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Klawchat 12/18/20
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xxx(yyy)
2:57
any documentary recs from the last few months?
Keith Law
2:59
Transhood was great. Haven't seen any buzz about that one.  The Donut King was above-average too even though I had some small criticisms.
xxx(yyy)
3:00
is cautious excitement the right reaction to the Rangers naming Chris Young as the GM?
Keith Law
3:00
I don't know anything about him or what his philosophy might be, so I don't have an opinion either way. I would prefer to interview him if we're both sitting down first, though.
Andy
3:00
Re COVID-19: Eduardo Rodriguez had heart issues. Mo Bamba (NBA player) is still recovering from his infection in June. A college basketball player collapsed on the court. These are professional athletes in their prime who are suffering non death related complications. There's more than just dying to getting sick. Wear your masks and social distance.
Keith Law
3:01
We are pretty lucky nobody in MLB got terribly sick - and by "in MLB" I'm including non-player personnel, some of which surely did get COVID-19 during any of the outbreaks (Marlins, Cards, Dodgers). Just because we didn't hear about it doesn't mean it didn't happen.
xxx(yyy)
3:01
do you listen to Jazz? any favorite albums?
Keith Law
3:02
Not much, just some of the most well-known stuff - Coltrane, Miles Davis. I loved Moses Boyd's album this year Dark Matter and enjoyed the work he did with Tori Handsley.
Noah
3:02
My butcher in Brooklyn - The Meat Hook, they're the best - has high quality, pasture-raised chicken from small farms in upstate NY.  But appreciate the suggestion!
Keith Law
3:02
Those birds are going to taste completely different in the best possible way. Also you probably get a higher dark meat/light meat ratio. Enjoy!
Key Flaw
3:03
With the pandemic and minor league (and amateur mostly) shut down, is there a chance that this will positively affect young arms because they aren't overused? I'm thinking fewer high school seniors and college pitchers throwing 180 Pitches might be better than missing out on a year of development?
Keith Law
3:03
Yes, I've speculated that and also that some pitchers who were heading towards arm trouble might be spared that by a forced year off from competitive pitching. Not just trying to find a silver lining, but I think giving a wearing-down shoulder like 18 months between pitches thrown in anger might be a good thing?
Guest
3:03
When you play board games, how important - if at all - is that you win?
Keith Law
3:04
Now, not at all, as long as I feel like the game gave everyone a chance to win.
xxx(yyy)
3:04
what is your process for "finding" articles for things like the newsletter or stick to baseball? twitter discovery? RSS readers? other content aggregators?
Keith Law
3:05
Yep, all of those. My partner sends me a lot of great articles she finds, and since we work in totally different spheres she sees things I don't.
Mike
3:05
Any chance the Rockies actually play any young players this year?  What is the point of being a draft-and-develop type organization if you won't play players when they are ready?
Keith Law
3:06
I understand the frustration, but also would cut them a little slack in that they've had the odd misfortune of having prospects develop and then be blocked by established big leaguers (e.g., Macmahon, who did play some last year, was a third baseman before they moved him).
Frank
3:06
End of the year movie wrap-up, starting to see some "best of..." lists come out.  Have not see much push for it, but best film I saw this year is ANTEBELLUM.  Really thought it was directed well and Monae had a blistering performance.  I think it was dismissed due to it is basically an elaborate Twilight Zone episode.  Also saw as criticism that it suffers from GET OUT fatigue?!?!  (How many smart, african american horror movies have their been??)
Keith Law
3:06
You are literally the first person I've seen say a good thing about that movie. I know the spoiler, and oh my god, it sounds dumb.
Rob
3:06
What’s your preferred method to make at home pizza? Do you have any thoughts on the Ooni pizza ovens? Thank you!
Keith Law
3:07
I own an Ooni oven and it's fantastic. Just hard to use when it's 30 degrees (it works fine, I just don't want to run in and out in this temperature).
BL
3:07
Speaking of the Rockies, if you're in charge there, what are you doing?
