60 thoughts on “July 31, 2018: Happy Franklin Day!”

      2. I'll admit to having had the same thought process. But I also thought "well that's a fun way to put it." My brain was trying to give you credit HJ...

    2. LoMo? I can’t imagine what they’d get for him, though. With Kinsler headed to Boston, it looks like there aren’t any teams that are obvious fits for Dozier.

      1. Kinsler in Boston seems so perfect - smug & self-absorbed, meet smug & self-absorbed.

        caveat SelectShow

          2. I am highly amused that the Dodgers are getting Dozier in exchange for Forsythe (and minor leaguers).

            1. My initial reaction for this trade is meh. Raley has had pretty big numbers but in high-scoring environments and with a lot of Ks. Plus the Twins should not be going after left-handed power hitters with their ballpark. Smeltzer hasn't had very good results and doesn't appear to be ranked very high. Forsythe being a free agent at the end of the year is the nicest thing I can write about him.

              1. This, from MLBTR’s report, is interesting:

                Dozier is playing out the final season of a four-year, $20MM deal with the Twins and is earning $9MM in 2018. His salary, then, will be canceled out by that of Forsythe, who is also earning $9MM and may or may not ever suit up and play a game for the Twins down the stretch. The 31-year-old Forsythe has had a terrible season at the plate, hitting just .207/.270/.290 through 2011 plate appearances. Los Angeles had previously tried to unload him in other trade talks, and his inclusion in the deal is assuredly a means of keeping the Dodgers beneath the $197MM luxury tax threshold.

                I hate seeing mid-market clubs help rich clubs beat the luxury tax penalty, so these prospects they’re getting in return better be decent. If what you say about the Texas League’s scoring environment is true, socal, then it looks like the Twins just got themselves a left-handed Brent Rooker who (so far) hasn’t hit as well as the real, right-handed Brent Rooker.

                1. My guess is the Twins see two options: let Dozier leave and give him a qualifying offer or trade him and get something guaranteed. Attaching the QO to Dozier will likely sink his FA prospects to the point that he'd accept it or the deal he gets is so low that you don't get anything useful in the draft. By trading him, even for prospects with a dim chance, you get something guaranteed.

                  1. Also I think in read from Gleeman that a QO to Dozier would be in the $18m range. No way the Twins risk Doz taking that.

                3. Not making me feel better.

                  1. I understood the other trades, especially after listening to Gleeman and Trueblood on them, but this one... with taking on Forsythe's salary in exchange too? I don't get that.

              1. Counterpoint: Dozier ended up being the dregs of the trade-deadline infielders.

    3. Facebook helpfully mentions that nine years ago today, I posted "Kelly Wells does not have the self-control to resist 15 hours of trade deadline coverage on the MLB Network."

      Wow. While I still get into the trade deadline, that was some f^%$ing dedication. I do think that was during the time off I took from work to write a screenplay, though.

  2. This week in stupid homeowner tricks...
    New wet spot on the basement ceiling...investigate a while...find wet spot behind the fridge. Roll fridge out and remove rear panel, nothing wet going on in there. Puzzle for a bit. Notice sensation of misty, moistness in the air. Poly line coming out of the floor is cracked and misting ever so lightly. Shut off water. Plan for the next day.

    Bought parts needed to replace the line. Consider taping the new and old line together for ease of retrieval, but chose the lazy course and just shove the new one in there. Turns out old line runs under and through a mess of ductwork, not sure how far - maybe 6-8 feet - from the kitchen floor to my furnace room where the ductwork, piping and wiring from the house all conspire to make this a miserable space to try and work. Determine you may be royally hosed.

    Best and most rediculous plan I've come up with at this point is to run fishing line or something light down through the hole, then fish my shopvac hose back into that cavity in the hopes that I can suck the line out to where it will be accessible, and then have something I can use to secure to the new line above the floor, and pull down to the furnace room where the line is originated.
    I don't think I'll do any damage with that plan, but I'm very, very open to suggestions.

    1. Perhaps I’m mistaking the meaning of “corporate timberland,” but I’m struggling to square that with what I’ve seen of the Imperial Valley. What I remember is hectares of unsustainable farmland situated in a desert blast furnace, and the greater El Centro metropolitan area trailing south from a huge botulism pit.

        1. I don't think the placement of the different uses necessarily corresponds geographically (with the exception of a few jokes here and there). Or at least it does so very roughly; looks like it's more to show the volume than the place.

          1. Ah, that makes sense. Looking at the feature, this way of representing things works better for some things (comparing total acerage for various types of land use to the total area of the US) than others (weird illustrated breakdown of “food we eat”). The presentation itself is pretty slick, though.

            2. Because of the way it was presented, at first I thought it was a "Flyoverland"-type commentary.
              It makes more sense in the series.

              I read "Food We Eat" as contra "Food for Animals", but I see "Export Wheat" is a separate block.
              Should probably be "Crops" as much of that "Cow" land is "Food We Eat".

              And I don't know how the land of the 100 largest landowning families is put to use (or not).
              At least Weyerhauser land is presented as part of Corporate Timberland.

  4. No takers yesterday, so I'm re-posting today:
    I am attending Wednesday's Twins game with my office. (12:10pm start.)
    It's possible I could land a bonus ticket. If so, does anyone want it?

  12. I find it really odd that the NFL has hold-outs and we don’t see that in most other sports, despite some players in other sports also getting paid way under their market rate.

    1. NFL has non-guaranteed contracts and the awfulness of training camp. Those two points might have an influence.

      1. It just seems odd to me that it works out culturally. Relative to a baseball team, I would think you really need the whole team to practice together to be at your best.

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