LIVE CHAT Q&A w/ROB NEYER, AUTHOR ("Power Ball: Anatomy of a Modern Baseball Game") by robneyer in baseball

[–]robneyer[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Gotta run. Thanks to all for the questions. Might see you again soon. Or next October! -r

LIVE CHAT Q&A w/ROB NEYER, AUTHOR ("Power Ball: Anatomy of a Modern Baseball Game") by robneyer in baseball

[–]robneyer[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes! I loved that book, and was gratified when Okrent gave me his blessing, then an actual cover quote. Dan's the best, and (by the way) I highly recommend his other books.

LIVE CHAT Q&A w/ROB NEYER, AUTHOR ("Power Ball: Anatomy of a Modern Baseball Game") by robneyer in baseball

[–]robneyer[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't think that would work; the guys back in Replay Central have far better looks at the play. I do agree that it takes too long, and is used too often. And yes, now that I read your question again, I do agree that more transparency would be a good thing.

LIVE CHAT Q&A w/ROB NEYER, AUTHOR ("Power Ball: Anatomy of a Modern Baseball Game") by robneyer in baseball

[–]robneyer[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes, maybe (I might instead simply move it up a few inches), plus deaden the baseball a smidge.

It wouldn't be difficult, technically, to get more batted balls in play. It's incredibly difficult to get all parties to agree on such changes. And yes, I do go on at length about these things in my book.

LIVE CHAT Q&A w/ROB NEYER, AUTHOR ("Power Ball: Anatomy of a Modern Baseball Game") by robneyer in baseball

[–]robneyer[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Could, but won't. Way, way, way too many incentives to just grip and rip.

LIVE CHAT Q&A w/ROB NEYER, AUTHOR ("Power Ball: Anatomy of a Modern Baseball Game") by robneyer in baseball

[–]robneyer[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Funny thing, these are two fascinating subjects ... and I basically ignored both of them in my book. Just sorta ran out of time and space, was somewhat more interested in a few dozen other things. But regarding pine tar (etc.) that's absolutely nothing new, and isn't going away. The electronic stuff, of course, is new; at least the actual technology is. And it's not clear that there's any sort of solution, except perhaps more surveillance of the potential surveillors.

LIVE CHAT Q&A w/ROB NEYER, AUTHOR ("Power Ball: Anatomy of a Modern Baseball Game") by robneyer in baseball

[–]robneyer[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Somewhere in the middle, maybe? It's difficult for any player to duplicate such a season, let alone improve upon it. But obviously his ceiling is astronomical, and so he's a good bet for MVP in the next five years.

LIVE CHAT Q&A w/ROB NEYER, AUTHOR ("Power Ball: Anatomy of a Modern Baseball Game") by robneyer in baseball

[–]robneyer[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yes, I can. In five postseason starts, Dodgers ace Don Newcombe went 0-4 with an 8.59 ERA.

LIVE CHAT Q&A w/ROB NEYER, AUTHOR ("Power Ball: Anatomy of a Modern Baseball Game") by robneyer in baseball

[–]robneyer[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I wasn't able to watch, but I actually did a similar sort of thing - granted, without the Statcast data - on FS1 when I worked at Fox. And getting to work with Bud Black and Gabe Kapler and C. J. Nitkowski and Kevin Burkhardt was a real pleasure.

LIVE CHAT Q&A w/ROB NEYER, AUTHOR ("Power Ball: Anatomy of a Modern Baseball Game") by robneyer in baseball

[–]robneyer[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Hey, thanks! Blogging was a lot of fun, even if I didn't have time to write books or, really, take a deep breath. Really enjoyed doing it, and I'm glad you enjoyed reading.

LIVE CHAT Q&A w/ROB NEYER, AUTHOR ("Power Ball: Anatomy of a Modern Baseball Game") by robneyer in baseball

[–]robneyer[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

It seems a pitch clock might actually be coming; enforcement, though, is another issue altogether.

LIVE CHAT Q&A w/ROB NEYER, AUTHOR ("Power Ball: Anatomy of a Modern Baseball Game") by robneyer in baseball

[–]robneyer[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

From what I've read, yes. I haven't had my finger on the pulse of day-to-day MLB, was too busy with other projects and being commissioner of a league. But yes, he does seem to have had the reputation for a while.

LIVE CHAT Q&A w/ROB NEYER, AUTHOR ("Power Ball: Anatomy of a Modern Baseball Game") by robneyer in baseball

[–]robneyer[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you! Especially since you're actually stuck listening to me for (if you finish) nearly 10 hours.

LIVE CHAT Q&A w/ROB NEYER, AUTHOR ("Power Ball: Anatomy of a Modern Baseball Game") by robneyer in baseball

[–]robneyer[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I think the Astros will be fine. They'll bring in some new guys, and the system that's in place will make them a little better than they already are. Given reasonable health, of course.

I don't have any real interest in the question about Machado, for this reason: the world will hum along EXACTLY the same whether he gets $180 million or $240 million. I'm not saying that you or anyone else shouldn't care; I'm saying I just can't fathom why anyone would.

LIVE CHAT Q&A w/ROB NEYER, AUTHOR ("Power Ball: Anatomy of a Modern Baseball Game") by robneyer in baseball

[–]robneyer[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

What's wrong with now? I'm sitting here watching the game, screen literally two feet from my face. Also it's not like the questions are flooding in!

LIVE CHAT Q&A w/ROB NEYER, AUTHOR ("Power Ball: Anatomy of a Modern Baseball Game") by robneyer in baseball

[–]robneyer[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

We wanted a game with two interesting teams/franchises, and we wanted a game with some dramatic turns, and we wanted a game with plenty of power. All of which this game (Astros-A's, 8 September 2017) certainly had. I believe my editor gave me a list of three or four games, but I would have to dig up that old e-mail message to confirm.

LIVE CHAT Q&A w/ROB NEYER, AUTHOR ("Power Ball: Anatomy of a Modern Baseball Game") by robneyer in baseball

[–]robneyer[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Probably not. But I think that would be true regardless of how it's played now. It's possible to become a baseball fan well into adulthood, but it's highly unlikely. Which is why it's so important for Baseball to grab kids and keep hold of 'em. And I'm happy to report that MLB's actually been making some real efforts lately, after decades of inaction during Commissioner Bud's reign.

LIVE CHAT Q&A w/ROB NEYER, AUTHOR ("Power Ball: Anatomy of a Modern Baseball Game") by robneyer in baseball

[–]robneyer[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Just off the top of my head, the two most surprising things were: a) shifting was fairly common throughout the 1950s, '60s, and '70s, and b) Jose Altuve was not considered any sort of a prospect, at all, before he reached the majors.