The dish — Page 165 — The collected thoughts of sportswriter, bookworm, & food critic Keith Law

→ September 28, 2015
→ By keith

Every Open Eye.

CHVRCHES’ 2013 debut album, The Bones of What You Believe, was my #2 album of 2013, an upbeat electro-pop album that put five songs on my top 100 for that year and turned singer Lauren Mayberry into a minor star. The singles leading up to their second album Every Open Eye (iTunes), released on Friday, showed tremendous promise that this disc would be more of the same but better, and it is undeniably so; the album is a direct descendant of Prince’s Purple Rain with its layered synthesizers and R&B-influenced rhythms, to say nothing of the album’s unending stream of great pop hooks.

Every Open Eye begins with the two lead singles, “Never Ending Circles” and “Leave a Trace,” both among the best tracks of the year, showcasing the group’s signature sounds while adding more complex production and instrumentation behind Mayberry’s vocals. She sings like a 5’10” power hitter – her voice is strong for its size – and while lyrics aren’t quite a strength they’re also clearly improved from the first album. Indeed, the opening quintet of tracks all seem like they could have been authored by Prince in his synth-R&B heyday, which is unsurprising from a band that once included a cover of “I Would Die 4 U” in its setlists and drew inspiration from the 1980s without quaffing too deeply on the new wave music of that era. When CHVRCHES does put a keyboard line at the front of a track, as on “Make Them Gold,” that line still makes way for Mayberry to provide the primary melody, in this case in the song that most directly reminded me of the Purple Rain soundtrack.

The most remarkable part of Every Open Eye is the sheer variety of melodic lines the trio carve out of what would appear to be a single block of marble: the eight strong tracks (of eleven) are all variations on a central musical motif, yet they’ve crafted distinct tracks with small changes in the layering of their synth lines and with Mayberry shifting registers or altering a few notes in each chorus. I might have thought they’d run out of room for growth within this particular sound after one album, but through two albums they’ve shown no signs whatsoever of doing so. You won’t mistake a CHVRCHES song for anyone else, but the way the group can carve uplifting chanters like “Bury It” and driving angst-filled songs like “Empty Threat” from the same stone is their greatest strength.

The slips on EOE mirror those from the band’s debut: when Mayberry isn’t singing, or when the group slows the tempo. Mayberry only takes one song off from singing, here on the soulful “High Enough to Carry You Over,” but without her vocal power or charisma it falls horribly flat. That charisma is also notably absent on the slowest tracks on the album, “Down Side of Me” and the dismal closer “Afterglow,” which deviate from the formula that has made CHVRCHES cross-over successes even with their inherently British sound (including Mayberry’s Scottish brogue). The deluxe edition of Every Open Eye includes three bonus tracks, including “Get Away” (#46 on my top songs of 2014) from the re-scoring of the film Drive; the forgettable “Follow You,” sung by Martin Doherty; and “Bow Down,” which sounds more like a B-side due to the lack of a strong central melody.

I imagine the first couplet on the album, “Throw me no more bones/and I will tell you no lies,” was a nod to their debut’s title and an indication that they wanted to shift direction with this release, but they truly haven’t done so: EOE is the clear successor to their first record, but an evolution rather than a change in direction, and that’s the best possible outcome for listeners. For the second time in their short careers, CHVRCHES have churned out one of the year’s best albums, a little light on experimentation but incredibly deep in compelling hooks.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: 2015 in music, alternative, british music, highly recommended, Music

→ September 27, 2015
→ By keith

Foreign Affairs.

Alison Lurie’s 1984 novel Foreign Affairs is a comic drama with two interconnected narratives, each involving an American in the UK who becomes involved romantically with someone we might say was an unexpected match for each of them. Her prose is lofty but laden with wit, while she’s simultaneously exploring existential questions for each of her two protagonists. It won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1985, and while I often say I can’t understand why such-and-such a novel won that award, this time I absolutely get it: This is what I’d expect a Pulitzer winner to look like, a book that is strong but not an all-time classic (the Pulitzer board never seems to get those right), and that addresses a theme that lies at the heart of the American experience. In that sense, it’s a little disappointing that the book hasn’t endured at all – even the adaptation, a made-for-TV movie, has all but vanished – because it’s better than many highly-praised contemporary novels.

The two protagonists, the fifty-something divorcée Virginia “Vinnie” Miner and the young and married-but-maybe-separated Fred Turner, are both part of the faculty at Corinth University in upstate New York, and are both in England for roughly six-month research sabbaticals, Miner on English folk rhymes and Turner on the poet-dramatist John Gay. Vinnie is the more prominent of the two within the book, although Lurie weaves their stories together by connecting their social circles, in part via Turner’s affair with the rather high-maintenance TV actress Rosemary Radley, whose penchant for melodrama goes beyond her soap-opera role.

But it quickly became clear to me that Lurie enjoyed writing Vinnie more than she did Fred, both through the depth of the characterization and through her evident enjoyment of the more ornery parts of Vinnie’s personality:

For a moment she speculates as to what sort of man would embark on a transatlantic flight without reading materials, categorizing him as philistine and as improvident.

This is what we around here like to call foreshadowing, but, more to the point, this is exactly how I view people who get on a long flight without bringing any kind of distraction. Vinnie fears that her seatmate will try to initiate a long, boring conversation to occupy himself, something she dreads because she has prejudged him, and while I’m not quite so quick to one-look a fellow passenger I would generally rather read my book or write whatever it is I intend to write than spend a flight in idle conversation. (There have been exceptions, of course, and those tend to be pretty rewarding, which should encourage me to chat more often, but I don’t, because then I wouldn’t be me.) Vinnie is a woman who judges everyone in comic fashion in her internal monologues – she terms someone else “a person without inner resources who splits infinitives,” although I personally keep a silver axe on my desk specifically for infinitive-splitting – which, of course, is a window on her problems forming long-term relationships, both platonic and romantic.

Lurie drops words like “percipient” and “meretricious,” although she saves that voice for Vinnie’s chapters, but her shifting tones make it seem as if she looks down somewhat on Fred, who has squabbled with Roo over a subject simultaneously trivial and credible and thus went to London alone even though they’d planned to go together. Fred ends up having the affair mentioned above, with a woman who’s older than he is but whose emotional development appears to have been arrested, and, like many men who believe themselves deeply in love, he acts like an idiot. Vinnie’s affair is more sensible, if sedate, whereas Fred just makes you want to reach into the page and smack some sense into him. Vinnie, of course, can’t quite figure out what Fred’s up to – seeing him at a cocktail party shortly after her arrival, her thoughts run, “she knew he was alone here, having somehow misplaced his wife, though she had no idea how he had done this” – and ends up having to get involved against her own insular nature, which dictates no nonrequired interactions with other people.

Neither affair ends happily; they are affairs, after all, which end more or less by definition (cf. Greene, Graham), although one gets a comic ending while the other a tragic one. Lurie seems more focused on the effects of the dalliances on the characters, and indeed the effects of being out of one’s home country on two characters who see the experience so differently, which comes back to why this seems such a fitting winner of the Pulitzer. This book’s core theme is distinctly American, and by depicting two of us abroad in different emotional circumstances, she delivers some insights on what defines Americans and binds us together.

Next up: Ah, I’ve fallen a bit behind, but in addition to ripping through the Nero Wolfe mystery (I do love those) Death of a Doxy, I’ve finished Thomas Hardy’s Far from the Madding Crowd (and now need to see the movie) and am halfway through Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: american literature, comic novels, pulitzer prize

→ September 26, 2015
→ By keith

Saturday five, 9/25/15.

My Insider column this week was on players I got wrong, specifically those I underrated (or didn’t rate) when evaluating them as prospects or younger players. I also held my weekly Klawchat here on the dish, which, again, is where they live now.

I’ll try to get a review of the new CHVRCHES album, Every Open Eye, up in a day or so, but in the meantime here’s a synopsis: If you liked their debut, it’s extremely similar and similarly excellent.

And now, the links…

One last piece on the Ahmed Mohamed story – which reached ridiculous proportions with a “truther” movement emerging – from Popular Mechanics on why we need more tinkerers like him.
Journalist Stacy May Fowles with a potent piece on why online harassment of women led her to keep her Twitter account private.
And here’s exhibit A: Journalist and former attorney Julie DiCaro, who’s been among the leaders in coverage of the Patrick Kane rape allegations, has received threatening tweets for doing her fucking job.
This is very silly but kind of on point – the duo Fleece did a rather perfect parody of an alt-J song.
The indispensable J. Kenji Lopez-Alt debunks five myths about Southern cooking. His book, The Food Lab, is out now.
Some good news for lovers of dead-tree editions, like me: print books aren’t dead as e-books sales have slipped.
A health-care researcher in DC writers about why she had an abortion at 21 weeks.
The Martin Shkreli drug price-gouging story didn’t have a lot of smart takes, but I thought Vox’s brief op ed that the story brought some needed attention to drug pricing was spot on.
From the “ain’t that some shit” department: A woman in Oklahoma was sentenced to 30 years for failing to protect her kids from her abusive boyfriend, who only got two years for actually abusing them, and her parole request was denied. The parole board’s chair admitted to not knowing “the facts of [her] case.” Good job, Oklahoma.
Uber, but for helicopters? The New Yorker looks at an app and service that came in handy this week, when you literally couldn’t cross Manhattan east-west.

