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Jul 17, 2023Liked by Craig Brown

Craig - I want to thank you for making this season far more interesting and informative than I would have thought it could possibly be. And I genuinely mean that! I've learned a great deal from you and I truly appreciate the knowledge along with all of your hard work and research!

But it's only mid-July and already it's evident to me that some (not all) of these guys are just going through the motions. (Presumably that's in an effort to keep those big fat MLB paychecks rolling in.) This team simply doesn't deserve any more of my attention and they especially don't deserve any more of my valuable time.

Maybe I'll reconnect with you next spring if I'm still around. But thank you sincerely for making this season, which is on track to be by far the most futile in team history (one of the very worst seasons in the entire live ball era) more interesting than it had any right to be. I just can't get amped up anymore about hopeful projections and assumptions about young and kinda-young players and minor-leaguers and new coaches and the bright shiny futures they allegedly all have in front of them.

I've heard it all too many times before, and none of that wildly speculative stuff does anything for me now. The terminology changes from one era to another. So do the various methods of coaching and of analysis. But the underlying reality does not, and that reality remains stubbornly non-negotiable no matter how well it is described or analyzed.

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As always, thanks for reading and commenting. It’s been quite the season for sure. I understand checking out for the remainder of the year. I don’t think we’re going to see improvement in the win/loss column. Not if they make the trades they should be making.

I’ll still be here…chucking newslettters in to inboxes when the writing itch needs to be scratched.

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Mr. O'B. if I'm not mistaken, thoracic outlet syndrome is what did Luke Hochevar in and derailed what looked to be a promising comeback as a bullpenner. Also, your recipe for baseball success brings to mind the mantra of Earl Weaver: Pitching, defense, three-run homers. Seems it worked pretty well for him.

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