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How can they not be proud of so much bot affirmation?

I don’t think 74 wins will be last place in this division.

If anyone can unlock the value of Isaac Paredes, a top-flight bat-to-ball guy who walks more than he strikes out, it's the Rays. That said, Ike's gonna have a hell of a time breaking into the mix there anytime soon. The Rays' middle infield is spoken for the next several years, there's a big logjam at third base, and I don't know who's gonna move Randy Arozarena out of the starboard-side DH spot. Paredes gonna have to crush it at Durham to force his way into the conversation—otherwise, he might just get packaged into another trade sometime down the road.

Fangraphs' Ben Clemens finally posted his take on last night's trade. Here's the elevator pitch: I started out thinking this trade was a layup for the Tigers. I pretty quickly decided it was a layup for the Rays; I know our prospect rankings don’t reflect it, but I think Paredes is a more valuable player than Meadows straight up. But in the end, as I’m wont to do, I understand the Tigers’ motivation in making the trade, even if I think they gave up more than is optimal.

Fun fact: Ike grew up in Hamtramck. I met him when he was checking in to the Lakeland Holiday Inn during one of the fantasy camps I went to (either 2007 or 2008). He said his nickname growing up in the Mostly-Polish neighborhood he lived in was "Ike Blessitski".

Remember the Insidious Trend thread I started on the old board, back in, what, 2006 or so? It became a thread about tipping in general, but it started because I was seeing more and more tipping jars at the retail and carryout levels. Here's what I said back then: One of the worst trends I have seen in this century is the retail tip jar. I never really saw it much before about seven or eight years ago, but the usage of this device appears to me to have really accelerated in the last couple years. Tell you what got me thinking about this. I ordered takeout from Maggiano's. I drove downtown to pick it up and parked. I walked in and I was fourth in line. It took them ten minutes to get to me, but they did, and I picked up my food, and paid. As I was leaving, I noticed it: the tip basket on the counter. There appeared to be fifteen, maybe twenty bucks in it. OK, so let's see -- I drove to them, I waited in line to get my food, I made all the effort to consummate the transaction ... so, what it is I'm tipping them for, now? Now? Carryout tipping is no longer a trend. It is now established practice: 1 big thing: Carryout tipping here to stay Data: Axios poll. Chart: Will Chase/Axios We recently reported on the changing views around carryout tipping and asked for your opinions. As dine-in restrictions are lifted for local restaurants, should we keep tipping on transactions we may not have before the pandemic? Your answer is clear: Carryout tipping is here to stay. 💵 By the numbers: In an informal survey of 460 Axios readers: 38% will continue to tip 10-15%. 23% will continue to tip a couple of bucks. Under 20% will continue to not tip at all. Why it matters: Restaurants are seeing almost 60% more delivery and carryout business than before the pandemic. What they're saying: "Restaurant employees strive to ensure customers have a great experience in-person and in the comfort of their homes," Illinois Restaurant Association president Sam Toia tells Axios. "We encourage all patrons to continue to support restaurant team members." Yes, but: "Pre-pandemic tipping on carryout wasn't expected, but it quickly shifted as we were all trying to help restaurant's frontline essential workers," Beyond Etiquette founder Bonnie Tsai tells Axios. "However, if you are unable to tip 10-15% due to your own financial situation, there's no need to overextend yourself." 💭 Justin's thought bubble: I'll continue to tip, but you can't make me stop trying to get the worker's attention so they see that I did. Classic Dad move. 💭 Monica's thought bubble: I'm grateful to anyone dealing with the public these days — especially now that my daughter is a part-time hostess who handles carryout orders. She recently called from Urbana to say, "Mom, I had such a good night. I made almost $20 in tips!" A few of your thoughts: Carolyn L: "A lot of the apps give you the percentage option, so you're not just tipping on the total of your food, but also their service fees." Blind L: "I've found that some restaurants won’t take my tip on carryout." Eileen M: "We don't tip for takeout orders. When we dine in we always do since you receive service from waitstaff."

https://www.mlb.com/prospects/rays/josh-lowe-666139

I agree that the Tampa Bay Rays do not win every single last trade.

Thank you, Captain Anecdote! 😉

If nominating a centrist justice will yield zero Republican votes anyway, then why had it better be a centrist justice?

This one fits the thread title to a t.

It’s a comedy bit. Are we laughing yet?

That’s what I was thinking, too. Aren’t you supposed to hang up when Tampa Bay calls sniffing after a particular player? 😅 This is great especially for the first half of the season, although I’m not sure what happens after that. We already have a hook-hitting left fielder with iffy D who rakes RHPs and struggles against southpaws, so now we got two of those guys. When Riley Greene comes back, perhaps after the break, who do we slot where? It’ll be close to the deadline and this should give us options, assuming Baddoo doesn’t turn into a pumpkin. I do like that Meadows is only 26, so there’s a decent chance he could be 2019 Austin rather than 2021 Austin. His BABIP was really low last year so that’s a sign pointing to yes. He’s also controllable for three more seasons, which means he could be tradeable the next couple of deadlines if, god forbid, it comes to that. I do agree that trading from depth to get a potential-impact controllable player is a very different move from the type Dombrowski used to make. I like the chutzpah of the move. Although I don’t look forward to Isaac Paredes becoming yet another of our guys who has an All-Star career in someone else’s threads. 😏

That's what happens to people when they self-isolate from polite society.

More like projection that runs through that whole movement.

We need to play our game. Just find a way to get it done.

Here’s something you won’t hear about on Fox News or coming out of certain posters’ keyboards.

This time it was by the skin of our teethy teeth teeth. Wordle 288 6/6 ⬜⬜⬜🟩⬜ ⬜⬜🟨🟨⬜ ⬜⬜⬜🟩🟩 ⬜🟩⬜🟩🟩 ⬜🟩🟨🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Somehow I don’t think it would take much to trigger that crowd on any number of topics.

Auto racing isn’t a sport. It’s an activity in which guys drive 500 miles in a circle. Five hundred miles in a circle?! Children can do that, for chrissakes! Doesn’t impress me. 😏

Since Jarrod Carmichael is hosting SNL tonight, I thought that this would be a good time to repost my periodic reminder that you should consider watching “The Carmichael Show”, a 2015 NBC sitcom that lasted three seasons. It has a very All In The Family vibe and the writing is very strong. It’s the show that also supercharged Tiffany Haddish’s career and gave a nice bump to Lil Rel Howery. https://www.hulu.com/series/631d2e71-dd54-4f16-8728-30bd550e1d12?play=false&utm_source=shared_link

Took a big swing, and hey, chicken dinner. Wordle 287 3/6 ⬜⬜⬜🟨⬜ ⬜🟨🟨🟨⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