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spilledreality · 4 years

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Sporting vs Herding

I wanna talk about two blogposts, Seph's "War Over Being Nice” and Alastair's "Of Triggering & the Triggered." Each lays out the same erisological idea: that there are two distinct modes or cultures of running discourse these days, and understanding the difference is crucial to understanding the content of conversation as much as its form. Let's go.

One style, Alastair writes, is indebted to the Greco-Roman rhetorical and 19th C British sporting traditions. A debate takes place in a "heterotopic" arena which is governed by an ethos of adversarial collaboration and sportsmanship. It is waged in a detached and impersonal manner, e.g. in American debate club, which inherits from these older traditions, you are assigned a side to argue; your position is not some "authentic" expression of self. Alastair:

This form of discourse typically involves a degree of ‘heterotopy’, occurring in a ‘space’ distinct from that of personal interactions.

This heterotopic space is characterized by a sort of playfulness, ritual combativeness, and histrionics. This ‘space’ is akin to that of the playing field, upon which opposing teams give their rivals no quarter, but which is held distinct to some degree from relations between the parties that exist off the field. The handshake between competitors as they leave the field is a typical sign of this demarcation.

All in all, it is a mark against one in these debates to take an argument personally, to allow arguments that happen "in the arena" to leave the arena. This mode of discourse I see exemplified in LessWrong culture, and is, I think, one of the primary attractors to the site.In the second mode of discourse, inoffensiveness, agreement, and inclusivity are emphasized, and positions are seen as closely associated with their proponents. Alastair speculates it originates in an educational setting which values cooperation, empathy, equality, non-competitiveness, affirmation, and subordination; this may be true, but I feel less confident in it than I am the larger claim about discursive modes. Provocatively, the two modes are dubbed "sporting" and "herding," with all the implications of, on the one hand, individual agents engaged in ritualized, healthy simulations of combat, and on the other, of quasi-non-agents shepherded in a coordinated, bounded, highly constrained and circumscribed epistemic landscape. Recall, if you are tempted to blame this all on the postmodernists, that this is exactly the opposite of their emphasis toward the "adult" realities of relativism, nebulosity, flux. Queer Theory has long advocated for the dissolution of gendered and racial identity, not the reification of identitarian handles we see now, which is QT's bastardization. We might believe these positions were taken too far, but they are ultimately about complicating the world and removing the structuralist comforts of certainty and dichotomy. (Structureless worlds are inherently hostile to rear children in, and also for most human life; see also the Kegan stages for a similar idea.)

In the erisological vein, Alastair provides a portrait of the collision between the sporting and herding modes. Arguments that fly in one discursive style (taking offence, emotional injury, legitimation-by-feeling) absolutely do not fly in the other:

When these two forms of discourse collide they are frequently unable to understand each other and tend to bring out the worst in each other. The first [new, sensitive] form of discourse seems lacking in rationality and ideological challenge to the second; the second [old, sporting] can appear cruel and devoid of sensitivity to the first. To those accustomed to the second mode of discourse, the cries of protest at supposedly offensive statements may appear to be little more than a dirty and underhand ploy intentionally adopted to derail the discussion by those whose ideological position can’t sustain critical challenge.

ii.

Seph stumbles upon a similar division, though it is less about discursive and argumentative modes, and more about social norms for emotional regulation and responsibility. He calls them Culture A and Culture B, mirroring sporting and herding styles, respectively.

In culture A, everyone is responsible for their own feelings. People say mean stuff all the time—teasing and jostling each other for fun and to get a rise. Occasionally someone gets upset. When that happens, there's usually no repercussions for the perpetrator. If someone gets consistently upset when the same topic is brought up, they will either eventually stop getting upset or the people around them will learn to avoid that topic. Verbally expressing anger at someone is tolerated. It is better to be honest than polite.

In such a culture, respect and status typically comes from performance; Seph quotes the maxim "If you can't sell shit, you are shit." We can see a commonality with sporting in that there is some shared goal which is attained specifically through adversarial play, such that some degree of interpersonal hostility is tolerated or even sought. Conflict is settled openly and explicitly.

In culture B, everyone is responsible for the feelings of others. At social gatherings everyone should feel safe and comfortable. After all, part of the point of having a community is to collectively care for the emotional wellbeing of the community's members. For this reason its seen as an act of violence against the community for your actions or speech to result in someone becoming upset, or if you make people feel uncomfortable or anxious. This comes with strong repercussions—the perpetrator is expected to make things right. An apology isn't necessarily good enough here—to heal the wound, the perpetrator needs to make group participants once again feel nurtured and safe in the group. If they don't do that, they are a toxic element to the group's cohesion and may no longer be welcome in the group. It is better to be polite than honest. As the saying goes, if you can't say something nice, it is better to say nothing at all.

In such a culture, status and respect come from your contribution to group cohesion and safety; Seph cites the maxim "Be someone your coworkers enjoy working with." But Seph's argument pushes back, fruitfully, on descriptions of Culture B as collaborative (which involve high self-assertion); rather, he writes, they are accommodating in the Thomas-Kilmann modes of conflict sense:

iii.

Seph and Alastair both gesture toward the way these modes feel gendered, with Culture A more "masculinized" and Culture B more "feminized."[1] While this seems important to note, given that a massive, historically unprecedented labor shift toward coed co-working has recently occured in the Western world, I don't see much point in hashing out a nature vs. nurture, gender essentialism debate here, so you can pick your side and project it. This is also perhaps interesting from the frame of American feminist history: early waves of feminism were very much about escaping the domestic sphere and entering the public sphere; there is an argument to be made that contemporary feminisms, now that they have successfully entered it, are dedicated to domesticating the public sphere into a more comfortable zone. Culture B, for instance, might well be wholly appropriate to the social setting of a living room, among acquaintances who don't know each other well; indeed, it feels much like the kind of aristocratic parlor culture of the same 19th C Britain that the sporting mode also thrived in, side-by-side. And to some extent, Culture A is often what gets called toxic masculinity; see Mad Men for a depiction.

(On the topic of domestication of the workplace: We've seen an increased blurring of the work-life separation; the mantra "lean-in" has been outcompeted by "decrease office hostility"; business attire has slid into informality, etiquette has been subsumed into ethics, dogs are allowed in the workplace. Obviously these changes are not driven by women's entrance into the workplace alone; the tech sector has had an enormous role in killing both business attire and the home-office divide, despite being almost entirely male in composition. And equally obvious, there is an enormous amount of inter- and intra-business competition in tech, which is both consistently cited by exiting employees as a hostile work environment, and has also managed to drive an outsized portion of global innovation the past few decades—thus cultural domestication is not at all perfectly correlated with a switch from Culture A to B. Draw from these speculations what you will.)

There are other origins for the kind of distinctions Seph and Alastair draw; one worthwhile comparison might be Nietzsche's master and slave moralities. The former mode emphasizes power and achievement, the other empathy, cooperation, and compassion. (Capitalism and communitarianism fall under some of the same, higher-level ideological patterns.) There are differences of course: the master moralist is "beyond" good and evil, or suffering and flourishing, whereas Culture A and B might both see themselves as dealing with questions of suffering but in very different ways. But the "slave revolt in morality" overwrote an aristocratic detachment or "aboveness" that we today might see as deeply immoral or inhuman; it is neither surprising nor damning that a revolting proletariat—the class which suffered most of the evils of the world—would speak from a place of one-to-one, attached self-advocacy. One can switch "sides" or "baskets" of the arena each half or quarter because they are impersonal targets in a public commons; one cannot so easily hold the same attitude toward defending one's home. This alone may indicate we should be more sympathetic to the communitarian mode than we might be inclined to be; certainly, those who advocate and embody this mode make plausible claims to being a similar, embattled and embittered class. A friend who I discussed these texts with argued that one failure mode of the rationalist community is an "unmooring" from the real concerns of human beings, slipping into an idealized, logical world modeled on self-similarity (i.e. highly Culture A, thinking over feeling in the Big 5 vocabulary), in a way that is blind to the realities of the larger population.

But there are also grave problems for such a discursive mode, especially when it becomes dominant. Because while on the surface, discursive battles in the sporting mode can appear to be battles between people, they are in reality battles between ideas.

iv.

As Mill argued in On Liberty, free discourse is crucial because it acts as a social steering mechanism: should we make a mistake in our course, freedom of discourse is the instrument for correcting it. But the mistake of losing free discourse is very hard to come back from; it must be fought for again, before other ideals can be pursued.

Moreover, freedom of discourse is the means of rigorizing ideas before they are implemented, such as to avoid catastrophe. Anyone familiar with James Scott's Seeing Like A State, or Hayek's arguments for decentralized market intelligence, or a million other arguments against overhaulism, knows how difficult it is to engineer a social intervention that works as intended: the unforeseen, second-order effects; our inability to model complex systems and human psychology. Good intent is not remotely enough, and the herding approach cannot help but lower the standard of thinking and discourse emerging from such communities, which become more demographically powerful even as their ideas become worse (the two are tied up inextricably).

The fear of conflict and the inability to deal with disagreement lies at the heart of sensitivity-driven discourses. However, ideological conflict is the crucible of the sharpest thought. Ideological conflict forces our arguments to undergo a rigorous and ruthless process through which bad arguments are broken down, good arguments are honed and developed, and the relative strengths and weaknesses of different positions emerge. The best thinking emerges from contexts where interlocutors mercilessly probe and attack our arguments’ weaknesses and our own weaknesses as their defenders. They expose the blindspots in our vision, the cracks in our theories, the inconsistencies in our logic, the inaptness of our framing, the problems in our rhetoric. We are constantly forced to return to the drawing board, to produce better arguments.

