chasfh

I've had my internet gateway box from AT&T going on four years, and I have an Asus router on top of that. (Network SSID? Asus and Eights. Natch.) I started noticing late last week that my internet connection broke, and when I looked at the gateway, all the lights on it were blinking red. I rebooted it and it was fine, for about 15 minutes. Then it rebooted itself. Then after ten minutes it did it again. I called AT&T and talked to AI which asked me a couple questions, did a diagnostic, said everything looked fine, and remotely rebooted my gateway yet again. It worked fine again the following morning, when it started rebooting itself fairly frequently. After a third day of this, I thought, sht, man, the box is failing. I called AT&T, zeroed through to a human being, and told him my box is failing, please send me another one, and no need to send a technician with it, I can connect it myself. The guy said, well, your box is only four years old so there shouldn't be a problem, so before we send you another box, let me run some diagnostics from here. I said, OK, I'll wait. About five minutes later he comes back on the line and says, our tests show that the CAT-5 cable you're connecting the box to the wall unit with is what's failing and causing your problem. You need to go to a Best Buy or Target and pick one up, and you might as well get a CAT-6 or CAT-7 cable since that's the new standard. I said, wait, I think I have CAT cables in the basement. And I did: a CAT-6, as it turns out. Plugged it in and bingo! Everything has been great ever since. Until today, when my connection through the router (separate from the gateway) started failing. First I noticed problems on my laptop; then I could not log into the Asus app through my phone. I think, damn it, man, the router is fai ... Waaaait a-a-a MINUTE! Ran downstairs, got another CAT-6 cable from downstairs, and came up to replace the cable connecting the router to the gateway. Went to take the cable out of the back of the gateway, and saw it actually has four separate CAT outlets, with the router plugged into one. And I thought, say, what if I just plug the existing cable into a different outlet? That's what I did, and that problem is fixed too! Very weird that I would have a cabling connection issue on the gateway and then the router in back-to-back weeks, after years of no issues with them at all. And the moral of the story is: check the goddamn cables and outlets first.

What a complete fcking waste of fcking time.

Didn't see this one coming. I was kind of hoping for Len Casper, but Benetti will certainly do. I've heard a good deal of Jason Benetti over the past eight years and people here will like him, and not just because Shep (may I call him Shep?) set such a low bar. Besides his great voice, Benetti does have a love of the game he conveys in his local broadcasts, although to be clear, he did grow up a White Sox fan, so that may have contributed some to that. You have already learned that Benetti will not be around for every game, since he has national commitments. It was always my expectation he would leave the Sox and go 100% national, and he may still end up 100% national, but at least he'll be in Detroit for a couple of years along the way. I know his contract calls for “at least” 127 games, but if they were taking money on it, I would put my bet on exactly 127 games. Benetti has a sly, arch sense of humor that's not too grating, although on occasion it overstays its welcome. Some here may remember the game he did with Bill Walton a few years ago. That was nationally-reported, and it was exactly the joke you would expect it to be. (I'm not sure whether I should be surprised that Walton knows as little about baseball as he showed.) But the next game Benetti had Michael Schur, aka Ken Tremendous, in the booth with him, and that was an absolute joy to experience. Try to find some of it online if you can. Benetti is not a stats guy, but he's not unfamiliar with stats, either. He's not a stories guy, either, probably because he doesn't have that depth of experience in the game for so many stories. What he does have is a pretty quick wit and the ability to play off a more experienced or inside guy, like Steve Stone, in the booth with him. That's why I'm interested in seeing whom they pair with Benetti. I would be shocked if Kirk Gibson were to come back, as that would be like oil and water even if Kirk were at the top of his broadcast game. But I would not be surprised to see Craig Monroe get a lot of time on the air with Benetti, since Monroe is relatively young (and black, which counts for something in Detroit). If I had my way, I'd have Cameron Maybin as the main analyst, but he's probably too national for a regular local gig as well. Although, who knows, maybe they'll surprise me there, too. I've never liked the idea of a team’s broadcaster regarding his gig as a second priority (Boog Sciambi does, too, although I actually like it when he's gone from the Cubs booth). I guess I’m OK with Dan doing the replacement games when Benetti is out, and it makes sense, I guess, although I like Dan far more on radio. I’m guessing we’ll be hearing a lot more of Greg Gania in the booth this coming season.

Reply of the morning.

God, please, no

I think we could have both, but I believe Juan Soto-level signings would come only after the rebuild is mostly complete and the roster and system have been fortified. I just don't see this ownership and regime as currently-constructed liquidating top prospects in trade for big stars, or shooting five offseasons' worth of free agent budget on one guy, hamstringing ourselves from making any other signings or extensions for the rest of the decade while we cross our fingers and hope the new big guy Michael-Jordans us to a couple of threepeats.

I'm glad Harris told Eduardo take the $49 million or hit the bricks. I don't want to see another five years of his flaky nonsense wrapped in declining performance into his mid 30s while on the Tigers. Let him go be somebody else's problem. I have confidence we can build a solid rotation of made up of standup guys without him.

It's funny 'cause it's true.

He also ghosted the team because of family matters, and botched the LA trade because of family matters, and ignored his catcher's signals in that one spring training game because of family matters.

I had to laugh when the majority of MLB.com “experts” predicted in an article yesterday that Eduardo would re-sign with the Tigers. They are clearly paying zero attention to all the nonsense that surrounded him the past two years.

Feature, not bug.

Presbyterianism is probably the root of Catholic Charismatics as well.

So funny because Presbyterianism is basically the root of literalist evangelicalism in America.

By "holding government accountable", I'm pretty sure she means something along the lines of getting the RINOs on board to impeach Crooked Joe Biden for his crime family activities.

She's doing it for the same reason they're all doing it: they're betting on a Trump presidential win, the end of democracy, and the dawn of a new American era of fascism during which they will have cushy lifetime appointments, loads of taxpayer money as compensation, and the ability to liquidate opponents with the mere wave of a hand.

So I guess Covenant Eyes will be the software they will require on everyone’s devices once Republicans take over the government for good.

Man, sure didn't see that’s one coming

Meanwhile, the Carson Kelly era will apparently continue apace.

Why only 60? If it’s only the best players you want, why not 200 or 300 or 500? That’s what it’s gonna take to get the best players, isn’t it? Ilitch is a billionaire, he can afford it! Think BIG!

Neither do I.

Maybe you're getting your wish and Mark Canha is the best player we can get right now.

I don't see them paying Baddoo $1.7MM to do a whole year, or even as a break-glass guy, at Toledo. If they sign him, which they might or might not, I see them keeping him as a part-time platoon in left, as well as playing there when TORK! needs a day off at first and Canha moves there for the game. They might also pass on the arb and let him test the market since, to others' point, we have a glut of LHH outfielders.