Dan Szymborski FanGraphs Chat – 5/18/15

Dan Szymborski: Live from Szymborskiville, SZ, it’s the Dan Szymborski News Hour! Sitting in for Dan Szymborski is Dan Szymborski, featuring Dan Szymborski and on sports, Dan Szymborski. Also maybe a cat.

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Dan Szymborski: But first off, we start off with an unrelated brawl between presidents.

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Comment From hscer
6’4″ 210 vs. 5’10” 172, how is that even a contest

Dan Szymborski: Check out the Paul Varelans fights in the early UFCs.

Comment From hscer
Bryce Harper, stop doing illegal things. I don’t want you to get arrested for assaulting pitchers.

Comment From Josh G
Who closes in Texas? Tolleson, Kela, someone else?

Dan Szymborski: Think they’ll limp through Feliz for a few opportunities. I think Tolleson’s the most likely to grab saves going forward though.

Comment From joey
How many seasons do the Simpsons have left? I want to say they’ll make like 3 more but I thought that 15 years ago!

Dan Szymborski: I’ll say 2 – that’s what they have the voices signed up for without Shearer.

Comment From thoros of myr
bryce harper is the 2nd best player in baseball

Comment From Minty
Do you prefer $3 Thor or $1 Rodon for a dynasty?

Dan Szymborski: Thor’s situation is better – NL, better park

Comment From thoros of myr
but somehow the most impressive thing about Bryce Harper isn’t his talent, but his hair. that is 80 grade hair.

Comment From mymaus
In OBP league Lucroy or Gattis from time Lucroy off DL?

Dan Szymborski: Lucroy

Comment From Tym (@DodgerCentral)
i’m starting think you never wear pants

Comment From hscer
What happened to ZiPS (U)? Is Fangraphs trying to teach us arithmetic?

Dan Szymborski: Dunno, presentation is up to the Davids.

Comment From Charles
When a player is designated for assignment, does the player automatically go through waivers before the team tries to deal him?

Dan Szymborski: No. It’s a 10 day limbo – they have a week of that they’re allowed to place the player on waivers, but the player does not need to pass through waivers to be traded

Comment From ronnie
Are there any young power-hitting 1B that could come up and make an impact this year?

Dan Szymborski: I actually don’t think any will make an impact this year – most of the best 1B prospects are fairly low in the minors. Neither Greg Bird or Matt Olson are playing all that great (and Bird would have trouble with Teixeira and A-Rod both playing well)

Dan Szymborski: Now Dan Vogelbach is having an awesome bounceback season, but where does he play? He’d need a trade, most likely to an AL team.

Comment From Cole
Let’s say a player existed who was an above average SS whose only skill at the plate was fouling off pitches at an amazing rate. How many pitches/PA would he have to average to be a big leaguer. What interesting ways would you use him?

Dan Szymborski: He’d need a *lot* of pitches. Depends on how bad he is

Comment From Tym (@DodgerCentral)
Can someone tell Clayton Kershaw to get his stuff together, i’m tired of hearing it from Dodger fans who don’t know advanced analytics

Dan Szymborski: He’ll be fine.

Dan Szymborski: Anyone who’s dumb enough to think that Clayton Kershaw has less control over balls hit into play than non-hitters getting an appearance at pitcher, they deserve to live in the intellectual hell that their life consists of.

Dan Szymborski: Again, saving the off-topics for the Lightning Round.

Comment From hscer
They already said they won’t even kill off Burns, but couldn’t you get a few episodes out of Smithers trying to run the plant. (Yeah, Shearer did that voice too.)

Comment From Josh G
Odds Coshek gets the closer gig back? Could the managerial change have any effect on this situation?

Dan Szymborski: I think he has to pitch well for a significant period of time.

Comment From Woody Barrelson
Good Sir! I present to you today the opportunity to own two of the following three starting pitchers on your very own fantasy baseball team. Which two do you select: Alex Wood, John Lackey, or Matt Shoemaker?

Dan Szymborski: The first two – Shoemaker worries me. As you’ve presented me the opportunity, and you are not in any of my leagues (that I know of), you are required to release both pitchers so as to at least fulfill the part of the bargain in which you no longer employ either.

