Dan Szymborski FanGraphs Chat – 4/25/16

by
April 25, 2016
11:59
Sirras: Presidential brawl?
12:00
Dan Szymborski: ARRGGH, someone’s gotta remind me before we start chat! lol
12:00
Sirras: If you’re the Mets, how concerned are you with Harvey?
12:00
Dan Szymborski: Somewhere between mild and moderate.
12:01
Michael: Drew Smyly: what kind of stats does he end the year with?
12:01
Dan Szymborski: 3.20ish ERA?

12:01
Sirras: What is your favorite small sample size stat right now?
12:02
Dan Szymborski: All of Aledmys Diaz’s stats, which would make him a strong MVP contender if the season ended today.
12:03
Tracey: Looks like neither Jepsen or May want the Twins’ closing gig. Anybody else out there that might swoop in?
12:03
Dan Szymborski: Doubt anyone’s really good enough to sweep in for a mediocre team that will eventually have Perkins back (eventually)
12:04
Dan Szymborski: I mean really, who is there best non-Perkins reliever? MAYBE Abad slightly over the two others?
12:04
Jamie: Assuming the Marlins are out of it in September, what would it take to get Bonds a handful of ABs when rosters expand? Seems like a win win. Bonds restarts the HoF clock and the Marlins would garner some much needed attention
12:04
Dan Szymborski: It would certanly be fun
12:04
Scott: Are you optimistic Matt Moore can maintain anything close to his current BB% and K%?
12:05
Dan Szymborski: A little more htan I was. Those kinds of stats tend to stabilize more quickly
12:05
Scott: Dan, have you gotten a chance to watch Sean Rodriguez at all? I know it’s only April, but it looks like he may have changed something to his swing. Maybe more of a leg kick?
12:06
Dan Szymborski: I think I’ve only seen him in 3 or 4 games and I haven’t been specifically looking at his swing, so I don’t really have anything useful here.
12:06
Ernie Camacho: Hi Dan! Does ZiPS take into account the projected defense of the specific players it expects to play behind a pitcher when projecting his ERA? Or does it involve a more generic look at the team’s defense (e.g., based on prior three seasons, regardless of roster turnover)?
12:06
Dan Szymborski: It’s fairly generic (recent past roster plus regression) otherwise I’d have to re-run all the pitching projections every time the depth chart changes a little.
12:06
Six Ten: Is Mike Moustakas actually a great hitter now? Batted ball speed up across the board, pulling hard with no strikes and going opposite way a lot with two. Or is it just sample size?
12:07
Dan Szymborski: I don’t use the word great lightly, but he is hitting the crap out of the ball.
12:07
Justin: Are you more bullish on Pomeranz or Matt Moore rest of season?
12:08
Dan Szymborski: Health was the big question for Moore and as long as he’s healthy, I’ll prefer him
12:08
Little Leaguer: Thoughts on Kendall Graveman so far this season and going forward?
12:08
Dan Szymborski: Good ERA, but he’s realistically a 3/4 guy at best.
12:09
Brian: To what extent do you believe in Grichuk’s improve plate discipline? Strikeout rate is down ~5% and walk rate has doubled from ~6% last year to ~13% this year.
12:09
Dan Szymborski: Fairly optimistic – *approach* numbers tend to be quite stable.
12:10
Scott: What do you think about Roberto Osuna? Do you think he could be an elite closer someday?
12:10
Dan Szymborski: I think he’s not that far *now*
12:11
JJ: Votto’s Pull % is 49%!! His career average is 35%. We all know he’s not a pull hitter – whats going on here?
12:11
Dan Szymborski: I wouldn’t read too much into that yet.
12:12
Dan Szymborski: He had a 25% month and a 45% month last year.
12:12
Dan: Do you do fantasy questions? I need to drop 1 in a 10 team roto. out of Gauzman, Pomeranz or Kazmir.
12:13
Dan Szymborski: Only if they tend to be widely applicable to a larger audience. I very rarely answer the specific “keep x out of y players?” questions because they’re really only interesting to the readers that have their y players be exactly a, b, c, and d.
12:14
Dan Szymborski: But in this casue, probably Gausman.
12:14
Dan Szymborski: There’s uncertainy there.
12:14
Shawn: Tanner Roark – just an incredible day bc baseball, or did he suddenly become very interesting going forward?
12:14
Dan Szymborski: He’s had pretty good moments before.
12:14
Outta my way, Gyorkass: What is your take on MLB webcasted games’ pitch location? I feel like it’s so far off, so much, that it’s completely unreliable – ball calls are showing up belt high, middle of the plate with fair regularity. Does MLB use something other than pitch fx data for what they display on their webcasted games?
