I suppose it’s no secret that today is my 38th birthday – at a certain point you can’t hide your birthday any more, not in an era of Facebook and Wikipedia and lives lived largely online – but it’s also the fifth anniversary of my first day as a full-time employee of ESPN, a milestone of special significance for me, as I’ve never worked for any company for that long before.
Prior to joining the Jays in 2002, I was chronically bored at work. In fact, I was bored at several workplaces, one more boring than the next. My first job out of college was in consulting and was interesting for about ten months, until the powers that be figured out that I was handy with a spreadsheet and decided I should be used exclusively on cases that required a lot of spreadsheet work. Being handy with a spreadsheet – which at the time meant I could use Excel without adult supervision and maybe write a macro or two – is not equivalent to enjoying working with spreadsheets, and as I’m sure many of you know, that kind of work gets old fast, especially when you’re doing nothing with the results of your analyses. Every job after that was, in one way or another, more boring, and when I’m bored, I’m not exactly a model employee, either.
Baseball offered one clear escape from boredom beyond the obvious love-of-the-game factor: The challenge of the sport is never-ending because the product is people. We can analyze and estimate, project and value, but we will always be wrong at least some of the time, and being wrong drives us all to learn from our mistakes and develop new methods or metrics or heuristics to be less wrong in the next cycle. I was hooked on the draft after just one year in the room because it might be the area in which teams get it wrong most often, even smart teams run by smart guys who’ve thrown a lot of resources at the question of how to get it less wrong. When you’re dealing with teenagers and guessing how they’ll mature physically and emotionally over the next six years after you’ve handed them a big pile of cash, you’re going to be wrong with a capital R a lot of the time. That promise of an unending challenge is thrilling, and it exists even on the other side of the wall, where I never put money on the line on players but have all of my opinions out there for the public to tear apart (and use to construct lengthy complaints of bias). But after five draft cycles with ESPN on top of five with Toronto, some small amount of sameness has set in. The challenges remain, but the calendar doesn’t change, and the task list is the same every year.
What has kept the job interesting and rewarding over the last five years, more than anything else, has been my interactions with you.
I have written before what a great privilege it is to write for you, and to know that so many of you choose to pay to read my work every year. But my compensation for this effort goes well beyond money. You challenge me to be better – to evaluate better, write more clearly, to take strong stands, to keep up with the latest analyses and statistics, but also to be funnier, quicker, sharper, because I know it’s what you want, and if I’m not any of that, I’ll hear about it in short order. And along the way you will make me laugh, or teach me something, or tell me about a great book to read or a place where I must eat or a game I have to play. That interaction, more than anything else, is what makes this job so interesting and so much fun, even for a peripatetic mind like mine that ten years ago seemed destined to be bored no matter what I did for a living.
Thank you all for letting me entertain you these last five years, and for giving me so much in return. I’ve gotten more from you than I ever could have hoped to receive.
We should be the ones thanking you. It has been a fantastic and enlightening five years for me as a loyal reader. Your interests and mine tend to overlap, and you are particularly accessible among popular writers. This space has been a special bonus. Here’s hoping for many more years.
Likewise, we should definitely be the ones thanking you. Your work is always informative, interesting and thought-provoking, and the chats and podcasts are always highlights of my week. Like you were at one point, I’m trying to plan my life now after finishing up an MBA-like program, and you’re certainly one my inspirations to avoid the mundane and boring fields so many will end up in, and to find a way to live some of my dreams, hopefully in this baseball world too.
Happy Birthday and congratulations of the five years at ESPN!
Thanks Keith for 5 great years. Its been entertaining and enlightening. You’re takes not only baseball, but life is what keeps me as a loyal follower. Here’s to another 5 years.
“We should be the ones thanking you. It has been a fantastic and enlightening five years for me as a loyal reader. Your interests and mine tend to overlap, and you are particularly accessible among popular writers. This space has been a special bonus. Here’s hoping for many more years.”
Cosigned. Also, I hope you have a very happy birthday. Now on to the important question? What are you eating for your birthday dinner?
I very much agree with the above poster. Thank you for making us that much more well-informed and entertained. I hope that you continue to be interested by your work – and that you continue to have success.
Like Francis said, thank you. Between the articles, twitter, podcasts, and book and food recommendations, you’ve given me countless hours of enjoyment. Happy birthday and anniversary. Many happy returns of both.
Keith, Happy Birthday and here is to many more years at ESPN as you are the main reason I keep my insider subscription!
“PS: Except White Sox fans”
I kid.
Keith, I echo the above posters. Over the past 5 years your insightful, thought-provoking writing has made me a better, and more committed, baseball fan. Additionally, I have you to thank for re-igniting my love of novels. I hadn’t picked one up in years before finding this website. Now, I am rarely without at least one in progress. Thanks for your great work.