And this week, a great reader tweet on vaccinations:

@keithlaw my daughters doctors office. pic.twitter.com/0AuxczicMM

— Ica (@IcaMouse3) September 18, 2015

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: links, saturday five, southern cooking, vaccines

→ September 25, 2015
→ By keith

The Sixth Extinction.

My annual column on players I got wrong is up for Insiders.

I was feeling okay until I read Elizabeth Kolbert’s The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History, winner of the most recent Pulitzer Prize for Non-fiction, an unbelievably well-written and thorough accounting of the history of mass extinctions with a particular emphasis on the current one that is the first to be caused by another species – us.

The various scientists who work on the history of life on earth and of the planet itself agree that we’ve seen five mass extinction events since life first began, including the one we all learned about in school, the massive impact of a foreign body on earth that ended the Cretaceous period, killing all non-avian dinosaurs and three of every four species extant on the planet at that time. That wasn’t even the most damaging to life on earth – the end Permian event wiped out over 90% of extant species – and other extinction events had differing causes, including widespread glaciation or gradual oceanic acidification. But these events did occur, along with numerous smaller extinction events, which is why the current biosphere looks like it does, with our species the dominant one … and causing the current mass extinction event, which could lead to the loss of half of the biodiversity on the planet by the end of the century.

Kolbert has a lot of what could be some very dry paleontological and geological research on the history of mass extinction events, but instead weaves them into numerous narratives around specific species that we’ve lost or are trying to protect. She flashes backward into historical research to discuss long-vanished species like graptolites, which were wiped out in the ice age that ended the Ordovician period roughly 444 million years ago, or to discuss the various natural environmental phenomena that caused previous mass extinction events. In many of these chapters, she traveled to conservation sites, to zoos, or to natural habitats to follow scientists attempting to stave off extinctions or learn the causes of population losses. She travels to Panama to witness the desperate attempts to save various golden frog populations from the chytrid fungus, which eats away at amphibians’ skin, and to a cave in upstate New York where the native bat population was decimated by “white nose syndrome,” caused by another fungus called Pseudogymnoascus (formerly geomyces) destructans that thrives in the cold temperatures the bats favor.

By the end of the book, Kolbert has devoted a chapter to each of the major effects of human development on the biosphere that are now factors in the ongoing mass extinction event, including climate change, ocean acidification, habitat destruction, geographic fragmentation, spreading invasive species, and hunting/poaching. It’s utterly horrifying, not least because there’s so little we can do at this point: Our very existence, and our (temporary) supremacy atop the evolutionary pyramid, has led to numerous extinctions, from our hunting the great auks out of existence to deforestation that has wiped out numerous bird and amphibian species. Global warming is a dire threat to marine life in particular, and ocean acidification, climate change’s “equally evil twin,” is killing the world’s coral reefs. We’re bringing pathogens to ecosystems where the native species haven’t evolved any resistance, and bringing invasive plant, insect, and reptile species to environments where they lack natural predators. We suck.

Of course, we are also the only species in the history of the planet to actually care about stopping extinctions, although our efforts tend to focus on single species and to come very late, rather than trying to stop massive factors like climate change that threaten thousands of species simultaneously. Kolbert can’t even muster a high note on which to end the book, not that she should sugar-coat the truth, and concludes with the open question of what consequences these environmental catastrophes and the consequential loss of biodiversity might have for us.

Kolbert goes into the suspected causes of the mass extinctions, four of which are more or less tied to the current event. The end Permian “impact” event makes for a fascinating story because the hypothesis is so recent (first proposed in 1980) and was so widely derided at the time, including a famous New York Times editorial from 1985 titled “Miscasting the Dinosaur’s Horoscope,” which concluded with the line, “Astronomers should leave to astrologers the task of seeking the cause of earthly events in the stars.” While it’s the one kind of mass extinction event cause we’re not currently putting in play ourselves, it makes for a compelling side story as Kolbert explains both the discovery of the evidence that backs it up and the scientific establishment’s resistance to the idea when it was first proposed.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: evolution, history of science, non-fiction, pulitzer prize, science

→ September 24, 2015
→ By keith

Do You Feel OK?

Superhumanoids first crossed my radar last year with their two-song release “Hey Big Bang” and “Come Say Hello,” dreamy electro-pop tracks that showcased lead singer Sarah Chernoff’s potent soprano voice. I’d missed their 2013 album Exhibitionists, which had a similar sound but lacked the stronger hooks from their 2014 EP; the promise of those two songs had me eagerly anticipating their second full-length album, Do You Feel OK?, which more than fulfilled expectations with a half-dozen single-worthy tracks that keep Chernoff front and center without skimping on the underlying melodies.

Superhumanoids’ sound draws on the electro-pop and new wave sounds of the 1980s but avoids sounding retro or derivative with distinctly modern production and more emphasis on layered music tracks below the vocals. The lead single, “Anxious in Venice,” is a glorious introduction to the album, bringing a new intensity that replaces the languorous feel of their previous work, and as a result has garnered some airplay on Sirius XM. Chernoff’s vocals rule the day, as they do on most tracks here, but it’s the throbbing beat behind her vocals that makes the song such a standout, bringing a funk or even disco element to the track that we haven’t heard from Superhumanoids before. Second single “Norwegian Black Metal” has the song title of the year for me, starting with a sample of Chernoff that sounds like she’s doing a bird call, shifting into a mid-tempo track that is more dream-pop than “Anxious,” restoring the ethereal quality that’s more part of their signature, but again with greater intensity and the introduction of a vocal melody that we’ll hear repeated through the rest of the album (on the line “what’s the delay?”).

This style of music – one that crosses a number of subgenres, but ultimately is synth-heavy electronic pop, with a slower tempo than dance music – can become repetitive over an entire album, which was a little true of Exhibitionists but is not the case at all on Do You Feel OK?. Shifting tempos helps, as “Dull Boy” drifts back into that dreamier (or perhaps stoner) territory after the first few songs have all had quicker paces, as does varying electronic drum lines and mixing up melodic elements across the various tracks. “Touch Me” is one of the most upbeat tracks and gets Chernoff soaring; her voice is main separator between Superhumanoids and other similar acts like CHVRCHES, led by another female vocalist whose voice is endearing but less powerful. She’s also very much the driver of the disturbing “Oh Me I,” a sweet-sounding track with the repeated couplet, “Everything implies/that we’re all going to die.” And suddenly I don’t feel OK.

There are experimental moments on the album, including the trip-hop crescendo-filled “Blinking Screens” (very successful) and the vaguely soul-influenced “Death Rattle” (less so), which also helps counteract the potential monotony that I find on so many electronic albums. Do You Feel OK? seems to be slipping under the general radar this month in the torrent of great alternative releases (CHVRCHES, Wavves, Telekinesis, Disclosure, New Order, Beirut, the Libertines, and more), but this album deserves far wider listening than it’s getting.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: 2015 in music, alternative, highly recommended, Music

→ September 23, 2015
→ By keith

Klawchat 9/23/15.

Re-education for the infants. It’s Klawchat.

Bill Brewtown: Brewers on the Upgrade with new GM ?
Klaw: I believe they are, although I have a real issue with a process where the candidate was apparently selected before they even discussed or interviewed other candidates. It’s a death knell for candidates of color. That’s absolutely nothing against Stearns, but against ownership. That said, they needed better analytical capabilities, which he’ll bring, and an overhaul in player development, which I don’t know if he brings.

Chris: With a very strong AFL performance — could Lucas Sims get into a top 100 prospect list?
Klaw: I can only speak to my own list, which doesn’t have anything to do with small-sample performances like the AFL would present.

Jay R.: Keith, I don’t disagree with you on this, I’m just curious as to your logic: what’s the difference between your stated rationale that potential future career success should factor in to Rookie of the Year voting, and another voter who thinks an MVP candidate should get a boost for playing on a contending team?
Klaw: The MVP rules say explicitly that the winner doesn’t have to be on a playoff team, and considering his team’s record introduces his teammates into an individual award. For the record, though, I’ve never argued that potential future success should be a major variable in ROY voting. I think player age should be a major one – a 28-year-old and a 20-year-old having the same season statistically aren’t equally impressive.

Dana: How good is Greg Bird? Seems like he’s a star in the making with patience, power and at least adequate D at first.
Klaw: Below average defense, probably a low average hitter, but 25-30 homers with a slew of walks is still a hell of a player and maybe a star.

Hudson vs Zito!!!!: Hey Keith! I apologize if you’ve answered this already, but your thoughts on Sean Nolin in Oakland? Do you think he could be a solid “middle of the rotation” guy?
Klaw: Nope, back-end starter at best for me. Big guy with iffy stuff and below average athlete.

John Houser: The Reds are featuring all rookies in the rotation. Any of these guys a long term solution?
Klaw: Lamb for sure. Iglesias probably. Finnegan is a reliever. Desclafani I’m not sold on but he has had an excellent season.

drew: Do you have any concerns over letting Arrieta finishing the game last night? I see a 29 year old who keeps himself in ridiculous shape and is completely capable of going 120 once in a while. His chances on CY?
Klaw: I don’t. He was facing a AAA lineup anyway.

Matt: It’s only been 30 or so games but how concerned are you about Buxton?
Klaw: Zero percent concerned because it’s only been 30 or so games … but it’s clear that Correa was the right call at 1-1 over him back in 2012.

Matt: Better career: Dansby or Brendan Rodgers?
Klaw: Rodgers.