And on the strength of sporting approaches in rigorizing discourse:

The truth is not located in the single voice, but emerges from the conversation as a whole. Within this form of heterotopic discourse, one can play devil’s advocate, have one’s tongue in one’s cheek, purposefully overstate one’s case, or attack positions that one agrees with. The point of the discourse is to expose the strengths and weaknesses of various positions through rigorous challenge, not to provide a balanced position in a single monologue

Thus those who wish us to accept their conceptual carvings or political advocacies without question or challenge are avoiding short-term emotional discomfort at the price of their own long-term flourishing, at the cost of finding working and stable social solutions to problems. Standpoint epistemology correctly holds that individuals possess privileged knowledge as to what it's like (in the Nagel sense) to hold their social identities. But it is often wrongly extended, in the popular game of informational corruption called "Telephone" or "Chinese Whispers," as arguing that such individuals also possess unassailable and unchallengeable insight into the proper societal solutions to their grievances. We can imagine a patient walking into the doctor's office; the doctor cannot plausibly tell him there is no pain in his leg, if he claims there is, but the same doctor can recommend treatment, or provide evidence as to whether the pain is physical or psychosomatic.A lack of discursive rigour would not be a problem, Alastair writes, "were it not for the fact that these groups frequently expect us to fly in a society formed according to their ideas, ideas that never received any rigorous stress testing."

As for myself, it was not too long ago I graduated from a university in which a conflict between these modes is ongoing. We had a required course called

Contemporary Civilization

, founded in the wake of World War I, which focused on the last 2,000 years of philosophy, seminar-style: a little bit of introductory lecture, but most of the 2 x 2-hour sessions each week were filled by students arguing with one other. In other words, its founding ethos was of sporting and adversarial collaboration.We also had a number of breakdowns where several students simply could not handle this mode: they would begin crying, or say they couldn't deal with the [insert atmosphere adjective] in the room, and would either transfer out or speak to the professor. While they were not largely representative, they required catering to, and no one wished to upset these students. I have heard we were a fortunate class insofar as we had a small handful of students willing to engage sporting-style, or skeptical a priori of the dominant political ideology at the school. When, in one session, a socialist son of a Saudi billionaire, wearing a $10,000 watch and a camel-hair cashmere sweater, pontificated about "burning the money, reverting to a barter system, and killing the bosses," folks in class would mention that true barter systems were virtually unprecedented in post-agricultural societies, and basically unworkable at scale. In other classes, though, when arguments like these were made—which, taken literally, are logically irrational, but instead justify themselves through sentiment, a legitimation of driving emotion rather than explicit content, in the Culture B sense—other students apparently nodded sagely from the back of the room, "yes, and-ing" one another til their noses ran. Well, I wanted to lay out the styles with some neutrality, but I suppose it's clear now where my sympathies stand.

[1] It should go without saying, but to cover my bases, these modes feeling "feminized" or "masculinized" does not imply that all women, or women inherently, engage in one mode while all men inherently engage in another. Seph cites Camille Paglia as an archetypal example of a Culture A woman, and while she may fall to the extreme side of the Culture A mode, I'd argue most female intellectuals of the 20th C (at least those operated outside the sphere of feminist discourse) were strongly sporting-types: Sontag, for instance, was vociferous and unrelenting.

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shinizenchi · 3 years

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𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐑𝐘: 𝐈𝐍𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍

full name: muramasa ryūnosuke himura kai nicknames: omen , o place of birth: azurite ward , diamond city current location: azurite ward , diamond city sexual/romantic orientation: bisexual preferred pronouns: he/him gender: male

one personality trait they’re proud of having: his dedication . he is proud to say that he will give everything to a cause , and that he will devote himself to the people around him . defining gestures: thousand yard stare , hands in pockets , running a hand back through his hair , adjusting the collar of his jacket , efficiency & precision with his bladework . speaking style: tends to speak with an air of superiority over those he’s engaging with , heavily accented with that of the unfallen , mostly serious in tone , uses slang . insecurities: used to be insecure about his dhampir features ( fangs , eyes , general lower body temperature ) , occasionally insecure about his abilities . mostly , omen tends to rationalise any insecurities and nips them in the bud -- he’s fairly secure in himself , and actively works on the things about himself that bother him . positive traits: loyal , dedicated , protective , hopeful . negative traits: blunt , selfish , either dishonest or brutally honest , impulsive . other people’s opinions of them: first impressions tend to be that he is cold and unfeeling , that his general demeanour means he doesn’t care for anyone around him . while it’s somewhat correct , he does open up slightly to those he loves . for those close to him , especially his party , they may believe him to be foolish or even childish for the choices he makes , but generally hold high opinions of him . he is efficient and straightforward , which many people come to appreciate about him . three words to describe them: sad vampire hours .

one major turning point in their life: adopting ‘omen’ as a persona . what originally started as an attempt at a more adventurer sounding name quickly became his entire personality . it was a front for the scared young boy he was underneath it , a shield from those that desired to hurt him growing up . nowadays there is no distinction between himself and omen , he is omen . after adopting the persona , he became far more confident and open with himself . he stopped caring about things that weren’t directly impacting his life . he began to live in the present , enjoying the things that existed right in front of him rather than worrying about people that wouldn’t be coming with him on his journey through life . if they could time travel, when would they go?: omen has actually time traveled before ! he went back to witness one of his sword’s memories , namely witnessing the events preceding the fall of okabe , a dhampir in a similar situation to himself . if he could time travel again , he would want to witness more of the sword’s memories & understand its history . favorite way to waste time: going to the arcade with his fiancée given a blank piece of paper, a pencil, and nothing to do, what would happen?: he’d sketch out tattoo designs endlessly , from small designs to sleeves and back pieces -- he wouldn’t stop until the entire paper was covered . view on home and family?: home is not a place to omen . it’s a feeling . a warmth in his chest that greets him whenever he feels at peace . often he finds that feeling of home when he is with sakura , or with his mother . family is the most important thing a person could have , in omen’s eyes . growing up within the unfallen and considering the entire organisation a giant family , he is willing to do almost anything to protect to those he values as his kin . until recently , the unfallen were his only family beyond his adoptive mother and grandfather . any secret stashes?: not particularly -- anything he could want , he’d just go and get . he carries the stimulant ‘dupixent’ on him and keeps it in a secret pocket in his jacket , but it’s less of a stash and more that he’s holding onto it for a rainy day .

how do they express themselves?: the easiest way for omen to express himself is through his art . emotionally he is still learning how to express himself , given that his transition actually opened him up to being able to express how he feels in a physical way . much of the time you can tell what he’s feeling by the colours he’s using in his art . what did they want to be when they grew up?: when he was very young , omen had dreams of being a footballer . it is a hobby he still engages in from time to time , and dedicated a large portion of time to the sport during his teenage years . around the age of fifteen or so however , omen decided he would set his sights on an even more glorious goal : adventuring . what do you like most about them?: god... what don’t i love about him ?? i think his growth since the beginning of his campaign is the easiest answer i can go with for this . so much has happened to him since the company took their first serious job -- he’s become entangled in so many stories and gotten to know so many people throughout the city . at first he was the stereotypical brooding in the corner bleeding edge kind of character , didn’t say a lot and allowed other people to speak on his behalf . omen didn’t care , really . now he’s invested in his team and the new family he’s found . he didn’t have much of a reason to live before beyond throwing himself into danger , whereas now he... genuinely just wants to live . he knows what he wants , he knows his place in life... he’s thriving right now . i think his character development has been one of my favourite things to roleplay out and i can’t wait to see how much further his story goes !!

one or more plots you’re dying to have:

omen dealing with a vampire that isn’t from the drogovas family !! he’s only just dipped his toes into vampirism and all he knows is from his father and his best friend , both of whom are closely tied to the drogovas . let him explore vampirism without it being a threat to his ( and everyone else’s ) safety !!

let your muse... get tattooed... by omen... become a regular , update him on their lives and let them vaguely know details about each other and become friends through that !!

ask omen to do a job for your muse !! he often takes on side missions outside of his group’s main focus . he’s willing to tag along as a mercenary or do more incognito missions -- his specialisation is combat though .

give !! omen !! friends !! he needs people he gets on with outside of his group . he’s a nice enough person and he will protect u with his life !!

rival adventuring groups anyone ??

people omen hooked up with during the two years he was grieving sakura ?? people who would recognise him and go damn you’ve changed...

𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐆𝐄𝐃 𝐁𝐘: @bladewarde i lov u killiiiiii 𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐆𝐈𝐍𝐆: @eldkine ( valarie or netta ) , @heartate , @deadactor , @dhampher , @artifcial & anyone else... steal it !!

#→ OMEN // headcanon.#long post /

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bhadpodcast · 7 years

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A’s For Your Q’s!

Anonymous said to bhadpodcast:Im really curious to know why you strongly believe Tyler Hoechlin is gay? I can kind of see it but not as much as others and was wondering if you could explain the reasonings behind it. Do you see him as being truly gay or bisexual? Thanks really have just been wanting to know your thoughts! I hope I dont sound defensive or negative Im really just curious! Okay, gonna do a digest of a bunch of the asks here!

Anonymous said to bhadpodcast: While Hoechlin's open, unashamed and giant boycrush on Dylan as a person and as an actor and his constant staring at Dylan like he hung the moon and stars is super adorable and undeniable, he doesn't really strike me as a homosexual person. As far as my intuition and personal experience go there's little to no doubt Hoechlin is straight, but it's also absolutely impossible to deny the special, unique bond he shares with Dylan in real life or the intense chemistry they have on and off screen. So yeah, I genuinely believe Tyler Hoechlin has always been attracted to women and never really questioned his sexuality or even felt the need to... until he met Dylan O'Brien.

