JIM BOWDEN ?@JimBowdenESPNxm
According to a league source if the Mets were able to sign Michael Bourn it is likely through negotiations w/union pick would be protected
Retweeted by St Lucie To Flushing

"Likely" is not a word of confidence

""Likely" is not a word of confidence"

It isn't? I think I would have to disagree with you on that point.

JIM BOWDEN ?@JimBowdenESPNxm
According to source the intent on both sides were to protect teams with10 worst records rather than the first 10 picks in language

yeah of course. it should be protected. IMO a team shouldn't even get a compensation pick if they can't sign their draftee. But a team absolutely definitely shouldn't be punished because another club is getting a hand out of sorts.

It isn't like the 10th team still wasn't the 10th worst team in the majors last year.

Whether the Mets sign bourn or not, they should fix this rule now.

Thats your right, no problem at all with it. To me "likely" is a sorta, coulda, possibly, maybe kinda word. When they say ... when the Mets have a contract negotiated with Boras, MLB will protect their pick for the following reasons, then I'll be confident. Leaving it up in the air like it is just defeats the entire process. Now if MLB goes through the backdoor with Sandy and says its a go, but use the word "likely" in public .... then charge on.

"To me "likely" is a sorta, coulda, possibly, maybe kinda word."

I think likely is confident but not definite. If it had been potentially then I would agree with you.

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/likely

: having a high probability of occurring or being true : very probable <rain is likely today>

Either way, I hope it gets done. Not potentially, but definitely. We can both be confident then.

Exactly this rule is so ridiculous. Someone else fails to sign someone last season and the Mets get punished this year because of it? That is incredibly dumb. We had the 10th worst record so our pick should be protected regardless of other team getting compensations especially when its a team that isn't bottom 10.

I've been told rain is very likely (60-70%) and never saw a drop fall. High probability puts the odds in favor of something happening .... still lacks that additional air of confidence. As I said, no matter meanings, I do hope it happens. With me its a "when I see it, I'll believe it" type thing. I hold very little faith in most powers that be.

Comparing human decision to the weather is a bad choice. Likely means probable. Of course things can change but when human opinion is in a certain direction its likely it stays that way. Assuming of course the source is correct.

You're backing my view... the word assume... ya know what that means .. lets hope it happens. If you're married you'll also know that a likely course changes in a wrong word or a wrong look. Back to .... lets hope it happens. :-)

The use of statistical terms to express devotion to an opinion has always bugged me.

Probability has mathematical meaning when a ratio of desired outcomes to the total range of possibilities can either be calculated a priori (rolling a “7”) or from repeated sampling (weather data). In these cases terms like “virtually certain” (>99% probability), “extremely likely” (>95%), “very likely” (>90%), and “likely” (>66%) have accepted statistical meaning.

In the context at hand, the tweeter is simply expressing an opinion of his own opinion.

"In the context at hand, the tweeter is simply expressing an opinion of his own opinion".

Yup, as I was mine. Either/or, I refer back my lets hope it happens.