Dan Szymborski FanGraphs Chat – 5/11/15
| 12:03 |
: It’s war on the east coast? It’s war out west? I don’t care, it’s the Dan Szymborski Cavalcade of Sadness!
|
| 12:03 |
The event is now live. Waiting for the writer to provide content… |
| 12:03 |
: Shoot, it might be waiting for awhile if it requires actualy content.
|
| 12:03 |
How long to options last? Like if Albert Pujols didnt use up his 6 or whatever amount of options each player gets, can he be sent to the minors? |
| 12:04 |
: No, because there are service time limits to demote a player without his permission aside from the option years.
|
| 12:04 |
Hey Dan – what’s wrong with Kershaw so far? Cause for alarm? |
| 12:04 |
: He’s fine. Have a piece up at some point talking a bit.
|
| 12:04 |
Should Orioles fans feel their team is unlucky with catcher injuries (Wieters on the 60 day) or not unlucky since Caleb Joseph is arguably playing better than you’d expect Wieters to? |
| 12:05 |
: They shouldn’t feel unlucky – the 265/357/418 they’ve gotten from catcher isn’t inferior to what they’d get from Wieters.
|
| 12:05 |
Have you ever looked at Chris Young’s heatmaps? Talk about being unortodox |
| 12:06 |
: His heatmaps are weird because he’s around 11 feet tall.
|
| 12:06 |
I spent a last week on vacation. What did I miss from baseball? |
| 12:06 |
: Not a Kemp hit.
|
| 12:06 |
when does Kluber start to turn it around? what’s going on here? |
| 12:06 |
: Think he’ll be fine.
|
| 12:07 |
Any thoughts as to why Scherzer is pitching deeper into games this year than in years past? |
| 12:07 |
: He’s not actually throwing more – he had 21 110-pitch games last year. He’s had 1 this year.
|
| 12:07 |
Time for a bold move by the Braves….Who do they trade, Wood or Miller? |
| 12:08 |
: Not sure they need a bold move – they’re pot committed in their rebuilding.
|
| 12:09 |
True or False: Jung-ho Kang was the best signing of the off-season |
| 12:09 |
: A little premature.
|
| 12:09 |
Thanks for nothing, Dr. Szymborski! I asked you to provide canned spiel for last Wednesday’s Nats/Marlins game, and you refused. So I had to talk about Bryce Harper’s 3 HRs and beer. Actually… it was fine. |
| 12:09 |
: See, canned spiel sucks!
|
| 12:09 |
Hi Dan. What do you think the Orioles will look like in 2016? Obvious hole in RF. With the possible departure of so many free agents, do you think the Orioles spend the cash and pursue somebody like Heyward? |
| 12:10 |
: There are too many variables at play to know what the situation will be like this witner.
|
| 12:10 |
Odds Pineda would’ve tied or broken the 20-strikeout single-game record yesterday if left in for all 9 innings against the Orioles? |
| 12:11 |
: Not super high – the guy was already at his career high pitches in MLB.
|
| 12:11 |
so Kershaw over Pineda ROS then |
| 12:11 |
: Of course
|
| 12:11 |
What’s faster: speed of light or speed at which Red Sox fans went from justifying the Panda contract by saying he can DH in two years to justifying the Hanley contract by the same logic? More seriously how is it possible that Hanley is so bad in the outfield? Bad coaching or something else? |
| 12:12 |
: Tachyons are hypothetical still, so speed of light.
|
| 12:12 |
How long do you expect Correa to stick at SS before he’s moved to3B? Does he get the Machado treatment? |
| 12:12 |
: I suspect the Astros will be more willing to let him try to stick than the O’s were.
|
| 12:12 |
Which trendy pre-season division winner pick is in more trouble? Indians or Red Sox? |
| 12:13 |
: Indians
|
| 12:13 |
Traded my devon travis for his jake arrieta. Did I win? |
| 12:13 |
: Fairly even I think
|
| 12:13 |
I was asked (during Mother’s Day dinner, no less) about the difference between the different A-ball levels. I kind of fumbled through an answer. Is there a good answer to this? |
| 12:13 |
: It’s not so much that they’re *different* just that they’re different levels
|
| 12:13 |
: It’s not like the 7th inning is the beer inning in high-A and five strikes is out in middle-A
|
| 12:14 |
: There are short-season leagues in the lower A leagues.
|
| 12:15 |
: You could just as easily call the Sally/Midwest Leagues B and the short-season leagues C, doesn’t really make a difference
|
| 12:15 |
: (I’m in the minority of calling Sally/Midwest Middle-A – I feel it’s more descriptive than having low and short-season A)
|
| 12:15 |
Harper: going to have a great year, or going to have a GREAT year? |
| 12:15 |
: GREat
|
| 12:15 |
What’s the latest with D Wright? Will he be back sometime this week? |
| 12:16 |
: They’re going to try, but given his constant injury problems, I’d be bearish in that sense
|
| 12:16 |
The Twins and Mets have both outperformed BaseRuns expectations by 4 wins apiece. Why is this? Low quality of opposing teams? Or something more? |
| 12:16 |
: Don’t have their quality of opposition off-hand, but stats are simply more volatile over 30 than 162.
