chasfh

Of course, Trump has his hand-picked “the best people” around him to shore up his own cognitive disabilities. 😏

So, what you’re saying is that it’s not a good strategy to put all your eggs in the starting pitching basket? That we need something more to support that than a couple of big boppers in the batting order, and a wing and a prayer in the ‘pen? Interesting … 🤔

I know I wasn't a fan of signing Barnhart, mainly because of his bat, and the Tigers definitely need to improve their hitting, but he's on our team now and so I have faith in him. I pride myself and think of myself as a man of faith, as there’s a drive into deep left field by Castellanos, it will be a home run. And so that’ll make it a 4-0 ballgame.

If the Tigers were targeting Barnhart one way or another, this was the best way. I'm guessing the Reds would probably not have exercised the option, making Barnhart a free agent, meaning we would have had to compete for him with a few other teams. That would have driven his price up to eight figures and multiple years, and we may still not have gotten him. This way, we get him for one year, which is the important part, and at a price we can certainly afford. He may hit adequately or he may hit horribly, but either way, he can handle pitchers and frame pitches, and for a year during which we're not due to seriously contend, that should be enough.

Ugh

FWIW, I can easily imagine the Lions having to overpay to get top quality free agents. After all, two inner-circle Hall of Famers opted to cut their careers short and leave tens of millions on the table simply because they didn’t want to play for the Lions anymore. I take your point about short careers and only one big FA payday, and my example hews to the extreme. And I agree with you, a lot of guys would take the money no matter what because that’s how they’re wired. That said, just about any player who’s accrued three or four seasons and is good enough to test the top end of the market has probably already pocketed several million dollars, many of them on their draft bonus alone. If they’re gonna make way into eight figures anyway, I could see someone signing with the Packers or Cowboys or Rams for $60 million, over signing with the Lions for $80 million. When you’re talking that much money, the extra isn’t going to make a difference to many or most people. You could live a few lifetimes on either pile, and a smart guy knows how to make money on his money. I think we’d be surprised how many guys go with the winner at a slight discount.

They would never learn of that.

Racy New Yorker humor c. 1961.

Low-hanging fruit prediction: Republicans will lean into this 102% number as de facto evidence of voter fraud. Never mind what it actually means.

They are for pharmaceutical company executives who are wealthy homeowners, so what we are witnessing here is the old two birds-one stone strategy.

I don't mean to tell you anything. I'm just asking questions so I can understand better. Do you know what other reported offers did Trey Flowers get before he signed with the Lions? I don't, which is why I'm asking.

I find it hard to believe that a player would prefer to play for a directionless 0-17 team versus a perennial playoff contender for an extra 2% salary, but hey, teh NFL isn’t my strong suit, so I’ll defer to your assessment of this.

Would a top free agent take $51 million to go to the Lions over taking $50 million to go to the Packers?

People talking about how cutting such and such a player will free up cap space to sign FAs over the summer, but serious question: what premier free agent would sign a contract to come to Detroit anytime soon?

Family values.

They used Minter because Minter was available. He was always going to pitch either way. I do agree that had the Braves gone into the ninth with a saveable lead, Will Smith would have worked a third straight game. But even if the game were tied going through the late innings, they would have still crossed their fingers and relied on Smyly to hold the game close instead of going to Jackson or Matzek.

Let's launch this topic with a tax tweet.

Yes, what about Whitmer?

I feel like the Braves came in prepared to lose. They were recharging for potential games in Houston. I think they felt they had no choice but to throw the front and middle of their bullpen at the Astros and hope it would be enough. If they had won, hey, they’re the champs; and if not, well, Max Fried and the back of their bullpen will be fully rested and they’ll have two more cracks in Houston. I think it’s gonna be a good game.

I agree with your premise, and I would further stipulate that those people playing up “Made in USA” are right wing elites who couldn’t give less of a shit where anything they personally buy is made, but they know that the phrase triggers red hats’ amygdalae, leading to compliance, money, and votes.

This is one of the four officially-recognized ways the Lions lose horrifically: get smoked off the field. I think it’s their first one of these for the year, too, right? I don’t count the Bengals loss as one of those since they gave up most of those points late.

I dunno, looks to me like he’s enjoying himself just fine.

There’s no risk until he actually gets apprehended, which he never will. People who truly believe Trump will ever be frog-marched in an orange jumpsuit live in a dreamland. Far more likely he’d be allowed to flee the country, but of course, it won’t come to that, either.