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Geoff Grace

MPN Advisory Board
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Everything posted by Geoff Grace

  1. That’s the big unanswered question. The press, MLB, and perhaps even the federal government are looking into this; so I imagine it will eventually be revealed. It was at least a risky contract. We’ll see how everything develops. It’s going to be an interesting season… Best, Geoff
  2. It wasn’t a great day for the Dodgers’ other big offseason addition: Yoshinobu Yamamoto lasts only 1 inning in Dodgers debut Congrats to Bobby’s Padres for the 15-11 win. Best, Geoff
  3. This could wind up being a very big story. I hope it’s what we’re being told and that Shohei Ohtani wasn’t involved in gambling. Dodgers fire Shohei Ohtani's interpreter amid allegation of 'massive theft' Best, Geoff
  4. Yeah, that was a freak occurrence … and a hard-hit ball. The Padres played a good game, but I was happy to see the Dodgers prevail. It's great to have the season underway. Best, Geoff
  5. I wonder if the hopping mad fans have considered the possibility that by doing right by Justin Fields, the Bears could be viewed as a more attractive destination for free agents, who might think they'd get better treatment by Chicago than other teams. If they can land top players by treating them better, maybe it's worth the short term loss of not getting the most team-friendly deal in the trade. At this point, none of the NFC North teams look bad to me. The Lions are the best they've been in ages, and the Bears and Packers are on the rise. Even though the Vikings lost Kirk Cousins, they look poised to move up in the draft and grab a top prospect. It seems at least possible that three teams in this division could make the playoffs next season. Best, Geoff
  6. The Giants definitely aren’t ceding the division to the Dodgers: Source: Blake Snell agrees to 2-year, $62M deal with Giants Best, Geoff
  7. The Justin Fields question has been answered: Sources: Bears trading QB Justin Fields to Steelers Russell Wilson is still expected to be first string, with Fields apprenticing. I had hoped that Caleb Williams would wind up on his home town team, but it doesn't seem likely now. Best, Geoff
  8. One of the greatest defensive linemen of all time has retired: Rams' Aaron Donald, 3-time DPOY, retiring from NFL at age 32 It’s sad news for us Rams fans; but Donald has been considering retirement since the Rams won the Super Bowl, so I’m not surprised. Best, Geoff
  9. Raiders release Jimmy Garoppolo, Hunter Renfrow, two others Source: Titans snag WR Calvin Ridley on 4-year, $92M deal Best, Geoff
  10. I typically take pundit’s comments with a grain of salt, even those of former NFL players who have relevant experience, because sports are so hard to predict. That said, Schlereth makes a good case as to why the systems Darnold was previously part of were poorly designed for NFL success (unless you’re Peyton Manning). He says it better than I, which is why I posted the link. I’m not convinced Schlereth is right, but I’m willing to entertain the possibility that he might be. Best, Geoff
  11. It’s impressive how often former Packers wind up on the Vikings. I’ll be rooting for Jones to succeed there. Minnesota is lucky to get him. Best, Geoff
  12. Mark Schlereth makes a case for Sam Darnold in the first two minutes of this linked YouTube video. It was filmed yesterday, when Schlereth hoped Darnold would sign with the Broncos. Perhaps Schlereth is right that Darnold’s time on the 49ers finally provided him with proper NFL training. We’ll see when Darnold takes the field this season. Best, Geoff
  13. QB Kirk Cousins leaving Vikings for 4-year deal with Falcons Minnesota struggled without Cousins last year. I wonder what they intend to do now that he's gone for good. In the meantime, Green Bay has been uncharacteristically active in free agency: Source: Packers to sign Josh Jacobs, release Aaron Jones I’m disappointed that Green Bay released Aaron Jones. He’s been a real plus for the team during his seven seasons in the NFL. I know he had injury problems last year, and it’s possible that his best years may be behind him; but he’s one of the most positive players in the league and an explosive runner. Wherever he winds up (and it still could be in Green Bay if he can’t find a good deal elsewhere), he will be a great teammate and mentor. I hope that Josh Jacobs proves a worthy addition. He had his worst season last year. David Bakhtiari done in Green Bay after 11 seasons I guess this isn’t a surprise, but I’m sad to see Bakhtiari be released. He was one of the best linemen in the league when he wasn’t plagued by injury. He still intends to play, and I hope he can. With Jones and Bakhtiari released, the last two prominent pieces of the Aaron Rodgers era offense are gone in Green Bay. For anyone who missed the last season, the offense would be almost unrecognizable today. Of course, the youth moment succeeded beyond any Packers fan’s dreams last year; so it’s hard to criticize Green Bay’s decision to continue to release veteran players. Packers add safety Xavier McKinney on four-year, $68M contract McKinney will fill the void created when Darnell Savage signed with the Jaguars earlier today. Best, Geoff