12:14
Dan Szymborski: Someone would really have to study the issue to give a better answer.
12:14
Brian: Pedro Alvarez. Employed by the all star break?
12:14
Dan Szymborski: I actually think he may not be.
12:15
FireDrayton: Astros suck. Giles sucks. Keuchel is broken. Gattis/Gomez suck. Etc etc etc. Astros fans are in a pretty bad place right now. Talk us off the ledge? Or should we jump?
12:15
Dan Szymborski: It’s April
12:16
Scott: Jameson Taillon has looked very good down in AAA. Is he getting a call up before Glasnow? Seems like Glasnow could benefit from working on his command
12:16
Dan Szymborski: It’s not like Glasnow has stunk. The issue with Taillon was just how good he would be after the injuries. So far? Prreeeeeeety good.
12:16
Dan Szymborski: At this rate, both are not long for the minors
12:16
Enzo Amore: When is it time to start worrying about velocity? Asking specifically about Jacob deGrom. Did Thor steal some of his MPH?
12:17
Dan Szymborski: Worrying about velocity is already a thing.
12:17
Dan Szymborski: Since there’s no direct batter-fielder interaction with the velocity number.
12:17
Brian: Ian Desmond having a good week or you think he might actually have remembered how to be good at baseball?
12:17
Dan Szymborski: He did have moments last year but overlooked because the team and Matt Williams were a trainwreck.
12:18
Dan Szymborski: He had like a .780 OPS in the secon dhalf last year
12:18
Bron: Is this Brandon Belt’s big breakout year?
12:18
Dan Szymborski: He’s more or less having the same final results he usually does.
12:20
Bron: How broken is Justin Upton?
12:20
Dan Szymborski: Rough month but I think he’ll be fine
12:20
Q-Ball: Cubs Fun Fact: Cubs run differential stands at 68 runs, or 3.6 per game. There are 6 teams that are scoring fewer than 3.6 runs per game
12:20
Outta my way, Gyorkass: With Will Smith out for a while, does Jeremy Jeffress eventually become a trade piece of any value for MIL?
12:20
Dan Szymborski: Yes
12:21
iron wolf: Dan: Aledmys Diaz has been scorching hot at the plate. ZIPs isn’t buying into a big breakout season, but as Jeff Sullivan pointed out in an article in early March, he made major changes in the second half of the season at AAA in 2015. Those changes are apparently carrying over into this season. Thoughts?
12:21
Dan Szymborski: It can be part of an improvement, but you can both improve *and* be playing at an unsustainable level
12:21
Q-Ball: Cubs Fun Fact: Cubs opponents are 42-34 (.553) when NOT playing the Cubs (LAA,ARI,CIN,COL,STL)
12:21
J.B.: Aside from the obvious choices (Dodgers, Giants), which team has the best radio announcing crew in baseball? Which team has the worst?
12:21
Dan Szymborski: I can’t actually answer that – I almost exclusively watch TV.
12:23
Tim: How soon does LA GM Scioscia pull the plug on Cron, even though they basically have no other options?
12:23
Dan Szymborski: The other options thing is the key – I think he has a pretty good leash.
12:24
Taveras’ Ghost: any clue on TB plans with erasmo? This can’t hapen all year. when does it sort itself out?
12:24
Dan Szymborski: I think they’re keeping their options open.
12:24
Josh: Hisashi Iwakuma hasn’t looked quite right thus far. His velocity is down a tick, his strikeout rate is down, his walks are up, his GB% is down, etc. Is there any reason to think the injury concerns that caused the Dodgers to back away are affecting him?
12:25
Dan Szymborski: It’s possible that it is, but that’s more a question for the doctors looking at it. It’s hard to see into his arm at home.
12:25
Taveras’ Ghost: being a phillies fan is moderately fun again!
12:25
Dan Szymborski: It should be. This team could lose 100 games and still be the most hopeful Phillies team in years
12:26
CameronDaClub: Bet a coworker $5 on 100-to-1 odds that Thor throws a no-no tonight. Which side of the bet do you take?
12:27
Dan Szymborski: I’d take the non-no-no.
12:27
Dan Szymborski: The Reds aren’t a notably awful BA team
12:27
Dan Szymborski: as these things go
12:27
Dan Szymborski: I think at 1-in-100 you need, as a very rough estimate, the expected BA vs. a pitcher for a team to be around .180
12:28
Dan Szymborski: Or maybe .170
12:28
Dan Szymborski: (Trying to do this in my head)
12:28
Ted: If you could build a staff of any 5 pitchers for this year alone, who would you take? Kershaw, Arrieta, Sale, Scherzer and Thor?