HawkTalk: Keith, play Kreskin for us. When and where will Tony Kemp get his big league shot?
Klaw: Why should he? I don’t get the fascination. Poor defender, zero power, probably 5’4″, and didn’t hit in AAA.

Jay P.: Keith, do you think Harper will be a unanimous MVP this year?
Klaw: No because of narratives and because there are definitely writers who dislike him for having a personality.

Kevin: How high could you see Anderson Espinoza getting to next year? Is AA out of the question?
Klaw: My guess is he’ll be on some sort of workload limit that will keep him from advancing that fast.

Kyle: Does McCullers have a chance to stick as a starter or do you still see him as a closer long-term?
Klaw: Has the three pitches to start but not the command right now.

John: Bogaerts has been hitting for a little bit more power recently. Can he be a 20-25 HR guy?
Klaw: I think so – ball comes off his bat well, has the bat path to hit for power.

Howey: Just started college this week. During undergrad or graduate school did you ever envision yourself working in/around baseball for your career?
Klaw: Never. And I’m not sure if I would have done anything different if I had. Obviously playing baseball would have helped but with my size and metabolic disorder that wasn’t in the cards.

Anonymous: What do you think was Mets thinking in taking Cecchini over Seager in the 2012 draft?
Klaw: Seager would have required an over slot bonus and the Wilpons just don’t do that.

Ben: Before watching Lindor over the past few months would you have said the offensive profile of JP Crawford was similar? We can’t expect this of JP, right?
Klaw: Yes, I would have, and yes, I think we can.

Dave: Do you think Miller and Betances control issues are linked to their usage this season?
Klaw: I think it’s a fair question to ask but impossible to prove either way. I would love to see them get a few days off before the playoffs though.

Dan: More success in the next 5 years: Cubs or Astros?
Klaw: Cubs. Astros might have more talent in the system but Cubs have more predictable talent and will likely have a lot more money to spend.

Christian: Who should Braves target early in next year’s draft?
Klaw: Best player available, regardless of position. There’s no clear 1-1 in the draft right now, or even clear top two, so I wouldn’t pin them down to any player or class of players.

Chris, Larchmont: The playoffs are all about riding the hot hand. Am I crazy to think the Mets should start Matz in Game 1 of NLDS? He’s got plus stuff and, at the moment, has less questions than Harvey or even deGrom.
Klaw: The “hot hand” does not exist. It’s a myth. The few studies that purport to show that it does all end up exposed as having major methodological flaws.

Daniel: Do you support reseeding after the regular season, or sticking with current playoff format? NL Central is gonna get screwed by the current format, but this is a pretty rare circumstance
Klaw: I don’t like changing rules in response to one outlier circumstance that is just a question of (subjective) fairness.

Frank: You generally had positive things to say about Schwarber, but you justifiably ranked him low on your lists due to defensive concerns and whether he’d find a spot on the field. Are there any guys in the near future who might be low on your ranks but have a similar high floor if they can get on the field?
Klaw: Bird would have been higher if I thought he could play good defense at first (on which I’m not sold). AJ Reed still isn’t very good at first but obviously he can hit.

James: About when should we expect your offseason prospect extravaganza on espn?
Klaw: End of January. Takes me a good month to put it all together.

Nick: What would be a reasonable trade package for the Red Sox to give up for Matt Harvey?
Klaw: If I’m the mets I’m insisting on one of the big 3 of Bogaerts, Betts, or Swihart, plus two other guys from the system. Ask for the moon and you might get it. The problem is that Boston can just say screw you, we’re going to go sign two elite starter free agents.

Godd Till: Have you read Underworld? Have you caught Norris’s last two starts? Thoughts on either?
Klaw: Haven’t and won’t read it. Norris looked so much better last night – stuff seems to be all the way back now.

Will: Who’s the next breakout stud from the Cubs after Torres and Contreras this year?
Klaw: Cubs fans gettin’ all greedy now.

Seth: Tim Anderson’s ceiling?
Klaw: Above-average everyday shortstop. Good defense, avg, low OBP, some pop.

Django: Chance that Appel turns out to be a better 1-1 than Bryant? (And is it true the Cubs preferred Appel?)
Klaw: Don’t think there’s a chance of that, and I have mixed intelligence on their prefs so I don’t know.

Tony: Any scouting updates on Luis Ortiz from the end of the season?
Klaw: Heard he was 95-97 again but in short bursts. Still a big fan.

Nick: Frazier or Zimmer the better Indians OF prospect right now?
Klaw: Zimmer, not close for me. Saw Frazier in the playoffs – same issues with swinging and missing at stuff in the zone, not picking up spin. Reminded me of Michael Choice although choice was older.

Bobby: Hey Klaw. Corey Seager is a bad a**. That’s all I got.
Klaw: He is absolutely a badass, and over here you don’t have to censor yourselves!

Eric: Can the voters be wrong if any of the following 3 win the NL Cy Young between Greinke, Kershaw or Arrieta?
Klaw: I’m fine with any of them, but I don’t like Arrieta getting pushed up for the win total. Let’s do it for the right reasons, shall we?

Dave: Do they Mets re-sign both Murphy and Cespedes? I can’t see them sending Conforto down to make room next year.
Klaw: I think neither. Murphy isn’t worth the cost anyway and Cespedes seems likely to be overpaid based on August.

J: Starting Marilynne Robinson’s Houskeeping this week. If I remember correctly you liked it?
Klaw: Loved it. I adore her writing, and the prose in that book has this haunting sparse quality that I will never forget.

Mrs. Grichuk: Injured recently, but has Grichuk moved up to a legit daily corner OF as opposed to a platoon/4th OF?
Klaw: Not for me. I don’t think you can be an everyday corner guy with plate discipline that poor.

Chris Wilcox: How does Michael Conforto only have 12 PA vs lefties in almost 2 months in the majors? Considering the problems that Murphy, Duda, and Granderson have against left handed pitching, is he really any worse of a candidate to face lefties than they are? He seemed to hit lefties reasonably well in the minors, no?
Klaw: He’ll never learn to hit them if they don’t let him face them … and they’re winning that division so it’s not like they have to bench him to help the team right now.

MJ: What do you think the Jays SHOULD do with Osuna next year? Leave him as closer or stretch him out to start? If they start him, how would you manage his innings? Start him in the bullpen and stretch him out by ASB, shut him down early, skip starts, or some other way?
Klaw: Can’t just jump him to 180 innings, so I’d consider making him a sort of long reliever early in the season to stretch him out. I do think he should get a chance to start again.

Ed: I’ve heard that Dillon Cease’s fastball is looking good, but that his control isn’t there at all. Does this line up with where he was at pre-TJ? Is he progressing as you’d expect or is it still too early to tell? Thanks!
Klaw: He walked 16 in 25 innings about a year off surgery. I don’t think that’s remotely alarming or surprising. If he’s still walking 6 per 9 in 2017 I’d be worried.

Phil: Do you think the Mets are going to trade Harvey in the offseason?
Klaw: I think they’ll entertain offers, but if they do so, they almost have to get a young starter back because they traded away their depth in Fulmer and Meisner. Without Harvey they’re at five starters, with Colon presumably gone as a free agent, and of the five remaining three have had some kind of significant injury in the past.

Dave: Do we see james kaprielian up at some point next year?
Klaw: I think he could but the Yankees don’t always move recent draftees aggressively. He’s more command than pure stuff so I think he’ll rip apart A ball next year.

Tom: I think it’s interesting that Twitter/Chat Klaw says that Arreita shouldn’t get pushed up for the Wins total, but BBTN Klaw last night mentioned Arrieta’s 20 wins as something that could be considered. Is it harder in a live forum like that to dispel certain stats especially when your co-hosts are bringing it up?
Klaw: Hold on a minute. I specifically said on the show that won-lost records shouldn’t be considered, but that some voters do consider them and that would help his candidacy. There’s a difference between me arguing who should win and me predicting who will win.

Dan: How did Jake Thompson look when you saw him pitch against Bowie?
Klaw: 90-93, above avg cb, avg-ish SL, handful of mid-80s changeups. Fourth starter who could end up a three or better due to his command and control. Delivery works too, very compact and online to the plate.

Rob: Thoughts on Molly Knight’s comments regarding Yadi?
Klaw: I think she’s generally right in the sense that they are not the same team without him calling games. They’re not dead, but it’s hard to replace what he does with that staff.

Dan: If anybody is going to pull away from the pack and be the clear-cut No. 1 overall pick next year, who’s most likely to do that?
Klaw: The one guy I haven’t seen in this group, Alec Hanson at Oklahoma, was up to 98 in their fall scout day with an above avg slider. Listed at 6’7″, 235. He could end up pulling a Gerrit Cole and separating himself quickly.

Scott: Do you think the Giants re-sign Marlon Byrd? Relatively cheap, and while he isn’t awesome, he’s likely better than anybody else they’d throw out there in LF? Horrible contact rate, but does have some pop.
Klaw: Not on Williamson? I think he can be more productive than what’s left of Byrd, who can’t play defense and as you said is a one-trick guy at the plate.

Rob: How did Kang do vs. what you thought he’d do, and how do you think his success will affect the bidding on Park?
Klaw: I rated him pretty highly – top 15 free agent last winter, thought he’d get about twice as much as he did. I don’t think anything will fully convince GMs that Korean hitters or Japanese hitters are safe bets.

