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Snake Diggity

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Everything posted by Snake Diggity

  1. Javier was a #2 in 2022. But in the other years and over course of his MLB career he has been more like a #4. Im fine with him being the #4 SP but don’t want to count on him to jump right back in and be a Game 3 starter.
  2. Astros getting Correa and Cease plus a rental LH bat and a rental RH RP. Informed speculation.
  3. There’s that fag talk I was talking about.
  4. Short term emergency priorities (to stop the bleeding and win the next presidency): 1. Find likable, charismatic leaders who can appeal to a broad range of voters. The current roster of 2028 hopefuls fucking sucks: a California douchebag named ā€œGavinā€, a super smart gay dude who black people will never show up for, a milquetoast dude from Kentucky, and a bunch of other people who lack personality. I don’t who it is, but they need a leader that can unify people and get them to show up. 2. Demonize the rich. Almost all of the political issues being framed by race and gender should really be about class. Wealth consolidation is destroying our society. It is going to take a long time to make change, but Democrats need to pound the narrative to get the ball rolling and switch the narrative. The Democrats have the platform that benefits the poor and middle class, and they need to sell it. >99.999% of people with a net worth over $100,000,000.00 are pieces of shit. They’re the problem. 3. Ditch intellectualism. I actually think this might be happening. I’ve noticed several Dems starting to regularly curse during appearances; that is a good start. Showing some legit anger and candor and speaking the way the median person speaks is the way. This also means Dems showing up a lot more in rural areas. Medium term (the next time they win the presidency and majority): 1. Pack the courts. It’s the only move to quickly reverse some of the damage Trump has done. 2. Universal healthcare. Once they get it, the GOP will never be able to take it away. 3. Balanced budget amendment. They will be able to live with this more than the GOP will, because there’s a TON more room to add revenue than there is to cut spending. The debt is a real risk, and it’s no longer a far off consequence. Long term: 1. Lead the way to manage the pending demographic crisis. This means making it more appealing for folks to start families (extended paid parental leave, increased tax credits for childcare) and managing immigration to bring in additional young people as needed. I also like the idea of subsidized 0% interest home loans for all first time buyers. 2. Manage the changes brought on by AI and automation. Before we know it (it could be less than a decade from now), 70%+ of white collar and 30%+ of blue collar jobs will be gone. This might mean Universal Basic Income or a dramatically reduced work week. 3. Keep the pipeline of leadership full and improve civic engagement and voter education. Among other things it means figuring out how to fight misinformation.
  5. You couldn’t be allowed to opt out, it wouldn’t work. There would be supplemental plans from private insurers. And I’m sure cash pay concierge doctors would become more popular.
  6. There’s no democratic leader and there’s no platform. Biden’s entire term consistently featured Trump’s message in the headlines. The Dems will have no such equivalent during Trump’s term.
  7. That’s one big bummer about the election is the next President is inheriting significant economic tailwinds: -Continued flow of capital and other benefits from post-pandemic stimulus (BBB, CHIPS). -Advancements in AI and associated technology creating productivity improvements. -The greatest transfer of wealth in history increasing velocity of money as Boomers retire and die. Barring a nuclear power starting a war or the emergence of another pandemic, it will be hard for Trump to fuck up the economy. If he does it will probably be due to civil unrest due to wealth inequality, although even that probably won’t happen during his term.
  8. Won’t make a lick of difference. Trump could do an interview and call out most of his voters INDIVIDUALLY BY NAME and say ā€œFUCK YOUā€, and they’d still vote for him.
  9. My investments are on cruise control. And other than not quitting or getting fired I don’t have much control over my active income. So the only lever I have to pull is reducing expenses. I’ve totally taken my foot off the gas in terms of spending/saving. So my main financial goals for 2025 are to dramatically reduce the amount I spend on restaurants, Amazon, and entertainment; not just to save more but to also reduce the amount we’d need to save. I was on a super early retirement track and I’m very financially secure at this point, but now I’m resigned to working until my kids are out of the house. So the good news is I’m going to be pretty fucking rich by my standards and it’s not really a matter of buckling down, it’s more just waiting for time to pass. But the bad news is I have ~10 more years of the grind ahead of me.
