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Klawchat 10/8/20.

My latest board game review for Paste covers the gorgeous but ultimately unsatisfying Tang Garden. If you enjoy the chat below, check out my new book The Inside Game: Bad Calls, Strange Moves, and What Baseball Behavior Teaches Us About Ourselves, now out in hardcover.

Keith Law: My love is rotten to the core. Klawchat.

Todd Boss: Is there really such a thing as an “Undecided voter” right now?  In this partisan, narrative driven world, who at this point is still making up their minds on which way to vote?  Can we just FFD to 11/3 please?
Keith Law: A front office friend texted me that question last night – who the hell is still undecided? Either you’re in the cult, or you’re disgusted by the last four years (and especially the last six months). I don’t understand anyone who’s in between.
Keith Law: Of course, some dipshit journalist tracked down Ken Bone – who said he’s “undecided” – rather than, you know, finding marginalized voters who feel unrepresented by either party, or people who want to vote but find it hard to do so because of voter suppression, or just anyone who isn’t another white man.

Ben (MN): Oofta. The Twins. There is a lot of talk in MN about whether they should rely on some of their younger but near-ready prospects next year (Jeffers, Kiriloff, Rooker) or stand-pat with what they have. Any moves you think they should make? Trading Garver/Rosario seems to make sense, but they aren’t likely to get much in return.
Keith Law: LaVelle Neal was on my podcast this week and we talked about exactly that – he thinks they’ll trade Rosario, and at least look at trading Garver. Rooker’s upside is limited and I’m not sure where he gets to play if they bring Cruz back on a one-year deal.

Jack S: Keith–I was under the impression that teams’ minor league, or sub-MLB, facility this year was limited in how many players they could house.  Was there any way for teams to progress their lower tier (A ball, for example) prospects this season or gauge their skills in any way?  Are they still having some kind of Fall Ball?
Keith Law: Most teams are holding some sort of instructional league, expanding it for more players, but not every team is allowing other teams’ scouts to watch (and thus in return they can’t send their scouts around, which seems extremely short-sighted, even by the short-sighted standards of Myopic League Baseball). So we’ll hear some things on prospects but not a ton.

Jesse B: Randy Arozarena. SSS or could be a future All Star?
Keith Law: It’s obviously SSS, but he has a lot of ability and thus potential upside, especially given his defense.
Keith Law: But yeah, he hasn’t even played enough to lose ROY eligibility.

Bill G: Hi Keith.  Ignoring the pandemic and financial issues, and only focusing on the talent, would you recommend baseball contract to 28 teams, expand to 32 teams, or stay where they are at 30 teams.  Any insight to your reasoning would be appreciated.  Thanks!
Keith Law: Contraction is ridiculous – just a ploy by owners to try to extract public funds for stadiums. There’s enough talent out there for 32 teams – yes, even enough pitching – and there are underserved markets, like Nashville, that would be good for MLB to include. But MLB has also locked itself into markets that are probably going to have revenue issues over the long term and may be better off moving some franchises before expanding.

Tom: I realize it’s a ridiculously SSS in a bizarro baseball season, but have you seen/heard anything to believe that Tanner Houck’s apparent leap is real and sustainable?
Keith Law: I watched two of his three starts and both times his velocity tapered off pretty early, which would be a concern if that’s still true next year after a normal offseason and spring training. I also still don’t really see what his weapon will be vs LHB. He wrecked righties, though, with a nearly 40% K rate against them.

Sam: This year had a very large number of players make their MLB debut and teams pushed players that probably were not ready for MLB.  Assuming we have Minor League Baseball next season do you see a number of top level prospect like Joey Bart for example going back to the minors to continue to improve or will teams keep pushing these players and keep them on the Major league roster?
Keith Law: Bart I doubt. But I’m sure plenty of other rookies will go back to the minors to start the year for baseball or service-time reasons. Luis Patiño comes to mind for the former – great stuff, huge upside, wasn’t ready, at least not to start.

DRB: So you don’t like Deftones and you think Tame Impala’s last album is his best? I’m sorry Klaw, but when it comes to music, you’re like those people who claimed Junior Lake was a future star.  In all serious though, I will say I’ve gotten a lot of great album recs from you, but none of them ever became all-stars in my rotation.
Keith Law: Those aren’t even close to my most controversial music opinions.

Matt: How do you feel about Willi Castro going forward? Obviously he’s not going to continue to BABIP .450 like he did this season but his BB rate went up and K rate went down as the season progressed as did the quality of his contact so if those trends continue they may help offset some of the inevitable BABIP regression.  To sum it up, do you think he could be an .850OPS/350wOBA type bat going forward?
Keith Law: I’ve generally been high on Castro because everyone raved about his feel for the game, and because I thought the swing would work for contact, so I think he could hit enough to be a regular somewhere. I was surprised to see that he wasn’t very good at short or third this year, though; I thought he could stay at short or be very good at 2b/3b.

davealden53: I know this story has become old news but would you have signed the letter in Harper’s about intellectual freedom?
Keith Law: I would not; I think Isaac Chotiner’s interview in the New Yorker of one of the signatories gets at the reasons why I wouldn’t.

John Olerud: Not sure how much you listen to the announcers in games. But I was watching/listening to the Atlanta/Marlins game yesterday and Buck Showalter’s good ol’ boy commentary was a little awkward to listen to at times, in its subtle insinuations of exactly who were the true “baseballers” amongst the guys on the field.  Indeed, I don’t think he even had any insight as to how this might have come off, but if you care or are at liberty to comment, I imagine his “takes” aren’t exactly unique among the managerial ranks in baseball?
Keith Law: I did not hear this, but what you describe is definitely a common view within baseball. I am automatically suspicious of any opinions like that because they can very easily be cover for racial prejudices (not saying that’s true of Buck, I didn’t hear his comments, and I’ve never heard anyone say they thought he was racist).

Jason: Assuming Atlanta actually reaches the NLCS, would it make more sense to have a bullpen day for Game 3 with Wright starting Game 4, knowing that Game 5 would either be the Game 1 starter on short rest (Fried, unless the NLDS goes 5 games) or another bullpen day?
Keith Law: What’s the alternative in your mind there – bullpen game 4, Wright 3?

davealden53: Willians Astudillo isn’t a great ballplayer but his skillset is fun and potentially useful with the right utilization.  However, the Twins seem unsure what to do with him.  Would he benefit from a clean start with a different organization?  What could Minnesota get for him?  A 100 to 150 prospect?
Keith Law: I don’t think he gets a legit prospect in return. Fine player, and very fun to watch, but ultimately not that valuable.

Todd Boss: How disappointed are you that Trump refuses to participate in a 2nd debate?  I mean, the first one was such a civilized, informative discussion…
Keith Law: After he did himself no favors in the first debate, I expected him to find a way out of a second one.
Keith Law: In a virtual debate, the moderator could just mute him when he interrupts or goes well beyond his time. That’s his worst nightmare.

John: When do you see Jeter Downs making his MLB debut?
Keith Law: Next year (2021) for sure. Would be shocked if we don’t see him.

Frank: Has any team in recent history been more of a favorite to win the World Series than the Dodgers are this year?  I know you always talk about anything can happen in a short series but is there anything you have seen so far, regular season or post season to make you believe the Dodgers dont win the WS?
Keith Law: Both of those things can be true at the same time. They could be the strongest favorites ever, and still only have a slightly better than random chance to win it all.
Keith Law: I do agree they’re the favorites, though. I picked a Rays/Dodgers WS and just as a fan of great teams would be very happy to see that. Also that’s the one AL playoff team left that has never won a WS vs the NL team with the second-longest drought (SD has never won).

bighen: I know you haven’t been a huge fan of Gimenez and have liked Rosario in the past – any change in thought there? I realize not a lot to go on.  I think the ceiling for Gimenez is a lot lower but he seems to be a much better fielder for a team that badly needs some good defenders.   Do you think the Mets can trade Rosario for anything of note at this point – perhaps as part of a package to land a legit CF ?
Keith Law: I think Rosario would still have value because other teams will still remember how they rated him as a prospect and figure the Mets screwed him up (which is fair, I think; they’ve had a lot of development issues over the last 5+ years). Most teams, especially teams that are building or just always hunting for value (Oakland, TB), love to try to fix out-of-favor prospects. And yeah, I would too. As for Gimenez, he has a soft regular ceiling and I think you saw it this year.