|
| 12:17 |
We live in a world with Steve Pearce, second baseman. Will wonders never cease? |
| 12:17 |
: He’s actually at the point where I’m going to have to give him a 2B rating in DMB next year
|
| 12:17 |
With Allen Craig getting demoted and looking broken, the Lackey trade looks like a complete disaster, doesn’t it? |
| 12:17 |
: Not lookign great of course
|
| 12:17 |
Pete O’Brien is 24 or 25 and doing well in Triple A. Doesn |
| 12:17 |
‘t |
| 12:18 |
: The problem is he can’t really play catcher
|
| 12:19 |
I realize that all pitchers are subject to breakage. Is Strasburg even more prone, now that his shoulder is being weird? (Don’t worry, the chiropractor fixed it!!) |
| 12:19 |
: Ever pitcher is.
|
| 12:19 |
The New Era of shortstop, there is almost no more power hitting SS in these days, do you see this trend enduring for the next years, or eventually is this is going to change in the near future? Tnx |
| 12:19 |
: These things tend to be cyclical
|
| 12:19 |
If you’re sitting near the baselines and catch a foul ball as an adult should you be required to hand it to a kid in your section even if, as a kid yourself, you never got to sit in seats that good and you suspect the kid is probably a spoiled brat? |
| 12:20 |
: Not required.
|
| 12:20 |
: As I see it, being good at catching foul balls is one of the benefits of being an adult.
|
| 12:20 |
: Sure, you could give the ball to a kid. But when was the last time a kid stepped in and paid your income taxes?
|
| 12:20 |
: Growing up, my parents/grandparents would have *never* let me win at anything.
|
| 12:21 |
: When i was little and woudl rough house with my dad, he’d pin me instantly. He told me that he could let me win, but lying wouldn’t make me stronger than him.
|
| 12:22 |
: So I like to think I grew up with a realistic assessment of my qualities and flaws.
|
| 12:22 |
What’s wrong with Carlos Gonzalez? |
| 12:22 |
: Him, I thin khe’s broken.
|
| 12:22 |
Do you know anything about Dylan Bundy’s timetable? Can Orioles fans expect him to join the staff in late July or early August? |
| 12:22 |
: I think they’re playing it by ear rather than a rigid timetable
|
| 12:22 |
Salazar’s better than Carrasco, yeah? What a stud. |
| 12:22 |
: I love Salazar – I still think it was ridiculous he didn’t start the season in the rotation
|
| 12:23 |
Why does the Orioles defense look so bad thus far? Uncharacteristically sloppy play from Flaherty, Manny and expectedly sloppy play from Travis Snider and Evreth Cabrera seems to be setting their pitching staff back |
| 12:23 |
: Last I checked, they were still a few runs above average
|
| 12:24 |
What do you think are the odds on a given day that you could correctly pick two MLB players to get a hit? (This is MLB’s “Beat the Streak” contest. Pick up to two players per day, and you must select 57 straight players (i.e., 29 straight days of 2 picks per day) and you win $5.7 million.) |
| 12:24 |
: 57 straight players? Damn long odds.
|
| 12:24 |
What’s wrong with Chris Sale? |
| 12:24 |
: I dont’ think he’s comfortable with his slider right now
|
| 12:24 |
Do you see Kang being a top 5 SS/3B the rest of the way? |
| 12:24 |
: That’s a little premature.
|
| 12:24 |
Pineda’s 20 K odds were lower than the odds of his shoulder literally falling off which were lower than the odds of Cashman strangling Girardi when Pineda reached 140 pitches. |
| 12:24 |
Despite its marginal benefits, its fun to talk lineup optimization. For a middle of the pack offense, if the best hitter is #2, do you keep the highest slugging % in the 4 spot or move it up to 3? Isn’t the 4 spot still likely to come up more with men on base? Thanks |
| 12:24 |
: Depends.
|
| 12:25 |
Hey Dan. What do you see for me ROS? Somewhere between the good and horrible years I’ve had or am I doomed? |
| 12:25 |
: I thinK Bruce will be OK. Not *great* but at least adequate.
|
| 12:25 |
Miguel Sano is starting to heat up…any projection of him coming up in a month if he keeps this up? Not like they have anyone of value at 3B. And it might sell some tickets. |
| 12:25 |
: Given the time he’s missed, I dont’ think there’s any real benefit to rushing him.
|
| 12:26 |
: He’s also been ragged defensively down there. See if he rakes at AA and then send him to AAA.