A lot of people hold that theory too. It is possible to just fall in love with a person. I’m of two frames of thought: 1) he never thought about gay, but Dylan awoke the possibility in his head and now he’s all “what other cars don’t have tops!?”, or 2) he knew all along, but Dylan is what made him cave into admitting it, but also what made him turtle shell when faced with the reality of a public relationship.

greyhoundsgirl said to bhadpodcast:I can’t even remember what started this but I’m guessing it has to do with Hoechlin and honestly with the trajectory his career is taking, it would only benefit him to come out, imo.-oh I'd love to hear how, not to keep the gay in HW discussion going but specifically to Hoechs cos I'm so curious about what he wants that trajectory to be vs what maybe it should be? I'm glad your surgery went well, too 😃

Anonymous said to bhadpodcast:Hoechlin and honestly with the trajectory his career is taking, it would only benefit him to come out, imo./why? could you elaborate? I'm not a Hoechs stan (I just drool at him), I'm asking 'cause I know nothing about HW and I'm not sure why you say this. I don't even wanna start wank, I'm actually kinda tired of the bouts of Hoechs drama here lol. I understand if you don't wanna get into it, but I'd appreciate your insight Sticky :)

Anonymous said to bhadpodcast:But there’s a very real atmosphere that tells young actors that being gay is career death but it’s really not//we know of many high profile roles where the "out" actor wasn't cast. Even if the public would accept a gay man playing Captain America, the real problem is that they wouldn't be cast by the conservative movie companies. For all the actors that are liberal, HW is still very conservative on the money side. Young actors not coming out doesn't surprise me, it's the famous ones that should.

guilleobsessions said to bhadpodcast:Someone said the cause Hoech hasn't come out was more complicated than him being in HW. I agree. If he is anything other than straight (according to my theory he isn't as straight as he wants us to believe) at this point he just uses HW life as an excuse, to not recognise that he is just afraid of stepping out of a world he created for himself, based on believes and ideals about how things should be. His need to please everyone it's just pulling him down... This is how I see it, of course.

Okay, so I want to clarify a few things before I get started with this.

When I say the concept of homophobia in Hollywood is based on a myth, I’m not saying that homophobia in Hollywood deosn’t exist. Of COURSE it does, but as with all things, $$$ money trumps all.

Because we are getting more diverse ways to access and distribute media, the people who produce it are also coming from a more diverse pool. It’s why shows like Blackish and Empire thrive, Fresh off the Boat and really all of the Tyler Perry programming. New demographics are being shown to be lucrative and more entertainment outlets are starting to cater to them.

My friend and I were talking about how disappointing LOGO has become. The fact that Logo hasn’t become Lifetime for Homosexuals is shocking. Prooduce some original gay films that have a campy and schlock factor with lots of ugly crying and they would be my destination every Saturday morning for the rest of my llfe.

When Colton came to Hollywood things like this weren’t an option. So he was told to stay closeted so it wouldn’t hurt his career. He was told being gay was career suicide and manipulated into being closeted until it almost freaking killed him.

Noah Galvin came on the scene a decade later where possibilities and opportunities were starting to open up and being gay didn’t automatically make you a pariah. But he doesn’t understand Colton’s generation and therefore he criticized it. The thing is that more and more actors are coming out and are creating their own opportunities. Meaning on a network level you can be a gay working actor and not have your personal life effect your HW career. You can even go out with your significant other and most people aren’t the wiser.

The myth lies in with people like Cody Saint Gnue who G4P, and are caught up in this web of producers and execs who thrive on the fear of being a pariah when they’re not the only avenues anymore.

Now, currently this works on a local level. Meaning you can appeal to the liberal masses and maybe score an online or nationwide hit. The international market is another beast entirely.

When I talk about Tyler Hoechlin, I want to be gentle when I say this, I don’t see him as having international superstar potential. I don’t even think that’s what he wants. And with that as a springboard, I think he’s a guy that could come out and just work locally in his little bubble and be perfectly happy the rest of his life. But I think this idea that he’s going to be this huge internationally known on the microphone star informs the image he tries to relay and ends up hurting him in the long run, especially if he lacks the ambition and desire to really go for the top spot.

I get this q once every other month, heh. Honestly if you search Hoechlin Gay on here most of my responses come up.

Here are some silly fun posts:

http://bhadpodcast.tumblr.com/tagged/top-5-gay/chrono

Also, this is mostly unrelated, but I was looking for a post of mine and found these and lol’d so hard

http://malecelebnews.com/2012/08/22/hot-couple-alert-dylan-obrien-and-tyler-hoechlin/

http://www.gaypopbuzz.com/tyler-hoechlin-gay-straight/

Again, nothing to do with anything, but I remembered this and it still make sme laugh:

http://bhadpodcast.tumblr.com/post/152910829257/they-do-and-they-are-suh-srs-lol-like-you-wanna

Umm... what were we talking about? Oh! Uhh... he’s got a ~quality?

Sigh, so even leaving out intuition, there are so many factors that point to it. Relatively isolated childhood with lots of team sports. He went to highschool, but because of acting was often home schooled or tutored. Had a very specific change of style that goes along with discovering yourself, but was a little late to the game because arrested development so we ended up seeing this first hand. Grew up kind of an ugly duckling, understands he’s a beautiful swan and knows how to use that. Has a TON of girl friends and then like.. baseball, actor “team” guy friends. Chunky rings and does his own makeup. The constant bearding. The sheer and obvious avoidance of anything TOO gay. He does this at cons a LOT, JR and Bobo will be nearly making out and Hoechs will be like PASS. He just won’t discuss, or come near it. Then there’s the whole GCC debacle and so much more.

There are just so many things that would lend themselves to him being closeted and I’m sure every single one could be twisted to him being straight, but the fact it’s so debatable is its own form of telling. Do a search for Hoechlin gay or Dylan bi, etc.

Anonymous said to bhadpodcast:My problem is people blaming Hoechlin for "the closet" and not being "honest". I get it, it's an O'Brien stan blog but he's the one with the most promising career. not Hoechlin. Blaming Hoechlin for the "closet situation" is ridiculous. O'Brien doesn't need Hoechlin to be out and proud, but no one seems to expect his coming out and Hoechlin is the messy one to blame. It's a bit easy.

This ask is baffling to me because I’m not entirely sure where you’re coming from. No one is blaming Hoechlin for a “closet situation”, I don’t know what that means.

We’ve had a lot of discussions about Dylan’s sexuality (oh, I still remember a LOVELY convo we had about his more feminine qualities and how they worked in concert with his masculine ones? So good!), but we all pretty much accept that he’s bi and in waiting. He’s with Britt and she knows and is cool and they love each other very much and the Hobriens think that if Hoechlin ever came out, Dylan would go with him and Britt would marry Julia, durr. Otherwise Brylan will get married and have a million kids. Either way we’re happy.

#hoechs in effect #a sticky minute #homo hoechlin #bi dylan #brulia ftw #a's for you q's #everyone's a little gay #it's hollywood!#top 5 gay

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padnick · 4 years

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Not a Game

Perhaps the most infuriating part of reporters that cover elections as if they’re sports, with the view that the first and only goal of a politician is to win election and re-election, is the underlying assumption that major political parties are roughly the same. That they’re the Yankees and the Red Sox, and they both want to win the pennant (to the exclusion of the other), and but it doesn’t actually matter who wins.

This ignores that political parties represent different philosophies of government, and that their goals once in power are very different and often mutually exclusive. This is why they can’t “just work together” once they’re in power, because the parties fundamentally disagree on who should have power and how that power should be used.

This is also why you can’t just “talk to” your uncle who is in a different political party. He doesn’t disagree about what color hat you should wear to the ball game. He fundamentally disagrees about who should struggle and who should thrive, who should live and who should die. And changing his mind on that means changing is own conception of self and justice. It’s not something that can be worked out over Thanksgiving dinner.

This is also why it’s silly to ask why the parties don’t just copy the most effective techniques of their competition. Asking why the Left doesn’t have its own Rush Limbaugh makes sense if you think of political parties like baseball teams, and if one team has a fireball closer, shouldn’t the other team find one as well. But Limbaugh’s demagogic style is antithetical to the ethos of progressives, and so its rejected.

Look, it’s easy to assume the parties are the same, because they’re both vying for the same levers of power, but they want to do very different things with them. Most political reporters sound like they’re watching a basketball team practice while five other guys are trying to repaint the court, and asking why only one side is trying to score.

Sometimes pundits pull out the phrase “elections matter” a year after an election to dismissively explain some new law or judicial appointment, as if these are trophies each party deserves. But really, it just reinforces how the elections don’t matter to the pundits, otherwise they’d delve into the consequences of these elections before they happen.

It doesn’t help that reporters reduce parties to the Red Team and the Blue Team, but even the names Democratic and Republican are functionally meaningless these days. Democrats definitely still want the US to be a democracy and a republic (that is to say, both of the people, and by the people) and Republicans… well, they don’t seem big into either these days.

Perhaps the parties need better names. Liberal and Conservative are accurate, but leave out what one party wants to conserve and what the other wants to liberate. The Capitalist and Labor parties is much better, though I doubt the Capitalist party would poll very well, and many labor activists would complain that the Democrats haven’t done nearly enough to earn the title of Labor (and they would not be wrong).

Really, though, the most accurate names for the major political parties are the Civil Rights Party and the White Supremacy Party. Inarguably, the Democrats are the party of equal treatment under the law. A lot is said about the Southern Strategy, how Nixon and other Republicans courted the white supremacist vote, but it often doesn’t give credit to Johnson and the Democrats who BLEW UP THEIR OWN PARTY in order to pass the Civil Rights Act and be reborn as the party of minority rights.

(Now, do Democrats extend those civil rights to economic rights and become Socialist? No. Should they? Yeah, almost certainly.)

Now, is it fair to say all Republicans are White Supremacists?

Yes.

Once you start calling these parties by their philosophies, it’s a lot easier to answer intractable political questions.

Instead of saying Red States and Blue States, say White Supremacist States and Civil Rights States.

Instead of “why does the Democratic Party have a lock on African American votes?”, ask “why does the Civil Rights Party have a lock on African American votes?” Because African Americans are the leaders of the Civil Rights movement and therefore the Civil Rights Party.

