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For people who fall for the troll. https://youtu.be/z_brpPpjZ5I?si=gwJWHbB90mWO8jVH

6, of course.

The nice thing about this game being a night game after yesterday’s day game is that the Padres can restabilize the RF corner wall that McGonigle nearly knocked down in his 2nd PA.

McGonigle has already been animed.

I think the biggest problem is here is that Holmes did so good in his first few years with players who were star level almost right from the get go that anything else looks bad by comparison.

this fits..... for him the Presidency is a TV show and a storyline gets stale.

Yeah, I know, this thread is a day early as it relates to our own lid-lifter, but there is an MLB game that counts in the standings later on tonight, so, let's go ahead and declare the 2026 Detroit Tigers regular season to be open. Let's start off with something I know will thrill so many of the posters in this forum: a confirmation that the Tigers are the team that retained the most players from last season, in term of playing time, of any team in the majors, because razzafrazza Scott Harris something something.

The best nicknames are ones you wouldn’t know right away

It’s Friday in Lent. I’ll wager good money Bert is wearing a kilt.

How about just call him McGonigle? If he develops a nickname naturally, that's fine. No forced nicknames.

I wonder what our resident Trump supporter makes of this? 🤔 I’ve been thinking about the Republican betrayal of the party’s own tradition because of a comment about my work by Glenn Loury, the conservative Black economist. When I was on The Glenn Show in December, he criticized my new book American Contradiction because of my “apparent disregard for the positive contributions of conservative thought and policy to American life.” Loury and I could probably agree about many historical contributions of principled conservatism, including respect for America’s constitutional tradition and rule of law, skepticism about concentrated governmental power, and support for the independence of civil society and private initiative. I’m sure we’d agree about the importance of patriotism, civility, tolerance, and other values that have been part of a democratic conservatism—democratic in the sense of upholding the democratic “rules of the game,” including free speech and fair elections. But as Trump has acted with reckless disregard for those principles, Republican leaders, major donors, and corporate supporters have either fallen silent or actively enabled his lawlessness and corruption. That complicity makes you wonder: Were they ever serious about those conservative principles? And since they don’t speak up for them now, what do they stand for? Since when, for example, was it a conservative principle to concentrate all federal power in the president and deny Congress its constitutional role? How does a party that ostensibly opposes centralized state power square that opposition with the centralization of power in one man? ... HOW DID REPUBLICANS COME TO BETRAY their own philosophy? A key factor has been the party’s weakness, the fear that it was only getting weaker, and a consequent openness to desperate measures that could enable it to entrench itself in power while it could. In his 2017 book Conservative Parties and the Birth of Democracy, Daniel Ziblatt argues that the strength of conservative parties in the 19th and early 20th centuries determined whether a country followed a stable, settled path to democracy or an unsettled path with authoritarian reversals. Britain’s history is an example of the first; Italy’s, the second. Although Ziblatt’s book is about Europe, the political process he identifies seems to be playing out now in the United States. “Strong conservative political parties,” Ziblatt argues, “led to a stable long-run path of democratization” for several reasons. Conservatives had “a realistic basis for assuming electoral success” and “the resources that allowed them to sideline their own radicals.” They accepted the “rules of the game” in a democracy because they believed they could win that game or at least keep radicals on the left out of power. But when conservative parties saw themselves as likely to lose, they often turned against democracy. That has been the story of recent American politics. In this case, Republicans have also turned against their old leadership and many of the defining elements in the conservative tradition. ... In every election in which Trump has run, he has warned that this is Americans’ last chance and that they won’t have a country unless they elect him. If you’ve agreed that America is in extreme danger, it has made perfect sense to repudiate a conservatism that didn’t just fail to prevent the dire trends wrecking the country but contributed to them through its support of pro-immigration and free-trade measures. Republican elites haven’t cared all that much about Trump’s betrayal of conservatism because of what he hasn’t betrayed: the party’s corporate and class allegiances. Trump’s populism is all in the rhetoric and the scapegoating, not the substance of government. His tax legislation in 2017 and again in 2025 has redistributed income upward; his government appointees side with corporations over workers. Pro-business policy is what many Republicans mean by free-market policy. They are not bothered if the “invisible hand” is replaced by a “conspicuous fist,” as long as that fist generally comes down on their enemies. Republicans go along with the betrayal of conservatism also because they care more about results than rules, whether those are the rule of law, the rules-based international order, or the rules of civility and decency that Trump routinely flouts. They admire that Trump gets things done and look the other way at how he does it. Although they must know he is corrupt, because he hardly makes a secret of it, he is also delivering the result that matters most to them: power for “us” over “them.” What Stephen Miller famously said about international politics—“we live in a world, in the real world … that is governed by strength, that is governed by force, that is governed by power”—reflects the mentality now dominating the Republican Party. Some analysts make the mistake of intellectualizing Trump and taking seriously the ideas of the various schools of right-wing thought that compete to provide fig leaves for the worship of power. But as Jan-Werner Müeller has suggested, it’s an error to assume that right-wing political leaders today are “inspired by comprehensive worldviews” or “that far-right parties succeed because voters find their philosophies attractive,” when the leaders are opportunistic and self-interested and “most citizens have no clue” about what right-wing intellectuals are saying. The driving impulses on the right are old and primitive. As Never Trump conservative intellectuals discovered to their horror, ideas and principles don’t much matter in the party that Trump took over. It’s a world where, as Miller says, strength governs, power governs, force governs—and conservative thought is expected to be loyal and submit.

