Giants Frame Eli

The Giants today showed themselves to be phonies.  They want to be seen as the Class of the NFL, even when they don't make the playoffs for years at a time.  They want you to think they are too classy and stable to fire a coach in season, when they're really probably just too cheap to eat the extra fraction of a year.  Today they sunk to a new low by benching Eli Manning for Geno fricking Smith.   McAdoo said it's because their #1 job was still to win games.  Never in his misterable career has Geno Smith been a better bet to win a game than Eli Manning.  Now, it might be understood if the Giants decided to sit Eli for Davis Webb, but that's not what they are doing.  They are needlessly ending Eli's historic streak to make it seem like this shit show is his fault, and not the result of years of OL neglect and this seasons record number of injuries. Totally classless, and they still need to clean house come season's end.

This Week on the Blog

Back from London and it seems not much has changed.  The Yanks haven't made anymore moves, the Giants are still in the tank, the Rangers are moving toward consistency, and the Knicks are a young team that is pretty good at home and not so good on the road.  Now let's take a look at this week.

Yankees:  Yanks still need a manager and some new coaches.  Also, the Yanks have some player moves to make before Spring Training starts, whether it be finding another Starter, or moving off some of the bad contract that are blocking kids.  The Ohtani business may be holding up the market, but he could be posted Friday, and that should get some balls rolling around the league.  Since there isn't even incremental money he can juice out of this process, there's no use in acting like a Boras FA, he should just make his decision and get to work, and so the hot stove can start working, too.

Giants:  Giants are awful, but a lot of that is because they have important players on the DL, and not that they have a roster full of Leon Brights.  I think they still have 6 games left, and it will be interesting to see if they give Webb any snaps.  And it will continue to be intersting to see whether or not Wheeler can be one of 5 on a good OL. Or we can all just do something else on Sundays and wait for the firings and draft.

Rangers: The Rangers have been better after a rough start, but they could use some help, especially at C and D.  Filip Chytil has been crushing the AHL as an 18 year old.  That's crazy and a better coach would already have him centering the third line for the Rangers.  Speaking of teen Rangers, Lias Andersson has caught fire overseas after what was apparently some overtrained legs in the pre-season.  So the present is basically what it's been, aside from Buch and Mika doing all of the heaving lifting instead of Stepan and others. So the present is okay, but there is a lot of hope for the future.

Knicks:  The Knicks are sort of hard to watch when KP doesn't play, and it's almost  impossible for them to win when Enes Kanter and KP don't play.  But they do try hard and that has not always been the case with the Knicks of the last 20 years, so it's refreshing.  Oh, and Horny might be a good coach.  Not bad.  Will probably pick outside the lottery, where they could still find another player.  Fun times.

Okay, so here's hoping the Knicks and Rangers do good things this week, and the Yanks start making impressive deals and increasing a loaded talent base.  Giants, well - uh.  Have a great week everyone.

Ohtani Really Is Getting Posted

Late today, the involved parties agreed on a new posting system that will allow The Japanese Babe Ruth to be grandfathered in under the old system with a 20M payment going to the Ham Fighters, and the new rules running from next season through 2021. His posting should take place a week from this Friday or Saturday after the owners rubberstamp the arrangement next week.  This should be a pretty straighforward deal for the Yanks, if he indeed wants to come aboard.  At just 23 he could end up being a significant part of the dawning dynasty -- so let's hope it happens.

Yankee Stuff

Kind of a bad day for the Yankees.  First it was announced that yesterday, Aaron Judge had surgery on his left shoulder to remove a loose body, and he won't be ready till Spring Training.  I wonder what this will do to his strength training. Secondly, the organization lost Josh Paul to the Angels where he will be their new bench coach.   He might have been our bench coach or a part of the new staff.  Finally, the Braves got pounded by MLB today and were stripped of 12 prospects.  Now,  the word was that the players would be Free Agents, but they are not.  The money has to come from teams IFA Pools. so that screws the Yanks and anyone else who is a) looking to sign Ohtani or b) good teams who get smaller IFA pools, like the Yankees.  This is just another way for the MLB to slant the field away from pure competition.

And the league still doesn't have a deal to bring Ohtani over.