Greg: Why don’t pitchers like Dustin May and Brusdar Graterol get more strikeouts with such filthy stuff?
Keith Law: May gets a shit-ton of ground balls. Graterol’s stuff is hard but I don’t think it’s “filthy” the way you might mean.

That Guy in Detroit: I guess the first shots of the civil war have been fired in Michigan.  Sigh
Keith Law: I would have guessed Alabama, but it was inevitable.

Jon: After watching Alex Reyes, Genesis Cabrera, and Austin Gomber this year I’m really excited about the cardinals future rotation. Do you think all 3 can be starters in the future?
Keith Law: No, maybe, probably, in order. Reyes hasn’t stayed healthy, ever, and the delivery doesn’t give me reason to think he will.

DRB: Could you share your thoughts on Klentaks tenure? How much blame for you give him for the Phillies awfulness the last few years?
Keith Law: Meghan Montemurro has a huge piece coming Friday on this, with contributions from me on their drafts and player development. It’s complicated, and some of the problems predate Klentak, too.

Paul: At this point I feel “undecided” is code for “I’m probably going to vote for Trump, I’m just waiting for some minor Biden gaff to give me an excuse to do so”
Keith Law: Agreed. Or, I suppose, a Biden voter who is surrounded by Trump voters, and similarly feels unwilling to say so publicly.

G: Is there a chance Ke’Bryan Hayes actually gets ROY votes? I was happy to see you picked him, but figured his short(er) stay in the majors would cost him votes.
Keith Law: I bet he gets a lot of 2nd/3rd place votes but maybe nobody except for Pittsburgh voters puts him first, because of what I wrote about voting early or just because they dismissed him on playing time.

Jimbo: Thoughts on Zac Gallen going fwd ? I know you were very high on Jazz but I don’t think the marlins would do that deal today do you ?
Keith Law: I think both teams are still extremely happy with the deal. Gallen is almost certainly going to be on my next “players i was wrong about” column, probably next September. He’s much better than I realized, even after scouting him live when he was still with STL.

bighen: I still know quite a few bright people that are undecided. I find it shocking but they are almost all wealthier people that are worried that a Biden win will deeply hurt their finances.  It sounds selfish and seemingly has no basis in fact but that is the repeated mantra I hear
Keith Law: I think that view is objectively unsustainable, though. Nothing Biden could do on tax or economic policy will do as much damage as our government’s inadequate response to the pandemic has. (That’s without even arguing that your long-term financial health depends on some sort of climate policy other than “sweep the forest floors.”)

Louie: You’re Theo Epstein. If it is time to break up the band, who do you keep on offense besides Happ, Heyward and Contreras? With the FA clocks ticking for KB, Rizzo, Baez and Schwarber?
Keith Law: Well, if I’m Theo Epstein, I know I have a year left on my deal, and I’m looking at the opportunity in Philly, and rumors that there may be one next year in Seattle, and maybe even talk to the Angels or Mets to see if I can get the autonomy I would need in either spot. But to your question, I’d pay Baez, and try to make Rizzo a Cub for the rest of his career, but Bryant is going to FA no matter what.

Bob (LA): Does this series between the Dodgers and Padres make you think Logan White could be a good hire for the Angels or Phillies? Both Teams mention wanting to draft and develop better. Hes partly responsible for building the core of both of these teams.
Keith Law: Great name, although I think the Angels want an experienced GM who’ll try to win right now rather than develop. I’ve heard Bobby Heck with the Phillies and Mets, at least. Ray Montgomery’s and Tony Lacava’s names have come up. Those are all names from the scouting world; I’m assuming that there will also be at least as many candidates from the front office/analytics side, but I haven’t heard them yet.

Jimbo: Thoughts on the job Mike Hazen has done in AZ ? Seems like a C- or D job he has done. Also is he handcuffed by poor ownership/CEO ?
Keith Law: Oh, I think he’s done a well above-average job. System is way better than it was.

Jimbo: how has exercise been going ? Losing weight ? More energy ?
Keith Law: I lost 8-10 pounds since I started running and now that’s just holding steady, which is fine. More energy, but more soreness too since I’m trying to run 5 km each time out.

Mike: Biggest positive surprise of the teams that did not make the playoffs? Giants, Orioles or Royals?
Keith Law: I’m floored the Orioles won that many games with that pitching staff.

Nate: Keith, if you were Rick Hahn, would you be looking to add “big named” free agent starter or would you roll with a rotation rounded out by Dunning, Cease, Kopech, and possibly Stiever after Giolito and Keuchel?
Keith Law: I think that rotation is more than good enough, but if you can get an established above-average or better starter, you should probably do so, and then see if, say, Cease and Stiever/Dunning can get you another piece you need.
Keith Law: Or those could be the same thing – trade two young starters for a guy who is higher probability for 2021.

Pat: Your opening remark answers my question. As an 80’s child & metal head, I assumed you were a VH fan. Eddie’s death effected me more than most of the other 80’s icons. Just a singular talent who I was blessed to see 2x in concert (with Hagar, too young for DLR Era). A shame to see he couldn’t control his demons.
Keith Law: I was a huge fan of his fretwork – people call him an innovator, but he didn’t invent two-hand tapping or anything else, it is that he did that shit better than almost anyone else in rock history. Just watch his hands – it’s like watching peak Stanley Jordan, like they’re hypermobile or had fewer bones or something because it seems like no human should be able to move their hands like that. I was never as big a fan of VH’s songs as I was of his playing, though, and of course his bizarre belief that a metal guitar pick caused his throat cancer and not several decades of smoking is the sort of denialism that makes me stabby.

Kevin: Why can’t we have some broadcasters who at least understand analytics?
Keith Law: Because the powers that be are still operating from a 50-year-old playbook that says you have to have ex-players in the booth.

Josh: While there probably aren’t many undecided voters, about 40% of eligible adults will not vote at all. If only the media would frame the election around reaching out to those people (who happen to mostly be marginalized groups, people of color, and/or low-income)with policy designed to benefit them and calling out voter suppression. The myth of the engaged but undecided voter is incredibly damaging to the political process.
Keith Law: And the challenge of getting more of those people to vote should be more important to everyone who cares about our democracy … except Sen. Mike Lee, I suppose.

Rod: Still a small sample, but I’m surprised by how good Ian Anderson’s changeup is, despite the lack of spin.  It feels like teams will eventually scout it better, but his delivery hides the ball well.  Has his ceiling risen or do you still project mid-rotation starter?
Keith Law: Changeups don’t spin, though. His curveball doesn’t have great spin, and I think it’s a clear third pitch for him, but hitters do not see that changeup at all and I think it’s at least a 70 pitch.
Keith Law: (Which I would not have said in February, BTW.)

Cole: Do you think Billy Eppler’s firing by the Angels was warranted? And is Dombrowski really the best choice for their GM opening?
Keith Law: I wouldn’t have fired Eppler or Klentak, but those owners wanted scapegoats.

Moises: Any info on Mackenzie Gore? With the lack ofstarting pitching on Padres, I would have assumed he would’ve been called up. Mechanics? Injury?
Keith Law: Nothing I can report but you are asking the right question. He should be up, and he isn’t. What does that tell us

addoeh: How do you like your Van Halen?  Diamond Dave or Red Rocker.
Keith Law: DLR all the way.

mike sixel: Just stopping by to say thanks for the game, book, music, movie reviews. And to recommend Odin’s Ravens…have a great day.
Keith Law: I’ve heard good things about that game … I think it’s the one where the original Kickstarter guy took off with the money and another publisher came in, took over the game’s rights, and fulfilled it?

