1984Echoes

The office I created in the back of my camper (note the framed 1937 Wheaties Charlie Gehringer (Pride of Fowlerville, Michigan), and the first issue of Sports Illustrated from August 16, 1954). Also, those framed beetles were from a shop that I owned from 2008-2009 (yes, right in the middle of the Great Recession)...: And you can tell it's a guys camper by the slobbish tossing of clothes everywhere and the half-completed projects plastered all over the place as well...: PS: Where all those broom/rake/mop handles are in the first pic, I'm going to build a pantry to close them in, along with extra bath towels and cleaning supplies and such... Probably a good place to hang a dirty laundry bag as well... hidden.

Need a beast to pull this 32' monster: The Monster: And yes, I'm actually in Pigeon Forge Tennessee right now with My Beast and My Monster:

I've just started to use my camper that I bought from my cousin in Michigan a couple years ago. And I do mean just started... like, I took it out for the first time ever this past week to the Smokey Mountains for a family reunion here this coming weekend. It's older, 2011, but that means I can beat it up as much as is necessary to get myself "back to nature". I have some steep learning curve to go through in order to deal with: tire blowouts, properly draining grey and black water tanks, and not scraping the back corner of my RV against gas station pumps... working on those things... It's 32' so it's a pretty big boy... (Is that why I didn't see the back end swing into the gas pumps? They didn't blow up BTW so I think I'm good...) I've been sitting on my backside the past 3 years 24/7 running three different online businesses so I'm pretty much out of shape and pretty much want to retire from my main job (manufacturing company that the back office has all been VPN'ing into since Covid started... and we never signed up for new office space - to this day - after shutting down our old office. But we did have to keep our manufacturing facilities of course...). Because... I would love to get back to nature and do some hiking, kayaking, etc... Wondering who else is travelling across America RV'ing as much as they can... Maybe noone in here but thought I would start this thread. If/when I retire from my main job... I built an office in the back end of my camper (and tore out the bunk beds that were there since my two are out of the nest...); which covers running my eBay business when I'm on the road, and another business I can do anywhere. Gonna show some pics of my first Back to Nature Excursion!!!

Of course they will. And if it's the Donbass crew that captures them their lives are in that much more danger. Don't they already have two Americans there that they've sentenced to death?

Is there any possible way to get scummier than those guys already are? Because I don't see it. The scummiest virus invasion of scum-sucking bacterially infected MAGA Republicans?

He's served 10 years out of 25 for arms trafficking. He would have been let go within 5 years anyways (do Russians also get "good behavior" in our prisons...?); so why not dump the guy for two American citizens that Russia is F'ing with? I do this trade every day to Sunday... But that's just me. Now if they could just add in Edward Snowden for a kicker we could have icing on our cake...

Such hysterics, You know that Al traded Alex Avila & Justin Wilson for Jeimer Candelario & Isaac Paredes? Right? Or did you forget that part? And name the GM that can spin Jeimer into gold as you seem to think. Because I'm calling pure horseshit with that little gem.

So OK... Jobe is good. But he's got a lotta work still to do... I can live with that. That... and good health.

That's just nasty!

What do you mean shelled? He had two games against them in 2021 and in 10 Inn's he had 14 K's, a 1.03 WHIP... I am guessing that they expect him to get better too... If the Cardinals wanted some cost certainty and control: Skubal and Soto for Jordan Walker...

If Avila talks the Cardinals into a Jordon Walker for Skubal trade.... Win.

SWEET-looking Second Slider!!!

100% agree.

I'm not rooting for them to lose. I'm rooting for them to win the best 2023 draft pick! 😉

Probably. But I like the first 7 guys, and the top 3 guys the best (of course)... so I feel a little more flexible than in years' past... But Lose for Crews (and let's have some Lotto Luck) would seem to work.

The only thing here is that the story is only at the second chapter for Tork/ Greene/ Mize/ Manning/ Baddoo/ Skubal etc... and not even the first chapter on a host of other up and coming prospects. So yes, they've fallen flat on their face this year. But that's NOT the end of the story for those guys....

Hyperbole? That's not the correct term (which is "exaggerated statements"). The correct terminology is "optimism in the face of adversity". Different things. An optimism link in case you need one: https://www.centreforoptimism.com/Optimism-and-Adversity

Title: "Who do you WANT?!" Prologue: "Names that Detroit Tiger fans will becoming familiar with over the next twelve months". Main Characters: Dylan Crews - Deluxe Outfielder Jacob Gonzalez - Supreme Shortstop Max Clark - Superb Outfielder Chase Dollander - Essential Ace Walker Jenkins - Powerful Outfielder Enrique Bradfield Jr. - Exciting Outfielder Dylan Cupp - Quality Shortstop Tanner Witt - Very Good Pitcher Kevin McGonigle - Consolation Shortstop Brock Wilken - Rey Rivera 3rd Baseman Plot: "How do we FIX these Tigers?!" Mystery: "WHO murdered Al Avila?!" Conclusion to this mystery: To be Determined!!!