12:28
Dan Szymborski: Not a bad 5, but I’d have to think more deeply
12:28
Zonk: The entire AL began the season as theoretical contenders. For what clubs is it time to look in the mirror and say “Not this year…time to think rebuild”.?
12:28
Dan Szymborski: Twins, though they were doing that anyway
12:29
Dan Szymborski: Oakland’s probably the closest to doing that in team construction, but they won’t when they’re in first place.
12:29
Dan Szymborski: Angels are the nearest to the Must Rebuild disaster
12:29
Taveras’ Ghost: Even if its the outlier of his career, Harper is going to crush 50 this year.
12:30
Dan Szymborski: I don’t think that would be a notable outlier.
12:31
Zonk: The Rangers are currently in first place at 10-9, yet their playoff odds are 15.4% overall. The projections hate the Rangers, and it’s not like they really love anyone else in that division. Are you as down on the Ranger’s chances?
12:31
Dan Szymborski: Haven’t run ZiPS for a few days, so can’t give you a good answer since I don’t do the FG ones.
12:31
Gerb: If Carrasco misses serious time, how much trouble are the Indians in?
12:31
Dan Szymborski: Much. They now have to win more games relative to White Sox Royals than they did at the start of the season and Carrasco is important.
12:31
sully: could pablo sandoval go down as the worst FA contract of all time
12:32
Dan Szymborski: No, there’s not enough money in it for that.
12:32
Dan Szymborski: Thanks to Ryan Howard, it’s actually impossible for any <$125 million contract to be the worst of all time.
12:32
j6takish: Every week your chat is posted by Carson. This is an obvious troll, right?
12:32
Dan Szymborski: He posts the post about the chat. I do the chat.
12:33
Dan Szymborski: Like if Billy Beane announces a seminar in which he talks about Moneyball, he still didn’t write it
12:33
Kvn: So people should probably give the O’s some slack on their physicals now right? Gallardo to DL with shoulder tendinitis.
12:33
Dan Szymborski: Well, they still signed him in the end, even on different terms
12:33
bird watcher: Hi Dan: do you think the Orioles can essentially play—barring injuries to major players—-.500 ball the remainder of the season? With that 7-0 start giving them a big boost and Gausman returning to the rotation, it seems plausible. And that should secure them a WC spot, no?
12:33
Dan Szymborski: I think they’re .500ish. Their odds are good because the league has no great teams and they have some good wins in the bag
12:33
Zonk: The Braves were hoping to be decent when their new ballpark opens next year. That doesn’t seem realistic now, does it?
12:33
Dan Szymborski: No
12:34
Cleve: Likelihood that Carrasco is out for months?
12:34
Dan Szymborski: I wouldn’t go that far yet. It’s a hamstring which can be annoying, but they’re still running tests.
12:34
Dan Szymborski: Though he did look in quite a lot of pain when he pulled up.
12:35
Dan Szymborski: I was watching Indians while at Reds game and first thing when I saw him wince was say *that did not look good* to Matt Snyder. Hopefully no tear
12:35
DrJackass: Miss ya bud..
12:35
Dan Szymborski: I was here last two weeks!
12:36
Zonk: I give A-Rod props for coming back and being quietly productive last year, but is he now toast?
12:36
Dan Szymborski: It’s possible – 40 year olds aren’t known for gentle aging curves
12:37
Outta my way, Gyorkass: Milwaukee ranked 3rd in the NL with 66 BBs after 16 games. I know the 16 games is not an optimal sample size, but is this the result of an organizational philosophy shift and/or will it stick as a defining trait for this Brewers offense in the medium/long term?
12:37
Dan Szymborski: I wouldn’t go too far about a giant organizational shift
12:37
Dan Szymborski: but the team did want Gennett to work on is plate discipline (and he did)
12:37
Dan Szymborski: and they don’t have Segura in there
12:37
Murray Chass: Why are you so hellbent on ruining baseball with numbers?
12:38
Dan Szymborski: Hatred of all that is good and wholesome.
12:38
Jake: Can Aledmys Diaz keep up his .477 BABIP?
12:38
Dan Szymborski: Rhetorical?
12:38
P.J.: How much of Travis Shaw’s early success is luck? .435 BABIP.
12:38
Dan Szymborski: I think he’s better than projections, but *that* won’t continue.