TC: If you’re starting a team in 2021, who would you rather have? Soto or Tatis Jr?
Keith Law: Tatis Jr.

Paul: I haven’t looked at the numbers yet, but it feels like there are a ton of home runs now in the playoffs after a bit of a dip in the regular season. Have they switched back to the super balls or its just a bunch of good home run hitters in the playoffs?
Keith Law: We need data, which I assume we’ll have soon, but I agree it at least looks like the ball is flying farther.

Manny machado: Am i a hypocrite for criticizing graterol’s celebration
Keith Law: Yes. Bad look.

Henry: Just want to thank you for the excellent Baratza grinder recommendation a few weeks ago. It’s made my pour over so much better.
Keith Law: They also have incredible customer service. Love that grinder.

Tom: Ryan Weathers, potential number 2 sp?
Keith Law: No, not based on anything I’ve seen or heard.

Tom: O neil cruz needs to be fired into the sun…But it’s crazy how little media attention this has gotten. He was a top prospect and now gotta think he will never see the big leagues
Keith Law: Probably getting less attention because it didn’t happen in the US and there were a lot of conflicting rumors about it. If he’s convicted, or MLB suspends him for a long time, it’ll probably be a bigger story.

Dr. Bob: I think your most controversial musical opinion is not liking Bruce Springsteen.
Keith Law: Certainly my most controversial in the press box.

Rick: Since the padres called up Patino, Morejon, and Weathers over Gore, do we need to re-think Gore’s prospect value?
Keith Law: No. Morejon was already in the majors. I answered on Gore above but I don’t think your premise supports your conclusion.

Alex: MLB is selling tickets to the World Series.  Personally seems crazy to me for so little revenue with the potential for your biggest event of the year to become super spreader and the PR disaster that would come from it.  If given a ticket would you go?
Keith Law: I agree completely. There should be no fans.

Zac: Should the Tigers pursue Aj Hinch or Alex Cora?
Keith Law: Yes. Both were very good managers. Both have served their penalties.

Josh: Assuming Biden wins and Trump is unsuccessful in whatever he tries to do post results being verified, I have a very strong sense that he will deliberately try and sabotage the office in some way that causes a catastrophic issue that Biden is forced to deal with in some way… thoughts?
Keith Law: Maybe, but other than fighting Barrett’s nomination, there isn’t a whole lot the Democrats can do – and their focus should be on securing the biggest possible win in November.

Matt: Keith – l was surprised to see Bauer 5th in your Cy Young rankings. I love your work and dislike Bauer personally, but I found myself wondering whether his past behavior affected your ranking.  I’m curious to know (1) why Bauer wasn’t higher, particularly compared to Fried who pitched 26% fewer innings, and (2) whether it is difficult to be objective with respect to someone who has a history of ugly behavior.
Keith Law: His behavior wasn’t a factor at all. That’s not anywhere in the voting criteria. I don’t think many people realized that he was 5th in bWAR for NL pitchers, and 3rd in fWAR, which I think makes any spot 3-4-5 defensible. If you want to argue he should have been 4th on my ballot, sure, I’m not that wedded to the order I had. I don’t think he belonged in 1st or 2nd, and people arguing over a difference of one or two spots on the ballot need to find something else to do.

Guest: Last night, in the year 2020, after a 60 game season, Smoltz actually touted Davies’ 4-1 record.
Keith Law: Smoltz has been a huge disappointment on TV and I don’t understand why he seems to have a lifetime appointment to the job. He disdains the present game, doesn’t understand analytics, and doesn’t even seem to grasp what scouts do or how things like prospect rankings work.

Dr. Bob: One advantage of the neutral sites: No tomahawk chop for Braves “home” games.
Keith Law: Excellent point.

Jason: I saw your report on Ian Anderson’s first start, and it was of course positive but a little hesitant on him having top-of-the-rotation stuff.  Do you have similar feelings after watching the postseason starts?
Keith Law: Yes.

Kiko Calero’s slider: Does his performance this postseason alter your future projection of Ian Anderson?
Keith Law: No. Literally no postseason performance is going to alter future projections on a player. That’s about the best possible formula for making large errors on players.
Keith Law: Hang on, Hall of Famer Brian Doyle is on line 2…

CR: Just a little anecdote from my morning in case any undecided voters are in this chat and wondering what voting for Trump aligns you with: Two Trump/Pence canvassers came to my house, a young guy at the door and an older guy in a car. The young guy was fine, just asked if I had any questions about the election or anything. I said no, that I was pretty confident in my vote for Biden and Democrats down ballot. Nothing more. Very courteous and neighborly. No big deal. The young goes back to the car and gets in, says something to the old guy, probably about me not being interested, and the old guy, clear as day, goes, “F*cking Jew. What do you expect?” before driving off. So if you’re undecided and still considering voting for Trump, know that this sort of antisemitism, and about a million other bigoted beliefs, are what you would be consenting to from your president and his supports.
Keith Law: I wish you’d recorded that one … would have been pretty newsworthy.

Joel: That Angels GM job, doesn’t seem like a good one?
Keith Law: You have Mike Trout and some decent prospects. You also have a meddling owner, a very involved team President, and the mandate to win yesterday.

Trav: More of a beg to the readers than a question: voting is not enough. If you can, *please* write postcards/call/text/start conversations. We need to run through the tape on 11/3.
Keith Law: We’re writing postcards tonight for Kyle Evans Gay, our candidate for the State Senate, who is trying to flip a district that has been red for over 20 years.
Keith Law: So, yeah, get involved. There’s still a lot of time left to make a difference.

Appa Yip Yip: What can we realistically expect from Alejandro Kirk, and what’s the pie in the sky outcome Jays fans are already assuming is reality?
Keith Law: Realistic would be fringe regular, but ceiling is All-Star, and I think that’s more than some pie in the sky outcome.

Morris: The narrative around Hosmer being some sort of postseason producer drives me a bit nuts. He’s not a good hitter in the regular season (278/336/435) but he’s somehow much worse in the postseason (257/311/389) and despite his ring saves his worst for the biggest moments – 224/273/286 in his two World Series. Why does he get so much love from announcers and analysts in the playoffs?
Keith Law: Because facts don’t matter. They don’t look this stuff up and there’s no accountability in those roles.
Keith Law: I have watched the playoffs on mute almost every inning because so many of these guys refuse to do the most basic requirements of their jobs. It’s one thing to have a questionable opinion on a player or something that happens in game. It is another to be dead fucking wrong on a fact you could confirm in ten seconds on the internet.

John: For what it’s worth, I’m still undecided between Biden and a third party vote.  I’ve always voted Republican before 2016, and voted third party then.  I was leaning toward Biden this year, but the Democrats’ threat to pack the Supreme Court is a big issue to me, because it would further undermine one of the few remaining respectable institutions.  If Biden would commit not to do that, it would likely secure my vote.
Keith Law: The GOP is packing the court right now. I’m not sure what your third party vote will do, though, other than maybe make you feel a bit better.

xxx(yyy): what have you cooked the most during COVID?
Keith Law: Because we joined a CSA in May, it has to be corn. I’ve never eaten so much corn in my life.

Tom: You were high on DiPoto and Eppler prior to their hires. Do you think the lack of progress for the Angels is a reflection on them or is it ultimately Moreno?
Keith Law: Moreno is clearly a large part of the problem.

Jason: Should a 15 year old really be trashing her family on TikTok even if the mom is morally bankrupt? (i.e. the Conways)
Keith Law: Why not? What’s the counterargument here?

xxx(yyy): how much would someone have to pay you to go cover the World Series in person? (no, seriously – I assume that’s the only way you go)
Keith Law: My answer would be a flat no. Not with fans there.

xxx(yyy): What is the biggest positive about working at The Athletic vs The Worldwide Leader?
Keith Law: There are many differences, but I was tired of ESPN’s obsession with social media.