Lack of experience isn't even close to his worst trait. In addition to his sexual assault comments, he also had a number of racist comments. And called people of Maine stupid. He sounds like a real pearl of a human being. And I wouldn't be surprised if he does turn out to be a Nazi. I suspect people like him for 'personality reasons,' which is more than a bit concerning. I'm disappointed that my Senator has endorsed him. Is there really nobody in Maine willing to step up who has progressive views without this kind of history? And shouldn't we asking for representatives who don't have this kind of history? I definitely like Mills better. Come to think of it, I like Collins better, too.

He had a special character Ka$h69

Bobrob’s 2026 Preseason Prediction #14 – Kevin Patrick McGonigle Kevin McGonigle is the reason why the Tigers didn’t spend any money on offense during the off-season. While it may have been surprising that he made the opening day roster, most everyone agreed that at some point during the season he would be called up. There really hasn’t been this much hype for a Tigers positional player prospect in my lifetime. Sure, the Tigers have gotten some contribution from recent prospects, including Riley Greene and Spencer Torkelson, but Kevin McGonigle, who is the consensus #2 prospect in all of baseball, feels different. The 21-year-old is such a pure hitter that A.J. Hinch and company feel like he didn’t even need AAA. Here are his minor league stats spanning from rookie ball to AA: 2023 – 93 PA | .315/.452/.411 | 145 wRC+ 2024 – 328 PA | .309/.401/.452 | 145 wRC+ 2025 – 397 PA | .305/.408/.583 | 182 wRC+ He has it all, hitting for average, high on-base percentage, and he was hitting for power by the time he got to AA (12 home runs and a .296 ISO in 206 plate appearances). What’s really impressive is not only the high walk rate, but also the low strikeout rate: 2023 – 19.4% BB% | 10.8% K% | 1.1% HR% 2024 – 14.0% BB% | 8.5% K% | 1.5% HR% 2025 – 14.9% BB% | 11.6% K% | 4.8% HR% Players gaining power as they age into their 20s is very common and McGonigle likely already has the ability to hit around 15 home runs in the Majors. His batted ball data also shows that he is gaining power as he is starting to hit more fly balls. 2023 – 42.2% GB% | 34.4% FB% | 23.4% LD% 2024 – 42.3% GB% | 31.0% FB% | 26.6% LD% 2025 – 35.7% GB% | 43.4% FB% | 21.0% LD% Lastly, McGonigle has some speed. He stole 22 bases in 2024, but only 10 in 2025. How many steals he will get in 2026 will depend on how often he gets on base and how aggressive Hinch is with him. Generally, the Tigers don’t steal that often but I can see McGonigle getting about 10 steals again. How soon all of this will all translate into the Major Leagues is anyone’s guess. There could be and we probably should anticipate some struggles in his rookie year but hopefully it’s not going to be long stretches. Many people are predicting a Rookie of the Year Award for McGongile and it’s easy to see why. It’s always hard to predict what a rookie will do in his first season, but if anyone can contribute right away, it’s someone of Kevin McGongile’s ability (and he already is off to a great start with four hits in five at bats on Opening Day). Experts’ Predictions/Projections: FGDC – 477 AB | .253/.336/.426 | 16 HR | 67 RBI | 10 SB | 59 BB | 76 K Steamer – 387 AB | .257/.343/.414 | 12 HR | 48 RBI | 8 SB | 49 BB | 65 K ZiPS DC – 477 AB | .249/.329/.438 | 18 HR | 75 RBI | 9 SB | 58 BB | 71 K ATC – 394 AB | .254/.331/.427 | 14 HR | 52 RBI | 10 SB | 45 BB | 65 K THE BAT X – 401 AB | .254/.321/.420 | 13 HR | 50 RBI | 10 SB | 38 BB | 65 K OOPSY – 485 AB | .252/.327/.418 | 18 HR | 64 RBI | 11 SB | 55 BB | 93 K RotoChamp – 425 AB | .254/.341/.426 | 15 HR | 57 RBI | 9 SB | 48 BB | 71 K CBS Sports – N/A ESPN – 329 AB | .261/.346/.438 | 10 HR | 47 RBI | 11 SB | 44 BB | 62 K My Prediction: 2025 Prediction – N/A 2025 Actual (MiLB) – 331 AB | .305/.408/.583 | 19 HR | 80 RBI | 10 SB | 59 BB | 46 K 2026 Prediction – 501 AB | .269/.360/.461 | 16 HR | 65 RBI | 10 SB | 72 BB | 78 K This concludes this year's predictions. I really wish I was able to finish before opening day, but I have a lot of stuff going on in my life right now. I'm really excited for the season. GO TIGERS!!!