|
| 12:26 |
: It’s not like Plouffe shas stunk
|
| 12:27 |
Does Chris Johnson make the Bucs better? Relatively cheap. Neither Harrison or Alvarez can hit lefties. |
| 12:27 |
: No. There’s the little problem of Chris Johnson being worse defensively at third than Alvarez is.
|
| 12:28 |
: I think I’d take Miguel Cabrera at 3rd actually.
|
| 12:28 |
Would a Dom Brown promotion to Philadelphia be an improvement, neutral, or who cares? |
| 12:28 |
: A who cares. Fact is, he’s not even hitting at AAA now.
|
| 12:29 |
: If anyone ever needed a new organization, it’s Brown.
|
| 12:29 |
Wasn’t Machado a way better defender than Correa even in the minors? |
| 12:29 |
: Yes
|
| 12:29 |
: But the O’s had other options and were super quick to move him off
|
| 12:29 |
: I think the Astros will take a wider view than Blatimore did
|
| 12:29 |
Feel like MLB is scrambling to spin off MLBAM before the next CBA so players can’t try to claim some of that money for themselves? |
| 12:30 |
: Anything MLB does is to screw players over. That’s just how they roll.
|
| 12:30 |
As a Smyly/Tanaka/Wainwright/Stroman/Verlander owner in a 20-teamer, should I just head into rebuild mode? Somehow I am in 2nd place though (thanks Mookie and Marisnick) but I can’t see keeping it up |
| 12:30 |
: Ouch – I’d look to rebuild.
|
| 12:30 |
sup Dan? Am I the closer now or is McGee a must own handcuff? |
| 12:31 |
: I still suspect McGee gets the closer job back when The Box Factory has a rough patch.
|
| 12:31 |
What would a Julio Urias ZiPS projection look like? Awesome or really awesome? |
| 12:32 |
: His ZiPS earlier looked pretty excellent for such a young player
|
| 12:32 |
Kyle “Klobb” Lobstein. Heh heh. |
| 12:32 |
: Ah, the Goldeneye version of a staple gun
|
| 12:32 |
How meaningful is “speed off the bat” as a hitting metric? If a player is leading the team in balls hit 95+mph, but is hitting 260 with 2 HR, what is this metric telling you? |
| 12:32 |
: I think at this stage, we’re still figuring out what this data actually *means*. RIght now, it’s just cool stuff.
|
| 12:33 |
Hey dan what do you see from Leonys Martin this year? Thought he’d be a solid .275 8/50/30. Too generous or is he just slumping like seemingly everyone on Texas? |
| 12:34 |
: Too generous, at least in the BA
|
| 12:34 |
Michael Saunders: not that good, or being marginalized? Your thoughts on the Toronto edition of this conversation? |
| 12:34 |
: I think he’s fine, but he’s not very durable
|
| 12:34 |
It’s been reported that Everth Cabrera has 5 years of service time and can’t be sent down, even though his BR page shows 4.1 years of ST. I know BR isn’t exact but that seems like a huge discrepancy. Possible that Boras is trying to snow the Orioles into rostering him through misinformation or something? It’s weird. |
| 12:34 |
: It’s actually not a discrepancy
|
| 12:35 |
: Those decimals aren’t actually decimals, they’re days
|
| 12:35 |
: 4.179 is one day short of 5.
|
| 12:35 |
: He was at 4 years, 144 days in the spring.
|
| 12:36 |
: That’s 36 days short of 5 years, not 85.6% of a season.
|
| 12:36 |
Does Zips say anything about Jameis Winston? |
| 12:36 |
: No
|
| 12:36 |
Is Semien going to lose playing time if he keeps up the errors or will the A’s find a place for him? |
| 12:36 |
: The A’s are creative.
|
| 12:36 |
Talking about Steve Pearce, that BABIP is lower than his LD% how much bounce-back could be expected? |
| 12:36 |
: He’ll be more or less fine
|
| 12:37 |
Giving a foul ball to a kid is only required if the kid is yours. If a kid acts like they deserve the ball for being a kid, don’t give it to them. |
| 12:37 |
So–I still don’t know the difference between the A-ball levels! Are players at A- usually younger than those at A and A+? Is it a step up each time to go from A-, A, A+? Do they all play the same number of games? |
| 12:37 |
: It’s a step up.
|
| 12:38 |
: The high-A leagues play 140, the short-season ones a little over half that
|
| 12:38 |
Jeff Sullivan agreed with a poster (offhandedly in his last chat) that A-Rod is a top 5 all-time player. That’s a little high, isn’t it? I could see arguably top 10, depending how you adjust for era. |
| 12:39 |
: I probably wouldn’t call him top 5
|
| 12:40 |
: Just to be top 5 in hitters, A-Rod has to be better than one of Ruth, Bonds, Mays, Aaron, Cobb. And that’s assuming you have him past Williams, Hornsby, Musial, etc.
