1984Echoes

If you call up Edvinsson to replace a dumped Petry (not against that at all...); Which LH'ed D plays on his off-hand?

Works for me.

I wasn't really thinking about Perez... But... He's a switch-hitter. Has played a lot of 2B. He has good speed and can steal bases at a high-success rate. He's a high-contact/ high-OBP type of guy... and they had him playing a lot of OF (I think CF) in Toledo. He might be a really interesting piece to add as a bench/ 13th guy. IMO.

I thought I saw his contract up/ he's a free agent after 2025? I just googled it so I didn't really look hard...

TRADE Chiarot!!!

Holl hasn't played since 1/31 and he's our 3rd RH'ed D... Is he nicked up? I thought they liked him as a defensive D...?

Fischer scores so 3-2. Secondary scorers... YEAH! Oh, that was a Fischer assist to Sprong scores... (Doesn't change the narrative... secondary scoring... YEAH!)

I'm not really focused on the Leafs. Detroit can move up or down a couple spots so that means keeping an eye on Tampa, the Flyers, Devils, and Islanders. That's the immediate focus anyways... IMO.

I was going to see he'd be a great replacement for Canha after he leaves as a FA after this year... But I think Canha is actually signed through 2025...

Anyone interested in the early 1900's Ty Cobb era... No I don't have a T-206 Cobb (I would love to get a good deal on one of his cards but impossible to do because he gets OODLES of attention any time a card of his pops up...); but HOF'ers or near-HOF'ers that I do have from the T-206 set are: Frank Chance, Jack Chesbro, Fred Clarke, Miller Huggins, Hughie Jennings (Detroit), Walter Johnson, Rube Marquard, John McGraw, Tris Speaker, Rube Waddell, Zach Wheat, Vic Willis. From Detroit I've got (aside from Jennings): Davy Jones, Ed Killian, George Mullin, Charley O'Leary, Ed Willetts.

I never got into autographs for some reason... I don't know why... they're interesting... Actually, I have one autograph set that I keep inside a case: The 1953 Topps Archives that came out around 1991 I think... Multiple guys chased after every single living player that was still around to get them to autograph the Reprint card from 1953. I think about 180 or so were still living, and that includes some "extended" numbers/ players (including Aaron) from the reprint set that actually were not a part of the original. I didn't chase the autographs but I did chase the autographed cards. I've got everyone who signed a card. I've got the Mickey Mantle and Hank Aaron and Willie Mays (plus others) for anyone interested in a look-see... But other than that... yeah, they fade. And bats and balls ummm... yeah, they take up quite a bit of space... Room only for so many...

Yeesh... One more comment: If I have this correct.. you are UPSET that the IDF reports military deaths but not civilian deaths, but you are NOT upset, AT ALL, because you've made no comment to the following point: That Hamas reports ALL Gazan deaths as civilian deaths, but does not report their military deaths? Do I have that right? So... it doesn't bother you that HAMAS killed hundreds of those Gazan deaths? Anyone remember the bombing of the Al-Shifa Hospital... that was actually an errant Hamas missile or two? Hundreds of deaths, IIRC. It doesn't bother you that hundreds (wag) of Gazan civilians, and also most likely some Israeli hostages, were killed because Hamas USES them as human shields? It doesn't bother you that roughly (wag) 11,000 of those 28,500 Gazan deaths are terrorists... which Hamas refuses to acknowledge, but you're OUTRAGED that a military organization tasked with military objectives is reporting military deaths? And there is STILL the point that Hamas ALSO does not differentiate between civilian or military personnel when they commit their acts of murder. My comment is... you need to look in the mirror before you start speaking about shameful.

Yank Mar-a-Lago from underneath his feet and sell it at auction. If it doesn't cover the bill... New York Trump Tower next. And... keep on going until...

One further point... and I'll ask this in question form... For all of your OUTRAGE that the IDF military organization, that reports to the Israeli GOVERNMENT, and not to YOU... and reports military deaths only to the Israeli government as is their JOB, and not civilian... which you apparently believe is some massive moral crime.... Did Hamas attack only military targets when it went into Israel and butchered babies? Or would those be classified as civilian murders by Hamas?

