one of the top 2bs
12:54
Dan Szymborski: He is what he is. A decently above-average 2B with little star potential.
12:54
tom selleck: do you watch a lot of baseball?
12:55
Dan Szymborski: What’s baseball?
12:55
Q-Ball: Quick follow-up on same-handedness: Why is same-handed pitching more effective? Does it have to do with the way pitches break, or maybe how the batter sees the ball?
12:55
Dan Szymborski: Breaking balls.
12:55
Zorak: I had asked this briefly on twitter but was wondering if you could expand on it a little bit. Why is Cespedes projected for such a low games played total over the next 3 years? Is it just that anybody on the wrong side of 30 gets knocked for that? He’s been seemingly healthy his whole career.
12:55
Dan Szymborski: Because players that play nearly every game have a one-sided risk curve?
12:56
Dan Szymborski: List all the events that could cause Cespedes to miss 10 games. Or 20 games. or 30 games. Or 50 games. or 100 games. Or 130 games. There’s a lot of them.
12:56
Dan Szymborski: But he can *never* play more than 3 more games than he did last year in the regular season, without additional play-in games.
12:57
Dan Szymborski: Now, list the things that could make Cespedes 10 *more* games. Or 20 *more* games. Or 30 *more* games. Or 50 *more* games. Or 100 *more* games. Or 130 *more* games. Your paper is blank
12:58
Dan Szymborski: Unless you write crazy scenarios like “Cespedes wins the lottery 200 times, buys every team, institutes a 300 game seaosn, and plays every day.”
12:58
Q-Ball: So, I guess you’re not too impressed with the Rockies management then? Who are their 4th and 5th starters? Are they actually considering Gallardo…and how bad would he be in Coors?
12:58
Dan Szymborski: I’m not impressed at all with the Rockies as an organization.
12:58
Dan Szymborski: They have some really good prospects, but I have little faith they’ll maximize what they do with them.
12:59
Dan Szymborski: They’re like a 1985 team in a world in which most teams are 2015 teams.
12:59
Guest: What is your nickname?
12:59
Dan Szymborski: Zim
12:59
Dan Szymborski: Or the Digital Dandy
1:00
mtsw: Was listening to the Michael Schur/Joe Posnanski podcast where they were ruminating on the obscurity of Fred McGriff’s nickname. What percentage of current 25-39 year olds can still recite the McGruff Crime Dog jingle?
1:00
Dan Szymborski: We still use the term “OK” without knowing its origin
1:01
Dan Szymborski: I mean I know the theories, but most people are unaware of the disputed etymology
1:02
Kylo Ren: Is it just me or do the Nats look completely underwhelming.
1:02
Dan Szymborski: The offense is.
1:02
The Original Greaser Bob: How do you feel about Vegas giving the Giants 6/1 odds to win the WS in 2016? Even year BS, right?
1:02
Dan Szymborski: Yup.
1:02
mtsw: I feel like people would start to get suspicious after the 150ish or so Cespedes lottery win. Your scenario is invalid.
1:03
Dan Szymborski: OK, LIGHTNING ROUND TIME
1:03
Dan Szymborski: Good lord you guys pre-asked a lot of off-topics.
1:04
Dan Szymborski: The rules of the Lightning Roudn are simple: I have to answer any question, so long as it’s off-topic and with the exception of a few kinds I can refuse to answer (very personal things, work-related things I can’t talk about).
1:04
Dan Szymborski: And the round continues until I either catch up or I get bored.
1:04
Dan Szymborski: GO.
1:04
Zack: How do you sleep at night
1:04
Dan Szymborski: On my side with a hand under the pillow.
1:04
Famous Mortimer: If you were a superhero, I reckon your name would be “The Symbol”. You could argue with the rest of your super-team about wanting to put the Z in there. No need to thank me for this idea.
1:04
Dan Szymborski: There would have to be the Szymbol.
1:05
Dan Szymborski: And anything I say of that type would have to have a Z. Szimulations.
1:05
Skarp Hedin: How does a libertarian of the Szym school avoid fetishizing the human decision making capacity?
1:05
Dan Szymborski: I have no faith in human decision making. I believe we have to right to make bad, horrible personal choices.
1:05
GSon: With the popularity of snowboards.. have you ever considered going pro at Snow-Board Bumper skiing?
1:05
Dan Szymborski: Is that a thing?
1:05
Bloopie: What is Settlers of Catan?
1:05
Dan Szymborski: A board game.
1:06
mtsw: Think competitive Hearthstone will be hurt by having fewer opportunities for players to pick up sponsorships?
1:06
Dan Szymborski: If think there will be plenty of opportunities for sponsorships.
1:06
Hearthstone: To what degree is secret paladin still a problem?
