1984Echoes

Which pushes down other talented guys: WR's and other defenders, to our spots. I'm still on board with taking a QB we like IF he falls to #32 (looking extremely unlikely at this point), and if not, take some combo of WR/ LB/ Safety at #32 and #34. Stick with KT or Hutch at 32, and worry about QB next year. DON'T overdraft a QB out of sheer panic... Let other teams panic and overdraft the QB's...

They were probably hunting an outside shooting big which is what you get from Olynyk and nothing on that end from Plumlee... I'm not justifying the cost of that or anything... I'm just sayin'... And while I do agree on the need for what Plumlee provides... he's not been any great shakes this year either. One placeholder/ part-time contributor with limited skills is not really all that different from the other... I think the real solution is getting someone like Myles Turner from the Pacers (by hook or by crook): a real rim-protector/ rebounder/ rim-runner/ and still has some semblance of an outside game that can make both the starters and bench more dynamic by pushing Stew to the bench. We probably have 0 chance of getting him but I've wanted this dude on our roster so badly from even before his draft.

I have a gas guzzler but I work from home 100% so I go out once or twice a week for groceries or Subway or sushi or whatever... and gas prices are barely registering on my radar. Plus I have the cheapest gas place in town right across from me basically so whatever I'm paying it's at least 15 cents or more lower than everybody else...

Agreed 100%. I'd like to see establishment Republicans wrest control of the GOP out of the Trumpster's hands... but... I think that possibility is pretty close to 0%. I still want to see every broadshot taken against the fascist side of the party. From anyone at all, from any direction...

Horseshit. If the Red Wings or Tigers have the worse record in the league but are now picking 8th because of a lottery that helps them get better? I'm calling BS. I do NOT think losing in a lottery helps a bad team get better. Just the opposite, in fact. Did I mention the fact that... I F'ing HATE lotteries...?

So on this basis... quit trying to institute a lottery. How about... instead: "Licensing" MLB ownership? MLB can "License", or ALLOW an owner to own an MLB team. If over a 10-year period a team is not competitive at all, then MLB can revoke the license and force an owner to sell, or MLB can take over that team in a conservatorship, pay off the owner at an appraised value, and resell to a group that they believe will try to be competitive. Let's say anything over .400 for the decade is a "minimum standard" of competitiveness (some good years, some sub-par, a rebuild...). Anything below that is subject to review by an MLB "Licensing" Board, consisting of NOT-Owners (who may be competitive and love having "losing Orgs" in their division... But instead, HOF'ers, outside legal council, head of MLBPA, the Commissioner, etc... "In the best interests of baseball...". Every 10-year period is a License, and subject to renewal by Board approval. Same thing with non-renewal. The Board can force a rejection of a teams' ownership renewal and force a sale. That will fix each and every single teams competitiveness really, really, fast. And MLB will become even MORE competitive then it is now... and there will be MAX incentive to SPEND money on a competitive team. Amirite? (Not gonna happen but... amirite?)

Undercover woman, in the midst of Fascists in America: https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2022/02/amanda-moore-undercover-maga/?utm_source=nl&utm_brand=vf&utm_mailing=VF_HivePS_020522&utm_medium=email&bxid=5c5b21a42ddf9c2e35797a31&cndid=49460903&hasha=05adedcbe118f772c76e6794cb1d861d&hashb=cca16e819211b15fd7af268d1f4362d9033855f6&hashc=61895f16272cd7ba625b3c6df95dae50b64f58c907319519cc42cbec8714cdb5&esrc=newsletteroverlay&mbid=mbid%3DCRMVYF012019&source=EDT_VYF_NEWSLETTER_0_HIVE_ZZ&utm_campaign=VF_HivePS_020522&utm_term=VYF_Hive

I don't believe Grant necessarily blocks Diallo from playing time. I think trading Grant is more a function of resetting our timeline with more youth and draft assets that fit into Cade's timeline. And he's the only trade commodity we have who can get (possibly) some decent assets in return. Plus, contractually, I think he just misses on that youth timeline... It wouldn't bother me to be able to draft a Jabari Smith at PF, move Grant to SF, and have Cade and Diallo at PG and SG (pushing Bey to the bench as a 6th man). Then we would just need a Real Center to push Stewart to the bench as an energy guy and... we may actually have a team there... So I don't know which direction the Pistons want to go with Grant... but I could go either way with trade/ don't trade him. In the end... based on his iso-play, lack of rebounding, and my desire for more team youth... I do think the team is better off trading him for youth/assets...

