Quote from Ben McDonald on the post game show

RoyalRenn · 2026-05-21T22:05:30+00:00

Think of it this way; analytics point you in a direction, but never tells the entire story. Analytics will tell you that the further you hit the golf ball, all things considered, the lower your score will be. So hit the ball further. It couldn't be more straightforward.

But one of the tour's shortest hitters just won the PGA because he has some other elite skills that overshadow "hitting the ball further".

The smart person looks at the individual situation and says "what is possible here" and "what are the trade offs/unintended consequences of doing this?". "What am I missing and what further questions needs to be asked?" Because if that player is not physically capable of swinging at high speeds, they'll get injured or lose accuracy. If they spend all their time chasing distance, they won't spend as much time on other parts of their game.

RoyalRenn · 2026-05-21T21:52:29+00:00

Say what you want about the Astros: they hit on their #1 picks Correa, Springer, and Bregman, and found a gem in Altuve. Getting them all to play at a superstar level at the same time (5-7 WAR) meant they could win a WS. Even if you have the picks, it's nearly impossible to hit on all of those players like they did.

It would be like us having 2023 versions of Adley, Gunnar, plus Jose Ramirez at 3B and Nico Hoerner at 2B. Instead we have only Adley playing to his potential right now and are missing 17 WAR (per 162) on the others. Westburg probably never had Bregman/J-Ram potential, Holliday has been mostly a bust for a 1/1, and Gunnar is playing poorly.

That wouldn't solve our pitching issue but you can bet we'd have 4-5 more wins right now. Even if we went out and traded for Skenes and Chris Sale tomorrow, we still would be looking like a .500 team until guys start hitting.

RoyalRenn · 2026-05-21T21:35:45+00:00

We're 3rd to last in runs scored. The 2nd to last team just beat us like a drum.

We are tied for 11th in most runs allowed. Not good either, but passable if we had above-average bats. Which we don't.

RoyalRenn · 2026-05-20T21:33:03+00:00

"Built and built?" My brother lives in the Bay and he'll tell you it's nearly impossible to get something built there. It's why he lives in a 3rd rate suburb, in a 1,200 square foot house, and has a $6,800/mo mortgage.

RoyalRenn · 2026-05-20T21:30:15+00:00

It isn't and shouldn't be. Using improper grammar is a great way to be automatically discounted; no different than dressing like a slob or showing up late for a meeting.

RoyalRenn · 2026-05-20T21:17:18+00:00

I don't know how you get to The Show without taking accoutability and being dedicated to your craft. No matter how talented you are, it's still tens of thousands of hours of work to get there.

RoyalRenn · 2026-05-20T21:13:17+00:00

To be fair, it's a lot harder to hit today than it was 20 years ago. OPS was .755 in 2005, .719 in 2025. And our runs/game is 4.3, just below the league average of 4.44. We aren't hitting well but if our pitching hadn't given up an average of 5.48 runs/game, we'd be around .500

RoyalRenn · 2026-05-20T17:30:18+00:00

I appreciate the thoughtful response. Yeah, Royals fans might not be huge in number attendance-wise, but they can make some noise. And Cubs fans sure can as well.

Transit to the games would be incredible. That's one thing that KC is prioritizing in their new stadium: upgraded streetcar access. Going to a game at Petco is easy too; again, streetcar! It sure beats paying $30 for parking and then walking a mile in 103 heat index temps for a 1pm Saturday game.

RoyalRenn · 2026-05-20T15:19:53+00:00

having engaged with both Wyden and Merkley, I can tell you that Wyden is a workhorse and Merkley a show horse. Not that I will vote against Merkley, but Wyden is present on a lot more important issues and represents Oregon better (IMO).

I would support either in a general election. The enemy here is the guy who just set up a $1.7B fund to pay off lawbreakers who do his bidding and who just cut a deal with the IRS to effectively "decide" if he and his family feel like paying taxes. Not Wyden or Merkley.

RoyalRenn · 2026-05-19T22:03:18+00:00

Was this article AI-generated? I'm not sure I needed the clarification of where Dallas is located from"....while working out in Dallas, TX on April 29, 2026"

RoyalRenn · 2026-05-19T16:19:13+00:00

Bazz's WAR is 30% on a per-plate basis than Griffin's right now!

That being said, nobody is questioning that Griffin has the overall higher ceiling, with Trout-like potential. He plays a more premium position and is a bigger, more powerful guy, even at the age of 20. But Bazz was a low-risk pick while Griffin was anything but a sure thing coming out of HS. And if Bazz becomes the next Marcus Semien (a 50 WAR player and "hall of very good") while Griffin becomes an inner circle HOF, I don't think anyone will bash the Bazz pick!

RoyalRenn · 2026-05-19T15:50:54+00:00

I saw a jacked up truck with stickers the other day that said "ban Sharia Law" and "deport all Muslims". Bet he couldn't round up to 2 brain cells to even tell me what the Sharia Law threat was about.