“Why isn’t there a Fox News for the Civil Rights Party?” Because a state propaganda apparatus is antithetical to Civil Rights.

“Why isn’t there an ActBlue for the White Supremacist Party?” Complicated, but the short answer is White Supremacy assumes small donor fundraising must be a scam. (White Supremacy is entirely about hierarchy, so the only reason to donate to anyone is to have power over them. Since small donations are too small to have any influence, White Supremacists assumes that taking this money is basically scamming people. And while individual White Supremacists are happy to scam their own supporters, they wouldn’t trust any centralized fundraising organization because they would assume they too were being scammed.)

“Why does the White Supremacist Party stay loyal to Trump?” I think this one answers itself.

We have to stop treating politics, treating government, as a game. Elections matter, elections always matter, but so does what they do once in office. We have to have people stand for what they believe in, not behind platitudes or colors or meaningless monikers, but behind actual ideas, and goals, and philosophies.

We have to be honest about what people are trying to do. Because we are talking about who lives. And who dies.

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flauntpage · 5 years

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The Outlet Pass: Don't Worry About the Rockets, They Have...Eric Gordon

An Ode to Eric Gordon

I want to talk about Eric Gordon because more people should and not enough do. How many players in the entire league—who have his talent and pedigree—would be happy occupying the intricate space Gordon does, in the collective shadow of James Harden, Chris Paul, Clint Capela, and even P.J. Tucker? The more I watch him this year, the more I appreciate how he feels like the personification of an overlooked albeit crucial cog; a barometer for the Houston Rockets, which also makes him a pivotal character in the narrative of this season.

Fighting through an early-season slump that he’s determined to burn through with the help of his own comically short-term memory, the Houston Rockets need Gordon to be so much more than an accessory from here on out. Pre-Chris Paul, he was James Harden’s right-hand man in a situation that inevitably provided little oxygen for anyone but James Harden. Gordon won the Three-Point Contest, claimed Sixth Man of the Year, and ended his first year in Houston with more threes than everyone except Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and his own bearded teammate.

Since then, he's comfortably shined outside Harden’s orbit, punishing defenders who want nothing more than a moment to catch their breath after the ball gets swung his way. What they get instead is a mental breakdown. His self-reliance—Gordon has no conscience and knows he’s good enough to get where he wants without a screen—is their worst nightmare. He’s a pugnacious, perma-green light who’s happy to launch a picturesque jumper whenever a defender starts tap dancing at the sight of his jab step (or ducks under a pick 30 feet from the basket).

Gordon's pressure is relentless. He’s a one-man salvo of between-the-leg dribbles that seemingly have no purpose until they magically catapult him into the paint. According to Synergy Sports, the only players who’ve been more efficient on at least 30 isolation plays are Khris Middleton, Bradley Beal, and Kemba Walker. He can hit Capela with a pocket pass and lull defenders into a panic as part of Houston’s devastating Spanish pick-and-roll; every once in a while he tries to end someone’s life by exhibiting a genuinely sneaky athletic burst above the rim.

The Rockets can’t function properly for 48 minutes on either end without Gordon, but they’d especially struggle to master the switch-everything defense he’s built to thrive in. Like, how many guards who do all the stuff Gordon does on offense can also switch onto a bear and not get mauled? His low center of gravity is appreciated, but he also understands how to shrink the floor after that initial switch, so whoever then defends his assignment doesn’t feel like they’re on an island.

Gordon is currently shooting 35.4 percent and the first few weeks of this season featured a four-game stretch in which he launched 67 shots and made only 18 of them, but all in all he might be the single biggest reason I'm not worried about the Rockets. We know his splits will course correct—his True Shooting percentage is 57.5 in the last five games—because his struggle doesn't affect his shot selection. Gordon lives without brakes. He’ll miss a layup on one play and then jack up a quick three the next time down. If it's an airball, he'll take an even deeper shot 15 seconds later. When the defense gives something, he takes it.

Contrast that audaciousness with his expressionless demeanor and what you get is Gordon’s own brand of fortitude, a resiliency that makes you wonder how high his numbers would soar as the first option in Orlando or Brooklyn. When he’s on the floor, Houston’s offense scores 13.6 more points per 100 possessions than when he’s not (from second best to the third-worst offense in the league). Nobody could even attempt to play quite like Gordon does without losing minutes. He's two steps to the left of the spotlight, with a mentality so daring it borders on reckless. Gaudy, stone-faced, and even more threatening outside the parameters of Houston’s system while quintessentially representing what Mike D’Antoni wants it to look like, Gordon is not a perfect player. But watching him steer his skill-set beneath the general NBA fan's radar, on a team that's all in to win it all, is a pleasure to behold.

The Clippers Don’t Shoot Threes (and Couldn’t Care Less)

With the highest winning percentage in a Western Conference that was expected to rip them up, the Los Angeles Clippers are the story of this season. Nobody on their team has ever played in an All-Star game, but their depth, complementary design, youthful exuberance, and two-way tenacity have, so far, eclipsed any questions related to talent. Winning eight of their last nine games—a run that includes victories over the Warriors, Grizzlies, Trail Blazers, Spurs, and Bucks—the Clippers have the sixth-best offense in the league, and are nearly averaging as many points per 100 possessions as they did during Lob City’s heyday. And they’re doing it without the three-point shot.

Last week, I asked Doc Rivers if he wanted to shoot more of them. Here’s what he said: “I’d rather stay in the top ten in offense. You know it’s funny though, really, I think we’re six or five or seven, I don’t know where we’re at, but if we were that and shot a lot of threes I’d say ‘yeah let’s shoot a lot of threes.’ The goal is scoring. It’s not how you score. It’s to score as many points as you can. And we’re doing that. So there are games where we think we should’ve taken more threes, but there are also games where we thought we should take more layups, you know? So we don’t care how it adds up, and that’s what we talk about. If we can get to the 120 number or something like that, I don’t care if they’re ones. Let’s get there as quickly as possible.”

That’s all very fair, and, to a glass-half-full optimist, suggests that L.A. has yet to reach its offensive potential. Quality shots attempted behind the arc are good, and despite ranking 28th in three-point rate, the Clippers are basketball’s most accurate team from the corners; fifth-best from deep, overall.

“That’s something we’re still figuring out, how to get easier threes,” forward Tobias Harris said. “I think we can do a better job of locating them off turnovers on fast breaks, but we’re an ever-improving team. Every night we’re figuring out different things and I think once guys get more into their comfort zone [and let threes] fly, it’ll open up a lot more of the game for us. But it’s something that we do put an emphasis on.”

“We just hoop, bro.”

They’re built to attack in a modern way, with stretch fours (Danilo Gallinari, Mike Scott) and one ascending wing (Harris) representing three of the most lethal spot-up shooters in the league. Others—Lou Williams, Patrick Beverley, Avery Bradley—are way below their career average but still respected enough to open lanes for their teammates, be it Montrezl Harrell rumbling through for a lob or space for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to penetrate. (The Miami Heat are the only team currently averaging more field goal attempts from drives to the rim.)

There’s also an undeniable “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” vibe surrounding this team. They rank in the bottom five in assist rate, and as the league’s better teams shift away from the pick-and-roll by adopting a more diversified and unpredictable half-court attack, no group runs the pick-and-roll more than the Clippers, per Synergy Sports. They’re anti-style and post-analysis, but so far it all feels sustainable. We’ll see how long it lasts, or if they’ll inevitably need to embrace the arc a bit more than they have. Until then: “I’m gonna be honest with you,” Lou Williams told VICE Sports. “We just hoop, bro.”

Noah Vonleh!

Noah Vonleh is 23 years old, and last week New York Knicks head coach David Fizdale called him “probably, overall our most complete player.” Everything in that sentence is real.

Heading into this season on a contract that still only guarantees him $100,000 before January 10, Vonleh was viewed as a bust—an instant journeyman on his fourth team in five seasons. Before they salary-dumped him onto the Chicago Bulls, the Portland Trail Blazers spent a couple years bouncing Vonleh between spot-starts and a seat at the end of their bench. Nothing stuck. It was a frustrating NBA existence for a promising talent who, as a teenager, was frequently compared to Chris Bosh.

When the Knicks signed Vonleh in July, he was a buy-low, no-risk commodity for a team that's prioritizing the future over the present. So far he's made the most of the opportunity, averaging per-36 minute career highs in points, assists, steals, and blocks. The Knicks are 15 points per 100 possessions better with Vonleh in the game, an absolutely insane number. At worst, he's currently a positive trade asset, someone New York may use to get off a larger contract (like Courtney Lee) before the trade deadline. At best, he's an untapped, young, cheap contributor who's showing the league what New York's player development staff may be capable of. If kept around beyond this season, Vonleh can play two positions, post-up, move his feet, and, theoretically, fit beside Kristaps Porzingis. Athletic big men who rebound, shoot, switch, and protect the rim do not grow on trees.

Of note: His three-point rate tripled from October to November, and for the first time in his career he's making over 40 percent of them (42.1 on just under two tries per game). Vonleh is averaging 10 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 2.7 assists at Madison Square Garden, and has the 32nd-highest Real Plus-Minus in the league, with Mitchell Robinson as the only other Knick in the top 100.

It's still early, and we'll see how Vonleh's impact will be affected if/when he goes through a shooting slump, but so far it's cool to see him find minutes role in a league that was so close to spitting him out. This is an NBA player.

Free Rodney Hood

Rodney Hood is too good for the Cleveland Cavaliers. He doesn’t fit into their short-term goals (i.e. only six teams have a better offense when Hood is on the floor; when he sits only the Chicago Bulls and Atlanta Hawks are worse) and, as a 26-year-old unrestricted free agent this offseason, won’t be onboard the next time they make the playoffs.

