I would take some more Hot Stove news right about now. My Hot Take level is pretty full.
25 thoughts on “January 8, 2021: New News”
Unsolicited email from our local clinic last night and now Mrs. Ghost (health care provider) is getting the first vaccine today. I'm in line as an educator, but after filling out the survey I just got a "thanks for the info, we'll be in touch" screen.
Feels like a little progress.
Congratulations to her. This is good news.
I gotta say, I'm not sad about Lindor and Carassco leaving the AL Central, though such cheap-assedness in ownership does bother me regardless of the team.
Baseball has a big problem when teams see players like Lindor and Betts as luxuries too expensive for a franchise. But I second your feelings, glad to see a rival's window slammed shut prematurely by a cheap ass owner.
Well...now Tommy Lasorda
Yesterday, I went to the chiropractor because I could not handle the back pain any longer. This was the first time since June that I'd been in a building other than my own house. I will tell you that I was more apprehensive that you might expect. But, I was the only person in the lobby and I was taken right to a room that is purportedly cleaned between each patient.
So, the doctor walked in and he was wearing a neck gaiter! I was shocked, because I was aware of studies that suggest that neck gaiters are worse than no mask at all. I know that there are studies that push back on that, but, man, why not a mask? And what did he do when he approached me? He stuck out his hand to shake mine. Good grief. I refused and told him why I refused. I didn't say anything about the gaiter, I just sat there and hoped he didn't have the disease.
I have been in some pretty significant pain since about December 20 and I have had to ice my back for about 45 minutes every night to deaden the pain enough to fall asleep. So something had to be done. Last night I was in the worst pain I've felt since this started. But, I feel pretty good today. I also bought a new desk chair that I assembled last night and it is a big improvement over the *folding chair* I had been sitting on for the last ten months. I grew up pretty poor and it's hard for me to spend money some times even when I should. The chair feels great.
The chances of me catching the virus yesterday I realize are pretty small. I feel better today. The doctor seemed to know exactly what I needed and his explanation of what was going on make absolute sense to what I was experiencing. But, I was not happy about the his lack of what I would consider to be appropriate behavior to mitigate the disease.
When I think of things that have surprised me in the last 12 months, this is not one of them. I know at least a dozen chiropractors pretty well and if anything, I am shocked your chiropractor even used a gaiter. One particular chiropractor around my parts is fighting the local hockey association about his your skaters having to follow the mask protocol. That being said, the right chiropractor can really help with a myriad of physical maladies. In fair disclosure, my wife is a Physical Therapist, and those two professions are quite often at odds.
Dom Luszczyszyn's model at the Athletic predicts the Wild to be a playoff team (to finish in the top four of the West Division). He hasn't released the Wild season preview yet, but I'm assuming he'll put them fourth in the division. The model liked the Wild more than most last year, and I think they ended up pretty close to his prediction. He picked them to go over the Vegas line of 87.5 points, and they were on pace for 92. So, there's reason to believe Wild fans could get to see some more first round playoff hockey this year.
The Wild’s odds are tricky because they obviously have an easier path in the weakest division ... With the Wild’s only real competition being Arizona and Anaheim, it’s very tough to see them fall out. However, they do suffer that same Montreal and Florida problem from the previous Atlantic Division: Those top three spots in the West Division are basically locked up.
So they'll be the best of the lousiest?
I end up watching the Wild quite a bit since both of my sons are big fans, I just want them to be interesting and fun to watch. My team, the Blackhawks, certainly don't seem to be worth paying attention to, the bill has come due but it sure was worth it.
Kaprizov is a wild card and hopefully he ends up being the impact player many think he can be.
No Dubnyk is a good thing. (Assuming Talbot is somewhere near average)
Kaprizov and Fiala are potentially exciting.
Spurgeon, Brodin, Dumba and Suter are still a real solid defense (hoping Dumba is better this year)
They just aren't going to be as good as Colorado/St. Louis/Las Vegas, but it's pretty easy to see why they'd be the pick to do better than the bottom of the West.
Not sure they'll be exciting to watch, but they might find some success.
Not sure they'll be exciting to watch, but they might find some success.
I have a set of four cousins who are all "J"s. As a parent, I'd never be able to properly yell at anyone if that was the case in my home. Hard enough to keep everyone straight as it is.
brotherS is also a bser. Our sister (middle child) avoided that fate.
But my brother's kids are both mS's.
All your names end in S? That's quite a coincidence.
Wait...so does yours. And mine!
I have 4 brothers. All 5 of us have names that start with the "K" sound but is a mix of k's and c's. Being that my last name starts with a k, we are very fortunate none of us have the middle name of Kevin.
Please tell me one of you has the middle name Keystone
Ha! Wiping coffee off my keyboard. No. No middle names starting with K. That would be sick and wrong to do to a kid.
I've paid so little attention to the T'Wolves these past years that the only one I can think of is Jarl-Anthony Towns.
Don't forget the other big names: J'Angelo Russell, Jalik Beasley, and Jicky Rubio.
