The Crane Pool Forum

True. As evidenced by the Phillies lasting longer this year than the Dodgers, Mets, and Braves.

McNeil may have a big payday coming up, but I'm not sure it'll be with the Mets.

Edgy MD wrote: ↑Wed Dec 21, 2022 1:13 pm McNeil may have a big payday coming up, but I'm not sure it'll be with the Mets.

Me neither. But he's been way less grumpy under Cohen than under the Wilpons.

Dear Mr. Axelrod;
boo hoo!
Strongly worded letter to follow.

Later

If Axelrod wants everyone to root against the Mets because Steve isn't pure of heart or deed he ignores the fact that none of the owners got to be where they are by being a virgin. Steve is doing what every fan wants his owner to do. The difference is that Steve doesn't need the money and the Mets aren't his sole source of income.

batmagadanleadoff wrote: ↑Wed Dec 21, 2022 1:21 pm

Edgy MD wrote: ↑Wed Dec 21, 2022 1:13 pm McNeil may have a big payday coming up, but I'm not sure it'll be with the Mets.

Me neither. But he's been way less grumpy under Cohen than under the Wilpons.

And Steve can afford enough acorns to keep the squirrel happy.
Later

It's clear that Mr. Cohen is filthy rich and willing to spend aggressively. I mean to say that McNeil has had his position on the team encroached upon several times over now by big-ticket acquisitions.

I'm sure he could afford to keep Jacob deGrom in a healthy lifestyle for many years, but here we are. The finite number of opportunities creates limits that the wallet does not.

Mr. Axelrod can help himself to a garbage bag full of dicks.

Andy McCullough writing for The Athletic:

Steve Cohen spends money with a casualness, almost a flippancy that underscores his understanding of his own wealth.

[***]

Cohen has operated with ruthless directness this winter.... When there was an opening with Correa, Cohen did not hesitate.

And why wouldn't he? Do you know how many millions are in a billion?

Edgy MD wrote: ↑Wed Dec 21, 2022 2:21 pmI mean to say that McNeil has had his position on the team encroached upon several times over now by big-ticket acquisitions.

McNeil himself will be a big-ticket acqusition. He's a star -- a two-time all-star and a batting champ with 20+ HR power. He won the batting title, as if that's not impressive enough, playing half his games in a pitcher's park, in the era of baseball in Denver.

btw, the C. C. deal is going to be a boon to the 'Wifey Watch' thread.

Benjamin Grimm wrote: ↑Wed Dec 21, 2022 1:04 pm True. As evidenced by the Phillies lasting longer this year than the Dodgers, Mets, and Braves.

More importantly though is this fun fact

12 franchises have made 5 or more postseason appearance streaks.

14 1991-2005 Braves, 1 World Championship 5 years into the streak
13 1995-2007 MFYs, 4 World Championships, all within the first 6 years
10 2013- Dodgers, 8 years in and it took a pandemic shortened season to win their lone title
6 2017- MFYs, no titles
6 2017- Astros, 2 titles that sandwich the 6 seasons
5 1949-1953 MFYs 5 and fucking 0
5 1960-1964 MFYs 2 championships, both on the early side of that streak
5 1971-1975 Athletics, Three-peat in the middle
5 1995-1999 Guardians 0 titles as the franchise still waits for their first since 1948
5 2007-2011…SHOULD HAVE BEEN US, but only one title in the 2nd season of the run
5 2011-2015 Cardinals Title that first year, then just one NL pennant to show
5 2018- Braves, so far just the 2021 title to show for half a decade in the postseason.

Certainly plenty of league pennants and LCS appearances in each run, but even more so now just getting into the postseason is no guarantee of a championship parade at the end.

batmagadanleadoff wrote: ↑Wed Dec 21, 2022 2:26 pm

Edgy MD wrote: ↑Wed Dec 21, 2022 2:21 pmI mean to say that McNeil has had his position on the team encroached upon several times over now by big-ticket acquisitions.

McNeil himself will be a big-ticket acqusition. He's a star -- a two-time all-star and a batting champ with 20+ HR power. He won the batting title, as if that's not impressive enough, playing half his games in a pitcher's park, in the era of baseball in Denver.

Of course he will be. So was Jacob deGrom. And yet.

They've now come at McNeil several times with excess veteran middle infielders who have pushed him around the diamond to find playing time. Robinson Canó, Javier Báez, and now Carlos Correa. That's a similar message from three different GMs, so I don't know.

This medical condition is so bizarre. There are bits of information floating around, but I have yet to see anything definitive. None of this makes sense to me.

*The consensus seems to be that he "passed" his physical, but that the Giants took issue with something minor.

*Speculation is that the minor injury was a broken ankle from Correa's pre-MLB days

*Why schedule a press conference if you aren't happy with the medicals? I feel like you clear that hurdle before making arrangements with the press

*If it's true that the Giants wanted to renegotiate the deal, the injury must have been minor enough that they weren't yet ready to walk away

*The only real thing that makes sense is that the Giants got cold feet. And if that's the case, it's hard to understand how they will have any credibility in the marketplace again. Or with their fans.

Well, Correa isn't displacing McNeil, he's displacing Escobar. And McNeil is more established as a star now than he was when Javy Baez came to town.

Only time will tell whether or not any of this means anything, but I would like to see Alonso and McNeil stay around well past their eligibility for free agency. As Nimmo has.

Certainly agreed on that.

Cry more

Benjamin Grimm wrote: ↑Wed Dec 21, 2022 2:55 pmI would like to see Alonso and McNeil stay around well past their eligibility for free agency. As Nimmo has.

Put me down seconding with a giant yay. A big purple yay.

Yay!!

metirish wrote: ↑Wed Dec 21, 2022 3:51 pm

Cry more

The owner of the New York Yankees complaining about another team spending money is funny. Considering he has spent in the neighborhood of $1 billion on Cole, Judge and Rodon in the last couple seasons and his ballpark is called a "mallpark" for sticking it to the fans.

More effective would be to ask the teams who think they have no chance -- or refuse to invest in their product -- why that is the case. Does the luxury tax Cohen will pay get distributed to the teams that don't spend?

I kinda agree wth Hal.It's not the Mets & Yankees fault that the Reds and Pirates don't do anything but it sucks for their fans to be so hopeless and it's no good for the game that we gotta play 'em.

I may agree somewhat with all this and that but today, tomorrow and all
off 2023 I'm gonna sit here and look at all the nice shiny toys under the tree.

Please invite Hal to get behind my campaign to end the anti-trust exemption.

Beyond that, I'm not sure what there is to "look at."

I didn't read the piece linked in the tweet, but I disagree with the quote.

Fans of the Royals, Pirates, Marlins and a few other teams feel they have no chance of making the playoffs pretty much always, but with 12 teams now getting in, most fans probably don't feel that way. The playoffs are realistic for most teams (even smart teams that don't spend shit), and as it's been said here a bunch of times, all of Steve's rich doubloons don't guarantee a WS ring because of the randomness of a tournament full of short series.

But if your fav team is built in such a way that on Opening Day it has no shot for even the 11th or 12th playoff spot, well that's not really Cohen's fault, whatever you think of him.

Most of these owners are billionaires , they just don't have Cohen billions , bit many of the bottom feeders could spend more, they choose not to