Lars: What have you heard about Nick Gordon. Seems like he really raked for the last 3 months of the season. Do you think he’s a top 100 guy?
Klaw: He was a top 100 guy last winter and he still is one for me. High-contact SS with a chance for more pop than Dee.

Chris H.: Heard the new Chvrches yet (it’s streaming on NPR)? If so, initial thoughts?
Klaw: I’m streaming it right now. I’d already heard 4-5 songs though – “Leave a Trace” might be my favorite song of theirs.

Scott: Good call on Williamson, from my earlier question. Are Beede or Crick ready to join the rotation next year? Thanks again for keeping these chats going. I’m sure I’m speaking for many when I say “thank you.”
Klaw: Don’t think so. Crick has to go to the bullpen; Beede is now throwing 88-89 mph sinkers, his slider has backed up, and he had a 5.60 ERA in AA with bad peripherals.

Justin: Thoughts on Stephen A’s tweet about Andrew Miller as non-closer? Don’t know how you deal with working for that network.
Klaw: It was a scorching hot take. You’d have to be quite ignorant of baseball to think of Miller as some generic reliever; he’s been elite for a little while now, and the comparison to Rivera is absurd because Mo is the best one-inning closer in history.

Nick: From a “readiness” standpoint, who would you feel more comfortable slotting into your opening day rotation next year between Urias, Giolito, or Appel?
Klaw: Appel over Giolito way over Urias.

Jay: Re: Coghlan’s slide, something being commonplace and accepted also doesn’t make it ok.
Klaw: Also true. Like, say, ~39 states lacking any laws banning discrimination against transgender people.

Bob: How highly do you rate Yogi Berra? Not to speak ill of the dead, but it seems that some of his ranking by most is due to his being on some great Yankee teams. Looking at the stats, none of his three MVP awards was deserved. Ted Williams smoked him twice but didn’t play on a championship team those years.
Klaw: I think he’s been overrated because of the teams on which he played, the city in which he played, and his personality. His teammates adored him, the media adored him, the fans adored him, he even got a boost because George Steinbrenner treated him like garbage. Definitely a HoFer though.

Kirk: How does Max Kepler fit into the Twins plans over the next year? Don’t expect him to start the the season in the bigs, but by July I would think he’d be banging on the door…
Klaw: Right field? I know they want to re-sign Hunter, but he’s terrible – as predicted – and they need to move on from that nonsense.

Javier: Hot take: Wu-Tang Clan is or is not something to fuck with?
Klaw: Sources say they are not.

Jeff: Didi Gregorious has been a pleasant surprise after a rough start to the season. He will probably finish with a 3 fWAR season. Is that a reasonable expectation for him or is there more upside?
Klaw: Maybe a little more avg. Otherwise this is what I thought he would be.

Tom: I know you disdain the IBB in nearly all cases, but last night Scioscia IBB’d the winning run with 2 outs in the 9th to face Gattis, a guy who strikes out a lot and doesn’t get on base much. And, presto, he struck out to end the game. Because this actually worked, does it make it good strategy for the situation?
Klaw: I think the math on that one – and like it or not, the IBB is a math question, not a question of what your gut flora tell you – is complex, because Gattis isn’t really a major league hitter. Guys with .275 OBPs (or .500 OBPs) probably fall outside the probability distributions covered by run expectancy charts. Gattis vs any RHP with a decent breaking ball is a bad matchup for Houston, to the point where they should be PH for him late in games.

Chris H: physical newspapers or digital?
Klaw: I haven’t gotten a physical paper in over a decade. I do still read physical books as well as e-books.

Bob: Regarding take-out slides, isn’t the concept of physically interfering with a fielder doing his job contrary to the entire spirit of the game? It’s not a contact sport. For instance, we don’t let players use their hands to knock the ball out of a fielder’s glove (like A-Rod a few years ago).
Klaw: It’s also against the rules. If you’ve been called out, and then go walk over to the guy with the ball and put him in a chokehold, you’re going to get suspended. Why wouldn’t sliding into the guy with your knees up get the same response?

Jonny Bison: I have a ten-month old daughter, and I have found myself throttling back career ambitions so that I can devote more time/energy to fatherhood. I know that you have made similar decisions. Do you think there is an age your daughter will reach where you will start considering career options that you aren’t currently?
Klaw: She’s nine and I’m not really there. If anything I want to be home more than ever because we can do so many more things together. We cook together, we read together, we play boardgames together, we’re going apple picking this weekend, I want to teach her to ride a bike this fall … I’d be nuts to want less time at home.

Zach: Astros DH next season is……?
Klaw: Reed or White.

Troy: pretty sure you’re the biggest brewers hater I’ve ever seen? Why is that? You hate the process for hiring a new gm, but they interviewed brooks, bloom, kantrovitz and Montgomery too. you hate the players, hate the former GM, hate the farm system, hate the owner. Why are you so negative? did gord ash do something to you in Toronto? You’re like a little girl.
Klaw: Sorry, I had to stop laughing before I could answer this. You’re the one having a tantrum in my chat, but I’m “like a little girl” (which is offensive to me as the father of a little girl who could quite easily put you in your place). As for the interview process, I know a lot more about it than you do – including where your list of candidates is wrong.

Ben: Keith, why do we still hear the title “best hitter in baseball” assigned to Miggy? He’s had an extraordinary career, but isnt BHIB currently pretty clearly Number 34 in red? (Unless one thinks he has had a career year at age…22.
Klaw: It’s like an honorific or some crap like that. Miggy’s a great hitter still but not what he was a few years ago and of course not likely to stay healthy for 160 games any more.

Joe: Just saw Neftali Feliz pop up with Detroit, hadn’t seen his name in a while. What went wrong/never materialized for him?
Klaw: Wasn’t quite the same after injuries. Maybe wasn’t that good to begin with but the arm was so electric we were all seduced by it.

JP: Klaw – if your daughter is with a friend’s family and they say, “hey we want to take the girls to McDonalds” how do you respond?
Klaw: Fine with me. My daughter might not be pleased though.

JP: Joe Sheehan tweeted that there are now 4 NL Central teams with analytic front offices…..and the Reds. True or False?
Klaw: Brewers aren’t there yet. Maybe in a year.

Pat: Would you sign Jason Heyward to play CF, or just keep him in a corner?
Klaw: Probably in a corner, to avoid a risk of injury.

Chuck: Who is one player that the media fawns over that really drives you nuts? Someone they waaaaay overrate?
Klaw: Francoeur came up earlier this summer. Torii Hunter. Not a player but the idea that Showalter can do no wrong here – when every one of his previous stops has seen him wear out his welcome faster than a vegan in a butcher shop – perplexes me.

Kris Bryant: Better question is, why is Coghlan playing almost every day which leaves Soler or Baez (or both) on the bench.
Klaw: Veteran presents?

JP: Joe Sheehan tweeted that there are now 4 NL Central teams with analytic front offices…..and the Reds. True or False?
Klaw: Brewers aren’t there yet. Maybe in a year.

Ryan: What are your thoughts on the new developments in the Patrick Kane case and do you think he should be allowed to still play while he is being investigated for these charges?
Klaw: NHL has the right to suspend him pending resolution and then to conduct its own investigation to determine his fitness to play. And they should.

Oliver Samuel: How would you rank Conforto’s tools and has his performance in the majors increased what you think his fielding ceiling is?
Klaw: No, I thought he could be a solid avg defender in left even on draft day. (Thanks to Rising Apple Blog for digging that up earlier this week.) 60/65 hit, 55 power, 50 glove, I think a 50 or better arm, and while it’s not a tool his plate discipline is plus-plus.

Robert: Coghlan plays because he has a 3.1 fWAR this year, while Soler and Baez have combined for a 0.5 fWAR.
Klaw: Soler and Baez had lower WARs because they were hurt/in the minors. On June 15th Kyle Schwarber had a 0.0 fWAR. Maybe they shouldn’t have played him at all after that?

Pat: Is Jorge Posada a HOFer?
Klaw: Not for me, but he’ll get 30-40% of the vote or so. The sad thing is he would have a much better case if they hadn’t buried him behind Girardi till Jorge turned 26.

Ryan: I really enjoyed the movie reviews you used to do more frequently here on the Dish. What some of your favorite movies you have seen in 2015?
Klaw: I lost my movie buddy (Nick Piecoro) when I left Phoenix. I’ve seen Inside Out and Birdman and I think that’s it. It’s awful.

Jeff: One of my favorite articles you wrote was Tim Raines and the HOF. On that note, do you think that Harper’s season is easier to overlook because Trout accomplished these numbers 2-3 years prior?
Klaw: Thank you. That’s possible, although I think Harper having a personality has hurt him more. Remember when Boswell called him the 7th-best player in their lineup? I don’t know how you look at his skillset and say something like that.

Chris H.: Hot dogs: (a) avoid at all costs; (b) fine, in moderation; or (c) more please?
Klaw: I eat maybe one or two a year.

Will: Why does it seem like the O’s have so much trouble with young pitching (Matusz, Arrieta – before he left, Gausman, Tillman, injuries to Harvey/Bundy)? Is it just the natural risk involved with young arms or do you see an issue in their system?
Klaw: Any time you see that many arms fail to pan out in a short period of time you have to at least consider the most likely explanation that it is a systemic problem, and try to rule that out before accepting that it’s a fluke. Showalter has definitely moved too many guys on the rubber to their detriment. And I’ve now heard a few times from different sources about him and their former pitching coach getting into huge arguments with Arrieta.