|
| 12:40 |
: I *might* be able to argue him getting to 10th among position players, but 5th among everybody? No way
|
| 12:40 |
Harper is on pace to hit -1 home runs today, OH NO |
| 12:40 |
Hey Dan. Best NA stash for this year only please. Franco, Buxton , Seager, Gallo, Sano, Medlen, Beachy. How do you like that order? |
| 12:40 |
: Gallo I think.
|
| 12:41 |
will jesus montero ever make the pineda/montero swap the least likely trade to ever pan out for both sides? |
| 12:41 |
: No.
|
| 12:41 |
Strasburg or sale not dynasty |
| 12:41 |
: Strasburg in the better position.
|
| 12:41 |
Danny Salazar’s career WAR is more than half of Luis Salazar’s career, already. Take that Luis! And you played for 13 years! |
| 12:42 |
With the Mets looking contender-y, did they screw the pooch by signing Cuddyer? It leaves them no room to make any moves unless someone in the OF gets injured. |
| 12:42 |
: I thought it was a lousy signing before and the fact he’s not actually hitting isn’t going to make me like it more.
|
| 12:42 |
Semien’s 2HRs vs. King Felix an indication of anything? I wonder how many have 2HRs off him? |
| 12:42 |
: No
|
| 12:43 |
Is Jake Lamb better than Tomas at 3b? |
| 12:43 |
: Defensively, I think so.
|
| 12:43 |
Masterson doesn’t seem like a candidate to close, but could you see him becoming a top tier setup man again if he continues his woes as a starter? |
| 12:43 |
: Not really
|
| 12:43 |
Even if Corey Seager rakes all year long, he’s not coming up til 2016, right? |
| 12:43 |
: They have a bit of a logjam right now, I dont’ think the Dodgers have any need to rush him
|
| 12:43 |
More value this year: Rodon or Sydergaard? |
| 12:44 |
: I think Rodon simply because I don’t trust the Mets with Thor.
|
| 12:44 |
O’s roster crunch continues and they may have to DFA an outfielder at some point this year. Who do you choose to DFA if you’re them: De Aza, Lough, Snider, Pearce or Paredes (infielder but mostly being used as a DH). They all seem unusually close in talent/utility. |
| 12:45 |
: When he’s hitting like this, you’re obviously not going to DFA Paredes.
|
| 12:45 |
: I still have more confident in Pearce going forward than Young
|
| 12:46 |
: Either Lough/De Aza the most likely to get DFAed
|
| 12:46 |
: The issue is that they have similar skillsets – how many lefty 4th outfielder types do you really need?
|
| 12:46 |
should i grow a man bun? |
| 12:46 |
: Seems a little too trendy.
|
| 12:46 |
: You can grow a man bun ifyou’re absolutely ripped though.
|
| 12:47 |
: If you look like Khal Drago shirtless, go ahead. Otherwise don’t
|
| 12:47 |
Is Christian Yelich overrated? |
| 12:47 |
: I think he’s rated.
|
| 12:47 |
Who do you prefer for remainder of the season? Nathan Eovaldi or Shane Greene? |
| 12:47 |
: Eovaldi honestly
|
| 12:47 |
Generally, how are ZIPs and Steamer predictions calculated – some kind of formula? |
| 12:48 |
: Can’t tell you anything about Steamer. ZiPS is a whole set of interlocking algorithms and processes, not some formula you bang out.
|
| 12:48 |
why do people go crazy for beer/whiskey/wine? i dont see people trading hummus on the internet |
| 12:48 |
: It’s not like there’s a whole lot of difference in hummus preparation.
|
| 12:48 |
What is the history of dividing A ball into different levels? Did it used to be only A/AA/AAA, and as systems got bigger they split A-ball into tiers? That history might help STIVo. |
| 12:48 |
: There used to be a lot more levels.
|
| 12:48 |
: Minor league baseball used to be frigging HUGE
|
| 12:49 |
: Every donky little town had a team
|
| 12:49 |
: There was even a short-lived minor league that had 4 teams, 3 of which were in Duluth.
|
| 12:49 |
Markakis was/is a mistake for the Braves..I see a fit for him and the Angels or Mariners. Do you see any interest being possible by those 2 teams? |
| 12:49 |
: I wouldn’t be interested.
|
| 12:50 |
People felt bad about the B and C designations, so they just made C A-, B A, and A A+. It’s grade inflation but in the minors! (I don’t care that I’m wrong.) |
| 12:50 |
I always pretend I’m going to catch the ball and then let it ricochet wildly of the stands and hope it hits the sniveling spoiled brats in the face. |
| 12:51 |
Odd’s that our 2015 MVP’s will be Trout and Harper? |
| 12:51 |
: It’s very, very possible.
|
| 12:51 |
Is Steven Matz a must stash. Any other current minor league pitchers you would like to have more than him for 2015? |
| 12:51 |
: I actually really like Matz.