That Guy in Detroit: Ian Anderson should start going by “Aqualung.”  And if he doesn’t, maybe the President* should
Keith Law: I don’t know what his warmup music is but I hope it’s Tull.

Fred: Please tell me the White Sox get rid of Renteria. He was in way over his head in the playoffs and coached the team into a loss. I cant recall seeing that many coaching blunders in one series, let alone an all or nothing game.
Keith Law: They could do better. I don’t think he’s a very good tactical manager. I don’t know what he’s like with individual players, but I do think he’s cost them some wins or at least some runs with in-game mistakes.

Joe: You mentioned in your video chat that the Angels should look at someone in the Yankees player development option for their new GM.  They did that the last time and that is why they are in the mess they are in.
Keith Law: If you don’t see that they are far better off today than they were when Eppler took over, I don’t know what to tell you. His tenure was a net positive. And had they signed Cole this past winter – which they tried to do, at least – I don’t think we’re having this conversation.

Bill: Dan Dickerson, the Tigers radio PBP man, does a great job of blending analytics into his broadcast. In the case of Willi Castro, he’s constantly bringing up how is BABIP is unsustainable despite his obvious talent.
Keith Law: That’s great to hear. Hats off to Dan.

Aaron Gershoff: In response to Kevin re: analytics and broadcasters: David Cone for the Yankees. He gets it. Hes a rarity though, for sure.
Keith Law: Yes, I can confirm this, and I wish they used him more.

Mark: I often have trouble getting pizza dough off the peel onto the stone without sticking. I’ve tried cornmeal and flour,it might just be my technique. I’ve read about making the pizza on parchment paper on top of the peel, putting i on the stone and then pulling the paper out after a few minutes and letting it cook on the stone.Have  you ever tried something like this ?
Keith Law: I’ve done that in the home oven. Couldn’t do it in the outdoor oven, since it’s too hot, but it works fine even at 500 degrees as long as you keep the paper fairly small. You also could just use more cornmeal/flour than you think you would possibly need.

TJ: Watching my beloved Detroit Tigers, I noticed that Daz Cameron struggled while trying to pull everything when he first came up but started to have more success (and make better contact) once he started going to right field. Is this indicative of Cameron’s minor league career or just SSS noise?
Keith Law: I don’t think he’s an effective dead-pull hitter … he doesn’t have his dad’s power. He’ll be a good player if he sticks to using the whole field and tries to maximize his contact.

Matt: Are you concerned about Paddack?  I recall you’ve always said he needed a third pitch, but he seems to have regressed badly in the short season.
Keith Law: Still believe he needs a better breaking ball, but the short season is just a SSS for everyone and I’m not going to overreact to it.

Mac: Any thoughts of going to Ft Myers this weekend for the HS jamboree?
Keith Law: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Keith Law: no

Rob: Hi Keith.  Should the sale of the Mets go through, what are your thoughts on the state of the franchise/front office.  Any sense of how far behind/off-base the Wilpons were in what they were doing/neglecting.  We all know how terrible they were, but how big a job does Steve Cohen have on his hands after ~20 years of the Wilpons should he intend to right that ship.
Keith Law: This isn’t news, but they’ve drafted very well for many years now, and their biggest problems have been 1) some lack of development and 2) BVW trading those prospects away. Alonso, Smith, Conforto, now Peterson – all drafted by the Tanous/Tramuta group, who also drafted Kelenic, Dunn, Kay, and Woods-Richardson. To borrow a line from 2020 Mercury Prize winner Michael Kiwanuka, they ain’t the problem.
Keith Law: And that makes the Mets job a bit more appealing than the Angels. You have people and a process in place that you can leave alone, and thus focus on other needs.

Larry: do you still consider Dylan Cease a starter and if so what adjustments do you think he needs to make?
Keith Law: I do. His fastball is playing down from its velocity, and he should probably work more with offspeed stuff, and/or perhaps try something different like cutting the fastball occasionally so hitters don’t sit on it. It’s easy to just say “command,” and sure, he’d be better if he located it more effectively, but I think altering the pitch mix or tweaking its characteristics are more realistic.

Sam: A thought for any undecided voters out there.  Sometimes on close cases, Chief Justice Roberts will subvert his own preferences and vote with the majority, so as to create a 6-3 or 7-2 decision, because it’s better for the Supreme Court’s reputation not to have many 5-4 decisions.  I feel  like there’s a parallel in the election.  If either side narrowly wins, people are going to take to the streets and argue that the election was stolen — more so than most years.  It doesn’t seem like there’s much chance of a Trump landslide.  But you can do your part to create a Biden win by a safe margin, and avoid all the messiness/litigation/upheaval that might come from a tight election.  Our country doesn’t need all that right now.
Keith Law: Very reasonable points.

John: I know some people felt Williams should be in consideration for ROY.  Was his exclusion on your list from limited innings or more your preference for career potential or something else?
Keith Law: Hayes, Cronenworth, Bohm, and Gonsolin were all more valuable than he was in 2020. And on top of that, yes, he’s a pure reliever, with lower projected career value.

Jason: So the virus is no big deal? Says the guy with a army of the best doctors/medical facilities at his disposal, experimental antibody cocktails, remdesivir, steroids, etc. What a slap in the face to the average person.
Keith Law: A bigger slap in the face to everyone who’s lost someone to this no-big-deal virus, but yeah, I agree.

Moe Mentum: Do you have a “best catch you’ve ever seen” pat answer? Based on difficulty and/or circumstances?
Keith Law: On TV – I always think of Ken Griffey Sr robbing a HR in left field at Yankee Stadium where his torso was all higher than the wall. In person – not sure it was the best or just the most recent incredible play, but Odubel Herrera robbed a HR at CBP a few years ago, when I was there for Acuña’s second big-league series, that was incredible.

Guest: Phillies doesnt seem like a great job either. Zero prospects, need help all over the diamond except RF and an entirely new bullpen, and a mandate to win yesterday.
Keith Law: “Zero prospects” is false. Also, Bohm is clearly a keeper.

Bill: I thought the moderator did a poor job last night, but short of a kill switch I’m not sure I could have done any better.  How should a moderator handle a candidate whose aim is to bulldoze the proceedings.
Keith Law: The Republicans have decided to exploit this flaw in the system and the Democrats should either do the same thing – breaking the debates completely – or refuse to participate unless there’s an effective way to stop the interruption/exceeding time limits tactic.

Mets Fan: Hi “Don’t Pack the Court” John — if you’re concerned about court packing, you need to vote Democratic; otherwise, you’re rewarding McConnell for escalating and leaving future Democratic presidents really no choice. Biden may pack the court but he may not (and maybe he’ll come up with a better solution, e.g. a term limits amendment). But no future Democratic president will hesitate.
Keith Law: Exactly.

Jeff: Hey Undecided John: it’s called “expanding” the court and it has happened several times before and is completely and constitutionally legal. You’re falling for the Republican’ ploy by calling it “packing”
Keith Law: Also true.

Morris: How should I think about Madrigal? Hit 340 with no patience and no pop, thanks to that 365 BABIP, but if he’s not strong enough to hit for power, is he going to be able to maintain such a high BABIP?
Keith Law: He’s not. Nobody has done that in decades.

Joe: What are your thoughts on Will Smith’s bat going forward?
Keith Law: I’m in. He’s going to make several All-Star teams.

Jordan: Game you have most enjoyed watching this postseason?
Keith Law: The Padres/Cardinals game where San Diego came back from down 6-2 to win.

Todd: Can I trust the polls? Same thing happened in 2016
Keith Law: The Upshot at the New York Times shows what the results would be if current state polls are as far off as they were in 2016. As of last night, that still gave Biden 316 electoral votes, and thus the win.

