Paul - Sorry, behind a bit and trying to catch up. One question...does not EVERYONE pay the same amount for Medicare each year?? $165/mo is this year's rate...it went down from last year because of high inflation. I just thought it was one standard rate unless a person is below poverty level. Let me know what SS office told you.
Ok back to sports...what ransom do you think we would have to give up to get Lorenzen back as a reliever? I know he just made All-Star team, so it may be futile. I like his arm and that he had come up in our system. We def need an arm or 2 if we want to get to postseason, esp if Abbott shelved in Aug ...IMHO
Green and Lodolo are expected back in a few weeks. Santillan is working into shape. Antone might arrive soon. Maybe this will be enough.. If anyone, I would put India on the block;....and I love him. Why? Because he is a high value asset and has only 2 years left before exceeding the magic 5 years of club control. He may not resign here anyway, plus it breaks up the log jam in the IF. We gotta remember; to get where they are right now, the Reds had to sell high. And they have to keep selling high to sustain any momentum into the future. So, shop Jonathan. Good solid player, should bring mid level arm if you package him with a Senzel and/or Newman or a lesser prospect. Keep in mind the rookies might stumble down the stretch anyway, making all this moot. Pennant fever is extremely premature at this point in time. But it's still fun to feel it hanging in the air a little bit. Sure beats last year.
Congratulations on your fantasy team. My Ritalin Rangers also in 1st. I agree with you both Gioloto and Rodriguez are they only pitchers I'd support losing CES or Marti. I don't think the big man will go for the budget busting that would be required long term. Don't settle, Go big or stay home.
I usually agree with you almost 100% of the time, but I have to take offense with your comment that "orange doesn't go well with anything"! Being born and bred in Tennessee, and a Vol for Life, we Vols love the color orange and think that it goes well with everything! Oh, and that reminds me, I never did get you to write about the legendary Tennessee coach, Pat Summitt!
When I road tripped to Neyalnd to watch UC play UT several years ago, I was warned to wear sunglasses. That warning was wrong. I needed a welding helmet. To this very day, I can still see eye ghosts of that toxic tangerine color. 😳
All was not lost that weekend. UT eventually UT’d and for some unknown reason they hired our Captain Flat-Top to coach at Rocky Top which then began UC’s long trek to a birth in the CFP. 😀
Lovely place, Neyland. Great fans. Very friendly and generous with the backyard corn liquor. I don’t understand the orange and white checkered Frisch’s Big Boy bib overalls or endzones but, hey, I’d go again in a heartbeat if I can find the same glasses the military used in atomic bomb testing.😎
Lol. That sounded like a good time. I need to get to a game. We have been Vols fans for a while. We have a place in Sevierville, so about 26 miles away!
The orange checkerboard is a little out there, to be sure.
Neyland Stadium is the best football stadium in America, and the orange (not tangerine!) checkerboard endzones are classic! I do not have season tickets but have been going to football games there for 50 years. Nothing beats the show of Smoky, the team and the cheerleaders running through the Power T formed by the band!
Jan, the year UC played UT, that enormous scoreboard/video screen showed the MAKING of head coach Derek Dooley’s ORANGE PANTS. A bolt of orange fabric and a sewing machine. Vol fans lost their minds over…slacks. Orange…slacks.
It is a special place to watch a game. I’ve traveled to plenty of games and Neyland is second only to Memorial Stadium at Oklahoma. Same friendly fans but OU gets the nod because of female fans in prairie dresses and cowboy boots…from purely a fashion standpoint, of course.😏
Actually, UT has played UC twice, at UT. I was at both of those games, with my UC alumnus husband and all our UC alumni friends! Great fun, and, of course, UT won both games. I understand your points abut Oklahoma, but do they have orange and white checkerboard overalls? Now that is quite a fashion statement!
There’s a book called the High Cost of Good Intentions by John Cogan of the Hoover Institute which recounts the history of federal entitlements. Anyone who wants to know how Social Security and Medicare became the Leviathans of American retirement should read it. Not for the faint of heart intellectually but it will explain your angst in specific detail.
Fitting that a man working for an institute named for the father of the Great Depression would write a book exploring (in intellectually robust terms of course) the pitfalls of entitlement programs. Gross military waste and irresponsible tax laws are not leviathans at all, of course. They do their damage on dry ground.
Coming off after break, as are a couple other of their arms, so he may be considered “extra.” Jays badly need someone who mashes lefties, as well as a versatile infielder. Sounded interesting.