|
| 12:51 |
Dan, doesn’t A-Rod get extra credit for being a SS? With positional adjustment he doesn’t make your top 5 hitters list? |
| 12:51 |
: OK then, which one of those 5 is he better overall than?
|
| 12:51 |
Do you think Utley is through? |
| 12:51 |
: Starting to feel that way. He’ll be better, but he may be near the end.
|
| 12:52 |
Rate the following lower end SP: |
| 12:53 |
: Hard to do so – Barry Foote and Butts Wagner weren’t pitchers.
|
| 12:53 |
they’ve taken the hobbits to sydergaard! |
| 12:53 |
Rate the following low end SP ROY: Karns, Frias, Colby Lewis, Hecto Santiago, Lincecum and Corbin Do you like any of them? |
| 12:53 |
: Not particularly.
|
| 12:53 |
What do you expect from Jose Fernandez in 2015 after returning from Tommy John Surgery? |
| 12:53 |
: If his arm is healthy, I think he’ll be pretty darn good. TJ surgeries in which the guy actually is able to pitch again have a really good success rate.
|
| 12:54 |
Any idea what’s going on with Clayton Blackburn? hurt in S/T but it sounded minor, can’t find any news on why he continues not to pitch. |
| 12:54 |
: Didn’t he pitch this week?
|
| 12:54 |
: Hold on, let me check
|
| 12:55 |
: Yeah, he pitched on Saturday
|
| 12:55 |
Steven Souza droppable in 12-team H2H? |
| 12:55 |
: Yes
|
| 12:55 |
Chances Colon wins the cy young? |
| 12:55 |
: Pretty low.
|
| 12:55 |
is Billy Burns another version of Peter Bourjos? Which would you rather have? |
| 12:56 |
: Rather have Bourjos
|
| 12:56 |
Maybe Maikel Franco is in the “who cares” camp about his callup too, like Dom Brown. But do you expect Franco to be good when he’s called up? |
| 12:56 |
: I think he’ll be OK, but nothing amazing
|
| 12:56 |
So help me god, if ZiPS is calculated using math I will lose my freaking mind. |
| 12:56 |
Where would you put expansion teams if they added 4? 6? |
| 12:57 |
: Charlotte and New York, I think
|
| 12:57 |
: or possibly Montreal and New York.
|
| 12:57 |
: But I doubt MLB goes back to Montreal that quickly
|
| 12:57 |
Is McCutchen going to turn this season around? |
| 12:57 |
: Yes
|
| 12:57 |
Man, Adelanto was a hole. Glad every donkey team doesn’t have a team anymore. |
| 12:57 |
Assuming Bryce Harper does not sign a deal that buys out free agent years, will he be baseball’s first $400 million man? |
| 12:57 |
: He’s not a bad candidate, especially given how he’s hitting.
|
| 12:58 |
: but I suspect it’ll be someone later.
|
| 12:58 |
Getting really worried about Kemp and his power. Are you worried yet? |
| 12:58 |
: I was never on Team Kemp.
|
| 12:59 |
: I thought it was a bad trade for the Padres at the time and I’ve loudly said that for about 5 months now!
|
| 12:59 |
Best modern movie soundtrack composer is? |
| 12:59 |
: Morricone
|
| 1:00 |
: All-time still Korngold
|
| 1:00 |
: SHOOT THAT WAS FOR LIGHTINING ROUND
|
| 1:00 |
Phil Hughes just landed on my waiver wire. Worth a waiver wire pickup??? |
| 1:00 |
: Yes
|
| 1:00 |
How does the Jason Garcia experiment end? Any reason to think he’s actually good? |
| 1:00 |
: Not really – he’s not a great fit for a team like the O’s
|
| 1:00 |
What do you think of Corey Dickerson? Will he be a top 10 OF this season? |
| 1:00 |
: No
|
| 1:00 |
What does Wieter’s next contract look like if he’s never able to play C again as a result of his TJ surgery? |
| 1:00 |
: If he can’t play catcher, he’s not all that interesting.
|
| 1:01 |
In a world where the Yankees let him stay at SS and MLB didn’t suspend him for an absurd amount of time, I think A-rod would amass more WAR than Aaron, so I will replace Aaron from your list with A-rod. Ok that’s a bit of a stretch….. I’ll def. put A-rod in my top 10 position players tho |
| 1:02 |
: But it’s really hard to give him credit for play that never actually happened.
|
| 1:02 |
: If we give A-Rod SS time he was denied, then why not give Ruth advanced medicine he was denied?
|
| 1:02 |
I think Matt Williams is a terrible manager. What’s the consensus on him? |
| 1:02 |
: Meh-minus.