Chris: It looks like the universal DH is here to stay. Most people say that they support it because they hate watching pitchers hit.  My issue with it has always been that I don’t like unathletic players that can’t play defense to be able to have a spot. Why should these players be given an out when they can’t play the entire game?
Keith Law: This is essentially the “appeal to nature” fallacy. “Playing the entire game” is an artificial construct. Who decided that you had to play the field to play the “entire game,” or that players who are exceptional at one thing (hitting or fielding) should not get playing time because they’re not good enough at the other of the two?

John Olerud: To echo everyone else, thanks for taking the time! Your insights on all matters baseball and otherwise are very appreciated, especially in the world of sports coverage which… well I don’t have to tell you how vapid it can be. Cheers!
Luis: Finally had a chance to get on time into one of you chats. Just wish everything is going well during this crazy times. thanks for the content, specially the baseball and boargames portions. Greetings from this little country of Guatemala
Keith Law: Thank you both and to those of you who’ve expressed similar sentiments here and elsewhere. I’ve been doing fewer chats this year because I haven’t been able to go out and see players as usual, or talk to scouts who are seeing players, and also because this year has been so exhausting – even with good things happening in my own life – that sometimes talking about innocuous matters feels frivolous. But I appreciate all of you who’ve stuck with me this year and reached out to check on me or just say thanks. I appreciate all of it. Stay safe, wear your masks, and please vote.

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→ October 8, 2020
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Grief is the Thing with Feathers.

I recently included a link to a podcast that featured authors David Mitchell and Jasper Fforde where, at the end of the program(me), they each had to recommend one book and make the case for it in some brief period of time – I think it was three minutes – after which the host would choose the winner. Fforde didn’t take it very seriously, naming the owner’s manual for his car, but Mitchell recommended a book by Max Porter called Grief is the Thing with Feathers, reading a passage from it as part of his allotted time. The prose was so unlike anything I’d heard before that I felt like I had to read it immediately – easy enough to do since the book is a scant 114 pages – to see how Porter could stretch that lyrical yet dark language into something the length of a novella.

The novel is certainly about grief, telling the story of a young father of two boys whose wife has just died unexpectedly, and who is understandably consumed by his grief. He is assisted, in a way, in his grieving process by the Crow, a probably-imaginary being who speaks to the Dad and protects the three of them, but isn’t always as helpful as he thinks he is, and brings his own stories of woe and insecurity. The narrative rotates from the Dad to the Crow to the Boys and back again as it traces the path of their grief from shortly after the wife and mother has died to the point where the Crow decides to leave because his work is done.

Porter’s technique here means that the book is all dialogue and internal monologue, yet he infuses so much of it – notably Crow’s, but the Dad’s as well – with imagery and a sort of curious wordplay, where Crow seems to be trying words out for the sounds of them, that it comes off a lot like poetry. Prose doesn’t look or sound or feel like this, at least not in the sorts of literature I inhabit, and it enhanced the sense of magical realism throughout the book in a way that made Crow seem far less ridiculous, even when Dad explicitly refers to him to the Boys as imaginary.

The grief of the father in Grief is the Thing with Feathers comes through intensely on these pages, with no efforts by Porter to soften or deflect the blows. The fact that the wife died without warning – it is explained how later in the book – gives the Dad’s grief an acute edge to it, combining the emotional abyss with the realization that he is now a single father of two boys who will now look to him for the emotional and physical support they had received from their mother. Porter tries to take us inside his suffering, and then gives us Crow as the foil who challenges the father in a way that helps the father towards healing without obviously (or mawkishly) doing so.

The Crow’s passages are the most memorable, and the most poetic. He’s part fabulist, part black humorist, part wordsmith: “He flew a genuflection … Ley lines flung him cross-country with no time for grief, power cables catapulted loose bouquets of tar-black bone and feather and other crows rained down from the sky.” Perhaps my favorite of Crow’s words are a bit of apparent doggerel, starting with “Gormin’ere, worrying horrid. Hello elair, krip krap krip krap who’s that lazurusting beans of my cut-out?” but ending with the revelation that “I do this, perform some unbound crow stuff, for him.”

Mitchell is himself a brilliant writer, and his recommendation was good enough for me to read Grief is the Thing with Feathers, especially when I saw how short it was. It’s one of the most remarkable novellas – not a novel, certainly, not when it’s probably less than 30,000 words – I’ve read in years, like little else I’ve ever seen, for its prose, and for its unflinching look inside the grief of losing one’s partner at the peak of love and life.

Next up: I’m treating myself with something a bit more fun than my other recent reads, Lois McMaster Bujold’s Falling Free, the first book (by chronological order) in her Vorkosigan saga series of novels.

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→ October 6, 2020
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Monos.

Multiple readers recommended Monos, the Colombian submission for last year’s Academy Award for Best International Feature Film (which didn’t make the nine-film shortlist), when I talked about the best films I saw in 2019. Now available on Hulu as part of that service’s deal with Neon, this modern twist on a Lord of the Flies setting is disturbing and grim, casting a dark light on indoctrination and how cults and similar movements take control of malleable young minds.

The”monos” (“monkeys”) of the film are a dozen or so teenage guerrillas fighting the government in an unnamed South American country, although the similarities to the decades-long FARC insurrection in Colombia are obvious. They’re holding an American woman, known only as Doctora (Julianne Nicholson), hostage, and take most of their direction over short-wave radio, visited only twice in the film by The Messenger (Wilson Salazar, himself a former FARC child soldier), who drills them and gives them further orders. When left to their own devices, however, the monos act like teenagers, showing poor judgment, fighting among themselves, pairing off in couples, and doing a rather poor job of monitoring their one prisoner, while it becomes clear most of the kids have no idea why they’re fighting or even taking orders from unseen authorities.

Nearly all of the actors in Monos were making their screen debuts in the film; only Nicholson and Moisés Arias, who plays Bigfoot, had previous credits. You’d never guess by the performances, however, as the actors are entirely credible, perhaps because the script asks them to act like teenagers and because the shoot was so tough on all of the participants. Each has a distinct character and a nickname that sort of fits them, and despite the film’s brisk pace most of them have enough to do to make it clear who at least the key ones are, especially once their discipline begins to break down early in the film and multiple things go wrong.

The heart of the story is the kids, although Nicholson has more screen time than any individual fighter does because so much of the story revolves around their inability to handle any of the tasks they’ve been assigned, including guarding her. None of the child soldiers has a single line in the film that indicates any allegiance to or understanding of the cause for which they’re fighting – the audience never hears it from anyone, in fact. We just know they’re fighting the government, but not which one, or why, or what any of their goals might be. Their participation in this ragtag troop is the end in itself, and with none of them mentioning parents or other family at any point, you might assume they’re either orphans or kids who ran away from something at home, and have tried to replace that with their affiliation with this terrorist group. That leads to an inevitable conflict when interpersonal relationships interfere with their allegiance to the movement, and when obeying the orders from The Messenger and his superiors might mean betraying one’s friends, possibly even to the point of handing one of them a death sentence.

There’s also a political subtext here that I assume resonates more strongly if you know the history of armed insurrections in South America, especially Colombia (FARC, ELN) or even Peru (Sendero Luminoso, MRTA), which endured long, violent conflicts with guerrilla movements on the right and left. I’m not conversant enough with those histories to think I would understand all references within Monos, but at least know that FARC took many hostages during their 43-year terror campaign and conscripted children into their ranks, so I assumed we were watching a proxy for that group. Regardless of the real-world inspiration, this script shows the pointlessness of these guerrilla movements and the futility of the deaths they caused and lives they ruined by stripping the struggle of its ostensible goals, most of which would mean little or nothing to the children handed automatic weapons and a hostage to protect.