Oh boy, Keith is getting all mushy on us. Next thing you know, he’ll be reading romance novels and eating nothing but McDonalds.
;^)
Your writing is the best part of the Insider subscription. All thanks be to the klaw.
The thanks go to you, not only for entertaining me but for teaching me new ways to look at and think about baseball. Love the food and book stuff as well. Dinner is my treat anytime you’re in Chicago.
Keith turned me to the love of boardgaming while satiating my need to scour farm systems. Keep up the great work.
Klaw
Kinda neat that we share the same birthday. Happy Birthday!
Its been a pleasure reading your stuff and especially your snarky chats. You seem to be a very intelligent person and enjoy your insight. I enjoy listening to you on the PodCasts and wish you could do that 7 days a week.
Your fan
Keith – thanks very much for the last 5 years. I may not always agree with your opinions, both on books and baseball, but you never fail to provide insight and entertainment.
Kieth is sooo biased toward HIS readers and HIS suporters. Keep standing behind youre precious stats.
/Seriously, though, you’re the main reason I care as much as I do about baseball. We’re honored to have you as a consistent source of humor and information…and teh fear.
Keith, it’s been a pleasure reading your work for about two years now (I’m a new baseball fan), and thanks for recognizing your readers. The way you interact with us is the main reason I keep coming back – yes, the insight and analysis is top notch, but the fact that you’ll answer questions and engage makes its value exponentially more. Bonus for me, we share some very similar hobbies and your blog helped inspire me to get really serious about cooking. Hope we can play another game of Carcassonne next offseason! 🙂
Happy birthday!
The Internet without your snark would be like David Eckstein without the grit factor.
First off – happy birthday.
You’re the absolute class of the modern sportswriter and it’s a privilege to be able to read your work. Your insights, perspective, and delivery are unlike anything else in your field; I’ll echo what many before me have said by saying that it’s us that should be thanking you.
Happy Birthday, Keith. I think I can speak for all of us when I say that your stuff takes some of the boring out of our days.
BTW, you’re awesome on Baseball Today. Favorite quote so far, to Eric: “Are your taste buds even ON?”
First off, happy birthday Keith!
I started reading ESPN’s MLB site a long while ago. My first reason for paying for Insider was Olney’s rundown everyday (lots of links, lots of reading material). Then I started reading this sarcastic, snarky scout’s articles about the draft and prospects…the one part of an MLB team I had never had the chance to see what went on and what the thought process was. Then I started reading the chats and I was hooked.
I’ve kept my Insider subscription to read your stuff. I’m pretty sure you were the first person I followed on twitter as well. I’ve even started on the KLaw100 book list because it simply looks like books I should read.
From one analytical mind to another, keep up the great work.
Keith
Thanks to you, I’ve
– eaten at great places here in LA and sought out your recommendations elsewhere,
– read fantastic books I didn’t know existed,
– played great tabletop/mobile games that I’ve shared with friends,
– learned even more about baseball,
– been greatly entertained.
Five tools, indeed. Thank you.
Keith, want to add my voice to the chorus. Happy Birthday and thanks for all the info from Baseball to Books. Look forward to reading more of you in the future.
Keep up the great work, Keith. Here’s to 5 more years, whether they’re at ESPN or not.
You’re the best Keith, congratulations and keep up with that great work!
Congrats and happy birthday, Klaw! ESPN is lucky to have someone not just willing but eager to engage fans every day. Cheers!
Thank you Keith. Like the others, your articles are the only reason I have ESPN Insider.
Keep up the awesome work! Maybe next time I see you at a game in San Diego, I wont be too embarassed to say hi. 🙂
Keith,
First of all, happy birthday!
I just wanted to echo what the others said about how much I have enjoyed reading you over these last few years. I cannot count the number of chats of yours I read with rapt attention (often while sitting in a boring class in college), even when the talk made its way to Top Chef or a topic I was not interested in, I stuck around for the always-amusing snark.
On top of the baseball stuff, I am an avid reader and you have also opened my eyes to a number of books that I may not have read otherwise. That alone is enough to thank you for.
Here’s hoping this job stays interesting for you for a long time, because you truly are one of my favorite writers.
What a classy and gracious birthday post. Happy Birthday, Keith. I can’t estimate how much value you provide to the rest of your readers, but you are a real blessing to this one.
And you are now the same age as Roy Hobbs the year he joined the Knights.
I once wrote to you on the prowess of Nate McLouth as an outfielder. You wrote back (didn’t expect that) and shredded me with…ya know–FACTS–and I’ve been following you ever since.
Happy Birthday and Congratulations! Like most everyone else here I really enjoy your work, whether it’s baseball, book and restaurant reviews, or for the anticipated sarcasm 🙂 I learn from you. So Thanks!
