AL Wild Card Live Chat

7:44	Sheryl Ring: Who will win tonight’s AL Wild Card game? Yankees (55.8% \| 100 votes) A’s (44.1% \| 79 votes) Total Votes: 179

7:44	Sheryl Ring: Good Evening Everybody!

7:45	Sheryl Ring: Let’s wait a few minutes for a few more folks to come in and we’ll get started.

7:47	Sheryl Ring: And away…we…go

7:48	Sheryl Ring: I’m Sheryl Ring, your friendly neighborhood legal analyst.

7:48	Sheryl Ring: Dan will be along shortly

7:48	Sheryl Ring: And Sean Dolinar as well

7:48

Isaac: Hi

7:48	Sheryl Ring: Hi Isaac!

7:48	Confused Englishman: Maybe another poll on who we want to win?

7:49	Sheryl Ring: Who do you want to win tonight’s AL Wild Card game? A’s (59.8% \| 103 votes) Yankees (32.5% \| 56 votes) Neither (2.9% \| 5 votes) Can we skip to the Division Series already? (4.6% \| 8 votes) Total Votes: 172

7:49	Joe: Sheryl, what is your legal opinion on the Dodgers labeling their employees “criminals”

7:49	Sheryl Ring: To quote Joe Girardi, “It’s not what you want.”

7:50	Sheryl Ring: I’ll do a longer piece on this, but if it’s as it’s presented in SI, I’m not optimistic for the Dodgers. Suspensions and MLB discipline could be the least of their worries.

7:50	CamdenWarehouse: as you write more about baseball, how is your Yankee fandom holding up?

7:51	Sheryl Ring: I left Yankees fandom after the Osuna trade. Can’t reconcile it with the presence of Aroldis Chapman.

7:51	Tim: Odds of today being the most HR ever in a single playoff game? I believe this matchup features the highest ever combined total by the two participants.

7:51	Sheryl Ring: Fun fact: the A’s stunk against superhigh velocity (96+ this year). I think it’ll be surprisingly low scoring.

7:52	Frank: If the Yankees lose, MLB HAS to change the wild card game into a best of 3 series next season, right?

7:52	Sheryl Ring: I still like Travis Sawchik’s best-of-two idea. Absent that, there’s no shame in losing to a team that won 98 games. The A’s are really, really good.

7:52	Sheryl Ring: I mean, we wouldn’t be saying the playoff system was broken if the 100-win Yankees lost to the 91-win Indians.

7:53	Astros: Who do we have a better chance of beating?

7:53	Sheryl Ring: I think the A’s, because they can’t bullpen every game. You need some decent starter eventually.

7:54	Matt: What are the odds MLB actually restructuring the divisions and just making it AL and NL like the NBA does east and west?

7:54	Sheryl Ring: 1%

7:55	HankLloydWright: I love the one game wild card! I know I’m in a minority, but it’s fun!

7:55	Sheryl Ring: It is lots of fun. I had no rooting interest in last night’s game, and I had a blast.

7:55	Matt: Doesn’t that make the most logical sense. Top 3 teams win, 4-5 play in game

7:56	Sheryl Ring: Logic would also require a universal DH. But if baseball was logical, it wouldn’t be fun.

7:56	Wireless Joe Jackson: MLB taking any action solely because the Yankees lost would rightly be met with derision and outrage by everyone not a Yankees fan. And probably a lot of Yankees fans too.

7:56	Sheryl Ring: Also, because the Yankees could have avoided this by winning the division.

7:57	Simon: Weird how rarely it is someone mentions the Twins huge mistake giving up on Aaron Hicks…

7:57	Sheryl Ring: Was it really though? I mean, hindsight is 20/20, but Hicks to that point was an oft-injured toolsy CF.

7:58	MickeyMe: Agree that our current WC format works so much better than the old system. The division race really matters now, and this one game winner-take-all offers incredible drama.

7:58	Simon: He was one of their top prospects before Buxton showed up.

7:58	stever20: thing folks forget- the gap between Rockies/Cubs was 1 game greater than the gap between the A’s/Yankees. Don’t hear many folks crying about how unfair it was for the Cubs quite frankly….

7:58	MickeyMe: Logic does NOT require a universal DH. It requires no DH anywhere, assuming you want actual athletes playing the game.

7:58	Sheryl Ring: Your logic is flawed, Mickey.

7:59	Guy Smiley: The current Wildcard format rewards division winners appropriately and taxes runners up appropriately. Want out of this game NYY? Win your division.

7:59	Sheryl Ring: It seems that you want the A’s to win, but expect the Yankees to win.

7:59	Sheryl Ring: Interesting!

7:59	Cam: How incredible is it that the A’s are even here? Losing an entire starting rotation but finding a way to get here is quite phenomenal. And anecdotally, if this opener experiment works, it lays some foundations for broader thinking by the masses..

8:00	Sheryl Ring: I have my own skepticism about the opener. Remember, the Rays had a Cy Young contender anchoring their rotation, so it’s not like they did away with starters entirely. That said, I could see the opener replacing teams’ 4/5 starters.

8:00	HankLloydWright: Are you here by yourself, Sheryl? A playoff chat seems like a lot to handle for one writer alone!

8:01	Sheryl Ring: Dan and Sean will be along shortly

8:01	Sheryl Ring: Besides, I can be a one-woman wrecking crew when necessary.

8:01	HankLloydWright: (not complaining!)

8:01	Sheryl Ring: Why thank you!

8:02

Guy Smiley: The advantage of the Opener strategy that I haven’t heard anyone talking about is that one of your better relievers faces the top of the opponent’s order the first time around. This means that the erstwhile starter who follows him doesn’t run into the third-time-through-the-order penalty until the bottom of the order the third time through, which can extend his outing since its the bottom of the order and therefore not as tough as the top.

8:02	Sheryl Ring: That is, as I understand it, the entire point of the opener,

8:02	EonADS: I’m glad Sheryl is here. We don’t get enough of her perspective on games, and I feel like she has a lot to offer.

8:02	Sheryl Ring: I am entirely open to praise.

8:02	Stephen: Why isn’t TBS/TNT doing a Statcast broadcast like ESPN last night, that was awesome.

8:03	Sheryl Ring: I personally would love to see a broadcast with Statcast and Jessica Mendoza. YMMV

8:03	Erik: Do you see multi-inning bullpen ace becoming a more prominent role?

8:03	Sheryl Ring: Everything in baseball is cyclical. Multi-inning bullpen aces used to be the norm until Tony LaRussa came along and specialization began in earnest.

8:04	Tucker: Swap Jessica for Eduardo and that’s an A+++++ broadcast

8:04	Tucker: I know it takes her off the flagship station, but wow would that be good

8:04	Devil Ray Jay Johnson: Are any lawsuits challenging baseball’s antitrust exemption actively pending?

8:04	Dan Szymborski: Baseball time!

8:04	Dan Szymborski: Hi Sheryl!

8:04	Sheryl Ring: Re: Devil Ray. Nathaniel talked about that some this year. None with any chance of winning.

8:04	Sheryl Ring: Hi Dan!

8:04	Dan Szymborski: I see you’re keeping the chat intelligent before I ruin it all!

8:04	Sheryl Ring: I am doing a fair imitation of intelligence

8:04

Cam: Sheryl, am I right to feel that the draft is just a horrible, horrible system? I live in New Zealand, where our major sports don’t have drafts at all – players are free to sign where they please. The mere concept of restriction of trade of an adult like the draft imposes on so many sports, must surely be breaking some form of law? It genuinely aggravates me that something like the draft, is so ingrained into fans that they don’t even realize how bad it is.

8:05	CamdenWarehouse: Is this your first chat, Sheryl? If so, welcome!

8:05	Sheryl Ring: The draft is awful. It’s also collectively bargained.

8:05	Sheryl Ring: Camden: Nope. I did one back on Opening Day. But I will accept your welcome anyway.

8:05	Dan Szymborski: I’m not a huge fan of system in which Party A and Party B decide to exploit Party C together.

8:06	Dan: Are we buying Luke Voit at this point? (Not as a 1.000 OPS guy, but maybe an .850 OPS guy?)

8:06	CamdenWarehouse: Cat update, Dan? Dog update, Sheryl?

8:06	Sheryl Ring: Chihuahuas are awesome. And she paws the air at every base hit.

8:07

Stephen: If there wasn’t a draft and everyone is a UFA right out of school when they want to be, how would you handle the Revenue disparity between the Yankees and actual small market teams? More revenue sharing or just limit the pool of money that can be spent like they do with the international kids?

8:07	Dan Szymborski: Galileo’s started on prednisone today for his IBD as it’s been causing him to lose weight.

8:08	Sheryl Ring: The team worth the least is the Rays, and they’re still worth almost a billion. Every team can afford players.

8:08	Dan Szymborski: Cassiopeia still has her cold, I brought her back to the vet as her throat was still sore so she got a shot of prednisone.

8:08	Dan Szymborski: Don’t know where Mercutio is at this moment, but I’m sure he’s doing something dumb.

8:08	CamdenWarehouse: Dan, I’m sorry your stay at FanGraphs will be so short, but good luck as the GM for the Orioles.

8:08	Dan Szymborski: lol, yeah right!

8:08	Zack: Sheryl, do you see a player challenge the draft system all the way to the Supreme court (antitrust exemption) in the next 10 years? In soccer, we had the Bosman ruling in 1995.

8:08	Concrete fan: What is the under/over for innings by Severino?

