You are viewing the chat in desktop mode. Click here to switch to mobile view.
X
Klawchat 2/15/18
powered byJotCast
Prev Page View Full Chat
Andrew
1:45
Seems to me the changes to the draft and ifa’s created this tanking,  I’d like to see it go back to being spend what you want. Thoughts?
Keith Law
1:46
I would too, but God forbid players get whatever the market will pay them. Especially those pesky non-American players, who earn less than their US/Canadian-born counterparts in the draft.
Chris
1:46
I had no idea Lazarito's natural position was SS. I always assumed he was an OF. Other than the arm, which you mentioned doesn't play, how does he look there? Does he have the footwork and actions to play there if the arm was stronger?
Keith Law
1:46
Played SS before signing, now in LF. Was never going to stay at short.
Brent
1:46
Sale was really an odd exception, similar to trying to scout a knuckleballer. His left elbow could contain alien dna, and I wouldn't be terribly shocked.
Keith Law
1:47
I agree, but I'm happy to wear that one as a position I staked out strongly that was 100% wrong. It'll happen again before I'm done.
Jonathan
1:47
Odds that Jorge Soler ever lives up to his potential?
Keith Law
1:47
If you tell me he'll be healthy for a full season, I think he'll produce like a regular.
JR
1:47
Have you played any/all of the Ticket to Ride spinoffs? Do they provide something that different from the original game that justifies the cost?
Keith Law
1:48
Europe for sure. They get a bit more involved from there. I have tried England, Nordics, Switzerland, and have the app expansion for Pennsylvania but haven't tried it yet. I played France at PAX Unplugged with my daughter, and we liked it, but it does make the game longer.
Chris
1:48
Man, if people got as heated and passionate about gun reform and control as they did about 16-24 y/o baseball prospects, maybe we could like, I don't know, do something important and beneficial for our society.
Keith Law
1:48
Indeed. Hang on, I'm just going to go play a board game.
Chris J
1:48
FYI, there's a smallish gaming con in Aberdeen the first weekend in March, if you won't be on the road. (GAD-CON).
Keith Law
1:48
(cancels all travel plans for that weekend)
Marshall MN
1:49
Is your game closet overflowing at this point?  Do you keep all the ones you have played, or if they aren't any good just give them to someone else?
Keith Law
1:51
I have sold a number of the review copies I've gotten and donated all of the proceeds to charity - I think I'm over $500 donated now, all to the Food Bank of Delaware or to hurricane relief for Puerto Rico and the USVI. I only have five games on the list for right now, but update it often: https://boardgamegeek.com/geekmarket/user/keithlaw (User pays the sale price + shipping, and then I donate all of that, including the shipping, to charity. So I make no money off this.) I have swapped some other games, donated some to a local school, given some to friends. I clearly have over 100 and I just don't need that many.
Nordberg
1:51
If you could negotiate for the player's union for the next CBA, what 2 things would you push for the most?
Keith Law
1:52
Raise the minimum salary to $1 million. Free agency after four years.
Chas
1:52
Have you checked out the Athletic?  I like the names they're bringing in, am fine paying for quality, but worry it's a front-loaded thing that will get spun off and crack up in a year.
Keith Law
1:52
I subscribed the other day. The first piece I read was kind of lousy but I won't judge them on just one look.
Nick
1:52
What type of upside do you project Andres Gimenez to have?  Do you think he can be a starting SS and lead off hitter on a first division club?
Keith Law
1:52
That's the hope. Would like to see a full year of progress & performance from him.
Chuck
1:53
What the heck are the Orioles doing?
Keith Law
1:53
A good question. I wonder if ownership has tied Duquette's hands. Britton's injury killed them too.
Patrick
1:53
Keith, I look at the improvements someone like Corbin Burnes made in the Brewers minor league system.
Would you avoid having him pitch in Colorado/AAA? Does he have anything left to prove in AA?
Keith Law
1:54
I would avoid that. Put him in the major league bullpen as a long reliever to start the year. Their rotation is really weak for a would-be contender anyway, and there will be an opening at some point. I'd rather see him pitch in the majors and struggle while making adjustments than pitching in Colorado Springs and struggle while losing his sanity.
Mr. Athletic
1:55
Thanks for the subscription.  What other sites have you subscribed to?
Keith Law
1:56
I subscribe to the Washington Post & Baseball America. I cancelled my NY Times subscription on Monday after the Bret Stephens "stop smearing Woody Allen" piece. Certainly open to suggestions on worthwhile outlets - I believe in paying for content, obviously.
Andres
1:56
Thoughts on the new MGMT or Franz Ferdinand albums?
Keith Law
1:57
Never been an MGMT fan. The new FF album is shockingly bad. Thought the latest Wombats album was solid, not as good as Glitterbug. A little disappointed in Dream Wife's LP. Next album to give some time to is Django Django's latest.
Bill
1:58
Yankees fan here, but to be fair to you I think your concerns about Severino were about the ability for him to make it through multiple seasons given his windup.  It's only been one (very very) good year.  I assume at this point, tho, obviously he should be left in rotation
Keith Law
1:58
I agree that he should be left there. It was that plus the lack of an average breaking pitch when he was in low-A and AA. He did improve his slider dramatically - I think he's just throwing everything harder - between 2016 and 2017.
Rick C
1:58
Should the Braves just wait a couple weeks to call up Acuna, or wait until they can be sure they've passed the point where he'd become a super 2 player?
Keith Law
1:59
I think he's ready, but there isn't a great argument for bringing him north on Opening Day. So start him in triple-A with the idea - and him aware of this - that he'll come up by May 1st if he rakes in AAA again. I hate super two manipulation because it assumes that 1) you know where the date will be 2) the process will not change in the interim and 3) the player will never be sent down again.
Harold
2:00
I work at an elementary school in a very low income, mostly minority area. We have dozens of strategies that strive to close the achievement gap while helping these kids understand what opportunities are out there for them. No matter what we do or how many grueling hours we spend with these kids, nothing seems to change. For every kid who we can reach and push toward higher achievement, there are dozens who never buy in or who get lost in the morass of their communities. What in the world can we do to get kids out of this cycle of despair?
Keith Law
2:03
Efforts to help a smaller number of people tend to be much more successful than similar sized/cost efforts to help a larger number of people in a less significant way. "End world hunger!" makes for good marketing for your charity, but it's an impossible goal that reduces accountability too. "End hunger in this one village in Niger" is a lot less sexy when soliciting funds, but you have a chance to achieve that goal. It's feasible. You can come up with plans and timelines that will allow for accountability back to donors and that can be altered on the fly if something isn't working. And then, if it works, you move on to the next village. You will never, ever fix the problem at your entire school. But if you can take ten of those kids and get them on a path out of the cycle of poverty, then that's a success, in spite of the kids you weren't able to help ... because you were never going to be able to help all of them anyway. Ten successes is better than none.
2:04
That's all for this week's chat. If I get to Myrtle Beach, I'll say something on social media so folks can find me there. Thank you all for all of your questions and for reading!
Connecting…