1:06
Dan Szymborski: It’s a problem in that’s it’s such an annoying deck to play against. It’s not like crazy-strong. Just annoying as hell.
1:06
Joe: B.O.B is on twitter presenting “evidence” for a flat-earth. Dumber or Smarter than Jose Canseco?
1:07
Dan Szymborski: Flat-earth is way dumber than pretyt much anything.
1:07
Dan Szymborski: And Jose did teach me a lesson about lemons.
1:07
mtsw: Are the troubles US-owned game companies have had in the Chinese market (Blizzard and Valve specifically) compared to Chinese-owned Riot a good example of what Donald J Trump is talking about re: trade protectionism? As much as it pains me to say it but I think Trump has a decent point in terms of how tough it still is for US-owned companies to do business in China.
1:07
Dan Szymborski: I don’t believe in trade wars.
1:07
Hearthstone: Do you have any other hearthstone articles planned for ESPN?
1:07
Dan Szymborski: Yes
1:07
Derek: Lightning Round! If presidential races were by people nominating anyone they want, who would you pick to be president?
1:07
Dan Szymborski: Someone in a persistent vegetative state.
1:07
Chuncey Wiggins: Who has the bigger email scandal, Hillary Clinton or the Cardinals?
1:07
Dan Szymborski: Clinton
1:07
Mark: What’s the most unorthodox Hearthstone play that has won you a game? This weekend I Blessing of Wisdomed a Dragonhawk Rider (3/3 inspire: gain windfury) in arena. It drew me 6 cards and I ended up coming back to win.
1:08
Dan Szymborski: Hmm
1:09
Dan Szymborski: Probably something Sylvanas related.
1:09
Dan Szymborski: I don’t record everything so I’d have to think
1:09
Another Dan: What has been the best and worst part of being named “Dan” in your experience? “Dan the man” is up there, but being called “Danny boy” has been the worst.
1:09
Dan Szymborski: Mostly when I get called Szymbo. No real Dan problems. There are lots of people named Dan.
1:09
Matt: OK’s origin is related to a presidential election, no? I wanna say Ike Eisenhower and the state of Oklahoma.
1:09
Dan Szymborski: I bleieve that’s spurious.
1:10
Dan Szymborski: Assuming you’re talking about the Ol’ Kinderhook story.
1:10
mtsw: Iowa caucus predctions?
1:10
Dan Szymborski: Trump, Clinton
1:10
TJ: Thoughts on Maria Rya ?
1:10
Dan Szymborski: Who?
1:11
The Original Greaser Bob: Best PC turn based strategy game?
1:11
Dan Szymborski: Civ III
1:11
2-D: Was your Mazda apart of the recall?
1:11
Dan Szymborski: Wait, was there a recall?
1:11
Dan Szymborski: There was like an airbag thing awhile back.
1:12
Dan Szymborski: They did a recall fix when I brought in my car last month.
1:12
Dan Szymborski: (Split hose – Didn’t change it myself because to access it on my car, you have to take apart the intake manifold)
1:12
won I: Play Rust naked or with digiflaged groin?
1:12
Dan Szymborski: Don’t play
1:12
Guest: You smoke the weed?
1:12
Dan Szymborski: Not for a long time
1:13
Tom Brunansky: Is Dave Cameron grumpy in person?
1:13
Dan Szymborski: I haven’t found him to be
1:13
The Original Greaser Bob: Rank the Hearthstone faces.
1:13
Dan Szymborski: Shaman, Druid, Hunter, Paladin
1:13
Brian: What deck should I get legend with?
1:13
Dan Szymborski: Depends what cards you have. If you win half the time or so, it’s just a question of quantity. You can reach legend with most competent decks.
1:13
TJ: Who besides himself would Trump have to shoot to lose votes ?
1:13
Dan Szymborski: Be nice.
1:14
Dan Szymborski: Oh, shoot
1:14
Dan Szymborski: Santa Claus in a parade?
1:14
Chuncey Wiggins: Which presidential candidate would you most like to tickle?
1:14
Dan Szymborski: Cruz probably has an incredibly high-pitched laugh when tickled
1:14
Matt: The presidential race is neither presidential, nor a race. Thoughts?
1:14
Guest: Will ESPN put up any Mtg articles?
1:15
Dan Szymborski: I’m not sure we’ll be doing much magic. It’s eSports and Magic has trouble getting online traction because, well, the client.
1:15
Dan Szymborski: It’s not really a game designed for online play/viewers.
1:15
Guest: Any prominent figures at ESPN that play Hearthstone or MTG?
1:16
Dan Szymborski: Haven’t exactly asked around
1:16
tom selleck: Consider a hypothetical hotel with a countably infinite number of rooms, all of which are occupied. How would you be able to accommodate a countably infinite number of new guests?
