JotCast | ALCS Game 6

ALCS Game 6

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Meg Rowley

7:25

(my internet is being a little pesky - I'll be right back, need to power cycle the router)

Dreen

7:26

TB getting a lot of credit for positioning correctly. I would assume that everyone can do positioning right in this day and age of analytics. Do you think TB positions better?

David Laurila

7:29

Tigers radio voice Dan Dickerson was on FanGraphs audio today, and one thing he talked about was how positioning paired with reads/instinct is optimal. The data may show you want to be in particular spot, but the specific situation and read could mean you should be two steps in either direction.

melon

7:29

Who else is on that short list of best managers for you?

David Laurila

7:30

Bob Melvin for one.

7:31

Francona, Counsell, Baldelli are three more.

7:32

Cora and Hinch are (were?) outstanding managers.

Drew

7:32

enjoyed seeing valdez come right back with that deuce and win the at-bat and mental battle

David Laurila

7:33

Pitchers with plus hooks can be a lot of fun to watch.

Kiermaier's Piercing Green Eyes

7:33

Supposing the score stays as is, do you let Snell face the top of the order again?

Meg Rowley

7:35

(am returned, sorry about that)

David Laurila

7:35

Snell is at 71 pitches, so he's maybe around 90 by the time he reaches third-tim-through. Hmmm. That's a tough call, but if he looks good next inning, I say yes.

Derek

7:35

What exactly do you look for when you're evaluating managers? The most obvious thing to us laypeople are things like shifting and bullpen management... What else?

David Laurila

7:37

I think good people skills is crucial. Giving all the information available, most all managers "should" be able to make smart in-game decisions.

Astros_fan

7:37

Hi. New to this. Just wanted to hop in and say this season has been difficult as a 'Stros fan. I feel like a lot of people at Fangraphs have taken a decently balanced approach to things. It's one of those situations where there are so many things that are actually wrong and deserving repudiation, but others which feel like they are unfair. No idea how to try and say anything nuanced in a chat like this, and don't want to distract from the game. But if anyone wants to talk about it, I'd welcome the discourse. reddit's r/baseball has really hurt me in ways I just wasn't prepared for. I just want to talk thru some of it.

David Laurila

7:38

Fandom isn't always simple.

staz

7:38

John Farrell went from WS win to out the door because he lost the Red Sox clubhouse.

David Laurila

7:39

Can't vouch for the veracity of that, but it's true that you need control of the clubhouse (ideally without a steel fist).

Meg Rowley

7:40

Managing people is really hard (uh, David can testify how I am not perfect at it) and I can't imagine doing it with 25ish dudes with the mentality pro athletes have. That part should get talked about more imo.

Dreen

7:41

One observation by reading the posts in SBNation is that everyone believes the announcers are “against their team”. Clearly there must be some kind of confirmation bias. Now, with that said, has there been more “objective” measurement on whether playoff tv announcers are objective or favor one team?

David Laurila

7:41

I was at Wrigley in the last week of Joe Maddon's Cubs tenure, and asked him about managerial shelf life. He admitted that a manager's voice/message will often get stale after a matter years.

Meg Rowley

7:42

I haven't seen an objective analysis - I was impressed with how Joe Davis and Jason Benetti dealt with the Wild Card Series games that involved the teams they call all season.

Guest

7:42

As a Patriots fan, my advice to Astros fans is to accept the role of villain and root for your team.

staz

7:42

That's the theory on SoSH anyway, Mr. Laurila ;)

Meg Rowley

7:43

I also think it can lead to some healthy distance - the issue is with the behavior of those on the team, not the fans.

David Laurila

7:43

I don't visit SoSh much these days. Should maybe drop in more often.

Astros_fan

7:43

Yeah - I agree David Laurila. I think the part that hurts worst is some of the criticism of Altuve. I have had a few personal interactions with him, and I can honestly attest to how sweet and decent a person he is. Anyway! enough psycho-therapy from me. Just appreciate y'all letting me just air my feelings. :) Wish the best for everyone on this thread and on the field today!

David Laurila

7:46

Somewhat lost in the cheating scandal is the fact that there are a lot of good people in the Astros clubhouse. That doesn't mean they should all be left off the hook, but we should be careful not to overtly criticize each and every individual for the actions of others.

Derek

7:47

Not suggesting Astros_fan or anyone else do this - I think it is a certain kind of admirable to stick with a team you've been a fan of for a while no matter what - but it's also not impossible (or wrong) to find a new favorite team! I've been a Red Sox fan pretty much since I knew what baseball was (2000-ish) and made the decision to finally just stop supporting them after the Betts trade and John Henry's other various forms of shithousery (which he also employs in England as the owner of Liverpool - and I am a fan of Everton, Liverpool's intra-city rival so it made it a little easier to just distance myself from Henry altogether), and it's been great! Still looking for a true new "favorite" team but just watching and following baseball has been fun (well, "fun" for 2020, anyway) this season. So that's always an option!

David Laurila

7:48

Fellow Everton fan here. Tomorrow should be interesting.

it's true I guess

7:48

Blake Snell is an anagram of Ellen's Balk.

staz

7:48

I'm of the opinion that all 30 teams bend the rules, some more than others. Some get caught and some don't.

David Laurila

7:49

I think there were a lot of nervous people around the gam when the Astros scandal emerged.

Guest

7:50

I'm with staz, I assume everybody's looking for an edge. I'm honestly a little surprised at the level of outrage at the Astros.

David Laurila

7:51

Success has a way of breeding contempt, so the vitriol isn't be too surprising. See Patriots, New England.

Meg Rowley

7:51

Eh this wasn't the only sign of a bad culture in that org. They aren't the only ones to break the rules (they broke them, they didn't bend them), and not every one who works there is rotten obviously, but they messed up badly and have handled it terribly since.

Derek

7:51

Ah, didn't realize that, David! I am pretty excited for the game (but also emotionally prepared for a typical Everton-style letdown, so...)

David Laurila

7:52

Everton fan for 20-plus years. They'll win ta derby eventually.

Jeremy

7:52

For me, the Taubman thing and the organization's response to that is much more of a reason to hate the Astros than the cheating.

David Laurila

7:53

True. Very true.