His pick-and-roll game is crafty yet stable—Hood hardly ever turns the ball over—and whenever he curls off a screen and draws two defenders the result is usually a simple pass to the open man. Coming off an awkward postseason run that didn’t go as well as he hoped, in the interest of boosting his monetary worth, Hood belongs on a good team, surrounded by good players. (Thanks to his current one-year deal, he can veto any trade the Cavs involve him in, though it behooves him to accept whatever happens.)

The Rockets—a pseudo-contender forever hungry for three-point shooters, iso-creativity, and adjustable defenders—are an obvious suitor. After Hood is eligible to be dealt on December 15th, would Houston attach a protected first-round pick to Marquese Chriss? A Harden, Paul, Hood, Gordon, Tucker lineup would give the Rockets five able three-point threats without sacrificing their switch-everything defensive system—Capela can exist in this group, too—and if the Golden State Warriors are still the only team on their mind, we already know that Hood can be a difference-maker in isolation on the biggest stage.

The fit isn’t perfect: Hood adores the mid-range and has already shot more long twos than the entire Rockets roster this season. He’s isn’t shy about lowering his shoulder into a defender, but still rarely gets to the rim. But in theory, Hood is skilled enough to give them a boost on both ends at an outrageously low cost.

If not Houston, Hood can upgrade just about any situation outside the one he’s currently in. (Would the Philadelphia 76ers part ways with Markelle Fultz for Hood?)

A Three-Headed Sixth Man Race!

This year's Sixth Man award is a subtle microcosm of the league’s bottomless talent pool. At the season's quarter mark, the number of credible candidates is immense. But with apologies to *takes deep breath* Lou Williams, Julius Randle, Spencer Dinwiddie, Dennis Schröder, Terrence Ross, Marcus Morris, Josh Hart, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Dwyane Wade, Evan Turner, Shelvin Mack, Jonas Valanciunas, and Patty Mills, three players have separated themselves from the field: Montrezl Harrell, Domas Sabonis, and Derrick Rose.

A walloping punch of adrenaline who turns “the little things” into momentum-shifting uppercuts, Harrell is probably the frontrunner (though I’d vote for Sabonis if the season ended today). He’s wildly efficient on rolls to the rim, protects the paint, and has proven that last year’s production in 16 minutes per game could be extrapolated into a larger role without any drop off. The guy is second in Win Shares per 48 minutes and eighth in PER. He is the NBA's Incredible Hulk. In a word: incredible.

Next is Indiana's backup center. If there ever was a player who showed how detrimental the wrong fit can be for an incoming rookie, look no further than Sabonis's brief, progress-stunting tenure with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Back then, which feels like six million years ago, his daily duties were: 1) Get out of Russell Westbrook’s way, 2) Don’t screw up when Russell Westbrook needs you to get him his tenth assist, 3) Get out of Russell Westbrook’s way.

About a third of all Sabonis’s shots were three pointers, and according to Synergy Sports, he only posted up 94 times in 1,632 minutes, a crime considering how useful he was/is leveraging his size, footwork, and vision on the block. Instead, Sabonis hardly ever drew fouls and lived on the perimeter. Today, he’s attempted five threes in 469 minutes. (A couple weeks ago, Sabonis tapped his chest to apologize for taking—and making—a three. That's incredible.)

He’s one of the five most serviceable passers at his position, an automatic double team with his back to the basket, and someone who functions as a hyper-efficient fulcrum on a Pacers team that plays at a 60-win pace when he’s on the floor. Last month he dunked on Joel Embiid harder than anybody ever has and tried to decapitate Hassan Whiteside later in the same week. There’s unteachable confidence here. A soft touch and dainty footwork spliced with the strength of a musk ox.

Remember when I said Harrell was second in Win Shares per 48 minutes? Sabonis is first. He also leads the league in True Shooting and few are greedier rebounding in traffic. Even though Indy has been fine with Sabonis and Myles Turner both on the floor, the question of whether they can co-exist long-term should and will linger until they succeed/fail in the postseason. Sabonis turns 23 in May and is eligible for an extension next fall. If the Pacers let him become a restricted free agent, some team may (should!) offer even more than the $80 million over four years they just gave Turner. Semi-related: The Pacers are outscoring opponents by 9.5 points per 100 possessions when Sabonis is on the floor without Victor Oladipo, the franchise player. He’s been that good.

Somewhat on the opposite end of the NBA spectrum is Rose, a 30-year-old who nearly washed out of the league. Right now, he’s averaging 19.1 points (his most since the first torn ACL) and 4.5 assists while legitimately boosting a Timberwolves team that desperately wants to make the playoffs. The unprecedented explosion that hurtled him towards an MVP award is no longer accessible in the same way it once was, but in its place is a rhythm jump shot defenders suddenly have to respect.

Rose is shooting 45.2 percent on pull-up threes and 45.9 percent on spot-up threes. Those two numbers are unsustainable, but they'll live on in opposing scouting reports for the rest of the season. Defenders will be less willing to help off Rose, instead doomed to close out hard and run him off the line. Earlier this month, Sacramento Kings head coach Dave Joerger called time to chastise Willie Cauley-Stein after he dropped back and gave Rose a wide-open shot. That would’ve been unthinkable six months ago.

Rose is finally healthy and comfortable, resulting in the successful marriage of a sinister first step with an outside shot. For that alone, if he doesn’t win Sixth Man he should be in the conversation for Most Improved Player. It’s opened up driving lanes for himself and teammates—Minnesota has a top-five offense with Rose and produce at a bottom-two rate without him—while forcing opponents to acknowledge the myriad ways he can attack in the open floor.

According to Synergy Sports, Rose is averaging 1.25 points per possession as the ball-handler in transition, which, given his volume, is an excellent mark rivaled by two or three players in the entire league. (He’s scored more transition points than Kemba Walker, Kyle Lowry, James Harden, and Damian Lillard.)

A lot can happen between now and April, but be surprised if neither Harrell, Sabonis, nor Rose is named Sixth Man of the Year. They've been dominant in their role.

Orlando's Science Experiment

Maybe it’s because I’m a weirdo (spoiler: yes), but few occasions from this NBA season hype me up more than whenever Jonathan Isaac and Mo Bamba share the court. To be clear, there is no rational reason to feel this way. The basketball is typically atrocious, chaotic, and disheveled. But every so often, like the Loch Ness monster emerging from a fog-topped lake, a rare glimpse of what can one day be Orlando’s norm rises into view.

Steve Clifford's defensive principles are simple. He wants his bigs to stay in the paint and let his guards and wings chase shooters up top, usually over screens in an attempt to take away the shot and funnel them towards waiting rim protection. The previous three seasons, the Magic finished 24th, 22nd, and 25th in the percentage of opposing shots that came at the rim. This year they're sixth. When Isaac and Bamba are the two primary defenders involved, whoever's up against them can feel their brain melt into ice cream.

Orlando's lineups that feature those two have been bad, but that's not 100 percent their fault. Most of the minutes come at the start of the second and fourth quarters, when they're joined by other reserves (like Jerian Grant or Jonathon Simmons) who make little sense supporting them on offense. When Evan Fournier and Terrence Ross are in, though, Orlando can breathe a bit more with the ball. Sometimes that's because Bamba and Isaac are good enough shooters to invert the floor and create space for those guys to maneuver in the paint.

Here they are both hanging above the arc, bringing their own big defenders with them:

Separating the two, Isaac has already flashed the chops of someone who should appear on multiple All-Defensive teams. The speed (in his feet and hands), length, and intuitive feel are locked in place—to beat him off the dribble is to evade one’s own shadow—but the 21-year-old isn’t muscular enough to stand up the league’s more brutish scorers. That's fine right now. He'll grow. Until then, at 6'10" with a 7'1" wingspan, Isaac is good enough on the perimeter to reach in, get crossed over, then recover back to smother his man from behind. As a help defender, Isaac tends to chase the ball a bit too much, but that tendency should iron itself out as he matures.

Bamba is a supernatural beanstalk who plants himself in the paint, then tries to use his uncanny physical dimensions to race out and contest along the perimeter whenever his man is about to line up a three. (He's usually a step too slow.) Bamba's physical dimensions are unprecedented, but can’t mask the learning curve he'll eventually need to master if he wants to become a great all-around anchor. Together, he and Isaac are still feeling their way through the league, but it’s a thrill to daydream about what they may become. I mean, just imagine you're Kyle Kuzma on this play:

De’Aaron Has the Eyes of a Fox

I used to think nothing in life was perfect, and then I saw this pass.

The Outlet Pass: Don't Worry About the Rockets, They Have...Eric Gordon published first on https://footballhighlightseurope.tumblr.com/

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leehaws · 5 years

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The Outlet Pass: Don’t Worry About the Rockets, They Have…Eric Gordon

An Ode to Eric Gordon

Since then, he’s comfortably shined outside Harden’s orbit, punishing defenders who want nothing more than a moment to catch their breath after the ball gets swung his way. What they get instead is a mental breakdown. His self-reliance—Gordon has no conscience and knows he’s good enough to get where he wants without a screen—is their worst nightmare. He’s a pugnacious, perma-green light who’s happy to launch a picturesque jumper whenever a defender starts tap dancing at the sight of his jab step (or ducks under a pick 30 feet from the basket).

Gordon’s pressure is relentless. He’s a one-man salvo of between-the-leg dribbles that seemingly have no purpose until they magically catapult him into the paint. According to Synergy Sports, the only players who’ve been more efficient on at least 30 isolation plays are Khris Middleton, Bradley Beal, and Kemba Walker. He can hit Capela with a pocket pass and lull defenders into a panic as part of Houston’s devastating Spanish pick-and-roll; every once in a while he tries to end someone’s life by exhibiting a genuinely sneaky athletic burst above the rim.

