caulfield12

The lines are getting better and better. Petras just does enough to win, similar to Stanzi, Stanley and Beathard. Of course, Ragaini was open by 15 yards on that play action... All that said, forgot they get a bye week before WI, but Purdue, in Evanston (hard to imagine this year) and at Nebraska if Frost doesn't lose control of that program are all tough games. Beating Ohio State or Michigan State are also going to be a huge challenge as well in eventual title game. Losing Riley Moss if the knee injury's serious is another tough blow to overcome. All that said, whenever they get a really hyped recruiting class (once a decade) it's usually counterproductive because the Iowa tradition is transforming 2-3 star recruits into NFL draft picks.

The only (immediately) foreseeable issue is the stadium one...and one can argue declining population/tax base, sure, but the same thing is true of Detroit and Cleveland, in particular. Kansas City will never be more than a mid to small market team, with Minnesota forever stuck in the mid-market tier just like the Cardinals.

I don't think Iowa is better than even 2015, but their toughest remaining game is at Camp Randall in two weeks. But I also don't believe any of those remaining teams have the talent to win on neutral fields, unless Caleb Williams of OU wins the Heisman as a true freshman (or plays at that level from here on out), but B12 defenses are just too soft. And even most objective Iowa fans will admit PSU probably wins with Clifford still in for the second half.

And still think there's a pretty good chance SEC or Big 10 could send two teams each this year...with Cincy on the outside looking in again.

Guess the difficulty of winning in the road in such a hostile environment was slightly overlooked. Nearly everyone asserting today was the best crowd in Kinnick history, at least going back 36 years ago to #1/2 matchup against Michigan (that I was so fortunate to be at as a high school sophomore).

Well, the comments after Game 2 on Kimbrel suggest there’s definitely a growing divide…or at least brought it out into public view. (Just wish we could actually find out what the cost for Kris Bryant would have been, instead.)

On the other hand, Cease can shut up all his critics…or simply reinforce the belief that he’s not trustworthy enough for a playoff start.

Herring?

All the more reason not to commit to keeping Kimbrel and Hernandez…create a bit of financial flexibility moving forward, especially if there’s blowback on season ticket sales and marketing/sponsorship/promotions.

The question is whether they’re actually willing to go over $10 million per year on a FA contract, let alone $15 million. Kimbrel has to go. Hahn should just admit he was wrong, use that money (as well as moving on from Hernandez’s commitment) for RF, 2B, catcher, bullpen or backend veteran starter depth. Trading Vaughn or Eloy at depressed values makes less sense than trying to find takers for Sheets or Burger. Wish we could move on from Leury, but that’s a pipe dream. And yeah, the rule of Cubs/Sox moves is usually they are completely one-sided, like Bell/Sosa, Garland/Karchner, Q/Cease/Eloy and this one as well. Not counting Tepera was a significant trade.

Jimenez is not one of the two best players at this point…btw. Also, I reverse jinxed Iowa into a huge win, but that was only possible due to playing at home and Clifford being out for PSU. Hopefully I can continue to work the same magic on the diamond, haha. And can still be talking about White Sox baseball two weekends from now.

Speaking of RF, turns to Brewers game, sees Avi with 29 dingers, Narvaez and Escobar and feels more annoyed. But good for them. The NL pitchers aren't messing around this postseason.

Tommy Pham seems like a perfect example of a player we bring in 1-2 years too late because he's much more affordable and has that Cardinals connection. Unfortunately, we need Wong a lot more.

Paddack for Vaughn seems possible, if they could offload Hosmer...or maybe they would want to dump Will Myers' deal and include him in any move. Adam Frazier is another possibility.

So much for that halftime prediction. That said, UGA and Bama are head and shoulders above everyone else. Iowa just doesn't have enough offense and relying on turnovers and special teams every game is not enough to be elite.

Without Williams and Paddy, no Abreu or Robert, not so bueno.

Huge day for B10. Last Top 5 battle in Kinnick was 1985, Iowa beating Michigan. OU can thankfully be crossed off playoff list early. Cincy has such a weak schedule here on out, SMU their best opponent.

But where would we be now without having traded Sale, Eaton, Q…? Not seeing why Hahn would be in huge demand, compared to assistants from the truly revolutionary front offices like LA, TB, SF, Milwaukee, etc. We brag about our draft picks making the bigs, but how many are true high impact guys assuming Rodon leaves? You still have just Anderson and the 50/50 coin flip fortune of Luis Robert signing for less money to hang your hat on. Collins, Burdi, Fulmer, Heuer and Madrigal are gone or worthless. Jury still out on Crochet, Vaughn and Sheets.

Maybe curse Abreu some more for “underperforming” his way through illness…when the real sickness is ensconced on the dugout steps.

On the plus side, we’re 1-4 versus the Indians’/Twins’ combined 2-14….20% vs. 12.5% win probability.

Anderson, Abreu and Robert are going nowhere. Eloy, maybe. Not many LH hitting 3B, so hard to get rid of Moncada or Grandal for that matter. But what is Jimenez’s value at this point? 65-70 cents on the dollar, just like Madrigal/Heuer. Buying high and selling low over the long term usually ends up in a limited roster. Same with trading Vaughn. Of course, Sheets has some pop but no position as the roster is currently constituted.

Wrong Frazier. Adam was terrible in SD, a lot like Hernandez for the Sox.

Are we allowed to create threads with former poster's names?....that seems like it might be a report to mods-worthy transgression.

Otoh, it plays against the constant trope that LaRussa is now calling the shots on personnel moves…or TLR asked for Kimbrel specifically only to realize later he wasn’t the same guy outside of the closer’s role and is now attempting to shift the blame to Hahn when it backfired.

They weren’t major league experienced acquisitions, though.