Chris H.: Do you or does someone else decide the “sports coat, no tie” look on BT?
Klaw: The exec overseeing BBTN this year dispensed with ties. I’m thrilled – I have always found them uncomfortable and I think dressing more casually lends itself to us being more loose on set. Eduardo and I have been joking around on the show a lot this week and I don’t think that’s a coincidence.

Harrison: Does Austin Meadows develop 25 homerun power? Still a Jay Bruce comp?
Klaw: It is in there but he has to hit the ball on a line more and less on the ground. I’m still a believer because he’s young and the pirates do develop players well.

Ed_____: Wow. And so another kitten is lost needlessly.
Klaw: When the current mass extinction event hits Felis catus, you’ll know who to blame. That’s all for this week’s chat – thank you so much as always for joining me. I’ll be on the late BBTN tonight right after the Dodgers/Dbacks game, and on Thursday night as well. Next Periscope and Klawchat will be next week and my annual “players I got wrong” piece will go up tomorrow. Thanks again!

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: klawchat

→ September 19, 2015
→ By keith

Saturday five, 9/19/15.

My Insider post this week named Astros first baseman A.J. Reed my 2015 Prospect of the Year, while listing other prospects who had fantastic years and highlighting Boston’s Andrew Benintendi for the best pro debut by a 2015 draftee.

I held my regular Klawchat here on Thursday. This upcoming week I may shift the chat and Periscope up by a day each, to Wednesday and Tuesday respectively.

And now, the links…

Here’s a shocker: Most fast-food and fast-casual chains use meat loaded with antibiotics. The major exceptions aren’t surprising; both Chipotle and Panera have been committed to eliminating meat from animals raised with antibiotics for years.
A wonderful chart highlighting twenty of the most common cognitive illusions that screw up our decision-making. If you want to learn more about these, read my reviews of the books The Invisible Gorilla and Thinking, Fast and Slow.
Mexico has a real problem with woman and girls vanishing without a trace, often to human traffickers.
This beautiful description of general relativity is an excerpt from an upcoming book that comes out this Thursday in Europe called Seven Brief Lessons on Physics. It’s just £7 through that amazon UK link.
More goodness from J. Kenji Lopez-Alt at the Food Lab: The best way to reheat that old bagel. Lopez-Alt’s book, The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science, comes out on Tuesday.
A good overview of the rising popularity of bitters.
The good news about the vaccine denial we saw in this week’s GOP ~~circus~~ debate was that the outcry against it was swift and severe. The bad news, as this Atlantic piece argues, is that vaccine denialism is now being linked to fear of big government, and that makes it even harder to argue with these dangerous nitwits.
Hugh Acheson brought his wisdom to food trucks in Luxembourg this week, which I mostly included because I’ve been to Luxembourg and it is kind of adorable.
The New York Times looks back at the 1815 eruption of the Tambora volcano in Indonesia, the most destructive volcanic eruption in modern history, a cataclysm that resulted in a massive global cooling episode. The spur for the piece was the release of a new book on the subject, Tambora: The Eruption That Changed the World, this past Tuesday. The author is quoted in the article.
That recent incident where a security guard at a Whole Foods beat a black customer unconscious is a symptom of a larger trend, where lots of minimally-screened guards are running around, often with guns, rarely with consequences for their actions.
Exxon’s own researchers showed their fossil fuels would lead to global warming back in 1977, which they subsequently ignored as they championed climate-change denial in the 1990s.
The hot mess that is Cobb County’s new stadium for the local racist-nicknamed baseball team is even worse than you thought because fans won’t have a safe route from the parking lot to the stadium. This wouldn’t have been such an issue if the majority-white (65%) county had allowed the light rail line to build a route to the stadium, but they didn’t want those city folk (Atlanta’s population is 54% black) to have such easy access.
Ruhlman waxes poetic on duck confit for Thomas Keller’s new magazine.
The BBC’s Why Factor explores why we love tea while giving a brief history of the drink.
Bloomberg looks at how most daily fantasy players lose money. A tiny percentage of players racks up nearly all of the winnings.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: climate change, links, saturday five, science, tea, vaccines

→ September 17, 2015
→ By keith

Klawchat 9/17/15.

Klaw: Flying in the face of fashion … it’s Klawchat.

Nate: Does Jorge Lopez make your top 100? If so, what range would you slot him?
Klaw: I don’t know if he’s a top 100 guy – I won’t really sit down to work on that until December – although I do like him for what he is, an average FB/good CB guy who can really pitch and has a good delivery.

Jeff: Is Albert Almora going to be good enough offensively to be a big league regular? He finished strong at AA but I would think his glove can only carry him so far.
Klaw: If he doesn’t walk or hit for power, he’ll have to hit .290-.300 on a regular basis to be a quality everyday player. AJ Pollock did something along these lines, but he could also really run, and I think he’s always had better plate discipline than Almora.

Willy: What changed with Jake Thompson since the trade to make him perform so much better with Reading?
Klaw: I don’t know if anything changed, but I’m going to see him tonight at Bowie in their playoff game, which will be fairly loaded with prospects (him, Nick Williams, JP Crawford, Andrew Knapp, Chance Sisco, Trey Mancini). If any of you decide to come to the game, please swing by and say hi.

Jon V: Keith – are you a bit surprised at Lindor’s offensive numbers for his first half year in the big leagues?
Klaw: No, not really. He could always hit and his approach has been very advanced since he was in high school. I had some doubts about him his senior year, but in hindsight I think I was channeling industry fatigue from seeing him so much. He may actually have been *over*scouted.

Tim: DJ Davis…still a prospect?
Klaw: Still not a player. (I never liked that pick. Second or third round, sure, but first, way too risky a profile.)

Cody Rhoads: I liked your suggestion of Ray Montgomery for Phillies GM. Chaim Bloom is interviewing in Milwaukee today, is he another option for Philadelphia?
Klaw: I haven’t heard any specific names in Philly at all. Jayson Stark said last Thursday that MacPhail hadn’t made any calls yet on that spot.

Marcus: Do you think the Angels took away the running game away from Trout or was it his own decision?
Klaw: More the former. Supposedly it bothers Pujols to have Trout running in front of him.

Ben: Is there any chance we’ll get to see a sneak peek of Orlando Arcia in Milwaukee once Biloxi’s playoffs have concluded?
Klaw: He’s not on the 40-man now, so unless he has to go on this winter to protect him from the rule 5 (I don’t know offhand), I would say no.

Mike: Besides Tyler Kolek and Josh Naylor, is there anyone we can actually get excited about in Miami’s system?
Klaw: I’m not sure you should get that excited about those guys either.

JR, Connecticut: Hi Keith, hope you got to see some of the abhorrent nonsense on vaccines during thaat clown show of a debate last night. Do you see the Mets resigning Cespedes in the offseason and if so what would you think a fair contract would be?
Klaw: I didn’t watch the debate, because a room full of science deniers like that isn’t reallly the place for me. I’m not a “single-issue” voter, but I will say that if you deny the basic science on vaccines, evolution, or climate change, I can’t vote for you. Accepting facts is sort of a necessary condition. I don’t think they’ll re-sign him – I think he’ll get wildly overpaid by the market relative to his projected output, probably well north of $20MM/year.

Wally: What would you do this offseason if you were Nats GM – plug in behind the departing FAs, or even more dramatic reconstruction? Let’s assume the manager goes (might not be a slam dunk for them, but is for most fans)
Klaw: Turner to SS, AJ Cole and Tanner Roark to the rotation, Giolito to AAA, Reynaldo Lopez to the major-league bullpen. The tough one is CF: Michael Taylor’s glove is exceptional, but can you live with a year or two of offensive struggles? I can, but ownership might disagree.

C Hoffman: Can I play with madness?
Klaw: There’s no vision there at all.

John Houser: The Rangers have been aggressive with Brinson and Mazara. Is there room for both of them in Arlington next year? I am thinking Brinson could use a full AAA season.
Klaw: Brinson’s glove is ready but I agree with you at least to the extent that Brinson should start in AAA with a goal of maybe 200 or so AB. Mazara seems more ready, but where does he play? Can they dump Choo’s contract on someone? He’s an awfully expensive platoon player, and since they’re both LHB you can’t even work them both in.

Tally Dave: Keith, Jake Arrieta has a 2nd half ERA of 0.90, which if holds up would be the lowest in MLB history…just crazy about his dominance over an extended period…to me it’s a no-doubter but what would be your order between Arrieta, Kershaw, Greinke?
Klaw: Kershaw, Greinke, Arrieta, although if you want to flip the first two I’m fine with that. I don’t see why the second-half ERA should count more than the first (in fact, it should count less as the second half is usually shorter).

Jonathan: As a Red Sox fan do I have a right to be concerned that Dombrowski is going clean out the farm AND bring Frank Wren in as GM?
Klaw: You absolutely have that right, at least until proven otherwise.

Dave: Bryan Mitchell’s 67 ERA+ … SSS slump, not that good, or not ready?
Klaw: Not that good.

Jeff: Travis d’Arnaud looks like a superstar. Is this his ceiling if he can ever stay healthy?
Klaw: I think so. He was my #7 or #8 prospect one year with the Mets, before the injuries started. I’m not sure he will ever be healthy enough to catch 130 games in a season, but I hope I’m wrong.