I have no idea how many complete sets I have... but quite a few. Unlike most... after my dad got me into collecting by buying me a complete 1974 Topps set... I went old school. I just loved the older cards. A few complete sets (and I collect only ExMt-NrMt or better grade... hard to do... but eBay has been a bonanza for people just dumping cards and being able to find good deals), and only baseball unless otherwise noted: 1951 Topps Red Backs. 1956 Topps Football. 1959, 1960, 1961 and 1963 Fleer sets. 1962 Post Cereal set. 1953 Johnston Cookies (Braves only, with Spahn and Eddie Mathews) 1964 Topps. 1969-1976 Topps. 1964 Auravision Records (7x7 33's with Kaline & Mantle, etc..,) 1953 Bowman Black & White 1953 Bowman Color (actually I'm missing Mantle, Berra, and a card with Mantle Berra & Bauer) I'm close to complete sets (missing key cards) with: 1939, 1940, and 1941 Playball. 1948 and 1949 Bowman. 1952 to 1963 Topps (range from 2 to 14 cards still needed, except the 52's with about 44 missing). 1951 Topps Blue Backs. 1966 Topps 1964 Topps Stand Ups 1964 Wheaties Stamps 1954 Red Heart Dog Food 1952 Num Num Potato Chips (only Indians... and I've got the Feller card). All with tabs (much less without tabs...) 1955 Red Man Tobacco 1939 Goudey Premiums, B set (I've got Joe DiMaggio, but missing Jimmy Foxx and a couple others...). I have about 200 different T-206's (tobacco cards from 1909-1911). Errr... I'm a bit of a collector.

I like Jason Statham. But I find that he is sometimes (the dialogue) better than Chuck Norris... And sometimes worse than Norris. I guess it depends on the writers.

So we've lost Dearborn... Forever?

You're still confused.

Crazily enough, the UN confirms that Israel has the LOWEST number of civilian casualties in an urban warfare environment per normal urban warfare expectations: (IE: UN expectation in urban warfare is 9-1 ration loss of civilians to military. Israel's ratio is approximately 2-1 civilians killed to military... in Gaza's urban settings...): https://www.yahoo.com/news/weve-got-stop-believing-hamas-145119252.html Opinion We’ve got to stop believing Hamas’ lies about civilian deaths in Gaza Isaac Schorr Mon, February 19, 2024 "... as a military historian – less than 2:1 is an astonishingly low ratio for modern urban warfare where the terrorists routinely use civilians as human shields. It is a testament to the professionalism, ethics and values of the Israel Defense Forces.” The UN, indeed, despite its constant criticism of Israel, has assessed that a more normal ratio in urban combat would be 9:1.

Might wanna wait until after the trade deadline... Just in case...

I think there's a different method: Re-education. And not the bad Chinese version. But... IIRC, Hamas prints out comic books in Gaza for kids that basically says "killing Israelis is a wonderful thing and Allah will love you for it". Textbooks in Math and other subjects center around shooting or throwing rocks at Israeli soldiers. Hamas has tried to indoctrinate 100% of Gazans into the "Exterminate Israel" doctrine that they espouse. So the aftermath has already been discussed as co-managed by non-Palestinian Muslim states. By Egypt & Jordan just as examples. Sort of as guarantors to Israel that terrorism is not again indoctrinated to Gazans. So... the "new" education? To me it's very simple: Gaza has its own freedom, government, land, peoples... and on the other side of that fence over there, is someone else. But FORGET who's on the other side of the fence. Worry only about your own land. Don't build bombs and missiles and deep underground bunkers & tunnels... Build farms. And Arboretums. And Computer science centers. And other things that build up your OWN lives (what they should have been doing the past 20+ years; not 50% of those materials stolen by Hamas to build a war machine that is a failure against the Israeli behemoth anyways). If you don't "mess" with those guys on the other side of the fence, they won't mess with YOU (Gazans). If you throw rocks over the fence to try to hurt someone "over there", guess what happens? It's not pleasant if they'll remember the winter of 2023-24. Just FORGET who's on the other side of the fence. You have land, and beaches, and farms, and your OWN government... right here in Gaza. That's my suggestion anyways...