12:38
Chuncey Wiggins: If the Cubs played the Braves 50 times this year, how many games would the Braves win?
12:39
Dan Szymborski: -3. Some would be so awful that they award the Cubs wins in games not played.
12:39
Josh: If you were the Rockies’ GM, how would you approach fixing your pitching situation? Focus on drafting high upside arms? Piggy-backing pitchers in home starts?
12:39
Dan Szymborski: I think throwing stuff at the wall and seeing what sticks is the best approach for a rebuilding team.
12:39
Dan Szymborski: Even one that still doesn’t quite know they are a rebuilding team
12:39
Shoeless: The White Sox have gone from one of the worst defensive teams in baseball last year, to the best so far this year. Their pitching staff has held opponents to 1 run or less in 9 of 19 games. It’s been a pretty remarkable turn around.
12:40
Dan Szymborski: I expect them to be closer to average, but they made big moves to address their issues
12:41
Erik: The “Value” leaderboard is quite fun. Cedric Hunter turned his great spring training into a 13 game stint with the Phillies, cost them $4.8 million, and was promptly sent down, probably never to be seen from again. That’s quite the feat.
12:42
Dan Szymborski: Wait, did I miss something?
12:42
Dan Szymborski: How did Hunter cost $4.8 million.
12:42
Rick Somebody: is John Danks cashed?
12:42
Dan Szymborski: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CZmAm6vXEAE50iR.jpg:large
12:43
Dan Szymborski: This is what, his 5th season of looking done?
12:43
Guest: If you HAD to choose one or the other… our current welfare/social support system or a guaranteed minimum income?
12:43
Dan Szymborski: Oops, that was for lightning round
12:44
Dan Szymborski: The latter, though it’s not practical because there’ sno way you wouldn’t keep the former from eventually forming over top of the latter.
12:44
The Decadent Moose: How was your weekend?
12:44
Dan Szymborski: Pretty good. Was at a music festival through Saturday (I won’t be dragged camping once it gets hot) and was down at Reds/Cubs yesterday.
12:45
Dan Szymborski: Though I wasn’t far from getting smacked in the face in the press box from a Jay Bruce foul
12:45
Houzer: Fulmer+Dixon Machado enough to get Gallo+Profar?
12:45
Dan Szymborski: LIkely not.
12:46
Dan Szymborski: But maybe I’d be underestimating Texas’s interest.
12:46
colin: is miguel cabrera’s career about to fall off a cliff?
12:46
Dan Szymborski: He’s skilled enough that I expect a more long slow decline.
12:46
Charlie: If you had to rank pitchers ROS, how high do you go on Syndergaard?
12:47
Dan Szymborski: Top 10, which is higher than ZiPS which I think has him around 19th.
12:47
Dan Szymborski: ZiPS hasn’t seen that slider which is unfair.
12:47
Gary Guy Yeti: Would you rather have mike trout and two actors from Angels in the Outfield or the Padres starting outfield on your team
12:47
Dan Szymborski: The former.
12:47
Dr Jackass: I have finally settled on a new title.. Mr Dr Jackass Laxtonto, Xenocrates, Lord High Executioner, King of the unknown Realm, MBA, PhD. Esquire….think it is too pretentious? It is a bitch to update on my LinkedIn profile
12:47
Dan Szymborski: Add in Idi Amin.
12:48
Mathenaging ’16: do you ever botch-a-mania?
12:48
Dan Szymborski: I have!
12:48
Nate: As a Twins fan, give me some reason to not hate life right now
12:48
Dan Szymborski: They’re really not supposed to be good this year, despite some of the hype
12:48
Joey: Is the Twin’s current handing of Max Kepler logical? It seems he would be better getting regular at bats.
12:49
Dan Szymborski: He should be getting regular at bats.
12:49
Kenny Williams: Chris Carter putting it all together? hahahahahaha
12:49
Dan Szymborski: Now, *this* isn’t happening, but Miller is a really good fit for his skillset.
12:49
Dan Szymborski: Well, skill. It’s not really a set.
12:49
Joey Votto: I’m off to a rough start, is there any reason to believe that I won’t turn it around?
12:49
Dan Szymborski: No
12:49
Bad Mamma Jamma: The Fresh Prince of Milwaukee, Will Smith, just started throwing again yesterday. Do you think he can have a successful rehab without undergoing the knife?
12:50
Dan Szymborski: Why do you guys ask me question that require me actually having witnessed the physical examinations?
