The All-Spin Zone

Tom Boswell has adapted nicely to Teh InterWeb with a new video podcast, "A Few Minutes With Thomas Boswell." This episode features a lengthy -- going against the name of the video --interview with Stan Kasten. (I'll resist making the Sean Hannity interviewing George Bush joke.)

I can't say that there's anything terribly new or overly exciting. It's about what you'd expect, and if you've read every other interview Kasten's given, there likely won't be anything new. Still, it's nice to see an extended interview and not just sound bites, even if Kasten is mostly practiced in delivering answers that are sound bites (if a sound bite can be wordy).

Just a few Cliff's Notes....

At around the 11:00 mark, he discusses why Free Agency is a risky venture and the problems it creates, and how it should be one of the last avenues for a team to build around. It's a solid argument and one that anyone rational would have to agree with.

STALKER ALERT: He lives near 23rd and L. Why they left that in, I dunno. But if you're wandering in that area, and have some rotting fruit...

It's somewhat telling that he has a quote from Sam Walton on his whiteboard. That's the Sam Walton who founded WalMart, perhaps the only company that hates unions more than MLB, and a company that's thrived by cutting costs to the bone and getting people to buy their usually substandard products. /cheapshot

He seems to have a shovel in his office. You can see it behind Boswell, next to the bat. I'll resist here, too, and won't make the joke about needing it to shovel all the manure Bowden spews.

At around the 27:00 mark, Kasten's eyes light up when he talks about Manny Acta, and his positive nature, as well as how much Acta believes in "The PLAN!"

The other thing I noticed is that when he gives a long list of positive benefits of something, the one at the end is likely the one he cares about. There are two places in the interview where he does that. The one at the end lists all the benefits of the plaza area at the new stadium, which will open before the seating bowl. He says something like, "There will be games, you'll get to see batting practice, blah, blah, blah, and plenty of places to buy things."

The man does like to tell the truth!