Cup of Coffee: January 5, 2023

Devers gets a big extension, why most products suck these days, big USMNT drama, Southwest tries to make amends, Great Moments in Capitalism, predictions for 2023, COVID, and my Coast-to-Coast walk

Good morning! And welcome to Free Thursday!

It seemed like it was going to be a pretty slow day yesterday until around dinner time when things picked up. The Red Sox extended Rafael Devers. The Brewers signed Wade Miley. We still don’t have a Speaker of the House, but it’s is all so funny I kinda don’t care. Some guy got arrested for electronic embezzling via diverting small transactions after they literally found a file on his work laptop called “Office Space Project.” Holy Gus Gorman, a lot went down!

I talk about some of that stuff below. I also talk about why every product sucks now, some crazy drama with the U.S. Men’s National Soccer team, Southwest Airlines’ efforts to make amends, The Man trying to stop good American capitalism, predictions for the year 2023 from the year 1923, and provide updates on both my case of the COVID and my Coast-to-Coast walk.

That’s a lot for free! Good thing you’re here today!

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The Daily Briefing

Red Sox, Rafael Devers agree to an 11-year, $331 million deal

Yesterday I made a crack about the Red Sox being too cheap to sign Rafael Devers to a long-term contract extension. Shows you what I know: Devers and the Sox are finalizing an 11-year, $331 million deal, with the physical still pending. It includes a $20 million signing bonus. Just yesterday Devers and the Sox agreed to a $17.5 million deal for 2023 avoiding arbitration, but that is presumably being torn up.

Best part of this is the guy who broke the news: Carlos freakin’ Baerga, who had it on his Instagram before anyone else had it. You’ll recall that, back in December, he broke the Justin Verlander deal before missing on a couple others. Carlos is back in the scoops game, baby!

To say this is surprising, given the way the Sox have approached things with their star players in recent years, is an understatement. They traded Mookie Betts away without any serious effort to extend him and Xander Bogaerts was lowballed before he signed elsewhere. Many expected the same to happen here but nope. Whether this is a true change of heart on spending, a fundamentally different valuing of Devers vs. Betts and Bogaerts, or desperation probably doesn’t matter. They got a guy who they think can be the cornerstone of the franchise locked up for most of the rest of his career at the very least.

Devers, who turned 26 after the season ended, hit .295/.358/.521 (141 OPS+) with 27 homers last season. He made his second All-Star team and received down-ballot MVP consideration for the third time in his six seasons in the bigs. Overall he’s hit .283/.342/.512 (124 OPS+) over the course of his career.

Eric Hosmer signs with the Cubs

We knew this was coming for a few days but now it’s official: Eric Hosmer has signed with the Cubs. They’ll pay him the minimum $720,000 salary for 2023, seeing as though the Padres owe him $39 million over the next three years.

Hosmer, who hit .268/.334/.382 with eight homers in 104 games between the Padres and the Red Sox in 2022, will likely be Chicago’s starting first baseman with some time seen at DH as well. Hosmer is obviously not a long-term solution for the Cubs, who have a first base prospect in Matt Mervis, who hit .309/.379/.606 with 36 homers across three minor league levels last year.

Mervis will turn 25 in April, so he’s no spring chicken. He should have the job already, one would figure. I suppose the argument against that is that he didn’t put it together in the minors until JUST last year and the Cubs want to make sure it wasn’t a fluke year before handing him the job. In the meantime, go with Hosmer as a stopgap. Which, fine. He’s in the old hired gun portion of his career and he probably knows it.

Wade Miley signs with the Brewers

Wade Miley has agreed to a one-year, $4.5 million deal with the Brewers. He can earn up to $1.5 million more in incentives

Miley is coming off a lost, injury-marred season with the Cubs in which he ended up making only nine appearances. When he did pitch he was pretty good, posting a 3.16 ERA over 37 innings of work. In 2021 with the Reds, however, he was both good and reliable, going 12-7 with a 3.37 ERA (139 ERA+) in 28 starts.

The Brewers are betting on the Reds version of Miley, obviously, but it’s no sure thing given how pitchers’ shoulders work.

Brewers acquire Bryse Wilson

The Milwaukee Brewers also announced yesterday that they have acquired right-hander Bryse Wilson from the Pirates in exchange for cash considerations. Wilson had been designated for assignment last week by Pittsburgh.

Wilson, 25, appeared in 25 games for the Buccos last season, starting 20 of them, posting a 5.52 ERA (75 ERA+) with 79 strikeouts against 32 walks in 115.2 innings pitched. There isn’t much in his history to suggest that was some unusually poor season, so I can’t imagine the Brewers are expecting that much. On a better team than the Pirates he should probably be considered a long reliever/mopup man/emergency starter.

Diamondbacks re-sign Zach Davies

The Arizona Diamondbacks have re-signed starter Zach Davies to a one-year, $5 million deal with another $3 million available via performance bonuses.

Davies, 29, posted a 4.09 ERA (98 ERA+) and a 102/52 K/BB ratio over 134.1 innings over 27 starts in 2022. What you see is basically what you get from him: some innings eaten at about a league average level. He won’t do anything sexy, but you could do worse with your fifth starter. The problem is when you make someone like him your third starter.

