MrTPlush

The receiving corps for the Chiefs proved to be just too much for the 49ers. Kelce, while he didn't have a huge game, had many nice catches. I also think Kelce didn't have a giant game because the 49ers were set on stopping the run and/or keeping Kelce from burning them. However, that meant not much help on the outside where Chiefs had some big plays. Two where all Mahomes had to do was lob it like a punt to his receiver and the other was the huge pass against Sherman. It is the exact thing you wish the Packers had even a little of. Pretty scary to have a major mismatch at WR and TE like they have.

Being the first round pick is pretty much an auto-bid to big league camp. Actually, I think many players will get their agent to include such a clause in their contract when they sign after the draft (high draft picks). I have definitely heard of such before. I believe it came up once when a 1st rounder that was absolutely looking like a total bust kept getting invited to big league camp. People wondered why he kept getting stuck in big league camp and it was basically in the contract. Tristan Lutz for example...probably made it last year and not this year because it was in his signing agreement. Regardless it is either because the player asked for it or it is simply a courtesy by the club. Being a catcher is also a great way to get into big league camp as they need endless catchers purely for practice.

It is a Badgers team that their fate will depend on getting favorable match-ups. They can beat good teams (wouldn't say they can beat anyone), but they can also look terrible vs. teams that aren't even that good. Don't think they are good enough to win three games in a row and make the Elite 8, but all you need it the high seed to get majorly upset and your Sweet 16 game isn't very hard.

Can’t believe the Chiefs not only won, but put up 31 points when Mahomes was arguably pretty freakin’ bad in that game. He made more mistakes than actual big throws. I can think of three big throws and 2/3 were just lobs to guys in broken coverage. Should be one of those rare years where a QB doesn’t hoist the MVP trophy. Kinda crazy a team won with poor QB play and wasn’t known for having a good defense. That was two great teams though and it ended up a fantastic game.

Yup...ouch.

Powder blue and yellow is one of the most barf worthy combos there has ever been. Powder blue looks fine with blue or white lettering (still not a good look), but any other color is just weird. The KC ones are probably best and I think they use a more neutral blue than the old days. To me the Brewers had by far the worst powder blue ever, that I can think of. Unfortunately those yellow hats are somehow making a return.

I think it is more supporting the community and not so much the team. A lot of these major partnerships involve initiatives to better the community together.

Nike line has been released....including the cheap replica jerseys online. Probably a sign things will show up in normal stores soon.

Except it actually doesn’t heavily inflate homers. More often than not I don’t think Miller Park even ranks Top 10 in HRs. I’m pretty sure this is some myth Bill and Brian shove down everyone’s throat when the Brewers rank incredibly high because they create heavy HR teams. Does Miller Park sway somewhat HR/Offense friendly? Yes, it definitely does...but it simply is not the huge offensive playground it is often portrayed. It would probably be worse if there wasn’t a roof . I looked it up once and the direct corners at Miller Park are actually fairly deep comparatively to other parks. What is shallow is the gaps...center being standard.

There is an entire site that outlines it all: signstealingscandal.com The “bangs” alone were on approximately 12% of pitches. The banging was minimal to non existent until late May and obviously no banging often meant something (when they were doing it). They also had other types of signals too that didn’t involve banging. The amount of cheating and the frequency from May onward is astonishing. It is no wonder why they got the hammer dropped on them. Marwin Gonzalez was the most frequent cheater (19%) with Springer, Correa, Bregman, and Beltran all nearby. Reddick and Altuve were mysteriously had incredibly low bangs comparative to their PAs. Again that 19% is just bangs...doesn’t include non bangs that meant fastball etc. The actual amount he got a signal for could have been 50%+

He probably would love to just ride into the sunset, but fans, media, and former college players that couldn't average 10 points a game want to treat him like he has personally hurt them. Probably isn't that easy to ignore all the harassing comments. For some reason people want to rip apart college athletes for what they do.

Is it sad I read this and thought, "So like a large?"

Really? Because I swore someone asked their Dad shortly after the King announcement and he said nothing was changing with them. Maybe just a smoke screen until they decide where to go...but surprisingly none the less. EDIT: Here is an article on the twins where Gard had had visited them and they remain fully committed. Not doubting they may or may not be still...just figured I would drop the article related to them post King. https://wxow.com/2020/01/30/la-crosse-wis-wxow-la-crosse-centrals-davis-twins-remain-committed/

Lucas Erceg was the top hitter in the entire system against Top 30 prospects on other teams. He probably shared a lot of those PAs with the likes of Grisham and Hiura. While both of those guys also rated fairly well in the system both were notably under Erceg. I use them as examples because A) They were productive in their first taste of MLB action and B) he likely faced a lot of the same Top 30 prospects as they all were at AAA last year. Now I wouldn't take this as much because many times a Top 30 prospect isn't exactly productive, but those are still talented players they are facing. If anything its just some interesting data to look at. https://www.mlb.com/brewers/prospects/stats/vs-top-30-leaderboard?type=batter

