Are we intentionally 'Tanking' this season (24/25)?

[Sutton_blows_goats 5,326]

8 minutes ago, Rousseau said:

Are you a Baseball fan, @Sutton_blows_goats?

Yes, been following the Tampa Bay Rays since my first trip to Tropicana stadium around 15 years ago. Been to about 7 games since then and still follow them.

 

Interesting team who manage to be competitive despite one of the smallest payrolls in baseball because they have an extremely effective player trading model. And when baseball operations staff leave they are quickly replaced internally with seemingly no real drop in operating quality.

 

Caught a foul ball behind home plate v Oakland about 6 years ago. Every baseball fan’s ambition!

[Devil's advocaat 1,538]

2 hours ago, Rousseau said:

I don't have a problem with Tavernier's wages, simply because he has been here so long and has been a consistent top performer. 

Absolutely, he's been a superb buy over the piece. However, he's another one that we should have sold - I don't believe we never had offers.

 

This will be even more evident when we come up against the reptiles and he once more shites it against a below average, workmanlike baldy winger.

 

We need to learn when to move people on, not just to make money, but also when we've seen the best of them.

[Gonzo79 15,292]

3 minutes ago, Devil's advocaat said:

This will be even more evident when we come up against the reptiles and he once more shites it against a below average, workmanlike baldy winger.

I'm dreading that and I reckon Tav is too, sadly.

[Devil's advocaat 1,538]

You can see the fear in him, especially playing them away. It's horrible.

[BlackSocksRedTops 3,751]

These wages are crazy and just goes to highlight the idiotic markets we've been shopping in. Been said on here a zillion times but we need to widen our nets. The Balkan leagues are full of technically adept players that won't demand high wages (compared to English Championship). 

[Devil's advocaat 1,538]

We've been doing it for years, Joe Garner was on £18k a week in the championship.

[Rousseau 10,600]

30 minutes ago, Sutton_blows_goats said:

Yes, been following the Tampa Bay Rays since my first trip to Tropicana stadium around 15 years ago. Been to about 7 games since then and still follow them.

 

Interesting team who manage to be competitive despite one of the smallest payrolls in baseball because they have an extremely effective player trading model. And when baseball operations staff leave they are quickly replaced internally with seemingly no real drop in operating quality.

 

Caught a foul ball behind home plate v Oakland about 6 years ago. Every baseball fan’s ambition!

I watched the Mets-Phillies game in London (on TV - I wasn't there) a few months (?) ago which was quite enjoyable. 

 

Ever since I've been looking out for the Mets' results and watch bits of games on TNT. 

 

I watched Ken Burns' Baseball documentary which was really good. I like the history of the game, the stories and the characters you get, like Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio, Robinson, Mays, etc.

[BlackSocksRedTops 3,751]

2 minutes ago, Devil's advocaat said:

We've been doing it for years, Joe Garner was on £18k a week in the championship.

We signed him when got promoted? Or do you mean the English Championship? Either way, he wasn't worth that kind of money. 

[Tannochsidebear 2,405]

53 minutes ago, Sutton_blows_goats said:

Yes, been following the Tampa Bay Rays since my first trip to Tropicana stadium around 15 years ago. Been to about 7 games since then and still follow them.

 

Interesting team who manage to be competitive despite one of the smallest payrolls in baseball because they have an extremely effective player trading model. And when baseball operations staff leave they are quickly replaced internally with seemingly no real drop in operating quality.

 

Caught a foul ball behind home plate v Oakland about 6 years ago. Every baseball fan’s ambition!

I’m also a Rays fan since going to a game in 2007 and have been a few times but not for a few years now. They operate in a really tough league with the 2 biggest teams in baseball and have still managed to be competitive in recent years. 
interesting theory re the tanking but it is probably more accurate to say we are trying to correct the errors of the last 2 years and just get the budget back on track.

[Devil's advocaat 1,538]

52 minutes ago, BlackSocksRedTops said:

We signed him when got promoted? Or do you mean the English Championship? Either way, he wasn't worth that kind of money. 

My bad, I  thought we'd signed him in January before we got up.