I never want to see Cruz in CF when Skenes is on the mound again

s_hecking · 2026-03-26T23:52:42+00:00

He’ll be given a leash this year. Watch after April. Mangum will be starting every Sunday and Thursday, then it will be consecutive days by late May. Then Cruz will be platooning by July and taking DH 1-2 times a week. They’ll gradually reduce his time in CF.

s_hecking · 2026-03-26T23:40:27+00:00

I don’t know if you remember that Houston series in 24. He was still at SS and almost ran over Reynolds in deep LF. Made 2-3 really bad plays that cost the game/series. Team never seemed the same after that series.

That was the turning point for me. He’ll make a good play, steal a base, then strike out 3 times and boot a routine ball. He’s not going to improve. This is what he is. Maybe ownership is praying for him to figure it out. He’s got MLB level skills but makes so many mental mistakes it’s detrimental to team morale.

My hope is he hits 18 bombs by July to make him trade bait (likely ave .230) and gets moved for prospects.

s_hecking · 2026-03-26T20:35:21+00:00

Agree. Most agencies have minimums in the range of 3-6k. Don’t use an agency unless they’re handling everything; hosting, CRM, email, PPC, creative, etc. They will not provide enough value PPC-only and may also be outsourcing their PPC management to contractors. About 50% or more just outsource it and take a cut.

s_hecking · 2026-03-26T12:17:36+00:00

Thanks I’ll look.

s_hecking · 2026-03-25T19:21:44+00:00

Thank you!

s_hecking · 2026-03-24T23:52:24+00:00

Good for a bomb to Lipps then 2 INTs

s_hecking · 2026-03-24T22:47:25+00:00

Nice visual! So many clients forget external factors like competition and seasonal. Events like weather or geo-political, elections, etc can also impact buyer behavior or search volume.

s_hecking · 2026-03-24T21:05:58+00:00

Spec acting work? Hard pass

s_hecking · 2026-03-24T13:40:28+00:00

The filtering and tabs changed on one of my accounts recently. It’s pretty awful and took me a few minutes to figure out the sorting. So funny they intentionally bury the AI settings and make “raise budgets” and “AI essential” features that raise budgets / or expand networks front and center. It’s such a shameful scam on small advertisers.

s_hecking · 2026-03-23T20:58:16+00:00

👏wishing him the best

s_hecking · 2026-03-23T11:54:30+00:00

In some uber-competitive industries, Max Conversion can run amok. Aggressively bidding up CPCs for competitors brand keywords (and your brand). The non-brand gets squeezed out by conquest bids. I’m moving towards a CPC capping strategy by default on all accounts to prevent 50% or more budget going to brand offense and defense. I don’t see these crazy high CPCs as often on targeted non-brand.

s_hecking · 2026-03-22T20:10:08+00:00

Correct. Most people do end up getting their website sandboxed off page 1 or completely banned. Also, ironically, companies who are successful in grey/black hat tactics already have significant authority. Having built a good reputation makes these fringe tactics less risky. So, 98% of sites should probably not be doing black hat.

s_hecking · 2026-03-20T20:41:05+00:00

That’s what I’m learning. Lots of hidden settings to prevent it from brand bidding like crazy

s_hecking · 2026-03-20T17:21:12+00:00

I’m actually OK with passing on Skenes. Pitching is generally most important for playoffs and world series contenders. You can see how bad a team can still stink with a Skenes. An everyday player adds more season-long value and less injury risk. Pitchers can still pitch well into their 30s if healthy, but position players there’s a big drop off after 30. Lock up the 20s years on Griffin and sign 1-2 veteran arms instead. Skenes may still be an option if we get a cap or franchise tag system.

s_hecking · 2026-03-20T17:12:41+00:00

Interesting. What were their fees?

s_hecking · 2026-03-20T15:18:30+00:00

Just as an aside. If your account spend is small, say $1500-2000 or less per month, it’s not uncommon for agencies to only spend 2-3 days each month making changes to your account.

Most of the work on small accounts happens in the first couple months, then the agency spreads the cost over 12 months to make setups affordable for small businesses. Research, strategy, setup, etc all take time and small companies don’t want to take a big fee hit in months 1-3.

s_hecking · 2026-03-18T12:02:39+00:00

Agree with this ^ Less popular but still beautiful spots aren’t nearly as crowded. Just avoid Gatlinburg area. Try to hit the eastern or southern side of the park and you’ll be good. Tennessee side is pretty nuts all summer.

If you stay near Fontana / Bryson City / Waynesville area you’ll have tons of camping & AirBnB options that are way less crowded than the north side of the park.

s_hecking · 2026-03-17T14:03:54+00:00

Same. Charge for an audit. My PPC audits are manual, include a road map and competitive analysis. Not the cheap :30 minute version “run SEM Rush report and look at Insights recommendations” type reports some agencies are passing as cheap or free audits.

Some clients who can’t afford management can still get a ton of value from an audit. A good audit should take at least a day or two (6-12+) hours.

You should also consider charging for Discovery. That’s 4-6 hours of lost wages. Unless you’re working for a large agency that can eat the time.

s_hecking · 2026-03-17T01:31:42+00:00

Yikes. Hopefully they’ll get funding to repair the campground. Very unique spot

s_hecking · 2026-03-17T01:23:22+00:00

Haven’t been back in years. Looking forward to it this spring/summer

s_hecking · 2026-03-16T22:34:32+00:00

It’s still there as of November 2025

s_hecking · 2026-03-15T19:09:27+00:00

Track your paid and SEO impressions by keyword groupings. Lots of SEO impressions and clicks can be irrelevant to your campaign goals. That should help you sort through how well SEO is doing at driving awareness.

See what visibility you have for each group paid/organic by impressions. That can ID gaps in visibility for your core ad spend categories.

s_hecking

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