MSW: So it seems like ESPN isn’t killing chats after all? Schoenfeld and Karabell have held their normal chats this week. Just wondering what’s going on with them in general.
Klaw: I have no idea. Klawchats are here now, and only here.

Larry Dodger: Does Urias hit majors in 2016? It seems like Dodgers have limited his innings so much it does not seem like he goes over 125 IP next year.
Klaw: He also was horrible in a brief AAA stint. Why push him? He should come up when he’s ready to contribute in some role, not when the fans (or the owners, who I imagine see dollar signs with him) demand it.

JR, Ct: Hi Keith, noticed only one New Haven pizzeria on your best of list. Whatof the other big hitters (Sally’s/Modern)?
Klaw: Haven’t been. Might try one next week.

Dave: It is clear the Reds think Michael Lorenzen has a lot of potential. It is also pretty clear he is a pretty bad MLB pitcher right now. What does he need to fix, and do you see him doing it?
Klaw: I think and have long thought he’d have to go to the bullpen. Big fastball without enough life, no above average secondary pitch.

Jerome Seinfeld: If a player who pitches in 30-35 games can win the MVP, why not Cespedes?
Klaw: False analogy time! A pitcher has more impact on the outcome of a game he starts (facing 30 or so batters) than a position player does (about 4 plate appearances and a couple of plays in the field).

CJ: Is Aaron Altherr turning into a pretty good player? Or will he be an average regular?
Klaw: Great athlete but probably an extra/bench guy in the long run. Still young enough to surprise, though.

Corey Anderson: If mlb changed roster sizes and had an active roster and inactive roster for a specific game, how many players would you like to see active on game day? How many player should each team carry as inactive?
Klaw: The real question there is how many bench players and relievers – you need 8 (NL) or 9 (AL) hitters and one starting pitcher as a given. Is a 5-man bench and 6-man bullpen sufficient, giving a little more flexibility to managers in September as they cope with tired/sore players?

Bryan: You’ve talked a lot about position on the rubber for Gausman, Should different pitchers start on different spots on the rubber?
Klaw: Yes. Whatever works for them – some guys want to be on their glove side (1b for a RHP) so they’re more online to the plate; some guys (e.g., Arrieta) want to be on their arm side to get that cross-body deception.

hankpsu: Keith, did you see the slide by Coghlan that (more than likely) ended Kang’s season? Legit play?
Klaw: No, I was here, but if that ends Kang’s season that sucks.

BM: What is your opinion of Servino now….Still think he will end up as a RP? Thanks
Klaw: Yes, I do. Now that everyone has had a chance to see him a few times, don’t you see the same delivery concerns I did – the lack of use of the lower half, the big arm speed generated entirely from his torso and shoulder?

Erix: Hi Keith! Can you tell me a bit about Toronto RHP Connor Greene? The Jays seem to be quite bullish on him.
Klaw: Saw him in HS against Dominic Smith – Greene was a skinny little guy, 89-90 with some control but all projection. He’s been hitting 97 this year, so good job by the Jays with that pick.

MSW: You’ve always been one of the highest on Gavin Cecchini, and it seems like his bat is coming along. However, he has posted 28 errors at SS. Since I can only scout the stat line, I’d love your opinion on his future. Can he stick at SS? Future utility guy? Thanks Keith!
Klaw: Shortstop. Hands, range, instincts all there. Has the arm strength but had trouble with throws in the first half – very erratic, not Steve Sax bad but not good. That tapered off in the second half – I think he had 21 errors in their first half (about 70% of their season), 7 in the second.

BJInIndiana: What are your thoughts about rehab stints during MiLB playoffs? I’m a Cubs fan, but Soler starting for the Pelicans felt a little off to me.
Klaw: Yeah, I’m not a fan, although with Soler playing about half effort level when I saw the game here on Monday it didn’t matter.

Thomas: More upside Adam Warren or Ivan Nova?
Klaw: You guys know my position on this: hitters shouldn’t get ‘time’ except in extraordinary circumstances.

Chris: would Kevin Maitan even at such a young age come anywhere close to a top 100 list?
Klaw: Absolutely not.

Josh: Have you had a chance to watch Mychal Givens pitch? Future closer?
Klaw: Yes. Sidearm guy, though, and had some trouble with LHB in the minors. Great stuff, but if lefties continue to get to him he won’t be able to close.

Dan: No question, just a thanks. Your chats are fun to read, thanks for finding an alternative way to do them.
Klaw: You’re welcome – thank you all for sticking with me and coming over here to keep them going. The chats would be very boring without readers asking questions.

Jake: Iran Deal. Good or bad.
Klaw: Good. Not perfect, but what treaty ever is?

aj: what was your thought on Zagunis when you saw him in Delaware?
Klaw: Saw several games and he was never in the lineup.

John: How far has Wilson Contreras moved himself up the prospect list this year? Is he getting close to a top 100 guy? Thanks!
Klaw: He’s legit and one of the top catching prospects in the minors right now. Really, if you can catch and throw and hit just a little, you’re a top 100 consideration guy at this point. The scarcity of catchers pushes up the value of the few who can really do it.

Ryan: Kang was just taken out of the game on a way-out-of-the-baseline slide in the Bucs-Cubs game. If we’re addressing the Catch collisions, this has to be addressed at some point right? No idea how Kang is doing yet, but someone could easily tear up a knee ligament on one of these.
Klaw: Did Coghlan go for the player not the base? (I don’t want to pause the chat to go watch – I’ll look after) To me that should be an automatic ejection and suspension. Sliding at the fielder while just sticking a hand out at the base doesn’t clear you. Intent to “take out” is intent to injure. Let’s not be naive here.

C Stone: It seems like all the Orioles SPs have regressed like crazy in the second half, after improving greatly during the second half last year. Bad luck? Bad coaching? Or are they just pitching to their true talent now?
Klaw: I have raised the question or even the criticism of Buck and his coaching staff’s culpability and was told I was nuts or biased or whatever. He’s a good manager overall, but if what he’s doing there isn’t working and in fact is actively hurting the team, then that’s a problem. From pitchers there regressing or failing to develop to Arrieta leaving and making simple mechanical adjustments that turned him into an ace, at some point Buck should have to answer for what’s gone on.

Guesto: Not baseball related but writing/journalism related: thoughts on the major layoffs at NYDN, NOLA Times Picayune? Are we watching the death of journalism?
Klaw: Newspapers have been dying for a long time anyway. I’m more upset about NOLA in effect losing its one newspaper than NYC potentially losing one of three. Plus, all this handwringing over the ‘big names’ at the NYDN … first of all, don’t weep for the big names, weep for the little names who never made that much money to begin with. And, second, has everyone forgotten that Bill Madden was an unrepentant strikebreaker back in 1990-91?

Doug: Can you tell me a bit about Ryan O’Hearn. Lead the Sally in HR before being promoted and still finished 1st. Then had a 125 wRC+ in a tough Wilmington park/league. K’s will be a concern, but seems like a perhaps first division profile role 50 possibly. How’s the defense look?
Klaw: He’s not a regular or close to it, power over hit without much of an approach, 1b only … and I don’t know where you got that silly scouting lingo but it makes no sense to me.

Tom: Any other read-aloud suggestions in addition to Jasper FForde? We really liked Sheila Turnage’s stuff.
Klaw: We’ve done the Harry Potter series and all of the Paddington books as well. She also liked Around the World in 80 Days after its somewhat slow start. Treasure Island didn’t grab her so we ditched that.

Mike: I know you aren’t big in to what veteran presence or clubhouse chemistry can bring to a team. I’ve been reading The Happiness Advantage and it says that the biggest factor in team success (granted they mean corporate world) is how well everyone works together. Thoughts on how that applies to baseball and is there a way to measure it?
Klaw: And other books, including Jonah Lehrer’s now out of print Imagine (pulled because he fabricated a bunch of stuff in another chapter), and studies have shown that conflict in the office produces more creative results. Amazon is a good example of that – that NY Times article arguing it’s a horrible place to work (and in some cases it might be) didn’t consider the effect that this crazy internal competition is what has made the company both innovative and successful.

Scott: What are good projections for Trea Turner? I want to know just how bad the Padres are going to regret that trade.
Klaw: That’s going to be some grade 70 regret for them and grade 80 for the Rays.

Daniel Zaudtke: Can we stop and admire the formation of the next great player in Bryce Harper?
Klaw: Works for me. Everyone take a moment. … okay, moment’s over. Thanks.

Schiraldi: Interested in Dom Smith vs Jake Bauers as prospects. Seems like would pick Smith first; is his power simply more likely to come?
Klaw: Yes, and a much better hitter and defender.

Chris: I know he hasn’t pitched this year. Thoughts on ian clarkin when healthy?
Klaw: I liked him quite a bit but at this point anything I say on him seems like empty speculation.

Jim, Rockville: Keith, you suggest AJ Cole to the Nats’ rotation in 2016. Earlier (the off-season? 2014?) you opined that Cole may be better in the ‘pen, since his stuff may not be good enough as a starter. What changed your view? Thanks!
Klaw: I think I said he should break in as a reliever, for a couple of reasons, not least of which is the wobbly command he showed in that one start this spring where Matt Williams decided to burn him at the stake by having him issue an IBB while he was already having trouble throwing strikes.

ar: Why are people so bullish on McPhail? Because he seems to be a good manager? He doesn’t strike me as a particularly progressive thinker. He may be open to new ideas, but are his sabermetric chops really that impressive?
Klaw: Are his “sabermetric chops” the ones that matter? If he surrounds himself with smart people, isn’t that the key?

