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A few of you have mentioned the absence of @Jim Cowan who was also Charles Liston on the old board and wondered what he was doing and if he was OK and I reached out to him through email and he said he’s doing just fine but that he finds his general interest in being a part of a message board on a daily basis to have waned and that it only has its greatest value as an all consuming passion which has for the time being ebbed. He said that he’s excited about McGonigle and the starting pitching and sent his best to a number of you. Since it’s a personal message, I don’t feel comfortable relaying too many of the details, but my own concern was that something healthwise had happened to him - we are both 74 so that can be an issue - and it hasn’t. Anyway, that’s the scoop.

This is spot on;

lol

I think these takes of Clark being a bonehead are both lazy and false. Every interview I’ve seen with, he is humble and grounded. Ignore the chains and tattoos and whatever associations you might have with them. He’s solid.

Toledo Mud Hens Triple-A · IL 📊 St. Paul Saints 0, Toledo Mud Hens 1 #2 Max Clark 2-for-4 | 2 H, 1 R, 0 RBI, 0 BB, 0 K (1 SB) #6 Hao-Yu Lee 1-for-4 | 1 H, 0 R, 1 RBI, 0 BB, 1 K #26 Eduardo Valencia 0-for-1 | 0 H, 0 R, 0 RBI, 3 BB, 0 K #27 Trei Cruz 1-for-4 | 1 H, 0 R, 0 RBI, 0 BB, 2 K Double-A · EL 📊 Erie SeaWolves 1, Chesapeake Baysox 4 #15 John Peck 1-for-4 | 1 H, 1 R, 0 RBI, 0 BB, 2 K (1 2B) #30 Justice Bigbie 0-for-4 | 0 H, 0 R, 0 RBI, 0 BB, 1 K #30 Peyton Graham 1-for-4 | 1 H, 0 R, 0 RBI, 0 BB, 2 K #30 Izaac Pacheco 1-for-4 | 1 H, 0 R, 0 RBI, 0 BB, 2 K West Michigan Whitecaps High-A · MWL 📊 Great Lakes Loons 7, West Michigan Whitecaps 3 #23 Jackson Strong 0-for-3 | 0 H, 0 R, 0 RBI, 1 BB, 2 K (1 SB) #30 Roberto Campos 1-for-3 | 1 H, 1 R, 0 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K Lakeland Flying Tigers Single-A · FSL 📊 Daytona Tortugas 5, Lakeland Flying Tigers 6 #3 Bryce Rainer 0-for-4 | 0 H, 0 R, 0 RBI, 0 BB, 2 K (2 SB) #21 Jude Warwick 1-for-4 | 1 H, 1 R, 0 RBI, 0 BB, 2 K #24 Grayson Grinsell 4.0 IP | 2 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, 0 HR #30 Jack Goodman 1-for-3 | 1 H, 1 R, 0 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K (1 2B)

ex-refinery guy here. The picture is actually very complex, many interdependencies. Each refinery is pretty much set up to run optimally on one type or mix (which may or may not also mean one or one set of sources) of crude oil. The flexibility of a given refinery to do something else varies with its particular equipment but profitability (ie prices go up) will almost always suffer, at least short term, if they are forced to switch crude slates. In the US, most midwestern refineries run Canadian crude or oil that comes by pipeline from the gulf. East coast refineries import more, West cost refineries source some local (CA is a big producer but nowhere near CA's consumption), a lot of Alaskan, some ME. Refiner's generally hike their prices the instant world oil prices go up, though in reality they have several days (not months) supply already on hand and any oil at sea may already be paid for, though that varies also, some tankers do arrive with the oil un-purchased and the deal is cut on arrival. I'm few years out of the biz now so I don't have any inside sources any more, but I would estimate that in the US, total imports from non North American sources are low enough that given the fall in demand that the increase in prices will produce, I doubt we will see outright US shortages, but don't ask me to bet on that, and there will likely be some local dislocations. The situation in Europe and in particular Asia is much different. They know their vulnerability to supply upsets so in general Asian refiners keep a LOT more crude inventory (month+) on hand, which is the only reason why you haven't had Asian nations (i.e. China) making more noise about retaliation against the US (trade etc) if this doesn't end soon.

At least we got Damion Easley. 😉

I am less impressed by Greene every year.

Kudos for the return of the MiLB reports!

Long story but one that still makes me emotional. My lifelong best friend died from cancer in May of 24. We met in kindergarten, went to all 13 years of school together, played sports together, roomed together at MSU, and shared a house a couple times in our early 20s until marriage etc. How does this relate to your post? One of my most vivid memories with him was an Eli Zaret/George Kell moment. I'm pretty sure it was on the Morning Crew show either the morning after they hit 35-5 or a few days before they did. He was a dairy farmer and some mornings I'd get up and go visit him in the feed room as he ran the silage unloader. George came on with Eli and started with "It's magical Eli, just magical" with his Arkansas twang it was unforgettable. For the rest of our lives he and I would use that phrase to describe things, sometimes seriously, sometimes sarcastically. Now and then that phrase comes to mind and I think of my buddy......