8:08	Sheryl Ring: Depends on whether or not Kavanaugh is confirmed.

8:08	Dan Szymborski: 5?

8:09	Simon: I hate that TBS is the home of playoff baseball. Why is this allowed to be?

8:09	Dan Szymborski: At least they don’t start everything at :05 and :35 anymore

8:09	Kiermaier’s Piercing Green Eyes: I don’t think I’ve ever been disappointed that ESPN was not broadcasting a game, and yet here we are. Bracing for old men yelling at clouds/bullpenning.

8:10	Brian CashGod: woot finally a chat with Sheryl!! but love you too Dan

8:10	CamdenWarehouse: I think Petriello made the nerdcast last night and he admitted it was a ton of prep work. It wouldn’t be fair to ask him to go do another game and I’m not sure another stat person would do the same job

8:10	Sheryl Ring: Remember – the A’s struggle with elite velo

8:11	stever20: Already a better start for Severino compared to last year.

8:11	Dan Szymborski: See, if I were on the broadcast, I’d just want to do nerd commentary. No graphics planning!

8:11	Dan Szymborski: Not that anyone should want me on a broadcast.

8:11	CamdenWarehouse: at least not yet. balancing stat, context and interesting is hard

8:11	HankLloydWright: Dan, Jeff Francoeur called, but he dropped the phone because he was swinging at it. (The phone is fine because he missed)

8:11	Joe: Dan how are you going to survive another chat after last night’s marathon?

8:11	Dan Szymborski: I’ve done a 14-hour chat before.

8:12	Brian CashGod: wait seriously? 14 hours? were you trying to set a record or something?

8:12	Dan Szymborski: The thing about the moderately self-absorbed is that they can keep talking quite easily.

8:13	Chris: If the A’s pull bullpenning off successfully today and throughout the playoffs, how much of it will we see next year and what will it look like? Like would we see an ace reliever throwing 100+ innings as an opener next year?

8:13	Stringer Bell: Severino looking good

8:13	Dan Szymborski: I think it’ll still be relatively a niche thing. Sheryl?

8:13	Disco is Dead: Sheryl Ring: I have thoroughly enjoyed your posts to Fangraphs and I wanted to say thank you for shining some light on issues that I have been in the dark on!!

8:13	Sheryl Ring: I expect bullpenning to take off among small market teams as a way to keep arb salaries down.

8:13	Sheryl Ring: Thank you Disco! And thanks for reading!

8:13	Rick: Sheryl, I really enjoy your articles, the legal aspect is interesting.

8:14	Sheryl Ring: PRAISE DAN NOW

8:14	Gabe: T/F: MLB should institute a rule (not sure what it would look like) preventing teams from running “bullpen games”?

8:14	Dan Szymborski: I’m better off with some demotivational words.

8:14	Sheryl Ring: The MLBPA should be championing this rule.

8:15	Mike O: Sheryl chatting wowowow

8:15	HankLloydWright: Dan, I really enjoy Sheryl’s articles and it’s nice that you work with her!

8:15	Dan Szymborski: I just don’t know what the rule would be.

8:15	Sheryl Ring: I meant, say Dan is smart, Dan is chatting, Dan is great.

8:15	Dan Szymborski: I would think that murdering the win some more would be just as helpful

8:16	Dan Szymborski: Man, I have to use one of the TVs like a filthy casual; TBS is just not cooperating with me online.

8:16	Vottomatic: Sheryl: After finishing law school i didn’t think there was a single job I’d be interested, so I did something else entirely. You’ve proven me shortsighted and foolish!

8:16	that’s a win for the cubs: DAN IS AGGRESSIVELY OK

8:16	CamdenWarehouse: Dan, i enjoy your inanity

8:16	Sheryl Ring: Do something that makes you happy and makes a difference.

8:16	Sean Dolinar: Hi everyone! I’d be interested to see what rule would limit the opener. I can’t think of anything is off the top of my head.

8:16	Shirtless George Brett: Dan smells of sandalwood and lavender.

8:16	Brian CashGod: Not asking for legal advice, but Sheryl, is it legal to murder if the victim is an outdated statistic?

8:17	Brian CashGod: thank goodness for streams that our resident lawyer would not approve of 😉

8:17	Mike O: Hey Sean!

8:17	Dan Szymborski: I actually smell like Old Spice Swagger. Which has a distinctively ginger smell.

8:17	Dan Szymborski: Hey Sean!

8:18	CamdenWarehouse: we don’t want Dan’s head to get too big

8:18	Sean Dolinar: Swagger is a good scent.

8:18	Dan Szymborski: I already basically have the proportions of a macy’s parade inflatable cartoon character.

8:18	Anonymous: Sheryl is the Nick Markakis to Dan’s Ian Desmond

8:18	Erik: But wins don’t factor into salary negotiations still, do they?

8:19	Dan Szymborski: arbitration

8:19	Sheryl Ring: Thank you, I think…?

8:19	Brendan: Opener not working too well here …

8:19	Sean Dolinar: IP _really_ factors into arb.

8:19	All Rise: What happens when the “opener” sucks

8:19	Dan Szymborski: Well, it’s STILL an opener.

8:19	Dan Szymborski: Now Sean, you guys better be REALLY nice to since he makes like all the fancy gadgets and zoopzaws you see on FG.

8:19	Joe: Judge is good at baseball

8:19	Disco is Dead: Well, Dan, if a zombie apocalypse hits…you’d make for some good food?

8:20	Omega Red: So many old men yelling at clouds right now

8:20	JimTheCarpetLintGuy: Well, Hendriks isn’t going to last long…

8:20	CamdenWarehouse: sigh

8:20	Dan Szymborski: I will go quickly in the zombie apocalypse. Predictive modeling, sarcasm, and ability to play the piano will have little use in that world.

8:20	Brian CashGod: GOOD THING WE HAVE SHERYL, CAUSE COURT IS NOW IN SESSION, THE HONORABLE AARON JUDGE PRESIDING

8:21	Dan Szymborski: Is Sheryl representing the plaintiff or defendant?

8:21	M.Keller: unless you can predict where the zombies will be located, then that would be useful

8:21	Sheryl Ring: I feel like if the defendant was the ball, it was already sentenced.

8:21	Dan Szymborski: But I won’t have a working PC! Or air conditioning!

8:21	Jesse: Should I be able to find the WPA chart somewhere? The page won’t go past yesterday.

8:21	Sean Dolinar: This? https://www.fangraphs.com/livewins.aspx?date=2018-10-03&team=Yankees&d…

8:21	JimTheCarpetLintGuy: I’m new, how does this whole chat thing work?

8:21	Dan Szymborski: People make thousands of comments and we try to answer hundreds.

8:22	AdamZ: Welp a pitcher gave up some runs. The opener is therefore dumb. Starters never give up runs.

8:22	Guest: I just want one postseason free of all the super-rich teams. Is that too much to ask?

8:22	Cam: I don’t know what went faster, that Judge line drive, or the World’s faith in analytics out the door.

8:22	CamdenWarehouse: except cats caused the apocalypse and you are the one appointed to negotiate with them

8:22	Sheryl Ring: Fun fact: The Yankees were not close to the highest payroll in baseball this year.

8:23	Dan Szymborski: The A’s like to use Liam Hendriks earlier because he has a disease that makes it so that he’s still stuck in Australian time and he falls asleep really early.

8:23	Dan Szymborski: The Yankees aren’t really RUN like a crazy large market team these days. A lot of what they have are legacy deals

8:24	Dan Szymborski: The last time they were in top 3 in money spent in an offseason was 2013-2014

8:24	Dan Szymborski: In free agency

8:24	B.Thomps: So very early, but both Wild Card games could be lost by a Hendri(c)ks.

8:24	Dan Szymborski: (That was the Tanaka/Ellsbury year)

8:24	Jesse: @Sean thanks, of course as soon as I ask the question I can’t replicate the issue anymore.

8:24	Anonymous: The argument isn’t against the opener. It’s against using Liam Hendriks in the most important game of your season.

8:25	Nate: What’s the record for most pitches without getting an out?

8:25	Dan Szymborski: Hmm, time for play index!

8:25	Dan Szymborski: Hmm, I don’t think that exact Q works there

8:25	Dan Szymborski: but we can get close?

8:26	Sheryl Ring: That was ugly

8:26	desertfox9139: could have been worse

8:27	Dan Szymborski: This only covers the guys who didn’t ever get an out.

8:27	Dan Szymborski: https://www.baseball-reference.com/play-index/game_finder.cgi?request=…

8:27	Dan Quinn: Yankees win. It is impossible to blow a lead, trust me.

8:27	Jerome Walton: Hendricks and Hendriks losing pitchers for the wild card gamesm

8:27	Sheik Yerbouti: Others on twitter are reporting big issues with TBS stream. Anyone here having trouble? I can’t watch the freakin game.

8:28	Dan Szymborski: Yean, I’m using actual cable TV on one of my office TVs

8:28	Tyler: Trading for Stanton is a high payroll thing.

8:28	Dan Szymborski: True

8:28	Dan Szymborski: I’m not saying they’re mid-market

8:28	NathanLazarus: Yeah, in 2014 they acquired…checks notes…Tanaka, Ellsbury, McCann and Beltran. 3.1 combined WAR this year.

8:28	bobmarleydied: Any guesses on the number of passed balls by today?