Monos is strongest when it focuses on the interactions between the child soldiers, though, getting into themes of homophobia and alienation as well as the sort of squabbling that readers of William Golding’s novel would recognize. They’re still just kids and they act like it, especially when they’re left to their own devices and handed responsibilities no teenager should have. When one of the soldiers realizes they’re no longer on board with the group’s mission or decisions, they try to leave, and then it’s clear that this hasn’t all been some elaborate game. It is that choice, to show what happens when we hand children and their underdeveloped brains adult responsibilities, that gives Monos meaning.

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→ October 4, 2020
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Stick to baseball, 10/4/20.

I had two pieces for subscribers to the Athletic this week, one on the top 20 players under age 25 in the postseason (before the first round began), and one this morning with my hypothetical ballots for the six player awards. I also held a video Q&A for the Athletic on Friday.

Over at Paste, I ranked the ten best games with polyomino (Tetris) tiles as part of their mechanics, which is a fairly common thing in recent games, with a huge run of them hitting the market in 2019-20.

My guest on this week’s episode of The Keith Law Show was Nick Piecoro, who covers the Diamondbacks for the Arizona Republic and a longtime friend of mine, almost since I first got into the writing side of the business. My own podcast is now available on Amazon podcasts as well as iTunes and Spotify.

I’ll have a new edition of my free email newsletter on Monday, now that I have a few more articles to include.

As the holiday season approaches, I’ll remind you every week that my books The Inside Game and Smart Baseball make excellent gifts for the baseball fan or avid reader in your life.

And now, the links…

  • By now you’ve probably seen the New York Times exposé on Donald Trump’s near-zero payment of income taxes and extensive use of questionable deductions to avoid paying. I paid more in federal income taxes in the last half of September than Trump did in all of 2017.
  • The USL, the country’s Division II professional men’s soccer league, had a serious issue in a game last week between Phoenix and San Diego, where a player on the former used a homophobic slur against a player on the latter. Two of my colleagues at the Athletic have the story on the incident and the fallout, where San Diego coach Landon Donovan pulled his team from the field and forfeited the match.
  • Also at the New Yorker, Jane Mayer, author of Dark Money, exposes the real reasons Fox News fired Kimberly Guilfoyle, including harassment and creation of a hostile work environment. Guilfoyle is now one of Trump’s main surrogates on the campaign trail and a big part of his attempts to reach women voters.
  • Editors and staffers at the NYU student newspaper The Washington Square News resigned en masse to protest a hostile work environment created by their faculty adviser, Keena Griffin. Their claims include racial insensitivity and transphobic comments. Dr. Griffin is the president of the College Media Association, and the CMA has announced its own investigation.
  • There’s a longstanding cultural movement in the two Congolese capitals of Kinshasa (the D.R.C.) and Brazzaville (The Republic of Congo), where people of all ages dress extremely snazzily, regardless of their circumstances or where they live. This BBC photo-essay shows these sapeurs in their stylish clothes, including people who break gender norms and children who found their love of fancy outfits early in life.
  • It took Youtube a few days but they finally removed a video by right-wing nutjob Josh Bernstein where he said that Ilhan Omar “should be executed,” referring to her as a female dog.
  • I watched the Spanish-language film Monos, which was Colombia’s submission for last year’s Academy Award for Best International Feature Film last year, this past week, and will write about it in the next few days. The Guardian had an interesting article from last October on how brutal the shoot was in the high-altitude jungles of southern Colombia.
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→ October 3, 2020
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Music update, September 2020.

Whew, that was the most loaded month of the year for new music, perhaps as bands and labels have accepted that we’re not getting back to anything like “normal” until 2021, at the least. There’s over 90 minutes of new music here, including four metal tracks at the end (more than I usually have, but it was a better month on that front as well). If you can’t see the Spotify widget below you can access the playlist here.

SAULT – Free. Do we still not know who SAULT are? The just-released Untitled (Rise) is the band’s fourth album in thirteen months, and once again is full of funk and soul tracks laced with strongly political lyrics. They’ve put out so much music I have a hard time keeping up with specific tracks, but this track might be my favorite so far, and the album is their best yet.

Public Enemy featuring Nas, Rapsody, Black Thought, ?uestlove, YG, and Jahi – Fight the Power: Remix 2020. This should be terrible, but it’s not, probably because Chuck D wisely gives up the mic to several other MCs, most of them younger and better rappers than he is right now. The message is what you’d expect, but it hits harder because of the voices delivering it.

Prince – I Need a Man. Prince’s estate released this previously unheard song, which he wrote for the Hookers and later wanted to use for Vanity 6, as part of their mammoth remaster/reissue of Sign O’ The Times. Prince released very few tracks this good after his name change and the end of his contract with Warner Bros. I hope there’s more, since we all know Prince recorded about a billion songs he never released during his lifetime.

Ghost of Vroom 2 – Rona Pollona. That’s Mike Doughty, and this is the closest thing to a Soul Coughing song he’s made since that seminal quartet broke up after El Oso.

Arab Strap – The Turning of Our Bones. I thought Arab Strap was more of a quiet, indie-folk sort of band, but this new track, their first since their last album dropped in 2005, is dark, electronic, and, more in keeping with their prior output, about sex.

Zeal & Ardor – Vigil. Z&A put out two songs in early September, this and “I Can’t Breathe,” both directly aimed at the scourge of police killing unarmed Black Americans with stripped-down backing music with fewer metal elements to it.

Everything Everything – Big Climb. RE-ANIMATOR dropped on September 11th, although by that point I’d already heard half the album from various singles and early releases. This is the best of the remaining tracks, with their normal frenetic combination of fast-sung lyrics and heavy synth work.

Black Honey – Run For Cover. This is Black Honey’s second new single this year, after “Beaches,” so I assume there’s a new album coming soon. I loved their self-titled debut, which was full of great power-pop hooks.

Porridge Radio – 7 Seconds. This new-new-wave track has an intense feeling of desperation to it that elevates it to something more than just another very catchy rock song with a good synth line.

Sunflower Bean – Moment in the Sun. I’ve been on Sunflower Bean’s wavelength pretty much from the start and loved their 2019 EP King of the Dudes, so this one-off single, which has a summery vibe that feels like the soundtrack to a walk on the beach, is right in my wheelhouse.

Cut Copy – Like Breaking Glass. This track is very obviously Cut Copy, but also reminds me quite a bit of St. Lucia’s first album or his song “Dancing on Glass,” which I assume is some sort of subliminal connection in my brain because of their similar titles. Anyway, this is a perfectly adequate Cut Copy song, not “Need You Know” or “Black Rainbows” but good enough for my purposes.

Django Django – Spirals. The Djangos’ first new track since they released an album and an EP back in 2018 is more of the same, as “Spirals” could easily have fit on Marble Skies or Born Under Saturn as one of either album’s singles.

Of Monsters and Men – Visitor. Unlike most good OM&M songs, this one is driven more by its music than by Nana’s vocals, which are understated here.

Sprints – The Cheek. The driving bass line at the start of this track reminds me of Romeo Void’s “Never Say Never,” of early Killing Joke, even a bit of Joy Division, but with the strident vocals of Karla Chubb. The Dublin quartet have said contemporary Irish punk band Fontaines DC are an inspiration, and you can hear that influence here as well.

Bartees Strange – Mustang. A reader recommendation from last month, Bartees Strange is a Next Big Thing, a huge fan of the National who sounds quite a bit like the Hold Steady on this track from his debut album, Live Forever, which just came out on October 2.

The Aubreys – Smoke Bomb. That’s Finn Wolfhard’s new band, since Calpurnia broke up last November.

Courting – David Byrne’s Badside. This new Liverpudlian post-punk quartet look like they’re barely out of middle school, let alone old enough to know who David Byrne is, although the lyrics have nothing to do with him and are instead an indictment of what the band call “pub culture.”

Mourn – Men. As much press as the Spanish band Hinds gets, Mourn is just better. Both bands comprise only women, but Mourn’s three members are superior musicians and have shown musical and lyrical growth over their three albums. This is their second single of 2020, so I presume there’s another LP in the works.