12:50
Ben: It’s very unlikely that a Wildcard will come out of the AL West, which means Division or bust. You can’t win your division in April, but you can lose it. How far back do the Astros drop before they’re in serious trouble of not recovering enough against the 3 .500-ish teams ahead of them?
12:50
Dan Szymborski: They have a ways to go
12:50
jon: Rizzo, despite the .122 BABIP is running would be career highs in BB% and ISO. Very encouraging.
12:51
Dan Szymborski: You know you’re having a great year when you unluckily have a .950 OPS.
12:51
Brett: Eno painted a pretty picture about Christian Yelich’s new approach in his recent The Change. Are you as optimistic as he is about Yellich being on the door step of a breakout?
12:51
Dan Szymborski: I’ve been talking about him for awhile
12:51
Bad Mamma Jamma: Initial thoughts on Buxton’s inability to hit thus far? I know his glove plays at MLB level, but will the bat ever live up to the billing or does he need to get out of the Twins system to get some quality coaching?
12:51
Dan Szymborski: He’ll be fine. The Twins just need to have actual patience.
12:52
Jordan: Aledmys Diaz batting 480 would not make him an MVP contender… it would make him the unquestioned MVP, best single season of past, present and future (assuming he keeps his fielding percentage above 60%). How many WAR do you estimate this utopic season would be?
12:52
Dan Szymborski: Except if the season ended today, he’s also against other small sample heroes.
12:52
Dan Szymborski: If the season ended today, it’s not Diaz vs. past full season MVP stats.
12:53
Dan Szymborski: It’s Small Sample Diaz vs. Small Sample Fowler vs. Small Sample Dan Murphy vs. Small Sample But He’s Really Frigging Good Anyway Bryce Harper
12:54
Jaylen: Should DeGrom owners be concerned?
12:54
Dan Szymborski: Yes
12:54
Mike: White Sox need an upgrade at DH, who should they target?
12:56
Dan Szymborski: Someone familiar with NKVD interrogation techniques who can finally beat into the team’s heads that Avisail Garcia is not, nor will ever be, Miguel Cabrera
12:56
Joey: What do you think about Nomar Mazara so far? It looks like he is handling the transition to MLB remarkably well. Do you think he can maintain above average production ROS?
12:56
Dan Szymborski: I’m optimistic. I think he’s a major leaguer right now.
12:56
Mr. Wrestling IV: I know he’s not this good, and that the answer’s probably “April”, but has Colby Rasmus shown enough for him to project .250/.350/.450 ROS?
12:57
Dan Szymborski: It’s not like his preseason rpojection was that far off from it.
12:57
Dan Szymborski: The ZiPS is 248/329/484
12:57
Druidiful: Can we anoint Dusty Baker as the manager of the year already for happening to be the manager of a team where all of the underachieving players from last year have bounced back>
12:57
Dan Szymborski: I got a lot of pushback at the time, but Baker may be the perfect short-term manager for the Nats.
12:58
CecilFielder: Orioles finish in ____place in the aL East
12:58
Dan Szymborski: a
12:58
Darryl: Do you like Zack Cozart as a TOP 15 SS ROY?
12:58
Dan Szymborski: Wait, what?
12:59
Jorge Posada: Nate Eovaldi is striking people out!!
12:59
Dan Szymborski: You gotta love Eovaldi. First he’s a guy with a 97 MPH fastball with a weirdly low strikeout rate. Then he’s a high strikeout guy who has his worst FIP in years.
12:59
Dan Szymborski: Next he’ll figure out how to not allow any home runs and then lost 10 MPH on his fastball
1:00
Dan Szymborski: Then he’ll get the MPH back and lose the strikeouts somehow.
1:00
Sirras: Re: radio crews – Last time the fan broadcast survey was done, Howie Rose and Josh Lewin (NYM) rated in the same tier as LAD and SFG. From personal experience, it’s warranted.
1:00
Dan Szymborski: My first ever appearance on radio was talking to Josh Lewin (I was a teenager and called in when he was in Baltimore)
1:00
Dan Szymborski: Though I guess it doesn’t count as a radio apeparance in the traditional sense.
1:01
Dan Szymborski: I was bitching about the wild card. Still am.
1:01
Dan Szymborski: OK, 1 o clock, so time for the Lightning Round
1:01
Dan Szymborski: The rules of the Lightning Round are simple: I must answer every question so long as it is off-topic, even if I don’t know the answer. A few exceptions (too personal for me or work related)
1:01
P.J.: Hi there, is this where I voice my frustration with the NFL?
1:01
Dan Szymborski: Yes
1:01
Yusuf : Off topic: What are you most concerned about going forward from this election cycle: the viability of a socialist candidate in Sanders or the popularity of both Trump and Sanders’ populist rhetoric?