Comment From Syndergaarden Cop
Hey Dan! In a weekly AL-Only league, would you roll with Leonys Martin or Adam Eaton? Eaton showing signs of life but both have been wretched all year

Dan Szymborski: Eaton.

Dan Szymborski: Assuming you mean the centerfielder, not the retired pitcher because you are in a 75-team league.

Comment From Matt
Chances of a Olivera/Seager left side of infield by August 1 for the Dodgers?

Dan Szymborski: Fairly low.

Comment From joey
Speaking of DFA. Do you think a change needs to be made? It seems really unfair to the marginal players that go through DFA limbo sometimes a few times within one month. I can’t imagine sitting for ten days, getting claimed, playing for 3 days then sitting for ten more days until someone else claims you can be good for your career.

Dan Szymborski: It’s necessary – the waiver system works well

Dan Szymborski: I don’t think the time missing is a big deal. And remember, given that the claiming team will have to put you on the 40-man roster to keep you, a marginal player (and they’re marginal – Trout doesn’t go through waivers) may very well do better than becoming a street free agent

Dan Szymborski: And it’s better to go to a team that wants you on the 40-man rather than a team trying to remove you!

Comment From hscer
Danny Espinosa: O-Swing% and SwStr% about in line with his 103 wRC+ season in 2011. Just had his first 2015 HR that Hit Tracker had out of 30 parks and says was more than “Just Enough.” Yet, 5 total HR and a 130 wRC+. I keep waiting for the other shoe to do its thing.

Dan Szymborski: Shoes will drop. That’s what gravity does.

Comment From STiVo
One of these years, I fully expect Mike Trout to say “I did a little work on my throwing arm in the offseason,” and then he has an 80-grade arm. Nothing would faze me with him.

Dan Szymborski: “I’m tired of hitting. So I developed a 108 MPH fastball this offseason and a slider that phases out of normal spacetime this December.”

Comment From Hulk Hogan
Would you trade Max for Harper if your rotation left was Kershaw, G Cole, Rodon and Thor with Porcello on the

Dan Szymborski: If Harper’s a significant upgrade, I would in that situation

Comment From L. Scott
Will we ever call the Heyward/Miller+ swap a good deal for both teams? Because right now the Braves totally performed grand theft on the Cards.

Dan Szymborski: I think it was a reasonable deal at the time. Hasn’t worked out great for the Cards yet.

Dan Szymborski: I’m growing increasingly concerned that we never see Heyward’s offensive upside again.

Comment From hscer
players most overrated player = young guy who hasn’t “done anything” yet?

Dan Szymborski: You don’t want to try an analyze player opinion polls.

Dan Szymborski: SI did a player poll a decade ago that asked about the Greatest Living Player. 10% of players said Babe Ruth.

Comment From Mikes Dad
Do you think the adjustments Danny Espinosa made to his swing are legit? Chances he can hit even 260 the rest of the way?

Dan Szymborski: Consider me sketpical.

Comment From JohnnyFive
Any reason to keep DeSclafani around as a cheap keeper in a deep mixed or do you think that there’s likely better streaming options out there on the wire? My gut says I won’t regret dropping him as we’ve seen the best.

Dan Szymborski: I think he’s a streaming candidate.

Dan Szymborski: Unless your league is *very very* deep, there are probably equally good options

Comment From Bart
Will Alex Guerrero be stuck in a platoon the entire season with the Dodgers cluttered OF or will someone be traded at some point to get him more playing time?

Dan Szymborski: I don’t think the Dodgers mind having the depth.

Comment From Maxamuz

Harper has a bionic eye.

Comment From Reginald Denton III
Carlos Santana’s plate discipline is better this year, yet his AVG, ISO, SLG, etc. are all down. Is it just a matter of time until he starts producing?

Dan Szymborski: I’m at least mildly concerned – I think he’s bordering on that Jeremy Hermida level of passivity at the plate

Comment From Dingus
Hey Dan – Gun to your head, can you say a few nice words about Jose Iglesias?

