mtutiger

Congress is more in the theater business than the, you know, legislating business these days.

Case in point... just saying the quiet part out loud lol

Jon Voight????

I don't know if it's completely the intended goal, but there's a narrative that can be written about this Congress (particularly the House) being a "Do-Nothing" Congress, and there is historical precedent for winning a Presidential campaign with that kind of message (1948). It hasn't gotten much attention compared to the border bill, but the tax bill (including the enhanced CTC) could potentially play into that narrative as well depending on how that negotiation plays out.

It's been subtle, but it's interesting (and telling) to see how GOP messaging has drifted away from the economy and toward immigration over the past month or so.

Had to break my reprieve of the Political Board to see if anyone had brought her up... I don't know or really care about her music at all... but Good Lord, the past 24 hours after the Chiefs won has really brought about some deranged brain worms from the far right wing influencer crowd in regards to her. Just really really weird stuff, and I suspect it reads that way to the median American as well to the extent they are seeing it.

Strength of schedule is part of the issue too... the past couple of seasons, the Tigers have had really tough April schedules. They get the Rays and Rangers in the month of April, but the overall schedule starts off with the Jerk Sox, A's, Mets and Pirates, which isn't exactly murderers row.

Noticing some questioning of Keith and whether he impacted his future earnings by taking this team-friendly deal, but this statement by Keith's agent kind of exemplifies why deals like this can happen... every player is different, and some may value the security of an early deal like this versus purely betting on oneself once hitting free agency.

Really smart deal by the Tigers, and certainly a statement on how the org views Keith's ability. Excited to see what he can do in an Old English D

Huh, you mean there was, in fact, more to the story?

Dan Campbell seems tailor made to be underestimated as an intellectual.... Texas accent, over-the-top demeanor (ie. biting off kneecaps). But he's really smart. I think people in the league understand it, but to an extent, fans outside of Detroit are still catching up.

I keep harping on accepting that holding call, but one of the impacts of that decision is that he put pressure on the Rams to make a decision on punting/going for it. Different sport, but you hear AJ Hinch talk a lot about it as well.... constantly putting pressure, creating decisions for the other team is always a net plus. Campbell doesn't always get it 100% right all the time, but you can see how he can be a handful for opposing coaching staffs playing the Detroit Lions.

The Lions had their three time outs, so I suspect that they would have gotten the ball back with a little bit of time. But really, if you give up the big play there you kinda deserve to lose anyway.... it's a calculated risk, but DC having the fortitude to make those calls is why they were set up for the anti-climactic, kneel-down win versus a FG or 4th down attempt and being forced to put together a drive at the end.

I couldn't believe it when Tirico/Collinsworth were questioning the wisdom of accepting that penalty.... that's a risk you absolutely take there given the down and distance they could force in 4th down. It's a really good example of putting pressure on the Rams coaching staff as well.

It's the timeouts that really made it sort of questionable.... but in the moment (without seeing the analytics), it seemed like too far a distance to go for it. 4th and 14 is really low percentage

Houston is kinda the Green Bay of the AFC at the moment.... not sure anyone wants to face them with CJ Stroud back

Special teams in general was very good... Jack Fox was automatic in giving the Rams a long field in the second half. On top of everything else that has been said, I think this win was the best of Dan Campbell as coach. This was a pressure cooker environment they came into given the history of the franchise (they would never admit it, but it matters) and given the Goff/Stafford storylines, and they kinda just set the tone from the first drive. The decisions throughout the game all worked... and (unlike the team in Dallas) they were ready to play.

After multiple seasons of listening to his color commentary when he was with the Rangers, one gets the impression that, personality wise, he seems like the type who could rub people the wrong way anyway.

Also, despite the mention earlier in the thread of Chasen Shreve, Chafin leaving also led to Tyler Holton... like, do we know that Holton is even a significant member of last year's team (or even claimed) if Chafin is still in the picture? The Candelario thing, we've flogged it numerous times, but I get the frustration there even if I think it's more explainable than others do. Given what transpired last season, both with the Tigers and with Chafin, I cannot quite understand why people are *still* pointing to that as a demerit to the team / front office. It's wild to me.

I think you can be pro-player while still recognizing that this is a business and these negotiations have two parties who are going to negotiate their side to the best of their abilities. Fans hate it, understandably, because it isn't their money, but the fact that fans hate it doesn't make it not a reality. We've had this discussion in other contexts as well (ie. non-tenders during the last offseason, not gonna say the name because that horse has been flogged to death about 19 times). That said, even if the gap between the two sides is larger than published, the outcry isn't very surprising given how it looks.

Oblong and Ed have more or less covered anything I would say, but the only thing I'd add is that I highly doubt that this will have any impact whatsoever on the relationship between the team and Casey Mize. Zero.

Pretty sure I have said the same thing at various points?

They played him at 3B a lot down the stretch, and IIRC, commentary from the brass earlier in the offseason suggest that they plan on utilizing him at the position in 2024. I'll take them at their word there.... although ideally put me in the camp of wanting them to trade from their strengths to bring back talent if the opportunity presents itself.

The Tigers strategy works because of the division they are in.... as much as we complain about how much they spend and their overall management / ownership group, it's probably the best in the division considering who they are bunked with.