Useful Idiot

I knew something was missing 😁

Well, you're right in the sense of "who would want him?" I was perhaps unfairly preoccupied with the irony of having him on a roster where the stated priority is to "master the strike zone" His talents really don't key into that ethos very well.

Just think of all those valuable at-bat experiences that he's robbing from our ascendant kiddie korps?

Of course for any Tigers fan, spring training is the best part of the experience. Despite losing ballgame after ballgame, we can still find comfort in insisting that it doesn't really matter.

Of course you prefer the off season! You're a Tigers fan. Once the losing starts, that's when it becomes painful.

I will admit you are right about that, and using my now infamous "the glass is half empty" brand of optimism, we have enough payroll headroom to sign not just one big name, but several. And they could easily have paid a luxury tax for one year while waiting for Miggy's contract to come off the books! Think of all the money they saved these past five years by being frugal. They got room to spend.

The lights, don't forget the lights!! ROFL!!

C'mon man. "mastering the strike zone"? "put the right assets in place that will allow our younger players to reach their FULL potential"? Can't you tell when someone is playing you? The 2015 Royals were the fluke. All the jealousy they inspired among other owners believing that smart management could win cheaply, is just self-abuse. And if they don't stop it they WILL go blind... LOL!

A few months back, one of your responses to my cynicism was a question asking "how long before I jump ship entirely?" (or words very similar). Which of course had special meaning that you at the time likely never intended, considering my biological clock.

Well, he lead the Tigers in homers, I'll give him that (<-----------intended sarcasm) I don't hate the man, but I felt it was a mistake settling on the lower priced spread when we signed him, and his performance last season did nothing to convince me that I was wrong. Hows that for diplomacy? Hey, I'm prejudiced, I'll admit as much. I just have no use for former Cubbie shortstops to become Tigers.

I had my share of misgivings about DD, as well. In 2006 when we went through the trade deadline and picked up Sean Casey, with the explanation that with DaMeat coming off the DL, that was "as good as" acquiring another top player. That seemed pretty obvious to me to be a con job. They were shining the fans on. And to a large degree, I feel the current outfit's infatuation with "the future" is just more shine-ola. If the fans are gullible enough to buy it? etc Tying this last thought into the base premise of this thread, what evidence might there be that the organization is NOT BS'ing the fans with some spiel? How far does having ZERO of the games top 100 players on our roster go, towards proving a will to win? The ZERO, IMO, pretty much supports the idea we are being stooged

Again, as the relative "outsider", any serious grief would surely be blamed on me. So, that is the "jacket" that I'm trying to not wear. It's easy to "blame the troll" whenever there is dissension. But frequently the truth is the most serious trolls are deeply embedded within a forums base membership. "Inhouse trolls" is what I call them.

The point I had foremost in my mind is "headline talent". When we had voids, we filled them with the top tier of what was available. We can ruminate endlessly over the pitfalls of Prince and Victor, all players have a down side. But the point worth emphasis is, we went after the best that was available, year after year. Made me believe we were at least serious about winning. I don't get that out of the present outfit.

More truth to that than you likely realize. Back in 2018, a five year rebuild offered an opportunity that I might again see another winning Tigers team in my life time. Pushing that forward another 5 years, my ability to stand witness becomes doubtful. So yeah, I freely admit there is some bitterness involved.

One thing I feel worth mentioning. I can be as "down in the mud" insulting as anyone. But I try to not be that person. For one, I'm a relative outsider here, and whenever there is grief, the prevailing attitude is that the new comer is the cause. So, I'm trying hard to NOT be that person. If you believe yourself to be getting the better of me in the "snark" department...it is only fitting that you realize that is because one of us isn't trying. FWIW