I'd take the longshot Rodriquez. I liked his pitching and his attitude. He has on a face that says "I'm not gonna back down." He would be a big plus for us and fit right in with our team.
Uniforms: hmmmm, why is it that whenever the Reds play, the other team comes out in red and white? I want to be able to tell the teams apart when they're up to bat and I might be washing dishes from afar. I didn't know Tampa Bay wore red...but maybe I've got them mixed up with the Dolphins. I just saw far too much Red and white on opposition so far this year. Even the white sox, I believe....
I actually like the Bengals in the dark orange and black unies. Or mix up tops and bottoms: white on black, or white on orange, or orange on black or orange on white.. I don't like the orange and orange. It reminds me of my grandfather's red long johns with the 'back door'.
Good tune...far better than the radio tunes these days, for sure.
I agree with Giolito and might take a chance with Greinke. I think Greinke would be good with the Reds young pitchers, is tough in the clutch, and doesn't rely on heat. He might not require one of the Reds top prospects in a trade. What would you be willing to give up for Giolito? I wouldn't trade Steer, McClain, DLC, or CES.
Social Security and Medicare are impossible to understand and have crazy rules. Everything you take out of 401k's count as income against your Medicare cost calculations. I have to take out $12k just to pay property taxes. I payed into Social Security for over 50 years, most at the maximum rate and started collecting at 67. If I go back to work (probably self-employed) , I will still have to pay SS tax even though I will receive no benefit from it. Good luck with your meeting.
100% correct. Was in self-employed category most of my career. Yes, it's nuts. You pay double what the average company worker pays, since you are treated as both employee and employer, and none of it counts towards the income your SS benefits are based on. That's based on the amt of taxes you pay on net earnings after deductions, which is on top of the double dip the gov has already done. So....deductions can seem brilliant, but they also depress the future SS benefits line. If you work after retirement, you have an outside chance of increasing your monthly benefits, provided you earn in the new working year more than the worst of your best 35 years.......there's some word spaghetti right there. But the catch- there's always a catch- is that you have to pay a high tax rate on any fresh, post retirement income once it goes above, if memory serves, $17-18,00, nullifying the incentive to work. Then there's the 2 year lag between your past reported MAGI and its affect on your current Medicare premium add-on costs. Ahh, man, like anything related to taxes in the USA, it's always nutso.
I agree the Reds will have reached the deadline and not trade for any pitchers. They need depth all around. Getting rid of position players wouldn't be great. Because you need guys to step up when someone gets hurt. We know that's going to happen.
This team basically lacks experience. To make a deep run, they likely would have to acquire at least two starting pitchers. I don't see that happening. I say, stay the course. Let the young guys gain more time and see what happens. The future is certainly bright.
I think Senzel is one of the few players the Reds are looking to deal. I never understood him being in the outfield. I think he’s an awful outfielder (believe he was drafted as a 3rd basemen?) and one of the weaker links on the team. Not sure why Bell keeps putting him in the outfield
Because David Bell isn't solely responsible for making roster decisions. The front office also has significant input into these things. It's that way with every baseball team these days.
Thanks Steve. Are you saying the front office has a role in the daily lineup and they’re telling Bell whom to play and where to play them?? I understand the front office has significant input in the “roster”. Didn’t know they were instructing Bell on the daily lineup
Our current group of "boys" are fun, exciting, talented, and have a great (and reasonably priced) few years ahead of them. I wouldn't want to give up any of them... especially for a rental arm.
The best look is the Bears navy tops, white pants, and black shoes.
I like watching successful Reds teams, but I have no idea about trades. Grienke doesn't sound like an awful idea. I do know this: my old college baseball teammate is the GM of the Orioles, and after the Reds took 2 of 3 he texted me, unsolicited, that the Reds mash and are fast. That's all I need to know. Let's go. Time for a great back 9 to this round.
Doc, sent you mail on our experience with SS office. Yes, it's soooo needlessly painful. But as a former dentist and having been on both the giving and receiving end, are you certain it's as painful as the oral surgeon hahaha????
Paul - Sorry, behind a bit and trying to catch up. One question...does not EVERYONE pay the same amount for Medicare each year?? $165/mo is this year's rate...it went down from last year because of high inflation. I just thought it was one standard rate unless a person is below poverty level. Let me know what SS office told you.
