1984Echoes

Score a TD with 3 minutes left... miss the 2-point conversion. Onside kick recovery. We kick a FG with a minute 38 sec's left...

Garbage points in garbage time. Do I win?

I agree with that...!

I caught Friday night's game but not Saturday's... I wanted to see how McIsaac looked too but obviously missed him... On Friday they still looked like they were losing pucks to speed, effort, and especially stick handling... although it seemed like they got better as the game went along. But they also looked like everyone was being more responsible defensively (both forwards and D) and not allowing the incessant odd-man rushes of the past several years. The weak stick-handling and passing bother me though... I'm still too amazed by the Russian 5 and would like to have that back... I agree that they'll go with the vets and call up the kids as needed. My guess is it'll be Sebrango and/ or McIsaac if they indeed believe either of those two are ready to get some NHL time... we'll see.

I don't believe that to be true. Their entire society - from the very top to the very bottom - is infected with the belief that China will supersede the U.S. as both the #1 economic as well as military power in the world. So yes... Xi is self-interested. In being the supreme dictator, in usurping the U.S., in maintaining his own power/ power-base... However... China usurping the U.S. feeds directly into the maintenance of his power. So... the two (both dictator and country) are perfectly aligned. He wants Russia to stop because (A) if Russia ruins itself by slamming its head repeatedly against a NATO/ EU/ US wall... he's just lost a military partner (B) If Russia falls apart because Putin has disgraced himself... he loses a military/ counterweight power to the US's influence (C) If Russia actually goes nuclear, then they will become such a pariah that Xi will be forced to distance himself from that debacle. No one will go near that 10 foot pole and that includes China. (D) I can probably list a few more reasons why an expedient end to this war benefits China... and Xi... So that is where I am coming from. He needs to exert more overt pressure on Putin to stop this. On the other hand...: (A) Russia is forced to pander to China (Read: Sell dirt cheap oil & gas because no one else will purchase (I'm exaggerating but... not much...)). (B) ... Russia becomes China's bitch ??? Bottom line: I believe China would rather have a Russia that is not a nuclear pariah, not falling apart at the seams, and still has some semblance of military power that is not completely discredited and shredded to insignificance. Just my 2 cents...

But I would rather the upside be developed fully and - especially in the case of Edvinsson - when they hit the NHL go straight to the top two pairings, able to keep their minutes with a minimum of mistakes. It looks like Edvinsson is going to need at least a year at GR to get through that... Can McIsaac get better? He's lost so much time to injuries he may be a bit underdeveloped... But if he gets some NHL ice time, I'm less worried about him getting tossed into the fire, even on the 3rd pairing, than exposing Johannson or Edvinsson before they are actually ready... such is my thinking... Oh... and I'd rather have McIsaac push out a vet if he's capable of doing so just because... I'm an advocate of going younger... as long as it makes sense...

But they are also extremely calculated in whatever move/ statement they make. If they are thinking clearly... regardless of the competitive relationship with the U.S. ... Then they clearly know that it is better for Russia to halt all hostilities. Forget the U.S.'s position... China benefits itself by speaking more loudly and clearly that they want an end to this, and that they do NOT support Russia's war against Ukraine. Quite conversely, China is affected in multiple deleterious ways with a war that continues to drag on... Just my 2 cents.

Lindstrom-McIsaac makes a decent 3rd pairing? Does McIsaac get a shot this year? Loads of vets in front of him...

... is no longer on the roster.

A few more of these will be devastating to Russia's war footing. Specifically making the Kerch Bridge completely inoperable. In addition to the psychology that the bridge is within range I mean...

This needs to be spoken more loudly and clearly. By China.

North Carolina Research Triangle. Booming. Or should I say: BOOM! (?)

Those are devastating points.

On a wild guess... all of the backlogs are from blue districts... But I'm just guessing.

Point!!!

Don't know if either have any trade value but... I think they could easily 40 Soto and then trade him before the offseason is over. I think there will be a demand for him.

But the EU and all other democratic nations need to move very, very fast on that. Heck, in the EU, do electric mass-transit as an even faster changeover than just EV cars. I'm also open to the newer, smaller nuclear power plants filling in some energy gaps. Don't the French reactors minimize or eliminate nuclear waste? Do it. All over the place. North America, EU, Japan is starting up theirs again... etc. All of this stuff in total will not hurt China at all... but the Middle East and all other oil & gas driven economies will suffer... No tears. At all.

