Gabriel

...man... I'm fucked.

Ended up having a free half hour yesterday, so I pumped out a quick little vocal cover of Junkie by Alex Story. Explicit lyrics warning, for those who are bothered. It's an acoustic jam, vocals removed and re-recorded by myself. https://www.bandlab.com/post/60dd5ce0-a7c3-ee11-85f9-000d3a90bcc3 Aside from that, I've been working on some country-influenced tunes, as per my father's challenge. I had asked for help focusing my creativity, because I noticed that I'd somehow ended up with almost a dozen different projects ongoing, and that's no way to complete anything. I'm not a big fan of country, and it's usually easier to just tell people that I don't like it, but it's going better than I anticipated. The first tune is almost ready, but ended up not being at all what I'd been thinking about. Musically, it's nowhere near the sound I'd envisioned, but I'm playing around in a puddle that I'm not used to, and I'm happy with it regardless. I've laid down a baseline vocal to establish my melody and lyric placement, but the hard part now is going to be trying to find the sound that I want from the vocals. With the music not hitting that country style like I'd hoped, I'm trying to channel my inner-hillbilly for the vocals in an effort to bring the sound more in line with what I set out for.

Craig Conroy pulled off a stunner last night, sending Elias Lindholm to the Vancouver Canucks. The return is weird. Calgary ends up taking on salary with Kuzmenko, but he's got similar numbers this season to Lindholm, and vastly out-performed him last year. Kuz is also younger and he's under contract for next season as well. He could end up being a $5.5 million albatross, but I don't think for a second that Connie brings him in without knowing what the kid needs from his coaches to succeed. People said that the deal to bring the Shark in for Tyler Toffoli was Conroy being fleeced, but he knew exactly what he was doing and the team has put the kid in a position to succeed. He's doing great this year. On top of Kuzy, there's a couple of defense prospects coming over, one of whom is THIRD in point totals in the OHL this season. More than that, there's a 1st Round Pick for this summer and a 4th that becomes a 3rd if the Canucks reach the Conference Final. If Lindholm finds his game and re-signs with Vancouver, the Canucks might make us regret this one... but if he's gone after the season or just can't get himself back to the level he was playing at with Tkachuk and Gaudreau, then Conroy made out like a bandit. Even if Kuzmenko bombs, the prospects and draft capital alone are a nice return. I don't see the team going into a full-on rebuild in the classic sense. There's no desire from ownership to perform badly, and that's hampered the previous GMs of the team. Conroy though, seems like he knows that it's imperative he adds legitimate pieces to the roster, even if they're reclamation projects... but he's doing so in a very smart way, targeting players that he believes will thrive with the team and adding to the prospect pool at the same time. With them taking on salary in this trade, I would expect that there's more to come. I would also expect that there are veteran guys with term who may be looking at moving out now, with the current core showing that they can't get the job done. Even without a full rebuild, does Markstrom really want to play the next two seasons on a team that's trying to right the ship? Or does he ask to be moved to a contender so he can maximize the last prime years of his career?

For my own team, I have a system in place that rotates pitchers through the different slots to force the CPU to give them innings during the games that I sim. When I'm playing a game, I know who I want in what situations, but if that pitcher isn't rested enough, I usually go with the guy with the lowest innings count who has full stamina. When I'm in a blow out game (which I classify as a 5 run difference for gaming purposes), whether I am winning or losing, the guy with the lowest innings count and full stamina gets the call. But we shouldn't have to do anything other than set our lineups, rotations and bullpens. We shouldn't need to find a way to make it work. The game should have the ability to do that based on in-game situations, pitcher skills and current performance. Giving us the ability to set a "perfect scenario usage" for each pitcher would be huge. For starters, maybe we can assign each guy a pitch count or innings count that we want to stick around if possible, or maybe even just set how much rope our manager gives them in simmed games. For the bullpen, I'd want to be able to set guys as being primarily used for Mop Up Duty, for High Leverage slots, for closing out games, etc. Hell, even throw in a pitch/innings count for the bullpen.

Cover star this year, for some reason, is Vlad Jr. If they wanted a Blue Jay, they could have gone with Gausman or Bichette, but sure... let's toss Vlad on it. I haven't had a lot of time with the new scouting in franchise mode, as I ended up playing a whole bunch of Road to the Show, but I enjoy it so far. Needing to prioritize scouting guys who should be available for you, and guys who would actually sign with your team... it adds a layer to the scouting that was sorely missing before. Every year, I hope for significant additions to franchise, but if each year they can at least give us something the level of the scouting changes, it should keep me satiated. The big thing I want fixed right now is computer pitcher usage and Bullpen AI. Personally, I'd like to be able to assign different scenarios to each guy in the bullpen so that when I need someone for mop-up, it goes to a certain guy if he's rested and available... and the big one being that guys in the long relief slots typically end up with an Innings Pitched number that resembles a consistent starter.

