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I kind of was surprised about no support for Hinch too, at first. As I've thought more about it, I figure maybe it's because so many players just like playing for salt-of-the-earth players' managers, old school guys who graduated from the School of Baseball who will let them pretty much do what they want, approach their job however they want, don't want to be sat down or pinch-hit for because the data says they should be, stuff like that. You know, treated like grown men working as a partner to the manager, not like interchageable widgets being led around like a grunt. That's pretty much Bochy to a T. I do sense that Hinch's players like playing for him, but guys who haven't played for him might have ideas about him they hear secondhand, like, maybe that he's an egghead, or a high-falutin' psych major who gets into your head and tries to make you do stuff you wouldn't want to do, or something. People don't like to feel like they're being manipulated, so I could see a lot of players balking at playing for AJ if they think he's like that, at least as of June, 2025. As for the organization, I actually saw that result as progress. Nobody would have dreamed of wanting to come to Detroit two years ago. If they'd have taken the poll in 2023, we almost certainly would have been in the neighborhood of the White Sox, Rockies, A's, et al. If we take advantage of this window, if we make it to at least one Series and especially if we get a ring, and as our guys become more established and respected throughout the game and they evangelize how great it is to play here, I bet that will change in a couple or three years.

Here is Google AI's overview of Matt Gage. Salt applies here. Matt Gage is a 32-year-old left-handed reliever known for his ability to spot pitches and mess with hitters' heads, rather than relying on overpowering velocity. He's primarily a two-pitch pitcher, using his fastball and cutter, with the cutter being his most distinctive pitch. He also throws a slider and an occasional curveball. Gage's fastball has a unique "invisi-ball" feel with significant vertical ride, sometimes rising 23 inches. His cutter, a 6-6 cutter, moves horizontally like a hard slider. Key Takeaways from the Scouting Report: Focus on Pitch Movement and Spotting: Gage excels at controlling his pitches and making them difficult to hit, rather than relying on raw velocity. Fastball and Cutter Combination: His fastball's vertical ride and cutter's horizontal movement create a deceptive mix for hitters. Reliever Role: Gage is a relief pitcher and his approach is designed for short stints in high-leverage situations. Adjustable Pitching: Gage has shown an ability to adapt and learn, making him open to new approaches. Two-Pitch Pitcher: Gage's fastball and cutter are his primary weapons, though he also throws a slider and curveball. Effective Against Lefties: He's particularly effective against left-handed hitters, with his cutter being a weapon against them. Pitch Profiles: Fastball: 88-92 mph, rides vertically (17-20 inches, up to 23 inches in workouts), considered an "invisi-ball". Cutter: High 80s, sweeping cut action, generates swings and misses, effective against lefties. Slider: Low 80s, sweeps across the zone, exceptional depth. Curveball: Mid-70s, occasional pitch.

Man, I am impressed because it got the meter of the song exactly right.

Did ChatGPT seriously write this? I mean, I assume it was given a song to work off of but did it write the parody?

Says who?

They’ll just move it to 4th of July.

This argument against him is still holding water in courts, but if we can’t turn this ship around, at some point it won’t hold any water anymore.

It would be best if it happened before the death camps open.

To this point, Matt Gaetz must feel like the biggest chump in the world now for pulling out of the Attorney General appointment.

Do you tip the gas attendant? We never did in the 70s when gas was invariably pumped for us. In fact, I worked at Sunoco for a day, and I quit because at the end of the day they presented me some dat saying how much gas I pumped, how much money I’d given them, I was short by two dollars and I owed them the difference. Hey, it was the 70s. Anyhow, pumping gas seems like it would be a tippable service these days. Is it now?

Brieske has become exactly the pitcher I complained he was back in 2023.

I’m not sure I would assume Jobe is going to be better after his TJ using Skubal as a data point, but all we can do at this point is hope he will be.

Also, Victor Reyes is The Man on the Lotte Giants team in Korea.

Plus how often you gonna need a LOOGY for the exact situation of two outs, RISP, close and late, good left-handed hitter up? Maybe half a dozen times a year, a dozen tops? Can you keep a guy on the roster all year basically just for that?

Fun Fact: Harold Castro is in Omaha right now, and he’s kind of killing it.

If you bring in a LOOGY with two outs and he gets the LHH out, he won’t have to face two more guys.

I am falling out of love with the idea of running on every single ball that’s hit. We have to figure out how to be more judicious about that.

They will have sellout weekends as long as they have the best record in the majors and the Chicago Cubs come into town. All I can lean on at this point is my experience that tells me it's a bad look that may hurt perception and marketability for the team not on Friday night, or on Saturday night, or on Sunday night, and probably not for the rest of this year, but in the long run. Or maybe it won't. I don't know for a yet-to-be-verified fact. I can't predict the future of this specific issue. I'm just speaking experientially as a marketer who dealt with consumer perceptions in my profession. I have to admit that maybe I'm wrong here. Maybe it won't matter. Maybe the Tigers themselves don't even care how it looks. Hey, maybe it even looks better for them to be empty. Maybe the Tigers designed the whole situation to be that way and they're satisfied with how it looks. I don't work with them, or know anyone on the inside, so I can't know for a fact one way or the other. I am merely hypothesizing based on my experience, so count that toward whatever you think that's worth.

And, also, we need free and fair elections.

"You're very clean and articulate, and how dare you not thank me for giving you such a high and totally appropriate compliment."

He is if you don't mind not hitting.

OTOH, Marlins at Pirates in Pittsburgh on a weekday afternoon.

I would agree that the likelihood of someone deciding not to buy a game ticket only because they saw empty seats on the one TV game they happened to be watching is roughly the same as someone deciding to buy a car only because they happened to see a car commercial on TV.

All due respect, if you worked in marketing, you'd understand what I mean.

If you think improving his line drive rate is itself luck, then yes, his higher BABIP is also lucky. But if you believe he improved his line drive rate through work and earned that increase, then he also earned that higher BABIP, since xBA on line drives is over .700.