Just because he has no coherent plan or a half-baked plan as befits his overwhelming ignorance doesn't mean that he does NOT want it. He wants it. He absolutely wants it. He wants to be dictator and tell everybody what to do. To have all the (corrupt) money go to him. He ABSOLUTELY wants that. And yes, per G2's point, not only for all the corrupt money going to him but now for legal protection because he absolutely needs it. I am... completely and totally shocked that you cannot see that. I just don't get how anyone cannot see that. It's so blatantly apparent. But yes... he's a brainless ****. That's the one other thing that is saving our Democracy. That he is so overwhelmingly incompetent that he cannot just take over swiftly and smoothly like a Mussolini. But Trump's brown shirts... are trying. But make no mistake: He wants it. And they're (Trump's "brown shirts") pulling out all the stops to try and get him that.

PS: I didn't mean that 100% of House Dems want strings attached to Israeli aid... I meant that I don't know of any Senators asking for such. I know Dem members of the House are. But I don't know if that's 10% of House Dems, or 20% or 50% or 80%....? I just know there's some Dem noise about putting strings on the aid. But they just passed a bipartisan effort in the Senate that had: 0 restrictions on Israeli aid. So it must not have been important to Dem Senators. It is important to House Dems... at least some of them have raised a stink about there being no strings...

Ah, gotcha. If you're looking for nefarious intent: 1) You won't get that statement from Bibi. He still has to deal with the international community, even if he is trying to wall off his country from the outside (criticism, interference, or anything...) as much as he can. He's going to allow the IDF to complete its mission. They are going to take Rafah, and eliminate, as much as possible, the last Hamas battalions still fighting. Beyond that... the only indication he has given is that they will not just leave Gaza (not as colonizers, but rather, a security contingent that MUST remain there (their words, not mine) to guarantee Israeli safety from further terrorist attacks from Gaza). I don't know what that means exactly. I guess we'll find out shortly. And, indications that they will not allow Hamas back into Gaza, at least as a military force. That they will control the flow of all incoming goods (it is believed that all the weapons Hamas accumulated came in through the Egyptian border crossing). That's as much as I know. To your point: several hard right Israeli politicians have asked "why don't they just leave?", "Can we just take back Gaza and make them (Palestinians) go live somewhere else...?" Israel and Bibi took heavy flak for those statements. Again... Bibi is NOT going to say that out loud even if that is what he is thinking. So you won't get what you want because: (A) The IDF will remain military only, and will report military deaths only. (B) Israel as a state can NOT admit to having any desire to remove Palestinians from Gaza... that would be an official act of genocide (Think: Turkey and the Armenians...). And (C) Even if Netanyahu were THINKING that... he can't say that out loud. = War crime. So you won't get the IDF announcing total Gazan deaths. At all. Military only. But what is Israel TRULY thinking...? I can't answer that at the moment. They will reveal their hand pretty shortly however. The endgame to the IDF's military objectives is near at hand. Again, the IDF will not do that. As for the stoppage of aid to Israel: I believe in the current political atmosphere that has nothing to do with Israel and everything to do with the complete and total disorder of the House Republicans. Both sides of the aisle, in both the House and the Senate, are heavily committed to supporting Israel (the House just passed an Israel-ONLY package a month ago because: "screw Ukraine, screw the border... MUST help Israel..."). The only thing that is going to happen with Israeli aid is that a contingent of Dems (not certain if it's 100% House or if some Dem Senators also...) who want some strings attached to Israeli aid: basically, that they make attempts to negotiate a ceasefire and do a better job of protecting civilians. I think that is as much as anyone can hope for: because there WILL be aid to Israel.

PS: Why do you think he's salivating over Putin, Xi, and Kim Jong Un? He WANTS what they have... absolute control.