Pickles

If you think Mountcastle's September 2019 experience has a lot of bearing on the futures of Rodriguez and Hall, I guess more power to you. I don't. But further, even it did, it doesn't matter. Returning to contention isn't going to be materially affected by so-and-so debuting two weeks or two months earlier than they actually do. It's a pointless talking point that is beaten into the ground over and over again, in every thread possible, even this one where there's no relation to the OP. If Mountcastle had appeared in MLB in September 2019 would it affect the standing of the team today? No, not at all. If Rutschman had debuted last August would it affect the standing of the team today? No, not at all. If Henderson does/or does not get a September call up this year, will it affect the standing of the team in summer of 2023? No, not at all. So I repeat: Who really gives a sh1t?

Yeah, this is just way too negative for me. For one, the major league team is better. The 2020 team was a small sample fluke, propped up by a bunch of older guys who weren't instrumental to the future. The improvement in the 2022 team is almost solely driven by guys who factor into the future. And the idea that nobody is on the cusp to help improve more is overstatement. Adley just got here. He's not even hitting 200 yet. The Grod injury sucks, but the man didn't die. He should be impacting wins and losses by April at the latest. Hall probably gets up this summer. Stowers, Henderson, and Westburg are all at AAA. The fruits of the rebuild haven't even reached the majors with the exception of 3 weeks of Adley Rutschman. Now the core of your point- Is this going to be enough to return to contention in 24 months?- is unknowable. I'm certain we'll have to add to the team from outside the organization. I'm not certain that is going to take the form of top of the market FA signings.

But who really gives a sh1t? That was three years ago. It has absolutely no bearing on today.

It's been ugly for about three weeks now it seems. The fact is, we're asking too much of him. He's not a ML starter. If we had enough options, you'd give him a chance in an Akin-type role. The way it is: It's his turn in the barrel.

I imagine if he did order him to do it, Elias was thankful for the cover for something he was gong to do anyway.

I work in education. You don't even want to know what it has done to education and a whole generation of students. And I work in a southern state that opened up way before everwhere else. I teach at a community college which is a dual credit program, so while I teach college courses I'm actually teaching many high schoolers. These are supposedly the best high schoolers in the district. 60% of them are functionally illiterate. It ain't getting better, folks. Learn to garden and tend chickens. (I realize I woke up a ray of sunshine today.)

That's the comfort I try to take: People have been predicting apocalypse for a couple thousand years now. And they're only right some of the time. So maybe I'm wrong.

Oh, I agree. When I was speaking about the economic whirlwind coming, it's coming for us all. It's just places like Baltimore are going to be hurt the most. If you think it's dystopian now, just wait.

I guess me and you are that consensus I keep hearing about. When we're in agreement, you can be pretty sure people with very different perspectives are seeing the same things the same way.

Deservedly so. Sometimes the consensus is accurate and forms for a reason.

I preface by saying this isn't a political statement (and of course that means it is lol): This country is facing some very hard economic times coming up. It's going to be bad and it's going to last a long time. And it's only going to exasperate all of the social ills now we think are out of control.

Sure the NFL and MLB are different. But the guy made himself a billionaire working in personnel. I think he'd figure it out.

Let's put it this way: It's going to get worse. If ya'll think it's bad now, wait. You ain't seen nothing yet.

Bro, the city is dead. It ain't coming back.

Well agree to disagree. I suspect neither of us are happy with what has happened to the NFL, but I don't put that on Bisciotti. And if he gets the results the Ravens have gotten over the decades, I'm a-ok with an old boys network.

Probably not, for several reasons. But there's a man who can lead a first class organization.

I believe the absolute best case scenario for an O's fan, and I'm not sure how feasible it is, would be a Bisciotti purchase of the team.

Well Elias was a good hire. And the sons are preferable to the father in the sense that the devil you don't know is better than the devil you do know that is an actual devil. But if you can find me somebody celebrating the Angelos' reign in this millennium I'll gladly mock him.

I responded to an earlier post when somebody said "I've been telling ya'll since 2006." LOL. Really? Cause I've known Angelos was a garbage owner about five years before that. There isn't a soul on this board who has defended the Angelos' stewardship of this franchise, and hasn't been for about two decades.

Waiting for Rosenthal's take. And Frobby's. I actually think this could be good news. If it forces the Angelos family to sell.

Angelos didn't have a lot (any) defenders left by 2006. LOL.

And again, I fail to see how benching one of your best players is any kind of rational solution.

If they make their defense worse, do you think that will solve the problem of the starters giving up too many runs?

As others have pointed out, Mullins even playing as he has this year has been average to above average player. Last year he was a star. Benching him, cutting his playing time, etc. is a bad idea if your idea is to improve the team. If you want to tank for a draft pick, it's probably a great idea.

You can call it whatever you want, but sitting one of your best players so he can "pinch hit" and be a "defensive replacement" is definitely going to be seen, rightfully so, as a benching. This is just a really terrible idea. So much so that I am offended by it. LOL. I mean, it makes no sense. People complain the team isn't doing enough to win games now, and the solution it seems is to bench their best players for rookies, and Rule 5 guys. Madness.