Gordon is currently shooting 35.4 percent and the first few weeks of this season featured a four-game stretch in which he launched 67 shots and made only 18 of them, but all in all he might be the single biggest reason I’m not worried about the Rockets. We know his splits will course correct—his True Shooting percentage is 57.5 in the last five games—because his struggle doesn’t affect his shot selection. Gordon lives without brakes. He’ll miss a layup on one play and then jack up a quick three the next time down. If it’s an airball, he’ll take an even deeper shot 15 seconds later. When the defense gives something, he takes it.

Contrast that audaciousness with his expressionless demeanor and what you get is Gordon’s own brand of fortitude, a resiliency that makes you wonder how high his numbers would soar as the first option in Orlando or Brooklyn. When he’s on the floor, Houston’s offense scores 13.6 more points per 100 possessions than when he’s not (from second best to the third-worst offense in the league). Nobody could even attempt to play quite like Gordon does without losing minutes. He’s two steps to the left of the spotlight, with a mentality so daring it borders on reckless. Gaudy, stone-faced, and even more threatening outside the parameters of Houston’s system while quintessentially representing what Mike D’Antoni wants it to look like, Gordon is not a perfect player. But watching him steer his skill-set beneath the general NBA fan’s radar, on a team that’s all in to win it all, is a pleasure to behold.

The Clippers Don’t Shoot Threes (and Couldn’t Care Less)

“We just hoop, bro.”

Noah Vonleh!

Noah Vonleh is 23 years old, and last week New York Knicks head coach David Fizdale called him “probably, overall our most complete player.” Everything in that sentence is real.

When the Knicks signed Vonleh in July, he was a buy-low, no-risk commodity for a team that’s prioritizing the future over the present. So far he’s made the most of the opportunity, averaging per-36 minute career highs in points, assists, steals, and blocks. The Knicks are 15 points per 100 possessions better with Vonleh in the game, an absolutely insane number. At worst, he’s currently a positive trade asset, someone New York may use to get off a larger contract (like Courtney Lee) before the trade deadline. At best, he’s an untapped, young, cheap contributor who’s showing the league what New York’s player development staff may be capable of. If kept around beyond this season, Vonleh can play two positions, post-up, move his feet, and, theoretically, fit beside Kristaps Porzingis. Athletic big men who rebound, shoot, switch, and protect the rim do not grow on trees.

Of note: His three-point rate tripled from October to November, and for the first time in his career he’s making over 40 percent of them (42.1 on just under two tries per game). Vonleh is averaging 10 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 2.7 assists at Madison Square Garden, and has the 32nd-highest Real Plus-Minus in the league, with Mitchell Robinson as the only other Knick in the top 100.

It’s still early, and we’ll see how Vonleh’s impact will be affected if/when he goes through a shooting slump, but so far it’s cool to see him find minutes role in a league that was so close to spitting him out. This is an NBA player.

Free Rodney Hood

https://oembed.vice.com/i7tPwsS?media=0&app=1

If not Houston, Hood can upgrade just about any situation outside the one he’s currently in. (Would the Philadelphia 76ers part ways with Markelle Fultz for Hood?)

A Three-Headed Sixth Man Race!

This year’s Sixth Man award is a subtle microcosm of the league’s bottomless talent pool. At the season’s quarter mark, the number of credible candidates is immense. But with apologies to *takes deep breath* Lou Williams, Julius Randle, Spencer Dinwiddie, Dennis Schröder, Terrence Ross, Marcus Morris, Josh Hart, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Dwyane Wade, Evan Turner, Shelvin Mack, Jonas Valanciunas, and Patty Mills, three players have separated themselves from the field: Montrezl Harrell, Domas Sabonis, and Derrick Rose.

Next is Indiana’s backup center. If there ever was a player who showed how detrimental the wrong fit can be for an incoming rookie, look no further than Sabonis’s brief, progress-stunting tenure with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Back then, which feels like six million years ago, his daily duties were: 1) Get out of Russell Westbrook’s way, 2) Don’t screw up when Russell Westbrook needs you to get him his tenth assist, 3) Get out of Russell Westbrook’s way.

Rose is shooting 45.2 percent on pull-up threes and 45.9 percent on spot-up threes. Those two numbers are unsustainable, but they’ll live on in opposing scouting reports for the rest of the season. Defenders will be less willing to help off Rose, instead doomed to close out hard and run him off the line. Earlier this month, Sacramento Kings head coach Dave Joerger called time to chastise Willie Cauley-Stein after he dropped back and gave Rose a wide-open shot. That would’ve been unthinkable six months ago.

A lot can happen between now and April, but be surprised if neither Harrell, Sabonis, nor Rose is named Sixth Man of the Year. They’ve been dominant in their role.

Orlando’s Science Experiment

Steve Clifford’s defensive principles are simple. He wants his bigs to stay in the paint and let his guards and wings chase shooters up top, usually over screens in an attempt to take away the shot and funnel them towards waiting rim protection. The previous three seasons, the Magic finished 24th, 22nd, and 25th in the percentage of opposing shots that came at the rim. This year they’re sixth. When Isaac and Bamba are the two primary defenders involved, whoever’s up against them can feel their brain melt into ice cream.

Orlando’s lineups that feature those two have been bad, but that’s not 100 percent their fault. Most of the minutes come at the start of the second and fourth quarters, when they’re joined by other reserves (like Jerian Grant or Jonathon Simmons) who make little sense supporting them on offense. When Evan Fournier and Terrence Ross are in, though, Orlando can breathe a bit more with the ball. Sometimes that’s because Bamba and Isaac are good enough shooters to invert the floor and create space for those guys to maneuver in the paint.

Here they are both hanging above the arc, bringing their own big defenders with them:

Separating the two, Isaac has already flashed the chops of someone who should appear on multiple All-Defensive teams. The speed (in his feet and hands), length, and intuitive feel are locked in place—to beat him off the dribble is to evade one’s own shadow—but the 21-year-old isn’t muscular enough to stand up the league’s more brutish scorers. That’s fine right now. He’ll grow. Until then, at 6’10” with a 7’1″ wingspan, Isaac is good enough on the perimeter to reach in, get crossed over, then recover back to smother his man from behind. As a help defender, Isaac tends to chase the ball a bit too much, but that tendency should iron itself out as he matures.

Bamba is a supernatural beanstalk who plants himself in the paint, then tries to use his uncanny physical dimensions to race out and contest along the perimeter whenever his man is about to line up a three. (He’s usually a step too slow.) Bamba’s physical dimensions are unprecedented, but can’t mask the learning curve he’ll eventually need to master if he wants to become a great all-around anchor. Together, he and Isaac are still feeling their way through the league, but it’s a thrill to daydream about what they may become. I mean, just imagine you’re Kyle Kuzma on this play:

De’Aaron Has the Eyes of a Fox

I used to think nothing in life was perfect, and then I saw this pass.

The Outlet Pass: Don’t Worry About the Rockets, They Have…Eric Gordon syndicated from https://justinbetreviews.wordpress.com/

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madpicks · 7 years

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New Post has been published on https://www.madpicks.com/sports/mlb/pirates-dullest-offseason-baseball/

The Pirates had the dullest offseason in baseball

It was one of the dullest offseasons of the past decade for anyone, but it just might make sense.

If you’ve read Jeff Passan’s The Arm, you root for Daniel Hudson. The book details the pitcher’s two Tommy John surgeries, both coming after he turned down a contract extension that could have set his family up for generations. He comes off as thoughtful and honest during the brutal period, and that made me feel good about his two-year, $11 million contract with the Pirates, even though I don’t know the guy. So I’m pulling for him.

I can’t imagine defining an entire offseason with him, though.

Hudson was the Pirates’ offseason. There are good reasons to think he was unlucky last year, from his FIP to his xFIP to a general nod toward the rough Diamondbacks’ defense. He’s almost certainly better than his 2016, and he could be a fine signing. He also looks like he could be the only different player on the entire 25-man roster. Which is remarkable.

The Pirates finished 78-83 last year, breaking a three-year postseason streak. While they still haven’t won the NL Central since Barry Bonds was on the team, they won 98 games in 2015, and their overall youth gave them a good chance of continuing this newly established golden age. The stumble in ‘16 caught the organization off guard, and considering the team just finished a stretch where they finished under .500 for 20 straight seasons, you’ll excuse the fans if they seem jittery.

Here’s the entire Pirates offseason:

Signed Lisalverto Bonilla to a one-year deal

Signed Daniel Hudson to a two-year deal

Re-signed Ivan Nova to a three-year deal

There were a few waiver claims and Rule 5 shenanigans mixed in, but that’s the entire offseason for an ostensible contender. Oh, also, Bonilla was designated for assignment and lost on waivers to the Reds.

The message, then, is that the players on the 2016 Pirates need to play better. That’s the plan, the strategy. It’s not that the Pirates are cheap — their payroll will be over $100 million, and they did invest in Nova — it’s that they’re comfortable. As long as the baseball men baseball better, everything should be fine.

Is this logical, though? We’ll sort the Pirates’ roster into three categories.

Should be better

I’m not sure what to make of Josh Harrison, either, but even if we shouldn’t expect his 2014 season again, he’s probably a little better than he was last year.

Andrew McCutchen is the easiest call to make for this category. It’s possible that he was bitten by the same wraith that got to Dale Murphy decades ago. History suggests, though, that it’s much more likely that his down year was an aberration and a total hiccup. And the outfield defense as a whole should be better, with McCutchen moving to right field. He really did look overmatched in center.

Jung-ho Kang’s production might not improve — especially considering his legal troubles and state of mind — but he should get more than 370 plate appearances next season, which would help the Pirates quite a bit.

I’m bullish on both Starling Marte and Gregory Polanco just because of their youth and tools. Marte might have hit his ceiling, but I still think there’s something left to unpack. And Polanco will be just 25, and he’s improved every year he’s been in the league.