1:02
Dan Szymborski: I think they’re not necessarily separate categories but the whole ball concerns me greatly.
1:02
Al: Proper end to open a banana?
1:02
Dan Szymborski: Stem.
1:02
Colby: do you like the shane mcmahon run raws better?
1:02
Dan Szymborski: No real difference for me
1:02
Zonk: Best ballpark food?
1:03
Dan Szymborski: Pit beef. Sorry, I’m from Baltimore
1:03
Austin: Any work being done on sequencing data at FG? Seems as if the Royals have started that conversation.
1:03
Dan Szymborski: Ask a David.
1:03
Los: What is the best game to watch on twitch?
1:03
Dan Szymborski: I think Hearthstone works best in the medium as it has the most opportunity for interaction with viewers of the popular esports.
1:03
Dan Szymborski: And a card game tends to transfer well.
1:04
Dan Szymborski: translate
1:04
j6takish: Worst Final Fantasy game? Both story and gameplay, you can have separate answers. Leveling system in FF2 blows, story in X is really cheesy
1:04
Dan Szymborski: VIII
1:04
Dan Szymborski: hated the draw system
1:04
Dan Szymborski: hated the storyline
1:04
Dan Szymborski: WAIT WE WERE ALL IN THE SAME ORPHANAGE TOGETHER BUT WE FORGOT AND NOW WE ALL REMEMBER
1:04
Dan Szymborski: I”M SORRY MARIO, BUT THE SORCERESS YOU’RE LOOKING FOR IS IN ANOTHER CASTLE
1:05
Dan Szymborski: And the 15 minute long GF summons.
1:05
Los: Best Bob Ross paint color?
1:05
Dan Szymborski: Green. It’s how he paints bushes.
1:05
Jerry: How far can Maziel fall?
1:05
Dan Szymborski: Manziel hasn’t been dealing meth yet.
1:05
Mr. Wrestling IV: Pick the better musical act: Prince or Michael Jackson
1:05
Dan Szymborski: Michael Jackson
1:05
Fuck Barmer: Republican? or Democrat?
1:05
Dan Szymborski: I am neither.
1:05
BF: Crabs!!!!!!!!!
1:05
Dan Szymborski: Steamed crabs are delicious, but to messy for me to consider ballpark food option.
1:05
BF: B-more Hon! Go git some crabs!
1:06
BakedBean: Have you played Lost Odyssey, the last real FF game ever made by Sakaguchi?
1:06
Dan Szymborski: I have not,.
1:06
Mr. Wrestling IV: How sexy was last night’s Game of Thrones?
1:06
Dan Szymborski: Don’t say! I haven’t watched yet.
1:06
Jerry: Johnny Manziel = Theon Greyjoy?
1:06
Dan Szymborski: Theon might actually make better life chocies.
1:06
greg: Cat update please
1:07
Dan Szymborski: Pandora’s sleeping on my office couch. Galileo came to steal my chicken but left afterwards. I heard Reagan chasing Mercutio upstairs awhile ago but don’t know where they are now.
1:07
Sirras: If I gave you crabs, would you be glad or mad?
1:07
Dan Szymborski: Well, steamed crabs glad. The other kind mad.
1:08
mtsw: “Dark enlightenment” alt-right types: enemies or allies of libertarianism?
1:08
Dan Szymborski: Depends on the issue. They’re too non-libertarian in many senses to be actual allies.
1:08
Irwin M. Fletcher: Worse loss to music industry? Michael Jackson or Prince?
1:08
Dan Szymborski: Prince at this point
1:08
BakedBean: You should! Lost Odyssey is a Xbox 360 exclusive, because of that, it gets mostly overlooked. But all the magic and charm of the old FF games is in LO. I highly recommend it!
1:08
Dan Szymborski: But I’m not intending to buy a 360! Maybe someday when its emulated well.
1:08
j6takish: I didn’t mind the draw system, butthe GF’s were really annoying, made the game too easy and having to watch them 6738 times. I hated the limit break system, oh you’re low on health? Ok you can do a move that causes 100k damage per turn every turn. Oh, too dangerous to be low on health? HERES A SPELL THAT GUARNTEES YOUR LIMIT BREAK, EVERYONE IN YOUR PARTY CAN CAST IT 100 times
1:09
Dan Szymborski: I hated the draw system. It essentially meant you had red tape to go through if you wanted to use magic
1:09
TKDC: How does it make sense for the NFL to want Tom Brady to not play in football games?