1:16
Dan Szymborski: No, because eventually the time needed to reach rooms would make it impractical
1:16
Guest: Do you have to go to the ESPN main campus?
1:16
Dan Szymborski: Sometimes. Not often, it’s not like I’m really needed.
1:16
Steve: How sad does a possible Trump vs. Clinton or Sanders election make you?
1:16
Dan Szymborski: Very
1:16
Druidiful: What are important factors you look for in a video game?
1:16
Dan Szymborski: Fun, variety
1:16
FTF: Favorite movie ?
1:16
Dan Szymborski: It always varies.
1:17
Dan Szymborski: You ask me my favorite X on one day and it may be different another day.
1:17
Dan Szymborski: Today I’d say Princess Bride.
1:17
FTF: Favorite video game ?
1:17
Dan Szymborski: With the same caveats, Final Fantasy VI
1:17
Charlie: Leg wrestling match: Danny Devito v. Murray Chass. Who’s your money on?
1:17
Dan Szymborski: DD
1:17
FTF: Do you watch speedruns ?
1:17
Dan Szymborski: Yes
1:17
Tom Brunansky: What’s the most complicated car repair you’ve done yourself?
1:17
Dan Szymborski: Changed alternator. On my old Ford.
1:17
2-D: Royal Rumble grade?
1:17
Dan Szymborski: A-+
1:17
Dan Szymborski: Err A-
1:17
Dan Szymborski: hit the +
1:18
Matt: Are you a fan of Satie?
1:18
Dan Szymborski: Yes, good sense of humor.
1:18
Guest: Better drinking buddy Eno or Dayn?
1:18
Dan Szymborski: Haven’t drank with either!
1:18
Guest: What society do you think is the closest to true libertarianism that has existed?
1:18
Dan Szymborski: I’d still say none as I don’t believe we have evolved to the point where we’ve deserved one yet.
1:18
Guest: ESPN pay for your airfare and travel?
1:18
Dan Szymborski: Well, if I’m on a work-related reason, that’s pretty standard.
1:19
mtsw: what would happen in a 4 way Cruz (R) Sanders (D) Bloomberg (I) Trump (I) race?
1:19
Dan Szymborski: Chaos and hilarity.
1:19
Nick S: Any chance the Astros move Carlos Gomez soon? They seem to have any extra OF with Rasmus’ unexpected accepting of the QO. With only one year left on his deal, could you see the White Sox making a deal with the Astros here?
1:19
Dan Szymborski: I think they hang onto him.
1:19
mtsw: Best 16-bit era sports game?
1:20
Dan Szymborski: Mario kart
1:20
Druidiful: What type of keyboard do you use?
1:20
Dan Szymborski: Gigabyte Osmium
1:21
The Dude of NY: Favorite Shakespeare tragedy?
1:21
Dan Szymborski: King Lear
1:21
mtsw: Virtual Reality: hype or for real?
1:21
Dan Szymborski: For real, but still far away from being *good*
1:21
jtt: Worse drinking buddy, cistulli or loneliness?
1:21
Dan Szymborski: Loneliness. You have the potential to poison carson if drinking with him.
1:21
Kylo Ren: Witcher 3 or Fallout 4
1:21
Dan Szymborski: Witcher 3
1:21
Kylo Ren: Mulder or Scully?
1:21
Dan Szymborski: Scully
1:22
The Dude of NY: Most overrated noble gas?
1:22
Dan Szymborski: Krypton. People think it can kill superman.
1:22
Guest: Liking the new xfiles?
1:22
Dan Szymborski: Thumb in the middle
1:23
The Dude of NY: Least favorite alkali metal?
1:23
Dan Szymborski: Potassium. One-letter elements are arrogant.
1:23
mtsw: Recommend a video game I can play on tablet or laptop while watching TV with my girlfriend that won’t leave her feeling neglected
1:23
Dan Szymborski: HS or a card game
1:23
Dan Szymborski: You can still have conversations.
1:24
Surely he meant: Mark Mulder or Vin Scully?
1:24
Dan Szymborski: Mark
1:24
Dan Szymborski: Oh Vin Scully
1:24
Dan Szymborski: I read that as Mark Mulder v. Scully
1:24
Dan Szymborski: Sorry Mark, I’ll take Vin Scully over everybody in the world.
1:24
mtsw: The truth: out there or no?
1:24
Dan Szymborski: Yes, but we have limited ability to discern the truth.
1:24
Zorak: What ever happened to the presidential brawl? Was there a winner?
1:24
Dan Szymborski: Keep forgetting to start it.
1:24
won I: The media will “Howard Dean” Trump. Mark it down.
