Jon Sciambi on the Cubs, baseball, and why ALS fundraising means so much to him

“(Pete Crow-Armstrong) is off to a slow start with the bat, but he continues to play, I think, the best defense of any player at any position in baseball. Our manager, Craig Counsell, says he’s the best defender in the world.”

What metrics do you use to gauge how good a team is?

“You look at run differential, and the extrapolation of that is on every team’s Baseball Reference page. Bill James has a Pythagorean Theorem formula that uses runs scored and runs allowed to (assess) what your record should be. So I look at it, especially for a team, if I haven’t been watching them closely in the short term. ‘Okay, does their record match up with how they’ve played so far?’ I think run differential is a really good stat for understanding how teams play.”

What’s it like working with Jim Deshaies and Taylor McGregor?

That’s the best part of the gig. JD has been amazing to work with. He has curiosity and intellect, and he still really loves the game. Taylor’s been a great part of our storytelling. I think she’s grown so much. The chemistry in our group is really important. You want to make it fun and interesting, but you also want to make sure people understand you’re enjoying it. With the three of us, I think that comes across.”

What’s your prediction for the Cubs for the rest of the regular season?

“I think they’ll win the division, but the Pirates are taking steps. The Reds are off to a good start. The Cardinals have gotten off to a good start. It’s certainly foolish to ever, ever count out the Milwaukee Brewers.”

Did you encounter any pushback to what you said about ex-athletes becoming broadcasters?

“No. The main jumping-off point was just in general. I just think that job’s really hard. I was making the point that if you have a great player, even if you want to say they’re the best ever at looking at a field, decoding the field, and executing the play, the idea of looking at a field, decoding it, and then articulating what should be done are two completely different skill sets. The idea that a person would be good at one and good at the other, I understand a little bit of the thought connection there, but the idea that just because you can see it and decode it means you’re going to be able to articulate it.”

What was it like to work the World Series last year?

“That was as much fun. I think that series was incredible. It was everything people love about baseball. It certainly goes to show that between North America and Japan, more than 50 million people were watching. So, the idea of baseball and the lack of popularity, that was a pretty incredible Game 7. I mean, Game 6 and Game 7 were remarkable. It was absolutely amazing.”

What’s the strangest thing you’ve seen a fan do this year?

“We were in Tampa, and a fan went for a foul ball and lost the bottom half of their attire. I think it was very much in question whether the bottom half of their attire was already down as they got up to go after the foul ball. I got more texts about that one, and JD just dropped a simple, ‘Hope everybody’s okay down there.'”

Why does ALS fundraising mean so much to you personally?

“We’re in the process of putting out some content next week because May is ALS Awareness Month. I lost a friend named Tim Sheehy, whom I met when I was seven years old. He was diagnosed with ALS in 2005. We founded Project Main Street, which helps raise money for people living with ALS. We started that in 2006, and Tim died in 2007.

“Over the last few years, we have used Lou Gehrig Day as our focal point for awareness and fundraising, etc., through T-shirts and just trying to get the message out. I still think it’s an underfunded disease, and there are still so many people who just don’t know what it is.”

To donate to Project Main Street, visit projectmainst.org.

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