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Other Stuff

First of all . . .

. . . what in the actual HELL?

The world of indie romance has been upended by allegations that an author faked her own suicide and now wants to return like nothing happened.

Corker of a read.

COVID Update

For you Free Thursday readers who are unaware, I tested positive for COVID on Monday — symptoms appeared late Saturday into Sunday morning — and it knocked me on my ass through Tuesday. I woke up yesterday, however, feeling super refreshed and barely feeling any symptoms. The cough I had is now just an occasional need to clear my throat. The fatigue seems to be totally gone too, though I haven’t pushed myself to test it.

Still, given that merely standing up and walking around for ten minutes on Monday and Tuesday waylaid me like nobody’s business, the fact that I was up and about like (mostly normal) yesterday — even doing a couple loads of laundry — without ill effect was a good damn sign.

Still gonna low-key it today and tomorrow. Per the currently-prevailing guidelines, I won’t be contagious and I’m OK to stop isolating as of tomorrow, though I figure I’ll wait until Saturday to venture out anywhere, and then on a limited and masked basis.

Still would not recommend getting COVID, of course. But thank The Maker for vaccines and boosters and drugs and things.

Coast to Coast update

I paid my first substantive deposit for my Coast to Coast walk in September. In exchange for the £493 I sent them they sent me my detailed itinerary with the actual names of the inns and B&Bs where I’ll be staying after each leg of my walk. They are all, not surprisingly given the tiny, remote, and relatively ancient nature of the little villages along the way, impossibly British in both name and vibe.

I won’t give you the list of all the places I’m staying because I don’t want to inadvertently supply you with my assassination coordinates, but most of them have photos like this placed prominently on their websites:

And this:

Yep, that’s pretty much what I had in mind.

The websites of just about every single one of the 17 places where I’ll be staying prominently feature photos of cask ales, fish and chips, full English breakfasts, and cozy and comfortable-looking rooms. One of them, The Kings Arms Hotel in Reeth, offers a “lighter breakfast” that features fried eggs, sausage, and bacon. I like their definition of “light.”

The way I figure it, I’m gonna end up walking 190 miles yet come out the other side five pounds heavier. I suppose I’m OK with that.

Everything is broken

No, this is not a promo for my Dylan podcast. It’s in reference to an article subscriber bikemogacz hipped us to yesterday in the comments about how, these days, everything kinda sucks. At least materially speaking.

The short version: we expect to pay roughly the same for something now that we paid for a similar item ten years ago. Companies know that too, so they produce roughly the same item and price it at roughly the same price. However, because costs of everything go up over time — materials, labor, energy, you name it — we’re getting a crappier product than we think we’re getting. Or — maybe “and” — the people making it are being paid less and are working under worse conditions than before. The linked article deals mostly with fashion — fast fashion is a big perpetrator in all of this — but it applies to electronics and cars and other stuff too.

A big part of this is the desire for the new, the different, and the next-cool-thing. That’s a function of consumer demand, yes, but that demand is also created by companies and their marketing efforts. What is lost — especially in fashion — are enduring classics of high quality. Customers have come to believe that such things are stodgy and manufacturers see such things as threats to the bottom line. Because, after all, if something is both enduring and of high quality, people wouldn’t need to buy as much of it as often.

We talked about this with respect to fashion a few weeks back if I remember correctly, but I truly desire to be one of those people who buy a few basic things — high quality, classic things — and keep them for a long time. A good coat. A good pair of jeans. A couple of good shirts and sweaters. A couple of good pairs of shoes. The kind of thing that, while never wowing people, likewise does not go too far out of style. Once I have them, I’d not think about shopping much because the stuff I’d have would last me a very long time.

That’s still mostly aspirational on my part. I have a few things I know I’ll have for a decade or two at least, but not too many. But I’m gonna try to get there. I suppose it’s a bit easier, of course, when you’re a pretty basic old man to begin with.

USMNT drama

While watching the World Cup, a lot of people who know a lot more about soccer than I do were howling about how Gio Reyna wasn’t getting enough playing time for the United States. I didn’t think much of it because (a) you hear that kind of thing about some player during almost every sporting event; and (b) what the hell better do I know?

But hoo-boy, is there more to that story.

Earlier this week it was revealed that U.S. Men’s National Team coach Gregg Berhalter was investigated by U.S. Soccer over allegations of a domestic violence incident that occurred in 1991. On Tuesday Berhalter admitted that during a “heated argument” outside of a bar with his then-girlfriend and now-wife Rosiland, Berhalter kicked Rosiland’s legs. The incident was not reported to authorities. Berhalter said he sought counseling and both Berhalter and Rosalind told family and friends about the incident. Gregg and Rosalind have now been married 25 years and have four children together.

How, exactly, did that 31 year-old incident make its way onto U.S. Soccer’s radar? Like this, according to ESPN:

Former United States men's national team captain Claudio Reyna sent multiple messages to U.S. Soccer executives during the World Cup threatening to reveal sensitive details about USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter's past, multiple sources told ESPN.