|
| 1:02 |
Fan of ‘Man with No Name’ Trilogy? I ask because Morricone. |
| 1:02 |
: Yes
|
| 1:02 |
If you had to manage a baseball team composed of playable characters in Final Fantasy 6, who plays where? |
| 1:04 |
: Edgar catcher, Shadow shortstop, Strago DH, Sabin LF, Cyan 1B, Locke CF, Relm 2B, Setzer P, Umaro RF, Mog SS,
|
| 1:04 |
: Need a 3B
|
| 1:04 |
: Maybe Gau in CF Locke at 3B
|
| 1:05 |
: Oh wait, I used Shadow and Mog both
|
| 1:05 |
: Put Mog at 3rd then
|
| 1:05 |
Why didnt the academy pick Hans Zimmer for Interstellar this year? |
| 1:05 |
: Havne’ tseen it or heard the score
|
| 1:05 |
Sabathia or Hahn ROS? |
| 1:05 |
: Hahn
|
| 1:06 |
Seltzer at SP? Shadow literally has a skill called throw. Coin toss aint the same. |
| 1:06 |
Why not Shadow as Pitcher?! His skill is “Throw” |
| 1:06 |
: Good point.
|
| 1:06 |
: Maybe Setzer as the closer? He throws money, so that sounds like a closer.
|
| 1:07 |
‘Once Upon a Time in the West,’ or ‘The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly?’ |
| 1:07 |
: G, B, U
|
| 1:07 |
Where does Ultros fit in on this team? |
| 1:07 |
: Umpire?
|
| 1:07 |
Better ice cream flavor: Chocolate chip cookie dough or cookies n’ cream? Man, I really want a cookie right now! |
| 1:07 |
: I like cookie dough better
|
| 1:07 |
: Since we’re already going off-topic, time to start the Lightning Round
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| 1:08 |
: For those unfamiliar with the rules, I am *required* to answer *any* question on *any* off-topic so long as there’s no explicit or a work-related reason.
|
| 1:08 |
: and that starts NOW
|
| 1:08 |
Have u seen Whiplash? |
| 1:08 |
: On my to-watch list.
|
| 1:08 |
what brand of pizza |
| 1:08 |
: None. Make my own or go to the indie place nearby that’s quite good
|
| 1:08 |
How many people are in the chat at once? |
| 1:09 |
: About 1000 usually
|
| 1:09 |
Thoughts of Warcraft 3? |
| 1:09 |
: Terrific game. Wish they made a Warcraft 4.
|
| 1:09 |
side boob or under boob? |
| 1:09 |
: Side.
|
| 1:09 |
have you tried poutine |
| 1:09 |
: Yes
|
| 1:09 |
Favorite college football team |
| 1:09 |
: Navy
|
| 1:09 |
Coffee: overrated, underrated or properly rated? |
| 1:09 |
: Overrated, but that’s just personal – I dont’ really like coffee that much
|
| 1:09 |
Best NBA player ever? |
| 1:09 |
: Jordan
|
| 1:09 |
Backstreet Boys or NSync? |
| 1:10 |
: Oh God. NSync I guess, but not out of like
|
| 1:10 |
Toilet Paper: Over or Under? |
| 1:10 |
: Over
|
| 1:10 |
Have you seen the extended-version of ‘Good..Bad..Ugly?’ Eastwood and Wallach added lines to a few scenes…. |
| 1:10 |
: I don’t believe so
|
| 1:10 |
How many questions are in your queue? |
| 1:10 |
: At the worst, a couple hundred.
|
| 1:11 |
Duane Reade won’t sell someone Sudafed more than once in 30 days (to discourage people buying it to make meth) but only 20 come in a pack. Do they have to treat me like a drug addict just cause I’m congested? |
| 1:11 |
: Walgreens wouldn’t sell me Sudafed once when my driver’s license was a week expired.
|
| 1:11 |
: ITS THE EXPIRATION OF MY RIGHT TO DRIVE LEGALLY, NOT AN EXPIRATION OF MY IDENTITY!
|
| 1:11 |
Have you ever actually won a fantasy baseball league ? |
| 1:11 |
: Yes
|
| 1:11 |
Your favorite Derek Jeter girlfriend? |
| 1:11 |
: I don’t honestly keep track of that stuff.
|
| 1:12 |
If you were forced to play one MLB game, what team and position do you pick? |
| 1:12 |
: O’s, 2B
|
| 1:12 |
Awper hand or lucksman? |
| 1:12 |
: Lucksman. My Strange Huntsman is labeled the Stochastic Processman.
|
| 1:12 |
: I’ll get the proof while we do this
|
| 1:13 |
Any hair care tips you’d like to impart? |
| 1:13 |
: Wash it occasionally? I don’t have amazing hair.
