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As expected… WSJ Consumer prices rose more briskly than expected in January, extending a recent pattern of price increases at the start of the year that likely derails the prospect for Federal Reserve rate cuts so long as the economy remains solid. The Labor Department on Wednesday reported that consumer prices in January rose 3% from a year earlier. That marked a pickup from December, when prices rose 2.9% from a year earlier.

On the topic of lies… https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2022/10/24/politics/fact-check-biden-student-debt-congress-passed

When was Biden told he was improperly acting on the student debt? Joe Biden was in the Senate for what, 50 years? Then Biden sits as the Vice President for eight years. And you’re going to believe he didn’t realize his scheme to forgive student debt was unconstitutional. A sitting president? You don’t believe there was some internal conversation with his people on the legality of this prior to his acting? He knew full well what he was doing was not legal BEFORE he acted. He literally did what Trump is doing, pushing the envelope knowing that the courts will call him on it. The executive branch has gotten very comfortable the last number of years with the exercise of floating actions without any legal backing. They’re forcing courts to respond, if they will. Testing the boundaries through the courts, more or less. Trump is taking this same tactic to the extreme right now. Unfortunately, it’s become too common.

Fort Liberty had finally grown on me a little bit. The only piece of this news I’m not happy about is that the renaming has no ties to North Carolina.

Fort Liberty, located in Fayetteville, NC, was renamed from the original Fort Bragg name couple of years ago. It has been announced that the army base will be reverting back to its original name, Fort Bragg. Originally named after Confederate General Braxton Bragg, the fort will now be named for a WWII soldier. Roland Leon Bragg of Maine fought in the Battle of the Bulge as a Private First Class. Bragg was a paratrooper with the 513th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 17th Airborne Division. He was credited with driving a stolen German ambulance to get a wounded soldier to an Allied hospital in Belgium, saving his life. Mr. Bragg died in his home state of Maine in 1999 of cancer. Now you know…the rest of the story.

Seriously, where did this come from? And I was expecting to see Craig Monroe!

He was rushed up and has suffered ever since. Thanks Al.The dude is under a microscope 24/7. I don’t know that he’ll ever be his best version in Detroit. I think a change of scenery would probably benefit him.

If you can believe the rumor mill, Chicago, Boston, and Detroit have multi-year deals on the table for Bregman. I don’t want to see him in Detroit but…anything over three years would be foolish, two years being reasonable in my opinion. If part of the plan here is to bring in a veteran presence for the younger guys while solidifying third base, signing a guy that participated in a cheating scandal wouldn’t be my idea of a good choice, under any circumstances for that matter. I’ll be glad when this Bregman is signed elsewhere and we’re talking about spring training.

This from MLB.com an hour ago. I hate that Detroit is still mentioned as a possibility. Spring Training camps are opening, and Alex Bregman is still wondering where he will play this season. However, he is expected to make a decision soon, according to ESPN's Buster Olney, who adds that the third baseman is "likely" to sign with either the Cubs, Red Sox or Tigers.

Thank you! I couldn’t deal with that death knell of a contract. Scary.

fwiw… From my readings regarding the Pinto’s design and engineering, and the subsequent fires/deaths, Ford, as a company, was well aware of the dangers and risks involved with putting this car on the road. There have been a couple of books written on this specifically. The Ford Company was aware of the risks associated with the design of the back of the car. Internally the company knew the obvious risks. These risks were downplayed and the company literally made a conscious decision to market the car and roll the dice on what might, or might not, happen when rear ended from behind. They had decided the costs of correcting the flawed design was more than they wanted to spend. So they continued to build and sell these ticking time bombs with full realization of what could happen. The results of this decision were deadly. I can’t find it now but there was a good article I pulled up not too long ago regarding this exact topic. I can’t find it now but the reporter was Lee Strobel. I think he worked for one of the Detroit papers at the time but can’t swear to that.

I remember those days. I’d be good with Merryfield in Detroit. I’ve seen Justin Turner’s name dropped as a possible Tiger signing. Please, no!

With an unsettled infield, Whitfield may not be a bad option. He shouldn’t cost much and it would likely be a one year deal. He just turned 36 years of age.

My. take on this: I’m sure the agents and the union are in lockstep in holding the line on asking salaries. If one contract is signed for less than asking that can have a direct negative effect on another free agents market standing. One contract signing will have an influence, good or bad, depending, on other contracts. I believe some of these players would be willing to take less than their agents are asking but the agents and union know that to give an inch on one deal will impact future contracts in the future.

That makes three of us.

Meanwhile, currently 81 degrees and mostly sunny in Lakeland.

Well, they’re going to do one more show. The original Black Sabbath with quite the supporting casts made of like genre bands. I have been a huge Black Sabbath fan since the early seventies. My fandom only exists for the original lineup, and this is it. The proceeds from this show will be shared among three charities.

Maybe I’m missing something here? This link is dated March 8, 2019.

Yes he did. It’s a thing now.

Trump revoked Biden’s security clearance as a former president saying he no longer needed it. Discuss 🫣

They finally ran out of smoke and mirrors… WSJ: Nikola, the much-hyped hydrogen-truck maker that was briefly valued more than Ford Motor, is nearing a bankruptcy filing, according to people familiar with the matter. Phoenix-based Nikola has been working with its law firm Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman to explore options that could include a sale or restructuring of the company in bankruptcy, the people said.

This one is interesting. The Giants only prospect in the Top 100 listing is Bryce Eldridge at #24. He just turned 20 years of age and is a first baseman. He was a two way player a year ago but has committed to first baseman for his bat. He ended the season at AAA last season. There was talk of him starting at AA this year because of his accelerated progress last year up the ladder. There is also talk that he could break camp with the Giants. Eldridge bats from the left. The Torkelson talk could be legit but it doesn’t add up in my mind. FWIW, the Giants do have a need for an upgrade at first base but I think they can cover that in-house until Eldridge arrives. Interesting nonetheless.

Has anyone ever read the 2013 book, Heart of a Tiger, authored by Ty Cobb’s grandson, Herschel Cobb?

Here is a strange one. Cecil Fielder finished his career with 319 home runs. His son, Prince Fielder, finished his career with 319 home runs. But wait, there's more, both had 97 two out home runs, both had 49 fourth inning home runs, both had 29 fifth inning home runs and both had 18 ninth inning home runs. Also, both father and son had exactly forty percent of their hits go for extra bases. Pretty cool.

Additionally, we’ll soon see this years 💩 spring training hats! I’m sure they won’t disappoint.