  10. MAGA has surprised me many times, but cheering as the richest man on earth dances around the stage with their billionaire candidate was a new low. Those dumb motherfuckers gave it all away just because the people whose interests are most diametrically opposed to their own told them they’d re-suppress the people they used to get to freely punch down on.
  11. I don’t think it’s really Espada that’s behind that. I think between analytics around injury prevention (scheduling rest days for regulars) and platoon splits, the manager is just following the data he’s given. But I think Houston will end up adding one ā€œeverydayā€ OF then maybe one platoon guy, which would give them 8 everyday players and 1 platoon (Meyers and a guy who hits RHP).
  12. If the Astros signed Bregman, Paredes would become the everyday LF. Chas would also play every day, CF against RHP and RF against LHP. Meyers would play CF against LHP. They’d still need to find a CF/RF to play against RHP, as if they did nothing, that spot would be a spring competition between Trammell, Hummel, Dezenzo, Whitcomb, Leon, Melton, and Corona. That wouldn’t be the end of the world since that player would slot into the 7 or 8 hole and would only play 70% of the games (only against RHP). Trammell, Dezenzo, and Hummel all would project to be roughly league average in that role with upside for more (especially Dezenzo).
  13. Paredes would be totally fine in LF.
  14. Thanks for all the great info in this thread.
  15. I do all our laundry. It fucking sucks how much of my life is devoted to the shit but my wife (who also works full time) does all the cooking and dishes and blowjobs so I can’t really bitch. I am very disciplined about ensuring all laundry is washed, dried, folded, and put away on the same day each week (I work from home). I have 2 kids (6 and 9). I separate hot and cold, and it’s usually just 2 loads unless the maids come in which case it’s 3-4 loads with one being mostly sheets and towels. I bought the largest capacity washer and dryer that would fit in our laundry room; that’s a tip I would pass on to any man who has this chore. Stuff the shit in there, if something’s not getting clean you can always wash it again next week, and it’ll still be more efficient because 99% of my family’s clothes aren’t even dirty, they’ve just been worn once so they go in the hamper. My kids are pretty good about putting their shit in their hamper. And they will put away their clothes if I ask them to, although they don’t do it as neatly as I do which pisses me off, so I usually don’t ask them to. I hang my wife’s clothes in her closet for her but I set my wife’s folded clothes on our dresser and she will leave them there for weeks which annoys the shit out of me. I really don’t mind the washing and drying, it’s the fucking folding and putting away that is the time suck. I’ve debated just going to a method of just dumping everybody’s clothes in their drawers unsorted and unfolded but my ocd can’t handle that. My current plan is that when my kids turn 10 or 12 they will have to start folding and putting away their own clothes but I know it’s going to be a battle and I’m not looking forward to that. I have heard laundry services have improved to be more affordable and convenient but haven’t actually looked into it; if I could have someone come pick up all my laundry each week and return it the next day washed dried and folded for <$150/mo, I’d probably pay it.
  16. Now that right there is a very stable genius.
  17. As it stands Dezenzo/Trammell project to combo with Meyers/Dubon to produce 2 roughly league average hitters with plus defense in 2 OF spots, with McCormick in the other spot. Almost none of those remaining guys projects to be a meaningful upgrade over what Houston already has. Santander and Hernandez are clear upgrades but are going to be overpaid and cost draft picks. Profar is interesting but will carry a similar upside/downside profile to Dezenzo. Winker and Verdugo are probably significantly better than Dezenzo/Trammell, but both carry attitude concerns and may not be looking to be paid like the part time players they’d be on the Astros. Heyward is the guy who seems like a true fit for this roster, if he’s willing to come on board for a 1 year 7 figure deal. I still think Houston should be gunning to trade for either Brandon Lowe or Wilyer Abreu, with Lamont Wade, Mike Yastrzemski, Seth Brown, and Alek Thomas as secondary options. Brandon Lowe would essentially replace Tucker’s offense and deepen the lineup such that they’d be on par with just about any other team assuming McCormick returns to his 2022-2023 form.
