Sean - Go Steelers Go Pens Go Gators

Imagine claiming midweek baseball games don’t matter, then bringing out your band to a midweek baseball game and then LOSING 😂😂😂

@JonathanwHooke @ThePoniExpress Oh I don't think so either. I laid out a hypothetical that might be plausible. Essentially amortize two additional years at 50 per, gives him a big bump now, avoids ARB. But at his age that hinders the value of the next contract, which makes it a no-go.

@seanhbytes @ThePoniExpress I don't think he signs that because he can hit FA in 3 years for a ton of money. If I am the Pirates, I don't sign that either. You're signing up for 2 years at roughly $55 mil per season bought out. I just don't think that's good business for either side.

How about this: Paul Skenes. 4 year $140 million extension. Who says no?

@JonathanwHooke @ThePoniExpress I think the team might be able to rip up his contract and get him to agree to 180 over 5 years. Basically buying two more years by pulling his post free agency salary forward, at a little discount. At his age I'm not sure it makes sense for him unless he really loves Pittsburgh.

@seanhbytes @ThePoniExpress Yeah thats not gonna happen. For a few reasons. Yeah the AAV is way lower than it would be and you just cant let his arb years play out and then do this. But if you wanna pay him $35m per year AAV starting next year. Say 7-$245, then that is fair. But Skenes won't sign that.

@JonathanwHooke @ThePoniExpress I think Poni is suggesting extending him 4 years beyond 2029. Skenes' agent would laugh at that.

@ThePoniExpress The Pirates say no. Hes under contract after this season for 3 more years. His three arb years will be like 10, 20, and 40. So you're buying out one year of FA for $70 million dollars? No thank you. That's a horrible deal for the Pirates.

@ThePoniExpress Skenes would say no.

@straytwt @mdubowitz Your cluelessness and penchant for fabulism are what is funny. The US can't just give the rights to the Strait of Hormuz away in bilateral negotiations. I want to believe you're smarter than this but you're making it impossible.

@seanhbytes @mdubowitz What is funny? Trump has already handed the mullahs $14 bn, the Russians another $20bn, + added $430 million/day to American drivers

Try a little intellectual honesty so you don’t keep tying yourself in knots. January 2026: “Iran is slaughtering Iranians. Trump must act. How can he abandon them? TACO.” February 2026: Trump acts. “He had no right to bomb. It’s illegal. Reckless. Warmongering.” April 2026: Trump gives Iran two weeks to reach an agreement or face more strikes. “TACO. Iran won.” So which is it? When he does not act, he is weak. When he acts, he is lawless. When he coerces negotiations under military pressure, he is surrendering.

@straytwt @mdubowitz

@seanhbytes @mdubowitz Unclear. Later today or tomorrow

FINAL: Florida 4, Florida State 3 Gators sweep the season series with the school out west. Gators improve to 8-0 against ranked teams on the seaosn.

@Kneon Unless the R&D process involves two years of using a prototype like a normal person, the foldable screen will always be a pipe dream.

My daughter’s foldable Samsung died after a few months of light use. I’m in no hurry for an iPhone that does the same thing.

@straytwt @mdubowitz When does this take effect?

@seanhbytes @mdubowitz Trump handed Iran rights to set up a toll =‘$40bn + per year to allow ships thru the Strait that was open before. And rejected the same plan we just agreed to - for the next 2 weeks We are PAYING the Iranians. All so he didn’t have look like a 🌮 #GoSteelers

@Glinner Not sure if it's explicitly meant to work that way, but Stalinism-style government is where socialism will always end up. "True communism/socialism" is essentially a sublimation.

I don't see Stalinism as a corruption of socialism anymore. Stalinism is just socialism working as it's meant to. Look how quickly the centrist and far left embraced cancel culture, censorship and historical revisionism. We won't forget, much as they would like everyone else to forget about us @RosieKayK2CO @rosieduffield @bevturner @fredsargeant @RooneyRach @jk_rowling @jordanbpeterson @stellaomalley3

@AGHamilton29 People think these PR spins from Iran mean something. Only thing that is relevant is Iran's capabilities. And the only reason they would go to the table would be if they were crippled.

Weird because a lot of people on here are claiming that we will demand none of that and just agree to a bunch of insane demands from the Islamic Republic…

@owenjonesjourno When do these 10 points take effect? Tomorrow?

This is Iran's 10 point plan - which Trump has accepted as "a workable basis on which to negotiate." Have no doubt: This is the biggest strategic defeat suffered by the US since its emergence as a superpower.

@YYehalawlaw @JasonMBrodsky How much is each ship paying tomorrow? You seem to know a lot about this.

@JasonMBrodsky Yet he agreed to allow Iran to charge fees for every ship lol.