Frank: What did you make of Harper backing Matt Williams? Does it have any impact of Williams future in DC?
Klaw: A smart kid saying the right things when he knows the manager is dead man walking. What would Harper have to gain from burying the guy?

Mike: I appreciate you doing this, but FYI, the reverse scroll is hard to follow.
Klaw: The transcript I post after the fact (thanks to reader Patrick for the Python script) clears that up. I can’t fix the software I use, but we’ve worked to make the transcripts more user-friendly.

Jon: Who would be the closest comp you can think of for JP Crawford?
Klaw: Oddly enough, he reminds me a lot of Jimmy Rollins, but with more polish at the plate than Rollins had at the same age.

Craig: Should the Twins start Buxton in AAA next year to work on his bat or his the defense simply too good to not have up in Minnesota?
Klaw: I would. Don’t rush the guy if he’s not ready. It nearly derailed Aaron Hicks.

Matt burks: Keith, this may be a stupid question but, do you like dumping on people? I follow you on Twitter and I have to say when you sh*t on people it is hilarious
Klaw: I only dish out the snark when it’s harmless (e.g., impersonal … I avoid personal insults or foul language) and I think it will entertain the bulk of the audience. I’ve had a lot of scouts and MLB execs tell me that’s their favorite part of my Twitter output. If I find I’m getting mean or vicious, though, it’ll be time to stop.

Scott: have you had a chance to see jairo beras at all? do you think he will ever be worth the controversy?
Klaw: Yes, probably worth it, not Mazara/Brinson level good.

Rick: Can Austin Riley stick at 3B?
Klaw: Sounds like it.

NMN: Please make more fun of Cespedes for MVP people. Harper’s season could be unmatched by non-cheaters in the last 50 years.
Klaw: This is driven by media members looking for attention and people who dislike Harper because he plays the game too much the right way. Both groups are worthy of derision.

Chris, Larchmont: Given Mets hold on, do you think they should just keep Harvey off postseason roster. Given the Inning Limit distractions and fact he’ll only pitch 5 innings per outing, why not just ride Matz, Thor, deGrom (who’s getting tired)? Is Harvey more harm than good at this point?
Klaw: That’s a good question without an easy answer. If deGrom is tired, isn’t he at higher risk of injury too? Should he be given the NLDS off in favor of Harvey, and then perhaps you switch them if you get to the LCS?

E.H. Zwick: Are you coming to Toronto for any games down the stretch and if so what restaurants are going to hit? Lots of change since you lived here.
Klaw: No, I don’t travel to playoff games or the like – I’ll be in Bristol next week and a bit of the week after, then I will write up my top 50 free agent rankings before heading out to the AFL in mid-October.

Stephen: What is your favorite Iron Maiden song? For me, I break it down into categories of live and recorded, and it’s Fear of the Dark (live) and The Wicker Man (recorded).
Klaw: Ever? The Number of the Beast, Wasted Years, The Trooper (mostly for that intro riff … the lyrics are not their best). I like the hits.

mi: Travis Snider just homered… What kind of player did you see him becoming as a prospect?
Klaw: Thought he’d be a star, that he’d hit and hit for power and play good corner OF defense. He never could figure out where to get his hands to cover both the inner third and the outside corner.

Frank: Is Mac Williamson a bench guy or does he have potential to be an everyday player?
Klaw: Everyday potential – power, speed, glove, arm, might not hit that much … but the Giants do have some positive history on that front.

Mike: Keith, I know Blake Snell is a top prospect but why is it never mentioned that he only pitches 5 innings and doesn’t ever turn the lineup over a 3rd time I would think this would be a bigger deal
Klaw: Why would it? If that’s a new trend in MLB anyway, and it helps keep pitchers healthy (healthier), I don’t see the problem.

Chris, Larchmont: Marcos Molina start in AA next year?
Klaw: If his elbow hasn’t blown, maybe, but I think that arm slot and delivery are destined for the pen if they don’t give him further trouble.

Andrew: Why does Evan Gattis continue to start for the Astros? At what point do the Astros look for other options (Tucker)?
Klaw: Between Tyler White and AJ Reed, Houston has two good reasons to non-tender Gattis this winter.

Steve: Gary sanchez getting traded? Package of refsnyder and sanchez get anything good?
Klaw: I don’t think that gets you a big impact guy in return. Refsnyder is a great kid and a good story but none of that helps his defense at second.

Scott: Thoughts on Mattingly removing Wood at 78 pitches thru 8?
Klaw: I thought it was great.

Frank: I know it will not impact your vote but do you believe voters for ROY take into consideration or are influenced by pre-season hype or expectations on the players under consideration for the award?
Klaw: Probably, but maybe in both ways – some voters seem to vote against hype.

JR: How worried should KC be about Cueto? Is this SSS that he will work out, or is something else causing his recent troubles? And how much $$, if any, is this costing him?
Klaw: I worry about his health. His free agency will be fascinating – you have to want an MRI before you sign him, right?

Jim, Rockville: Keith, just for historical context, Coghlan also blew up Iwakuma’s knee back in 2009. In that instance everyone said the slide was legit, but it does perhaps show a pattern?
Klaw: Is that true?

Scott: Will Friedman/Zaidi really allow Rollins over Seager to start in playoffs? (I hope not)
Klaw: I want to say I doubt it, but I wonder if this is a situation where they are trying to get Mattingly and perhaps Rollins himself on board.

Charles: Favorite HS position player not named Rutherford in the 2016 draft?
Klaw: Kiriloff, Rizzo, McIlwain, Tuck … but I really liked Bo Bichette at the Metropolitan Classic. He’s way better than his brother – more athletic, better approach, doesn’t have that back-side collapse at the plate.

Steve: Is it possible for a guy with average arm strength to refine his mechanics enough to generate the velocity necessary to succeed on a high level?
Klaw: Sometimes, but it’s not universal. Changing mechanics in general is not simple; we hear about the successes but never the failures.

steve: Have you read Emily St. John Mandel’s Station Eleven? Beautiful book.
Klaw: It’s on my to-buy list. Currently finishing Alison Lurie’s Foreign Affairs, then going to read Hardy’s Far from the Madding Crowd. I also have All the Light We Cannot See coming up in the queue.

Rob: What do you think of Dilmot so far? Worth the price? Would recommend?
Klaw: A little pricey but easy to use and very good customer service so far.

Michael: Will you laugh or cry if Cespedes wins the NL MVP?
Klaw: Laugh. Always laugh – this stuff is hilarious. I get mad over licensed doctors in California helping people avoid vaccinations.

Chris: Where does the Dodgers farm system rank? Still top heavy and lacking in depth?
Klaw: Yes, although the big july 2nd haul helps, or will help in a year or so when we see if any of those kids is any good.

Joe: Wife and I started playing Slendor together. Love it. What game should we add next, knowing that we liked Splendor?
Klaw: How about Samurai? New edition comes out later this month, very simple rules, works for 2 players as well as 3-4. I’ll have a review on Paste next week.

Brad: When’s your next periscope? Thanks!
Klaw: So the plan is one Periscope a week and one Klawchat a week, always on different days. Usually I’ll do the Klawchats Thursdays, but when traveling I’ll move them around and will always let you guys know on Twitter and Facebook.

sammy: are both corey ray and jason groome top 5 picks next june? thx
Klaw: Potentially, yes. No locks for me right now.

Jon: I know you thought highly of Scott Kingery during the draft process, any thoughts on his performance so far and when he could see the majors?
Klaw: Small sample, but I’m glad they pushed him to the Sally League right away. He walked about twice as much there as he did in the spring, which is a good sign. If he stays at second base he could be a year or so away.

Josh: Keith, Is Dbacks SS Isan Diaz a legit prospect? Great numbers in short season at 19, but not sure if a guy or GUY
Klaw: He’s definitely a prospect.

Brad: If severino is a reliever, can he be Betances good?
Klaw: Betances’s stuff when starting was not as good as Severino’s stuff is right now.

Brad: Prospects you say you don’t think Weill be good, do you end up rooting against them or the hope they prove you wrong?
Klaw: Oh God, I never, ever root against a prospect. Those are human beings chasing their lifelong dreams.

Joe: How close was Orlando Arcia to making your prospect of the year list?
Klaw: There wasn’t any “close.” I didn’t do a long ranking or anything.

Pythagoreas: I’ve seen it suggested that run differential is a trailing indicator — that teams whose W/L records don’t match their run differential will, going forward, see their W/L performance stay the same and their run differential correct to match that, rather than the other way around. Do you think there’s any validity in that?
Klaw: That hurt my head just to read it. I see no validity at all to that.

Anonymous: Why don’t we see many prospect for prospect trades in baseball?
Klaw: Now I would make this illegal.

Bob: Does it seem that this chat software allows you to answer questions more quickly?
Klaw: I think the software itself is much more responsive.

Jon: Do you think McIlwain gives up football and goes baseball full time?
Klaw: I hope so. He’d be very foolish to turn down a potential $2 million bonus now to go get the crap beaten out of him in SEC football.

Scott: On taking out Wood: You like it because t was good for Wood? Mattingly said would’ve left him with 4-0 lead. Right move, wrong motives?
Klaw: Hah, yes, right move, wrong motives. I liked it because it was good for Wood and good for the team’s chances to win anyway.

