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Agree. I do think this season is a little unusual in that before May 17, more than a quarter into the season, the Tigers play exclusively outdoors in cold weather cities, except for one series in Tampa. That's 40 of the first 43 games. I think in most seasons we play more games in domes or warm weather towns during the first quarter of the season. It might be more of a challenge than normal although, to your point, professionals know how to play in cold weather. Agree, and you're not in the minority on that here. This team is both not in a position where a big-money signing means the difference between playing baseball and playing golf on October 25th; and we're not a top destination for top talent just yet. We have probably the deepest starting pitching this season than arguably any time since I have been alive, even if the rotation itself is not so close to the best we've ever had. By which I mean, it's not as big a drop from #5 to #6, or #5 to #7, or #5 to #8, than has typically been the case for us. BP is short for batting practice. Also, preëmptively, DH is short for designated hitter. 😉 Not only may Hinch never be fired by the Tigers, I think there's a very good chance he moves from the field to our front office when it's time.

So is he.

I think their interest in Ohtani did not extend beyond brief daydreaming about him in our lineup and rotation. There was not any chance he was coming to Detroit, so I doubt we even made an overture in his direction. We had other, plausible things to concentrate on this winter.

The real question in all this, of course, is not only what did Ohtani know and when did he know it—which is the angle the press is pursuing, but rather what did Ohtani do during all this. We do know the law was broken when the money was wired to an illegal bookmaking operation. How could the interpreter be so confident telling the Ohtani-wired-the-money-to-help-me story if it were so patently untrue? Does it seem likely that the interpreter had access to all of the money in Ohtani’s accounts and could tap into it for millions any time he wanted? Does it seem likely that the guy could wire the money, half a million dollars on nine separate occasions, all through 2023 without either Ohtani, his agent, or any of his other business people noticing? Does it seem likely that a bookie running an illegal operation would extend a $4.5 million line of credit to a guy making $85,000 a year? Does it seem likely that MLB would not pursue an investigation into one of its players being so close to an illegal gambling incident? Why hasn’t MLB called a press conference if it were known without a doubt that Ohtani was not guilty of anything that happened so far? And wouldn’t they have done so right out of the chute? So many questions …

That’s the $64 question, isn’t it?

I don't see how it would have been up to Fay Vincent to have any discretion about Pete Rose's punishment, since Rule 21(d) is crystal clear about all of it.

If they let Pete Rose back into baseball, then they will have to let every other player run out of the game for gambling back into baseball, too. That includes the Black Sox, and I don't mean just poor Joe Jackson and poor Buck Weaver—I mean Chick Gandil and Swede Risberg, too. All of them. Furthermore, they would never, ever to be able to ban anyone from the game permanently for gambling ever again, even if they bet on their team to lose. Unless they write new legislation specifying things like different penalties for gambling on your team to lose versus gambling on your team to win, which, if they do, then good luck to them on that, because litigating that kind of thing will be a time- and resources-intensive bitch. That's the beauty of the current legislation they have on it: they don't have to figure that part out. Gamble on your team. period? You're out, period. And if it comes to all that, to where players and coaches can start gambling on games they play right out in the open because they'll be able to stay in the game even if they do, then I will walk away from Major League Baseball at that point. Because it will no longer be competition. It will be theater, and I will have no interest in that.

Associated Press agrees. https://apnews.com/article/192a57c33c37ae6f91659cb6e27c9fbe

The Tigers will be in first place for more than 90 days this season.

That would still smell better than Cheerios in milk. 🤢🤮

AAA homers don’t count.

Is J.D. the mentor type?

First part is already happening, second part will never happen.

You can choose the radio feed instead of the TV feed, and you can also choose the radio feed under the video feed, both through audio options during the broadcast.

This is the always the $64 question when it comes to Baez: is there somebody better available to replace him? Because if there’s one thing the Tigers won’t do, it’s cut Baez out of frustration, or to punish him, either of which would be fan thinking. So only when we have someone better in-house will we even consider just cutting Baez loose. And shortstops better than Baez aren’t walking around unemployed. Even the worst shortstop in the major leagues is better than all the freely-available alternatives.

I don’t typically support cops shooting civilians, but wow, is it ever warranted here. It’s obviously sad that the shooter died, but really, when cops see one civilian shooting at other civilians running away from them, and they don’t stop and drop the weapon on command, what else can they do to stop it? I can’t imagine RWM won’t lionize the shooter as a martyr. After all, Trump has given people permission to shoot others for merely stealing. This could end up being a real litmus test case for which side people are on about what the scope of 2A should be.

My god, what an awesome upset of Auburn by Yale. The biggest play of the game was the foul on the layup with 7 seconds left. It turned from a guaranteed two points to tie the game to two bricks at the line to maintain Yale’s two-point margin for the victory. Terrific drama.

Dense, possibly. Either ignorant or cynical, definitely.

I’m more intrigued than apoplectic by the Ronna McDaniel hire. I’ll be interested to see how they use her and whether she can reasonably acquit herself, since she’s already coming into the job facing a sweeper on the corner with two strikes on her.

Do people really believe the Trump party is going to win bunches of elections this November?

Kreidler might also have some upside as second-division starter, which may or may not be at shortstop. I think it’s possible he gets second or third billing on a significant trade we make at some point in the next couple of years.

TBF, Pipeline's rankings tend to be top-heavy, meaning they give more weight to the top of the system than to its depth. It's easier to be #2 when you have four top-five picks, including multiple 1/1s, in the system all at the same time after tanking the team for years. Obviously, it's harder to maintain that ranking when you graduate them and then don't have so many 1/1s anymore and you have to rely on your depth picks for your Pipeline rankings.

Pedro Grifol

He did, but I don't think that nut exonerates the squirrel. FWIW, Hinch was also hired under Avila, but he wasn't Avila's choice.

If Pipeline is to be believed, by the time Avila was shown the door, he brought the system down from an A to a D+. I would call that going backwards.