caulfield12

Bad News Bears III: Electric Defensive Bugaloo

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/political-parties-rejecting-capitalism-145632855.html Both political parties are rejecting capitalism In summation, the Republicans have pulled the country to the right over the last 40 years, and that’s not working well for approximately 55-65% of Americans. The progressive/socialist side is merely taking the extreme position it is in order to restore the balance. By being so extreme, it will eventually allow moderates/centrists to get something done...but it also keeps those centrists honest, or from becoming too complacent (see Crowley, Feinstein or even Blum’s attitude, the guy running against Reddy). If the country has shifted 10-15 degrees to the right, the natural balance should be restored in order for America to reach its full potential. While it’s extremely difficult for any candidate to succeed without a traditional party’s support, the Democratic Party desperately needs to convert that enthusiasm among young people for actual votes when their progressive “first choices” are eliminated. It can’t just merely rely on suburban moms and African American voters (see 2016.) They have to fight for every vote...the elderly, independents, Hispanics, Asians, farmers, former union members turned GOP, etc.

Dems have more positive view of socialism that capitalism for first time since financial crisis https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/13/politics/democrats-nervous-gallup-poll-analysis/index.html

Remember when KW said adding Miguel Cabrera was merely going to put the Tigers in a position to compete with the Tigers for first place...those were the days.

That’s not even counting Fulmer coming off of his “feel good” ending to last season.

Minaya has to be the worst pitcher with an ERA under 4 in baseball...

And it’s not like Anderson, Yolmer, Davidson or Delmonico are lighting the world on fire, either...we have a ton of 675-700ish hitters on the roster right now. Pretty appropriate for Sox now...”greatest market inefficiency is actually being able to win games,” talking about A’s and Mariners (to a lesser extent.) “After three seasons of last place in the AL West, of 94, 93 and 87 losses, it was time for other ideas. Time to be smarter and braver again. Starting with the lowest payroll in baseball and the new – and still rising – World Series champion in their own division, Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations Billy Beane and GM David Forst would require another way to ambush the league. “I feel your pain,” Beane had told A’s fans this winter, adding, “I’m running out of time myself. So, I’m with you.” And maybe this was intentional and maybe it’s a matter of dumb timing, but this year’s market inefficiency, its most undervalued asset, its best bargain, and that which the A’s have become exceptional at, is … winning baseball games. Look around. Not everybody is in. Not everybody is playing to win. There is, instead, a separate race to terrible, those franchises playing as though the first to terrible will then be the first to trampoline from terrible. The alibi created by championships in Kansas City, Chicago and Houston had become a windstorm, carrying as many as 10 teams – a third of the league – with it. So, hell, why not try to win? It was just crazy enough to work. You don’t even have to be great. (Great can be expensive.) You just have to, you know, try. Not that the A’s weren’t trying before. They were, in their own way. But finishing in last place year after year after year does tend to start looking like not trying, whether it’s meant to or not. And now, in 2018, holding your own against good teams and bazooka-ing bad teams is a more than reasonable way to contending, to bringing that old ballpark to life again.”

If Moncada could bunt for hits more consistently...he’d be at least a .240 or .250 hitter, but that should be more of an add on to keep the defense honest, rather than trying to change his offensive game too much.

Cross between Nelson Cruz and Manny Ramirez...? He needs to be, unless the rest of the young hitters are going to take a hyper leap in their learning curves/adjustments.

At least Moncada was looking fastball and not sliders there? Sigh...

Narvaez is the best hitter on the team...Las Vegas odds on that before the season?

The gap with women is particularly important because who do you think will have the biggest impact on the beliefs of children and grandchildren (especially in single-parent) homes?

He never threw 98 consistently after the surgery. He might have hit 98-100 at Harvard Westlake and in the Futures Game appearance 3 years ago, but he has never sustained that 96-98 stuff over an extended period of time in pro ball. 93-95/96 is likely his peak.

https://sports.yahoo.com/david-botes-story-too-unbelievable-053108048.html

Pretty obviously someone who can stand toe to toe with Trump and not be cowed by him...and I theoretically someone who is a master at publicizing themself for free while simultaneously sustaining the public’s interest in them.

https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/11/opinions/avenatti-dems-fire-with-fire-opinion-zelizer/index.html Avenatti is right, Dems have to fight fire with fire

Gonzalez continues to hum right along...

Let’s sincerely hope it’s only for marketing purposes and not player instruction that they monitor this site, lol...

Well, at least Mariners and Padres’ fans have close to perfect weather conditions every game...and it’s not like Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Minnesota O’Brien Detroit are doing particularly well, either. Maybe we should be emulating Milwaukee? (Of course, having Selig as commissioner has helped, as well as escaping the Red Sox/Yankees/Blue Jays.) The exceptions for tolerating terrible weather are always going to be the Red Sox, Cubs and Yankees (and their fans have taken a ton of criticism, too, in recent years.)

Well, that’s pretty much why they’ve had four GM’s (including) that last 2001 playoff team...

And hospital billing rates for unneeded tests/exams, malpractice insurance and Big Pharma...and they have to cut somewhere, hospitals/doctors are the least likely of the 3. (Of course, the GOP would prefer tort reforms to protect corporations to the disadvantage of individual customers.) Without a check on corporate greed and sheer price gouging, then you’re not going to accomplish much. We saw flash points with the Epipen (Manchin’s daughter) and the Martin Shkreli PR disaster for the drug industry...but no systemic changes. How much profit is acceptable? We put a limit on it for payday loans and check cashing, and call it usury for lenders.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/pelosi-is-the-star-of-gop-attack-ads-worrying-democrats-upbeat-about-midterms/2018/08/09/f85a2474-9b43-11e8-8d5e-c6c594024954_story.html?utm_term=.86359990f53e

is Call really a legit prospect for a legit team starting MLB job?

You can’t read Dick Allen’s previous comment and see what he wrote at the end of it? Fine, we can go back and quote it. “The clock should be ticking. Yes, this year was bound to suck. Next year wasn't bound to suck, but it's looking like that may change. There needs to be improvement, not only with the talent level, but with how they play the game.“ Should I start a separate thread? Insert it into the game thread? Isn’t Rick Hahn in charge of every aspect of the way the team plays the game? If not, he can fire Renteria, right? Did giving Ventura all of 2014, 15 and 16 to fix what took place in 2013 rectify the mistakes in fundamentals?

If Hillary actually admitted her mistakes, then we could all move on...she had 8 years to do it after the Obama loss. That was blamed on South Carolina and the ugly racism of his comments being unfairly turned again the Clintons. He was the king, they were interlopers not willing to wait in line for the presumed queen, basically. See 1980, what happened the only time her husband lost an election (as an incumbent) his entire life (as ARK gov, he also ran in 1974 for Congress at age 28)...or what self-reflection did in changing the 1996 results, recovering from the bloodbath in 1994 (of course, some would say he sold out by triangulating, using Dick Morris, attacking black people over welfare abuse and the whole “superpredators” accusations regarding violent crimes and drugs/criminal justice reform.) He won, I guess...?