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I’m thinking Harris is interested in Bregman. Right or wrong, this has been my suspicion for a while now. I also believe Harris has a dollar amount and a cap on years in mind and is not willing to move off his numbers. If you go back to last year, Boras was forced to come off some of his demands to get his guys on the field in time for 2024. I believe Harris is waiting until the market for Bregman falls into line with his targets. That’s my totally unconnected opinion. I hate opt-outs if anyone is wondering.

We’ll, there is some Tigers news 😁 Detroit Tigers failed to pay hourly workers enough overtime, lawsuit states Dave Boucher, Detroit Free Press Thu, January 16, 2025 at 6:10 AM EST 2 min read A former Detroit Tigers employee sued the baseball franchise in federal court, arguing the team short-changed him and many others who regularly worked overtime in recent years. The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in the Eastern District of Michigan by Derron Jones, alleges widespread miscalculation of overtime rates for Jones and other hourly workers for the franchise. Jones did not include a specific amount of money he believes he is owed. But the lawsuit seeks more than just back pay, interest and damages for Jones − his lawyers argue all hourly employees for the Tigers in the last three years is also owed some money. Jones worked in shipping and receiving from March 2017 through Aug. 6, 2024, the lawsuit states. The lawsuit does not say why he left his job. He earned a shade under $16 an hour, but routinely worked overtime. While the lawsuit says he did receive some compensation for the extra work, it failed to meet federal labor law standards. "At all relevant times, (the Tigers) had a policy and practice of willfully refusing to pay (Jones) and all putative collective members the legally required amount of overtime compensation for all hours worked in excess of 40 hours per workweek, in violation of the (Fair Labor Standards Act)," the lawsuit states. The lawsuit argues the Tigers failed to take into account all pay the workers received when calculating overtime rates. Jones' lawyers argue the franchise did not include extra money a worker may receive for a "shift premium," a perk for someone working an irregular shift, and other bonuses. They say all of this compensation must be used to calculate a person's base pay before determining overtime; typically, 1.5 times a person's base pay. The lawyers are asking the judge to give them class action status and require the Tigers to provide them details about other hourly workers. Tigers spokesman Ben Fidelman said the team hat yet to receive the complaint so declined additional comment. Lawyers representing Jones − Jonathan Melmed and Laura Supanich of Los Angeles and Kevin J. Stoops of Southfield − also did not return messages seeking comment. Reach Dave Boucher at dboucher@freepress.com and on X @Dave_Boucher1.

Facebook/Meta/ ?

Disclaimer: I have NEVER been a Zuck fan. Zuck believes in one thing-money! He follows the least resistant path to money. Have we already forgotten the Zuckerbuck$? Now he’s joined the Trump caravan. I would argue his single core value is money. That can lead down many roads.

I don’t know that it’s so much that people don’t care about it as much as that there exists so much apathy about everything in Washington these days. I say this across the board, regardless of who is in office.

It was. And they failed.

WSJ Breaking The Securities and Exchange Commission sued Elon Musk over allegations that he misled shareholders about his Twitter stock purchases, escalating the agency’s long-simmering feud with the billionaire. The lawsuit comes after a long investigation that Musk sometimes frustrated by not appearing for testimony. Musk, now closely aligned with President-elect Donald Trump, will likely ask the commission’s next leader to withdraw the case, teeing up a major test of the agency’s independence from the White House. The lawsuit comes as SEC Chair Gary Gensler is about to depart his role. Trump selected Republican lawyer Paul Atkins, who has been critical of SEC enforcement in the past, to replace Gensler.

Knowing that you disagree with me will always be proof positive that I am right! Thank you 😉

Hardly.

Passing by only 12 votes is ridiculous.

Are Harris’ scouts really that good? 😁

Curious…. Why do you believe it would be easier flip Cobb before Verlander as they have would have been like contracts?

No doubt.

