mtutiger

I hear that, but at the same time, Greene, Meadows and Rogers tools don't mean a hill of beans when the offense, collectively and systemically, are not performing. That's where we are at right now... the Tigers performance at the plate isn't just a Spencer Torkelson problem, it's a systemic problem.

There's some more 'leave it to the states' for ya

Lol at today's TV intro

Derrek Lee listed as well - would be OK with that.

Certainly in retrospect, he was called up way earlier than he should have been in 2022... which aside from whatever harm in his development that came from it, kinda set perceptions about him as well that he will have a tough time outrunning.

I also can't believe that he chose to go on camera and say that he's proud to have taken out Roe v. Wade, at a point in time where Roe repeal is broadly unpopular among the general public. That's basically free ad copy to the Joe Biden campaign

Not here on MTS, but in the broader Tigers social media sphere, the bloodlust that some of the fans are exhibiting honestly has me wondering whether some folks want him to fail. Like, it seems to go beyond performance and turns into something more personal with Torkelson. As far as my concern level, yeah, I'm concerned. Certainly the ceiling in my mind has lowered for him as a player.... I doubt he'll strikeout as much as Rob Deer, but it's definitely a possibility that he ends up in that range or worse in terms of overall production. I also think he's got the talent to be a lot better than that as well and there's still time for him to get there.... and he has contributed this season in the wins they have had as well (most notably at Comerica on opening day), so there's talent there as well and he's an important piece to whether they can take the next step this year or not. We should all wish for that success.

The non-bolded points are well taken, but with regard to the bolded, I do think a lot of folks giving Trump's statement credulity here underestimate how much those who Trump has turned off over the years have done so because they recognize him as a liar and as untrustworthy. On this issue or many others. Put another way, many of the voters that Trump is likely trying to message to with his statement would probably agree with you that it's pointless to listen to him and that he is fundamentally untrustworthy There's this tendency to just assume shallow and vapid statements like this from Trump are "brilliant politics" or "masterstrokes" or whatever because we've build this myth about him being an unstoppable force of nature. But the truth is a lot more complicated than that, and he does have liabilities that he cannot just explain away.

This is the other issue facing Trump... there's no shortage of material that has been created as a result of "states rights" on this issue

I've been promised way too many "pivots" over the past seven years to just automatically assume one is coming.

Also some of the states that are using their "states rights" to implement policy that is repellent to the moderates that Trump is ostensibly supposed to be assuaging with his statement are considered to be in play (ie. Arizona, Georgia, NC). His message will not work in these places, and likely in the other states that will decide this election. And every moment he and his party spend talking about the issue of abortion is a gift to his / their opponents.

Just the weirdest people imaginable lol

Also think the team has higher aspirations than in previous seasons (despite the negativity of the past couple of days) and may be willing to move faster than in previous seasons if they see something not working. It'll probably be Baez, but if it ends up being Meadows, it wouldn't come as a total shock.

Would be my guess as well... although there's a lot of reason for concern regarding Meadows at the moment

He's trying to frame himself as a moderate on the issue, but the statement included the line that (paraphrasing) he's proud that he was able to take out Roe v. Wade. And all the while not making any actual concrete statements on what he would do if any sort of ban landed on his desk. The only real upside is that the media stenographers will take it at face value... I just don't see it as a piece of brilliant marketing or one that move votes among those who are unhappy with the party on the issue at the moment.

Yeah, the economic numbers in surveys haven't been good for Biden, but answering a survey and actually going to vote are two different things... Even if it isn't totally reflected in polling or if his polling on the issue lags overall economic sentiment, you would rather have an improving economy regardless because the overall view of the economy, divorced from politics, will ultimately weigh on people's decision.

Re Trump's Abortion Statement this morning... he probably would have been better off not saying anything.

For me, it would be one thing if Tork were the only guy struggling, but for the most part (outside of maybe Riley Greene and the free agent vets), they all are. Like, Parker Meadows must love being Tork's teammate now... he's the most lost hitter on the team at the moment and it never seems to get discussed

I really couldn't care less about how the team markets him, or whether he makes himself more available than other players for media interviews, I am rooting for him to succeed. He's been terrible thus far, but he's not the only one... and with the way that the fan base seems to just tee off on him in particular, his role almost acts like a heat shield for everyone else (except for Javy) who aren't performing to the level.

Finally lol

As much as people talk about Matt Chapman, he's not enough to overcome the totality of the young talent sucking all at the same time.

Yeah, the Flaherty piece is way less concerning that this... just cannot do it.

I'm fine with Bobby Scales, but I can see where you are coming from... I think his specialty is the analytical side of the game, but I think he struggles to put it in context for the casual listener.

The Tigers are not the only team in baseball whose lead analyst doesn't do all 162 games

Along these lines too, if there was a time to let go of Craig, the Matt Shepard dismissal would have been it.... it would have been very easy to justify it as a "booth shakeup" or something like that. Bally/Tigers did not do that.... they actually retained him and (iirc) he'll actually be involved in more games in 2024 than 2023.