Ok back to sports...what ransom do you think we would have to give up to get Lorenzen back as a reliever? I know he just made All-Star team, so it may be futile. I like his arm and that he had come up in our system. We def need an arm or 2 if we want to get to postseason, esp if Abbott shelved in Aug ...IMHO
Green and Lodolo are expected back in a few weeks. Santillan is working into shape. Antone might arrive soon. Maybe this will be enough.. If anyone, I would put India on the block;....and I love him. Why? Because he is a high value asset and has only 2 years left before exceeding the magic 5 years of club control. He may not resign here anyway, plus it breaks up the log jam in the IF. We gotta remember; to get where they are right now, the Reds had to sell high. And they have to keep selling high to sustain any momentum into the future. So, shop Jonathan. Good solid player, should bring mid level arm if you package him with a Senzel and/or Newman or a lesser prospect. Keep in mind the rookies might stumble down the stretch anyway, making all this moot. Pennant fever is extremely premature at this point in time. But it's still fun to feel it hanging in the air a little bit. Sure beats last year.
If they can get one of the guys you mentioned without giving up TOO much. Go for it. Reds fans need to realize it will cost one or more good talents.
I saw today that Kenny Anderson made the semi finals for the Pro football HOF….HE SHOULD HAVE BEEN THERE YEARS AGO. He was simply a great player!
Congratulations on your fantasy team. My Ritalin Rangers also in 1st. I agree with you both Gioloto and Rodriguez are they only pitchers I'd support losing CES or Marti. I don't think the big man will go for the budget busting that would be required long term. Don't settle, Go big or stay home.
Reds: Go with what you’ve got. Defense, speed and hitting will win the games
What!?! I LOVE the Bengals’ orange and black!!! Who doesn’t like Halloween?
Now Cleveland’s orange and brown is a hideous combination. You got that one.
The Bengals’ unis are sweet!
I usually agree with you almost 100% of the time, but I have to take offense with your comment that "orange doesn't go well with anything"! Being born and bred in Tennessee, and a Vol for Life, we Vols love the color orange and think that it goes well with everything! Oh, and that reminds me, I never did get you to write about the legendary Tennessee coach, Pat Summitt!
Go Vols!!!
When I road tripped to Neyalnd to watch UC play UT several years ago, I was warned to wear sunglasses. That warning was wrong. I needed a welding helmet. To this very day, I can still see eye ghosts of that toxic tangerine color. 😳
All was not lost that weekend. UT eventually UT’d and for some unknown reason they hired our Captain Flat-Top to coach at Rocky Top which then began UC’s long trek to a birth in the CFP. 😀
Lovely place, Neyland. Great fans. Very friendly and generous with the backyard corn liquor. I don’t understand the orange and white checkered Frisch’s Big Boy bib overalls or endzones but, hey, I’d go again in a heartbeat if I can find the same glasses the military used in atomic bomb testing.😎
Lol. That sounded like a good time. I need to get to a game. We have been Vols fans for a while. We have a place in Sevierville, so about 26 miles away!
The orange checkerboard is a little out there, to be sure.
Neyland Stadium is the best football stadium in America, and the orange (not tangerine!) checkerboard endzones are classic! I do not have season tickets but have been going to football games there for 50 years. Nothing beats the show of Smoky, the team and the cheerleaders running through the Power T formed by the band!
Jan, the year UC played UT, that enormous scoreboard/video screen showed the MAKING of head coach Derek Dooley’s ORANGE PANTS. A bolt of orange fabric and a sewing machine. Vol fans lost their minds over…slacks. Orange…slacks.
It is a special place to watch a game. I’ve traveled to plenty of games and Neyland is second only to Memorial Stadium at Oklahoma. Same friendly fans but OU gets the nod because of female fans in prairie dresses and cowboy boots…from purely a fashion standpoint, of course.😏
Actually, UT has played UC twice, at UT. I was at both of those games, with my UC alumnus husband and all our UC alumni friends! Great fun, and, of course, UT won both games. I understand your points abut Oklahoma, but do they have orange and white checkerboard overalls? Now that is quite a fashion statement!
That sold me. I have to buy some tickets now!
There’s a book called the High Cost of Good Intentions by John Cogan of the Hoover Institute which recounts the history of federal entitlements. Anyone who wants to know how Social Security and Medicare became the Leviathans of American retirement should read it. Not for the faint of heart intellectually but it will explain your angst in specific detail.
I would have much rather invested all of the money that I contributed to Social Security, but I didn't have a choice.
Fitting that a man working for an institute named for the father of the Great Depression would write a book exploring (in intellectually robust terms of course) the pitfalls of entitlement programs. Gross military waste and irresponsible tax laws are not leviathans at all, of course. They do their damage on dry ground.