Dan Szymborski: Gun to my head, I can say a few nice words about Adolf Hitler. If you’re going around coercing statements about baseball players like this, you really should be institutionalized.

Comment From Reginald Denton III
When do the Red Sox get rolling again? The offense has really been struggling lately.

Dan Szymborski: All the AL East teams will have bad periods – none of the AL East teams are all that exciting really. Al l have serious holes

Comment From bird watcher
So the Trop has vaulted to near the top in ESPNs latest park factors. So presumably park factors doesn’t just have to do with how hitters fare there vis-a-vis other parks, it has to do with the quality of pitching. The AL East is short on pitching and Price, Cobb and Smyly are all better SPs than their substitutes. Did I get it wrong (again)?

Dan Szymborski: That’s not how park factors work.

Dan Szymborski: And you shouldn’t give a crap about 6 weeks of park factors.

Comment From Jimbo
Can Yunel Escobar keep this up? Or is this just a prolonged hot streak?

Dan Szymborski: Hot streak

Comment From Scioscia lpath
Calhoun in cleanup makes him more or less valuable in an OBP league?

Comment From Reginald Denton III
Are you in favor of the DH in both leagues? Sunday Night Baseball made a good point about that last night — it would eliminate the fun managing that we get to see in the NL, and a lot of bench players would go a week or more between at-bats.

Dan Szymborski: I’m DH-neutral – I grew up watching both AL and NL games (my cable system had TBS, WGN, WWOR, and to subscribe to O’s, Home Team Sports

Dan Szymborski: I do think the NL will eventually adopt the DH – this was slowly set in motion by the debut of interleague play

Comment From Guest?
Sell high on Semien in 5×5 (have kang/alexei to replace)? what kind of pitcher could i target?

Dan Szymborski: You’d need to get a good pitcher – fantasy doesn’t care that Semien that he’s not a good SS.

Dan Szymborski: I’d actually love to see fantasy league start incorporating one of the defensive stats. Gets rid of one of those fantasy loopholes like Chris Davis at 3B for a whole year

Comment From mtsw
Any reason to think Mike Wright’s awesome debut against the Angels yesterday wasn’t just some awesome fluke?

Dan Szymborski: Well, he’s not this good of course

Dan Szymborski: ZiPS actually liked him a good deal better before 2014 than before 2015 – he didn’t pitch very well at AAA last year

Comment From Cameron Maybins offense, early season luck, or do the metrics support his offense could keep afloat to make him valuable with his defense?
Dang it, don’t know the new system, the above heading is my question?

Dan Szymborski: I have no idea

Comment From Josh G
Are draft picks literally the only thing that can’t be traded? I heard yesterday that a broadcaster was once traded for a player!

Dan Szymborski: You can trade all sorts of things.

Dan Szymborski: Subject to approval by the commish

Comment From adam
when do we trust clay buchholz

Dan Szymborski: When he stops breaking your heart.

Comment From Matt
Has Shelby Miller been the best pitcher in the NL thus far?

Dan Szymborski: I would say yes.

Comment From John
Just picked up M Franco. Can I trade Kyle Seager for some pitching?

Dan Szymborski: I don’t think Franco makes Seager dispensable

Comment From mtsw
Pollsters have done experiments asking about opinions on made up laws and usually find that 1/3rd of the public will offer opinions on them anyway. What percent of players do you think would profer opinion on made up layer if asked?

Dan Szymborski: 10%-20%

Dan Szymborski: Push-polling can do a lot

Comment From Homer
Will Gregory Polanco ever be a league-average hitter? I’m starting to think I should look to trade him while he has value

Dan Szymborski: I think he will be, but I’m getting a little concerned

Dan Szymborski: Still a small sample but he doesn’t *look* like a guy who is making adjustments well

Comment From Kevin
So Mike Wright? Could he be a solid back end arm ROS?

Dan Szymborski: OK, I’m back! The power went out for 5 minutes

Dan Szymborski: My PC boots fast (SSD), but it still takes the router and modem a few minutes

Comment From Travis
Think Andrelton Simmons can keep up his 104 wRC+? Just being a league average hitter should make him one of the elite SS in the game, right?

Dan Szymborski: I think he can and I think he will be.