My friend is married to Mickey's daughter.

They picked Gibbs when they had just signed Montgomery and Jaymo when they had St. Brown, those shocked everyone. That said, I'd be genuinely shocked if they drafted Love, but wouldn't 100% rule it out given it's Brad and he's unpredictable. I would imagine Brad has a board of prospects he likes, with all his players ranked. He'll draft his BPA on his board as long as he feels that player could be a benefit to this team. Again, on picking an offensive tackle, he could draft one in the first round. I certainly hope he does draft one. I'm just not as strident as some around here that he will. If Brad is sitting there at #17 and there is a S, DE, DT, LB, CB that he likes better and has ranked as the best player available, above any of the remaining tackle prospects, I think he's going BPA, even if tackle were deemed to be a bigger need. He's not reaching for a player that he believes has less overall talent just because the need may be a little bigger at that position.

Wow, Julio Franco was in the Highlights. Has he retired yet?

Chris Pittaro’s big moment, narrated by Eli Zaret, at the 2m 50s mark.

That guy set off the BB universe. That got Mike in touch with Nacho with got mike with Gus, which got Walt in touch with Gus... all for some baseball cards

A friend of mine named his cat Colin Robinson

Might as well win the series.

Maybe the voice control technology is confused by your accent not requesting a Red Sawx game?

Some of these young men simply come from bad, broken environments that were high crime, high poverty areas with poor education systems. Some of them have had as many or more bad influences in their lives as they have had positive ones. You combine all of that with sudden stardom, fame, and a lot of money and it is a bad combination. I don't know if this is the case for Arnold or not, but it is for too many young men.

The Wings lost long enough to accumulate enough top picks. Top 10 picks seven years in a row - two by Holland, five by Yzerman. Problem is only three are proven hits so far and none are superstars.

I am really happy today. The Tigers won their opener, Kevin was a bright star, Skubal was Skubal and the Arizona Wildcats put up 109 points against Arkansas to move into the elite eight. They will face Purdue in Indianapolis and I attended both Purdue and Arizona but my heart is with Arizona. I lived there 13 years. So all real world problems aside - which are admittedly legion - these were two bright spots in it today for me.

If you’re not already watching The Pitt, I can’t recommend it enough. it might overtake Breaking Bad as #2 on my all time list.

This is all true, but there is a big additional step between, "I'd love to have D Larkin as a teammate" and "I'd love to be on a team that's going to miss the playoffs just to play with D Larkin." 🤷‍♂️ The latter is going to weigh heavier than the former!

BoomGaspar is McCosky confirmed

It was honestly moving to see McGonigle in street clothes hugging his mom after the game. It collapses probably 16 years of life and striving into a single moment.

I remember when I was a kid - I could just press a button amd the game was on. Boy, that was something! No passwords or voice prompts or overlays or replays. Just press a button and start watching! Those were the days.

Yep! I have radios back to 1928 - they all get the game fine.

Hey, Bert, party’s over in the game thread. 😉

I wouldn't compare Trump to Hans Solo. He's more a combination of President Skroob and Pizza The Hut from Spaceballs.

Strike a pose. We can pour the molten brass immediately.

Related to these, "beclown" has become my verb of the year, as in, The Republican Party constantly beclowns itself in its pathetic quest to mollify one man.

I think Hegseth is far worse than an infant. Infants can't hurt you. Hegseth strikes me as being more like a grade schooler off his ADHD meds.

God bless you, my brother! I was worried I would have to do this, which I didn’t particularly want to do. But if you need to take a vacation sometime and it’s hard for you to work this in, message me, and I’ll do whatever I can to pick up the slack. The game thread has been one of those constants in the various iterations of our family, and I’m glad that you’re holding up your end of this tradition.

If Vierling is healthy this year, didn't we, in effect, get an impact RH bat?