SFGiants58

That reminds me that, when contraction was on the table, Disney would agree to contract the Angels and the A’s would move to Anaheim to replace them. Honestly, not a bad idea in hindsight.

Bonds beat his pregnant wife and maybe held a guy prisoner, Clemens has the horrible Mindy McCready situation, and Pete Rose transported a minor across state lines with intent to fornicate. There are more visceral moral reasons beyond roids or betting to keep them out. Likewise, I consider Karl Malone my least favorite NBA player ever. The guy molested and impregnated a seventh grader when he was 19, and he got to have a Hall of Fame career in spite of his crimes.

That’s totally reasonable, especially since those ‘10s D-Backs teams were so bad. I had the same reaction to watching Charlie Blackmon on the Rockies since I moved to Denver. Couldn’t stand him before but now I think of him whenever I hear “I don’t want to lose your love… tonight.” That and he looks like the epitome of Colorado Man. The Rockies are now the division’s punching bag and I can’t imagine them being good for ages.

Hey, that’s only two out of three. But still, even making it to the title and losing it is still shaping the story. Becoming the designated Eastern Conference representative from 2011-2018 is shaping the story and changing the fates of numerous franchises.

Well, “Why is that man(‘s phone case) in pink?”

He made a bunch of elder millennials angry and the whole Miami-Cleveland Mk II era created a whole host of storylines and drama. You’ve got Dirk’s ring, bringing a title to Cleveland, being the last hoorah of Popovich’s Spurs, forming a worthy rival to the Warriors, and snuffing out the Pacers’ relevancy. That’s shaping the game and being in the center of attention. DG may have more to say on this. At most, Mike Trout got rolled over by the 2014 Royals and was on one of several doormats for the Astros’ divisional dominance (through cheating). He doesn’t really attract legendary drama, but it’s just not who he is or the sport he plays. Maybe that’s good, maybe that’s bad.

I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I believe Albert Belle and Kenny Lofton should be in the Hall of Fame.

Wasn't his trade from Seattle to Cincinnati somewhat messy? Some people don't like to be the center of attention and being on Greater Los Angeles' lesser team is certainly away from the spotlight. Arte may have changed the team name to Los Angeles, but it doesn't seem like their reach expands beyond the Orange Curtain.

Here's the difference - I don't get abstract "bad vibes" from Yount or any other legendary guys stuck on bad teams like I do with Trout. Mike Trout, for reasons I can't fully articulate, gives me very bad vibes. Like, everything people said about how much they hated Tom Brady applies to Mike Trout for me, even though Mike Trout has nowhere near as much to show for his career. Mike Trout is one of the best ever, but can it really be said that he changed the game or shaped its history in any meaningful way since 2011? Other than increasing demands for Arte Moreno to sell the team?

I was thinking this: As I said, it was an irrational "rubs me the wrong way" dislike. That was just the easiest reason, for now anyway. There are plenty of people I dislike because they "rub me the wrong way" and it's totally irrational. Don't we all have at least one person we dislike for no good reason?

Another solution to this whole issue would be Arte Moreno finally selling the Angels and them getting an owner who actually cares. Trout can just be a player-manager or coach as a bunch of young guys win a title for him.

Have you ever seen Nukie? We need that kind of bad lip sync.

Mike Trout just irrationally rubs me the wrong way and I’m mostly just trying to rationalize it (however flimsily). He always has and always will. The only other guy who did this in baseball was Paul Goldschmidt and he eventually gave me a very good reason to despise him.

It makes him a more engaging player who fits the “fame” and “journalists like him” parts of being in the hall. It also makes him much more marketable, something MLB has lacked for almost 20 years.

There’s also Mike Trout’s utter lack of a personality. I’m not asking for him to be deranged like Albert Belle, but a show of some emotion or overt wackiness would be an improvement.

And BBTV said his case for not letting Trout in better than I ever could. Why don’t you argue with him?

Banks played the vast majority of his career in the pre-playoff expansion era. Mike Trout has only played in the wild card, two wild card, and three wild card eras. It’s an entirely different consideration.

So, how about my idea about referees wearing dragon fursuits? They can be far easier to target now, will constantly overheat, and can’t keep up with a play!

I fully agree with this - he is the ultimate “irrelevant superstar.” His loyalty to Moreno has condemned him to never experiencing a moment that truly mattered. Hell, he only played in one playoff series and underperformed in it. He will make the hall of fame on stats alone, but his career will be akin to Chris Paul if he stayed on the Hornets – irrelevant.

If this is the year Gonzaga wins a title, I will eat "Aunt Myrna's Party Cheese Salad."

It’s more a “loss of advantage” than anything else, since the NIL leveled the playing field to a degree and created attractive destinations for players outside of blue bloods who can pay handsomely for players. That and Calipari has lost his touch since 2019.

That will be $33,355,000 to do a buyout if they want to get rid of him. But hey, I’m sure the boosters are more than capable of solving their “can’t adapt to the NIL and experienced mid-majors” problem with a flash of the checkbook.

So, how legit is this source?

The new Texans road kit is a lateral move from their previous set, I’d argue. The font is goofier, but not that crazy and the navy numbers are a bit much. I’ll have to see the whole set for better judgement.

It’s almost like getting rid of Joc Pederson/Gabe Kapler and their tomfoolery immediately improved the atmosphere of the club! This would’ve been a good offseason for that alone, but all the improvements show a substantial investment not seen since the Evans days. It sucks that Brandon Crawford had to leave in the way he did, but he’s genuinely delusional if he thinks he has anything left in the tank (or had, given his last two seasons). Posey had the good sense to quit while he was ahead, while we get Belt and Crawford extending things too far.