To his point, Colt has a future and Carp really doesn’t, so if Hinch always sits Colt against LHPs, he better be darn sure Colt’ll never ever hit them, because it’s going to limit what we’ll be able to get from Colt during his career; and also, last night was the second time in three games we got hamstrung having Jahmai bat against a RHP late after pinching for Colt at DH earlier. He struck out swinging both times. We risk that becoming a potential game-plan by opponents. Fun fact: Colt had a better OPS+ against LHPs than RHPs in 2024.

Seriously, though. This stupid, worthless g*******d pig.

Appreciated!

Thanks Bert. I am very happy to hear that he is doing well.

I don't think it's too soon to complain that the jewels of the Al Avila All-Stars are dragging the team down, even as another couple of them are doing everything they can to keep the team afloat. Unless by some miracle at least two of them shake off the doldrums and start delivering on the draft positions and/or accolades accorded them, there's going to be a reckoning with them, and perhaps sooner than later. As things stand, I don't see us extending any of them.

we all said the same thing last summer and we signed mason appleton and JVR.

This is what I remember.

I hope they lose by 50 tonight. Then I can bang my head on the wall when someone says they should start Jenkins and bring Cade off the bench in the playoffs.

Yeah he's such an untethered drifter. Marrying his girlfriend since Freshman year in High School rather than chase all the hangers on is just a cover. 😉 I've said in here before and will stand by it. I think people waaaaay over think the chain thing and attribute stuff to him over them that just aren't reality. Time will tell.

whether we agree or not, I'm sure Iran's position is that a cease-fire means Israel stops shooting at their clients and that surely hasn't happened either.

I think this is a good take. Talbot was pretty useless this season and we knew from the beginning that a lot of the team's early success was Gibson and the temptation would be there to burn him out. I just don't get this reluctance to see what a guy can do, what the worst that can happen - he shows he's not ready? It's not like you'd be sitting prime career D. Hasek to look at him, he would be stepping in for just barely there Talbot.

Replacing guys with a guy who has bounced back and forth from the majors to AAA and a 22 year old guy that was way over his head in spring training isn't like signing a solid major league hitter. These guys aren't going to have a massive impact on the lineup.

A little bit. But mostly as background noise like you. I wish they had sent Lanier down there a bit more this season. He played 248 minutes this year which is 8 games at 30 MPG. You need game time to work on what you practiced and 8 games in a calendar year is not cutting it.

Yes, If Greene, Torkelson and Carpenter hit even at their normal levels, it will solve a lot of problems

I wasn't really suggesting that Clark was similar to Gibson, just that he has a distinct personality from their current group. From a fan's perpective. I do like to see different personalities on the team. Watching the game last night, I was thinking I don't know McGonigle from Keith from Dingler. They all look and act the same.

I'm pretty sure Minnesota is now locked into the 21st spot and can not move down. They still mathematically can move up to #20.

Had to share...

Might as well stop losing.

good news, thanks for doing that Bert.

So all this amounted to was that we have given Bibi the free use of the worlds most expensive lawn mower for 30 days (which we get back with its blade seriously dulled) so he could extend his 'forever war' just a little further out before it becomes the failure it will inevitably be.

LOL - Spencer apparently loves batting 7th, on base 10 of his last 16 PA.

Georgia is a state that matters. With a senate and governor election coming up, an over performance like this easily hands it to the Democrats. It also puts pressure on Republicans in more moderate districts who have lost.

a 10 pt loss is still a big loss. Moral victories on margins are meaningless until they happen in districts where it matters.

Meanwhile, Trump is obliterating Republicans more than Iran. This race wasn't even close.

Iran is literally better off today than before the war and has an even more extreme regime in place.

run differential don't win you no championship.

Imagine bragging about voting for this ****

Speculating here. They did this because Klintman had to have his deal guaranteed by June 30th. With Smith not being guaranteed next year, they can trade him in July when teams are looking for an extra million or two in cap space to fit in another free agent. Possible Smith just earned it. Also possible this is a move to protect them in case Stewart's legs don't hold up in the playoffs. Basically, I have no clue.

Every time I see Lakeland come up in the spring I think of HueyTaxi

Vance scares me about as much. No spine whatsoever. He's currently in Hungary campaigning and claiming voter fraud there for their current Dictator.

Every time I see a Virginia Tech game, I think about Estrepe. Every time I think of the White Caps I think about Billy Ringo.