Josh Bell has been a top-100 prospect for four years now, and he had more walks than strikeouts in his major league debut. A full season from him instead of John Jaso should be a net positive.

Gerrit Cole went from finishing fourth in the NL Cy Young voting to an injury-marred season that made him an ordinary pitcher instead of an ace. Not only should he be better, but a full season from Jameson Taillon and Ivan Nova should make the Pirates feel better, too.

There are reasons to be skeptical about Chad Kuhl and Drew Hutchison, but it would be hard for them to be worse at the back of the rotation than Jeff Locke and Francisco Liriano were last year, even if the move to ditch Liriano still seems silly. There’s also a chance that top prospect Tyler Glasnow emerges and thrives, giving the Pirates a wicked top four.

Should be worse

Tony Watson isn’t as good as Mark Melancon, but he’s pretty good. The rest of the bullpen feels thinner with Melancon gone and Watson moved up.

The bench isn’t going to get the same kind of production it enjoyed from Sean Rodriguez and Matt Joyce last year, just because no bench is likely to get that kind of production.

And that’s it.

Wait, I’m starting to get it …

Should be about the same

Everyone else, really. That goes for David Freese as the overqualified reserve, Francisco Cervelli, who is more of a freaky on-base machine than an All-Star-caliber hitter, and Jordy Mercer, who is perfectly acceptable, if a little underwhelming.

That’s about a dozen names in the first section, including all of the most important players on the roster. The bullpen and bench are question marks, true, but I don’t think I was overly generous with any of the players who I’ve pegged to improve. You could slide Marte and Polanco into the “should be about the same” section if you’re feeling grumpy, but these aren’t huge quibbles, considering they’re already quite good.

Before you make a homemade “2017 NL Central Champs” sweatshirt, though, you should note that the computers aren’t quite as optimistic. FanGraphs does have the Pirates getting better, but improving only to 83-79 and not in position for a Wild Card. Baseball Prospectus is surlier, having them claw back just to .500, though that would be good enough for second place. There are reasons to think the Pirates might get better, but don’t just assume they’ll improve by 15 or 20 wins.

Still, if you were wondering why the Pirates had the dullest offseason in baseball, here’s why: There are reasons to be optimistic. The Great McCutchen Trade Scare is over, and the team should be better than last year, if only because it would be hard for a bunch this talented to get worse. There are pitfalls and booby traps, and they’ll still be clawing for a Wild Card spot, while having to play the Cubs 18 times. But it’s not ludicrous that the Pirates didn’t do anything this winter.

It’s just a little boring.

#pirates

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flauntpage · 5 years

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The Outlet Pass: Don't Worry About the Rockets, They Have...Eric Gordon

An Ode to Eric Gordon

The Clippers Don’t Shoot Threes (and Couldn��t Care Less)

“We just hoop, bro.”

Noah Vonleh!

Noah Vonleh is 23 years old, and last week New York Knicks head coach David Fizdale called him “probably, overall our most complete player.” Everything in that sentence is real.

Free Rodney Hood

If not Houston, Hood can upgrade just about any situation outside the one he’s currently in. (Would the Philadelphia 76ers part ways with Markelle Fultz for Hood?)

A Three-Headed Sixth Man Race!

A lot can happen between now and April, but be surprised if neither Harrell, Sabonis, nor Rose is named Sixth Man of the Year. They've been dominant in their role.

Orlando's Science Experiment

Here they are both hanging above the arc, bringing their own big defenders with them:

De’Aaron Has the Eyes of a Fox

I used to think nothing in life was perfect, and then I saw this pass.

The Outlet Pass: Don't Worry About the Rockets, They Have...Eric Gordon published first on https://footballhighlightseurope.tumblr.com/

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flauntpage · 5 years

Text

The Outlet Pass: Don't Worry About the Rockets, They Have...Eric Gordon

An Ode to Eric Gordon

The Clippers Don’t Shoot Threes (and Couldn’t Care Less)

“We just hoop, bro.”

Noah Vonleh!

Noah Vonleh is 23 years old, and last week New York Knicks head coach David Fizdale called him “probably, overall our most complete player.” Everything in that sentence is real.

Free Rodney Hood

If not Houston, Hood can upgrade just about any situation outside the one he’s currently in. (Would the Philadelphia 76ers part ways with Markelle Fultz for Hood?)

A Three-Headed Sixth Man Race!

A lot can happen between now and April, but be surprised if neither Harrell, Sabonis, nor Rose is named Sixth Man of the Year. They've been dominant in their role.

Orlando's Science Experiment

Here they are both hanging above the arc, bringing their own big defenders with them:

De’Aaron Has the Eyes of a Fox

I used to think nothing in life was perfect, and then I saw this pass.

The Outlet Pass: Don't Worry About the Rockets, They Have...Eric Gordon published first on https://footballhighlightseurope.tumblr.com/

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flauntpage · 5 years

Text

The Outlet Pass: Don't Worry About the Rockets, They Have...Eric Gordon

An Ode to Eric Gordon

The Clippers Don’t Shoot Threes (and Couldn’t Care Less)

“We just hoop, bro.”

Noah Vonleh!

Noah Vonleh is 23 years old, and last week New York Knicks head coach David Fizdale called him “probably, overall our most complete player.” Everything in that sentence is real.

Free Rodney Hood

If not Houston, Hood can upgrade just about any situation outside the one he’s currently in. (Would the Philadelphia 76ers part ways with Markelle Fultz for Hood?)

A Three-Headed Sixth Man Race!

A lot can happen between now and April, but be surprised if neither Harrell, Sabonis, nor Rose is named Sixth Man of the Year. They've been dominant in their role.

Orlando's Science Experiment

Here they are both hanging above the arc, bringing their own big defenders with them:

De’Aaron Has the Eyes of a Fox

I used to think nothing in life was perfect, and then I saw this pass.

The Outlet Pass: Don't Worry About the Rockets, They Have...Eric Gordon published first on https://footballhighlightseurope.tumblr.com/

0 notes

flauntpage · 5 years

Text

The Outlet Pass: Don't Worry About the Rockets, They Have...Eric Gordon

An Ode to Eric Gordon

The Clippers Don’t Shoot Threes (and Couldn’t Care Less)

“We just hoop, bro.”

Noah Vonleh!

Noah Vonleh is 23 years old, and last week New York Knicks head coach David Fizdale called him “probably, overall our most complete player.” Everything in that sentence is real.

Free Rodney Hood

If not Houston, Hood can upgrade just about any situation outside the one he’s currently in. (Would the Philadelphia 76ers part ways with Markelle Fultz for Hood?)

A Three-Headed Sixth Man Race!

A lot can happen between now and April, but be surprised if neither Harrell, Sabonis, nor Rose is named Sixth Man of the Year. They've been dominant in their role.

Orlando's Science Experiment

Here they are both hanging above the arc, bringing their own big defenders with them:

De’Aaron Has the Eyes of a Fox

I used to think nothing in life was perfect, and then I saw this pass.

The Outlet Pass: Don't Worry About the Rockets, They Have...Eric Gordon published first on https://footballhighlightseurope.tumblr.com/

0 notes

flauntpage · 5 years

Text

The Outlet Pass: Don't Worry About the Rockets, They Have...Eric Gordon

An Ode to Eric Gordon

The Clippers Don’t Shoot Threes (and Couldn’t Care Less)

“We just hoop, bro.”

Noah Vonleh!

Noah Vonleh is 23 years old, and last week New York Knicks head coach David Fizdale called him “probably, overall our most complete player.” Everything in that sentence is real.

Free Rodney Hood

If not Houston, Hood can upgrade just about any situation outside the one he’s currently in. (Would the Philadelphia 76ers part ways with Markelle Fultz for Hood?)

A Three-Headed Sixth Man Race!

A lot can happen between now and April, but be surprised if neither Harrell, Sabonis, nor Rose is named Sixth Man of the Year. They've been dominant in their role.

Orlando's Science Experiment

Here they are both hanging above the arc, bringing their own big defenders with them:

De’Aaron Has the Eyes of a Fox

I used to think nothing in life was perfect, and then I saw this pass.

The Outlet Pass: Don't Worry About the Rockets, They Have...Eric Gordon published first on https://footballhighlightseurope.tumblr.com/

0 notes

flauntpage · 7 years

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Blue Jays Mailbag: Pillar Leading Off, Biagini's Role, and 6-Man Rotations

This article originally appeared on VICE Sports Canada.

Andrew Stoeten answers your questions in our Blue Jays Mailbag, which runs weekly at VICE Sports. You can send him questions at [email protected], and follow him on Twitter.

The Blue Jays salvaged one of three against the White Sox over the weekend, but spent a good 90 percent of the series looking mostly awful. Does this mean it's time to panic? To crack each other's heads open and feast on the goo inside?

In a word: yes. In five more words: if you're a garbage clown.

Ahhh, we have fun, don't we? But seriously, the Jays are spinning their wheels, fans are starting to get restless, and this is the backdrop for... well... for at least a couple questions in this week's Blue Jays mailbag. So let's do it to it!

If you have a Blue Jays question you'd like me to tackle for next week, be sure to send it to [email protected]. As always, I have not read any of Griff's answers.

Hey Stoeten, Do you think the Jays will consider using a 6-man rotation again when Sanchez returns, perhaps skipping the odd Biagini start to keep him fresh? Matt

I absolutely don't!

I know that the team went to six starters last year, but those were pretty severe circumstances. Aaron Sanchez needed his innings rolled back, the Jays needed to see what they had in Francisco Liriano, and Marco Estrada's back was giving him problems and it seemed he could use the extra rest. Because of that, and because there was no obvious odd man out, the Jays went with it, but Marco Estrada seemed to be particularly out of sync in shifting to five days of rest between starts, instead of the usual four, and the experiment as a whole was hardly a shining example of why teams need to go to a six-man rotation more regularly.

