Jack Parkman

I really don't think they care. They're trying to maximize their window, they know they're not going to be able to sign all of the hitters they developed, and Lester comes off the books in 2021.

Yup. I wouldn't want to give Judge a big FA deal in any event. Just seems like a guy who shines like a great comet. Quickly and Brightly, and then it is gone.

When Bryce Harper signs with the Nationals, Phillies or Braves and Machado with the Yankees, we can all put this to bed. I wouldn't count out the Cubs for Harper either. After their epic failure this past season, it wouldn't shock me if they sign him. I think Machado to the Yankees is already a done deal. Harper is the question mark, and if he wants to come to Chicago and both teams are involved, you know damn well he's not picking the Sox. The Cubs can afford to give him the opt out that the Sox can't. Everything had to go right this season for the Sox to be a realistic option for those guys. The opposite happened.

I was just going to suggest a Fulmer-Hoffman swap. Two stunted arms that need a change of scenery.

Actually it was Jeff Hoffman. The Sox were on him too, until his injury. The Nola rumors didn't start until Hoffman blew his elbow.

I was typing exactly that as you were quoting my post.

If Singer gained velocity and was touching 96-97, I'm sure nobody would have been complaining. He didn't. If anything, this tells you that sometimes you can't put any stock into pre-draft scouting reports.

I'm not second guessing, I'm just pointing out that it is funny that we give the Astros grief for not taking Rodon when Nola is the best pitcher from that draft so far, and we all hated him.

That was Kolek.

I know and that makes it even funnier. I was on that train of not taking Nola, but that was based on the pre-draft scouting reports that had him at 88-92mph. He gained velo that year and was sitting 93-94 and topping out at 96-97 by the time the draft happened. I think if we all had that scouting report, nobody would have been upset had they taken Nola.

Going to post this here as well: We all make fun of the Astros for picking Aiken in 2014, but if they would have taken Rodon, the Sox would have probably taken Nola. Of those two pitchers, handedness not withstanding, which would you rather have now? I thought so.

What is funny is that we all make fun of the Astros for picking Aiken 1st OA in 2014. If the Astros would have picked Rodon, I'd bet you the Sox would have picked Nola. That was the rumor going around, at least. Of those two pitchers, who would you rather have now? I thought so.

I am shocked. I thought they were cooked. they might be ok.

If there was a fit for both player and organization I'd advocate it and be the #1 proponent. It doesn't make sense for either. If they can get one without a 3 year opt out, that completely changes the equation. I don't think that will be possible though.

Screw the jankees.

Basically what I wrote earlier I realize those in their 20s and 30s will be fighting their entire working lives for. When we retire, I want to leave those entering the workforce with that kind of environment. I realize we're fucked. It is our responsibility to unfuck it for future generations. Anyway, the only reason why most disabled people are considered a burden on society is solely because the owners of the world make it so. It doesn't have to be that way, but it is. I worked with people with Downs in a couple jobs I had. They could do their job just fine, with a little coaching. There is a difference in the words autonomy and independence. While the latter will remain elusive, if not impossible for most disabled people, the goal should be to give them as much autonomy as they can handle.

This x infinity. With regard to the first comment, it doesn't have to be fantasy if those in their 20s and 30s are willing to fight for it. It will be hard, long and nasty but we have to swing the pendulum back the other way. It is our responsibility to future generations to do so.

Those people are few and far between though. They can be put in the SSA syatem and can be covered to as part of the single payer program. Anyone who can work, should and there is work to be done even for the intellectually disabled. I'm pretty active in the disability rights movement. The problem isn't that work isn't available. The problem is that the law is too loose on what is and isn't a "reasonable accomodation" under current law, an employer can claim pretty much any non-mobility related accomodation as unreasonable. If it costs them any money whatsoever, they cry ridiculous. Most intellectually disabled people have the ability to do basic jobs and most paraplegics or others in wheelchairs have the ability to work in certain roles with adaptive technology. Companies are unwilling to invest into untapped labor markets like these. It is my opinion that it should be law that companies do so. There is zero excuse for disabled people who can hold a job with accomodations to be shut out of the mainstream labor market. I have never held a decent job in the mainstream labor market. I've been working in the HFA niche market since i graduated from IIT, and in HS I bagged groceries and worked as a telemarketer. Those are the only jobs I've ever held for more than a week or two.