1:24
Dan Szymborski: How would you Howard Dean Trump?
1:25
Ashley Riot: Have you ever played Vagrant Story? Battle and crafting is overly esoteric but still a decent game.
1:25
Dan Szymborski: I have but honestly I didn’t finish it
1:25
Kylo Ren: Agent Dana Scully or Dodgers Vin Scully
1:25
Dan Szymborski: Vin
1:25
jtt: CALIFORNIA?!?!?! RAWRRR
1:25
Dan Szymborski: Wait, what?
1:25
mtsw: Fox News will supposedly have knives out for Trump in next debate. Too little too late for him to be damaged?
1:26
Dan Szymborski: The only thing that can hurt Trump, sadly, is him being really nice and humble.
1:26
The Dude of NY: I know this is a trite, age-old question, but what’s your favorite part of a bug: Head, Thorax or Abdomen?
1:26
Dan Szymborski: Head
1:26
Steve: Trump is already the post-scream Dean!
1:26
mtsw: Vin Scully or Vin Scully implanted with alien DNA?
1:27
Dan Szymborski: Vin Scully is perfect as is. Having alien DNA might be immoral broadcast enhancement
1:27
Guest: Are the pitcher books any good?
1:27
Dan Szymborski: Mathewson Pitching in a Pinch
1:27
jtt: You don’t remember when howard dean lost his voice and got really excited during his rally? The media blew up over it calling him unstable and whatnot
1:27
Dan Szymborski: What effect would the media calling Trump unstable have? Everybody’s already rightly calling him worse things
1:27
The Dude of NY: Did you think BB8 was a bit *too* cute?
1:28
Dan Szymborski: No
1:28
Kylo Ren: Baseball Reference or Stat Corner
1:28
Dan Szymborski: Still gotta be BR.
1:28
Guest: How many mlb games will u attend?
1:28
Dan Szymborski: Usually 20-30
1:28
mtsw: What do you suspect Walter Johnson’s approximate fastball velocity was?
1:28
Dan Szymborski: 94
1:28
Jeet: Who hits more HRs: Sano, Franco, Schwarber
1:28
Dan Szymborski: Schwarber.
1:28
Dan Szymborski: CRAP THAT WAS ON TOPIC
1:28
Dan Szymborski: YOU GUYS ARE SLOWLY SEGUING ME BACK INTO NORMAL CHAT
1:28
The Dude of NY: If Vin Scully implanted himself with alien DNA, Chase Murray would make sure he never gets into the HOF.
1:29
cena: if you were to sponsor a player on BR, who would it be and what would you say?
1:29
Dan Szymborski: Carl Everett. Something about paleontology.
1:29
Guest: Will trump start ww3?
1:29
Dan Szymborski: No
1:29
mtsw: Best historical President to revive and run against Trump?
1:30
Dan Szymborski: Teddy
1:30
RotoLando: Tab or RC Cola?
1:30
Dan Szymborski: RC
1:30
Ashley Riot: Baseball player most likely to be an alien in disguise?
1:30
Dan Szymborski: Trout as he’s too good for this world
1:30
Steve: Not Grover Cleveland who actually reduced the size of government?
1:30
Dan Szymborski: Teddy might punch out Trump which would be cool.
1:31
RotoLando: What is one thing you want people to know about Maryland?
1:31
Dan Szymborski: The most western part of Maryland is still east of any part of Florida.
1:31
Jeb: Digital Dandy HC Card please
1:31
Dan Szymborski: Seems a little self-absorbed to make a HS card about myself
1:31
The Dude of NY: Violets are Red/Roses are Blue/When Metamaterials/Alter Their Hue -Randall Munroe
1:31
Guest: Another xfiles movie?
1:31
Dan Szymborski: Eh
1:31
Guest: Teddy v Putin bare fist fight who wins?
1:32
Dan Szymborski: Teddy
1:32
Dan Szymborski: Putin has gym muscles
1:32
Dan Szymborski: Peak Teddy had a core
1:32
Dan Szymborski: AND END
1:32
Dan Szymborski: I caught up.
1:32
Dan Szymborski: Not just quitting.
1:32
Dan Szymborski: Thanks for joining me everyone! You can find my work at ESPN.com, chats and projections here at FanGraphs, and DSzymborski on Twitter.
1:34
Dan Szymborski: And check out my first Hearthstone piece at http://espn.go.com/esports/story/_/id/14619726/hearthstone-rise-not-growing-pains if you’re so inclined.





 

Carson Cistulli has published a book of aphorisms called Spirited Ejaculations of a New Enthusiast.

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Dooduh
8 years ago

Snap, what the hell happened in here..?

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