8:28	Dan Szymborski: Only tha tthey’re not doing the Yankees LETS SIGN EVERYONE thing

8:28	MikeM: The Athletic today article by Eno and Marc Craig on how the Yankees operate was excellent

8:28	Sheryl Ring: I’m going to say Sanchez allows ZERO passed balls today. Boom.

8:29	JimTheCarpetLintGuy: If I wanted to become a sportswriter for Fangraphs, Baseball Prospectus, MLB.com, or even ESPN, how would I do that?

8:29	Dan Szymborski: Write stuff, be seen, have a niche.

8:29	Sean Dolinar: Write a lot. At at least that’s what Dave Cameron has said regarding this. We have the Community section and people can pitch articles to THT.

8:29	Twins fan: If wishing made it so, Dan

8:29	Sheryl Ring: Be a lawyer!

8:29	Dan Szymborski: It enver will with that attitude.

8:30	Sheryl Ring: Seriously, though, you can do anything with a law degree

8:30	Dan Szymborski: Even build a doomsday laser?

8:30	Dan Szymborski: I’m not talking about the permits and stuff, the science.

8:30	Sean Dolinar: Finding something that gives you a competitive advantage is important. Coding would be my obvious bit of advice…same with wanting an analytics FO job.

8:30	Sheryl Ring: What do you think Clarence Darrow did in his spare time, Dan?

8:31	MikeM: Looks like 1st half Severino has showed up

8:31	HankLloydWright: Sheryl, as a person who is months away from being a lawyer, and has heard a lot that you can do anything with a law degree, do you have any interesting examples? Other than baseball writer of course.

8:32	Sheryl Ring: Rob Manfred is a lawyer

8:32	Brian CashGod: ditto on the TBS stream

8:32	Simon: TBS stream has always been horrible.

8:32	Nate: Are the folks at The Athletic rooting for the Athletics? It only makes sense.

8:32	Sheryl Ring: http://mentalfloss.com/article/30760/30-famous-people-law-degrees

8:32	Apollo: Didn’t Earl Weaver use openers?

8:32	Dan Szymborski: What Weaver did was break starters in as relievers.

8:32	CamdenWarehouse: I just heard the announcer say “Chris Davis” and shuddered. I need to recalibrate for the post season

8:32	Sheryl Ring: My favorite is Andrea Bocelli

8:33	Dan Szymborski: Greg Giraldo was a lawyer!

8:33	NathanLazarus: Is the FG community section dead since Travis left?

8:33	Dan Szymborski: No, look f or stuff soon!

8:33	HankLloydWright: Thanks, Sheryl. I will grow up to be Rob Manfred! Just kidding, I’d rather be representing the MLBPA

8:33	Jkim: You shouldn’t go to law school if your plan is not to practice law or teach IMO. Speaking as a recruiter here

8:33	Disco is Dead: Sean, coding in what languages or familiarity in what technologies?

8:33	Sheryl Ring: Why? Law school is all about critical thinking and logic.

8:33	NathanLazarus: Context for “second-half Severino”: 5.56 ERA, 3.06 xFIP, 76 K/14 BB.

8:34	Dan Szymborski: I was fortunate that I got into the sabermetrics world back when you didn’t really code.

8:34	Dan Szymborski: If I came up today, I’d absolutely need that skillset.

8:34	Sean Dolinar: Analytics: R and SQL also Python. Front end: JavaScript and Angular.js Back end: .NET MVC, AWS At least that’s what I’ve seen in the postings and from Saberseminar.

8:34	Dan Szymborski: I just had a semester of C++ which I mostly showed up hungover to becuase it was a 9 AM class.

8:34	Dan Szymborski: I got a B, but I have no specific memories of actually doing anything in that class, so I’m not sure how that happened.

8:34	Sheryl Ring: I used to root androids. Taught myself rudimentary coding.

8:35	HappyFunBall: Lawyers don’t build doomsday lasers. They DO write contracts that require others to build doomsday lasers or risk eternal financial ruin.

8:35	Will: Any thoughts on getting into plaintiff-side advocacy with the MLBPA? I’d think they’ll need to hire a lot more lawyers pretty soon.

8:35	Sheryl Ring: I was good at rooting, but bad at coding.

8:35	Will: Can we have another law school and baseball chat at a separate time when I’m not living and dying on every pitch for the next 3 hours?

8:35	Sheryl Ring: Good with me!

8:35	Sean Dolinar: Almost all of that you can learn for free on the Internet if you have the time and tenacity.

8:35	Dan Szymborski: The closest I come to being a coder is that I beat Final Fantasy I with four white mages.

8:35	Dan Szymborski: So not that helpful

8:35	Shirtless George Brett: I watched Matlock in a bar, the sound was off but I got the gist of it. Can i be a lawyer?

8:35	Joe: Dan what do you use for zips then?

8:36	Sheryl Ring: Bruce Meyer would be a great mentor.

8:36	Dan Szymborski: A horrible maze of Excel, specialized add-ons, and Statistica

8:36	Rita Meter Maid: Can analytics help me find a good Reuben sandwich?

8:36	PitchClocksPlease: FWIW…if law isn’t for everyone (and it isn’t, I quit after 2 years)…learn to go into business for yourself. Self-employed/small business. If you can support yourself, your truly do have the ability and, if you grow things right, the time to follow any interest and passion.

8:36	Dan Szymborski: Russian > Thousand Island

8:36	Sean Dolinar: I’m picky about my Reubens.

8:36	Sheryl Ring: Caesar > Russian

8:36	Dan Szymborski: But not on a Reuben!

8:36	Sheryl Ring: Says who?

8:36	Dan Szymborski: SOME LAW SOMETHING SOMETHING

8:37	Jkim: Just the opportunity cost & job market-wise. A bit hard to transition once you’re a J.D., although possible. FOr ex. big consulting firms (MBB & The Big 4) all do recruit J.D.s for more experienced (aka associates/consultants) roles but 3 years is a huge opportunity cost as well as tuition

8:37	CamdenWarehouse: Dan steals ZiPS from the ZiPS guy. Doesn’t everyone know that by now?

8:37	Sheryl Ring: I’m picky about my salad dressings

8:37	Sheryl Ring: Caesar makes every sandwich better

8:37	HankLloydWright: Oh no, we’ve moved from law talk to arguing about the proper ingredients of food.

8:37	Dan Szymborski: Thousands Island is sweeter. Russian is tangier and has paprika

8:37	Matt: For those trying to learn python – do yourself a favor and download Anaconda. Jupiter notebooks let you run it piece meal which is great for learning. For R – get R Studio. As an old school R user, I was hesitant to adopt the interface, but boy is it great.

8:37	Brian CashGod: 538 did some fun stats to find the best burritos a few years ago https://fivethirtyeight.com/tag/americas-best-burrito/

8:37	Mike O: Doesn’t it sorta seem as though the wood used for bats is a place teams could improve ? Feels mostly tradition mumbo jumbo

8:37	B. Ryce Hammer’s Luscious Locks: Salad dressing doesn’t belong on sandwiches!!!!!

8:38	Walking Stephen Piscotty: Why is Severino throwing so many sliders all of a sudden?

8:38	Sheryl Ring: Because his slider is good?

8:38	Sexy Sevy: So how real is Luke Voit’s breakout?

8:38	Dan Szymborski: I’d like to see MLB have a minimum bat handle thickness.

8:39	Sheryl Ring: I’m going to guesstimate, based on nothing, that his true talent level is .260/.350/.450-ish.

8:39	Dan Szymborski: I could actually run the prelim projection

8:39	Jonas: i’d like to see non yankee judge with a great big bushy beard

8:39	CamdenWarehouse: Dan is bad influence in chats if you want them to stay on topic

8:39	Monsignor Martinez: the score may be 2-0, but it feels like a blowout already

8:39	Dan Szymborski: I’m a bad influence on everything I’m involved in.

8:40	NathanLazarus: Boo Matt: use Sublime for everything.

8:40	Dan Szymborski: I don’t practice Santeria, I ain’t got no crystal ball

8:40	Sheryl Ring: If Severino’s slider looks like this all night, the A’s are in real trouble

8:40	Thic: Sevy’s secondary pitches are underrated. Especially since he’s not always a guy with a ton of four seam control

8:41	Rita Meter Maid: What’s you favorite stadium to watch a game in?

8:41	Sean Dolinar: PNC Park. Wrigley is my favorite to go to a game, because of the neighborhood and bars around it.

8:44	Pontoons: Sean, what about Target Field? Tons of bars near there.

8:44	Sean Dolinar: I’ve been there. I wasn’t crazy about Target Field. I did a peddle pub tour another time I was in Minneapolis and that was a ton of fun. What I remember from Target Field wasn’t quite the neighborhood feel I got from Lakeview, Chicago.

8:44	Dan Szymborski: “These A’s pitchers are new to the scene.” What, are they doing blow or something?

8:44	Sheryl Ring: This booth is so bad

8:45	Will: “Rooting androids” sounds like something Luke Skywalker did to kill time on Tatooine as a youth

8:45	Sheryl Ring: I may be a girl, but I am a bonafide geek

8:45	Dan Szymborski: BA OBP SLG G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO HP SB CS SH SF + WAR .257 .334 .475 130 421 63 108 19 2 23 73 43 129 7 0 1 0 2 115 1.8

8:45	Dan Szymborski: Voit

8:45	Sheryl Ring: I’ve hacked android phones, Kindles, tablets, iPhones…

8:45	Sheryl Ring: I was pretty close on Voit!

