gehringer_2

However, I think we are fast getting to the point where the first assumption for all images, video, and soon voice, that comes over web is that they are inauthentic. The goose that laid the golden egg will have been plucked and cooked, and we will be back to word of mouth from people you trust as the only source of believable data, available possibly along with a few signed encrypted sources vetted over long experience.

If we follow that logic do we arrive at the conclusion that they are not actually protestors but provocateurs? Maybe the distinction can be subtle, but I'd argue it exists.

The whole concept behind conventional protest is turned upside down in the digital age. A protest can do one of two things - it can raise the visibility of an issue, or it can demonstrate there are powerful numbers behind a movement that TPTB need to reckon with. In the digital age, protesting for visibility is almost defunct - all issues are visible today. The people that want to support you can find you and your issue without you being on the street. That part is nearly superfluous today. The mass demonstration movement still has power, but it's only very rare issues/movements can bring the hundreds of thousands-> millions of people out (a la MLK in DC '63) that will actually move a needle in US politics. So I would agree, small numbers of people being obstructive on the street are mostly doing it to satisfy their own need to virtue signal, they aren't actually accomplishing anything.

It was interesting to hear Carlos Pena say he believed you drew MORE walks by being more aggressive swinging at strikes. Carlos talked about young players "looking over their shoulders, worried about having too quick ABs". I have thought in general that under the Hinch regime, the young Tigers hitters are too reluctant to swing at strikes early in the count, esp the 1st pitch, if they are not perfect - thus getting themselves into a hole they never get out of in the AB. The Tiger mantra seems to be that you are going to get your pitch in every AB if you wait for it. No, you are not. MLB pitchers are better than that, and if you are waiting for perfect you are just going to end up 0-2 a lot and BAs from 0-2 are pretty dismal, which is pretty much what we are seeing. Hitters have to resign themselves to hunting pitches that are les than ideal when the pitcher has shown his ability to throw the ball where he wants to. The other idea was to drive pitch counts, but so many teams have deep strong bullpens today that chasing starters doesn't even get you much advantage. Now in point of fact, I think they were more aggressive early last night against Lorenzen, but to Casimir's point, they couldn't barrel much up.

No doubt Lyon has cooled off. In retrospect maybe they gave up on Ned too quickly. I guess they thought they had something in Husso - until he turned to glass.

How does Gores persuade any competent Basketball exec that he is serious about fixing this team when he doesn't clean house for himself first. I guess if he overpays enough he'll get someone to take the job, but I'd love to see the list of guys who passed on an offer before the hire is made.

Lange has to throw the FB for strikes because the curve is supposed to get there out of the zone. But a hard two seam fastball can be a treacherous weapon. It's a good pitch because it moves erratically, but that also means some days just by random chance it's going to happen that you throw a bunch of them and none land for strikes. Then the problem just snowballs as you start trying to aim the ball, which inevitably results in a batting practice pitch that ends up in the seats. It was happening to Foley yesterday, but he landed enough strikes to fight through it without giving in.

1st need for come-from-behinds is a strong BP so leads don't grow. In '68 you Hiller and Dobson working as swing men, and Daryl Patterson, all with with strong relief performances that year. This years BP has also been very good with the exception of Lange - who I'm going to guess gets maybe 2 more tries to straighten out.

If you compare Chet to Kareem, he's not that far away. Chet is supposedly up to 208 now, Kareem came into the league at ~225, an inch taller and a little older than Chet. Victor is another story.

LOL. In the non-evangelical Christian world, there is a theology emerging that says the Chuch's reason to exist must be 'missional', not attractional.' That for a couple of hundred years in the US, Church's have existed primarily to bring resources into themselves to build up their institutions, when what they should be doing is being conduits for their members lives and resources to be directed back into the world to make it a better place. The Mega church is the epitome - the end game in fact, of attractional church structure. The end game because it becomes fundamentally an entertainment venue focused on it's own preservation. And worse, the attractive church must strive for popularity by conforming to the prejudices of it's members. But entertainment is not the place to find meaning in life, and a church that doesn't change lives for the better is no church. Which is why the model contains the seeds of it own eventual failure to remain relevant to anything.

Boban has been in the league 9 seasons, his total time on the court is still less than starter's minutes for a single season. And he's pocketed $40M.

i don't really care what he puts on his shoes, but I guess I don't get why the IG post that doesn't show enough of the context to explain it (or maybe there were more and that's the only one that made twitter?)- or may that's the point - to generate "what does that mean" clicks?

I think the attack was formulated to be the most massive thing they could advertise for internal consumption that would still give them some hope of not engendering a coordinated retaliation. But they are playing a very dangerous game assuming that this isn't exactly what Bibi needs to justify what he has wanted to do all along, which is to try to bring down the Iranian regime. Nuclear facilities are an obvious target but also very hardened. As noted my guess is that unless the US talks Israel out of it, what is going to happen is that nothing will happen as Israel bides it time until the Iranian leadership drops its guard enough to be in one place and that is what Israel will go after. They'll go for Khamenie and IRG leadership and hope it initiates a chain reaction collapse of the IRR. I think that will fail, but I still think that is Bibi's likely game plan.

Of course Iran also opened itself to a counter attack by Israel that could be devastating. They apparently are banking on the US persuading Israel that it's the actual result - 'no harm, no foul' and not the brazenness of the attack - which is straight up grounds for an Israeli declaration of War under old style rules, that should be controlling. For their sake I hope they aren't overestimating the level of influence we have left with the Netanyahu government. If Israel does counter attack, I expect it will be an attempt to decapitate the regime, which would get really interesting if it succeeded.(by which I mean total chaos)

They could fire Weaver, fire Williams, bring in a new GM who will draft a player to complement Cade, move everyone else they can for players that actually make a team, and become a respectable if not deep playoff calibre team. Or they can do what Gores is most likely to do, which is give us another round of the same incompetence and futility and we can watch Cade walk at the end of '25

If he fails, it won't be for lack of confidence.

They succeeded to some degree. They have scored 29 more goals this season than last plus whatever they add in the last two. But the goals against only dropped by 10, and it will less than that by the end. So while Yzerman turned over some Dmen last off season, the D didn't get substantially bettter, if at all. And of course not enough of our forwards are effective two ways either.

Hopefully some team will be willing to give something up for Berggren - who could be an asset for a the right team - one that is already strong defensively but needs finishers on offense. But for the Wings who are weak defensively and already have DeBrincat (and possibly Kane) he might well be worth more as a trade chip.

right - it's just an amazingly bad assembly. How many line-ups could you add Cade Cunningham to and end up with a worse team?

split with the predicted division winner. Disappointing given they should have won one yesterday, but not a complete disaster.

Urshella's glove still works.

now Foley can't throw strikes? What else?

I really liked a couple of pitchers before where he spoiled the close to a called strike sinker - pure defensive swing to stay alive with no intent to do anything.

He had a pretty sorry AB in the nightcap yesterday as well.

this is such a weird dance Israel and Iran are doing. The 'attack' by Iran on Israel by means Iran knew Israel could pretty easily counter stands as sort of a de-escalating escalation. They created an off ramp for themselves with their own public and more importantly an off-ramp for Netanyahu as well if he is willing - or even wants to - take it.