Carson Cistulli (born December 23, 1979) is an American poet, essayist and baseball analyst[1] for the Toronto Blue Jays. His works of poetry include Some Common Weaknesses Illustrated, Assorted Fictions, and A Century of Enthusiasm.
Carson Cistulli was born December 23, 1979, in Concord, New Hampshire, to Philip Cistulli Jr. and Holly Young.[2] Cistulli passed his early childhood in a middle class Italian-American household until his parents' divorce in 1994.[3] Cistulli attended boarding school at Milton Academy in Massachusetts.[3]
In an essay about sports and aesthetics, "A Lengthy Meditation on Baseball and the Science of Happiness," Cistulli explained that part of his turn towards writing was a therapeutic response to anxiety attacks. Cistulli wrote that these attacks became so intense that he at times struggled to breathe: "During the fall of 2001, while living in Missoula, MT, I began experiencing some symptoms of generalized anxiety: occasional tightness or pain in the chest and limbs, invasive thoughts about death and illness [...] those symptoms persisted off and on into the next spring, at which time I developed a considerably less pleasant one (i.e., symptom): for long periods of time, and with no warning, I was unable to breathe involuntarily."[6]
Lisa Baker writes that "In a day and age when we are quick to consume the rigid definitions of relationships fed to us by those who wield power, Cistulli tutors us in language's malleability; a new comparison, an unexpected verb in a familiar phrase can force an entirely new perspective—and perhaps one more
curious and more generous."[29]
Cistulli has written that his interest in sabermetrics is to explore "that place where quantitative analysis and aesthetics meet"[43] in practicing what he calls the art[44] of sabermetrical research. Within sabermetrics he is the creator of NERD,[45][46] SCOUT[47] and historical GBz%.[48][49][50][51] Cistulli has influenced many contemporary sports thinkers including Rob Neyer who, asked about the value of Cistulli's work within the sabermetric community, responded "there's value in just about everything that Cistulli does. He's got an original mind and we'll ignore him at our peril."[52]
Radio hostingedit
Cistulli was previously the host of "Goal: The Soccer Show" (103.3 FM Northampton, MA)[53] and "The Shuttlecoque Sporting Hour" (1450 AM Portland, OR.)[54] He was formerly the host of FanGraphs Audio.[55]
Blue Jaysedit
On November 16, 2018, Cistulli announced that he had been hired by the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball, and left Fangraphs to work for the team.[56]
It has been reported that he is working alongside Jon Lalonde, Nick Manno and Brent Urcheck to "curate running rankings of the players in each organization."[57]
Personaledit
Cistulli and Kali Coles announced their engagement in May 2009 and married in August.[58] They have one son, Jackie.[59]
Worksedit
Biography portal
Poetry portal
Englished by Diverse Hands (2003)
Free Radicals: American Poets Before Their First Books (2004)
^"Local business people in the news for Dec. 17". Concord Monitor. December 17, 2012. Archived from the original on June 30, 2015. Retrieved June 27, 2015.
^"USS Mariner: Mariners and NERDs". Ussmariner.com. Retrieved November 30, 2010.
^Fangraphs: The Long Hello Retrieved November 25, 2010
^Fangraphs: Introducing NERD Retrieved November 25, 2010
^Fangraphs: Introducing Team NERD Retrieved November 30, 2010
^"SCOUT: Using Small Samples From the AFL". Fangraphs.com. November 2, 2010. Retrieved December 1, 2010.
^"Breaking New Grounders: Ground Balls Since 1950". FanGraphs. February 22, 2011. Retrieved March 5, 2011.
^"Ratios to rates". Inside The Book. Retrieved March 5, 2011.
^"Has there been a change in GB hit at some point in the late 60s?". Inside The Book. Retrieved March 5, 2011.
^"BP Unfiltered". Baseball Prospectus. February 26, 2011. Retrieved October 11, 2011.