A joy to see you in print. Still my favorite baseball writer.
Makes sense to comment on the Pirates when there is actually something to comment ON. Fewer words / More impactful.
Sure looks like your day-trader routine is infiltrating your baseball writing, which never needed the bump, but has benefitted regardless.
Today is a big day.
It is Ollie Watkins' 30th birthday as Aston Villa, in a cruel twist of Premier League scheduling has to travel to London for the second time in four days to take on top-of-the-table Arsenal after having beaten Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Two away games in four days vs two of the "Big Six" clubs in English football. I suppose if Villa want to gain entry into that gated community, I guess you have to go to their houses and take it.
Ollie Watkins' is Aston Villa's striker. He would be a superstar if he only belonged to today's opponent, Arsenal, who tried to wrest control of the player from Villa only last offseason. The kind of dick move that teams like the Yankees feel entitled to make when, say, a Paul Skenes arrives on the scene.
Villa is a big and historic English football club. One of the founders of the league in antiquity. They remind me so much of our Pirates. The club valuation is at perhaps 1 Billion. The Big 6? Average 3-6 Billion.
Because of Profit and Sustainability rules, teams can only spend 70-80% of their valuation (depending on the competition) on talent. Villa, during their rise, have been unable to acquire talent because they've maxed out. But a team like Manchester United can spend many fold more dollars than the Villa.
Villa's rise from a second tier ("Championship") club has been built by 1: owners who want to spend their massive wealth but cannot; 2: the hiring of a gifted manager who consistently out games the opposing dugout; and 3: a group of players who have been acutely scouted and acquired by hook or by crook and have long served together, forming the team in the league with the second-oldest average age of something over 28 years old.
Villa can no longer raise ticket prices any higher since the fans are being bludgeoned. But because the team has a waiting list for season tickets in the tens of thousands, they can build more seating. Their brand is world-wide, but nothing on the scale of Arsenal, today's opponent, or Man City, beaten last week, or Chelsea, beaten 72 hours ago, or Man U, beaten two weeks ago.
So their valuation is a fraction of "the big boys." And their resources are also, then, a fraction of the big boys. Reminds me of the Pirates predicament in MLB.
MLB has the keys to the golden kingdom in the big markets of New York and L.A. The Premiership has a similar class structure based in London.
The difference for Villa, from the Pirates, is the willingness of the owners to spend and management. You CAN succeed in a rigged game. You CAN beat the house. But to do so consistently requires real effort on all fronts. And believe me, the SYSTEM does not want to be changed. So... let's give the upstarts two away games over the Christmas period against two giants of football. Let's suspend two of their key players on yellow card count just in time for the second away game and give them no time to recover.
It is almost like Ollie Watkins is "The Running Man" and he's coming back to fly his airplane into The Network's tower.
I have the feeling, sitting here in the snow of Central Pennsylvania shitting out the last of my latest bout of COVID, that today, the proles might strike a blow. If the Villa win away at Arsenal - who have not lost at home all season - they will be level on points at the top of the table with Arsenal and City nipping both of their heels.
Now, I might be disappointed today. Pirates' fans and Villa fans alike know disappointment so well. But what a story it might be if the Villa, unbeaten in 11 games across all competitions and winners of the last 15 of 16 games, goes to London to a forbidding field and smashes down the gate.
And sorry about Villa. I literally tuned in the minute they gave up the first goal and it went downhill from there. Still in great shape to make the Champions League though.
A joy to see you in print. Still my favorite baseball writer.
Makes sense to comment on the Pirates when there is actually something to comment ON. Fewer words / More impactful.
Sure looks like your day-trader routine is infiltrating your baseball writing, which never needed the bump, but has benefitted regardless.
Today is a big day.
It is Ollie Watkins' 30th birthday as Aston Villa, in a cruel twist of Premier League scheduling has to travel to London for the second time in four days to take on top-of-the-table Arsenal after having beaten Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Two away games in four days vs two of the "Big Six" clubs in English football. I suppose if Villa want to gain entry into that gated community, I guess you have to go to their houses and take it.
Ollie Watkins' is Aston Villa's striker. He would be a superstar if he only belonged to today's opponent, Arsenal, who tried to wrest control of the player from Villa only last offseason. The kind of dick move that teams like the Yankees feel entitled to make when, say, a Paul Skenes arrives on the scene.
Villa is a big and historic English football club. One of the founders of the league in antiquity. They remind me so much of our Pirates. The club valuation is at perhaps 1 Billion. The Big 6? Average 3-6 Billion.
Because of Profit and Sustainability rules, teams can only spend 70-80% of their valuation (depending on the competition) on talent. Villa, during their rise, have been unable to acquire talent because they've maxed out. But a team like Manchester United can spend many fold more dollars than the Villa.
Villa's rise from a second tier ("Championship") club has been built by 1: owners who want to spend their massive wealth but cannot; 2: the hiring of a gifted manager who consistently out games the opposing dugout; and 3: a group of players who have been acutely scouted and acquired by hook or by crook and have long served together, forming the team in the league with the second-oldest average age of something over 28 years old.
Villa can no longer raise ticket prices any higher since the fans are being bludgeoned. But because the team has a waiting list for season tickets in the tens of thousands, they can build more seating. Their brand is world-wide, but nothing on the scale of Arsenal, today's opponent, or Man City, beaten last week, or Chelsea, beaten 72 hours ago, or Man U, beaten two weeks ago.
So their valuation is a fraction of "the big boys." And their resources are also, then, a fraction of the big boys. Reminds me of the Pirates predicament in MLB.
MLB has the keys to the golden kingdom in the big markets of New York and L.A. The Premiership has a similar class structure based in London.
The difference for Villa, from the Pirates, is the willingness of the owners to spend and management. You CAN succeed in a rigged game. You CAN beat the house. But to do so consistently requires real effort on all fronts. And believe me, the SYSTEM does not want to be changed. So... let's give the upstarts two away games over the Christmas period against two giants of football. Let's suspend two of their key players on yellow card count just in time for the second away game and give them no time to recover.
It is almost like Ollie Watkins is "The Running Man" and he's coming back to fly his airplane into The Network's tower.
I have the feeling, sitting here in the snow of Central Pennsylvania shitting out the last of my latest bout of COVID, that today, the proles might strike a blow. If the Villa win away at Arsenal - who have not lost at home all season - they will be level on points at the top of the table with Arsenal and City nipping both of their heels.
Now, I might be disappointed today. Pirates' fans and Villa fans alike know disappointment so well. But what a story it might be if the Villa, unbeaten in 11 games across all competitions and winners of the last 15 of 16 games, goes to London to a forbidding field and smashes down the gate.
The game is on Peacock at 3:30 this afternoon.
What a way for Villa to wind up a year.
I'll let ya know how it goes.
Up The Villa!
Up The Pirates!
Second this comment on favorite baseball writer.
And sorry about Villa. I literally tuned in the minute they gave up the first goal and it went downhill from there. Still in great shape to make the Champions League though.
Not sure what’s a worse feeling. Not even being in the Okamoto sweepstakes or losing to Toronto. Feels like I was just punched in the gut.