1:09
Dan Szymborski: The NFL relies on the commissioner being empowered to be completely arbitrary.
1:09
ChrisM: Do Republicans institute SuperDelegates after Trump wins nomination?
1:09
Dan Szymborski: If he wins nomination, yes.
1:09
Gene Tunney: Is it a bizarre thought that Hilary would easily beat any of the 4 other Presidential candidates in a cage match?
1:09
Dan Szymborski: No.
1:10
MattInMinny: Trump in power with no Constitutional bounds, or Kim Jong Un as President with current separation of powers bounds?
1:10
Dan Szymborski: Probably Trump, though it’s not that I like it obviously
1:10
BakedBean: Think VR has a future in baseball?
1:10
Dan Szymborski: Wait, in game? NOt sure how that would work
1:10
Andrew: Favorite HBO series of all time?
1:10
Dan Szymborski: GoT
1:10
lloyd: The national elections: genuinely free or a total farce?
1:10
Dan Szymborski: Genuinely free system that encourages bad choices.
1:11
mtsw: Now that he’s suspended, will Tom Brady retire and become Trump’s running mate?
1:11
Dan Szymborski: No
1:11
Art3mis: How awesome was the book Ready Player One?
1:11
Dan Szymborski: You guys keep asking i haven’t read it
1:11
lloyd: In two seconds, what is the highest prime number you can think of?
1:11
Dan Szymborski: Uh, 997?
1:11
ChrisM: O/U on fights that break out at the Republican National Convention?
1:11
Dan Szymborski: 3
1:11
BakedBean: I mean, like watching VR games from home
1:11
Dan Szymborski: Oh, maybe
1:11
MattInMinny: Bernie with no idea as how to do anything he wants or Hillary with no remorse about breaking any law to get what she wants?
1:11
Dan Szymborski: Clinton
1:11
mtsw: Some teams are supposedly already using VR to prepare hitters to face certain pitchers. Seems like a neat idea.
1:11
Andrew: Go to deli sandwich order?
1:12
Dan Szymborski: Don’t have a goto, but I enjoy reubens.
1:12
Calvin: which party’s nominee have you voted for more?
1:12
Dan Szymborski: I’m at 1 Democrat (Clinton), 1 Green (Nader), 1 Republican (Romney), 1 Libertarian (Browne), and 1 Nobody (2008).
1:12
Dan Szymborski: If we’r etalking presidents.
1:13
Vamos Gigantes: Odds that the Kochs endorse Clinton?
1:13
Dan Szymborski: 20%
1:13
Sirras: Ready Player One is mediocre at best. You’re not missing anything Dan.
1:13
Michael: Have you dusted all your Leper Gnomes yet?
1:13
Dan Szymborski: I’m too OCD in Hearthstone to dust anything ever.
1:13
Dan Szymborski: Except when I first started and my first legendary was Golden Nozdormu
1:13
80’s child: If you haven’t read RPO, you HAVE to. So many fun references. D&D, Atari, Arcade games, 80’s movies, etc… If you liked role playing, you can’t NOT read it.
1:13
Jason: The correct answer to Calvin’s question is the pants party.
1:13
lloyd: Who wins a street fight between Carson Cistulli or Carson Cistulli’s clone?
1:13
Dan Szymborski: Cistulli’s clone.
1:14
Dan Szymborski: There would be just enough error in the cloning process.
1:14
Dan Szymborski: And it would trick the pure evil of the original.
1:14
mtsw: How many other Nader + Romney voters do you think are out there?
1:14
Dan Szymborski: Not many
1:14
Andrew: If you could transform into a land based animal, what would it be?
1:14
Dan Szymborski: Human, the best land-based animal.
1:14
Michael: But you get 40 dust per Leper Gnome… if you ever need one back you won’t be losing any dust.
1:15
Dan Szymborski: But then I’ll be missing those cards.
1:15
Jason: Have the read the Spirited Ejaculations of a New Enthusiast.
1:15
Dan Szymborski: I have not
1:15
Brendan: Play fifth edition D&D yet?
1:15
Dan Szymborski: No
1:15
Vamos Gigantes: Also, I’ve never understood why libertarians are so often classified as under the Republican umbrella. Any insight?
1:15
Dan Szymborski: There’s more an uneasy relationship between libertarians and Republicans.
1:16
Leif Erikson: “I wish you would step back from that ledge my friend, you could cut ties with all the lies that you’ve been living in, and if you do not want to see me again, it’s only Aprilllilllillll.”
1:16
lloyd: Your favorite non-sequiter?