The messages began after his son, Gio Reyna, was informed he would have a limited role at the tournament.

It wasn’t just Claudio Reyna dropping the dime, however. His wife, Gio’s mom, also took part as it seems that she was Rosiland’s college roommate so she knew about the incident back when it went down in 1991. From The Athletic:

The information given to the U.S. Soccer Federation regarding a 1991 incident involving U.S. men’s national team World Cup coach Gregg Berhalter and his wife, Rosalind, originated from her college roommate Danielle Reyna, the mother of U.S. winger Gio Reyna, she said in a statement to The Athletic. 

Danielle Reyna released a statement in which she explained that she and her husband told U.S. Soccer about the 1991 incident because they believe that Berhalter was forgiven for his misstep back then — and given that Claudio Reyna served as the best man at the Berhalters’ wedding, I’d say so — but that Berhalter was not being forgiving of Gio Reyna for whatever behavior of his led to his reduced playing time in the World Cup. She adds a lot of words about how she didn’t report this to be vindictive or to blackmail anyone into giving her son more playing time.

But, hoo-boy, this definitely seems like a high-class version of youth soccer parents, doesn’t it? I mean, I don’t for one second want to diminish domestic violence — and if Berhalter gets the axe over the 1991 incident being revealed no one will shed tears for him I don’t reckon — but the Reynas knew about this for over 30 years and didn’t care about it, apparently, until Gio was benched, then they used it as a means of getting back at Berhalter. Or, possibly, to pressure him into playing their son. Either way, I think you can find Berhalter's behavior from 30 years ago abhorrent and still believe that what the Reynas did here was immature and out of line.

You expect this from parents whose 12 year-old doesn't make the travel team. You don’t really expect it in international soccer.

Southwest’s offer

Southwest Airlines, who inconvenienced thousands of customers with thousands of flight cancellations over the holidays, is offering 25,000 frequent-flier points to travelers who were affected by the meltdown.

For reference, per Southwest’s points system, that’s roughly the same as a $350 ticket. Which is not quite enough to get you from Columbus to Houston and back on some early morning flights in late January but can get you to Chicago or Nashville or someplace closer. For further reference, you get 50,000 points when you get the Southwest credit card.

Does getting half of that in exchange for Southwest ruining Christmas seem fair? I dunno. I suppose they could just tell everyone “shit happens, dude” and do nothing, sit back and see if people will truly come crawling back. I will say, though, as a longtime Southwest customer who often does book trips with points — and who does have the Southwest credit card for purposes of building up points — it seems a bit underwhelming.

Communist judge imprisons woman for meeting demands of the market

A Colorado funeral home owner was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison earlier this week for dissecting 560 corpses and selling body parts to labs and medical research companies without permission.

[Editor: Craig, you maybe wanna rethink that headline?]

Nah, I think I’ll keep it.

In the year 2023 . . .

A University of Calgary researcher named Paul Fairie uncovered a bunch of predictions from 1923 of what the world would look like in 2023. Among the best:

• Four-hour workdays;

• Average life expectancy will be 100 years. Or, if you listen to more optimistic prognosticators, 300 years;

• The U.S. will have a population of 300 million and Canada will have a population of 100 million;

• Flights from Chicago to Hamburg will only take 18 hours;

• Newspapers will have been out of business for 50 years;

• War will be wireless and we might have telepathy;

• People will communicate using watch-size radio telephones;

• “Women will probably be shaving — their heads! And the men will be wearing curls. Also, the maidens may pronounce it the height of style in personal primping to blacken their teeth”

• “Gasoline as motive power will be replaced by radio” and

• “Beauty contests will be unnecessary as there will be so many beautiful people that it will be almost impossible to select the winners”

Let’s see, the experts were wrong on the workdays and life expectancy. They undershot the U.S. population and overshot the Canadian population. They were pretty pessimistic about advancements in flight but, perhaps, that’s because radio doesn’t get the mileage that gasoline does. I’m not sure what “war will be wireless” means, but I think drones and guided missiles count, so we’ll give that to ‘em. They were pretty close with watch-size telephones. They seemed quite torn on the relative beauty of people, though I’d probably go for a woman with a shaven head and blackened teeth. You know, just for the variety. That’s a woman who has some stories to tell.

I think the best explainer of life in 2023 from back in the early 1920s, however, was Sinclair Lewis, not that he intended it. I say that because I just re-read his novel “Babbitt” — long a personal favorite of mine — and I think its portrait of empty, materialistic, conforming, banal American middle class life in 1920 could, with very few changes, be published today with no one really noticing. It’s shockingly modern in that regard.

I mean, I know people like George and Myra Babbitt and many of the residents of Zenith and he way Lewis describes their lives is pretty damn on-point with suburban life today. You probably do too. The key is that, unlike almost all the more recent fictional critiques of middle class suburbia, Lewis knows that it’s not something dark and foreboding which hides behind the doors of well-kempt suburban homes. It’s almost always something banal. And often sad in its lack of ambition and lack of appreciation of the larger world.

Have a great day, everyone.