LA WITCH – True Believers. This is a holdover from last month that I somehow forgot to put on the August playlist, but LA WITCH’s sophomore album Play With Fire would be in my top ten for the year so far.

Pallbearer – The Quicksand of Existing. Is this Pallbearer’s most uptempo song? The American doom stalwarts will release their newest album Forgotten Days on October 23rd, and this muscular track is dark and gothic but it’s got more in common with Kyuss/QotSA than true doom metal – and now it’s my favorite Pallbearer track.

Carcass – The Long and Winding Bier Road. Carcass’ new album has been pushed back, probably to 2021, so instead they’re releasing an EP, Despicable, of tracks that didn’t make the latest album.

Dark Tranquility – Phantom Days. One of the pioneers of the Gothenburg melodic death metal sound, Dark Tranquility will release their eleventh LP, Moment, in November. The guitar work and melody here are both superb if you can deal with the death growls.

Vio-Lence – California Über Alles. Yes, it’s a cover of the Dead Kennedys song, but also interesting that it’s the first new material Vio-Lence, one of the more significant Bay Area thrash acts of the late ’80s, have released since 1993.

Napalm Death – Amoral. I have talked about Napalm Death more than I’ve ever listened to their music, really, as their early stuff, which practically defined the genre of grindcore, was way too extreme for me. Their sound has evolved over the last thirty-plus years, and their sixteenth album, Throes of Joy in the Jaws of Defeatism, sees them working across a range of metal genres and even going into no-wave/post-punk territory, although you’ll always have to deal with Barney Greenway’s vocals.

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→ October 2, 2020
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Enola Holmes.

Enola Holmes is utter dreck, a mediocre mystery wrapped in the cloak of a superior writer’s creation and some quality set design, wasting two solid actresses on a script desperate to tell you how clever it is. There have been worthwhile adaptations and continuations of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s work and iconic character, but this is just plain boring.

Enola Holmes, you see, is Sherlock and Mycroft’s younger sister, a fabrication by the author Nancy Springer for a series of books that posit that this 14-year-old girl, unmentioned by Doyle, was as quick-witted as her older brothers, with a special talent for cryptography. When her brothers try to send her off to finishing school, she absconds to London and starts a detective agency of her own, specializing in missing persons cases (as, I presume, murder was a bit much for the young adult literature market).

This Netflix adaptation of the series’ first book, The Case of the Missing Marquess, starts with Enola (Millie Bobby Brown, so critical as El on Stranger Things) at home with her mother (Helena Bonham Carter), but when the latter vanishes, Enola’s brothers show up to decide her fate. Mycroft is especially disdainful of her most unladylike ways and thus the stronger advocate of sending her off to a finishing school run by a Miss Harrison (Fiona Shaw, also wasted in a minor role), while Sherlock (Henry Cavill, decidedly un-super here) equivocates and shows a soft spot for his younger sister. Enola takes off and encounters another fugitive, Lord Tewksbury, and the two pair up while on the run, separating in London before circumstances throw them together again – while both are pursued by a mysterious, creepy man named Linthorn who looks too much like a young Willem Dafoe. Enola tries to secure her freedom while figuring out the mystery around Tewksbury’s flight and avoiding her brothers and the interference of Inspector Lestrade.

The story is a convoluted mess, overly reliant on coincidence and failing to give Enola enough of a reason to solve the Tewksbury tangle. Enola’s character is just Sherlock as a teenaged girl, transmuting his disregard for rules and cold manner into a mischievous pixie who breaks the fourth wall with irritating frequency. (And of course she has to say “the game is afoot,” a hackneyedphrase Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes said exactly one time in all of the stories.) She takes off for London with a pile of money her mother presciently left hidden for her in a location she’s disguised with a cipher that Enola cracks, and has little trouble tracking her mother’s movements through the London underground – that’s another preposterous subplot that I won’t spoil because it’s just so stupid. While there, she just bumps into Tewksbury again, because the story needs them to run into each other.

The Sherlock character is a softer and kinder version of the one present in most of the stories and in film versions, which has made the film the subject of a peculiar lawsuit by the Doyle estate. (The character of Sherlock is in the public domain because most of the works that include him have lost their copyright protection; the estate claims that this film uses a later version of Sherlock where he shows emotion, and thus isn’t in the public domain.) This poses two problems: It’s not the Sherlock most of us know from canon or from depictions like Benedict Cumberbatch’s, and it also makes Sherlock really, really boring. There are no pithy observations, no witty ripostes, and none of the charm of watching his brain at work, which is a huge part of the appeal of Doyle’s writing – the same as it is for Agatha Christie’s Poirot or Dorothy Sayers’ Lord Wimsey.

This feels more than anything like an attempt to profit from someone else’s creation, because it’s devoid of anything original or interesting. Brown might play the single most important character in Stranger Things‘ ever-growing ensemble, although I think there are times the script pushes her to overact. She never inhabits this character, however, and the reason is probably that the character itself is two-dimensional and cartoonish. For a movie that’s been heavily hyped and received positive reviews, Enola Holmes is a shocking dud. If you’re a fan of the original Sherlock Holmes stories, you’d do well to stay away.

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→ October 1, 2020
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Atlantis Rising.

The second edition of the cooperative game Atlantis Rising came out last September from Elf Creek Games, bringing updated graphics and much-improved components while simplifying some of the mechanics. It’s flown a bit under the radar but is one of the better cooperative titles I’ve played, a step up in complexity from Pandemic but not as difficult to learn as Spirit Island.

In Atlantis Rising, one to seven players try to save Atlantis before the island floods by gathering resources to build eleven ‘components,’ each of which helps the players continue to advance towards the ultimate goal with one-time or ongoing benefits. Each player gets a specific role with a special ability and a set of meeples they can place around the island’s many spaces. The island board has six peninsulas on it, each containing six tiles on which players can place their meeples. Three of those allow you to gain resources – gold, crystals, and ore – by rolling a die, while the other three allow you to convert ore to steel, to pick up Library cards that give you extra benefits, or to recruit more meeples. You can also place up to two or three meeples (based on player count) on the components board to allow you to build them on that turn.

The order of operations here is a bit different than that in Pandemic and the many games that have borrowed its mechanics. In Atlantis Rising, players all place their meeples at the same time, coordinating their efforts, and then players draw one card apiece from the Misfortune Deck, which mostly comprises cards showing the name of one of the six peninsulas. When you draw one of those, you flip over the tile closest to the end of the peninsula that isn’t already on its flooded side. Those tiles furthest from the center either have the best rewards or require the lowest value on your die roll to gain a resource, so the island gets harder to use as it shrinks. If any peninsula has all six tiles flooded and you draw another card for it, you have to flip the middle tile and you lose the game. Some cards in the Misfortune deck are even worse, while others are Calm cards where nothing flips, so it’s possible your card draw won’t be entirely disastrous.

Only after you’ve drawn and resolved your Misfortune cards do you execute the actions for the meeples you’ve placed, assuming that they weren’t booted from the board when their tiles flooded. (You don’t lose the meeples forever, just for the round.) You roll dice to see if you get any of the three resources, convert ore to steel, roll for recruits (which requires two meeples to activate, as in the “love shack” of Stone Age), and draw Library cards. You can also build components if you have a meeple there and have acquired the two to four resources required. Once you’ve built the ten components, you can build the final piece, requiring eight resources, to win the game. At the end of each round, you flip a number of tiles equal to the value on the Wrath of the Gods round tracker, starting at 0 and going up to 3, where it remains for the rest of the game. The players choose which tiles to flip this time, so you have some discretion here, but you’ll probably get seven rounds in before you run out of tiles.

