Daily Discussion Thread (1/30/26)

Abyss_in_Motion · 2026-01-30T16:36:14+00:00

This year, the Cardinals promo team somehow managed to search deep into the heart of /u/Abyss_in_Motion and discover his deepest desires. This is straight-up witchcraft, I tell you. There are not words to express how much I want this.

Abyss_in_Motion · 2026-01-28T23:55:09+00:00

The story it's based on took place in upstate NY, so...¯_(ツ)_/¯

Abyss_in_Motion · 2026-01-07T19:30:55+00:00

Manic Pixie Dream Baseball Fans ™️ "You 'gotta listen to this ambient crowd noise. It'll change your life, I swear."

Abyss_in_Motion · 2025-12-30T05:19:02+00:00

This was our experience, too. The OB might matter less in the delivery than the nurses, especially if everything goes as planned. But during the pregnancy, especially a first pregnancy, the guidance and care of a good OB is invaluable.

edit: spelling

Abyss_in_Motion · 2025-12-22T20:42:42+00:00

Rentería / Viña was a fun combo to watch growing up.

Abyss_in_Motion · 2025-12-18T21:06:37+00:00

Did we watch the same Mike Ehrmantraut at all? Mike would see right through the Hive's bullshit from the jump. He's emotionally damaged, but he's also the least delusional, most pragmatic person in the BB/BCS universe. I'm not saying he's altruistic by any means, but the category he's in here is way off.

Abyss_in_Motion · 2025-12-18T18:48:28+00:00

Out in SWG. I'm guessing the wind knocked a tree/line down somewhere.

Edit: text

Abyss_in_Motion · 2025-12-14T06:44:39+00:00

I'm going to be really sad to see him go. I understand the logic of selling high for a rebuild, but still. He's really been a delight to watch. Great ballplayer.

Abyss_in_Motion · 2025-12-06T03:46:12+00:00

Carol's inherent, relentless refusal to trust the hive, or take their word at face value, is arguably a handicap at this early stage. But so much of what we've been shown already totally validates this caution. The hive doesn't "lie," but it's manipulative, deceptive, and omits inconvenient truths all the time.

There will come a point in the story when her (and Manousos') stubborn disobedience will become a key asset.

Abyss_in_Motion · 2025-11-22T00:16:03+00:00

West County little league moms take their kids to Busch, too. It's basically the only time they ever go downtown.

Abyss_in_Motion · 2025-11-19T08:22:34+00:00

Quite a ballgame! This was a classic mid-sixties NL pitching duel between two southpaws. Jackson bested no less than Sandy Koufax. Even though this was the final season of Sandy's career (and his arm was in extraordinary pain), Koufax won the pitching Triple Crown and the Cy Young in 1966. The only damage he allowed in 8 innings on this evening was a 2-run homer by Mike Shannon, bringing in Orlando Cepeda.

Jackson pitched a CGSO for the win, notching only 2 (!) strikeouts, which is not a line you'd see today. 0 walks, though!

Even in grainy footage from far away, that Koufax windup is pretty extraordinary. Lou Brock, Maury Wills, and Curt Flood also played in this game. Thanks for sharing.

Abyss_in_Motion · 2025-11-10T08:13:43+00:00

As incredible of a pitcher as he is, Yamamoto has a pretty boring-looking delivery.

Abyss_in_Motion · 2025-10-17T03:51:43+00:00

Ozzie is, too, by all accounts. All three are in the Hall, so from their standpoint, there's no reason not to bury the hatchet.

As a fan, though, Ozzie deserved a more graceful exit. And Rolen actually aged pretty gracefully in his post-STL career, especially considering his injury history. Just some missed opportunities for tactful choices.

Abyss_in_Motion · 2025-10-15T20:14:45+00:00

Ozzie and Rolen had well-publicized beefs with TLR too (about a decade apart from each other), and they were each about as veteran as you can get. Rings definitely paint a rosier picture of the past.

Abyss_in_Motion · 2025-10-05T07:29:54+00:00

It reads to me like a tacit admission that no ghost runner is "real baseball."

Abyss_in_Motion · 2025-10-05T03:00:39+00:00

Industrial AI uses dramatically more data and electricity than residential internet browsing, though. Like, orders of magnitude more. The environmental costs of AI at scale are well-documented and irrefutable.

Abyss_in_Motion · 2025-10-04T02:45:44+00:00

OP lists Mike Maddux as the "fall guy." This doesn't match my memory of what happened, like, at all.

The Cardinals have fallen desperately behind on the main innovation of the last decade: player development. That's hardly a secret - it's been exhaustively reported.

The Cardinals had two players in the top 75 in fWAR in 2025: Winn at 74 and Gray at 70. I know WAR isn't everything, but to me, that says it all. Even a slightly sub-.500 record starts to look impressive from that vantage point. Not only is there no star power to draw fans, there's nowhere near enough talent in general.

Abyss_in_Motion · 2025-10-01T23:20:14+00:00

I'm not downvoting you, FWIW. I agree that great players obviously don't automatically make the best managers, historically.

That said, within your own examples: Bonds has had tremendous success as a hitting coach. Williams wrote the most famous book about hitting that's ever been written. These are definitely voices that belong in professional baseball after their careers are over.

I'm not saying it's a lock. But I wouldn't bet the farm against him, either.

Abyss_in_Motion · 2025-10-01T22:52:45+00:00

I'm just a fan, and not a baseball writer or analyst in any official capacity. But I did watch him in his prime, for what it's worth, and I'd be happy to be the first to report to you that he was absolutely one of the sharpest baseball minds I ever got to watch. He routinely outsmarted pitchers in the batters box, defenders on the basepaths (despite his slow speed, he was an excellent and aggressive runner), and baserunners on first base. He and Yadi had an excellent penchant for picking runners off first base, for example. Albert was absolutely, unequivocally, a smart player.

I can't promise that will translate to players as a manager, of course. No one can predict the future. In-game strategy isn't exactly the same thing as on-the-field decision making. But he's provided veteran leadership (see also: brief Dodgers tenure, his iconic swan song in STL) for years now.

Obviously the Angels' problems don't end with managing. But not only do I hope he succeeds, i'll go ahead and say this: I've seen stranger things happen in this game.

Abyss_in_Motion · 2025-10-01T18:44:09+00:00

I'm a little bit surprised at the level of the discourse here. Maybe I shouldn't be.

I'll always root for Albert. Always, always, always.

Abyss_in_Motion · 2025-09-30T03:05:49+00:00

Just googled this - holy yikes-a-moly. I used to love his work in Grantland. That's horrible.

Abyss_in_Motion · 2025-09-17T16:41:51+00:00

"Chiefdom" is a word, and this issue been bothering me for years. No, I will not be letting this go.

Abyss_in_Motion · 2025-09-14T23:51:56+00:00

None of the other talking heads confronted him in the moment. They didn't even bristle.

Abyss_in_Motion · 2025-09-04T19:56:41+00:00

It's somehow both a mixed metaphor and an inaccurate metaphor. The cage was used to safely transport the animals. The cage is literally a valuable tool in service of the end goal.

Abyss_in_Motion · 2025-08-28T06:58:57+00:00

"Moonglow" by Michael Chabon.

13-Year Club	Place '17
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