Yardbarker article suggested Hyun Jin Ryu as trade piece for Senzel+. Free agent, lefty ground ball machine. $10/M rental. Postseason w Dodgers. I’ve seen worse proposals.
I think he’s injured or was recently
Coming off after break, as are a couple other of their arms, so he may be considered “extra.” Jays badly need someone who mashes lefties, as well as a versatile infielder. Sounded interesting.
I'd take the longshot Rodriquez. I liked his pitching and his attitude. He has on a face that says "I'm not gonna back down." He would be a big plus for us and fit right in with our team.
Uniforms: hmmmm, why is it that whenever the Reds play, the other team comes out in red and white? I want to be able to tell the teams apart when they're up to bat and I might be washing dishes from afar. I didn't know Tampa Bay wore red...but maybe I've got them mixed up with the Dolphins. I just saw far too much Red and white on opposition so far this year. Even the white sox, I believe....
I actually like the Bengals in the dark orange and black unies. Or mix up tops and bottoms: white on black, or white on orange, or orange on black or orange on white.. I don't like the orange and orange. It reminds me of my grandfather's red long johns with the 'back door'.
Good tune...far better than the radio tunes these days, for sure.
I agree with Giolito and might take a chance with Greinke. I think Greinke would be good with the Reds young pitchers, is tough in the clutch, and doesn't rely on heat. He might not require one of the Reds top prospects in a trade. What would you be willing to give up for Giolito? I wouldn't trade Steer, McClain, DLC, or CES.
Social Security and Medicare are impossible to understand and have crazy rules. Everything you take out of 401k's count as income against your Medicare cost calculations. I have to take out $12k just to pay property taxes. I payed into Social Security for over 50 years, most at the maximum rate and started collecting at 67. If I go back to work (probably self-employed) , I will still have to pay SS tax even though I will receive no benefit from it. Good luck with your meeting.
100% correct. Was in self-employed category most of my career. Yes, it's nuts. You pay double what the average company worker pays, since you are treated as both employee and employer, and none of it counts towards the income your SS benefits are based on. That's based on the amt of taxes you pay on net earnings after deductions, which is on top of the double dip the gov has already done. So....deductions can seem brilliant, but they also depress the future SS benefits line. If you work after retirement, you have an outside chance of increasing your monthly benefits, provided you earn in the new working year more than the worst of your best 35 years.......there's some word spaghetti right there. But the catch- there's always a catch- is that you have to pay a high tax rate on any fresh, post retirement income once it goes above, if memory serves, $17-18,00, nullifying the incentive to work. Then there's the 2 year lag between your past reported MAGI and its affect on your current Medicare premium add-on costs. Ahh, man, like anything related to taxes in the USA, it's always nutso.
I agree the Reds will have reached the deadline and not trade for any pitchers. They need depth all around. Getting rid of position players wouldn't be great. Because you need guys to step up when someone gets hurt. We know that's going to happen.
This team basically lacks experience. To make a deep run, they likely would have to acquire at least two starting pitchers. I don't see that happening. I say, stay the course. Let the young guys gain more time and see what happens. The future is certainly bright.
I think Senzel is one of the few players the Reds are looking to deal. I never understood him being in the outfield. I think he’s an awful outfielder (believe he was drafted as a 3rd basemen?) and one of the weaker links on the team. Not sure why Bell keeps putting him in the outfield
Because David Bell isn't solely responsible for making roster decisions. The front office also has significant input into these things. It's that way with every baseball team these days.
Thanks Steve. Are you saying the front office has a role in the daily lineup and they’re telling Bell whom to play and where to play them?? I understand the front office has significant input in the “roster”. Didn’t know they were instructing Bell on the daily lineup
Our current group of "boys" are fun, exciting, talented, and have a great (and reasonably priced) few years ahead of them. I wouldn't want to give up any of them... especially for a rental arm.
The best look is the Bears navy tops, white pants, and black shoes.
I like watching successful Reds teams, but I have no idea about trades. Grienke doesn't sound like an awful idea. I do know this: my old college baseball teammate is the GM of the Orioles, and after the Reds took 2 of 3 he texted me, unsolicited, that the Reds mash and are fast. That's all I need to know. Let's go. Time for a great back 9 to this round.
Doc, sent you mail on our experience with SS office. Yes, it's soooo needlessly painful. But as a former dentist and having been on both the giving and receiving end, are you certain it's as painful as the oral surgeon hahaha????
I can numb up my mouth