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He's getting that privacy, but it's still a weird thing. This kind of thing happens almost never. It's not as though this is business as usual *shrug*. I would hope we'd see him this year. If we don't, then maybe something else is wrong. But as of right now, he's not factoring into my future hopes for the team, again, such as they are.

Chris Ilitch is in a tycoon bubble, so probably everything he knows about what the fans are thinking is what he's told, and who among his executives will tell him the truth? Do his executives even know the depth of the truth? They might well be in their own bubble.

This might be one of the weirdest things I have ever heard. I don't think he's bailing on the team unless he's bailing on the whole game. Because really, if he did ask to bail and the Tigers released him from his contract, who else would sign him? That makes no sense. I'm a little gobsmacked that the Tigers are continuing to pay him. It's not my money so I don't really care, but ... why? In any event, he's basically out of mind, the same way I'm thinking about Casey Mize, actually: when I consider the future fortunes of the team, I'm not expecting much of anything, so in terms of impact contributors, I'm looking past them. I see the building blocks, such as they are, as being Riley, TORK!, Javy, and Skubal, and that last guy has got to fix what's ailing him lately.

Ask him what he wants to be when he grows up. What are the chances he says Twitch star?

The moment it was decided to put almost all the eggs into the right-handed pitching basket, the rebuild was doomed.

If Al Avila is still the executive decision-maker when Spring Training starts next year, then quite possibly.

That would have required him to pay actual attention to how the Tigers are doing.

Lol

All due respect to your sister-in-law, that approach sounds to me less like freedom and more like neglect.

Given how divided and dysfunctional Congress is, at this point they can’t be relied upon to do anything in the interest of the American people. We are just a tool during elections, and a punchline the rest of the time. I get the idea that a regulatory agency can’t choose for itself what it regulates, but speaking strictly to the issue of whether the EPA should be able to regulate emissions, I’m disappointed that they’re not allowed to. And if they can’t do that, then what are we doing here?

At this point they might as well blow up the whole FBS/FCS system, along with the current conferences, and start over with a tiered system, starting with a 12-team national super conference at the top—Tier 1. Michigan would be in that for next year with all the biggies. Then they could have a Tier 2 with three 12-team conferences that are super-regional in nature. Michigan State would be in this one with teams like Penn State, Kentucky, Florida and Miami FL. Move on down to Tier 3 with six 12-team conferences that are basically regional. Central, Eastern and Western would all be at this level lumped mostly with MAC schools (plus Indiana!). Last would be the twelve 12-team conferences in Tier 4, the remaining schools. Think schools like Valpo, Dayton, Bowling Green, Lehigh, Ohio U, schools like that. This would be a golden chance to finally implement a promotion/relegation system in American sports. You can't do that with pro sports because fans and owners would never stand for it, but at the college level, it would be a lot easier, and provide an incentive for bubble schools to get better. Here's what they could do: relegate the bottom three teams from Tier 1 and promote the three champs of each of the three Tier 2 conferences. Relegate two from each Tier 2 conference and replace with the six Tier 3 champs. Relegate two more from each Tier 3 conference and replace with the 12 Tier 4 champs. Since the conferences would each have 12 teams, it sets up a perfect scheduling situation: 12-game seasons, one with each of the other conference teams, plus a 12th game with an out-of-conference team from any level. This is how Michigan and Michigan State could still play every year. Call it Traditional Rivalry Week or something. This system as I lay it out here would require 264 participating teams. There are currently 261 FBS and FCS teams, so, fill it out by "graduating" the top three Division II teams into the tiered system. If that were based on this year going into next, that would include Ferris State, the D2 national champs. They'd be in a conference with those Tier 4 teams I already named. One of the good things about a system like this is that it would reduce the number of complete mismatches, since teams would be grouped together more or ls on ability level, so there should be more competitive games throughout the season at every level. At Tier I, every game would be a primo match-up for TV, nearly at the level of NFL. And wouldn't it be cool to see which teams get promoted and relegated at the end of each season, and seeing how conferences would have to be geographically realigned for the next? I understand there are probably dozens of barriers preventing this from happening, not the least of which are tradition and money invested in the current system, but I think something like this would be neat, and could also be practical.

Gym is such a complete jackass that there is an excellent chance he actually means this!

What constitutes support does change with the generations. The idea of supporting kids by mentoring them to deal with the world as best-practice parenting is a relatively new thing in the history of the world. The people of our parents’ generation grew up with Depression and war, so to them, the goal of being a parent was to support your kids by always having a job, always having a roof over their heads, always keeping them sufficiently fed. If they accomplished that, that made them good parents. Anything beyond that, kid, you can figure it out like I did. Before that, it was even more stark: Happy 12th birthday, son. Time to quit school and starting helping the family. Happy 16th birthday, daughter. Here’s a nice boy from down the road for you to marry. Now take this paltry dowry and get out.

Then I guess I would come back to the question: if the EPA is not allowed to regulate emissions of harmful substances, however they get there, then what are we doing here?

I agree that the right balance of freedom and support helps a child grow up best, although I don’t think freedom is what comes to mind when people contemplate helicopter parenting.

If only. I think many of them might look up to him!

Wyomingites can see themselves having a beer with this guy.

I believe this helps explain why so many black people don’t feel they have any stake in the American system and thus, among other things, don’t vote.

Looks like a job for Photoshop Man!

What was it?

I have to believe it’s the “curly W”, since that’s the team he pitched the most for and had the most success with, both individually and a ring.

He definitely could. Charlie Hough, Bartolo Colon, and Jamie Moyer all got more than 76 wins at age 39 and older, and Verlander is way better than they.

I’m sure he has a lifetime lifeline to as much and as good weed as he wants, so don’t worry about Joe, he’s gonna be all right.

Not if they win and whitewash her out of history.

If you believe it’s bad precedent and that a regulatory agency shouldn’t regulate something clearly within their purview, then what are we doing here? What would you rather see?