8:45	Dystopian Future: Miguel Andujar just drew a walk and the world is upside down

8:46	Dan Szymborski: ZiPS and you could both be wrong!

8:46	Matt: The Sabercast was great last night. Eduardo Perez has been in a few of those – is he the token ex-player, or does he have a particular interest in the new tools?

8:46	Sadman: Lol Sheryl

8:46	Dan Szymborski: He’s pretty open

8:46	Brian CashGod: Girls can be geeks just as well as guys 🙂

8:46	Jkim: How does Voit project compared to say Muncy ?

8:46	Dan Szymborski: Hey, we’re not leaking all the prelim projections!

8:46	Walking Stephen Piscotty: The A’s gotta stop walking people

8:46	Sheryl Ring: I probably am. I once wrote a projection system when I was 14. It was awful

8:47	NathanLazarus: Hey Sean, thanks for everything you do on the site. You ever notice the >> in the title of the win probability pages rendering as “&raquo” after a few minutes (Windows, Chrome).

8:47	Sheryl Ring: Dan is really smart. He doesn’t get enough credit for how hard what he does is.

8:47	Dan Szymborski: Meh, I just am moderately clever and have a lot of sweat equity.

8:47	MikeM: RELEASE THE KRAKEN!

8:47	CamdenWarehouse: When I first saw the sabercast lineup, I read it a Fernando Perez. I would argue he would be a better ex-player for that broadcast if an ex player is required

8:48	Sadman: is every A’s pitcher going to have to shake off nerves right when they come in?

8:48	Dan Szymborski: The Yankees have a really good offense!

8:48	Will: Jesus dan and Sheryl y’all just go make out already!!

8:48	Dan Szymborski: It’s not like the Rockies, who have 3 good hitters and then a bunch of guys that just showed up.

8:48	Sheryl Ring: I’m married…and lesbian…

8:49	Dan Szymborski: And I want to keep my current girlfriend’s hostility towards me as fairly low-key.

8:49	Matt: Does the ZiPS guy have some extra encryption on his computer? I can’t imagine the work Dan does to steal his ZiPS is that hard.

8:49	Dan Szymborski: You ever try and keep an oubliette hidden from the zoning board?

8:49	Disco is Dead: Dan, RE Final Fantasy. File this away for when you have more time. Check this out, skip ahead to around 6:45 if you lose patience.

8:49	Sean Dolinar: RE: >> I don’t think I coded that, but it’s probably a discrepancy when it refreshes. I’ll take a look at it.

8:50	Dan Szymborski: I had never seen that glitch!

8:50	Max Fisher players: Dan your to blame for my paradox game addiction! Stared with ck2 now look at me

8:50	Ken: Why bullpen this game? Hendriks was so terrible at one point, he was off the 40-man roster. Trivino has been awful down the stretch.

8:50	Dystopian Future: One thing that won’t change is Gary Sanchez’ low BABIP, though.

8:50	Sadman: What’s going on with Gary Sanchez?

8:50	JimTheCarpetLintGuy: Who makes the ZiPS projections?

8:50	Dan Szymborski: The real Dan Szymborski.

8:50	B. Ryce Hammer’s Luscious Locks: what does ZiPS stand for?

8:50	Dan Szymborski: sZymborskI Projection System

8:50	Sheryl Ring: I think he got too pull happy, too swing happy, and had some bad luck.

8:50	Sheryl Ring: (Re: Sanchez)

8:50	Matt: Wow. Missed opportunity for use of “sweaquity”

8:51	Dan Szymborski: No, Jonathan Lucroy was not a great pickup for the A’s.

8:51	Dan Szymborski: If he’s a coach, you’re paying a coach $7 million.

8:51	JimTheCarpetLintGuy: Is that true on the name of ZiPS?

8:51	Dan Szymborski: Yes

8:51	JimTheCarpetLintGuy: Do any of you get a vote for RoY?

8:52	Dan Szymborski: I voted for ROY in 2016, and NL Cy last year.

8:52	Sheryl Ring: Gary’s statcast page is weird. .357 xwOBA

8:52	Sheryl Ring: https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/savant-player/gary-sanchez-596142

8:52	Dan Szymborski: I don’t have a vote this year, Trent rotates the chapter writer award assignments.

8:52	Sheryl Ring: I have no vote for anything of any importance.

8:52	Sheryl Ring: (Except selecting juries.)

8:52	Dan Szymborski: We have 11-12 guys or so in Cincinnati BBWAA chapterso everyone can’t vote every year

8:52	Steve O: Gary Sanchez will be a top ___ C in WAR next year? If healthy.

8:52	Section329: Read Jeff Sullivan’s article on why this may be a good idea for Oakland

8:52	All Rise: Andujar or Torres for the next 5 years?

8:52	Sadman: I’m sad Lucroy isn’t good anymore. 🙁

8:52	Dan Szymborski: Me too

8:52	Sheryl Ring: Torres > Andujar

8:52	B. Ryce Hammer’s Luscious Locks: Thanks Dan, I’m an even bigger fan of ZiPS now that I know you had the cajones to name it after yourself!

8:53	Dystopian Future: Gary Sanchez has had awful luck this year, and his BABIP is down. It’s not some long-term issue, with the caveat of it’s baseball who knows.

8:53	Dan Szymborski: I just wanted it to rhyme with DIPS because it was the first projection system that wasn’t internal to Voros that was utilizing that info

8:53	John: Sheryl: Would Aaron make a good real life Judge?

8:53	Dan Szymborski: I started it as SIPS but that sounded like a hipster restaurant that just serves juice boxes.

8:54	Sheryl Ring: Um…let’s just say I can say with a dispiriting level of confidence that he’d be an improvement in several courtrooms that I’m aware of.

8:54	stever20: since don’t think any chats tomorrow, what are your thoughts on the NLDS?

8:54	Sheryl Ring: Brewers sweep Rockies, Dodgers over Braves

8:55	Dan Szymborski: I’ll post the ZiPS probs in the morning!

8:55	Matt: Sheryl, what are your thoughts on Brett’s gardening ability?

8:55	Dan Szymborski: That’s my feeling too

8:55	Dan Szymborski: Though I think Rockies take a game

8:55	Sheryl Ring: I’m skeptical.\

8:55	HankLloydWright: “we love roy! We lov roy!” – whoever has a vote for roy

8:55	John: Wait, the voters rotate?

8:55	Dan Szymborski: The head of each chapter makes the award assignments and sends them to Jack O’Connell.

8:55	Sadman: Sheryl, how gregarious is Didi?

8:55	Sheryl Ring: Extremely. Have you seen his Twitter account?

8:56	Dan Szymborski: Chapter head typically gets to vote every year, which is fair since they do extra legwork and responsibility that they don’t get paid for

8:56	Lipton: Dan, is Matt and Olson twin?

8:56	CamdenWarehouse: C. Trent is the chapter head? is that safe?

8:56	Dan Szymborski: Trent’s a good dude!

8:56	Sheryl Ring: This broadcast is suboptimal.

8:56	Matt: And what about Neil’s ability to put one foot in front of the other?

8:56	Shirtless George Brett: Sean, on the Royals top 24 prospect page MJ Melendez redirects to Rockies OF Manuel Melendez’s page. It has been driving me nuts for months lol.

8:56	Sean Dolinar: If you are referring to the Top 24 Prospects: Kansas City Royals. Those are fixed. We probably have the wrong id on the scouting data.

8:57	Sheryl Ring: Would be hard to play baseball otherwise, Matt.

8:57	Hugh: @sheryl should we start a drinking game every time they cite RBIs?

8:57	Sheryl Ring: You’d die of liver failure.

8:57	Dan Szymborski: Trent and Jeff Passan were very ehlpful in getting me off my butt and asking to be in the BBWAA

8:57	JimTheCarpetLintGuy: Is ZiPS completely computer generated?

8:57	Dan Szymborski: Yes, though I can TELL it to do something if I’m trying to run a specific scenario

8:57	jj: Sorry, don’t know my stats history: what’s Voros?

8:58	Dan Szymborski: Voros McCracken. He essentially formulated the early theories that led to things like BABIP and FIP

8:58	Nate: Why the lower-case “i” in ZiPS?

8:58	Dan Szymborski: So it looked like CHiPs

8:58	DeanAnna: ZIPS is artisanal. Its Dan with a calculator

8:58	Dan Szymborski: but I didn’t do the s with a lower case the first time I wrote it. Jaffe had already picked it up (this was like 2003) so it just stayed as ZiPS

8:58	larryv: Dan: How do you pronounce “Szymborski”? Uncertainty is mainly about the beginning

8:58	Dan Szymborski: zim-BORE-skee

8:59	Dystopian Future: Is it sad that the thing I remember C Trent best for is when Brandon Phillips flew off the handle at him?

8:59	Dan Szymborski: It WAS pretty funny

8:59	Jkim: Didi in CK2 would get the “gregarious” trait

8:59	CamdenWarehouse: He seems like one of the coolest cats in the beat game, which is why I throw light hearted shade. I wouldn’t if he wasn’t great.

8:59	Thic: Sure feels like there’s not a huge difference in who starts for the Yankees. Tanaka, Severino, Sabathia, and Happ are all good options.

8:59	Matt: Any idea if we’re going to get any more saber-casts? I have trouble believing that FOX would be open to splitting their audience, and not sure TBS has the strength of sister networks

8:59	Dan Szymborski: Not sure

8:59	Sheryl Ring: I’d argue that Severino is a huge difference in terms of pure stuff

8:59	Sheryl Ring: More margin for error

9:00	Sean Dolinar: FOX has before. I think they had a saber-cast on FS1 before.