Found this... (our potential lottery tickets for next year): https://baseballprospectjournal.com/2023-mlb-draft-top-10-pick-mock-draft/ (I killed the team names since those will change anyways...): 1. Dylan Crews, OF, LSU Crews has a powerful right-handed swing that produces elite exit velocities and uses the entire field. He hits for average and power while possessing respectable plate discipline. Crews has the skillset to remain in center field. He has above-average speed and arm strength. He also has quality instincts that allow him to make all the necessary plays in the field. Crews is the complete package. The 6-foot, 203-pound outfielder has five-tool potential with the ability to move through a minor-league system quickly. 2. Jacob Gonzalez, SS, Mississippi Gonzalez has made a tremendous impact offensively in his first two years at Ole Miss. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound left-handed hitter is a well-rounded offensive player. He has notable bat-to-ball skills and hits for average and power to all fields. He also has tremendous plate discipline, as he has more walks (88) than strikeouts (66) at Ole Miss. Defensively, Gonzalez is athletic and possesses above-average arm strength. He has good instincts and will remain at shortstop long term. 3. Max Clark, OF, Franklin (Ind.) Community HS Clark is the best prep player in the 2023 MLB draft class. The 6-foot-1, 190-pound outfielder features a well-rounded toolset with the potential to be a five-tool player in pro ball. Clark has a smooth left-handed swing with above-average bat speed that allows him to hit line drives to all parts of the field consistently. He has strong plate discipline and doesn’t swing and miss often. Defensively, the center fielder is an elite athlete with good instincts, moves well from gap to gap and boasts above-average arm strength. 4. Chase Dollander, RHP, Tennessee Dollander is the top college arm in the 2023 MLB draft class. The 6-foot-3, 192-pound right-handed pitcher boasts a mid-90s fastball that touches 98 mph. He throws from a repeatable delivery and mixes in three secondary pitches, including a high-80s slider. Dollander generates a lot of swings and misses with his fastball. He isn’t afraid to challenge hitters and possesses quality command and control of his pitches. 5. Walker Jenkins, OF, South Brunswick (N.C.) HS Jenkins isn’t too far behind Clark, with some scouts ranking Jenkins as the top prep prospect in the 2023 draft. Jenkins is a 6-foot-3, 210-pound left-handed hitting outfielder with an exciting ability to hit for average and power. He consistently barrels up pitches and does an excellent job using the opposite field. He also has strong plate discipline. Defensively, Jenkins has all the attributes to remain in center field. He is athletic and displays strong instincts. He also has above-average arm strength. 6. Enrique Bradfield Jr., OF, Vanderbilt Bradfield possesses elite speed and projects as a quality top-of-the-order hitter in the pro ranks. The 6-foot-1, 160-pound left-handed hitter has a contact-oriented approach, a strong understanding of the strike zone, and a proven ability to create disruption on the bases. He is a well-regarded defensive center fielder who will remain at the position in pro ball. He runs quality routes and covers a lot of ground due to his speed. 7. Dylan Cupp, SS, Cedartown (Ga.) HS Cupp is the top prep infielder in the 2023 MLB draft class. The 6-foot-2, 190-pound shortstop has an advanced toolset with the skills to remain at shortstop long term. Offensively, the right-handed hitter has notable bat speed and a strong understanding of the strike zone. He consistently squares up the baseball and uses the entire field. He flashes quality power potential. Defensively, Cupp has the arm strength, athleticism, lateral movement and instincts to play shortstop in pro ball. 8. Tanner Witt, RHP, Texas Witt is currently recovering from Tommy John surgery. When healthy, Witt has the exciting combination of size and pitch mix to make him the top pitching prospect in the 2023 draft. Witt is a 6-foot-5, 215-pound righty who primarily relies on a low-to-mid-90s fastball, which features movement, and a 12-to-6 curveball. He mixes in a changeup and slider. He attacks the strike zone and features quality control and command of his pitches. 9. Kevin McGonigle, SS, Monsignor Bonner (Pa.) HS McGonigle has performed well this year, especially recently in the PDP League. The 5-foot-11, 185-pound shortstop is a left-handed hitter who consistently has quality at-bats and hits the ball hard. He has a mature approach and strong plate discipline. Defensively, McGonigle has strong instincts and defensive actions. He is athletic and has respectable arm strength. Some scouts believe McGonigle profiles better at second base long term. 10. Brock Wilken, 3B, Wake Forest Wilken is a big-time power hitter who uses all parts of the field. The 6-foot-4, 225-pound right-handed hitter is more of a power over average hitter and is aggressive every time he steps to the plate. His approach sometimes leads to strikeouts, as he has recorded 107 strikeouts to 57 walks in two seasons at Wake Forest. Defensively, Wilken is an adequate defender and will play third base in pro ball due to his strong arm.

Now I think Avila can jump up that small waterfall (as all or most salmon do...) and get to that special spawning place... But it seems most everyone else thinks Al is going backwards and is going to get washed over a different kind of falls...

Since everyone LOVES those top 10 Al Avila draft picks... !!! Guess what?! We are going to get ANOTHER one of those in 2023!!! We are currently in the #4 draft spot for next year, BTW... But then... the new lottery... So who are the top 6 guys next year?

Willi can actually get on base once in awhile and Schoop can actually plug one into the seats... Neither of which has actually happened all that often this year so I get the point....

I am VERY interested to see what we get out of our plethora of trade deadline relievers...

I think he knows how to swim. But he just started taking lessons a couple years ago. And still has some learnin' to do 'cause he ain't no Olympian. Yeah, that doesn't help either...

PS: Fryman was my favorite player in the 90's and the one I hated most having to see go through that non-winning era....