1:16
Dan Szymborski: Don’t think I have one
1:17
GaryW: Thoughts on Wizards gutting the professional MtG players?
1:17
Dan Szymborski: Not aware of the news. It’s been awhile since I followed that scene.
1:17
Marge: Who has the contract for Hillary’s housecoats? Awful, just awful. Her fashion consultant should be sent to Benghazi.
1:17
BakedBean: Star Wars The Force Awakens, officially the 3rd best SW movie?
1:17
Dan Szymborski: 2nd
1:18
Gooney: Is Hillary bloated all the time or did someone inject collagen in to her whole face instead of her lips?
1:18
Dan Szymborski: Duynno
1:18
Andrew: Fries or tater tots?
1:18
Dan Szymborski: fries
1:18
lloyd: When does broadcast radio die?
1:18
Dan Szymborski: It’ll hang on for awhile
1:18
BakedBean: What is your favorite Billy Joel song?
1:19
Dan Szymborski: I’d like to say a more obscure one (Scandinavian Skies?) rather than the obvious one, but it really is the obvious one: Piano Man
1:20
Sirras: President with the best facial hair?
1:20
Dan Szymborski: Taft. Duh
1:20
Sirras: Least presidential hairstyle you can think of? I’m going with rat-tail mullet.
1:20
Dan Szymborski: ‘White boy dreadlocks?
1:20
Dan Szymborski: Or maybe the one that that one guy in Flock of Seagulls had
1:20
Gooney: Sweet potato fries or curly fries?
1:21
Dan Szymborski: Curly. I hate sweet potatoes.
1:21
lloyd: Why are there two items in a pair of socks, but only one in a pair of pants?
1:21
Dan Szymborski: It bothers me too
1:21
BakedBean: How is TFA betta than 4 or 5?
1:22
Dan Szymborski: IV has too many pointless parts and cringy acting to beat TFA
1:22
BakedBean: I want to see a laser beam/hologram strike zone, is that a real thing? Will it ever be?
1:22
Dan Szymborski: Perhaps
1:22
Slew: Favorite non-US country you’ve traveled to?
1:22
Dan Szymborski: Germany
1:22
Jack Glasscock’s Cup: I work in downtown Cleveland. For Republican National Convention week, better alternative: bomb shelter (kimmy schmidt style) or total inebriation?
1:22
Dan Szymborski: Inebriation, you probably get poor internet in a bomb shelter
1:22
Slew: Favorite US vacation spot?
1:22
Dan Szymborski: Maine. For nostalgia, Ocean City MD
1:22
Jack Glasscock’s Cup: Idiocracy was a predictive documentary
1:23
Hillary: Who is considered the ugliest President? Just want to know who I’ll be displacing? (Bill is better looking than most first ladies)
1:23
Dan Szymborski: I dunno, John Quincy Adams?
1:23
Slew: Opinion on the Cruz-Kasich collusion? OK, or dirty pool?
1:23
Dan Szymborski: Politics is dirty
1:24
Sirras: Would you rather a ticket with H. Clinton/I. Trump or D. Drump/B. Clinton?
1:24
Dan Szymborski: Not sure the question
1:24
CecilFielder: what do you think of moritz boehringer? potential german nfl phenom, and combine darling… coincidence we get kepler and Boehringer same year?
1:24
Dan Szymborski: Don’t know enough about him really
1:24
Joe: I’m irrationally in love with Lincoln….anything you know of him to temper my enthusiasm? insistence on difference of races?
1:24
Dan Szymborski: high-pitched voice?
1:24
Larry David: Please let Bernie win…I’ll have golden material for YEARS!
1:24
Andrew: Least favorite US city?
1:24
Dan Szymborski: haven’t been to all of them
1:24
Moore: More boring to watch on TV: Golf or Soccer?
1:24
Dan Szymborski: Association football
1:24
lloyd: When will it be acceptable for a US Presidential nominee to respond to a bad question with, “Are you fucking kidding me?”
1:24
Dan Szymborski: I wish now.
1:24
Dan Szymborski: AND DONE
1:24
Dan Szymborski: Thanks for coming everyone!
1:25
Dan Szymborski: As a reminder, you can read my work (both baseball and now eSports) at ESPN.com, chats and projections here at FanGraphs, and DSzymborski on Twitter.
1:25
CecilFielder: OLD BAY FOR LIFE I USE IT ON EVERYTHING





 

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

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Long Suffering Tribe Fanmember
7 years ago

Stop the madness, get rid of the pop up ads!

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