I think he will get Spring Training invite love this year... and I'd be OK with that being the Tigers STI... And not much more than that. Minor league contract at best, just a guess.

Yeah OK... probably my weakest move... I think I dinged Lange on weak K-BB ratio, weak WHIP #'s, but was concentrating on minor league numbers for all the young guys with small sample sizes and may have misfired on Lange. But a quick perusal... Go ahead and put Lange back on the 40... but I'm thinking of sacrificing Schoop rather than Daz. That may be symphonic dissonance to everyone's ears... and it's not like I'm all that high on Daz... more like I am very, very down on Schoop. As far as I'm concerned, out with over-the-hill and hold onto the kids, just in case. Just my 2 cents...

We are not in Checkmate yet... But China IS trying to put us in Check: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/china-expanding-energy-footprint-middle-230000847.html

He was only a 1-year stopgap anyways... he's already out of sight/ out of mind. As in... Who?

KAJ.

So, based on some of the comments above: I would construct our off-season 40-man under the following Title: Pre-Trade/FA 40, with the following parameters: Rule 5 guys that you want protected, list the full 40 because any subsequent moves (dropped in favor of a FA, dropped in favor of a pending Rule 5 selection, or any trades)… are an unknown at this point. The following 40 is simply my guess at our starting point before any other offseason moves are made (if you want to propose trading Soto or any similar move, have at it… this is just my “starting point”): Pitchers: Tyler Alexander (29L 1.30), Beau Brieske (25R 1.06), Luis Castillo (27R 1.30), Andrew Chafin (33L 1.22), Angel De Jesus (26R 1.13), Alex Faedo (27R 1.11), Jason Foley (27R 1.34), Rony García (25R 1.16), Sawyer Gipson-Long (4.7 - 25R AA 1.26), Garrett Hill (27R 1.20), Joe Jiménez (28R 1.34), Matt Manning, Casey Mize, Eduardo Rodriguez, Elvin Rodriguez (25R 1.23), Tarik Skubal, Gregory Soto (28L 1.35), Spencer Turnbull, Will Vest (27R 1.30), Joey Wentz, Brendan White (3.8 - 24R AA 1.20) Bubble/ Gone: José Cisnero (34R 1.34), Miguel Diaz (28R 1.33), Kyle Funkhouser (29R 1.43), Bryan Garcia (28R 1.20), Drew Hutchison (32R 1.42), Alex Lange (27R 1.33), Daniel Norris (30L 1.38) Going out on a limb here: and protecting Gipson-Long and Brendan White. Just a hunch (that and their high K-BB ratios if we’re doing analytics). IMO – all of these guys that we’ve “lost” here… can be invited back on Spring Training invites. I think all of them will be back as such, along with whatever other competition Harris can find/ sign as a FA/ or trade for. The last two of which obviously would engender even more 40 man transactions. Position Players: Akil Baddoo, Javier Báez, Daz Cameron, Jeimer Candelario, Kerry Carpenter, Harold Castro, Brendon Davis, Riley Greene, Eric Haase, Ryan Kreidler, Andre Lipcius, Austin Meadows, Parker Meadows, Wenceel Perez, Victor Reyes, Jake Rogers, Ali Sánchez, Jonathan Schoop, Spencer Torkelson Leaving/ retired: Tucker Barnhart, Miguel Cabrera, Willi Castro, Kody Clemens, Luis García, Josh Lester, Zack Short Sorry… My agenda is to “retire” Miggy. Feel free to add him back in in your versions of our 40 and drop whatever borderline pitcher/ Rule 5/ bench guy that you want to. My last struggle was between Willi, Adinso Reyes, and Daz… I don’t really consider Willi an OF’er, really he’s a guy with no glove/ position so… I’m giving Daz just one more chance (and taking a chance in losing Adinso). I don’t feel good about it. But that’s the way it goes until we sign someone better and Daz loses his 40 spot… TBC…

That looks 99.9% what I would expect for Opening Day lineup. Berggren in Grand Rapids and the other two as the extra guys... Debatable on Soderblum breaking with Detroit but I could see a compelling reason for it (basically, ST's, plus... 3rd or 4th line would seem appropriate). Edvinsson if they break with the best players; o/w Grand Rapids if he needs some smaller rink seasoning. One or both 4th pairing guys as the extra(s) depending on what happens with Edvinsson.

Wasn't Piercey just released?