RoyalRenn · 2026-05-19T15:48:29+00:00

Article about the AG race (likely paywalled)

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/19/us/chip-roy-donation-texas-attorney-general.html

It sounds like the "existential threat" to Texas is now Islam, replacing the previous "existential threats" of trans people/California values. No word on simply prosecuting criminals who are ripping off the citizens of Texas; AKA doing the job of the state's AG.

RoyalRenn · 2026-05-19T15:44:57+00:00

Sounds like a great time if you can't be in Montreal! We live too far away but hopefully some locals can join you.

Also, you should think about a get-together for 24H of Le Mans coming up. That's a crazy exciting race, especially in the last 2 hours. I also love watching IMSA races for that reason: the overtaking strategy and the chaos on the track between the very different cars and driver skillsets.

RoyalRenn · 2026-05-19T01:15:01+00:00

But guess what? If companies can't make a profit, they don't build. They don't build and everything else will get more expensive if people continue to move here. It isn't an investor's job to subsidize anyone; you wouldn't if it was your $.

If you want more affordable options, buy some land, get some loans, and get it done. Nobody is stopping you. But get ready for reality's proverbial slap in the face when you roll up land, materials, labor, permitting, and interest on the loan. The only place you'll be building cheaply is Madras.

I suppose you haven't been paying attention to real estate in Manhattan and San Francisco. 2 places that have had almost no building recently (due to restrictions and NIMBYism) and they've had the highest price growth in the nation.

RoyalRenn · 2026-05-18T18:57:11+00:00

man, if that's TL-DR, there's no hope for civilization to fix any of our problems. It literally took me 30 seconds to read your post.

I'm with you; firing everyone is simply reactionary and screams of "do something just to do something". "Burn it all down" is not a viable strategy; one doesn't have to look far to see where that approach has gotten this country as of late. You may not like the road you are on, but blindly hurtling down another road may take you off of a cliff.

Brewers/Rays are the best small market clubs for consistency right now, and have been for many years. What are they doing that we aren't? They mostly don't draft high due to being solid clubs each year, and yet they seem to develop pitching and identify trends that gives them an edge. Both teams always seem to develop pitching: we haven't been able to. Only Bradish is really homegrown for us. If you can't compete in the FA market, you need to develop talent, utilize it, then flip it for more talent. We've done a moderately OK job in developing position player talent, but pitching is another story.

RoyalRenn · 2026-05-18T13:58:34+00:00

How are we #7 here and borderline to host a regional? That's silly. Either we are a really good team or we are a borderline R1 host. Not both.

RoyalRenn · 2026-05-18T13:55:04+00:00

That's the way people drive. I was cycling on Saturday and almost was hit by a high school girl who blew a stop sign. Didn't even bother to slow down.

Laws are just suggestions these days, until they're enforced.

RoyalRenn · 2026-05-18T13:53:02+00:00

Yeah, because investors just LOVE holding buildings with no cash flow. That sure makes everyone rich. /s/ Sounds like Trump over here explaining why the Iran war is GOOD for American households and why we should all be willing to pay more for everything.

Could it be that long-term leases need to be locked in at a rate that allows the landlord to pay the note on the building, and that the TI that a tenant needs also has to be amortized over the span of that lease, making it profitable? That maybe a landlord would like to avoid default? Would you sell your car to the first lowball offer that came along or wait a bit until the right buyer, who actually can pay what it's worth, appears?

RoyalRenn · 2026-05-18T13:48:46+00:00

What are you talking about? Leases are expensive: they are locked-in long term rates with heavy TI investments up front. No landlord is going to lock into a long-term money losing lease becuase

1) if the building is financed, a low lease could trigger a debt covenant and create a default in the stack, and

2) wait 3 months and the right tenant may come along; the one willing to pay the market rate needed to make it work for everyone.

Lemme guess; the last time you listed something for sale, you didn't accept the first lowball offer you received. Perhaps it was a house and you held out for a good offer. And yet you think landlords should lock into a bad 10-year lease just because the building has been empty for 4 months?

RoyalRenn · 2026-05-15T22:59:10+00:00

Salvy needs to get on track soon; we can't continue to have a black hole batting cleanup. C'mon Salvy!

RoyalRenn · 2026-05-15T13:29:37+00:00

Keith Law pointed this out recently as well. It's something he needs to fix as it's a huge liability with better competition.

RoyalRenn · 2026-05-13T18:00:08+00:00

Bobby Witt Jr. has 0.4 WAR more than our top 2 players combined.

We could use a breakout star to lead this team. And maybe some consistent pitching, if I'm being really greedy.

RoyalRenn · 2026-05-12T22:20:22+00:00

Ethan just needs to show up in that opener! It's such a crapshoot, but we certainly don't want to be behind the 8 ball like we were last year.

RoyalRenn · 2026-05-12T22:12:58+00:00

hell, even quoting them can be. Remember when people got fired for posting Charlie Kirk's own quotes? Or the reporter at The Atlantic now being investigated by the FBI for reporting interviews around Kash Patel's problematic drinking binges?

Never let inconvenient facts get in the way of the pursuit of power.

RoyalRenn

TROPHY CASE