The Library card deck includes mostly single-use cards, but has about a dozen Artifact cards that you keep for the rest of the game, gaining benefits on every turn. There’s also a sort of internal currency in the game called mystic energy, which you can always gain for free by placing meeples on the center tile, and which you can use to increase the result of a die roll by one, or collect to spend four to place a barrier tile on a peninsula that you discard rather than flooding a tile, or to spend five to un-flood a tile. You need two mystic energy in addition to six other resources to build the final piece on the components board to win the game, but one of the components lets you get two mystic energy per meeple placed there, so if you get to that point acquiring more mystic energy is less of an obstacle.

The game is highly customizable by difficulty, with multiple suggested configurations of components to use in each game and the ability to make the Misfortune deck more punitive. With two or three players, you draw four Misfortune cards as a group; with just two players, you also get a Hologram meeple that takes on an additional role and may take one action like any other meeple. There’s also a solo mode that really works, letting you play one main role, one secondary role with the Hologram, and use a robot meeple to boost one or two of your own meeples by adding 2 to their die rolls. In solo mode, you get a free mystic energy token at the start of every round, and then draw four Misfortune cards in that phase.

What really works about Atlantis Rising, which I’ve read is a change from the first edition, is that the mechanics of the challenge are simple to understand and implement. The complexity is all on the players’ side – how best to deploy your meeples, which components to build, even which tiles to use on each round because of the risk that they’ll be flooded before you get to take your actions, which amounts to a lost turn for those meeples. It’s also quite solid as a solo game.

The game is out of stock in most places right now – it’s on amazon but for a gouging price – and Elf Creek has indicated there will be a new print run available in Q1 of next year. If you enjoy cooperative games, and want something a bit more difficult than Pandemic, I’d check it out.

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→ September 30, 2020
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Fight Club (novel).

The first rule of Fight Club is … oh, enough already, you know the joke.

I saw David Fincher’s acclaimed film adaptation of Fight Club back in 2011, and nine years on it hasn’t left me, even though I have yet to rewatch it. The three leads are all so good, and as disturbing as the film is, I think I needed some time to process what Fincher and the book’s author, Chuck Palahniuk, were trying to say.

Since I hosted a livestreamed event with Palahniuk earlier in September, I decided to read Fight Club, Palahniuk’s first novel and I think still his most popular. The film’s script adheres reasonably closely to the story in the book, but the novel has fewer clues to its ultimate twist, and the ending differs substantially, with the written one far creepier and paranoid.

The novel is narrated by the main character, never named, who has already met Tyler Durden, the primary antagonist who exerts a Svengali-like influence over the protagonist. We jump back in time to where the narrator spends most of his time attending self-help groups for people suffering from or dying of rare diseases that he doesn’t actually have. He meets Marla, who’s doing the same thing, and ends up in a battle of wills with her that ends with them splitting the groups they attend and, somehow, also leads to her meeting Tyler and sleeping with him. The narrator and Tyler go on, of course, to create a fight club that attracts other disaffected young men and eventually becomes a social movement focused on self-reliance and the overthrow of the modern state.

The violence inherent to the story plays out less shockingly on the page than on film; Palahniuk is very comfortable delving into the darker side of humanity, and doesn’t shy away from the physical damage of the fights, but it’s less lurid here than in Fincher’s version – without being less visceral. You are drawn into the page by that violence but kept there primarily by the narration itself. The protagonist isn’t quite right, obviously, and Palahniuk’s best trick in the novel, even aside from the ultimate twist, is how he voices the narrator’s inner monologue so that we get the sense of his mental descent without him making it explicit.

The twist, if you don’t know it, is the same here as it is in the film, but the two diverge after that point when the narrator tries to stop what he’s set in motion with the cult he and Tyler have created. The movie ends on a more hopeful note, if you can believe it, while the book emphasizes how the narrator has been trapped by his own creations, without the way out he gets in the film. The book also spends less time on Tyler’s character, and he’s more three-dimensional in the film, not least because of how Pitt portrays him.

There’s a whole body of literature on the meaning and themes of Fight Club the book and the film, which I won’t even try to rehash here, not least because they aren’t my own thoughts. Reading the novel now, in 2020, well after seeing the film, I couldn’t avoid seeing it as a prescient depiction of incel culture before that word even existed. Young men, feeling emasculated by society, oppressed by late-stage capitalism, and rejected by women, turn to violence and a movement that purports to restore them to power. These same young men would be wearing MAGA hats fifteen years later, or carrying tiki torches in Charlottesville. Palahniuk doesn’t so much blame society for their existence as observe them as a consequence and follow one of them in particular to the bottom of his slippery slope. There’s an anti-consumerist message here but it was much weaker than it is in the film, replaced in part by mockery of upwardly mobile consumers who will pay more for a product that they see as “natural” or that carries other socially desirable traits.

Marla isn’t much of a character in the novel Fight Club, which is disappointing given how much more real she is in Helena Bonham-Carter’s portrayal. Palahniuk has faced criticism for his views on gender, and Marla is enough of a stock character here, despite a very promising introduction, that it becomes a weakness in the novel – never mind the Bechdel Test, which this novel fails immediately, but this is a novel about dudes who just want to be dudes. It’s a Real Men™ thing, and you ladies wouldn’t get it. Palahniuk is a satirist on some level, but there isn’t a strong sense of condemnation of Tyler Durden’s acolytes here, and Marla was his best chance to provide that within the novel if she’d been a stronger character.

When I’ve read a book and seen the movie adaptation, nine times out of ten I come down in favor of the book. Fight Club is in the latter category. Jim Uhls’ screenplay smooths out some of the rough edges in Palahniuk’s novel, while Pitt and Bonham-Carter bring their respective characters to life with far greater detail and texture. The tradeoffs are an ending that might be too positive, and more overt clues as to the coming twist. There are huge tells in the movie that aren’t there in the book, and it’s at least a fair debate whether that’s to the film’s detriment. I figured it out while watching the film, but I don’t think I would have figured it out if I’d read the book first. In some ways, that’s a recommendation for the book, but on balance, I think the film is just better.

Next up: I’m reading Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle, probably 35 years after I first heard about the book in social studies class.

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→ September 26, 2020
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Stick to baseball, 9/26/20.

Nothing new this week at the Athletic, but I’m hoping to write two pieces this upcoming week to make up for it.

I reviewed the light resource-management and tile-placement game Cosmic Colonies for Paste this week; it’s a fine enough game, but I was left a little underwhelmed because it didn’t offer anything I hadn’t seen before in other games.

My guest on The Keith Law Show this week was my colleague at the Athletic Kaitlyn McGrath, talking about what it’s been like covering a team (the Blue Jays) she can’t see in person because they’re playing in the U.S. You can also subscribe to my podcast on Amazon,  iTunes, and Spotify.

I’ve been keeping up with my free email newsletter better recently; my thanks to those of you who’ve signed up and who’ve sent kind notes in response to some recent editions. That said, I didn’t send one this week since … well, I haven’t had the muse much at all lately.

The holidays approach! My books The Inside Game and Smart Baseball make excellent gifts, or so I’m told by my editor and publicists.

And now, the links…

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→ September 19, 2020
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Stick to baseball, 9/19/20.

I had one post of my own this week for subscribers to The Athletic, on my disdain for MLB’s proposal to keep expanded playoffs beyond 2020. I also did a Q&A with our Royals writer Alec Lewis and answered some questions for our Nats writer Britt Ghiroli on each of those teams’ farm systems.

My guest on The Keith Law Show this week was my friend and former colleague Adnan Virk, talking about the season to date and some upcoming movies of interest to him (he hosts his own movie podcast called Cinephile). My own podcast is now available on Amazon podcasts as well as iTunes and Spotify.

Over at Paste, I ranked the five best board game reboots I’ve played, as a companion to last week’s review of Nova Luna, itself a reboot of an earlier game called Habitats.

I’ve been keeping up with my free email newsletter better recently; my thanks to those of you who’ve signed up and who’ve sent kind notes in response to some recent editions.

The holidays approach! My books The Inside Game and Smart Baseball make excellent gifts, or so I’m told by my editor and publicists.

And now, the links…

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