Maybe this is radical, but I don't believe that programs like Medicaid and food stamps are necessary. You know what is necessary though? People getting paid a living wage and benefits for an honest day's work. If companies like Amazon and Walmart can't afford to pay their employees a living wage with benefits, then maybe it is their business model that is the problem. Exploiting labor should not be a viable business model, and it should be illegal. Busting union organizers should come with a hefty fine. Nobody should need to be on public assistance in the United States. To argue otherwise is an insult to my intelligence. If you can't treat your employees humanely, you shouldn't be in business, period. That tax money that goes into these programs should be used to to expand Social Security into a national pension program. Nobody talks about the burden that a single payer health care system takes off business either. It would save them a ton of money they could use to increase wages. Expansion of Social Security and Single Payer health insurance takes a huge burden off of business. Imagine how much more productive employees are when they don't have the stress of saving for retirement and paying for their health care on their plate. They get more disposable income to spend on consumer products too. It is an incredible win-win but greedy people who want to hoard money prevent it.

For me, and I think for a lot of baseball players too, you should just relax, follow your process, and let your talent take over. Every time I've tried harder in life I've had infinitely worse results. Calm, cool and confident is the way for me. You have to trust that the work you put in will pay off and do the best you can with the time available. Putting pressure on yourself to get more done in less time always leads to getting less done in more time for me.

Do people actually think this happens to professional athletes? I think quite the opposite. It is my belief that people who underperform their contracts after signing a big one, don't do so because they're lazy, they do so because they put an immense amount of pressure on themselves personally to live up to their contract, and not be a disappointment to the fans and the FO that signed them. They think very highly of themselves and believe they're capable of anything. They then end up trying too hard when any little thing goes wrong and it ends up snowballing on them. Baseball isn't a try hard sport. Honestly, if anything you would perform better when you're relaxed and comfortable rather than trying too hard. I have been guilty of the previous thought process myself. One thing I've learned is the answer to a lot of things in life isn't "try harder"

Reddy, Believe me I sympathize with racial minority groups getting a raw deal, but Dam has a point here. The Mainstream Dem=Moderate Republican. The whole political discourse in this country is almost entirely right of center. Bill Clinton sold out racial minorities to the for-profit prison industry. Personally, I am not too stupid to see that voting for a Democrat, even if the person I voted for didn't win the primary, is better than the alternative. However, it is getting harder and harder to do, and I'm getting more and more cynical about the process being completely busted, when I see more and more corporate Dems winning primaries, especially here in IL. I will again argue for the term Socioeconomic, because you can't fix the social problems without fixing the economic problems, and vice versa. They are not two mutually independent issues, far from it. You have to work on both simultaneously. Reddy thinks that you fix the social issues and economics will take care of itself, or you have to work on the social issues first. Dam thinks that you work on the economic issues first and the social issues will take care of itself, or work on economics first. I think both should be worked on simultaneously, and working on only one or the other will lead to almost no progress. If I had to choose one though, I'd choose economics because money=power. It is my opinion that a lot of the ills of urban racial minorities comes from the following: Underfunded, crowded schools Generational Poverty Lack of decent opportunity as an adult because of 1) and 2) And the cycle starts again. I understand the following feelings: 1. Lack of progress toward upward mobliity 2. Lack of being given a fair opportunity to prove oneself as a capable, reliable employee 3. Lack of access to a job that pays a living wage 4. Lack of access to full time employment 5. Being discriminated against in job interviews. I have evidence of this. I did an experiment where I applied for 10 jobs where I filled out the EOE section on 5 of them and didn't on the other 5. I got 3 interview requests. Guess what? They were all from the group of 5 that I didn't fill out the EOE section. I immediately emailed those people, told them that I was autistic, and asked them if they still wanted to interview me. I got no response to my emails. This happens to so many people because they are a minority in some way or another. How is one supposed to "pull themselves up by their bootstraps" when they don't have access to boots? Serious question. The economy is rigged so that "undesireables" stay that way and it takes a really special person to get out of it. There are success stories here and there to keep the facade believable by the masses.

Winning a world series isn't that impressive winning multiple WS is. What the Giants did in the early part of this decade was impressive. What the Cubs did wasn't. Any decent team can get hot for a season and ride it to a championship. Don't forget that Carrasco, Salazar and Bauer were all hurt and unavailable to start and the Indians were scrambling for starters by the WS. Kluber was dead by game 7. They still fell behind 3-1 and the only reason they won was because Kluber ran out of gas. Indians sweep with a healthy rotation.

But they significantly devalue pitchers just for being pitchers. Obviously they still count them as prospects, but ut seems a pitcher is going to have to be pretty special to make their Top 50 list. Even Cease can barely crack their T100

You know what though, the Fangraphs prospect guys believe exactly that. It is very strange.