|
| 1:13 |
: I mean, my hair’s not bad – I have a flowing golden mane, but I just wash it daily and comb it once in a while
|
| 1:13 |
: Oops, wrong image
|
| 1:14 |
Would you rather eat freeze dried camel liver or raw dog in soy sauce? |
| 1:14 |
: raw dog I think
|
| 1:14 |
:
|
| 1:14 |
PBSS (poopy butt sweat syndrome) or Butt Wipes? |
| 1:14 |
: I like flushable wipes
|
| 1:14 |
Its not Duane Reade or Walgreens, its a federal law. |
| 1:14 |
Best part of ‘The Untouchables’ was the Morricone score (Connery is fun I guess). That film is overrated. |
| 1:15 |
What type of television do you own? car? |
| 1:15 |
: I have a panasonic 60 inch upstairs
|
| 1:16 |
: Two 42 inch LGs and a 58 inch samsung on the wall in my office.
|
| 1:16 |
: I have a 2004 Mazda 6 with 97,000 miles.
|
| 1:16 |
: Fairly old now, but the mileage is pretty low and it’s been very dependable
|
| 1:16 |
Protip: you can’t buy beer in the Yankee stadium bleachers with an expired ID either but they don’t care in the fancier seats. Classism right? |
| 1:16 |
How many errors would you commit in one game as the O’s 2B |
| 1:16 |
: I’d do better at the fielding than the hitting
|
| 1:16 |
Who are you, really? |
| 1:17 |
: Daniel John Szymborski
|
| 1:17 |
Do you play any instruments? |
| 1:18 |
: Piano excellently, organ and tenor recorder quite well, euphonium, tuba, trombone, oboe, clarinet to various degrees.
|
| 1:18 |
Gryffyndor or Slytherin? |
| 1:18 |
: Slytherin.
|
| 1:18 |
Pokemon: Red or Blue? |
| 1:18 |
: Not into Pokemon enough to know
|
| 1:18 |
Charmander, Squirtle, or Bulbasaur? |
| 1:18 |
: Charmander
|
| 1:18 |
Kefka is my umpire of choice. Imagine the chaos |
| 1:18 |
Biting your tongue: just your teeth’s way of getting revenge on your tongue’s sweet, sweet ability to taste things? |
| 1:18 |
: Nervousness maybe?
|
| 1:18 |
Pepsi or Coke? Nacho Cheese or Cool Ranch? |
| 1:18 |
: Coke, Cool Ranch
|
| 1:18 |
Did you play Cities: Skylines? |
| 1:18 |
: I have it but I haven’t played it much yet though I hear it’s sweet
|
| 1:19 |
Classic refrigerator with freezer on top, evenly split down the middle, or freezer on the bottom? |
| 1:19 |
: I have one split down middle. If Galileo is still alive next time I buy a fridge, I’ll get one with a freezer on the bottom because of his annoying tendency to open the fridge and help himself to poorly wrapped food.
|
| 1:19 |
Going to watch the Dota2 international this year? Know you’ve said MOBAs aren’t your thing but its a pretty good spectacle |
| 1:20 |
: I might, not really into it.
|
| 1:20 |
Of all the people you know, who is the most knowledgeable about baseball ? |
| 1:20 |
: That’s a tough one. Maybe Ron Johnson in SABR. Possibly Steve Treder, but I dont’ really *know* him
|
| 1:20 |
Friends or Seinfeld? |
| 1:20 |
: Seinfeld
|
| 1:20 |
What’s the best temperature? |
| 1:21 |
: Indoors 70, outside 67
|
| 1:21 |
would you rather never be able to wipe again or have to pee your pants whenever you have to go? |
| 1:21 |
: Never wipe. I’ll just have to take showers every time I go at home
|
| 1:21 |
If I offered you 2 million dollars in cash to never write another word about baseball, would you do it ? |
| 1:21 |
: 2 million? I think so.
|
| 1:21 |
How long have you been writing for fangraphs? |
| 1:21 |
: I’ve never written anything for FanGraphs!
|
| 1:21 |
Justin Beiber or One Direction? |
| 1:21 |
: Uggh. Bieber I guess. Only one person to snuff out.
|
| 1:21 |
Mac & Cheese: Elbows, Shells, or Spirals? |
| 1:21 |
: Elbows
|
| 1:22 |
Do you prefer the Panasonic or the Samsung? I’ve always had a Samsung |
| 1:22 |
: I like the Samsung
|
| 1:22 |
Knowing Excel a marketable skill if you don’t have formal training in it? |
| 1:22 |
: Depends on the job, at least useful
|
| 1:22 |
You’re located in Ohio yes? going to MITB in June? |
| 1:22 |
: Hadn’t made any plans
|
| 1:22 |
Potato salad or egg salad? |
| 1:22 |
: Egg Salad
|
| 1:22 |
Nike or Under Armour? |
| 1:22 |
: Nike
|
| 1:22 |
Favorite Yankees player Seinfeld cameo? |
| 1:22 |
: Tartabull
|
| 1:22 |
Ever heard UK Gold by Thom Yorke and Robert del Naja? |
| 1:23 |
: I have not
|
| 1:23 |
Are you serious on those instruments? That’s a lot… |
| 1:23 |
: Yes
|
| 1:23 |
So you’re DJ ZiPS? I’d listen to that record. |
| 1:23 |
: DJ Szyzzle.