Unsolicited email from our local clinic last night and now Mrs. Ghost (health care provider) is getting the first vaccine today. I'm in line as an educator, but after filling out the survey I just got a "thanks for the info, we'll be in touch" screen.
Feels like a little progress.
Congratulations to her. This is good news.
I gotta say, I'm not sad about Lindor and Carassco leaving the AL Central, though such cheap-assedness in ownership does bother me regardless of the team.
Baseball has a big problem when teams see players like Lindor and Betts as luxuries too expensive for a franchise. But I second your feelings, glad to see a rival's window slammed shut prematurely by a cheap ass owner.
Well...now Tommy Lasorda
Yesterday, I went to the chiropractor because I could not handle the back pain any longer. This was the first time since June that I'd been in a building other than my own house. I will tell you that I was more apprehensive that you might expect. But, I was the only person in the lobby and I was taken right to a room that is purportedly cleaned between each patient.
So, the doctor walked in and he was wearing a neck gaiter! I was shocked, because I was aware of studies that suggest that neck gaiters are worse than no mask at all. I know that there are studies that push back on that, but, man, why not a mask? And what did he do when he approached me? He stuck out his hand to shake mine. Good grief. I refused and told him why I refused. I didn't say anything about the gaiter, I just sat there and hoped he didn't have the disease.
I have been in some pretty significant pain since about December 20 and I have had to ice my back for about 45 minutes every night to deaden the pain enough to fall asleep. So something had to be done. Last night I was in the worst pain I've felt since this started. But, I feel pretty good today. I also bought a new desk chair that I assembled last night and it is a big improvement over the *folding chair* I had been sitting on for the last ten months. I grew up pretty poor and it's hard for me to spend money some times even when I should. The chair feels great.
The chances of me catching the virus yesterday I realize are pretty small. I feel better today. The doctor seemed to know exactly what I needed and his explanation of what was going on make absolute sense to what I was experiencing. But, I was not happy about the his lack of what I would consider to be appropriate behavior to mitigate the disease.
When I think of things that have surprised me in the last 12 months, this is not one of them. I know at least a dozen chiropractors pretty well and if anything, I am shocked your chiropractor even used a gaiter. One particular chiropractor around my parts is fighting the local hockey association about his your skaters having to follow the mask protocol. That being said, the right chiropractor can really help with a myriad of physical maladies. In fair disclosure, my wife is a Physical Therapist, and those two professions are quite often at odds.
Dom Luszczyszyn's model at the Athletic predicts the Wild to be a playoff team (to finish in the top four of the West Division). He hasn't released the Wild season preview yet, but I'm assuming he'll put them fourth in the division. The model liked the Wild more than most last year, and I think they ended up pretty close to his prediction. He picked them to go over the Vegas line of 87.5 points, and they were on pace for 92. So, there's reason to believe Wild fans could get to see some more first round playoff hockey this year.
So they'll be the best of the lousiest?
I end up watching the Wild quite a bit since both of my sons are big fans, I just want them to be interesting and fun to watch. My team, the Blackhawks, certainly don't seem to be worth paying attention to, the bill has come due but it sure was worth it.
Kaprizov is a wild card and hopefully he ends up being the impact player many think he can be.
No Dubnyk is a good thing. (Assuming Talbot is somewhere near average)
Kaprizov and Fiala are potentially exciting.
Spurgeon, Brodin, Dumba and Suter are still a real solid defense (hoping Dumba is better this year)
They just aren't going to be as good as Colorado/St. Louis/Las Vegas, but it's pretty easy to see why they'd be the pick to do better than the bottom of the West.
Not sure they'll be exciting to watch, but they might find some success.
Not sure they'll be exciting to watch, but they might find some success.
so, the usual.
Hey, there they are, halfway between boring and good!
So I went to MoneyPuck to see just how different is Talbot from Dubnyk...
Difference between xSV% and actual SV% last year:
Dubnyk -1.35%
That's very bad, 51st out of 52 goalies that played at least 25 games)
Stalock -0.56%
That's not great, still in the lowest quartile, 41st out of 52
Talbot -0.38%
So ... better?
It's so annoying when parents do that.
I have a set of four cousins who are all "J"s. As a parent, I'd never be able to properly yell at anyone if that was the case in my home. Hard enough to keep everyone straight as it is.
brotherS is also a bser. Our sister (middle child) avoided that fate.
But my brother's kids are both mS's.
All your names end in S? That's quite a coincidence.
Wait...so does yours. And mine!
I have 4 brothers. All 5 of us have names that start with the "K" sound but is a mix of k's and c's. Being that my last name starts with a k, we are very fortunate none of us have the middle name of Kevin.
Please tell me one of you has the middle name Keystone
Ha! Wiping coffee off my keyboard. No. No middle names starting with K. That would be sick and wrong to do to a kid.
I've paid so little attention to the T'Wolves these past years that the only one I can think of is Jarl-Anthony Towns.
Don't forget the other big names: J'Angelo Russell, Jalik Beasley, and Jicky Rubio.