caulfield12

https://theathletic.com/884960/2019/03/25/everybody-was-surprised-but-here-we-are-an-oral-history-of-how-the-padres-acquired-fernando-tatis-jr/ And here's your answer... https://theathletic.com/2395904/2021/02/18/padres-fernando-tatis-extension-lebron-james/

The quote was that BAL gave him the money before he was on a single Top 40 list. Then he popped when Keith Law suddenly had him in the Top 5-10 and almost nobody could believe it. The arm strength was always there, and the speed/explosiveness, but that he was able to maintain those two characteristics while adding 2-3 inches in height/leverage/power while still being able to play a spectacular (defensive ratings in 2019 were down because he made numerous mistakes trying to turn every single play into an ESPN Top 10 moment) shortstop. Guys that size in the past like Ripken and A-Rod (Michael Morse would be another) always ended up at 3B or even the outfield.

I really like SouthSider2k5 when he's on baseball-related topics, but he always comes across as Potter from It's a Wonderful LIfe when on the subject of finance/stock market. It's perfectly natural for him to have a bias that's more towards protecting the point of view of his employer than representing the so-called 99%. Sometimes it comes across like "you guys don't understand something so complex, so you're going to have rely upon the foxes and wolves to guard the hen house." Janet Yellen's Net Worth: $16 Million Between 2018 and 2020, Yellen earned $7 million from 50 speaking engagements.1 hour ago Beyond the SEC, you have the Treasury Secretary, and she's almost as much captured by the system that she represents as Steve Mnuchin, Greenspan, Rubin, Larry Summers, etc. Then you have basically degrees of complicity, but still with tendencies more towards advocating for Wall Street interests as opposed to protecting "Joe the Plumber." Heck, this idea of the Clintons being in the pocket of Wall Street was a not insignificant factor in her 2016 loss. If we didn't witness what happened in 1997-98 (Asian crisis), the tech stock/Nasdaq crash (and the pumping and dumping of all those names like Nortel, JDS Uniphase, Enron, Worldcom, Cisco, Lucent, AIG, etc.), then in the 2000's, all the mortgage originators not even performing rudimentary due diligence and of course Wall Street banks not separating institutional investment, retail banking and all the collusion with the ratings agencies on the sub-primes and CDO's/credit default swaps. Nobody got punished or held accountable. And that was under a 100% Democratic-led executive and legislative branch from 2009-2010. The last time it happened that anyone of note really got into trouble from the political and banking/high finance world was the S&L Scandal in the 1980's, and that left some of the key figures censured but certainly not out of commission permanently.

https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/mlb-players-respond-to-kevin-mathers-service-time-comments-and-preview-upcoming-cba-fight/

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/24/sports/baseball/thinking-fast-and-slow-book.html?referringSource=articleShare

Basically, if the US population of those 18 years and older is 234.6 million... And 25% are Republicans.... And 44% of those Republicans say they will adamantly refuse to be vaccinated, EVER... This is just answering the general question, do you plan to get vaccinated or have you already been vaccinated? You get 58.65 million GOP X .53 (% rejecting vaccine)=31 million You get 72.5 million Dem X .22=16 million You get 96.2 million Independents X .44=42.3 million That's roughly 90-94 million Americans. Essentially 25-26% of the entire US population.

Last November, before any vaccines had been approved, the gap between Democrats who said they planned to get vaccinated (51 percent) and Republicans who said the same (43 percent) was relatively small. Not anymore. Now, a full 78 percent of Democrats say they have gotten vaccinated or will get vaccinated versus just 47 percent of Republicans — a 31-point chasm. Among Republicans who haven’t been vaccinated yet, a plurality (44 percent) say they will “never” go through with it. And while most Democrats and independents who were unsure about vaccination back in November now favor it, the opposite is true among previously unsure Republicans, who either remain undecided (25 percent) or have split evenly between the “yes” and “no” camps — making the GOP the only political group with more noes now than before the election. This hardening hesitancy on the right stands in stark contrast to a growing pro-vaccination consensus that otherwise cuts across demographic and racial lines. The numbers are clear. Among Democrats, the margin in favor of getting a COVID-19 vaccine — a.k.a., the gap between the yeas and the nays — has grown by 31 points since Election Day; among independents, it has grown by 18 points. Among white Americans, it has grown by 17 points; among Black Americans, it has grown by 31. Only Republicans have bucked this trend, showing no net shift in favor of vaccination since last November. https://www.yahoo.com/news/new-yahoo-news-you-gov-poll-covid-19-vaccine-acceptance-is-rising-except-among-republicans-003242019.html