9:01	Swayed by Sentiment: Emphasis on the bore

9:01	Matt: “Yankees dead last in turning double plays this year” I assume this is volume, because why would they know what a rate is?

9:01	Wireless Joe Jackson: Dan with a calculator? That seems overly processed. I want an all-natural abacus-fueled system.

9:01	Nate: Is it just me or were there a lot of fun breakout players this year? Nick Martini was top 3.

9:01	JimTheCarpetLintGuy: Dan, what’s the origin of your last name?

9:01	Sheryl Ring: Oh yes. Max Muncy!

9:01	Jeoffry: How much damage will this game do to the usage of the opener strategy across MLB if Severino pitches a great game and the Yankees win?

9:02	Sheryl Ring: Teams are businesses who want to hold salaries down. The opener will survive. Remember – the Rays invented the thing, and they would have started Blake Snell in a WC game.

9:02	MikeM: “Severino is a Ferrari, and when you have a Ferrari in your garage — are you going to leave it in the garage for a big game?” – David Cone. Thats why he is starting. His ceiling is way higher than anyone else.

9:02	jonnyzuck: Severino is probably a top 5 pitcher in the AL, he’s easily above the other Yankee SPs unless you heavily weigh his second half

9:03	Dan Szymborski: szlachta family from szymbory. petty nobility (which didn’t mean much in poland really). my dad’s grandfather came over during the Polish-Soviet war in the early 20s

9:03	Shirtless George Brett: If you google Voros the picture that comes up is straight up terrifying. He looks like a serial killer.

9:03	Dan Szymborski: We always tease him about that pic.

9:03	Dan Szymborski: It was on his old ID when he was a security guard

9:03	LSmithfield: Speaking of broadcasts, what’s MLB’s rationale for having tomorrow’s NLDS game 1 on MLBN only? Seems like a great way to not expand audience among young, cord-cutting millennials.

9:03	Sean Dolinar: I think it’s the same idea why the NFL had Thursday night games on the NFL network. I don’t know if one LDS game will move the needle for millennials. It’s also probably because a network wouldn’t pay more than $X for it.

9:03	Jkim: Someone compared Bill James as the Bach of Sabermetrics, and Tom Tango to Mozart then Voros as Beethoven

9:03	Dystopian Future: Didn’t Bryan Price also flip out at C Trent? Poor guy, let’s give him some love.

9:03	Dan Szymborski: Yes

9:03	Ginny: does fangraphs have plans to change up its defensive measurements in the next few years?

9:03	CamdenWarehouse: So will the stats allowed in arbitration be a big point in the next CBA?

9:03	Dan Szymborski: Not that I know of

9:04	Dan Szymborski: Cassiopeia seems to be feeling better, she’s bringing me her plush hedgehog to throw

9:04	Nathan: how many people are tuned into this chat?

9:04	Dan Szymborski: About 400

9:04	Ted in HR: Can we stop calling it an “opener” today? The Athletics aren’t using a SP. This is a bullpen game.

9:04	Dan Szymborski: It’s an opener-middler-finisher

9:04	Sheryl Ring: That’s an interesting question. As I understand it, part of the problem is that arbs are precedential, and the arbitrators aren’t baseball people. The CBA doesn’t specify what stats are to be used in arbs, so my guess is it’s inertia at this point.

9:05	Mike : How many innings do the yankees let severino go?

9:05	kevin: Would you rather, continue with this booth – switch them out for Hawk?

9:05	Dan Szymborski: oh god no

9:05	DeanAnna: Tanaka is great but he struggles when batters are patient. He cant go after them in the zone. Severino has the stuff to do it, thats why I like him best here.

9:05	Dystopian Future: It’s not even some sort of higher ceiling same floor, Severino is legitimately a way better pitcher than everyone else there. He’s no question a top-5 starter in the AL, probably top 10-12 in baseball.

9:05	Dan Szymborski: People overreacted to his summer stuggles

9:05	Dan: Dan, you’ve Polished that explanation to perfection

9:05	CamdenWarehouse: Cassiopeia plays fetch?

9:05	Hugh: @kevin – i’d rather be deaf

9:05	John Sterling: Did you forget me???

9:06	Dan Szymborski: Yes. Usually with her toy hedgehog or hair ties I bought

9:06	CamdenWarehouse: Interesting. So agents could start interjecting more stats (with explanation) and try to change things on their own?

9:06	Sheryl Ring: In theory. But – and I know from experience – few things are harder than changing the methodology of a factfinder.

9:06	Jesse: I would imagine more people here are familiar with James, Tango, and McCracken’s contributions to sabermetrics than those of Bach, Beethoven, and Mozart to classical music.

9:06	Sean Dolinar: I am familiar with the Falco song: Rock Me Amadeus.

9:07	CubsFan: Wildcard game is plain bulls***. Can’t believe such great teams like Oakland and Chicago will get eliminated before the LDS even though they had better records than Cleveland, Atlanta, LA, Colorado who got through

9:07	Sean Dolinar: Win the division?

9:07	Sheryl Ring: I like Handel and Gershwin, but I LOVE Dvorak.

9:08	Dan Szymborski: Don’t get me going into classical music or we’ll never end the chat

9:08	Sean Dolinar: Also talk to the ’93 Giants. 103 wins no post season whatsoever.

9:08	Dan Szymborski: She brings it to me, waits for her pets, and then meows until I throw it again.

9:08	Dan Szymborski:

9:09	HankLloydWright: Dan just lists composers for the next 3 hours

9:09	kevin: Who is the Dvorak of sabermetrics, tho?

9:09	Matt: Sheryl – I was under the impression that somewhere (maybe not the CBA…but where else?) the stats used in arbitration were, in fact, defined.

9:10	Sheryl Ring: Oh, I’m sure there are procedural rules for that sort of thing. But the MLBPA agreeing to the value metrics for its own players whilst eschewing advances in data would be malpractice. Plus, I have seen some agents trying to introduce advanced stats into arbs.

9:10	Sadman: nooooooooo pleeeease lets talk about baseballllll

9:11	Matt: If the Yankees aren’t powering through the offense early, I’m usually falling back on the – wait until they get to the ‘pen. But…uhh…

9:11	Dan Szymborski: It’s still a comemrcial for me!

9:11	Dan Szymborski: Classical music organization is me at my most anal.

9:12	Dan Szymborski:

9:12	CubsFan: Its hard. Brewers and Astros were great. Shouldn’t punish 2nd best team in NL/4th best team in AL for that @Sean Dolinar.

9:12	Sean Dolinar: You should also talk to the 2015 Pirates (2nd in the MLB).

9:12	JimTheCarpetLintGuy: @CubsFan As a Cardinal fan, I LOVED the WC game this year

9:12	DeanAnna: Hot take: if you got in as the second wild card you have no right to complain about elimination game.

9:12	larryv: sounds like more of an argument against divisions

9:12	DeanAnna: Harold Reynolds is the Soulja Boy of SABRmetrics

9:12	CamdenWarehouse: If the Yankees can cite attendance numbers in Betances’s case, then I have to believe other stats could be introduced by agents

9:12	Dan Szymborski: The CBA is specific about legitimate arguments in caes

9:13	Sean Dolinar: Playoff format arguments are always interesting. I think it really depends on what you want to do. As it’s setup now with the goals that MLB wanted (have winning the division mean something big), I think this system is working as intended.

9:13

Dan Szymborski: (c) Admissible Statistics. Only publicly available statistics
shall be admissible. For purposes of this provision, publicly
available statistics shall include data available through subscription-only
websites (e.g., Baseball Prospectus). Statistics and data
generated through the use of performance technology, wearable
technology, or “STATCAST”, whether publicly available or not,
shall not be admissible.

9:14

Dan Szymborski: (b) Evidence of the following shall not be admissible:
(i) The financial position of the Player and the Club;
(ii) Press comments, testimonials or similar material bearing
on the performance of either the Player or the Club, except
that recognized annual Player awards for playing excellence
shall not be excluded;
(iii) Offers made by either Player or Club prior to arbitration;
(iv) The cost to the parties of their representatives, attorneys,
etc.;
(v) Salaries in other sports or occupations.

9:14	Dan Szymborski: and the recent performance record of the Club including but not limited to its League standing and atten21 dance as an indication of public acceptance

9:15	Dan Szymborski: Or really, just go to page 21

9:15	Dan Szymborski: http://www.mlbplayers.com/pdf9/5450407.pdf

9:15	Sheryl Ring: Yup. But that doesn’t mean that wins and IP are the gold standard

9:15	Sean Dolinar: To mitigate the unfairness the the 2018 Cubs, 2015 Pirates and 1993 Giants faced, you’d have to eliminate divisions and leagues.

9:15	Sheryl Ring: Those are just procedural evidentiary rules

9:15	JimTheCarpetLintGuy: Dan, how did you get your job a Fangraphs?

9:15	Dan Szymborski: I discussed it with the owner!

9:15	Sheryl Ring: That we avoid advanced metrics in arbs is just inertia

9:16	thequietclam: Sheryl, does Hicks hit one to the Styx this game?

9:16	CamdenWarehouse: Someone get Jeff to start chatting so he won’t make more Martini puns on Twitter

9:16	Dystopian Future: Dan, I’m gonna need a spaghetti update

9:16	Dan Szymborski: I had a cheesesteak today so no spaghetti

9:16	Poised: Will “SP” still exist in 20 years? Or will every pitcher just be “RHP” and “LHP”

9:16	Dan Szymborski: I think they will.