Knicks Pound Clippers

The Knicks just beat the Clippers and did so pretty easily because as in Days of Yore, they shared the ball and all the starters as well as Doug McBuckets ended up in double figures.  Oh, and everybody played D.  So this was a throw back game. KP is out of rhythm and thus had to settle for 25 that was largely the product of his being a good free throw shooter. He's still getting clutched and pushed from the start, so he can't get into it as easily.  So now he's trying more three's to unpack the D, and he's just not there right now.  He works too hard for this to last long.  Hardaway continues to do some really good things. Refs are being hard on Frank, but at least we'll never have to worry about him being soft.

Yankee 40 Man Day

Okay, the Yanks need to make more moves today between trades and DFA's, I'll keep updating here. The first breaking story is that they are trading Ronald Herrera to the Rangers, who or what for is unknown, but it cannot be a 1 for 1 for Profar, since he would have to go on the 40.

Update: I was right, it was for LHP Reiver Sanmmartin, who is 21. So we we now have 4 open spots, need at least 2 more and probably even a few beyond that.

Update 2: They've added Thairo Estrada and Gleyber Torres so far.  Two open space and more to make through trade or DFA's.

Update 3:  The Yanks have traded Garrett Cooper and Caleb Smith for RHP Michael King and International Pool Money.

Update 4: The Yanks have also added Billy McKinney,  RHP Domingo Acevedo, RHP Jonathan Loiasiga and RHP Albert Abreu to the 40.

This Week on the Blog

I was holding off on starting this one, because the Yankees still have to make more room on their 40 man roster for a plethora of prospects they will lose in the Rule 5 if they don't.  Nothing cooking for far, and the Giants just upset the Chiefs, so here we go.

Yanks: The Yanks have to make room on their roster by tomorrow.  We should also find out if they are interviewing more managerial candidates or whether someone from the first 5 has swayed them.  The moves they make in the next 24 hours could give us some clues as to what they might do as the offseason progresses.  Finally, if the players union has its way, tomorrow we will find out of Ohtani is coming over or if he will have to wait.  So this week could be totally front loaded on the Yankee front.

Knicks: KP has had three subpar games in a row, and it mostly looks like the refs are allowing teams to hit him, whether he has the ball or not.  Also, he's wearing a sleeve for a bad elbow, which might also be playing into it.  The Knicks need to cut up tape of the teams they are playing against, because there is still such a thing as defensive three seconds, which teams are violating as they consistently pack the paint to stop KP and Enes Kantor.  It's frustrating, but they'll figure it out.  Btw, the Knicks are elite when KP and Frank are both on the court.  They should start starting Frank already.

Rangers: The Rangers haven't it full stride yet, and Hank has had an awful habit of starting out well, then falling apart, lately.  Sort of like CC Sabathia.  But this year's backup goalie is not nearly as good as the last 3 have been, and so, there isn't much relief in sight, but they have to play better D to compensate for the sketchy goaltending they are getting.  Could be a bumpy year.

Giants: The broken down Giants just beat the darling Chiefs.  It took them till overtime because their rookie kicker missed the extra point after the game's only TD.  The defense was terrific and the O-Line even had moments of clarity with Wheeler at right tackle.  He could actually be a guy!  So this was a great win, but we can't afford many more of them if we want a rolling rebuild with high picks in every round this year.

So there it is.  The week starts with a Giant upset, the Yanks needing to get busy, and the Knicks and Rangers in transition.  Have a great week, everybofy!

Yanks Start Their Moves

The Yanks just traded Nick Rumbelow to the Mariners for minor league LHP  J.P. Sears and 17 year old RHP Juan Then.   This creates one space of the 40, so the Yanks need to make more trades or significan DFA's.  It will probably be a mix. They can't get too sneaky with lower level guys who have to be protected.  Teams are now showing a willingness to play with 24 man rosters while stashing a future piece. Also, this is the third deal the Yanks have made with the Mariners lately, and hopefully it presages a deal for Jacoby Ellsbury in the next little while.

The BBWA Is a Disgrace

This was the AL MVP you ignorant miscreants.

In other Yankee News, they talked to Hensley Bam-Bam Muelens about their open managing position today.  Could Orestes Destrade be far behind?

