Soul

I don’t feel good either. The defense will need to man up in a big way to stop Bijan. I don’t have confidence they can do it. I think ATL is a team on the upswing, possibly in a big way. This was a game I solidly put in the W column but things have changed. At the least it’s a much bigger challenge than expected.

Yeah, the truth is there isn’t going to be total equality regardless of market. The real question is what, if anything, can or should be done to make it more equal whether that’s cap/floor, TV revenue share, or whatever else. I just don’t think it’s inherently wrong to ask for some kind of common framework. That wouldn’t necessarily mean total equality.

Huh? No it’s not disgusting. Article 1 of the MLB constitution states that all clubs are entitled to the same benefits and provisions. Article 5 establishes that each club has an equal vote. These are 30 equal members of a league. There is not an equal distribution of wealth. That is true. I don’t know if there ever will be. But it is reasonable to ask for that. It’s not disgusting any way.

The version is wanting a common financial framework for a league of franchises that are equals. That’s separate from an analysis of who is winning, and it’s an entirely reasonable ask.

Remember the years when we bemoaned there was no playoff? I guess be careful what you wish for! 24 feels like too many to me. Teams will be up to what, 16 games? On the other hand, many are being paid now, so someone is coming along and saying- time to go to work guys.

There's nothing but the arch, and it's better seen as you pass by on the freeway. If you exit the freeway you are in National Lampoon's Vacation.

Yeah let’s see how they fare against that DET -> SF stretch. If they come out of that looking great I’ll say they’re good in spite of the lackluster offense. It’s possible. Defense-heavy teams can still be competitive. I just need to see more. They literally won against the Bears because Caleb’s hammy pulled at the most critical moment. He had beaten the defender and was heading downfield.

I just want a common financial framework. The details will matter. A blunt-tool “salary cap” is probably not the solution. But the luxury tax didn’t work either.

Exactly right. We think alike.

It also holds true when you expand out to World Series participants. 15 of 20 were top 10 in payroll.

Ashby’s a starter right? He’s got starter stuff and starter length. So how did the Brewers convince him to be a lowly reliever?

The magic carpet ride continues.

You can tell that felt reeeaaalllly good.

Ok, now they’re getting sassy.

I hate schedule watching to be honest. The sands shift every week. Teams ebb and flow. Rosters show up with players in various states of health. Player by player matchups matter. Etc etc. It’s really scary because the Bears just put up a stinker. If that stinker wasn’t a one-off then we’re probably in deep do-do

Blitz the hell out of Penix. I don’t think he can handle it.

Sorry for the AI slop but I've had ChatGPT tracking velocity. MLB velocity update — October 1, 2026 The verdict is clearer now: velocity is still rising, and 2026 was another substantial step upward. Average four-seam velocity finished at a record 94.8 mph, up from 94.5 in 2025 and 91.9 when pitch tracking began in 2008. That's the sixth straight season with a new record. Even more suggestive of what's coming: pitchers age 25 or younger averaged 95.9 mph. Triple-digit pitching exploded. MLB recorded 5,687 pitches at 100+ mph, versus 3,701 in 2025 — a 54% increase in one year and more than 26 times the 214 recorded in 2008. Jacob Misiorowski alone threw 1,115 of them, smashing Jordan Hicks' previous single-season record of 673, and reached 105.5 mph. Baseball Savant's 2026 leaderboard also shows eight pitchers averaging at least 100 mph on their four-seamer among pitchers with 100+ pitches. The biomechanics/training story increasingly looks like “raise the floor,” not merely “raise the ceiling.” MLB's analysis found that since 2008 the average pitcher's minimum fastball velocity rose 5.1 mph, while average maximum velocity rose only 1.2 mph. In other words, modern development has made pitchers capable of operating much nearer maximum effort pitch after pitch. MLB also notes the continuing role of biomechanical measurement, data-driven efficiency work and velocity-focused development throughout the minors; Triple-A four-seam velocity is already up from 92.7 mph in 2022 to 93.6 in 2026. Bottom line: definitely rising, not plateauing. And the most striking change since our last check is the final count of 5,687 triple-digit pitches. That isn't a tiny incremental increase — it's a huge one-year jump. The statistic I'd watch most closely in 2027 is that 95.9-mph average among pitchers 25 and younger. If that cohort replaces older, slower pitchers as you'd expect, the league-wide average has room to climb further even without anyone discovering how to throw harder than today's 104–106 mph extreme.

Admittedly I don’t follow the draft but 100 MPH+ is a base expectation now. If the Cubs don’t have that in the pipeline they are going to fall behind, and quickly. I mention it because right now the Cubs have already fallen behind, so they’ve already got some catching up to do.

There a lot of Packers/Cubs fans. It comes from the era when WGN broadcasted Cubs games everywhere. You couldn’t get the Brewers. It’s amazing how that has echoed through the decades. It helped create the large fan base the Cubs have that a lot of other teams don’t have.

Yeah I can’t account for the Packer fan crossover. I’ll need to think on that. There’s this whole rabid rural fan base with the Packers that just makes me roll my eyes.

This. There’s also a built up history of hatred between the Cardinals and Cubs that goes back decades and decades, before the Brewers were even a team. It’s not possible for the Brewers rivalry to match that. Brewers fans can’t understand that because their team is too new. Younger Cubs fans should realize my Dad and Grandpa passed this down to me.

I get that but Contreras and Uribe direct their stuff to the other team in the dugout and the opposing fans. It’s clearly designed to be antagonistic and even Murphy has said it’s bush league (at least in Uribe’s case).

That’s his “thing” and it’s over the top for sure. He did it in San Diego and needless to say they didn’t appreciate it very much. Uribe also has his way over-the-top stuff too, notably absent last night when he was a gas can. People get upset with PCA but Contreras makes him look tame.

If there’s a code the Crew cracked surely it’s to frustrate the pitcher.

Yeah they didn’t miss him that’s for sure.