9:16	Sheryl Ring: See, the worst part about language like that in the CBA is that it’s used to (incorrectly) say the CBA states what stats you can use.

9:16	Dan Szymborski: There are still godo reasons to want a SP

9:17	Dan Szymborski: I hope I didn’t imply that!

9:17	Dan Szymborski: I may have accidentally.

9:17	LSmithfield: Carson Cistulli is the Philip Glass of Sabrmetrics

9:17	Dan Szymborski: I mostly just want the win to be killed so that it’s not a thing anymore

9:17	Sheryl Ring: Really, it just says what is inadmissible due to reliability (which says a lot about what MLB thinks of Statcast data).

9:17	Knoblaublah : Who is the Salieri of Sabermetrics?

9:17	aw: Dan, what software is that for your music?

9:17	Dan Szymborski: Media Monkey

9:17	Sheryl Ring: Also, publicly available stats includes FB and BP.

9:17	Stant ‘n Deliver: Wasn’t in some FG person who suggested a double-header wildcard a la the KBO or NPB? (Don’t recall which.) Lower seed has to win both

9:17	Sheryl Ring: *FG

9:17	Matt: “dance as an indication of public acceptance” – Dan Szymborski

9:18	Dystopian Future: There will always be room for great starting pitchers, guys like Clayton Kershaw would never be a closer because their value is maximized by facing more batters in a starting slot.

9:18	Dan Szymborski: If the Rays or A’s had a Clayton kershaw, they’d just start him.

9:18	Sheryl Ring: In other words, there is no good reason not to go in and use wRC+ in an arb hearing excepgt for the arbitrators.

9:18	HankLloydWright: Murray Chass is the “all new music is bad” of sabermetrics

9:18	Sheryl Ring: /End rant

9:19	Dystopian Future: Murray Chass is literally an old man yelling at clouds.

9:19	Dan Szymborski: For those unfamiliar about my history with Murray.

9:19	Dan Szymborski: http://www.murraychass.com/?p=9701

9:19	thequietclam: Win the division is kind of a silly defense. The Indians had a joke of a division. It’s not the A’s fault they have to play with the Astros.

9:19	Sean Dolinar: It’s not a defense so much as a goal of the current playoff format. Disparity in the division records is an issue across every sport.

9:19	Dan Szymborski: I got the Digital Dandy nickname from him. I need to piss him off again, maybe I’ll score a logo too

9:20	Wiener: Severino at 66 pitches through 3.1.

9:20	All Rise: Think Andujar will improve enough to stay at third over the next few seasons? Downright horrible right now

9:20	Dan Szymborski: Even one year numbers you shouldn’t go TOO crazy about

9:20	slappybag: I’d like 2 8-team divisions per league when expansion happens

9:20	Dan Szymborski: My worry is that we seem very likely to get four-team divisions which i hate hate hat

9:20	Sean Dolinar: I personally love these games, because they are entertaining. But that’s just from an entertainment perspective not baseball analytics.

9:20	CamdenWarehouse: The best part about Chass is that he has a blog that he refuses to call a blog because that’s how people like Dan write

9:21	Judge: My name is Judge!

9:22	Dan Szymborski: Tom Verducci did some hilarious slam-dunking on him some years ago, calling him a blogger at every opportunity to anger him.

9:22	Dan Szymborski: http://umpbump.com/press/2010/12/08/verducci-calls-out-blogger-murray-…

9:22	JB: CubsFan, how quickly you forget about the 2015 Pirates…98 wins and got stuck facing Arietta, who was pitching out of his mind. Went 6-0 against the Mets, who somehow made the WS that year.

9:22	Sean Dolinar: The Pirates also had a losing season record against every division opponent.

9:22	Dystopian Future: @CubsFan As a Yankee fan, I AM ALSO LOVING the WC game this year

9:22	Six Ten: Feels like Aaron Judge is a perfectly fine outfielder credited with being amazing because he is perfectly fine while being built like he should be terrible.

9:22	Slew: Ostensibly the purpose of the postseason is to crown the best team. If you couldn’t even win your division your claim on that crown is tenuous at best and my sympathy for your “punishment “ is very limited.

9:23	HankLloydWright: I feel like there is no truly fair/meritocratic way to do the playoffs and so it’s best just to cheer for the madness.

9:23	Dan Szymborski: Yeah, you can identify a WINNER, not the abstract concept of the BEST

9:23	Stant ‘n Deliver: When expansion happens gimme 16 2-team divisions

9:23	Dan Szymborski: I’d be happy, but won’t happen

9:23	5 Run Homer: I like the Wild Card games cause they’re fun and I like fun

9:23	Dan Szymborski: They’re great fun

9:24	Dan Szymborski: I don’t even mind big playoffs as long as people don’t get obsessed with the idea that the Royals were the best team because they won the World Series

9:24	Poised: Going from Petriello’s broadcast to this garbage is a shock

9:24	Matt: As I’ve heard some very good defensive argument over the past few years, I’ve come around on the current WC format. Injects excitement. Win your division.

9:24	Sadman: lots of walks. LOTS

9:24	heycardis: My worst baseball take is that there should be relegation and tiered leagues. It’ll never happen, but would it help?

9:24	Dan Szymborski: There’s just too much of a structural issue

9:25	Six Ten: You could get close to a best if you just had a single 32-team division where each team played six games against every other team and there were no playoffs but how much less fun would that be?

9:25	Sean Dolinar: It would look like the EPL.

9:25	Dan Szymborski: I need to rewind Laureano at-bat. I swear they pronounced his last name like four different ways

9:25	Walking Stephen Piscotty: I knew I shouldn’t have listened to nerdcast last night, the rest of the games are gonna be terrible now

9:25	CamdenWarehouse: Is it bad that I hate big playoff fields? I think 10/30 is too many

9:25	Dan Szymborski: It’s not so bad when four teams are severely punished

9:26	Paul Thomas: The best argument for the current playoff system is that every seed line has SOME meaning– 1st you get to face a team coming off the wild card; 2nd you get to play at home; 4th you get to host the wild card game

9:26	Dan Szymborski: STOP CITING BASES LOADED SPLIT STATS

9:26	Matt: What’s the deal with re-wind? I never wound? How can I rewind?

9:26	Hugh: too many walks by severino… let’s warmup the guy who has problem walking people!

9:26	Shirtless George Brett: Why you gotta call out the Royals? You could use any team from any year but no….Royals. Haha

9:26	Dan Szymborski: They’re simply the most recent example

9:27	Dan Szymborski: And they still have a lot of very butthurt fans if you say anything bad about them, so it’s fun

9:27	Dan Szymborski: White Sox fans were already acknowledging “yeah, it was lucky as crap!” by like May 2006.

9:27	Dystopian Future: You cannot rewind, but Dan is magical thus he can rewind.

9:27	Tyler: Hosting the WC winner is not always the best when you have 3 divisions.

9:28	Anonymous: There’s an argument to be made that a SABRcast should feature a live sabertooth tiger in the booth.

9:28	JimTheCarpetLintGuy: Dan, do you like inciting the anger of Royals fans?

9:28	Dan Szymborski: Naturally.

9:28	Paul Thomas: At least in theory, the WC winner should have burned their best starter… that theory may not hold up so well anymore

9:29

Dan Szymborski:

What To Do With Severino

Pull (9.0% | 14 votes)

Push (11.0% | 17 votes)

Hook (0.6% | 1 vote)

Yank (4.5% | 7 votes)

Grab (2.5% | 4 votes)

Bamboozle (9.7% | 15 votes)

Zipzopzoobitybop (22.7% | 35 votes)

Replace (0.6% | 1 vote)

Invite for Tea (29.2% | 45 votes)

Kidnap (9.7% | 15 votes)

Total Votes: 154

9:29	Will: Teams that don’t put names on the jerseys should be contracted— make me commissioner pls

9:29	Sean Dolinar: It’s 2018. Every major sports jersey should have name plates.

9:29	Dan Szymborski: Oh you’re going to be way more in trouble with some fans than I am with Royals fans

9:30	Matt: Would said saber cast saber tooth, be wielding a light saber?

9:30	JimTheCarpetLintGuy: You HAVE Zipzopzoobitybop Severino right here. No other choice

9:30	Dystopian Future: Dan incites the anger of Royals fans because he’s still bitter that the Royals knocked out the O’s in 2014

9:30	heycardis: Enable Sticky Keys on Severino

9:30	Six Ten: I kind of like no nameplates at home. It’s like a weird anachronism that pretends the fans in the stadium are more important than the fans watching on TV, and that they’re all part of the same community even though the players basically don’t live there at all.

9:31	Dan Szymborski: Heck, I got Giants fans mad at me when I put Pence in WWE2K in a Giants jersey that doesn’t have the name but gave him a name

9:31	Omega Red: I think Severino should actually zurp and flurp.

9:31	Dan Szymborski: NOT AN OPTION

9:31	JimTheCarpetLintGuy: If the Yanks get another run here, Severino stays. If not, he gets the ol’ hook

9:31	Miguel Hot Corner Andujar: Anyone familiar with reliable stats that predict postseason success? Or is it mostly random?