The amount of people who are taking #Iran’s regime’s SNSC statement and its comic spin seriously is astounding. President Trump didn’t agree to that 10 point plan. All President Trump said was that it was a “workable basis on which to negotiate.” And Araghchi referenced President Trump’s 15 point plan in his statement. Those are two extremely different things. It doesn’t bind the U.S. to anything. And if you think the president is suddenly going to agree to a JCPOA-like deal along with withdrawing U.S. troops, compensation, Iranian control over the Strait of Hormuz, and the rest after the damage Iran has incurred, you should lay down and wait quietly until the feeling passes. In the end, putting the ceasefire aside, both sides on paper are light years apart. The idea that they will be able to agree to a comprehensive deal within 15 days from April 10 stretches credulity. At best there could be an extension. But it could also set the stage for another U.S. and Israeli strike. A replay of February 2026.

@straytwt @mdubowitz None of what you say makes sense.

@mdubowitz Consistent 🌮. Accepting Iran’s plan to negotiate? To open the Strait that was open before? Illegal b/c of something called the Constitution. See Dubya and Iraq for a refresher.

@laurnorman @mdubowitz Any other made up things you'd like to add?

@mdubowitz What about accepting Iran’s ten points as a basis for negotiation? Where does that fit here? And nothing on HEU that we know of? Or on treatment of protestors?

@beautyilt @JordanSchachtel You're running out of cope.

@JordanSchachtel And for the first time in history Iran gets paid for allowing ships through strait of Hormuz 🤣

Destroyed Iran's air force + navy. Eliminated the whole senior command. Sent the Supreme Leader to Hell. Massive setback for ballistics+nuke program. American mil superiority over Temu Chinese and Russian inferior junk. Restored order. Strait of Hormuz is open. Chalk up the W.

@karol @mkhammer "The fact that we are probably going to have people on the moon before Gavin has one mile of high speed rail ... " 😂😂 @mkhammer

@boatcaptain7777 @AGHamilton29 @Nikk1066 True, but they can be trusted to do what's in their best interests. And it would be in their best interests to cease what has been their standard operating procedure foe the past 47 years.

@AGHamilton29 @Nikk1066 The Iran regime can never be trusted to comply just like any peace plan with Hamas or Hezbollah is never a binding agreement.

I don’t know if people are playing dumb, genuinely don’t understand what’s happening, or are simply blinded by their feelings about Trump, but a lot of the social media commentary right now is absurd and exhausting. What’s going on is essentially a high-stakes game of chicken between the Trump administration and the remaining leaders of the Islamic Republic over what the end of the current fight looks like. Both sides have clear objectives (see below). The Islamic Republic believes (or believed) it could use economic pressure, information warfare, and domestic political pressure to force Trump to back down and avoid giving America what it wants. China and Russia are covertly assisting in this effort because the collapse of the regime would severely weaken their influence in the region, and because they are always eager to undermine American power. The regime has also found willing domestic allies in this campaign, including many on the left and certain podcast hosts who are committed to opposing what they — like many Marxist college professors — view as the American empire. On the other hand, Trump and his administration are using military pressure to force the regime’s leaders to concede. They are essentially presenting the regime with a choice: surrender on these specific demands, or we will continue escalating pressure and removing regime leaders until we find someone who will. I think the Islamic Republic has underestimated how committed Trump is to achieving these goals. He views them, not without reason, as central to his potential legacy. A Middle East without the constant threat of well-armed and well-funded Iranian terror proxies would be a genuine game-changer. This perspective is shaped not only by his own beliefs but also by the strong encouragement of key regional allies who see Tehran as the central threat — and not just Israel, but most of the Gulf states as well. Everything else you’re seeing right now is simply the two sides trying to gain leverage and apply greater pressure on each other. Regarding Trump’s absurd postings specifically, Trump has always been viewed on the world stage as unpredictable and somewhat crazy. He leans into this image. He believes that acting like a bully and openly flexing American power is central to his negotiating and pressure strategy to get what he wants. I have been very critical of Trump for using this style against allies (for example, threatening to take Greenland, or arbitrarily raising tariffs), because it often alienates them unnecessarily and can be counterproductive. (I’m setting aside for now the fact that some of those same allies have proven very unreliable lately.) However, this approach works much more effectively against rogue regimes and enemies. They genuinely believe he is crazy enough to follow through on threats that other leaders would never make. He has proven this with things like the Mauduro raid. That perception gives him a real edge in a game of chicken like the one playing out now. His over-the-top posts actually make it more likely that regime officials will look for an off-ramp with concessions, not less likely. So while you might dislike his style or find the threats inappropriate, the only questions that truly matter are whether he is prepared to follow through (probably not) and whether these threats help achieve a successful outcome. This isn't a podcast debate. It's a war. And now that Trump has committed to it, he rightly wants to win it. Anyone telling you that isn't feasible and he should just give in without achieving America's objectives is intentionally deceiving you, and you might want to ask yourself why...

@Specops119 @Pirates He just threw a 96 mph sinker.

@Pirates Why is Paul’s velo down so much?

Go time. 🔥