Hardaway Spurs Another Knick Comeback Win

Thought I got a phase 2 THjr pick, but couldn't find it. I will.  The last two games the refs have allowed teams to grab all parts of KP and it has slowed him down a bit. In both of those games, first a heartbreaking loss, then a comeback win, Tim Hardaway Jr. has showed he might just be worth what they are paying him, which is great news for us, because if he is, we have 3 guys, KP, Frank and THjr. instead of just two.  The Knicks looked flat for the first 3 quarters, then, spurred by the Garden crowd shouting De-fense, the Knicks came back. Hardaway is a brilliant transition player, even if he can be perplexing in a regular O, and does really seem to feed off the crowd.  Courtney Lee also had a pretty good game, but he was also made some bad decisions that contributed to the deficit.  Frank was pretty ordinary early, but had a big second half where he also spurred the team.  

Late in the game, Courtney Lee started clutching his hammy.  This is never a good thing and could lead to us seeing more of Dotson, who we should be seeing more of, anyway.   Just another gratifying win, and let's hope Lee can rub some dirt on it.

Stanton Now Vs. Harper Later

The Yanks have reportedly made another call to the Marlins regarding their super slugger Giancarlo Stanton.  Stanton is available now, while Harper won't be available for another year, if he is available at all.  The Nationals seem to be interested in locking up Bryce Harper, and given what he'll get, it might be wise to give them the honors.  He had a scary leg injury this year.  Both players are Hall of Fame type talents, and Bryce is more than three years younger, than Stanton who is going into his age 28 season.

At this point Stanton will cost prospects and the rest of his contract (hopefully with the Marlins or another team providing salary relief on one of our other contracts).  I think the Mariners could be the third team, as they have had interest in Ellsbury, and that would be a huge break.  The Yanks will probably only do this if they can still keep next year's number under 197M.  They should be able to.

What's more, they should be able to make a reasonable talent deal with Miami, with both Denbo and his chief aid having just come from the Yanks player development side.  Jeter and Denbo might want to instill "the Yankee Way" into the Marlins system, much like Sabean did with the Giants, and Dr. Bobby Brown did with the Rangers back in the day.  So they should be able to work something out, and it could include Brett Gardner and Clint Frazier and maybe Chance Adams or another non-Sheffield pitcher.

I think the Yanks are ready to win in 2018, and getting Stanton now, rather than waiting to pay Bryce Harper 30M per for 12 years starting next November.

Aaron Judge Wins AL ROY

All Rise!  Aaron Judge has won what should be a quinella of major offseason awards by capturing the AL Rookie of the Year award.  He got 143 out of 146 votes, witch Boston's Benitendi getting two from some inbred New England hacks, and Jordan Montgomery getting one, probably from a Yankee scribe who understood where the other 143 votes were going.  This was the gimme.  The AL MVP is a gimme, too, but I don't, nor should any of you, trust the voters to get that one right.  He had a better season than Altuve on O and D, but we'll have to see if the dumbass crew who gave IRod 2 MVP's he didn't earn, can get this one right.

Yankees Offseason Week 4

Cash is at the GM Meetings in Orlando.  Aaron Judge just signed a Pepsi deal, and should, unless a massive conspiracy is afoot, will win the AL Rookie of the Year this evening.  More immediately interesting than any of that stuff, is that Carlos Beltran just retired. Now that is someone they should be talking to about their vacant manager job. Beltran was always considered a bright and approachable star, and though I think he's a Hall of Famer, I think he might be that rare great player who can also impart.  Ted Williams was not, and I'm not sure whether ARod would be or not.

Cashman Arrives in Orlando

So, Brian Cashman has arrived in Orlando for the GM Meetings, which start tomorrow and run till Wednesday. Cash did reveal that there would be no further manager interviews till Thursday, so nothing to look for there.  However; Cash has made deals at these meeting begore including the Murphy for Hicks deal two years ago. He's currently in a place where he has to make room on the 40 man roster, so it might behoove him to get going.

Noah Reinstated, Knicks Waive Kuz

The Knicks today reinstated Joakim Noah and, according to Woj, they're waiving Kuz.  Though that has been the rumor, I see this as a failure by the new front office, and a massive inefficiency.  They knew the Noah clock was on since they got started and had all of that time to come up with a trade that wouldn't force them to cut a piece.  Now, for whatever reason after looking good in the World Championshios, Kuz couldn't get any burn over crap like Beasley. That's on Horny, and, I guess Kuz, but I'm not seeing the practices.  Now, I do know that Kuz is one of KP's buddies and this is another arrow in his brother's quiver if he wants to pressure the Knicks.  Sub-optimal.  And a poor showing by the new FO. They had to turn this into and opportunity, but they didn't, they turned it into a waste.

