JotCast | Klawchat 9/24/21

Klawchat 9/24/21

Prev Page View Full Chat Next Page

Rick

1:53

I have a friend from college who won’t stop texting me shit about “Hunter’s laptop” - he’s a doctor and he refuses to get the covid vaccine because of unknown long-term side effects. So, that guy is in good company.

Keith Law

1:53

It's a disease.

Well, COVID-19, and Trumpism.

Matt

1:53

A national baseball reporter with an endless fixation on the Orioles rebuild tweeted today that, while the Dbacks are equally as bad, at least they tried and spent $80 million on Bumgarner. How do you feel about the perspective that even if you throw $80 million a way on an aging pitcher, it was worth just because you spent it?

Keith Law

1:54

I mean, sure, they did try, and that's worth praising, but it also hasn't worked out, and that's worth acknowledging. I am not going to criticize the Orioles for choosing not to do that. They will have to spend on pitching at some point, but last winter wasn't the right time and maybe this winter isn't either.

Daniel

1:54

Any thoughts at all on Ryan Garko being hired as the Tigers director of player development? There's basically no information about him since he retired from playing.

Keith Law

1:55

I'm a fan. He coached at Stanford for a year, had an important role with the Angels, very smart guy. Stanford should have hired him to be their head coach, to be honest.

Snoogans

1:55

Who are some early candidates for the top 10 songs of the year? Albums?

Keith Law

2:01

Little Simz' Sometimes I Might Be Introvert is my top album of the year. Arlo Parks' Collapsed in Sunbeams, Mdou Moctar's Afrique Victime, Gojira's Fortitude, and Kid Kapichi's This Time Next Year are up there for me. Top songs besides some of the tracks on those records ... Robert Plant/Alison Krauss' "Can't Let Go," Jonah Nilsson's "Diamond Ring," Wolf Alice's "Smile," CHVRCHES' "How Not to Drown," Jungle's "Truth," Jorja Smith's "Addicted," Royal Blood's "Typhoons," and Griff's "Black Hole" are all contenders.

Lido

2:01

Torey Luvollo got an extension yesterday. Good move or bad move?

Keith Law

2:01

I was surprised. People who cover that org tend to criticize his in-game management.

Jack

2:01

A bit confused by the Alek Thomas questions in this chat - does drafting a toolsy high school hitter in the second round and seeing them have significant prospect success a miss by the industry? Not exactly Albert Pujols here

Keith Law

2:02

Yeah, I'm not really sure either. If I had him ranked in the first round, then it's not like the industry was unaware of him.

Meaning I take a lot of my cues from scouts/execs - not the other way around.

Guest

2:02

Would people in red states not benefit just as much from things like child tax credit and universal pre-K? Are there not households with two working parents? Single parents?! So frustrating.

Keith Law

2:03

One of the great tricks of dark money efforts has been convincing people that expensive government policies and programs that would help them directly are somehow bad ideas.

2:04

There are real arguments for and against those programs. I support universal pre-K, but I also know it's going to be expensive, and hard to implement fairly across the country (look at public education from K-12 ... don't pretend kids in majority Black areas are getting the same caliber that kids in majority white areas are). We could have a real debate over the pros and cons. That can't happen because one side just screams "socialism."

Pat

2:04

30 years ago today- Nevermind, Badmotorfinger, Blood Sugar Sex Magik,& Low End theory were released. that's the album that killed hair metal, the best album from one of the biggest bands of the last 35 years, Soundgarden's breakthrough & a seminal hip hop album. Helluva day!

Keith Law

2:05

I mean, I have a hard time putting RHCP in the same tier as the other three ... but I'll allow it.

Larry

2:05

Alek Thomas has really been raking this year. Is his ceiling 60 hit, 55 power in center? If so, that's a legit star, no?

Keith Law

2:05

I'm a big fan, obviously, but I do not believe he'll get to 55 power.

Kevin

2:05

Would Rickey Henderson be valued different as a prospect now than when he came up 40 years ago?

Keith Law

2:05

If anything he'd be valued more highly.

Daniel

2:05

Aaron Ashby: starter or reliever or something in between?

Keith Law

2:05

Reliever.

Matt

2:05

My brother is a huge Trump supporter. He has a son on disability that would qualify for SSDI. He refuses to get it because he doesn't "want any help from the Government." Even though his taxes pay for it and it's provided.

Keith Law

2:06

I feel bad for his son.

2:06

I’d add, the dark money efforts you cited convince people that government programs help “those kinds” of people, if you know what I mean

Keith Law

2:06

You know who pours a lot of cash into those dark-money efforts? The Kendricks - owners of the Diamondbacks. Read Jane Mayer's Dark Money for more. Randi Kendrick's name comes up a few times.

Pat D

2:06

Tucker Carlson, Charlie Kirk, or Ben Shapiro: who's the worst of the worst?

Keith Law

2:06

Carlson. With the larger platform comes greater responsibility.

Bob

2:07

The racist narrative is getting old.

Keith Law

2:07

You know what's really getting old? Racism.

Larry

2:07

Talk to me about expensive programs when the Government isn't Trillions of dollars in debt

Keith Law

2:07

If you can explain the actual import of that debt to me, we can talk.

Also, slash the military budget.

Joe 2

2:09

Follow up on Robert, assuming his BABIP isn’t sustainable, what is the ceiling? 30/30 with HR upside and middle of the road OBP with continued near gold glove defense? Or is there potentially more?

Keith Law

2:09

That's a ceiling. I'd bet on a lower OBP than that.

Matt

2:09

I mean we spent $8 Trillion on a BS war for 20 years. Conservatives never complain about that though.

Keith Law

2:09

No, and if you start to wonder why, just follow that money.

Connecting…