Not sure I would label him as quitting on his team. Seems like he tried pretty hard to communicate his concerns to no avail. There is a reason none of the players told him such and there is a reason most came to his defense on social media. If the other players don't think he is "quitting on the team" I don't know why anyone else should. If someone at my organization felt like they were being treated like trash and didn't want to be there I would support them in their decision to look for something better...not call them a quitter. Calling him overly sensitive and not liking to be pushed is a solid below the belt cheap shot when we have no idea what even went on. Not to mentioned he specifically said he has been pushed harder in high school and travel ball. It was not being pushed hard, it is how Gard went about it and even treated him for non basketball related things. If other players truly do feel similar to King it is not very good...mostly because Gard's comments pretty much seem, 'Oh well, this is how I coach and how we do it here." If you are making players feel like this you might be doing something wrong. Not only that, but if any player feels this way maybe you should alter you approach to coaching them. The fact he had three different meetings and still felt worthless to the point he didn't even want to play basketball anymore is somewhat concerning. Him leaving was the correct choice and the best one for him. As for Gard, I think you just chalk it up as a relationship that just didn't work. They didn't get along and maybe it really wasn't anyone's fault...they just rubbed each other the wrong way. Sometimes in life there are people you just aren't going to mix well with. Now if something similar happens again and someone leaves because they feel they are treated wrong, that is certainly a different story.

Yes, we know. Someone made sure to mention it in every.single.IGT.

Scalper level is "majority of tickets sold"...so 11/20. I am guessing the true level for consequences is probably more like 15+ and you have to do that consistently. I sold most last year, but plan to eat 11+ this year so they don't come after me. I will eat $150 or so for the perks no problem...some of which are kinda priceless to me. I am just not close enough to make that many games. That is probably where the real value to the Brewers is though. You buying your stuff direct from the shop, the food, parking, etc. The ticket is like a cover charge...the real profits are you buying all the overpriced junk. That is why these giveaways exist. They want you in the park.

I am really not buying the whole he coached him too hard or he yelled at him in front of the home crowd. First off Gard is one of the softest coaches I have watched regularly (especially in game) and secondly that isn't something that makes you leave mid-season. Those things may have helped sink the titanic, but that wasn't the main reason their relationship sank.

King committed to Bo. Thanks, that probably didn't help this relationship from the start.

Keep in mind the ticket exchange policy is kinda quirky. Pretty much can't be exchanged for any meaningful Fri-Sun games and can't exchange for holiday games. That is assuming you exchange a ticket before that tickets game has passed. If you have an unused ticket it is strictly Monday-Thursday, no holiday games. Those tickets can also only be exchanged for terrace reserved tickets. You also cannot exchange a ticket for say a September game for a July game...can only be after your season seat ticket date. I have heard mixed reviews about getting around these rules. Sometimes they will be lenient, but other times it is tough luck. Just get the 20 game fans choice if you have interest in that many specific games. That would hopefully cover all the games you want (though there are choice limitations to some degree).

Wisconsin fans were brutal on the Hauser's and they never even hinted at coming to Wisconsin. I think Gard shares blame either way. He was the one who recruited King (I believe). If it ended up a bad fit and things got so sour he left mid-year that is kind of on him. How much blame? Who knows, I think part of it is King wants to be on a team that blow up the scoreboard and isn't playing a chess match. Gard surely doesn't seem like offense is going to be a focus any time soon.

After May he has downright atrocious. His BA was under .200 in the 2nd half and his OPS in the mid .500s. Not sure what the advanced stats were like in that time period (K's BB's Hard Hit rate). I do think his power was just about as bad as you can get. Did he stats improve a bit overall? Yah, but even if they were more reflective of that he still was horrible with the bat and a really bat starter on the diamond. No need to put lipstick on a pig. Realistically one just hopes we get lucky and Arcia's hot month is April. Then he can go back to his bench role after reality returns. Of course, I am not hugely optimistic Urias will be dramatically different.

Anyone telling me about a movie I will never see, and quoting said movie, is like death at times... Just shut up! Or when they say you should watch "insert something you have zero interest in watching and never will"

I think the worst in when you don't know what the person is talking about and they can't find the video so they decide to give you a rough explanation in 10 seconds talking like an auctioneer. In my head what I imagine is if you took every youtube video in existence and played them all at once. I have a younger sibling (high school) that likes to send me TikTok videos. I finally downloaded the app so I could actually watch what he was messaging me....wow. Tik Tok has taught me I never want a daughter in my life. Anyone who has ever been unlucky enough to scroll through TikTok definitely knows why. I can't even explain the videos 13-16 year olds are posting without getting a perma-ban.

It helps big markets more than a small market, I don't really see much debate there. Is it overblown? Well, that's certainly an argument. Most teams don't trot out full time DHs with bigger contracts...this may be true to some extent, but some do. It also is a huge benefit for teams signing players to huge contracts. When their defense declines to liability levels they can DH. This isn't a benefit we will see because we can't even afford such contracts where that would effect us. It is also another position we have to spend money on. For a small market an added expense of $5-$10mil is a huge deal. To the big markets its pretty much irrelevant. It is inevitable so I really don't lose much sleep over that or the fact I like pitchers hitting. Just get it over with and implement it. One thing I will say is I really don't like immediate implementation. They should have made it known if they would ever change it that it wouldn't be effective immediately. Now you have teams making moves or not making moves due to the potential of it happening in 2021. Every team should have a few years to plan after it is finalized. To me that is a pretty drastic change that should give teams time to react to.