This Week on the Blog

Okay, this week we learned that the Knicks can't with without KP, the Rangers are back to normal, Justus Sheffield got hit in the leg with a comebacker, and the Giants continue to be in disarray.  Let's look at the horizon.

Yankees:  Brian Cashman will hit the GM meetings this Monday, and over the past several years, that is where he has either made trades (Hicks) or laid the groundwork for trades (Granderson), so this could be eventful.  Free agency is open, and player movement can start at any time.  Giancarlo Stanton is apparently on the market, and it's sort of important that the Yanks don't let the Sox have him. Also, Justus Shefflield got hit in the leg with a comebacker today in the AFL, so hopefully they'll just shut him down.

Rangers, the Rangers won again, and, yes, Buch scored another goal.  Nash score twice, and Grabner had another goal.  Shatty assisted on Buch's goal, and McD, and Skjei also had assists.  Zuuc had two. Grabner's which came from Fast, was another empty netter. So the Rangers are now scoring in 6 on 5 instead of giving up goals which can only be seen as a positive development.

Knicks: the Knicks are another to play and KP is back.  They have to move someone by Monday to make room for Noah, so this could be the beginning of their next trade cycle, or just a parting of ways with Sessions or one of the other scrubs.  Neeed another win now.

Giants: the Giants will be in California playing another team that has an even worse record than they do, tomorrow. Seemed like McAdoo might have gotten fired in the wake of the Rams loss, their worst since 1968, but he'll still be at the helm tomorrow.  The clock seems to be tick on both he and Reeese.

So there you have it.  Stuff could start happening with the Yanks this week, the Rangers stopped sucking, the Knicks have to make a move and the Giants are the Giants.  At least Williams beat Amherst (in OT).  Have a great week everybody.

Nippon Ham Fighters are Posting Shohei Otani

The news is just hitting that the Ham Fighters are posting "The Japanese Babe Ruth" Shohei Otani.  This is probably the best news the Yanks can get right now, and must be a key to this offseason's plan.  Otani is a 23 year old 6'4" 207 power pitcher, who may also be able to help as a lefty DH, option.  His pitching seems more of a sure thing than his hitting at this point, but he can hit 100 on the gun, and also is athletic enough to also hit.  So, he's just what the Yanks are looking for: another controllable 23 year old with ACE upside.  They have to get this done.

Btw, if they don't, which would be bad, I think there are a couple of 2017 IFA's from the regular class that they can sign.

Otani is the key to my offseason plan for the Yanks, which mosly only includes trading off some chuffa.

Rangers Win Their 5th Straight

Rangers just beat the Bruins, which is always a good thing.   Ranger scoring started in the first with an impressive deke and goal from Pavel Buchnevich.  Hank immediately gave it right back off of a bad play by McDonagh. Oh well.  They didn't fold up and Jimmy Vesey answered back with 2 goals in 28 seconds.  The assists came from Buch, Shatty, Mika and two from McDonagh.  The second of McD's assists came on a late Nash empty netter after the Bruins had scored a second goal.  4-2 final, and 5 straight. I wonder what the players were dealing with earlier this season, because now they sort of look like they have since the lockout.

Rob Thomson Interviews for Manager's Job

Word is out that 28 year organizational veteran, Rob Thomson is interviewing today for the open manager's job.  I wouldn't be disappointed if he got the job, but I would be disappointed if he was no longer with the organization. I think they do lose something when guys like Brian Butterfield, Trey Hillman or a Rob Thomson move on.  So, hopefully, he's either the manager, or a coach or an executive again. He is Yankee.

Knicks With Another Comeback!

Here's Kyle O'Quinn for variety. He had 12 points, 4 nifty assists, 5 boards and was credited with just two blocks.  KP was once again amazing, finishing with 28, 5 boards and was credited with 3 blocks, though he had at least 6.  Charlotte tried using Dwight Howard to get very physical with KP and the refs allowed about 10 fouls to one called.  The league won't tolerate that much more, and once they start calling it properly, KP will score even more.  Lee had a career high 9 asssists, and Frank, who once again didn't start, had 8, and played great D.  Lance Thomas also played great D.  Mr. McBuckets scored 20, and erratic THjr. had 19 and Kanter was relatively quiet with 14 points and just 6 boards.  Just another big win and they have to play again tomorrow in Orlando.  Let's see how they do without their crowd.