|
| 1:23 |
Better mountain range: Sierras or Rockies? |
| 1:23 |
: Sierra Nevada due to the necessity of the icepack for CA
|
| 1:24 |
Most frightening moment of your life? |
| 1:24 |
: Possibly when I lost my passport in Toronto.
|
| 1:24 |
Kris Bryant get to 30 bombs this year? Bryant or Soler end up with more? |
| 1:24 |
: He falls short
|
| 1:24 |
Why does Mario wear white gloves? |
| 1:24 |
: All his other gloves were dirtied doing plumbing
|
| 1:24 |
Do you hate answering trade questions in these chats? |
| 1:24 |
: I only answer a few – they’re boring for a general audience
|
| 1:25 |
Secretary of State or Secretary of War? |
| 1:25 |
: War
|
| 1:25 |
Standard Twinkie or Twinkie weiner sandwich? |
| 1:25 |
: Standard
|
| 1:25 |
Nintendo 64 or Genesis? |
| 1:25 |
: Genesis
|
| 1:25 |
R. Wilson worth 120million? |
| 1:25 |
: I think a little high personally
|
| 1:25 |
 Are we sure Ed Hearn wasn’t a software developer?
|
| 1:25 |
: I believe we’re sure
|
| 1:25 |
would you fly to kansas city to see rush and then take in a few royals games? |
| 1:25 |
: Perhaps
|
| 1:25 |
If DJ ZiPS played a club and all 1000 of us chatters were in it, what percentage could legitimately dance to your fat beats? I say |
| 1:26 |
: I don’t have any beats, so probably not a lot
|
| 1:26 |
Talk at the urinal, or stick to your business ? |
| 1:26 |
: If your penis is in your hand, stick to finishing the task at hand
|
| 1:26 |
ALL CAPS or no caps at all? |
| 1:26 |
: no caps
|
| 1:26 |
When you hear “hotboxing” do you think of pot or farting in a tent? |
| 1:26 |
: farting under a sheet
|
| 1:26 |
George Gervin or World B. Free? |
| 1:27 |
: I do not have the requisite knowledgebase to make informed decisions this subtle
|
| 1:27 |
Mario or Luigi? |
| 1:27 |
: Luigi
|
| 1:27 |
What does the chat look like on your end? |
| 1:27 |
: Text
|
| 1:27 |
Why ZIPS and not SZYPS? |
| 1:27 |
: Easier
|
| 1:27 |
What percentage of trade questions posed do you actually answer? |
| 1:27 |
: 10
|
| 1:27 |
Sonic, Tails, or Knuckles? |
| 1:27 |
: Knuckles
|
| 1:27 |
Who’s your doppelgänger? |
| 1:27 |
: Not sure i’ve found one
|
| 1:27 |
bacon or sausage |
| 1:27 |
: Sausage
|
| 1:27 |
If a Democrat and a Republican are both drowning, and you could only save one of them, do you read the paper or eat lunch? |
| 1:28 |
: Eat lunch. Wnat to make sure they know that I see them and am just not doing it.
|
| 1:28 |
R Griffin III worth 120… dollars? |
| 1:28 |
: Perhaps 200, 250.
|
| 1:28 |
Nerd or Dork? |
| 1:28 |
: Dork
|
| 1:28 |
The world ends in 12 minutes. What do you do? |
| 1:28 |
: Drink
|
| 1:28 |
On the bright side: Of all the non-U.S. places to lose your passport, Toronto might be the best. |
| 1:28 |
: Is there a good place to lose your passport really?
|
| 1:28 |
 |
| 1:28 |
Toad, Koopa Troopa, or Baby Mario? |
| 1:28 |
: toad
|
| 1:28 |
Re: World ending: What do you drink? |
| 1:28 |
: Whatever’s closest. Only have 12 minutes.
|
| 1:29 |
: And on that note, time to end this stream for this week!
|
| 1:29 |
why do you purse your lips so often in photographs? |
| 1:29 |
: That’s what I look like
|
| 1:30 |
: As a reminder, you can find me at ESPN.com, chats and projections at Fangraphs, DSzymborski on Twitter, and ZimSmash on Twitch
|
| 1:30 |
best free hat TF2. It’s the gibbus isn’t it? |
| 1:30 |
: yes
|
| 1:30 |
You have 3 bullets and in the room is Hitler, Bin Laden, Mao Zedong and Sadaam. Who dies”? |
| 1:30 |
: I can keep all 3 bullets – all those guys are already dead. I’m not shooting a gun inside a room unless I absolutely have to.
|
Dave is the Managing Editor of FanGraphs.
Is today ask stupid questions day? smh…
clearly you think so