Michael: Keith, I know you said this chat service runs at a cost to you, but thanks for doing it. Usually it seems like lip service a bit when a chatter says “they enjoy doing it” because they of course aren’t going to say they hate it, but you paying essentially to chat with us is awesome. Respect brah
Klaw: Word.

Andy: Why don’t all teams have an MRI machine and check players all the time? Every pitcher gets an MRI every two weeks. It won’t prevent traumatic injuries, but could help with wear and tear.
Klaw: They’re expensive, not simple tests, may have some long-term health concerns, and in some cases (where a dye is injected) put the player on the shelf for a few days.

Robert: Has everyone forgotten about Tyler Skaggs? Hoping to see him, Newcomb, and Richards in the same rotation.
Klaw: Their rotation in 2016 won’t be the problem. They have a lot offensive holes to patch and probably need to shore up the bullpen.

Bob:Is your ranking of prospects based on future ceiling, how close they are to the major leagues, or a combination?
Klaw: Much more the former than the latter – otherwise I’d never have an Anderson Espinoza type on the list, and I feel like you guys need to know about him. That’s all for this week – thank you all so much, as always, for joining me here and for reading. I hope to see a few of you in Bowie tonight and I will hold another Klawchat next week, probably on Wednesday. Thanks again.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: klawchat

→ September 15, 2015
→ By keith

The Book of Souls.

My latest piece for Insiders names my 2015 Prospect of the Year, along with a bunch of other “nominees” and the 2015 draftees with the best pro debuts.

Until a couple of weeks ago, I assumed Iron Maiden was finished as a band after 2010’s forgettable The Final Frontier, as the band members are mostly in their late 50s and have started to encounter health problems, most notably lead singer Bruce Dickinson’s bout with a cancerous tumor on his tongue earlier this year. The mere existence of their new album, The Book Of Souls, was thus a surprise, as was its length – a 90-minute double album in an era where the entire idea of an album is losing its relevance – but there was no greater shock than the fact that the album, while uneven, is pretty damn good overall.

Most of the eleven songs on the record are prog-rock in length, three clocking in beyond the ten-minute mark, but without most of the masturbatory prog-rock noodling that has forever sworn me off the likes of King Crimson or Marillion; only one track comes in under five minutes and it is by far the worst song on the album. Instead of overly complex solos or time-signature shifts, Maiden – primarily bassist and main songwriter Steve Harris – give us driving guitar riffs highly reminiscent of their peak era from The Number of the Beast through Seventh Son of a Seventh Son, as well as Harris’ signature galloping bass lines. Maiden’s best material combined a strong melodic sense with the heavy major-key riffing that inspired a generation of metal bands, many of whom were overwhelmed by or assimilated into the hair-metal scourge of the late 1980s. (Queensrÿche remains, for me, the strongest of the post-Maiden acts, although they too went off the rails with Empire after Operation: Mindcrime earned far more critical acclaim than commercial success.

Because Harris didn’t write all the material on Book of Souls, there are clear stylistic differences across the various tracks, and the lead single, “Speed of Light,” written by Dickinson and Adrian Smith, is tighter and shorter than Harris’ writings. It’s worthy of comparison to the band’s best singles from the 1980s (“Wasted Years,” “The Number of the Beast,” and “Run to the Hills”), although it’s one of the songs that overtaxes Dickinson’s voice to a distressing degree. Harris keeps things to about six and a half minutes on “The Great Unknown,” providing tremendous contrast with an extended, dark acoustic outro that seems inspired by Black Sabbath and that leads perfectly into the similarly tenebrous intro to the thirteen-minute epic “The Red and the Black,” which quickly gives way to a riff very similar to the main line from “Hallowed Be Thy Name.” (I was a little disappointed that the song isn’t in any way connected to the novel of that name by Stendhal.) That song has a lengthy guitar solo that never devolves into mindless shredding, repeating an outstanding if short melodic lead guitar line, leading into a second instrumental section with two lead guitars playing parallel lines, with its only misstep in the final minute with a too-abrupt shift to the outro. “When the River Runs Deep” returns to somewhat radio-friendly length, an unabashed throwback to the period of Maiden that, in hindsight, appears to have directly influenced the rise of early thrash metal.

The album’s two great weaknesses are Dickinson’s voice, which can no longer hit the higher registers that marked him as one of the great vocalists of early metal, and the lack of ideas at the back of the last quarter or so of the release. The lyrics of “Tears of a Clown,” a tribute to Robin Williams, are embarrassingly mawkish, riddled with platitudes like “Maybe it’s all just for the best/Lay his weary head to rest.” The music sounds as if Harris had been trying to write something that might appear on the singles charts, which Maiden hasn’t pulled off since the bizarre trip to #1 in the UK of Dickinson’s “Bring Your Daughter … to the Slaughter,” an absolute low point in the band’s history.

The 18-minute closer, “Empire of the Clouds,” marks the longest track in Maiden’s history, surpassing “Rime of the Ancient Mariner” from Powerslave, which quoted pieces of Coleridge’s epic poem and has become one of their most enduring hits. The comparisons are inevitable, and inevitably unfavorable, especially as it’s nearly impossible to record a rock song of nearly twenty minutes that doesn’t fall short at multiple points, and “Empire” never seems to get going in the first place; Dickinson’s operatic aspirations don’t translate at all well to the format, and the first truly memorable piece of music in the track is the two-measure guitar riff that pops up after seven-plus minutes have elapsed, by which point I assume most listeners would have abandoned ship.

That criticism may be specious in a double album that runs an hour and a half and provides plenty of music above replacement, including numerous tracks that do work as singles, including “Speed of Light,” “Death or Glory,” “When the River Runs Deep,” and lengthy opener “If Eternity Should Fail,” penned by Smith and Dickinson but more true to the spirit of Harris’ songwriting than even some of his own tracks. When “Shadows of the Valley” opens up with a lick that has to be a nod to the monumental line that starts “Wasted Years,” it’s more than enough of a statement that Harris, Smith, and Dickinson remain capable of producing songs that are worlds ahead of the artists that have long tried to emulate them.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: 2015 in music, british music, metal, Music, progressive metal

→ September 14, 2015
→ By keith

A Scanner Darkly.

I love the works of Philip K. Dick, prolific author of science fiction novels and short stories that often dwelt in paranoia and paradoxes, unrespected during his lifetime but finding a cult following since his death in 1982, with an increasing interest lately from Hollywood. The upcoming Amazon original series The Man in the High Castle (based on his best novel) and the Fox series Minority Report (based on a short story) are both derived from his works, as were the films Blade Runner, Total Recall, and The Adjustment Bureau. So you know PKD’s writing even if you haven’t ready any.

A Scanner Darkly is one of his least speculative novels, hewing very closely to reality other than its depiction of a war on drugs that has gone even further than it ultimately did, using some futuristic technologies (and yet still relying on payphones) and putting its protagonist narc, Fred, undercover with suspected drug dealers where he ends up a user himself. The drug in question, Substance D, is a highly addictive, synthetic, psychoactive drug that has become hugely popular while stymieing attempts by the feds to discover its manufacturer. Fred, posing as the low-level dealer Bob Arctor, tries to learn the source via another low-level dealer Donna, for whom he also has unrequited feelings. His adoption of these dual roles is exacerbated by his use of Substance D, which can cause the hemispheres of the brain to stop working together and start competing with each other, so that he’s no longer aware of what his other persona has done. When this occurs, the story shifts into high gear, as Fred/Bob’s real role in this charade becomes apparent and he has a chance to carve some meaning out of his experience in addiction.

Dick’s paranoia is still present in A Scanner Darkly, with the government using increasingly invasive methods and technologies to investigate Substance D’s distribution; the novel, written in the mid-1970s, foresaw much of what our government now does in the name of fighting terrorism. But the focus of the novel is on the effects of the drug itself, the terrible spiral into which it sends addicts, with Fred/Bob’s descent into cognitive failure taking over from what appears for the first half of the book to be a demented detective story. Dick even concludes the novel with a postscript that discusses drug addiction and laments the many friends he lost to death or disability as a result of their use of drugs, although he argues that drug “misuse” isn’t a disease but “a decision,” a position on to which modern medicine has at least cast some doubt.

Whereas many of Dick’s novels offer incomplete resolutions or deliberately unsatisfying endings, A Scanner Darkly ties up its story in a neat and clever fashion, but in a bait-and-switch manner that leaves that first half to two-thirds of the novel feeling like it was irrelevant. Perhaps Dick meant for the the structure of the novel to mimic the timeline of a drug addict’s (bad) experience – you’re fine for a while until you’ve gone too far, when everything goes pear-shaped – but the result is a novel that feels disjointed, and not in the good way that many PKD novels feel disjointed. We also don’t get to know any characters, least of all Fred-Bob, in any depth, although characterization was not a strength of Dick’s overall – his greatest attribute as a writer was his ability to craft unnerving settings and scenes that often struck at the heart of metaphysical matters like consciousness, perception versus reality, and privacy. A Scanner Darkly veers away from those strengths, and the result left me somewhat cold.

The novel was also adapted into a 2006 film by Richard Linklater, but I haven’t seen it.

Next up: I just finished Dorothy Sayers’ second Lord Peter Wimsey mystery, Clouds of Witness, and have begun Alison Lurie’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Foreign Affairs.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: adaptations, american literature, drugs, dystopian, philip dick

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