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/30952867/yankees-gerrit-cole-calls-mlb-service-manipulation-exposed-exec-video-blatant-not-productive

In fact, the third biggest contract in baseball history after Trout and barely trailing Mookie Betts, arguably the two best players in baseball, at least position player-wise.

Umm...they beat the Cardinals last year. Quick would be the Cubs getting swept by the Marlins in two games.

Plus the guy flat out lied or just made up/embellished two stories based on clubhouse gossip apparently. Almost comes across like Hector and the food guys, showing off supposed insider knowledge to a bunch of mostly 50+ Rotarians. I wonder whether Marco Gonzales feels comfortable and respected. He is the Mariners' ace, a 29-year-old whom Mather considers "very boring" because ... he doesn't throw very hard? Anyway, Mather delighted in telling a story about Gonzales "pushing [former teammate Mike Leake] into the locker" after Leake resisted team rules. The problem, a source familiar with the situation told ESPN, is that the story is untrue. While Gonzales did confront Leake, he did not lay hands on him. I wonder whether Mitch Haniger feels comfortable and respected. As was the case with most of Mather's comments, they included compliments, and initially he spoke well of the 30-year-old who has missed the past 1½ years due to injury. After suggesting Haniger will be an All-Star this season, Mather said, "he has a little bit of a chip on his shoulder as we talk about our prospects and these young kids. He's mentioned more than once: What about me?" According to a source close to Haniger, he has not discussed his standing with regards to the coming prospects. ..... Two years ago, the Mariners thought enough of Rodriguez's English to post a video of him speaking in it on their YouTube channel. His English sounds pretty good, and I don't imagine it has worsened since. https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/30949984/chicago-white-sox-star-tim-anderson-backs-new-manager-tony-la-russa-1-1-meeting Jeff Passan commentary, you knew this slam was coming

The problem is that Keuchel and Lynn have regression in their future...so it all comes down to Cease/Kopech or the White Sox making a Verlander or Greinke type acquisition like the Astros did. If Severino comes back 100%, the Yankees’ rotation suddenly becomes a strength.

Wells looked liked a TOR starter when he first came up...and put up huge numbers with the Pirates. Second Sox season was step back. Buehrle and Fogg the two that were least hyped, for sure. Rauch, Garland and Wells were projected as frontline guys. If Stiever came anywhere close at big league level, massive win. Forgot to add Garland because he moved so fast and was originally with Cubs. Ruffcorn was a high draft pick but a largely disappointing career. At any rate, that group was main reason Sox were #1 farm system, along with Borchard/Rowand/Crede during that era.

Researchers analyzed U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs data on more than 3,600 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 between Feb. 1 and June 17 of this year, and more than 12,600 hospitalized with the flu between Jan. 1, 2017 and Dec. 31, 2019. The average age of patients in both groups was 69. The death rate among COVID-19 patients was 18.5%, while it was 5.3% for those with the flu. Those with COVID were nearly five times more likely to die than flu patients, according to the study published online Dec. 15 in the BMJ. https://www.webmd.com/lung/news/20201218/covid-19-is-far-more-lethal-damaging-than-flu-data-shows#1

When asked about top prospect Julio Rodríguez (#5 prospect in the system), rather than concentrating on his playing ability, Mather focused on his grasp of English. “Julio Rodríguez has got a personality bigger than all of you combined,” he said. “He is loud, his English is not tremendous.” He also repeatedly referred to catcher Luis Torrens as “Luis Torres”. https://www.radio.com/sports/mlb/ms-pres-under-fire-for-remarks-about-asian-latin-players

