Tiger337

If the middle of the line-up 1B has a 140 OPS+ then it doesn't matter so much. 105 is not enough for a one dimensional hitter.

I was going to say that, but I didn't want to start a WAR sucks discussion.

For position players, I'd probably go with Kerry Carpenter. I don't know if pitchers were eligible, but there were a few pitchers who wre more deserving. Tork played 159 games and had some good traditional counting stats which is probably why they pickrd him.

You need some new friends. 😀 Most people I know are either softcore MAGA, socialists or don't give a **** about politics.

If you want a binary answer - either expecting the inevitable civil war or blissfully thinking everything is just fine - then you will be disappointed.

This is very true.

No. I didn't say that at all. I just don't think things will happen quickly. I don't expect a civil war as long as the economy is reasonably good. Most people just want to live their lives. I understand the angst that people have. Trump is the first president in my life who I have viewed as an enemy and I don't want to give him any chances to do damage. I just don't think things would happen as fast and as easily as you guys fear.

The climate change crowd tells me we're all doomed anyway. So, maybe there is no hope. Give the dinosaurs another shot! And I am not talking about MAGA when I say dinosaurs. 😃

I never had any doubts that Trump was trash. I knew it the first time I heard him talk over 40 years ago. He represents everything that sucks about people.

Torkelson's progress as a power hitter this year was encouraging, but he was still a weak fielding first baseman with a 105 OPS+. Definitely not a player of the year or even one who should have been a candidate.

I can see over the coming decades the country is going to weaken if people continue to reject science, education, logic and any motivation to find the truth. And another four years of Trump is not going to help! My point is that we aren't going to go into an irreversible authoritarian dictatorship in four years, nor is a Biden victory going to fix anything. It would just prolong the malaise and the impending sense of doom. Americans are a shallow, unserious bunch. Maybe we need some dark times to make us smarter. I don't know.

That was me not too long ago. My life was better then! The thing is they really don't have much effect on a lot of people's lives. They do affect some people though and some day that could be me or you.

That is true. The funny thing though is its often poor people who identify most strongly with the party.

Good news on inflation this morning. It was down more than expected in October. Inflation getting under control and people noticing it is going to be key in the next election. The problem is that we ALWAYS have inflaton every year. Even if the numbers show a significant slowing of inflation over the next year, it will be difficult to persuade people that things are getting better because it is not going to be 0 inflation. It's a lot easier to persuade people that inflation is a problem than it's not a problem.

I run into the same kind of thing with some friends. They have this undying faith in the Republican party and are always talking about how terrible the democrats are even though they are not necessaily that conservative. Some don't even like Trump, but they just seem conditioned to identify as Republican. I don't think you can persuade people politically, at least not directly, because it's like a religion with some people. You just have to hope they can eventually figure it out on their own.

He is promising lots of tariffs

Ask them who was the last Republican president who didn't have a recession under his watch?

The funny thing is that immigrants are healthier and live longer on average than native born Americans.

I think you are generally a knowledgable and reasonable poster.

I think my response is fine. Not everybody has to be an alarmist. Why do you always tell me to leave it there or we'll have to agree to disagree? It's a message board. If one of us gets tired of the discussion, we can just go to a different thread or just leave and do something else. Personally, I don't think Trump has changed for 40 years. His vermin comment dosn't change anything. He has always been trash. I am probably more annoyed that people haven't figured that out than anything else.

It is still strong among MAGAs. I don't think they view him any different than they did 8 years ago which is why his approval rating (as low as it may be) has stayed consistent.

I think there is a difference between facilitating an authoritarian take over of the country and just saying stupid stuff to get people worked up.

I am not sure of your point. Is your point that he used the phrase to facilitate an authoritarian take over of the United States of America by letting his cult know that the lefties are a bunch of filthy rodents?

I agree! Because it won't have any effect on the election one way or the other. People will just view it as Trump being Trump and move onto to the next outrage later this week.

I think he used the word "vermin", not to dehumanize, but because someone like Stephen Miller told him it was a good word to use to get people worked up. Miller knows that intellectual lefties will understand the history behind the word and MAGAs love it when intellectual lefties get worked up. Trump loves it too.