This is truly scary… but not surprising. From todays WSJ: Nearly Half of Adults Worldwide Hold Antisemitic Views, Survey Finds Antisemitism has surged, especially among the young, as the Holocaust fades from collective memory Jan. 14, 2025 at 6:00 am ET ‘Never Again’ is a phrase used in reference to the Holocaust and other instances of persecution of Jews. Around half of adults across the world hold antisemitic beliefs and deny the historic facts of the Holocaust, according to the latest edition of the largest global study of anti-Jewish attitudes by the Anti-Defamation League, a New York-based advocacy group. The study surveyed more than 58,000 adults from 103 countries and territories representing 94% of the world’s adult population, and found that 46% of them—or around 2.2 billion people—display antisemitic attitudes. A fifth of the respondents haven’t heard of the Holocaust, during which six million Jews were killed, while 21% believe it has either been exaggerated by historians or it never happened.

I don’t know what you’ve read over the years regarding JV’s character, but I do know two HOF managers would vouch for his character all day long, Jim Leyland and Dusty Baker. Truth is, the Tigers just weren’t interested. So be it. I think this was a mistake but obviously I’m in the minority here. For me, it’s not all about nostalgia. It’s about getting a guy with tremendous upside (he’s healthy as per the Giants physical results) and he wants to prove he’s still got it. I would bet $15 million on the guy. His work ethic is top shelf. It’s not about getting the band back together, so to speak. I think Verlander in the rotation would be a plus for the Tigers. As far as the “carefully-constructed young clubhouse” is concerned, I couldn’t help but envision a sign above the clubhouse door reading, “SAFE SPACE” 😉

For those that are few and far between that might be interested in hearing Verlander’s take on the signing, start at the 1:30 mark above. I’m impressed with how candid he is about where he is in his career and how he sees his current situation. He addresses several of concerns that have been raised on this board about him.

Newest Tiger Territory. Recorded yesterday.

When your team has only won four World Series over 120 years you have to hang on to the memories that are there.

My son and his family lived in the Bay Area several years pre-Covid and enjoyed it. He and his family fell in love with the A’s. Green & Gold apparel everywhere. Going forward he decided to go full time with the Giants at the end of last year with the departure and destruction of the A’s. He is now stoked that Verlander will be wearing the Orange & Black this year. Our visits to the area were very enjoyable over the several years they were out there. We managed to see games at the Coliseum and Oracle on separate visits. His buddy sent him a clear vial of infield dirt from the final Oakland A’s home game this year as a Christmas gift. That’s what you call a true friend. They use to attend games together in Oakland frequently. But alas, his wife has decided to be a Dodgers fan and his oldest a Braves fan. The diaspora of MLB allegiances can be a difficult family chapter.

My wife decided that JV is probably a better fit in SF at this point, all things considered, so I’ll just have to live with it. fwiw, JV is three years older than Fetter.

I think that’s where the gray area is. I’d heard the same about JV regarding his starting day routine. I’ve heard that a lot of pitchers are the same way on a starting day. They just want to get in their zone and be left alone.

Appreciate your response. As such, I listened to the podcast you cited. I get his drift but don’t see it as any reason whatsoever to view Verlander for anything other than he is, a HOF pitcher. I know Harris is all about clubhouse culture but can’t imagine Verlander ever being anything but about winning. Verlander is from a different time in baseball and Harris may have concerns about his views running counter to what the guys are being fed every day now. Who knows? I do know that it would have been really sweet if JV could have finished his career in Detroit. The fan base would have loved it. Since being traded he’s always been very positive in his comments toward Detroit and their fans. I don’t know that he’ll pitch beyond this year. That he likely would have signed with Detroit for the same money and in all likelihood, never was offered, sucks.

I’m trying to get over the fact that Cobb and Verlander both signed one year-$15 million deals…and Verlander’s deal isn’t with the Detroit Tigers and Cobb’s is. As a long time Tigers fan, that sucks!

💯 I’d be very happy if Bregman never played for Detroit. At the same time, $30 million on two reclamation projects isn’t what I had in mind when the FO was discussing making the team better. I’d hope we’ll have more to show for this offseason than what we have to date.

I have been wondering for a bit now if Harris is quietly having conversations with the Boras/Bregman camp in search of a more amicable deal. Last year Boras had to give some with several of his clients when the market turned quiet after the new year. (Chapman/Montgomery/Snell) This theory of mine is about a week old but it’s starting to grow on me. I can’t imagine that he’d consider this team to be much improved at all, as is, from last year’s team. The other option is a formidable trade with another team. That was my initial expectation early on but I’m not as sure of that now based on Harris’ record as a POBO/ GM.