Not only are pitchers thrown off by the disruption to their routine, but there are obvious structural problems with the whole concept. Roster numbers are finite, so to go to a six-man rotation means a club needs to take either an arm out of its bullpen or a bat off its bench. There is also the simple math of it, with respect to the number of starts that go to each pitcher: 162 games divided by five starters is 32.4 starts each, and divided between six is 27 starts each. Do you really want to take away five or six starts each from your top two starters just so you can have a sixth in the rotation? With all the other problems that come with the idea? (Hint: you don't!)

Of course, you're not talking about the Jays doing this for a full season, and their rotation's strength is that there really isn't one guy who stands out ahead of the others, so I suppose it could make more sense for them than most, but then the big question becomes, why???

What is the point of keeping Joe Biagini in the rotation once everybody else is healthy?

Biagini has shown that he's a viable rotation option for this club—despite his most recent start, which was awful—and that's great for them going forward. But, for me, if he's the sixth guy he's the sixth guy, and he goes straight back to the bullpen once Aaron Sanchez is ready. He still has a lot of value there, and while I've encountered the odd six-man-rotation stan who pretends it would somehow be reckless or impossible to have to ramp Biagini's innings back up a second time this season, were they to shift him back to the bullpen now and then need him in the rotation later, uh… no.

Photo by Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

Biagini worked as a starter all spring, then went to the bullpen, then easily made the transition back into the rotation. I don't think it's ideal to keep doing this to a guy, but not because of any worries about arm health. It's just probably not putting him in the best position to succeed.

But Biagini's here for the long haul. He's due to hit arbitration for the first time after next season, and the Jays will hold his rights for three more years after that. And, by the looks of it, next year he'll likely be a full-fledged member of the rotation—a cheap and halfway decent replacement for the losses of Marco Estrada and Francisco Liriano to free agency (though we all hope they re-sign Estrada, I'm sure, even though he's been awful lately, too). He'll be fine. He will, in fact, probably be even better in the bullpen, where he was unexpectedly a weapon for the club last year, and continued to thrive through the start of this season.

Why are we aiming to take starts away from better starters, and to remove a reliever or a bench bat from the roster, just to keep him starting games, exactly? It doesn't make a lot of sense. And the thing about six-man rotation schemes, which come up literally every single season, they almost never make sense.

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Hey Stoeten Loving the new mailbag, although I do miss the contrast between your answers and Griffins.

My question today is why does the MLB draft suck so hard. War times notwithstanding the MLB draft is the suckiest draft that ever did suck. I can recite 7 of the top 10 projected picks for the upcoming NBA draft from memory, I've already read 3 NFL mock drafts and yet I can't remember who the Twins took with the first overall pick on Monday and I'm way more into baseball than those other two sports. Why doesn't MLB have the draft in November and allow teams to trade picks and market this thing like the other major sports.

Cheers Chris Mc

I'm all for making drastic changes to the draft—abolishing it would be a good start!—but… uh… I don't really see how holding it after the season or allowing teams to trade picks (which is definitely a major change I'd be on board for) is going to change the fact that nobody knows who the fuck these guys getting picked are.

It's easy to say this here in Canada, but NCAA baseball is pretty faceless, and niche enough in its own right, and yet the top three picks in this year's MLB draft were from high school—not a whole lot of exposure there, unless you're someone like a Bryce Harper. Add to the exposure problem the fact that baseball greatness takes time to reveal itself—there is no equivalent of a McDonald's All-American Game or a World Junior Hockey Championships (though a mini tournament of California, versus Texas, versus Florida, versus everybody else might be interesting!), where the best of the best can impress upon the world just how much physically better they are than their peers.

And not only is the problem that draftees are unknown now, it's that they're going to remain unknown for years. Four of the top six players taken in the 2016 NHL draft were regulars for their teams as rookies. The number in the NBA is even higher than that (only four first rounders didn't suit up in the NBA—three of whom stayed in Europe, the other being injured top pick Ben Simmons). None of MLB's 2016 first-round picks reached the big leagues in their draft year, only five of the players picked in the first round of 2015 draft have made it to the majors (Swanson, Bregman, Benintendi, Fulmer, and Happ), and only 13 of the first 41 picks from 2014 have done so. Even fewer have established themselves as regulars.

Many won't ever establish themselves as regulars, and that's a problem, too. At least in terms of making the draft exciting. I mean, the Blue Jays are hardly atypical, and yet look at the wasteland that makes up most of their first round (and supplemental round) picks since 2010: T.J. Zeuch, Jon Harris, Jeff Hoffman, Max Pentecost, Phil Bickford, D.J. Davis, Marcus Stroman, Matt Smoral, Mitch Nay, Tyler Gonzales, Tyler Beede, Jacob Anderson, Joe Musgrove, Dwight Smith, Kevin Comer. Obviously in the supplemental round of 2010 they did extremely well (Sanchez, Syndergaard, and to a much, much lesser extent, Wojciechowski), but before that they took Deck McGuire! Take out the big three from that draft, as well as Marcus Stroman, and you get a total of 44 games of big league experience from the rest of that list!

Makes for some real scintillating stuff on draft night, eh?

So, I guess what I would say is that the draft is what it is. The league does a pretty good job of trying to make it as much of an event as it can be, and the rest of the world does the sensible thing and collectively shrugs its shoulders. It's just different, is all.

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How long do you run Kevin Pillar in the leadoff spot? Is there a better option? Numbers since May 1st are not good. BaseballBats

is there anyone else who could conceivably leadoff ahead of pillar? Steve

Why does Bats still bat third for the Jays?? Blake

I don't know that Kevin Pillar would have ever been my leadoff hitter, to be honest. I think it's best not to get too hung up on the silly traditional ideas of what a leadoff guy is supposed to be (or, honestly, to worry about lineup order much, if at all), so I'm entirely fine with having someone like Jose Bautista at the top of the Jays' lineup right now. Or, at least, I would be if his numbers weren't in the shitter at the moment, too.

Photo by John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

But the thing about Bautista—good lord, never "Bats"—is that at least he still takes walks. The ZiPS projection system has Pillar with a .307 OBP for the rest of the season, because despite the encouraging signs we saw at the start of the season, it's most likely that's who Pillar is. Bautista, despite being at just .337 now—a number powered by the terrific May that is bookended by miserable months in April and June (so far)—is projected for .360 the rest of the way. Projections aren't everything, but I still think Bautista gives the Jays their best chance to have someone on base for Josh Donaldson, which is obviously the position that they want to be in.

I don't particularly like the idea of a home run hitter (which Bautista still sort of is) being guaranteed one plate appearance per game with nobody on ahead of him, not to mention hitting behind the dregs of the lineup, but without Devon Travis and Ezequiel Carrera, there really isn't anybody who looks a whole lot better there. And I think it's fair to be thinking about moving him out of the third spot in the order, even though it's a bit of an eye-roll-worthy reaction to the team scuffling a bit lately. (There are good hitters here, it's OK to relax a bit).

But another dimension of me not really caring too much about this stuff is that I'd totally be fine if they rode the hot hands of Dwight Smith and Steve Pearce, and had Smith leadoff against right-handers and Pearce against lefties. WHY NOT?

The other thing is that we shouldn't be too careless about where we mark the beginning of Pillar's decline. For me, he was entirely fine through the start of May, and it was really the 0-for-4 in Atlanta, and the accompanying suspension for using a homophobic slur, that seems to be the point where things went south for him. Since "that game" he's slashed a pitiful .168/.226/.271 (29 wRC+), but that was only just May 17.

Asking a hitter "what have you done for me lately?" is almost always a mistake, in my view, because no hitter is his last 10 or 20 or 30 or even 60 games. That's not to excuse guys for being shitty, it's to say that just because a guy has been shitty for a while doesn't mean that he is shitty.

It hasn't been a great couple of weeks, and that's especially frustrating because the Blue Jays' opponents seemed ripe for the picking, but it's funny how quickly Blue Jays fans, even after watching two straight ALCS seasons, are ready to throw up their hands and declare the team awful sometimes. Speaking of...

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Do the Jays have an overabundance of dumb Twitter fans? Or are they just what I am exposed to, sure seems like a lot of pissbabies online Dave

Did this team change it's goal from making the playoffs to causing fans to vomit uncontrollably? TJ

Morales and a prospect for Eddie E. It makes precious little sense but fuck it I'm mad online DMChristop

I included that last one because I just… I don't even know where to begin with a thing like that. What I do know is that, no, the Jays don't have an overabundance of dumb Twitter fans. Quite the opposite, I find—or, at least, I've found after several years of muting and blocking the truly ridiculous ones. Like... go look at how other fan bases interact online, or just people in general. We're living in the age of trash, my man. And Twitter has replaced comments sections as the place where self-awareness and humility are put on hold so people can just vent whatever dumb, negative garbage comes into their heads and try to pass it off as wit. (Not that I'd know anything about all that *COUGH*).

This isn't to slag TJ or DMChristop, who obviously had their tongues firmly in cheek when they sent these questions this way, it's more to say: yes, Twitter is exasperating, and no, it's not just your experience with it, it's everybody's.

Here's another thing I know, though: a team that loses 45 percent of its games wins 89 of 162 and makes the playoffs. We all can relax a little with the "they've been bad for two weeks so they're bad!" or "this guy's been bad for a month so he's bad!" stuff. Twitter is great for amplifying people who see things that are bad and can identify them as bad and think that doing so is providing some kind of a service. "Gotta hit the cut-off man there!" "Shouldn't have sent that runner home!" "He's gotta make that catch!" "This lineup isn't hitting!" Yeah, thanks Connie fucking Mack.

Sometimes it's best to just put the phone down and walk away and try to enjoy the game for itself. At least 45 percent of the time, by my reckoning.

Blue Jays Mailbag: Pillar Leading Off, Biagini's Role, and 6-Man Rotations published first on http://ift.tt/2pLTmlv

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