Haha! So funny. Bolton kicks Trump's ass.

Today's Republican Party = Fascists. They hate Democracy. They hate the Constitution of the United States. They hate America. Vote them out.

Getting whomped... But one thought I think I'm thinking: Diallo needs to stay in the starting lineup.

Here it is: https://www.euractiv.com/section/global-europe/news/germany-agrees-to-axe-nord-stream-2-if-russia-invades-ukraine/

IIRC Germany threatened stopping Nord 2 if Russia invaded Ukraine. I'll have to go look if that was real or not now though...

I cannot resolve that conundrum. I'm just saying, nervous parents get nervous... doesn't require rhyme or reason. And I'm also saying that anti-vaxxers in schools does give them a reason (in their own minds)... to be unnecessarily overprotective. I do think it's unnecessary. They are not following the science. But nervous parents being nervous parents, are reacting to the actions of others. I'm not trying to justify it. I just think that's an explanation of behavior.

Atrocious.

No, that was not in the last year. The on-field performance at the MLB level was last year, we can all attribute that to Hinch. But not the organizational changes nor the drafting strategy... Hinch just accelerated the process. You can even say vastly if you want to. But it didn't all happen last year. That's just being disingenuous.

The Atlantic always has in-depth, knowledgeable, non-partisan writing excellence. And yes, Applebaum is good...

and yet... The Tigers have done a complete 180 turnaround in draft & develop strategy, analytics, scouting, talent-in-the-minor-leagues-pipeline, etc., etc. etc... By this exact same person.

Impartial election observers and other election oversight officials are being replaced in every single swing state (Arizona, Georgia, etc.) by Trump Supporting Hacks. Their intention is to overthrow our Democracy and to install Trump as fascist dictator. The next coup attempt will be successful.

I'm not talking about myself personally. Yes, I'm vaxxed and boosted so I have no worries in public. I'm talking about the general population which may not be as fearless person-by-person. Especially parents, as they can often be worry-warts over their kids and over-protective. That just comes naturally. That's why I'm saying it's a component in schools... natural parents' overprotectiveness.

No. Not necessarily. An organization could be so bereft of talent due to a prior administration that is takes 5 years to recover. A new administration may make some initial mistakes but gets better as the years accumulate and shows serious promise and a serious pipeline of talent by the time we get to 5 years. Baseball prospects take longer to develop than basketball prospects and a team needs more of them to build a competitive team. These are all valid reasons that a team/ administration is NOT a failure simply because it took 5 years to get a team back on track. In other words, if the Tigers are a serious competitive team this year, with a bright future, does that mean that this administration is a failure? Because... it took them 5 years to get here.

Teams need to be ALLOWED to make that judgement call and not have to listen to a stream of "you're tanking" and other criticism. I don't care if it takes 5 years to do it. If your team is falling apart or going nowhere tear it down and build it up the right way. No matter the length of time it takes.

The one thing I would argue against, is that this is the only or primary reason. I believe on the flipside... because of the right's callous disregard for health and safety... that the left is now overcautious in being anywhere near the unvaccinated and that therefore, it is the behavior of those unvaccinated (maybe not 100% from the right, but primarily so...) that is leading to a large portion of that low attendance, and of the left's reluctance to re-engage. Just my opinion...

Bring back those glory days... Please and thank you's to the sporting gods...

Staal is getting older and slower, and he's a free agent so we'd have to re-sign him... but he's still more of a positive than negative, and even if he's riding the bench instead of playing, or he's 3rd pairing... I'd want him as the one veteran guy used for leadership and helping out the young guys... Leddy is also going to be a free agent and is becoming more than one-dimensional, not providing the offense that we traded for, and is a major net negative on the ice. I don't think he's brought back for the 2022-23 season IMO. Oesterle with another year may end up as our 8th defenseman which I don't really care much about anyways. Unless Stevie cares and goes out and replaces him. Then I'm good with that too. DeKeyser also is a FA after this season. I don't have strong feelings one way or another. But I would say this... if a young guy takes over his spot (McIsaac?), I won't shed tears. He's on the wrong side of 30, playing the worst of his career, can't be counted on for a full schedule... I just have no compelling reason to still want him on this team. Not to be unsentimental but... I'm ready to move on. To me, I want Staal back the most, Oesterle 2nd (just due to contract and an 8th guy anyways, nothing else), and then I don't really care much about Leddy or DeKeyser anymore...