Pickles

He's certainly not worthless.

No, because he's not playing every day. For one, he'd probably be better if he was playing every day imo. Kind of the reverse DH effect. Two, he'd be hitting enough to have an everyday job, which would make people feel more forgiving with him. For God's Sakes, he literally just made the defensive play of the game last night to greatly help win, and now everybody wants to cut him because he made a clear E, and bring up him diving in the hole to have a 113 mph scorcher glance off his glove as evidence. I don't think he's here for the next few years, though it isn't an impossible scenario, but I don't think he's going anywhere in season.

He always throws strikes. He's getting beat because he can't command and they're all in the middle of the zone.

See, I largely disagree with those takes. There's been 3-4 plays that maybe a platinum glove ss makes and he has failed to, but he's still been excellent defensively, including making a game-saving play last night, that was unfairly maligned. He has not been as good defensively this year as last, when he was a platinum glove ss, but he is still excellent. But that play tonight? Yeah, that's a clear E, and he has to make that play.

Nothing to say other than let's hope it is minor.

Henderson has back discomfort.

Everything's up. He can't live like that.

Now that is a play Mateo should have made. Bottom 9th 6/25 Edit: And it cost us the game.

He hit the cutoff man by short hopping him with a weak throw to the wrong shoulder. That was a great catch and throw by Mateo. And I stand by that.

Go check Cowser's throw-in.

The D-ring? Really? That must be very painful for you.

I think if he were playing every day he would still be in the conversation for the GG, but not the platinum glove. It's probably been a handful of plays over the course of half the season, and I think the play in the 8th today is a very bad example of one of those plays. I do not believe the scouting evaluation of Mateo's defense has changed over the course of this season, as it probably should have in regards to Frazier's.

Silly narratives. Right on time.

He's basically played about 95% as well as he did last season in the field. I think everyone would have conceded that was a possibility. I didn't see the first play, but the second play, in the 8th, was not only not an error, and it's ridiculous to suggest it was (see other thread), but that's a 113 mph short hop to the backhand side. I think even Gold Glovers don't make that play every time, or even most of the time.

Calling out silly takes isn't trolling. At no point in the history of the game would that play be considered an error regardless of your silly take. And it's important that they be called out, otherwise entire silly narratives emerge.

I didn't realize Jorge Mateo was supposed to be the Iron Dome.

That ball was 113 MPH off the turf. That's not an error.

Well he can only be judged by his peers. That's the standard. I'm fine with the struggles. I'm not saying send him down. I'm just saying the defense hasn't been good.

I don't think they brought him up to send him back down but it might have been interesting if Mullins hadn't gotten hurt. I like the approach. He looks fine at the plate. I haven't liked the defense in CF. He doesn't look like a good CF to me. He should have caught the ball in the 8th last night; Mullins almost certainly does. He definitely should have caught the ball in the 9th today. Certainly the more worrying play, as he took a bad jump AND got his feet tangled up.

Words out of my mouth.

Exactly. The Wire is a great show, and accurate in its depictions of corruption. What's ironic about the show imo is the creator, David Simon, so powerfully presents the innate corruption of the bureaucracies and the institutions, and yet he believes the solution to that is increasing them in size, scope, and power. Baffling to me. As if he doesn't understand the premise of his own show.

I've come to realize that the more and more of government, and the closer you get to Washington D.C. the more and more this is true, is a money laundering operation and nothing more.

By his "own political reasons" you mean his cut of the taxpayer money.

The negotiation is more about how they get to divvy up the 600 million dollars of taxpayer money. Which "friendly" businesses get the contracts, and how and how much they will kick back to which politicians. It's a money laundering operation.

One dirty hand in another. Don't overlook the politics of all this. Disgustingly corrupt.