Keith Law
3:09
As much as Rockies fans are frustrated right now, that's the hardest GM job in baseball, in my opinion. Any exec there will have more of a challenge, even if all else were equal, than anyone else. I think that, even 28+ seasons in, no one has hit on a good formula for building a pitching staff that can last over multiple seasons. Until you crack that, you are constantly improvising, and doing so with less money than at least a few of your most important competitors. That doesn't justify the money they've spent on relievers lately, though. That strategy hasn't worked at all.
Chris
3:09
America's Test Kitchen method for pizza is to put a pizza stone on the lower rack of your oven, crank the temperature to 500 degrees, and let it heat for an hour before cooking. It turns out perfectly crisp every time.
Keith Law
3:10
It depends on your dough, more than anything. I make pizzas that way (ATK didn't exactly invent that) using a dough that's higher hydration than the dough I use for the Ooni, which gets up to 800 degrees and thus cooks the pizza far faster, meaning less time for evaporation. My indoor pizzas cook in six minutes, but in the Ooni it's about 90 seconds. Two different doughs, and different approaches to toppings too.
Sam
3:10
Does Spring Training start on time?  Are we going to have a 162 game schedule this year?
Keith Law
3:11
Reports this week seemed to indicate no to both. 130 games? With a 100 game minor league season? I'd be ecstatic.
hogan
3:11
Isn't 'sportsmanship' listed as something to be considered when voting for hall of famers? How do you square that when voting for guys who got cheating with PEDs?

Also, thoughts on the Negro Leagues being included statistically with MLB?
Keith Law
3:13
Sure. Define 'sportsmanship.' To say nothing of the probability that more players used PEDs than just the ones who tested positive. It's an unsolvable quagmire that I choose not to use as a binary variable in voting. For what it's worth, I think Cano has no chance - enough voters will hold two tests against him that he'll languish well below the 75% mark, maybe even fall off entirely. But if he's one of the ten best guys on the ballot, I will at least consider voting for him.
JL
3:13
Re: Andruw Jones and his career being basically over at 31. He started at 19/20. It seems he'd have been better served starting his career around age 23 and fading out at 33/34 than having it start and peak when it did. His peak was fantastic and over one 10 year period I believe, only Bonds had a higher WAR.
Keith Law
3:13
Yes, his peak was fantastic, but he didn't have the longevity of most Hall of Famers. Not all, but most.
Jason
3:14
The CBAs for the NFL, NBA, and NHL require that roughly 50% of the revenue goes to the players.  Obviously the MLBPA has always opposed a salary cap (in whatever form), and I know that you---quite rightly---don't like the idea of artificially capping what players earn.  With that said, what percentage of revenues in 2019 would you estimate the players received?  I'm curious as to whether a similar arrangement would actually benefit the players now
Keith Law
3:15
That's a great question to which I do not know the answer. I do think any attempt to cap players' earnings will end up enriching the owners. You can bank on that. It might, however, redistribute the money paid to players in a way that benefits more players than it harms.
(I feel like there's a socialism joke to make there but I'm too tired.)
Jim
3:15
Keith, thanks as ever for doing these chats! What do you think about the PCL withdrawing from MiLB?  Inevitable leaving a sinking ship, ensuring they're not drawn into any lawsuit, or ...?  Also, regarding the vaccine, while I have mixed feelings on making it mandatory, the MLBPA has no say in the matter since minor leaguers are infamously not part of the union and left by MLB players to twist in the wind.
Keith Law
3:17
I don't know about the legal liability but the move was largely a paper one. MiLB is ceasing to exist as an independent entity. The MLBPA would have a say in the matter on vaccines for major leaguers.
Sedona
3:17
Corbin Burnes an ACE?
Keith Law
3:17
I'd be more comfortable calling him a very good #2.
John
3:17
are most non-elite starters fairly inconsistent year-to-year like RP or is there more consistency in 3,4,5 starters as a whole than I'm imagining?  i'm not sure that is quantifiable or not but was always curious
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