gehringer_2

You know Wuhan is a huge major metropolis right? There is a probably a state public health lab or University virology program (or more) in every US city the size of Wuhan that studies flu and related virii. So you can say the exact same thing about any US city where an outbreak started. This a real question but too much of what is passed around as the 'evidence' is foolishness.

correct. It is certainly possible, it is also certainly possible it was not.

My best guess?: Because they don't know the answers either and a leader like Xi has too big an investment in not being embarrassed by bad news generated by outside sources - even if not about the virus itself but about all the secondary issues that would likely emerge. But there could be a hundred others. Xi is a wannabe emperor and a definite problem child for the US but you are going to get further in your efforts to get ahead of him if you try to understand why his actions are rational from his perspective than if you just impune them in ways that make for good US politics.

The ignorance level of the US public has already adequately proved its downside. Maybe we should worry less about playing to it and do more about changing it.

I don't disagree about Taiwan, but Covid and Taiwan stand as independent facts.

The death and destruction caused by the virus is not the fault of the Chinese. A pandemic like this one could have started anywhere. The speculation that they somehow accidentally engineered this remains exactly that - speculation. I would think we in the US would at some point learn the lesson to stop blaming other countries without actual proof for things it turns out they aren't doing (Gulf of Tonkin, WMD anyone?). Other than early regional leadership denial of what was going on ( sort of like Tx or Fla when faced with a public health issues? ) the Chinese government has not been doing anything to make things worse anywhere else in the world and it would be pointless to carry on on the international stage politically like they were. Does anyone seriously think that if a bug got started in the US we would have acted efficiently enough to prevent it getting over the borders? The country where people are so public-health disciplined they won't even get vaccinated?

No -- and after they sign a SS, given that Schoop can play 1st and Tork can play 3rd ( at least enough to give Candelario days off ) they will be able to find IF playing time for Kreidler if he continues to do well. And Cabrera will likely be down to 1 day a week at 1B at most.

FWIW, he showed some progression. From his MiLB game log, which isn't always completely consistent - by month his K rates were: May: 36% ( 108PA -AA) June: 36% - 110 PA July: 31%- 100PA Aug: 25% - 109PA - part AAA Sept: 26% 99PA -AAA His walk rate also improved. At minimum it is a good sign that in 150PA he did not regress against AAA pitching. Just have to see what he does as the sample size increases.

all I know is that you must be wearing you bigotry like a beacon on your forehead to tell a "joke" like that to a court officer. The only circumstance I can think of under which the guy wasn't a total creep is that he realized he really wasn't up to this trial and needed to come up with the most foolproof way he could get booted with no pleading and no other questions asked.

Prosecution must have done a pretty sloppy job in voir dire for a jerk like that to have gotten through.

the Tigers spent a lot of money on expensive players but I still never had the feeling there was ever any plan wrt producing a team where the pieces actually fit together. I think it's completely fair to critique Avila on how long it took him to get the decks cleared and actually begin rebuilding, but I at least do now have the feeling that Avila has a clear concept of what the team his is trying to build looks like and when he make moves they move in that direction and not at random angles to it. That's not enough by itself, but it's one piece that used to be lacking that I give him credit for today.

ah - right - he didn't play at all. Probably didn't help his outlook to get bounced out of the playoffs after having won 107 either!

If you're into breakfast pastry...

Bergeron with the PP hat trick before the 2nd period is even over. The team that started the season appears nowhere to be found, we're back to last season's Dead Things.

Bertuzzi and Raymond finally get a good chance but don't score

It depressing to watch how poorly the wings manage puck possession. Anyone know if Igor Larionov is interested in a head coaching job?

LOL - so much for that....

Blashill said they had to clamp it down on defense and they've only given up one so maybe that message sunk in a little.

Apparently Posey has had physical issues maintaining his play in the second halves of seasons and one SF writer speculated that he believes he only got through the 2nd half of this one because of the short season last year and he didn't want to crash next year. He also has young twins at home. Plus if he has made a big pot of money.....

Just what they would need from their 'C'

I don't think Al is looking for long term or top of the rotation pitching so I could see a guy like Miley as a likely target. $10million might be more than they would go for Miley though. With the dollars now spent for Barnhardt you imagine there must be a remaining number for the total they are going to spend on pitching and SS. Since Chris has taken over it seems their process it to set a number and spend right to it. If they miss on a top SS I could see them going bigger on a pitcher than they might initially be inclined to.

That's a good way to put it.

Reparations is such a great issue for the GOP. I've seen some black political writers debate whether the whole white guilt strategy is the best politics or not on relative grounds , but the real problem is that is misses the larger point of historical reality in America that the forebearers of *most* of the white population came here after 1865 and many from horrible oppressive places themselves. No-one can tell those white American's that somehow they should carry the burden for the long arc of US history. Whether it's a fair argument that all emigrated whites received some kind of generalized benefit from the legacy of white privilege or not, most of the US white population is not going to accept a direct individual (individual because it comes via direct taxation) demand like reparations. The moral calculus is too indirect - it's just not going to happen. Black political leadership errs if they generalize that most whites will accept themselves as heirs of the O'Haras.

Miley. '22 $10M club option with $1M buyout. If the Reds are dumb enough to not want to pay him next season they save the $1M moving him to a team willing to pickup up the main option. It's probably unlikely even the Reds would dump a 14 game winner over $10M but we can always hope! Of course if Castellanos opts out they will save a chunk there. https://www.spotrac.com/mlb/cincinnati-reds/wade-miley-8797/

BTW, the Reds also have a pitcher who was the starter in 39 of their wins in '19 and '21 and also has a '22 option they may not want to pick up.