microline133

The concerns I've heard with Quebec City revolve around having a sufficient fan base to support the team day-in and day-out. Highly educated hockey people have expressed this concern repeatedly. Expansion will probably venture back into the Atlanta market, and I'd wager Arizona still gets a team back eventually. Give them lead time to acquire land and build a proper stadium (both of which are already in the works) and that market can support a team.

Ding, ding, ding. This is akin to trying to blame greenhouse gas emissions on cows and beef consumption. Focus on the actual significant contributors.

I shouldn't do this because I'm just beating my head against the wall, but for those interested in how the situation can actually be read by fans.... The argument was never that the Tigers were demonstrating an interest in moving Madden to the bullpen today. They are not and they should not. The argument was quite clearly that the club's actions speak pretty clearly about how they view Madden as a long-term prospect, and that view is divergent from most of the online fan base you will read. The point of bringing that observation to the fore was simply to help folks here adjust expectations for the player accordingly. If you choose not to, no skin off my back. Not moving him to the next logical level, as a starter, to face more advanced competition after having extended success at the prior level, is quite telling. There was room to move him there to start the season if they chose to do so. They didn't and as I said in my original post, team's actions align pretty closely with their view of a player, if you're willing to listen. So, yes, they will continue to get him starter's innings for the foreseeable future, just not at the next logical developmental level, because they apparently didn't prioritize his development as a starter over a minor league vet and some bullpen days.

If you don't like the way the board is moderated, you are free to leave. If you choose to stay, then you are obligated to abide by the established rules and preferences of those that are tabbed with moderating the forum. With that, this matter is closed and I expect no further debate regarding the moderation of this thread.

Willful ignorance....I'm not sure why I even bothered.

No, they have not. My assessment is based on years of scouting players, including many like Madden, and speaking with industry professionals that have spent plenty of time watching Madden and formulating their own opinion. It's also based on years of talking with teams about their players, assignment decisions, and how they develop players. The overwhelming consensus in Madden's case? He's a reliever at the highest level. Sure, you can label it speculation, but it's a helluva lot more informed speculation than what you're tossing around.

I'll elaborate a bit.... Teams are really good at telling you what they think of prospects if you are willing to listen. When they conduct minor league roster construction to start a season, they place their "priority" prospects first and then place everyone else around them. Guys they view highly aren't squeezed out of a spot unless there are somehow more "priority" guys at a position than they can fit on a roster. That's not the case here. After 30+ starts at Double-A, if Madden was a "priority" starting pitcher prospect, he would be in Toledo; there's room for him there.....if they wanted him there. That they chose to send him to Erie is telling you how they value him as a starting pitching prospect. Either they believe he's not a starter but they're not ready to make the conversion, or they think he's a starter prospect, but not one of significant long-term value to make his placement a priority over others. Neither is a ringing endorsement. Noting roster crunches is a cover long used when asked about such assignment decisions. For me, when I see an assignment decision like this for a player that I've always viewed as a relief prospect, I connect the dots. He's not a long-term starter in their eyes, they just may not be ready to make the conversion for whatever reason.

Because that's where he's going to end up at the big league level.

I don't understand dragging the hiring process out....in any field, and I'm a huge culture/fit guy. I don't think it makes the hiring organization look good....you really need all this time to make a decision? What's business decision making look like for you? I say this as someone that works for the federal government with a painful hiring process. I did a phone screening with a guy two weeks ago, panel virtual interview with him last week, and flew him here from the UK this week to put a bow on things. We had drinks tonight to talk ancillary stuff (towns to look for houses, commutes, the non-work side of the process) and he'll come into the office tomorrow to talk nuts and bolts, potential project assignments, and next steps....it'll be a done deal by Tuesday and we will just have to figure out his start date with the move back to the States factored in.

Typically use one.

Its about ready and broken in backups that the player is comfortable with in the event a glove breaks or is lost, not anything to do with different gloves for different uses at the same position. They have backups for the positions they play regularly....likely more quantity of backups for the positions they play most frequently.

Good season. Keep building.

This is precisely where I am with the game.

Robert Kraft said publicly in the last year or so that Mayo was the heir apparent. This has been a done deal for quite a while. Nobody else was getting that job.

It's an attempt to create a story leading up to the game; a story that hopefully generates questions for UM players and coaches, and potentially offers some distraction from the task at hand. Nothing more.

I'm sure he has plenty, but they are almost assuredly internal and carry bias/agenda that he likely doesn't have the necessary information to counter.

All of Lynn's info for these comes from internal folks. Temper your enthusiasm accordingly.

There's an immense amount of irony in this post.

He's not walking away until he gets Shula's record.

While that may end up happening, Curran's report that the Tweet/graphic is based on was him speculating after the Germany game. He made it very clear during his original info on this that he thought that was what was happening, not that he was told it is happening.

Correct decision. I have a really hard time seeing a team carry him on a MLB roster all year.

Heard from relatives of theirs this morning that folks are okay. Most of it went down about two miles from their home, locked down, but okay

I have numerous friends in the Lewiston-Auburn area....hoping to hear from them soon.

All things he hasn't had since high school. At what point is it fair to suggest he's not capable of those things?

A relief role has been the obvious projection for Flores for 2+ years. This shouldn't be surprising at all.