Jim French Stepstool
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Everything posted by Jim French Stepstool
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Jackson ChourioJeferson QueroSal FrelickTyler BlackJacob MisiorowskiRobert GasserBrock WilkenAbner UribeCarlos F RodriguezMike BoeveLuke AdamsEric Brown JrYophery RodriguezJuan BaezCooper PrattLuis LaraJosh KnothEric BitontiFreddy ZamoraBradley Blalock Whooo!! Those final 6-7 spots are TOUGH!!! You could make a solid argument for any 8 or 9 not on my list. Still a big, big believer in Adams. And if he can find consistency to match the defensive talent, Zamora can surprise a lot of people.
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Agree on all three points. With the emergence of Monasterio it might be a little trickier for Devanney to find his niche here, but as you said he's quietly putting together a resume that suggests a possible contributor.
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In a recent presser Fickell was saying some real positive things about Tucker Ashcraft, a true freshman. Said he's definitely going to see the field. He also had plaudits for Nowakowski, who moved from FB & I suspect might be their best blocker at the position, and Jackson Acker, who's best chance to see the field might be as a 3rd TB unless someone else emerges (maybe 2-back set in goal line situations).
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Totally understand. Those rating lists can be all over the place. Sometimes I think a 4-star kid in basketball can elevate to a 5 simply because Duke or Kansas offers him.
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He's actually a 4-star on one of the recruiting sites....Rivals, IIRC? Lucas had offers from Michigan & Alabama, among others. It's hard to believe how much WR & DB talent this new staff has brought on board, to a program that has been known mostly as Tailback & O-line U. And they've secured a couple of nice RB prospects, too. Certainly way too early to say, but McIntosh may have hit a HR to rival what Pat Richter did 30-odd years ago (Alvarez) & about a decade later (Ryan).
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I wouldn't totally dismiss using Peguero if he had an 8-10 pitch outing the day before, but otherwise this makes the most sense to me. We're back to pretty much the same starting rotation we hoped for in April. Getting some 7 inning starts mixed in from here on out would solve a lot.
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That's an oblique (Perkins), right? Those can sometimes linger.
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I'll also predict one hitter added, and one pitcher. Who the hitter(s) would be largely depends on performances in the next few weeks. For example, if Tellez comes back with a warm bat he & Canha could cover DH, lessening the need for Toro or Black (or Dorrian/Hiura if they're even in the picture). In that case Miller elbows his way into the conversation. The surge by Monasterio probably works against Black a little, too. If we suddenly see a stabilized rotation turning in more outings of 7 innings--it certainly isn't out of the question--then maybe we stay with 13 pitchers. Odds are probably against that, though.
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Lauer returning as a BP piece is probably the safest bet. But if they BP Houser at any point, I think Lauer has the best chance of being the guy replacing him. Picking up Teheran was a success but they might've gotten all they can get out of him. I guess Rea gets consideration if they go back to a 6-man at some point. And yes, this rotation can get an awful lot done in the last 46 games.
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I'll second that. It's the lifeblood of the organization, vital to their success. I follow the prospects regularly & the minor league "gurus" here make it easy and extremely enjoyable.
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And for the record, I'm OK with NIL provided it isn't abused or used as another way of cheating. Fat chance of that at some places.
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I guess it's an "old school" thing with me. I'm not happy with an Eastern Illinois or UALR or whoever making the commitment to develop & shape a kids' academic, athletic & social skills then having someone vulture in afterward, without having done anything to develop him (and often w/o even knowing the kid existed when he was a HS senior) because they can use another shooting guard or whatever. I think if you choose to transfer, the original rules--sit out a year--are preferable to what's going on now. If it were up to me, those rules would be waived if a coach leaves/gets fired/retires. Then you can leave & be eligible immediately.
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Sisyphean, huh? I'll put that one on the mantel until needed, right next to "cromulent".😁
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And even more between the P-5 & the rest. If you're a mid-major in basketball, Judicious recruiting & talent development over 2-3 years used to culminate in a Cinderella-type season. Now, if you find a diamond-in-the-rough you have to hope the kid isn't treating your program like a AAA farm team, knowing he can leave w/o having to sit out a year & one way or another P-5 schools can tamper to their hearts content. I'm not a fan of any mid-major schools, but the thought of that just makes me want to puke.
