Fangraphs fun and frolic

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Fangraphs’ Carson Cistulli interviewed me for a podcast that is ostensibly and eventually about the Dodgers, but uses as its foundation my recent existential crisis post centered on my relationship with Phil Dunphy.

The conversation runs more lighthearted than that particular piece of writing did, and I found it very enjoyable, but if you can’t stomach any more first-world problems, you can give it a pass. Otherwise, dig in!

  • Anonymous

    Great podcast.

    • http://www.dodgerthoughts.com/ Jon Weisman

       Thanks :)

  • Anonymous

    Enjoyed the podcast Jon.

  • Anonymous

    Interesting. Ken Arneson tweeted (sp?) that the Baseball Toaster was approached by Andrew Breitbart (RIP) about joining his media group back in ’06.

    • http://www.dodgerthoughts.com/ Jon Weisman

       Yes, Breitbart called me around that time to see if I wanted to bring Dodger Thoughts to Pajamas Media.

      • http://www.facebook.com/people/Jim-Hitchcock/1676059435 Jim Hitchcock

         Wow, that’s kind of stunning. Good decision on your part.

        • http://www.dodgerthoughts.com/ Jon Weisman

           The first thing I had to do then was google Pajamas Media and Andrew Breitbart. And then I started to figure things out.
           
          It is true that he was a big Dodger fan. And he had expressed a lot of respect for my work.

          • Andrew Shimmin

            Breitbart approached me, in the fall, to start a rival site: Big Dodger Thoughts. I was going to have a lithe and stern-looking, twenty-something co-blogger in a cheetah print mini skirt. We had a panty-raid/sting operation against McCovey Chronicles in the works for our grand opening.

            The world’s a little less fun now, than it was last night.

          • http://www.linkmeister.com/wordpress/ Linkmeister

             What’s to stop you from doing it anyway? Other than ethics, that is. ;)

          • Andrew Shimmin

            Well, for one thing, I don’t have a ready stock of lithe and stern-looking, twenty-something co-bloggers in cheetah print miniskirts. Because the world isn’t fair.

          • Anonymous

             Ethics never stopped Breitbart.

  • http://twitter.com/rbaly79 Roberto Baly

    I enjoyed the podcast Jon. I actually had more fun listening the first part of the podcast (your kids, work, TV) than the end of it (Dodgers). Oh, and I agree with your opinion on Ned Colletti.

    • http://www.dodgerthoughts.com/ Jon Weisman

      Thanks, I felt the same way. 

  • Anonymous

    Hi Jon – I was wondering if you had any spidey senses tingling about the new show Awake. From all I have heard and read it looks like it could be fun.

    • http://www.dodgerthoughts.com/ Jon Weisman

       I’ve seen the first three episodes – it’s not perfect but it’s the best new broadcast network show of the 2011-12 TV season. I hope people give it a chance.

  • Anonymous

    I am planning a trip to Cameback with my 14 year-old son for weekend at the end of the month.  Can anyone tell me what’s happening on a home game day and an away day game?  Also, what is a good time to get there in the morning.  Thanks.

    • http://twitter.com/rbaly79 Roberto Baly

      Hi, what days are you going? Camelback Ranch opens up to fans at 9am. Let me rephrase that, the practice fields opens to the fans at 9am. Getting inside to the actual stadium is at 11am I believe. Parking is free. A good time will be when they open it. You can check out the practices and see the players really close if you’re interested.

      • Anonymous

        We are looking to go the Sat and Sun the 24th and 25th.  They are home on the 24th and away on the 25th.  I’m more interested in the practice fields anyway but plan to go to the home game on Sat..  Would it be better to go their for practice on Sunday when they are away instead of going to the away game?

        • http://twitter.com/rbaly79 Roberto Baly

          You can do both. Just remembered that on Sunday, you might not see certain players on the practice fields because they are going to Maryvale Baseball Park for the game against the Brewers. But if you do stay on Sunday, you will be saving money and still have a good time by watching them practice.

          • Anonymous

            Thanks for the info Roberto.

          • http://twitter.com/rbaly79 Roberto Baly

             You’re welcome.

  • Anonymous

    I’ll take a listen to the podcast after work. Looking forward to it. 

    Jon, maybe I missed it but I’d be interested in your thoughts about the possible playoff expansion. My personally feelings are mixed about more teams making it. Yes I think the wild card has been a good thing for baseball, but I think it would be a mistake to further expand the playoffs. Last year’s wild card race was very exciting and under the new rules it wouldn’t have mattered as much. By adding the original wild card we traded (to some extent) the excitement of pennant races for the excitement of wild card races. By expanding the wild card teams further, we continue to diminish the importance of winning the pennant. 

    What will the impact be? Certainly we’ll lose that exciting feeling down the stretch of “will my team make it?” But beyond that, will it change how teams are constructed? Will it change how managers handle their pitching rotation in September? Building a team to win first place in the division could be a very different thing than building a team to be “good enough” and win second or third place.  

    • http://www.dodgerthoughts.com/ Jon Weisman

       My initial reaction is negative; I did plan to maybe expand upon that at some point.

      • Anonymous

        Great. Thanks again for your work with this blog. I really enjoy it and it’s my connection to the Dodgers all the way out in New York (besides the crotchety old guys in Brooklyn that still talk about the “good old days”)

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Jim-Hitchcock/1676059435 Jim Hitchcock

    You know the scene in the Walking Dead I’d like to see?

    Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull (and Andrew Lincoln’s father in law) walking down the highway playing his flute followed by a horde of spellbound zombies.

    • Anonymous

       More likely to see something of that sort in an upcoming episode of Grimm.

    • KT

      Excellent performer…Saw Tull twice…excellent showmanship

  • http://www.dodgerthoughts.com/ Jon Weisman

    NPUT