9:32	Dan Szymborski: I keep trying to find relevance. Other than top-heavy teams doing better relatively, good teams simply do better

9:32	Matt: Also, no names on the jersey makes the “authentics” more distinguishable from the “replicas”

9:32	Carson Cistulli: Pardon me, I’m here just to conduct our nightly Customer Satisfaction Survey. Fill out your ballot for a chance to win a Carnival Cruise to Bridgeport, CT. (Price and participation varies a lot.)

9:32	that’s a win for the cubs: severino already yank

9:32	Steve O: What in the world happened to the 1B position?

9:32	Carson Cistulli: The chat hosts tonight have been… … probably the best ever in existence. (22.9% \| 31 votes) … flagrant in their disregard for human decency. (40.0% \| 54 votes) … yeah, fine. (37.0% \| 50 votes) Total Votes: 135

9:32	CamdenWarehouse: Kim Ng’s name is surfacing this week for GM spots. Is she a real candidate or has she moved beyond that in her current career path?

9:32	Brian CashGod: I’m told that 100% of World Series winners made the playoffs first

9:32	Sean Dolinar: Carson is here?

9:32	Matt: The Yankees jerseys embody a less intense version of the concept that is pushed on Jackie Robinson day, but every day of the year. They are indistinguishable, and are a team unit.

9:32	HankLloydWright: Teams are burning pitchers. Teams are hooking pitchers. Not physically attacking your pitcher is the new market inefficiency.

9:33	Shirtless George Brett: I was an Expos fan for 20ish years so i learned early to never love anything.

9:33	JimTheCarpetLintGuy: Who runs/originally founded Fangraphs?

9:33	Dan Szymborski: Apples

9:33	Howdy : Carson is everywhere

9:33	Sheryl Ring: I’ve seen Kim Ng talk a couple of times in person. She’d be a fantastic GM.

9:34	Dan Szymborski: BREAKING: Baseball player has burning desire to succeed

9:34	JimTheCarpetLintGuy: Dan, WHO IS APPLES? Are you on something? Is he always like this?

9:34	Dan Szymborski: Look, that mystery is easier to solve than an Encyclopedia Brown.

9:35	Six Ten: Hold up, three MLBers of note in the last 15 years went to the same high school? That seems like it must be rare.

9:35	Tyler: Sheryl does she want to be?

9:35	Matt: Who is Kim Ng? I’ve seen the name before, and I think I’ve read an interview. She currently works in the industry, correct?

9:35	Lou Trivino’s Fighting Baseball: Apples Fangraphs is the founder of this website

9:35	Nate: I want to find an apathetic baseball player in the playoffs. Interview the shit out of that dude.

9:35	Dan Szymborski: “I talked with Adam Dunn before the game and he assured me that he couldn’t give a fig and the playoffs are overlapping into the good hunting season.”

9:35	Will: God I need a statcast. Or just the YES network.

9:35	CamdenWarehouse: oh I agree. I’m just unsure if her current career path is heading toward GM or something else (commissioner?)

9:35	John: Dennis Eckersley makes me sad.

9:35	Matt: Can someone answer me this, once and for all? Are we supposed to be graphs of fans? Or fans of graphs?

9:36	JimTheCarpetLintGuy: Apples Fangraphs? I’m new enough to Fangraphs (I’ve been reading for about 3 months now) but this is…just knida weird

9:36	Dan Szymborski: Apples is a nickname, his birth first name is Orange.

9:36	Sean Dolinar: Graphs for fans.

9:36	Sheryl Ring: Do I want to be what?

9:36	Dan Szymborski: Kim Ng GM

9:36	Ozzie Ozzie Albies Free: Sheryl, which ballplayer would you want representing you in a criminal trial? Civil trial?

9:36	Dan Szymborski: Graphs of Fans of graphs for fans.

9:37	JimTheCarpetLintGuy: Ah, now it makes sense. Orange Fangraphs. So why is the logo green, not orange?

9:37	Dan Szymborski: Not ripe.

9:37	Sheryl Ring: I would want Garrett Broshius, because he’s an actual litigation attorney, and you didn’t specify big leaguers.

9:37	Brian CashGod: why is FanGraphs color scheme green? Anyone know?

9:37	Dan Szymborski: The color of money

9:37	CamdenWarehouse: David Appleman founded FG. Then when Dave Cameron left, Carson locked Apples in a basement and took over by force

9:37	Tyler: Sorry does Kim Ng want to be a GM? I think that would be great, just think I heard that she does not want to be one right now.

9:37	Pontoons: This chat makes me miss Dave….

9:38	Dan Szymborski: Look, I was terrible WAY before Dave left.

9:38	Sheryl Ring: Don’t know! But she’d be a good one.

9:38	LSmithfield: I’ve always liked how the fans’ graphs can be graph graphs or like paragraphs or even autographs, you know?

9:38	Will: Where is Jeff?

9:38	Sheryl Ring: I’ve always been terrible.

9:38	CamdenWarehouse: I think he was asking if Kim Ng wanted to be a GM

9:38	Perennial Ballboy Tryout: Don’t hate on Dan’s ability to destroy SI AND Fangraphs’ crediblity, Pontoons.

9:38	Sheryl Ring: I’ve heard both ways on that. She said she did when I saw her in person.

9:38	Tyler: Agreed and I think it would be great for the game if she was.

9:39	Miguel Hot Corner Andujar: Sheryl that was a good lawyer response. But the Javy Baez hug makes me think he’d be crafty in the courtroom

9:39	Dan Szymborski: I didn’t even work for SI!

9:39	HankLloydWright: I think Jeff is going to be pitching for the A’s tonight

9:39	5 Run Homer: Who calls a paragraph a graph?

9:39	Six Ten: Did she say it just at random, or did someone ask her that question?

9:39	Dan Szymborski: Editors do

9:39	Sheryl Ring: Someone asked her

9:39	Sheryl Ring: She was talking, interestingly enough, about a deal she very nearly pulled off to bring Randy Johnson to NY during the ’98 championship run

9:40	Dan Szymborski: Editors will even spell it graf

9:40	stever20: really shocked Severino is back out here for the 5th….

9:40	Guest: Why is Severino still pitching?

9:40	Dan Szymborski: They didn’t replace him and he has to continue pitching until they do.

9:40	JimTheCarpetLintGuy: The first hit against Severino was just recorded

9:40	5 Run Homer: I never realized Ng had been around that long

9:40	Anonymous: And, knowing Cistulli, probably a phonograph of some sort.

9:40	Dan Szymborski: Carson has a turntable in his car.

9:40	Blob Saget : My journalism professor kept writing “graf” and it irked the hell out of me

9:40	Tyler: A team did interview her right? Or am I just being forgetful

9:41	Ozzie Ozzie Albies Free: Vodka or Gin for your martini’s? And how many olives?

9:41	Sheryl Ring: Yup. Youngest Assistant GM in the big leagues at 29

9:41	Dan Szymborski: I prefer gin

9:41	Sheryl Ring: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim_Ng

9:41	Barry: This chat is going off the rails and I think I like it……..

9:41	5 Run Homer: Nick Martini’s beard does not befit his name or his skillset

9:41	CamdenWarehouse: please tell me that’s real about Carson

9:41	Dan Szymborski: Now where’s my GIF of Carson’s wrestling moves?

9:41	Poised: One of baseball’s worst GMs just got fired, the other beat the Cubs

9:42	Dan Szymborski:

9:42	Mister Puppy : Sheryl it’s only the fifth we still have time to get Kim Ng in this chat!

9:42	HankLloydWright: An editor: “You better give me clean copy. I don’t want to have to fix the lede. Now write a subhed and cut 3 grafs.”

9:43	Knoblaublah : How many years ago would it have been crazy to even think of pulling a pitcher with a no hitter after four innings? Two? Three?

9:43	Dan Szymborski: I mean, he IS walking dudes

9:43	Six Ten: This feels like a good opportunity for Betances to pitch well and still get a reputation as a choker among WFAN callers.

9:43	Sheryl Ring: Fun fact…Kim Ng is the youngest person, and the first woman, to present a salary arbitration case in the major leagues

9:43	Sheryl Ring: (She won, and she won using what were at the time advanced metrics)

9:44	Sheryl Ring: (Another example of how the CBA doesn’t really control what stats you use)

9:44	5 Run Homer: Also, excuse the ignorance, but how do you pronounce Ng?

9:44

Sean Dolinar: FG basically started because Appelman was able to automate the creation of graphs of baseball stats. This wasn’t an easy thing for 2005, we didn’t have the data viz software libraries that we do today. Nor did we have the copious amounts of baseball data we do today.

“At Fangraphs we have 17 graphs for every player that played in the Major Leagues since 2002. That comes to about 30,000 baseball graphs. Every graph is updated every single day of the season with the most current stats. Not only do we graph ordinary stats such as batting average but we also provide graphs of various sabermetrics. Please feel free to send us comments and suggestions. We will have frequent feature updates. ” – From the 2005 FG home page.

9:45	Dan Szymborski: It’s like halfway between ing and eng if that makes sense.

9:45	Tim: GRAF ZEPPELIN

9:45	Zock Jr.: That’s really rad about Ng, I had no idea

9:45	Dystopian Future: Woah Duquette’s gone

9:45	Dan Szymborski: Yeah, that surprised me.

9:45	Strelok: typically, who arbitrates cases? people in the industry, but they can’t be affiliated with a team, right?

9:46	Dan Szymborski: From reading the tea leaves, I had the impression that Duquette was staying and Buck was gone.

9:46	Sheryl Ring: Actually, lots of arbitrators aren’t industry people

9:46	Dan Szymborski: Buck leaving didn’t surprise me, but them cleaning out Duquette was.