Comment From tanak
Could you say that Bryce Harper’s ultimate upside is the greatest player who ever lived? Is that at all possible?

Dan Szymborski: That’s a bit too high. I think Trout has that upside.

Comment From mtsw
Is Coors Field enough to turn the Phillies’ offense into an average-level offense tonight?

Dan Szymborski: Well, it wouldn’t make them actually average, but it could make them look that way.

Dan Szymborski: The 2013 Rockies were 2nd in the NL in runs with a team OPS+ of 91

Comment From Dingus
Hey Dan – Without a gun to your head, sword at your back, knife at your throat, etc – Can you please say a few nice words about Jose Iglesias?

Dan Szymborski: Again, if you’re threatning him, I’ll call him better than Ruth. I’m not dying to avoid saying an incorrect baseball analysis.

Comment From mtsw
Fangraphs has the Indians (9 GB) as more twice as likely as the Orioles (4 GB) to win their division. This seems insane to me. At -200 odds would any sane person bet the Indians finish fewer games back in their division than the O’s?

Dan Szymborski: But that’s not actually the bet. The O’s have more competition.

Dan Szymborski: Though I don’t think ZiPS is that generous

Comment From Josh G
Would you roll with the red hot Paxton at Toronto this week? The Blue Jays destroy lefties? Is he a sell high?

Dan Szymborski: I would not

Comment From John
looking at the trade ideas for tulo, how is that worth it? all offseason, this site was about hamels as not being valuable, but tulo (hurt) will cost 3 top prospects and all the money? that doesn’t seem crazy to anyone else?

Dan Szymborski: Essentially, I would have little interest in dealing with the Rockies – I think in some ways, the team — fueled by ownership — is even more deluded than the Phillies

Comment From GSon
Competitive Balance Draft Picks can be traded..

Comment From Jeff Bannister
Thoughts on Delino Deshields Jr? People have questioned his attitude in the past but has been on fire for Rangers. How much playing time do you think he’ll continue to get once Hamilton gets there?

Dan Szymborski: I think he’ll lose playing time because he won’t play as well as he has. But if he doesn’t regress, the Rangers will fine the PA for him

Comment From GSon
Barry Bonds was exonerated from the charges (obstruction) last week. Does a lawsuit from him make MLB stand up and be accountable for their complicity in the use of PED’s during this murky/sad era?

Dan Szymborski: I think they need a smoking gun to get an arbitrator’s ruling.

Dan Szymborski: While I *believe* that Selig did whisper behind the scenes to stay out of the Barry Bonds market, they’d need actual proof

Dan Szymborski: If they have a witness that can testify to that, they haven’t revealed him/her

Dan Szymborski: Right now, the case is essentially “Come on! He hit 276/480/565 and we offered to play for the minimum. Julio Franco got job offers until he was nearly 50!” While that’s convincing from a logical standpoint, you need to connect the dots

Comment From dannew
Lightning round – just started hearthstone – easiest class to get to lvl 20 and which class benefits most from getting the Naxx cards?

Comment From GSon
35 years ago today.. Mt St Helens erupted with damaging consequences… Does a blast from Giancarlo’s bat have a similar amount of power?

Dan Szymborski: I like Giancarlo, but I do not think his bat has the ability to kill the Marlins 750 fans with toxic gases and molten rock.

Comment From Nick
Is Dickey not good anymore? He was so good with the mets, and has been pretty meh since joining the jays

Dan Szymborski: I actually think he’s toast. I thought he could hang on as an above-averageish innings eater but he’s been legitimately awful this year

Comment From mtsw
Bud Norris a DFA candidate given his struggles, O’s roster crunch and seemingly appealing arms elsewhere in their system?

Dan Szymborski: May get shunted to the bullpen but the O’s aren’t the DFA type.

Comment From Josh G
Higher career ceiling, Jimmy Nelson or Wily Peralta?

Dan Szymborski: At this point Nelson – this time last year I would have said Peralta, but he’s been backsliding

Comment From Yo-Yo
Matt Carpenter: how real is the power? .291 ISO and 7 HR, when he was at .103 and 8 HR last year.