Rangers With Another Comeback Win!

Wow.  The Rangers played a responsible first period, but couldn't score.  Then the fricking Blue Jackets, who also couldn't score in the first scored two quickies to start the second and it looked lost for the Rangers.  Grabner finally broke through, mid-second from JT and Holden, so it was 2-1 Columbus after 2.  Then the Rangers went nuts in the 3rd, getting goals from Shatty, from MZA and Zibby, then Kreider, from Buch and Zibby, then Buch, from Zibby and Shatty and finally an empty netter by Grabner from Fast and McD.   Three or four of them were Power Play goals, and Zibby was once again a wunderkind with all of those assists.  Wow.  He and Buch are really stepping up.  This was fun, and the Rangers are no longer the Giants.

Yankees Offseason Week 3

Today, the Yanks finally acted Jake Cave (along with re-adding Nick Rumbelow) to their 40 man roster. While this is a great tribute to Jake's perseverance, it's also a reminder that the Yankees need to make some trades or they are going to get murdered in the Rule V draft.  They have a ton of guys to add, including some lower level pitchers like Jonathan Loisiga, who haven't pitched full season, but are big time strike throwers that major league teams would be thrilled to seize and stash in their bullpens for a year.  Screw that.  Make the room!  

Also today, Brian Cashman spoke to the press.  Sadly, the misguided scribes focused more of their questions on Joe Girardi (what's gone is gone, morons) and not on the Reese choice, nor were they able to get a single name off of what Cash promises is a big list from which the new manager will emerge.

Finally, Aaron Judge is one of the 3 finalists for AL Rookie of the Year, and Luis Severino is a finalist for AL Cy Young.  I assume Judge has one more group of finalist to join, and win, for AL MVP but I don't know when their unveiling those.  

Maybe we'll learn the names of some candidates this week.

KP and Frank Lead an Amazing Knick Comeback!

For the third time this season Kristaps Prozingis set a new career high in points, this time with 40.  He also had 8 boards and 6 blocks.   The Knicks were down 19 when Horny finally put Fank in with KP for meaningful minutes.  They should rarely be seperated again.  Frank finished with 10 points, 7 assists, 2 boards and was credited with just 3 steals, but there were more.  6 of Frank's 10 points came on a pair of clutch 3's down the stretch.  Kanter had about a million rebounds but just 9 points, and O'Quinn was once against a super sub.  What a comeback, what a win!  What a fun, young team!

Davis Webb Time

Eli Manning has regressed to a Dave Brown level of play.  He misses throws he used to make over and over again.  He went over 50K yards in the meaningless blowout loss to the Rams today, and that's a good time to sit him. He became only the 7th guy to do it.  Congrats, he also fumbled twice and threw a pick.  The 51 points the Giants allowed today were the most they've ever given up in New Jersey.

They will not play a meaningful game until next year, they will have a high pick, and it's time to find out if they'll need to use it on a QB or not.  Play Davis Webb.  He still has a great arm.  Eli does not.

Shatty Wins it in OT

Yeah, I still don't have a Ranger picture of Shattenkirk, but tonight, though he had one bad defensive play, he still scored twice, including the OT winner and might finally be catching on as a Ranger.  The other goals were by Nash, Holden and Grabner.  Miller had two assists as Fast had another good game. Hank gave up two softies, including one where the Rangers had a 6-5 advanage.  I wish they had traded Hank and done what ever it would take to get Igor over for this season.  They're doing a lot better, but their #1 Goalie is no sure thing anymore.

This Week on the Blog

The sports gods shut down our Yankees, then took away our Odell, but at leat we still have the Zinger, and Pavel B.  It was an interesting week for the Knicks and Rangers, while a ridiculous week for the Giants, and a good week for the Yanks, where they replaced Denbo and kept Tanaka.  Let's take a look at the coming week.

