It occurred to me this week that I never wrote a proper introductory piece on who I am. I won’t bore you with too many details you may or may not care about, but I figure I probably owe the Conclave one of these.
I like the old FAQ format for a couple of reasons: 1) It keeps my thoughts from turning into rambling, and 2) I’ve always been amused with the thoughtfully structured (and rarely actually asked) questions present on most companies’ FAQs. If you have questions you’d like answered, leave it in the comments, and I’ll be happy to oblige. Without further ado, here goes.
Q. What is Keene on MLB?
A. Keene on MLB is the remarkably non-clever name for the baseball blog of Wes Keene. Why Keene on MLB? I already mentioned it was remarkably non-clever, and it’s also non-creative.
Q. How long has this blog been going?
A. A couple of years. I usually have thoughts that don’t fit into 140 characters on Twitter, and if you try to make them fit, people usually misunderstand (and sometimes get upset).
Q. What makes you qualified to talk about baseball or the Cardinals?
A. Very little. I’m not an authorized, sanctioned journalist. I don’t have a degree in sports medicine. I also root for a specific team, the Cardinals. Black marks on my record, all. I also didn’t play, although my life long dream (which I’m too old for now) is to be a righty specialist just good enough to get league minimum for a couple of seasons.
Q. Is this thing just your personal thoughts on your favorite players?
A. No. In fact, a lot of the time I intentionally try to write from the opposite perspective I personally feel. That isn’t to be dishonest, it’s to force me to expand how I think and try to see another perspective.
Q. Weren’t you outraged when Wong was sent down?
A. No. There are 25 men on a baseball team. Outside of a guy like Holliday, Molina, or Wainwright, I think there’s very little that removing one person from the team can do to hurt the team. That isn’t to say that it would be the decision I would make, but I wasn’t outraged. I also don’t think he (or anyone else) got the short end of the stick by management. Anyone lucky enough to step on the grass at Busch with a salary from the team is among the luckiest people in this world.
Q. Bourjos or Jay?
A. Fork or spoon? They are different tools for different situations. Bourjos isn’t likely to hit as well as Jay. On the other hand, Jay runs at 1/4 impulse and throws like a spaghetti noodle. It’s good to have both choices available. Ideally, there’s someone who combines both skills out there, but those guys tend to be very expensive.
Q. Is Matheny doing a good job?
A. Yes. Managing an MLB team with very high expectations is a hard job. He is still very green, but for someone with his lack of experience, he’s had a ton of success. He is still learning, and astute observers have seen him grow out of bad habits over his short managerial tenure.
Q. Are the Cards doomed this year?
A. Not at all. Look at the Dodgers last year. This could easily turn around.
Q. SABR or traditional?
A. Traditional, mainly, but there are useful interesting SABR stats out there. My problem is that I don’t think they replace traditional, they supplement them. Pitcher wins and loses, on the other hand, can die a painful death. Worse than useless.
Q. Boxers or briefs?
A. This is getting ridiculous. Let’s call it a post.
I enjoy writing about Cardinals baseball, and I certainly cheer for the birds on the bat. However, I normally attempt to see the team for what it is less so than when I’m actually at Busch with a beer and foam finger on my hand, at least when I’m writing about them. Hopefully, I can provide an interesting thought or two for you as we go along. Thanks for reading.
Next time I’ll return to the usual laser sharp insight you’ve come to expect here.
