Nate Silver Hits the Big Leagues

Did anyone catch Nate Silver on Baseball Tonight? He debuted last night. It was too painful for me to watch...

almost 3 years ago Spidey 17 comments 0 recs |

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I saw him on TV a few times with election stuff. I love the guy but he needs some serious screen coaching.

by Voltaire on Apr 24, 2009 11:45 AM EDT reply actions

I hope he never changes. Nate’s a geek and proud of it. He’s a real inspiration for the rest of geekdom.

I like Nate for the same reason I like Susan Boyle and I hope neither of them succumb to our national (international?) obsession with (skin deep) beauty. /rant

by LeftyCatcher on Apr 24, 2009 12:00 PM EDT reply actions

Uh, what? I’m just talking about being able to string together a sentence without stuttering and stumbling so much your original point is lost.

by Voltaire on Apr 24, 2009 12:06 PM EDT up reply actions

That’s right… I’m not looking for the guy to gel his hair or ditch the glasses. However, I would like him to string together a clear sentence, stand up straight, and keep his hands out of his pocket. I got the feeling that Buster Olney was happy to follow him in the discussion order (for the few minutes I watched) – Buster looked and sounded like Peter Jennings after Nate spoke.

I hope Nate sticks on the program because the value of his geekiness – i.e., insightful information – offsets a lot of the bozos on the show.

"Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge..." C. Darwin

by Spidey on Apr 24, 2009 12:22 PM EDT up reply actions

What’s so bad about slouching and keeping your hands in your pockets? If you want someone who can do that, there are plenty of sports guys whose primary talents are in that direction.

by odradek on Apr 25, 2009 1:30 AM EDT up reply actions

It wasn’t a reply to your comment. It was a comment directed at the blog that was linked to. He could use some help expressing his thoughts in interviews.

by LeftyCatcher on Apr 24, 2009 12:23 PM EDT up reply actions

Ah. My bad. Understood.

by Voltaire on Apr 24, 2009 5:42 PM EDT up reply actions

I have no reason to think Nate is making some kind of geek-pride statement. I think he’s just been undercoached and frankly undergroomed. I am hardly a fashion plate, but I would show up to any business meeting looking better than that.

Understand, I don’t mean to be unkind. I’m a big Nate Silver fan, and he’s also a super-nice guy from what I can tell … and that just makes it worse. Being on TV as broadcaster or pundit is a tough job, and either he’s not up for it, or he hasn’t committed to the preparation and training that he needs in order to do well at it. This isn’t just cosmetic, either, it’s about how well he communicates his ideas verbally. But what’s wrong with cosmetics? Would it de-value his analysis somehow for him to gel his hair and ditch the glasses? No, it wouldn’t, but it might help people pay attention to what he’s saying. That’s broadcasting.

My point: Evan is available to play Nate Silver on TV, and I think he’d do a fine job.

Well, that's just, like, your opinion, man.

by Jay on Apr 24, 2009 1:27 PM EDT up reply actions

My point: Evan is available to play Nate Silver on TV, and I think he’d do a fine job.

We could pull this off if we really committed to it. Tabs, how are you at interpreting poll bias?

Though I look right at home, I still feel like an exile

by Manhattan Tribe Fan on Apr 24, 2009 2:09 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs

Heh. I mentioned this in another thread: I very, very rarely watch that train wreck that is Baseball Tonight, and yet I stumbled up on the Silver appearance.

First, it was a terrible set for him because they were all standing and he had no idea what to do with his hands. His posture made it look like he had only recently recovered from a spinal cord injury. It was awkward and painful.

I was not pleased to see BT give him so little time; Nate doesn’t need 10 minutes, but when Karl Ravech asks him, essentially, “So those Blue Jays are pretty good, huh?” And Silver has 60 seconds, it’s not enough to convince the viewer why they brought him on in the first place.

Jay, it’s worth knowing that Silver is actually extremely hard on himself regarding his television appearances. His self-critiques are well known in the broadcast world; when he thinks he sucks he seeks out advice for how to improve. A good example are his eyes — when you’re in a two-box, you have to keep your eyes on the camera. Even small glances look like your eyes are going nuts on the screen. He used to have that problem and got it tamed.

So is he complacent about his appearance? No way. But he must be comfortable with his hair and attire, I guess. I don’t have much of a problem with it. I just hated the posture, and I’m certain that he’s watching the replay and wanting to throttle himself. Bottom line: Someone on that set should have worked with him beforehand.

by tabler84 on Apr 24, 2009 2:24 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs

Making Silver a presentable sportscaster is akin to turning Crowe into a middle-of-the-order power hitter. He just ain’t got the tools.

Resident LGT results-oriented boob.

by mauichuck on Apr 24, 2009 2:45 PM EDT up reply actions

Which is why Crowe announced his retirement yesterday.

Wait, what?

by Voltaire on Apr 24, 2009 5:45 PM EDT up reply actions

by Brick. on Apr 24, 2009 1:47 PM EDT reply actions

I rest my case.

Resident LGT results-oriented boob.

by mauichuck on Apr 24, 2009 2:45 PM EDT up reply actions

you guys are harsh.

by emil minty on Apr 24, 2009 11:25 PM EDT reply actions

Give the guy a break. He’s uncomfortable in front of a camera—as most people would be—and it does nothing to diminish his knowledge about the game. Let him stand behind a screen. And John Kruk is fun to listen to, as well. All this media training and critiquing, in my opinion, just leads to more talking heads who have nothing to say.

by odradek on Apr 25, 2009 1:34 AM EDT reply actions