Knicks: KP, who has a long, deep scratch down the inside of his left forearm that he got in the Denver game. Nasty looking thing, but not so nasty that he couldn't put up an easy 37 last night.  The last couple of years, people liked comparing Kristaps to Karl Anthony Towns.  They didn't seem to think the fact that KP was best a 3rd option while KAT was his team's #1 was having any effect on their respective production. Look at it now that KP is a #1.  Sure, Kristaps has to get more consistent with his rebounding, but I'm not sure I'd rather have KAT.  Here's why, KAT is sort of anchored on the low post in his O, while KP is free to move around in the Knick O.  They can still both score a ton, but KP is letting his come to him, while Minnesota forces the ball to KAT.  Would be good to have both, but we're very lucky to have KP.  In other news,  the young Knick guards, THjr, Frank and Dotson look like they'll be very helpful.

Yankees:  The Yanks promoted Kevin Reese to run amateur development, which isn't the same as running the farm, which was Mark Newman's old job.  They actually replaced him with Denbo and others when he retired.  They just re-elevated development and made that the biggest of the jobs.  That's what Reese has. Tanaka staying is HUGE for the Yanks.  Now they just have to find one starter for next year,  not two.  When you have to find 2 you always end up vastly overpaying for the second one, because they have so much leverage over you.  See: AJ Burnett.  So, only having to find one is great for the Yanks because they can make one board, with Otani at the top, to find one pitcher.  Just a huge development.  This week, they could add a manager, or could start making some trades in advance of the Rule 5.

Rangers: the Rangers are showing life, and the main reason is that AV reunited the Mika, Buch, Kreider line, and Vesey, Miller and Hayes are waking up. Also, Brady Skjei is good.  And Boo Nieves and Grabner,  are super fast, though Fast is just sort of quick.  If Gorton is as smart as we think he is, he will start shedding vets in trades.

Giants:  The Giants are a disaster.  They promoted a DE this week, and signed another off the street.  That doesn't auger well for the Olivier Vernon't rest of the season. McAdoo also suspended the Jackrabbit, and was less than honest while the punishment was evolving.  The deadline passed without them doing anything - which could mean Jerry Reese wasn't allowed to move future picks.  We'll see.  They play the Rams tomorrow.  And just this AM they put Weston Richburg on IR. This is a lost year.

So there it is, exciting times for most of our teams, and strange times for the usually stable Giants.  Have a great week!

Tanaka Stays

Breaking news is that Masahiro Tanaka has decided to stay with the Yankees and not opt out.  This is great news for a couple of reasons.  Obviously, it would have been a little gross to see him elsewhere as it was with Andy and is with Robinson Cano. Also, if the real reason for playing is to win, it would be all kinds of crazy to jump ship that's heading back into the sea of dynasty.  Now he can be the leader of all the kids coming up, and he's still in his 20s.  And now the Yanks only need to find one other starter, hopefully Otani, failing that CC or one of the kids.  Tanaka, who has a tear in his elbow, sort of like the one Andy had when he jumped to the Astros, made a smart decision, and it's good news for the Yanks.

JT Miller Wins One in OT

The Rangers played one of, if not their best, games of the  year.  Mika set up Kreider for a first period goal, and the Rangers played if tough and honest, even as Tampa tied it up and sent it to overtime.  Just after the first line switch of OT, JT took the puck and jammed it home. Big play from a guy who seems to have a knack for them.

Meanwhile, the Mika, Kreider, Buch line was impressive again and I'm shocked Buch didn't score.  He really is turning into the best player on the team, and keeps raising more and more questions about  how he got so little run last year.

Kevin Reese Gets the Denbo Job

The sort of longish hunt for Gary Denbo's replacement has concluded and the sweet swinging, but eternally blocked Kevin Reese is the they guy.  Reese was actually a guy the Yanks traded for as a minor leaguer back in 2003, he'd gone to University of San Diego and been drafted by the Padres.  Blocked though he was, he did stay with the organizationa and apparently has made a name for himself on the pro scouting side working with Cash in NYC, but now he'll head down to Tampa and get to hang out with Damon Oppenheimer and all the cool amateur scouts who've been picking all the plums.

It will be interesting to see if the he keeps all of Denbo's innovations, like Captain's Camp, and whether he adds some of his own. He'll also probably end up working closely with the guys he beat out for the post.  I'm glad it's a guy who had a bunch of experience in the system.  I also get the feeling that he really wanted it.  He was the only one of the NYC based execs to interview for it.  It's set up for great success.  Let's hope he optimizes it.