Dan Szymborski: Unlikely to be a pure fluke, but it’ll come down to earth

Comment From The Oberamtmann
Will the Yankees pay more like the first part of the season or is their true talent closer to the past disappointing week?

Dan Szymborski: I think all of the AL East teams have a “true ability” somewhere between the 79-85/162 mark

Comment From RK
What do you advise for Cleveland? Lindor? Jackie Bradley seems like a good fit there to me but that would mean giving up on Bourn or Swisher.

Dan Szymborski: At this point, I don’t think giving up on Bourn or Swisher is a problem at this point

Comment From 50 cent piece
Is Ian Kennedy and his reduced velocity a long-term problem or a good buy-low candidate?

Dan Szymborski: I don’t think he’s a buy-low candidate. He’s simply a reasonable 3/4 guy.

Comment From Bart
Will Josh Hamilton hit >20hrs for the season when he returns to the majors next week assuming he stays healthy?

Dan Szymborski: No

Comment From Shark
Can someone tell the powers-that-be to fix the Delino Jr. page? and what are the Zips projections for him? Tks.

Dan Szymborski: Posted on Twitter this week`

Comment From Alan
Do you think Kipnis can keep up his year so far? Obviously he isn’t going to keep batting .500, but how about somewhere between .280 – .300 for the year?

Dan Szymborski: Still think he’s more of a .270-.280 guy

Comment From Alan
Do you think Kipnis can be a top 5 or 6 2b or is it time to try and sell high?

Dan Szymborski: I’d sell high simply because of how insane he’s been

Comment From Beaming
How alarmed are the Cards about Jason Heyward?

Dan Szymborski: Mildly

Comment From John
sounds like you need to call the Szymborkiville Pulic Utility!

Dan Szymborski: Szymborskiville did not invest enough in infrastructure. Like Jefferson Starship, I built this city on rock and roll rather than economy of scale, which was a mistake in hindsight.

Comment From hscer
Trout-Mays, Harper-Mantle?

Dan Szymborski: Arguably yeah, but let’s not crown Harper *too* quickly. And I’m not someone who has been hard on him

Comment From hscer
When the Nationals were 7-13, it was okay to be concerned because even good teams don’t go on 15-4 rolls all the time either right?

Dan Szymborski: Yes

Dan Szymborski: I had an argument like this on athleticsnation. Someone was arguing ithat they shouldn’t worry about the A’s and that it just happened that they got their bad streak in April this year instead of August.

Dan Szymborski: As if each team has a magical jar with a set number of streaks and slumps that they can choose to distribute.

Dan Szymborski: Which, of course, doesn’t make the least bit of sense.

Comment From Reginald Denton III
So is Trout really better than the Bryce Harper we’re currently seeing? If so, can you can explain that to me?

Dan Szymborski: Well, if Harper’s a 220 OPS+ hitter, Trout isn’t better, but you can hardly say that a 220 OPS+ is now Harper’s expected baseline.

Comment From Tom
Is Shelby Miller for real?

Dan Szymborski: I’ve seen him pitch, I’m pretty sure he exists

Comment From John
question about zips rest of season projections; the projections now with the (R) mean rest of season, so the expectation is based on whats happened previously and to date this year, player X is projected to hit N more home runs? is that correct?

Dan Szymborski: Rest of season is preseason projection with basic recalculation of the baseline expectation

Dan Szymborski: It’s not as sophisticated as year-to-year zips – there are some shortcuts and kludges so that it can run in the morning.

Dan Szymborski: To do full-on ZiPS, it takes 30 seconds for my i7-3930K to run a projection, so a PC would have to run 7 hours every morning to do that.

Dan Szymborski: And it would require a full-scale re-programming of ZiPS as well. Like PECOTA was when Nate was there, it’s a giant gnarly mess of Excel spreadsheets and third-party data analysis add-ons

Comment From GSon
Do you believe the non-reinstatement of Barry Bonds to a ML team is the point of the lawsuit?

Dan Szymborski: I think it’s a poke in the eye of MLB and I can’t blame Barry.