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It was, unfortunately, inevitable. Other than tape delay, there was a time when UW football being on live TV was a really big deal because it was so rare. Now Fox, ESPN & the others fulfill all our wishes, but there's a price to pay to feed the habit. Personally, I liked college sports much more when it was controlled by the school administrations & NCAA. Those hierarchies are far from perfect, as we all know. But I get the feeling I'll one day be pining for those imperfections when compared to TV calling the shots. Not looking forward to the day when the B10 & SEC might as well be the AFC & NFC, competing as ultra-hyped semi-pros, a twelve or sixteen team playoff, lax (if any) academic & recruiting standards, and studio analysts perfecting their art of self-promotion (oh yeah, we already have that one). It IS gratifying that UW will probably continue to do things the right way. I just wonder what, in a few years, the definition of "right way" will be.
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Keston Hiura has a .984 OPS in Nashville
Jim French Stepstool replied to Brock Beauchamp's topic in Milwaukee Brewers Talk
Hiura & Aaron Rodgers are fighting it out for first-ballot status in the "Most Local Attention Given to Someone Not Even on the Local Teams' Roster" HOF. -
That fits the overall philosophy, but doesn't fit what CC said after the acquisition of Canha. It's strange. I think CC is just feeling around for a combination & has a few more options w/the trades, Andersons' return & Taylor shoe-horning his way into the picture. You'd like it to be a little more settled in early August but it is what it is.
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Canha is probably best off DHing or playing LF when Yelich DH's. Other than that he does give them some of the flexibility they like as evidenced by Saturdays' game. Also, Taylor has hit a few balls on the screws, which CC might not have bargained for & the resulting PT for Taylor bites into Canhas' presumed role.
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Looking at the total package, I think Adames could be a SS that you can win a championship with. But it has to be a lineup strong enough that you can hit him 7th or even 8th to more easily absorb the ugly stretches, because boy, are they UGLY. Since adding Frelick, Santana & Canha Counsell could drop him down a couple spots if he chose to, but he prefers to bank on one of those hot stretches being just around the bend. I see some indecision from Willy along with the ever-present chasing so I'm not optimistic. But when it has happened in the past it can come out of the blue. Like Jake said, maybe there's some bad luck involved. So I'm in "hoping, but not holding my breath" mode.
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Could be the only time in his life he isn't all tingly about receiving attention. FWIW I think it's probably a nothingburger.
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It's a concern because they both saw the field quite a bit, and Longo likes using his TEs. They moved Riley Nowakowski, a former FB, to TE. They also have Hayden Rucci & Cole Dakovich, who saw the field some. Keep an eye on RS freshman JT Seagraves. He played in only one game last year, but it was the bowl game & they threw to him a time or two. Wish I lived a little closer to Platteville. I suspect this is an interesting camp.
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Very well said. If the above names (plus a few others) & the acquisitions play up to their norm---not above it, just to their norm---they'd be fine. Whether or not that happens is anyones' guess. But there was nothing wrong with any of these moves. Even picking up Chafin. I wasn't down with the annual "add a BP arm" move this year, but J Wilson finally gets back then hurts himself warming up, so I don't blame them.
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After seeing the cost for Pham, I'd like to know what it would've taken to land him. Like you said, I think they definitely put a priority on OF over 3B, with Frelick only playing vs LHP.
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This is just about word-for-word the way I feel. I thought he could be.......maybe not a cornerstone, but a solid contributor that would settle in at 3B & be reliable with the glove & bat. He did not look good at any point this season, really. Short-term they trusted others. Long-term, I'd much rather have Turang. The more I delve into Blalock, at the end of the day it looks like we received someone roughly a year behind Jarvis on the developmental ladder but with more upside. I also like that he's already gone through the TJ ordeal, too. A final thought--Urias may wind up being serviceable in Boston. Maybe even more than serviceable. But that doesn't necessarily mean it would've happened for him here.
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I especially like the part about Mitchells' contract being team-friendly for SD. Yeah, Preller always puts a high-priority on cost-saving.