  18. Anecdotal face eating csb: my wife’s Trumper uncle, a non-white, first generation American who makes poor financial decisions, works for a government IT contractor. He has been working from home for a decade+; they’re broke, so they don’t own a car right now (ā€œsavingā€ for a new one). Yesterday at Christmas they showed up in my sister in law’s car, which they are borrowing because his company has mandated a return to the office in advance of the Trump/Musk administration. Dumbass voted for someone whose first change was to make him personally take on a 90 minute daily commute. SIL is also a Trumper so she’s getting her face eaten a lil bit too since she’s down a car now. They asked to borrow one of our cars for awhile which I would have done if he hadn’t brought up politics multiple fucking times on Christmas Day (and had the gall to start a conversation about how shitty the brand of car I drive is). Typing this made me mad as fuck. God dammit that guy fucking sucks.
  19. If Houston adds one OF who hits RHP well, here’s how their lineups project: Vs RHP: 2B Altuve wRC+ 123 3B Paredes 110 DH Alvarez 167 C Diaz 127 1B Walker 112 OF TBD 110+ CF McCormick 96 OF Dezenzo/Trammell/etc. TBD SS Pena 88 Singleton is a good hitter against RHP and could PH for Dezenzo or Pena if they came up against a righty at a critical moment. Dezenzo and Melton both have potential to be plus plus against RHP so there’s upside there. Vs LHP: 2B Altuve 149 SS Pena 132 DH Alvarez 166 3B Paredes 136 RF McCormick 142 1B Walker 112 C Diaz 103 CF Meyers 114 LF Dubon 111 That could be the best lineup in the league against LHP.
  20. Singleton still has real value as the 13th position player whose primary role is pinch hitting for a player who hits poorly against RHP in key situations (of course he can also backup DH and 1B). As it stands, Pena and at least one OF project to struggle against RHP; having Singleton available to pinch hit for those guys if they come up against a RHP at a critical point in the game is as good of a use of the 13th spot as any. 13th men usually get <200 pa in a season, whether as a 3rd catcher, 5th OF, 6th IF, pinch runner, or bench bat.
  21. I was really surprised they kept Cooper Hummel over Kessinger.
  22. Interesting that both decent LHH OF left on the free agent market have attitude problems (Verdugo and Winker). Heyward wouldn’t be a terrible add, especially if Houston thinks Dezenzo and/or Melton will be ready early in the season. Ideal semi-realistic add right now is Brandon Lowe or Wilyer Abreu. Seth Brown would be somebody nobody is talking about who Houston might target.
  23. He’s not going to be a good defensive player by any stretch. He only plays 110 games a year, and 50-60 of those will be in LF at Daikin. He isn’t Jon Singleton out there. He can DH another 10-20 games. And for the 30-50 games where he would be a meaningful defensive liability, Houston would have an elite defensive OF in Meyers available as a defensive replacement. That’s worthwhile to have one of the 10 best hitters in baseball against RHP, assuming his salary demands are in line with that value.
  24. One of Musk’s fantasies is having an army he can control.
  25. Meyers and Dubon are plenty good against LHP. McCormick is great if he can find his 2022-2023 form. One of their young guys (or Trammell) can likely be serviceable against RHP. So all they likely need is an affordable corner OF who hits RHP well. Winker, Verdugo, Polanco, Pederson, Heyward, Canha, McCutcheon, Turner, or Martinez all could fit the bill. Just gotta pick the right guy.
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