caulfield12

Seager or Story are more realistic…but it will undoubtedly be Andrelton Simmons since KW was in love with him a decade ago. Or Baez, but he’s such a prototypical feast or famine guy, it would be too fitting for this lineup. If you want to win in the postseason, you definitely need a guy like Seager or Correa, though. If they could stay healthy, that is. Hate the idea of overpaying for Semien’s homer binge this year, then getting 18-20 next year…the Cesar Hernandez Effect.

Ah, the silent majority argument. Your problem is that most message board posters are a bit more extreme, as by definition those reasonable posters who are reticent to express their opinions usually aren’t drawn to call in shows or participating on public boards in the first place…they certainly don’t have time to report micro-transgressions to board moderators on a bi-monthly basis.

Just realized that the 2017 Indians were up 2-0 against the Yankees and lost three in a row, one of just ten times in MLB history that has happened in 3 out of 5 format. So that means the AL Central actually is on an abysmal 1-16 run in the postseason going back to those two Indians’ losses, with the only win in a string of 17 total games being Giolito’s against the A’s in Game 1. Well, that’s almost as bad as Bellinger’s 2/52 against the Giants that he broke last night with a two run double.

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.)

I say we have a poll whether Ron should be a moderator…how will that vote go?

This is not Survivor with Jeff Probst. And why are you assuming only Tex might be on your side from the moderating standpoint?

Depth. Tucker is having a 2019 Moncada season, and Alvarez is a monster. Imagine the Dodgers with him in there for Muncy instead. Pitching and pen is just good enough.

There were quite a few of us speaking out that day that Kimbrel in a non~closing role was a recipe for disaster. It was just a guess or intuition...but you shouldn't base your postseason chances on a hunch if you're a major league front office paid hundreds of thousands or millions cumulatively to make these decisions. Would love to know who was for and against, internally. And then there was a lot of whispers about him (Madrigal) rubbing some the wrong way, his earnest religious beliefs that also could potentially be divisive. You'd like to think they would have weighed all that more carefully. Long term, all those injuries will weigh down his base running and fielding, the two areas along with contact hitting he was supposed to be really good if not a notch below elite. And all that said, he was really coming into his own before the injury, looking more and more comfortable, confidence coming back from OSU form.

I'd almost rather have Hamilton starting, but none of those possibilities but Sheets have any type of positive rhythm offensively. No idea why Mendick is even on the roster.

Let's say they did have Bohm or Kelenic instead...Sox wouldn't be any better off, at least this year. The biggest problem is largely missing on their evaluations with pitchers in recent drafts.

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.