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I drive a goff It's reliable but I still don't like it.

1.) They spent money last offseason... I believe they were in the Top 5 in total contract money doled out among all teams even iirc. Which, given their progression to 77 wins, made sense... 2.) Don't know how many different ways it needs to be said, this team won 66 games last year. 1-2 big free agents alone will not make a sub-70 win team competitive (see 2022 Texas Rangers). I hate that this debate constantly puts me in the situation of defending Chris I, who by all accounts seems unlikable on many levels, but there's an implication that being more active on the free agent market is a silver bullet for this team at this current juncture when it isn’t. To the extent that this team can improve and even out-perform expectations, it is gonna need to come from the guys already here. Maybe if they do that, it puts them back into a situation where they are more like 10 wins away from a playoff spot and where the investment makes sense.

Harris has to find a way to make progress on pitching injuries. Whether that's learning to identify pitchers with better physiology, less detructive mechanics, or even modifications of what they are currently teaching them to do to maximize their effectiveness, the constant loss of pitchers to injury as much as anything else, has destroyed any hope the team ever did have under Avila to build roster value. It can't go on. They can hope it was just bad luck and will normalize itself away, but I'm doubting it.

https://mas.to/@LaurieGShannon/109746680043081193

The Sting is one of most perfectly constructed films you'll ever see. Of course It's not any kind of epic - rather a 'small' movie in scope - but the level of the craft at every point is exquisite. Newman's drunk poker game is one of my all time favorite set pieces. Robert Shaw's barely suppressed fury is played beautifully.

It’s the only way they can win in the end: rig the election to win and then mobilize the military, various police forces, and/or right-wing militias to subjugate the majority of the population. Because there is no way they can win a free and fair election. And once they accuse the Democrats of doing the exact same thing, that’s when we will know for sure they are making their move.

It's a new brand out of California. It performed well at first but only under certain conditions and certain drivers. Didn't perform well in cold conditions and lacks top end acceleration. In the right conditions it's pretty safe, prefers efficiency over high speed. Had low resale value and owners had to pay to get rid of it. It was replaced with a Mustang GT with a little wear.

Its more about putting the name in a person's head. So if you see little Ceasars a bunch of time, the idea is planted that way when someone thinks pizza they see your brand or drives past a store it sticks out in the mind. Few ads get direct buys, but it's about brand recognition and planting the idea so when it comes time, the name sticks out.

He's barely in the closet anymore.

You should thank them. Facebook has one good use. Keeping up with kid and pet pictures of friends and family that you don’t see all the time. It’s a complete waste of time for anything other than that. Don’t even get me started on the folks that want to use it to argue politics and social issues.

It sucks they can’t use a 40% off any item coupon for that.

I bet the NHL the most. It's Sinclair isn't it? Bally's is just the "sponsor" so to speak. Bally's pays Sinclair to brand it Bally's Sports. Sinclair doesn't want you to know it's Sinclair. that's all I will say about that.

Speaking of Robbie, I think he’s still a free agent. Kind of surprised since Atlanta had so famously fixed him.

Robbie Grossman had 73 at bats in July with an OPS of .562, with young developmental players on the bench. I was ripping my hair out. I suppose that some people would find a way to blame Aviia for that.

This randomly popped up in my feed and made me go hmm.

Seth...speaks truth

One of Hinch's strengths in his first year with the Tigers was supposedly his manipulation of the roster and his influence over construction of the 25-man roster over the course of the season. You can't really give him credit for that if you are saying that the next year was Avila's fault because he didn't give him anyhing with which to work.

We will need to see success on the field, but what I appreciate about Harris and why I am with Chas in thinking things really are different is that each transaction this offseason appears to have been done with his pillars in mind. Particularly on the position player side, it has been refreshing to see a coherent strategy in obtaining players who have a history of taking walks and controlling the strike zone. Even if they haven't been the sexy signings that everyone loves, one imagines building depth with guys like that will help bear fruit. Pitching wise, its been a little less coherent on that front, but OTOH, he seems to be leveraging his pillar of being a place where guys can get better... even if the fanbase is leery, the team has a relative level of reputation on the pitching side with a coach who is well respected. And we have seen at least in one case (Lorenzen) a pitcher who has stated he sees this as a place where he can improve and why he ultimately signed here. All of this is to say that Harris has a coherent strategy and it's been a while (since DD) since they've had a guy who has one.

If there’s blame to be levied on Hinch for the terrible performance of a substandard roster of players such as the 2022 Tigers were, I honestly don’t know what that would be. I don’t know why we would blame Hinch and not Avila for the late call up of Kerry Carpenter to the majors. Hinch is the field manager of only the big league club. Avila was the executive vice president and general manager of the entire organization. Why blame Hinch and not Avila for that non-callup? Why blame Hinch, the guy who wasn’t even managing the minors leaguers, for the stalled progress of the minor leaguers, and not Avila, the guy who brought all those minor leaguers into the organization and (purportedly) oversaw their development? I don’t really get the idea behind that. Nevertheless, that’s what’s happening. Maybe it’s because A.J. Hinch is the guy fans see on the TV every night while the Tigers are en route to yet another 96-loss season, while Al Avila sits in a suite, or in an office on Montcalm, out of the view of the camera. Maybe it’s that people blame the guy they see. Maybe it’s because in that way, A.J. Hinch is the face of the organization. I guess I can see that part of it. I guess all we can do at this point is wait to see what happens next. I hope you’re rooting to be wrong on this. Because if for some inexplicable reason you’re right—which, I can’t even imagine how that can even be—then really, god help us Tiger fans.

That’s why the MTF political forum exists.

Honestly, all due respect to 84, I don't think the concern is legit. I firmly believe Hinch was merely playing the hand dealt to him, under a system he was forced for a time to work under and which he, I believe, worked from the inside to help overthrow. I think Hinch has proven that he is the opposite of stick-in-the-mud jockhead anti-analyticism. If people still want to blame him for the garbage Avila put on the field and the strategies that Avila, I believe, demanded, that's fine, they're certainly free to. I would strongly disagree with a take along those line. I know it's always hard to believe that a new day is dawning right in front of your eyes, because after being burned so many times before, no one wants to be made to look the fool for emotionally going all in on it. People want to be regarded as wise, not foolish. But I believe, 100%, that new day is dawning, and I myself am willing to risk being seen as that fool. Anyone else with me on this? Because if I am alone on it, that's OK, it wouldn't be the first time.

no way im giving up that much for jalen ramsey. i dont think you'll need to, not with that big salary coming your way.

lol

Scott Rolen breaking the HOF news to his parents

Can you play next to Larkin? (asking for a friend)