mtutiger

And I get that. Predictions are often wrong and I've been wrong before. But in order for DeSantis (or any of the challengers) to have a path in this field, there will have to be some sort of black swan event that changes the political landscape IMO. Obviously events will happen between then and now, but I'm really unclear what event, outside of Trump's death, would actually alter the state of the race... his grip on the base of the GOP primary electorate is strong, he continues to command 40-50+% of the base, and there really hasn't been much to-date that has shaken that grip over the last 5-6 yeats. So again, even setting aside DeSantis' weaknesses as a candidate, fundamentally it's not easy to see the case for his status in the race or his path to the nomination at this point. Other than the fact that GOP insiders who wish to capitalize on Trump's strengths without having to run Trump in a general election seem to think DeSantis is a good avatar for that.

This year's model of Dallas Keuchel now available for pickup

I.... never didn't get it. lol

Certainly possible...

And that's fair. I'm not trying to pick on anyone or anything, but now that Candy has gone on a hot streak in a Nationals uni, we're starting to see the suggestion come back.... even aside from the fanbase, it's something that Cody and his cohost suggested during one of their podcasts during the Spring as well. Just as we don't know that one move was dependent on the other, we don't actually know that it wasn't either... both moves were made at completely different junctures of the offseason and were independent of one another. Certainly it's possible, if not likely, that Maton/Vierling were not even on the team's radar when they non-tendered Candy. And on one hand, certainly Scott Harris did come out and say that a LHH IF was a target prior to letting Candy go, but on the other hand, he may have been saying that knowing that he intended on non-tendering Candy as well. Either way, it's fair to speculate that Harris may not have had a real attachment to Candy and was fine letting him go regardless of whatever second-guessing he's recieved for it.

This is true of literally everything Scott Harris does. We still enjoy the speculating.

In terms of speculating, I speculate that Scott Harris made up his mind on Candy sometime before the non-tender deadline last offseason, didn't see Candy as a future piece on this ballclub, pulled the trigger on non-tendering him and probably isn't losing sleep over what Candy is or isn't doing with the Nationals.

Really the only person who knows whether this is true or not is Scott Harris. I know it isn't necessarily a fun answer, I just think we need to be open to the idea that keeping Candy may have resulted in subtle changes as to how the team approached this particular offseason. Hence referecing the butterfly effect... small changes can have a big impact.

Scott Walker is the other one and is perhaps the better analogy.... absolutely hammered his opponent running for Governor of Wisconsin in 2014, had a ton of conservative cred because of how he governed, and absolutely fell apart on the big stage... didn't even make it into election year. The only real difference is that Walker had a little more likability.... neither one was/is charismatic, but DeSantis lacks charisma while actually coming across repulsive in a way that I don't think would translate well in the kinds of places that a GOP Presidential candidate needs to improve in over Trump's performance in 2020.

Totally, he's a gamer in the Brandon Inge mold, though probably not as talented. To be clear, I didn't have a ton of love for the trade when it happened, but some of the reactions to it were perplexing.... just seemed like there was a hive mind view from the beat writers and fans equally that it was a boneheaded move that needed a heap of scorn when, at the end of the day, we're talking about trading a lower level prospect for a guy who's occupying one of Spots #24-26 on the Tigers roster. Evan Woodbery in particular with his snide tweet about how they gave a bunch of ABs to other guys in competition for that spot only to trade for a guy who had a terrible ST for the Cubs.... like, at some point you're blurring the lines between journalism and opinion.

In general, I don't love the "we should have kept Candy yet still made the Vierling/Maton/Soto trade" discussion point whenever it happens because it's not actually clear to me that keeping Candy means they make the trade. Butterfly effect and all.

Maybe you're right, but I also do not think we should assume that he's the only alternative option to Trump either.... because there is plenty of precedent for the anointed candidate who grabs media attention flaming out before the election year rolls around. Really, I don't see any of them getting the nomination over Trump, I just don't see why DeSantis is being treated as being any more plausible than, say, Nikki Haley at this point.

I mean, he's getting more attention than a rando at the local tavern would be getting if they declared for the Dem nomination.... and that, along with the news headlines he has generated for years because of his comments on vaccines, is all thanks to his name. It's all really funny to me because, dating back to 2016, a lot of folks (many of whom likely supported Trump) decried the fact that they disliked the influence of legacy families in American politics like the Bushes and Clintons, yet today many of these same people will come out and give RFK Jr. the Tulsi Gabbard treatment (ie. "she's a Democrat I could vote for")

"I want to put together a team that will help us relocate to Las Vegas..."

It honestly raises a good question: if not for his last name, why would anybody even give a second of thought to anything RFK Jr. says?

With the idea that this is still at best a 70-75 win team, any day you can walk away with some positives about from those guys or other controllable players is a good one.

In terms of 2003 Tiger vibes, I don't know if they are quite as bad, but the 2023 Oakland Athletics kinda have that look

I know Hitting Harold is the stuff of legends around here, but honestly despite all the hate when the acquisition initially happened, I think I'd rather have Zach McKinstry

Pretty sure Tork's OPS went up by close to .100 today

So much for that lol

This hasn't been Jose Ramirez' series, my goodness

Also doesn't sound like a manager who, as some of the morons suggested, plans to quit during or after this season.

Sinking line drive, 95 MPH off the bat, xBA of 0.930. All at a very crucial part of the game where f'ing it up would have resulted in at least two additional runs. It's pretty impressive to me.... as much as we complain about his jumps and his reads on balls, he nailed it with this one, otherwise I don't think he makes the catch.

General comment here, but the last 24 hours of news coverage / GOP endorsements of Trump heavily suggests the obvious: DeSantis will not be the GOP nominee in 24.

Baddoo hitting 5th again lol