Good guys will ask you out on "real" dates in order to get to know you. Bad boys will tell you they don't believe in labels and then ask you over to Netflix and chill. Good guys will treat their waiters as well as they treat you. Bad boys will treat everyone like they're inferior. A good guy will tell you the truth, even when it's hard to hear. A bad boy will lie about his job, his hobbies, and his intentions. A good guy has goals for his future. A bad boy lives in the moment and doesn't care about what the future holds. A good guy knows that his personality is the most important thing. A bad boy will only care about his looks. https://love.allwomenstalk.com/how-to-tell-the-difference-between-a-good-guy-and-a-bad-boy/

3B has been one of the deepest positions in baseball. If Moncada returns to 2019 form, he's Top 4-6, but that's still far behind someone like Jose Ramirez. Madrigal, by fWAR, is never going to stand out. He will likely settle in at a 2.25-3.5 fWAR range but not a star. Abreu's going to hit his age decline, but Vaughn realistically could get there. Jimenez will also be limited by his defense and baserunning to a 2.75-4.25 fWAR range. Grandal's about to hit his decline as well. As far as Robert goes, he has a ways to go before he supplants Mike Trout.

1998-2001 Rauch, Buehrle, Kip Wells, Matt Ginter, Lorenzo Barcelo, Jason Stumm, Rocky Biddle, Josh Fogg, Danny Wright, Aaron Myette, Brian West...there was another whose name I can't remember who ended up with the Indians https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/2000-organization-of-the-year-chicago-white-sox/ If Crochet can stick as a starter, and morph into Randy Johnson, and not get injured...but that's going to require hitting on either Cease or Kopech and AT LEAST one more starter out of the group you listed. Norge Vera could be added there as well.

The Grandal contract beats the Alex Gordon deal by ONE freakin' million, 4/$73 versus 4/$72. If you adjust for inflation, the Royals' deal was still "more expensive," technically.

When you're specifically going after at least two foreigners (one a Latin American pitcher, the other Iwakuma) for their English proficiency, or lack thereof, at best you're coming off as "tone deaf," at worst, ignorant/racist/____________ (fill in the blank with the appropriate adjective.) Not only that, but being upset about $75,000 in Seattle for an interpreter when the team has wasted millions and millions of dollars in the last 15+ years is a penny-wise, pound-foolish pettiness. It also has a bit of that "if you come to the US, you must speak 'Merican overtone to it. Just imagine how an American working for an MNC in Tokyo would react if his "boss" publicly criticized him for his inability to speak Japanese fluently, to the point where they had to hire an interpreter. They would lose face, it simply wouldn't happen. As mentioned, it's even more infuriating because of the team's relationship with the Japanese market and Nintendo, which still owns 10% of the team. It's like a White Sox or Cubs' management person going after deep dish pizza. You just don't do it. There's nothing good that will come out of it.

Yes, but you can't openly admit you're doing it...which the Cubs were smart enough to follow the party line about players needing "finishing touches" or working on XYZ weakness before they're finally ready to be recalled. There's never been a standard, nor will there ever be, about how to define "major league ready."

The most damaging is the blunt statement about service time manipulation with Kelenic and Logan Gilbert...that will have reverberations across the sport in challenges to the current system. From the local fanbase perspective, criticizing Seager as "overpaid" when he's been injured recently isn't doing him any favors. It's not like he went after Ichiro, but it's the equivalent of KW going after Adam Dunn during the 2011 season...you don't need to say anything, even if you are thinking it. It's not like they were going to give Kyle Lewis "extra money" for having a great rookie campaign. That's the system. Young players fight to get to arbitration and then free agency for that one big contract.

If they can produce at least one more ace internally to replace Giolito between now and the end of the 2023 season, because the odds of going after a TOR starter in free agency are slim and none.

Not to mention you’re basically announcing to the world your supposed franchise player’s future star power is being questioned...and the fact that they will eventually have to Lindor him because of all the ill-will created from publicly airing this and blaming the player for consulting with the MLBPA. Must have been a low-ball offer that for some reason they assumed he would accept.

Still, it's headline news in both the Seattle newspapers, the Times and Post-Intelligencer.