Baseball and the Midterms with Henry Olsen

With the World Series knotted at 2-2, and the mid-term election just days away, it seemed the perfect time to catch up with Henry Olsen, the premier psephologist (trying saying that word fast just once, never mind seven times) of all things data-related when it comes to politics—and also baseball. We disagree about the decision to remove a starting pitcher working on a no-hitter into the 7th inning of a World Series game, though Henry makes a strong case that the numbers totally justified the drama-killing decision.

Our main subject, though, is the general scene for the mid-term, and some specific polling puzzles that have been much on my mind. Henry thinks a Republican wave is coming in general, but whether medium-sized or huge (or, as I present the choice for surf-literate Californians, a Mavericks-size wave, or a Zuma Beach-sized wave) is still uncertain to Henry, though he'll declare himself Monday afternoon when his detailed biennial pre-election predictions will go up at the Washington Post. Be sure to tune into his Twitter feed on election night, as it will be the best spot to get the most accurate and timely race-by-race analysis and early calls.

Needless to say, this episode calls for topical exit music, which could only mean one thing: Little Feat "Apolitcal Blues."