Here here to the above. I’ve only been on the dish since you mentioned it on Baseball Today, but I’ve been enjoying you at ESPN since you got there and like you even more once I saw your other interests. It’s nice to see a sportswriter not in the “sportswriter” mold.
Keith, I very much doubt that my love for baseball would have made through the last 13 years of horrible product in Baltimore if it weren’t for a short list of writers that’s got you near the top. And that says nothing for my love of cooking and good detective fiction.
Happy birthday, happy anniversary.
Happy Birthday! I looked forward each week for the chats and read everything you do (one of the main reasons I subscribe to Insider). Also love your interactions with Rany when you’re on in KC.
Would like to add my thanks to the many that have been given. I, too, have greatly enjoyed your wit, snark and insight. Every time my wife and I visit a new city and I make a restaurant suggestion, she always asks “Is it one suggested by that espn guy?” So far, your recommendations haven’t disappointed. Keep up the great work.
I read all your stuff and just wanted to express my gratitude for it. Best wishes for a long and satisfying career, be it with the WWL or elsewhere.
Happy birthday, it’s mine today also.
Happy birthday and happy anniversary. Thanks for all of your great writing Klaw. Your writing and sarcasm never disappoints.
I have little to add to the laudatory posts of those above me except that I’m glad to be the 38th commenter on your 38th birthday, and that it is certainly nice reading a string of comments that isn’t full of complaints about your bias against the Cardinals, Indians, Giants, Yankees, Red Sox and so on.
Finding meaningful, enjoyable work solves so many problems. As G.K. Chesterton wrote, “The true object of all human life is play. Earth is a task garden; heaven is a playground.” When one loves to come to work every day … what’s better than that? Throw in a few nice meals and some good baseball, boardgaming and reading, and that’s most of what I want out of life, so it is a pleasure to find others who share the same interests.
Thanks for all your hard work and efforts. Hope you had a great birthday.
Happy belated birthday and anniversary, Keith! Everyone above captured my feeling pretty well, so I have just this to add: I look forward to reading the 43rd birthday/10th anniversary post in 5 years, and all the book-food-game-sports goodness that will surely come in between.
Continued success and health!
Loved your stuff, refuse to pay for Insider. Still get an infrequent fix here, and still wish you would write up a postmortem on Boston eats.
Keith – Happy belated (by a day) birthday. When I determined that I must be a lot like you, I couldn’t stop reading your stuff. I love the game of baseball, have a quirky fondness of board games and, yeah, like good food too. And the more I read your blog, the more I found that I am high on your book recommendations (Cry, The Beloved Country is a new favorite). So it’s been good stuff and I congratulate you. And I have some games recomendations to share…next time you are in Denver.
Dear Keith,
Happy birthday, happy anniversary and thanks so much for your wonderful writing. You are appreciated and respected. Enormously! May you continue to go from strength to strength.
Keith,
You are the best reason to have the Insider subscription on ESPN – your insights, your snark, and the time and effort you put in are greatly appreciated. Hopefully we can all keep challenging you, and Happy Birthday!
Whilst I’m a relatively new reader, you are, in many ways, a bit of a hero to me. As someone rather obsessed by sports, and with opinions that tend to surface about ten minutes before broadcasters give them, it’s good to know that someone with a similar background to me gets to where they want to go. It’s sad to see that basically everyone working in the sports broadcasting industry has to have played the sport they work on, and then spends our dollars spouting inane banalities. Thank you for being different. Thank you for giving us normal folks hope! Happy birthday.
Keith,
Would like to wish you a very happy birthday, It is so nice to see someone doing something they actually love for a living. As a bit of a sarcastic soul myself, I can appreciate how that can actually be an art form. The baseball, well that brings us all here, the food and cooking advice, I think I look forward to that even more. I love to read as well , but though our tastes differ, your passion for literature is contagious. I like the board games as well, but I ‘m an old Avalon Hill wargamer myself, that’s one of my passions. Looking forward to mant more years, and many more chats.Happy birthday again from another Smithtown native.
Your interaction with readers and fans is admirable and enjoyable. A great many of us appreciate it. Thank you.
You wanted something different and that’s exactly what you’ve brought to ESPN and to your readers: a new and invigorating way of looking at a game we thought we knew pretty well. Personally, reading about your interests in literature, language and finding a decent restaurant every time you travel remind me there’s always time to improve yourself if you dedicate yourself to the pursuit.
Keith:
Any chance that there will be a review of Flaggstead on the Dish? I’d be curious to see a review from you of a place that I was familiar with before reading your piece.
Happy belated birthday.
Keith,
Thanks for the great writing throughout the years. Love your stuff. I agree with the others that we should be thanking you, and not vice versa.
But could you do me a huge favor. Please watch The Wire. You are way too smart not to. I know you have given your reasons why you haven’t but they don’t hold water. Any time spent watching any other tv show or movie is wasted if it means you are not watching The Wire.