What, for you, constitutes success this season?

“Squeal!!! I want to thank my agent, my other agent, my agent’s agent, my mom, her agent, and my cats DiNardo and Halsey, for this victory!!!!”

I think you’re confusing "trying to make an argument go away" with "trying to make a poster go away."

I don’t see much of a difference. If people can’t even post their hopes without being told their “argument” is “crap”, they’re much less likely to go away.

Frankly, I don’t think his “argument” is bad. He’s not saying that the A’s will be 3-year contenders. He merely wants top free agents to see a chance to win a title in Oakland. And Holliday will be one of the top free agents, whether you think his departure is a foregone conclusion or not.

I think you’ve said stuff that is absurd. If you were me what would you do? What is the reward?

“disagreeing” with “disagreeing in a rude or condescending way.” There is a huge difference, and if you intend to appear before judges and/or juries, disagreeing respectfully might be a skill well worth cultivating! But that’s not AN’s business – how people talk to each other on this blog, however, is.

Making it your goal to make the argument go away is just as unconstructive. People are going to believe what they want to believe. If they’re open to new ideas or to learning, then maybe their thinking will evolve, but in many cases they won’t be — possibly because they’re just stubborn or just stupid, or possibly because they have other reasons or ideas you just don’t know about.

Regardless of the reason, some people are going to persist in holding an opinion you think is wrong. If you feel a need to rebut it every time it shows its face, it’s going to be unconstructive, just like I described in the first post. So no, I’m not confusing making the argument go away with making the poster go away. I know you’re talking about the argument and that’s what I’m talking about, too.

Take you and me as an example. We agree on a lot of things, but there are also a few where we disagree. I’m sure you can think of a few examples. We’ve engaged in some healthy debate, you know what I believe and I know what you believe. Each of us will occasionally restate our opinion in the course of some new discussion. If I felt a need to make your argument “go away” or you felt a need to make mine “go away”, what good would come of that?

you forfeit any claim to wisdom, period. Which is totally fine, but…I don’t want to see that word watered down like some other formerly meaningful descriptions (“hero”/“heroic” for one) have become.

…and the people who are offended by having their ideas challenged need to grow some thicker skin.

{smiles}

…that only explains the occasional misunderstanding. Everybody will make the occasional post that doesn’t come across quite right. It does nothing to explain the constant tone nor the fact that said tone is consistently and independently observed by so many varied people.

When I was his age, I was a lot like Paul. Probably even worse. Twenty years later, IM4Oakgal calls me “wise”.

{loses consciousness, hits .226}

Holliday’s output is pretty unmatchable. But that doesn’t mean that a self-centered star won’t disagree. Just throwing numbers out, perhaps the A’s, just filling the spots with the next-best thing, could put together an 86–87 win team (on paper). That’s still pretty good, and possibly good enough for a player to sign on the dotted line.

By the same token, it’s possible that Holliday could seemingly provide the majority of the A’s offense, and so a free agent could be turned off. That’s why the development of the rest of the team is so important. If the A’s can improve to the point that they don’t need a Holliday-type star to contend, then I’ll consider this season a success (though it could raise more doubts about the Holliday trade).

I’m just a harmless Aquarius……..

and Bobby Crosby’s birthday is public knowledge, eh?

p.s. Capricorns are/can be extremely stubborn about “doing things when they feel they are being forced to against their will.” ;0