9:46	HankLloydWright: I appreciate Sean reappearing to set the record straight.

9:46	Sjamb: Kim Ng has been rumored to become a GM any year now for as long as it took Davey Martinez to become manager. Hopefully she gets her shot soon.

9:46	Dan Szymborski: You guys didn’t REALLY think it was founded by a guy named Apples FanGraphs

9:46	Nate: I’ve been hoping Ng gets the nod in San Francisco. That seems like a strong fit for her.

9:46	CJ: I know I’ll sound like and old guy, but I’ll say anyway – we’ve come a long way – a lot of people are on Boone for not replacing the starter after the 4th without having given up a hit

9:46	Sheryl Ring: For example:

9:46	Sheryl Ring: https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Shyam_Das

9:46	kevin: To be fair…why are people sayig Buck and Duquette got fired? Their contracts expired this year

9:47	Sheryl Ring: That’s why advanced metrics don’t get used. These folks are lawyers, and many don’t know much about baseball.

9:47	Dan Szymborski: Managers/GMs typically dont’ have a mutual parting of ways even if contrarcts expired

9:47	Austin Cooper: Johnny Applegraphs, founder of Fangraphs

9:47	Sheryl Ring: They’re trained in mediation and law, not baseball

9:47	Sean Dolinar: A lot of it is the season & daily line graphs on some more basic stats. This is the successor to those first graphs: https://www.fangraphs.com/graphs.aspx?playerid=10155&position=OF&statA… We’ve added functionality and made stuff faster and more interactive in 2016.

9:47	Perennial Ballboy Tryout: What was the most advanced graph at the time, Sean?

9:47	Dan Szymborski: Johnny Applegraphs wandered the country, planting FanGraphs wherever he rested.

9:48	Ramon: No Dan, I thought fangraphs was founded by someone named Orange Fangraphs who’s nickname was Apples.

9:48	Six Ten: Wait, Apples Fangraphs didn’t start Fangraphs? Then what did he start?

9:48	Dan Szymborski: Apples’s Jacks, which became Apple Jacks.

9:48	Defenestrater: ESPN Radio is also doing this game, and you can listen to it for free online

9:48	Ben: Thanks for all you do, Sean! Appreciate all the behind the scenes work, especially when all the data is provided for free

9:48	Dan Szymborski: You can also subscribe to FanGraphs and support the site!

9:48	Sjamb: Fun fact: Appleseed planted so many apple trees intending to make cider, not for the apples themselves.

9:49	Nick Mar – Cake is Good: Sean is a god

9:49	Hugh: @sheryl – new drinking game… every time they cite road statistics for the a’s

9:49	Dystopian Future: Dan in light of realizing that C Trent Rosecrans has gotten ranted at by the Reds for too long, I want you to tell him the next time you talk to him that everyone loves and appreciates him.

9:49	Dan Szymborski: Not everyone because Brandon Phillips is part of everyone.

9:50	Perennial Ballboy Tryout: Low key Sean and Chris Mitchell are/were are 2 of greatest FG employees

9:50	Dan Szymborski: Davis punched out!

9:50	Billy Martin’s Ghost: Dillon Betances did not go gentle into that 5th inning

9:50	Steve O: Holy crap Betances.

9:50	CamdenWarehouse: Also tell C. Trent “Go Hartford Disappointments!”

9:50	Strelok: yknow, for a full time 1B Matt Olson’s stats are… underwhelming

9:50	Dystopian Future: Dellin Betances’ Punch Out!

9:50	CamdenWarehouse: “Davis punched out” I’ve heard that a few times this year

9:51	Dan Szymborski: Chris Davis wasn’t really punched out as much as hit plate appearances just tapered to sad, bleak nothingness.

9:51	Herbert: How many black GMs have there been? How many African-Americans in today’s game are high level decision makers in front offices?

9:51	Dan Szymborski: Nto a whole lot

9:52	Nick Mar – Cake is Good: Sheryl I doubt you remember this but during the opening day chat you gave me some law school advice and it really did help, so thanks!

9:52	Sean Dolinar: If anyone is curious about the genesis of the editorial side of FG: https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/articles-section/

9:52	Sheryl Ring: I do remember, and you made my day. 🙂

9:52	Dan Szymborski: There are four I can think of as GMs

9:52	Dan Szymborski: Kenny Williams, Bob Watson

9:53	Matt: I still love that Michael Pineda calls strikeouts “strike ’em outs”

9:53	Dan Szymborski: Tony Reagins

9:53	Dan Szymborski: and..uhh

9:53	Dan Szymborski: Bill Lucas!

9:53	heycardis: Kenny Williams has a WS ring

9:53	Matt: It’s George, Dan. George Lucas.

9:53	Sheryl Ring: Dave Stewart?

9:53	Dan Szymborski: oh duh

9:53	Dan Szymborski: Five

9:53

Will: Man remember when everyone on fangraphs was saying Yanks would dump Dellin last offseason? Was one of the weirdest disconnects between the national sabre community and the Yankee sabre world. Never saw River Ave Blues even consider Yanks would drop him. We knew he could be this easily. 90% of the time he’s top-10 reliever in baseball.

9:53	5 Run Homer: I don’t care that he’s safe, Chapman is incredible

9:53	Nick Mar – Cake is Good: Can we do a poll for what World Series matchup we’d all like the most?

9:54	Sean Dolinar: CMS is separate from the data stuff. The writers either use the graphing tools available on the site to the public like the player graphs. Or they use a D3 JavaScript app that takes CSV/Excel data and creates a graph. It’s rather basic, but takes care of 95% of graphing needs.

9:54

heycardis: In your CMS are you able to set criteria and create a chart or a table? Is there a proprietary function to that? How much manual tinkering do you have to do to show, e.g. that a player’s second half WAR was best in the league at his position for the past ten years (4 variables: time, position, WAR, season segment)

9:54	Dan Szymborski: Wait, we would need a LONG poll

9:54	Dan Szymborski: What AL Team Do you want to see in the World Series? Yankees (27.1% \| 50 votes) Athletics (36.9% \| 68 votes) Indians (13.0% \| 24 votes) Astros (11.9% \| 22 votes) Red Sox (10.8% \| 20 votes) Total Votes: 184

9:55	Dan Szymborski: What NL Team Do you want to see in the World Series? Dodgers (16.7% \| 30 votes) Rockies (20.1% \| 36 votes) Brewers (51.9% \| 93 votes) Braves (11.1% \| 20 votes) Total Votes: 179

9:55	Anonymous: Although you are 100% forgiven for forgetting Dave Stewart as a favor to the black community.

9:55	Dystopian Future: The most shocking development of the day is that the Yankees were leading that poll for a period of time.

9:55	Sheryl Ring: By the way…here are the bios for the most recent MLB Arbitrators

9:55	Sheryl Ring: https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Fredric_Horowitz

9:55	Sean Dolinar: Database/computer programming/web dev and being an amazing boss. He basically coded every line of code on this site for 10 years.

9:55	5 Run Homer: What’s Appleman’s background?

9:56	Dan Szymborski: And no, I have no good idea on how to fix baseball’s lack of minority representation. It’s hard to just pull a lever and make it happen and I’m not sociologist or philosopher.

9:56	Sheryl Ring: https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Mark_Irvings

9:56	Sheryl Ring: See? Just lawyers.

9:56	Shauger: shocking the two teams playing tonight have the most votes for who do you want in the World Series…

9:56	Dan Szymborski: Why do you guys hate the Braves?

9:56	Nick Mar – Cake is Good: How is Sheryl so fast at finding links?

9:56	Dan Szymborski: Magic

9:56	Sheryl Ring: Research is a lawyer’s friend

9:57	Sheryl Ring: Also, I invented the internet.

9:57	Dystopian Future: Dan, if you say it’s hard to just pull a lever and make it happen, then what’s that gigantic lever right next to you for? Try pulling it.

9:57	Tucci: I always figured she was a muggle lawyer…

9:57	Dan Szymborski: The lever adjusts the height on my desk recliner

9:57	Matt: What’s the deal with re-search? In most cases, I haven’t yet searched. How can I research?

9:57	Sheryl Ring: I prefer to de-search, myself.

9:57	Ben: Sheryl, everyone knows Terrence Gore invented the internet

9:57	Mister Puppy : If you pull that lever, someone you don’t know will die

9:58	Daniel: Sheryl is secretly Al Gore confirmed.

9:58	Sheryl Ring: I am much better looking.

9:58	Dan Szymborski: No, seriously, the lever just changes the height on my chair.

9:58	Sheryl Ring: Someone drops dead

9:58	Dan Szymborski: There’s no way, my chair isn’t even internet connected!

9:58	CamdenWarehouse: You don’t find Link, you play as Link

9:59	Dystopian Future: Well try pulling it again Dan, but this time get off the chair when you do it.

9:59	Matt: This is precisely why I participate in these chats. Maybe not directly, but I am no longer someone Dans doesn’t know.

9:59	CamdenWarehouse: was someone standing under Dan’s chair before he hit the lever?

9:59	JimTheCarpetLintGuy: This chat is fascinating

9:59	tb.25: Dan, it’s a twist knob

9:59	Brandon M: What the hell is going on

9:59	Dan Szymborski: My chair doesn’t have a twist knob

9:59	Ozzie Ozzie Albies Free: Theoretically, if Cutch refused to shave after he was traded, what would the Yankees do? Could they fine him for that?