Dan Szymborski: There’s no point of having “Fuck You Money” if you’re not going to utilize the expletive

Dan Szymborski: (Sorry David, but Darn You Money doesn’t have the same ring)

Comment From John
so thoughts on the GM to Manager transition jennings is having to do? did he decide that himself (since he should be hiring the manager) or does that come from Loria?

Dan Szymborski: I have no idea – nothing has leaked out yet about the process.

Comment From michael
Who will the diamondbacks select with the first pick in the draft?

Dan Szymborski: I suspect — as have others — that ARizona will take Fulmer

Comment From Homer
Don’t meant to be *that* guy, but in order to kill 750 Marlins fans, there would need to be that many in existence! you’re setting up Stanton for failure with your ridiculous assumptions.

Comment From DMB lover
DMB fielding/arm rating for Bryce Harper if season ended now (DRS and UZR/150 are complete opposites)? DMB rating for Marcus Semien if season ended now?

Dan Szymborski: That’s just cheating – I don’t even think about those until February!

Comment From Phil
How come your chats scroll from the bottom up?

Dan Szymborski: AGAIN! Dafuq, power company!

Comment From ER
Freddy Galvis: Best SS by WAR in all baseball. Real or Fluke?

Dan Szymborski: fluke

Comment From Crab People
I can confirm that Dave Stewart was not at Dillon Tate’s latest appearance, FWIW

Dan Szymborski: OK, better wrap this up and go to the lightning round

Dan Szymborski: And then yell ath the power company

Dan Szymborski: It’s not like there’s a thunderstorm

Dan Szymborski: Well, there is, but not a big one and well to the south of me

Dan Szymborski: OK, Time for the Lightning Round!

Dan Szymborski: The rules are that I must answer *every* question, no matter how odd, so long as it’s off-topic. Exceptions for explicit content or things I can’t answer for work-related reasons.

Dan Szymborski: And GO!

Comment From Larry Bernandez
What type of music do you listen to?

Dan Szymborski: Classical music, indie rock/pop. My rock/pop tastes are decidedly hipster. Not into hip-hop or modern country.

Comment From mtsw
Should stock buybacks be illegal? Seems equivalent to paying dividends to investors except that it gets randomly preferential tax treatment

Dan Szymborski: No – they’re simply symptoms of a weak economy without a lot of dynamism. If companies thought it was better to invest elsewhere, they likely would.

Comment From Homer
Do you get paid for these chats? I guess I’ve just never understood why you chat here but don’t write for Fangraphs… although gun to my head you’re probably the best chatter on the site!

Dan Szymborski: I’m paid by ESPN and my bosses at ESPN have given me a lot of latitude to do things with FanGraphs, but there are limits.

Comment From mtsw
Should bike helmets be mandatory? Mandatory for minors only?

Dan Szymborski: Minors only.

Comment From How long can Shelby Miller keep this up? Should I make a play for him or is he merely riding a hot streak? Also Kang, Cozart or Crawford ROS? In what order would you rank them (Points league, limited keepers)?
Your chat are very insightful and informative. Thanks for you, keep up the great work!

Dan Szymborski: Not technically a question and you’re cheating.

Comment From Maxamuz

Comment From hscer
name of your power company?

Dan Szymborski: Dayton Power & Light

Comment From hscer
I have Fear of Music on right now – Yea or nay?

Dan Szymborski: I enjoy the Talking Heads, unless this is a band with a name based on the album that I’m not familiar with

Comment From L. Scott
Have you ever felt a lightning strike meaning were you ever THAT close to a bolt of lightning?

Dan Szymborski: Never felt – closest I’ve been was in a car

Comment From DMB lover
Rush, The Police, or Oingo Boingo?

Dan Szymborski: Police

Comment From Sean
If you could have any one experience, what would it be?

Dan Szymborski: Ominpotence?

Comment From steve
have you seen mad max

Comment From steve
the new one

Dan Szymborski: No

Comment From hscer
Best economist, living or dead (besides Dave Cameron, obviously)?

Dan Szymborski: Lots of editing to Adam Smith, but he provided the biggest leap forward in economic thought.

Comment From hscer
Favorite Mitch joke?