  14. Sources: Russell Wilson to sign free agent deal with Steelers Wilson played pretty well for the Broncos last year: 66% completion percentage, 26 touchdowns, 8 interceptions. I probably would have kept him; but then, I don’t have GM experience. I hope for our friend Mike’s sake that he'll play well for the Steelers. Best, Geoff
  15. And of course: GO PACKERS!!! Best, Geoff
  16. As news about the upcoming season begins to break, it's time to start a new NFL football thread. Here are some recent stories relating to the season ahead: Sources: Raiders' Jimmy Garoppolo gets 2-game ban for violation Bears release veteran S Eddie Jackson, G Cody Whitehair Sources: Seahawks to let QB Geno Smith collect $12.7 million Best, Geoff
  17. I usually wait a week or so, just to give the Super Bowl talk a chance to finish. Best, Geoff
  18. Football players who carry their game rage off the field often run into trouble in their private lives. Some people can compartmentalize their roles; others can’t. In other words, Kelce’s behavior yesterday doesn’t necessarily tell us what he’s like outside of game day. Best, Geoff
  19. What a game: a come from behind win with three seconds remaining in the first period of overtime! This was one for the ages. Congrats to our Kansas City fans. Two in a row is a rarity, indeed. My sympathies to our 49ers fans. They played a great game and almost beat the defending champs. Best, Geoff
  20. I think that hit music is an important part of the musical tastes of every generation, but it doesn’t tell the whole story; and with each new era, there are more recorded music options that compete with hit music for the listener’s attention. Like you said, this includes 20th century recordings. It also includes unsigned artists with an Internet presence, not to mention music from shows people watch, video game music, and “world” music from all corners of the globe. As a result, I wouldn’t be surprised if Gen Z was the least hit music focussed yet. I don’t know a lot of Gen Z’ers, but the ones I know don’t pay much attention to today’s hits. In contrast, when The Beatles debuted on Ed Sullivan, we had only three TV networks, AM radio, and perhaps a local TV channel or two from which we could discover new music. Hit music was almost omnipresent in that environment. I like your elements based approach to examining music. In addition to Melody, Harmony, Rhythm, and Timbre, I was taught to add Form to the list. (Also, in college, we referred to Lyrics as “Text.”) Back in the ’70s, a music history professor of mine lamented that we students had missed most of the advances in Melody, Harmony, Rhythm, and Form, and that all that was left for us to explore was Timbre. His words have proved to be mostly true. The last 50 years have been revolutionary for Timbre, but we’ve been largely just rearranging the established building blocks of the other elements. In addition, considering the lack of tolerance for dissonance in most of the listening public, many of our tools go unused or ignored. Best, Geoff
  21. The big game is tomorrow. We've been lucky to enjoy a lot of close Super Bowls, with no blowouts, in recent history; and I don't see any reason why this one should be different. Here's hoping we get another great game! Best, Geoff
  22. Speaking as someone who was a vegetarian for years and who only eats meat once in awhile these days, I learned first hand that a vegetarian diet centered around fresh fruits and vegetables is a lot healthier than a vegetarian diet centered around sugary, salty, processed foods, sodas, and fake meat. In other words, there's a wide range of vegetarian choices available; some are healthier than others. Of course, none of us is guaranteed a long life. All any of us can do is try to increase our odds. Best, Geoff
  23. I only remember The Beatles’ second appearance on Ed Sullivan, a few years later; but I remember Paul Jones’s generation well. He was born in between my maternal and paternal grandmothers’ years of birth. The world was changing fast in the 1960s, and it’s understandable if some of the people in that age group saw no value in the tastes of their grandchildren. For those of us who are older, it may be worth asking ourselves if we’re missing out on any good music that Gen Z is enamored with. As for me, while I never was completely swept away by Beatlemania, I’ve always been a fan and appreciative of their creativity in popular music. They were innovative in so many areas: song construction, recording techniques, vocal harmonies, arrangements, and orchestration (thanks in no small part to their friend, George Martin), to name a few. So much of the great music that followed was influenced by them. Progressive rock certainly owes them a debt of gratitude. I’m glad that Paul and Ringo are still around today. I hope they enjoy this anniversary of the dawn of their success in the US. Best, Geoff
  24. I understand, ProfD. Neither Quinn nor Kingsbury had great success as head coaches. Quinn's Legion of Boom was impressive, but that was a decade ago. Best, Geoff
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