Dan Szymborski: They say that the recipe for Sprite is lemon and lime, but I tried to make it at home, there’s more to it than that.

Comment From Josh G
Have you ever been to Milwaukee? Enjoy it?

Dan Szymborski: Yes, moderately. Good sausage.

Comment From vilnius b.
please don’t yell at the power company; I used to work for a power co. as a CSR we don’t have control over the weather? Does anybody?

Dan Szymborski: It is 77 and sunny outside.

Comment From mtsw
If you were to develop a prestige TV series about pro baseball, which era would you set it in?

Dan Szymborski: 1880/1890s. Lots of crazy corrupt characters

Comment From hscer
Did you ever live in an area “serviced” by Pepco for its power needs?

Dan Szymborski: I have not.

Comment From JJP
Why aren’t there more songs about rainbows?

Dan Szymborski: Actually I’m under the impression that there are so many songs about rainbows and what’s on the other side. I once saw this documentary with a frog describing how rainbows had nothing to hide.

Comment From dannew
Resending from earlier in case eaten up in queue – if starting hearthstone, what is the best class at lvl 20 and what is the class that benefits most from the Naxx cards.

Dan Szymborski: Hunter

Dan Szymborski: Even with the undertaker nerf, Hunter gets primo value from mad scientist. And haunted creeper is a good sticky minion.

Dan Szymborski: Warlock next in Naxx

Comment From baltic wolf
You like classical and play the piano. Schubert or Dvorak for you?

Dan Szymborski: Schubert

Comment From Ampersand
I like my job but all my friends are leaving it. Do they know something I don’t know?

Dan Szymborski: You should ask them. I don’t know your friends.

Comment From JJP
Should we all boycott almonds to help the drought in California?

Dan Szymborski: I don’t think short-term economic boycotts like this actually work.

Comment From hscer
police or heads?

Dan Szymborski: Talking Heads

Comment From Josh G
Hottest female celebrity?

Dan Szymborski: Hottest is likely Scarlett Johansson but my favorite is Natalie Dormer

Comment From L. Scott
Tallest skyscraper you have climbed via elevator?

Dan Szymborski: World Trade Center

Comment From Jon Snow
Season 5 GOT worst season yet?

Dan Szymborski: Too early to tell

Dan Szymborski: Some of the issue is the source material – Martin was meandering and had trouble moving storylines by this piont

Comment From Brian
Any chance Lohse makes a return to St. Louis? Lots of rumors about him being traded, and the Cardinals could use innings from a starter.

Dan Szymborski: Don’t think so

Comment From papa shango
are you talking about *the* undertaker?

Dan Szymborski: Heh. No, in Hearthstone, Undertake was a 1/2 card for 1 mana that gained +1/+1 every time a minion with deathrattle was played.

Dan Szymborski: It created an issue in which if hunter or zoo got an undertaker in opening hand, every other class would have to be very lucky to just stay alive because of the way it snowballed.

Dan Szymborski: Dealing with a 4/5 on turn 3 is very very hard

Comment From Jeff
Why do you chat here and not on ESPN?

Dan Szymborski: I do participate in the big event chats. I’m a little freewheeling and would have to tone down a bit for a chat there

Dan Szymborski: if I made it a regular thing

Comment From mtsw
Are driverless cars the future? Seems like there’s still a lot of kinks to work out and doesn’t do anything to address other problems of auto dependency.

Dan Szymborski: Yes

Comment From Brian
Superintendant Chalmers: Good Lord, what is happening in there?

Principal Skinner: The Aurora Borealis?

Superintendant Chalmers: The Aurora Borealis? At this time of year? At this time of day? In this part of the country? Localized entirely within your kitchen?

Principal Skinner: Yes.

Superintendant Chalmers: May I see it?

Principal Skinner: No.

Comment From L. Scott
Matchbox, Hot Wheels, or both as a kid?

Dan Szymborski: I had both.

Dan Szymborski: ANd so ends the lightning round.

Dan Szymborski: Goodbye from the Dan Szymborski News Hour! As always, you can find my work at ESPN.com, chats and projections here at FanGraphs, and I am at DSzymborski on Twitter and ZimSmash on Twitch.

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