Turner is a solid addition on a one year deal, but I would much rather have had Jorge Soler. All accounts are that Soler wants a multi-year deal though, so I'll take the flexibility and power of Turner. It's looking like the plan is to see if Kiner-Falefa can hold onto the starting job at 3rd. If not, Cavan Biggio and Santiago Espinal actually both posted better OBP numbers than IKF last year and could try to force their way into that spot. Addison Barger, Ernie Clement and Orelvis Martinez could also get a shot at the hot corner if needed. On paper, I am happy with the lineup. Comparatively to what other teams added this off-season though, I don't think the Jays have done enough to keep up. A lefty bat, likely in the outfield, would be a huge addition and shore up those concerns for me. Part of me thinks that taking Turner on for one season instead of going after multiple years of Soler was done in an effort to spend less on someone who will primarily play at DH and save some cash for Cody Bellinger, who ticks all the boxes. Another major potential positive in a Bellinger signing is that it provides a bit of insurance at 3rd. If IKF fails and no one else steps up, they could always slide Vlad back to 3rd and play Bellinger at 1st. Guerrero's glove has improved a lot since he moved to first base, and I'd be more than comfortable with two big ol' mashers at the corners. We just need him to get his bat going again. EDIT: @Krabby It's an immediate downgrade, but the Twins save a decent chunk of cash on this deal and get a top outfield prospect in Gonzalez. Polanco is on a team friendly deal of $10.5 million this year, but that was a team option and he'll be looking to get paid in the off-season. Best to just do the deal now, as they would likely have just traded him at the deadline or lost him to free agency anyways.

Because it's Ron Livingston, we gave Loudermilk a go when it hit Netflix in Canada within the last month here. It's a damn fine show about people dealing with addiction, and Livingston knocks it out of the park. The first two seasons are available, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who likes his body of work.

There's a pretty strict No Sideburns rule.

Jean and Scott always seemed like a forced pairing during their bigger moments. I don't think Cyclops really got all that interesting until well after Marvel moved on from that. Vicious dad version, leading with more ruthlessness despite the endgame being peace... that's the Scott Summers that I enjoy. Boyscout Cyclops was boring and one-dimensional.

It feels like the big names left kind of priced themselves out of early offers. If they get the money/term they're wanting, I expect most of them to end up with teams they didn't originally have much interest in. Similarly, if they end up with teams they're more interested in playing for, I would expect shorter term deals. Blake Snell is looking for $30 million a year, but at this point in the off-season, I don't think he gets that unless he's willing to take a one or two year deal. Salary flexibility is way too valuable to commit those dollars and years to guys who won't necessarily cement you as a playoff team. That's not a knock on Snell at all. Dude is worth every penny, relative to other contracts, but I don't see his addition to any team being what pushes them to that next level. The Yankees are interested, and he fills a very big need for them, but I don't know that he makes them a playoff lock. Two or three guys making that $30 million could provide as much or more impact for the team, especially with the other holes they have. The Jays are interested, and I love the idea, but we've got a lot of young players who are coming up on big money extensions, so I don't think I want $30 million committed to Snell on a longer term. Over 2 or 3 years? Fuck yeah, bud. Bring him in and move Manoah or Kikuchi in a package for an impact bat.

Not trying to just bump a thread, but my dad just gave me pricing on his Aloha from Hawaii tapestry. We've seen them listed as high as $600 Canadian, but the going rate seems to be closer to $400. He's looking for $300 Canadian for the tapestry if anyone is interested. I just wanted to throw that out there to show what he's trying to get for all his stuff. Not market value, but fair value.

Prime is a good landing spot for God of War. It needs to have a very long leash in regards to swearing, violence and gore. Think Hercules, but taken infinitely more seriously and somehow sexier.

If we need to ship out of the country, we can look at cutting a fair price including shipping. He's being pretty reasonable about his expectations. I updated the first post with a big batch of pictures to start.

Mods, feel free to tell me to piss off with this if you want. I checked the guidelines and rules thread and didn't see anything about not posting personal sales, but if you'd rather take this down, just give me a shout. It's all good. My father contacted me recently about helping him sell off his vast collection of Elvis Presley memorabilia. He's not great with computers and dealing with that kind of thing, so he asked that I help him out. I thought I'd hit you guys up first before I start posting things on our local online marketplaces or contacting collectors directly. I've been a part of this community for over two decades now, and it means the world to me that it's still around, so if there's any interest here, you lot get first crack at everything. I will use this initial post to update it with pictures and descriptions of his stuff as I'm collecting all that... so if you're interested, keep an eye on this first post. Other than that, if there are specific things you're looking for, you can just ask if we've got it and I can let you know. I know he's got a fairly large tapestry... a whole slew of vinyl including stuff that's never been opened and some misprints... he's got the Barbie Loves Elvis two-pack with Elvis in place of Ken and Barbie in her 50's/rockabilly inspired get-up... lots of, if not every one of, Elvis' movies... he's got a guitar cookie jar with certificate of authenticity that was made in small numbers... a '68 comeback special faberge egg music-box with the certificate... two packs of the Elvis Collector's Series trading cards WITH bubble gum... a bunch of framed posters and pictures... Elvis dinner plates... and a bunch of other stuff. It's a big collection. About 15 years ago, the whole deal was assessed at $70,000 Canadian. He's not looking to get exactly what things are valued at, as the economy is total garbage and he's just feeling like it's time to part with the stuff, but he does want fair offers. I will update with pics of the stuff I can get at, when I can get at it, but if you're interested in anything just let me know. And again, mods can feel free to delete this or ask me to make any necessary changes if there's an issue with me posting this. EDIT: Here's some Pics of the stuff I could get at first:

Michale Graves released Dying on Sunday Morning, which is the sequel to the Misfits' hit Saturday Night (or Crying on Saturday Night). It's a solid successor and captures the same feel, but it's not as strong of a song because Graves has always written his best shit as a collaboration. I'm actually a huge fan of a lot of his solo stuff, but he needs someone to bounce ideas off of. His early post-Misfits work like Gotham Road and Graves were some of his better albums because *shudder* Dr Chud has a real knack for finding great hooks that support the lyrics that Graves writes. I'd have loved to see him get back with Jerry Only to work on new material though, because the two of them just worked really well together. Anyways, that's the first song that came to mind when I saw the topic. It's a gooder.

I finally figured out running. Not a fan of the mechanic in RTTS, but I figured it out. Has anyone else noticed a bit of lag during the first pitch you see in a game though? I basically have to take the first pitch of each new game, because as soon as the pitcher pulls the throwing hand back, there's a hell of a stutter and it seems like half the animation for throwing is gone, so I don't see the ball until it's already basically at the plate. It only seems to happen on that first pitch I see though. It's more annoying than anything else, especially when you watch it sail itself right through the middle of your PCI and know you would have absolutely crushed it. I do like the 2-way player option in RTTS, but they definitely need to refine it a bit. Every year, I've led my team in Batting Average (my team sucks), and am close to the top of the group in number of Home Runs, but my performance doesn't seem to impact how often I get to start a game as a hitter. I chose Closing Pitcher as my primary position, but you'd think that if the team is struggling offensively and I am not, that they might think about using me more in hitting situations and/or just flat out asking me to cut back on pitching. Nope.

Saw has some fantastic films in the franchise, but on the first watch of a lot of the middle ones, I just kind of didn't care. Then, during the Covid Lockdown, we were loading up on cheap movies and found the entire (at the time) set on blu-ray for dirt cheap and grabbed it. Watching them all in order, without a major delay between films, really helped my enjoyment of the ones that I originally didn't care for. Some of the shit they throw out at us is still pretty dumb, but being able to piece shit together better and see things I missed the first go-around helped a lot. Saw X was a really good film, though. I've never looked at Jigsaw as a villain, really. He's always given his victims the opportunity to redeem themselves in a way that is poetic to their sins, and I find that incredibly interesting. Spiral may be my favorite of the franchise, though. I wasn't sure about it before watching, and reviews weren't saying anything that made me want to watch it, but tossing it on one day when we were at a loss as to what to watch, we both found it to be either number one or two on our favorites' list for the franchise.

It was a fun month of Ohtani speculation, and good for him with that record deal. I'm just happy he's not in the AL. The floodgates should start to open up by Monday now, with so much waiting on Ohtani's decision. I just woke up, working graveyards, so I'm still trying to get my head together, but the Jays have a lot of room to play right now. I'll have to take a look at the free agent market and see who's out there. We've got a few holes to fill, and a need to add impact to the group. The core is strong, but Toronto absolutely needs some high-end additions this off-season.

Yeah, which is why it was shocking that Dave Roberts may have totally fucked his team over by ignoring that request entirely. It's an interesting subject, and there should definitely be be reporting on it, but it's insane how much speculation is happening. Write about something else, guys. Leave Shohei alone! PS: please pick Toronto, Shohei.

I saw a name thrown around on rumor sites the other day... I want to say it was Isaac Paredes. Can't remember, but I'm okay with no obvious starter at 3rd if signing Ohtani means that additional adds are limited. There's enough there in the system that I'm comfortable giving the opportunity to the young guys to see if someone can take the reins. If not, then maybe we look at a 3rd baseman at the deadline when it's easier to get a solid bat/glove from a non-contending team.

I think it depends on the situation. For argument's sake, he gets traded to Toronto, the Jays sign Ohtani and extend Bichette. Now he's with a team that has two generational talents locked up long-term, of which he'd be the third if he signs a new deal. Now he's with a team that not only wants to sign him, but also has proven that they'll do what it takes to win. Maybe that's enough to get him to put pen to paper. Even if it isn't, I think the Padres end up taking way less than their ask from New York to move Soto. I think them trying to maximize his value is going to hurt them long-term, because they need to be out from under his salary, and other teams are going to be aware of that. Lost in all of this talk, I want to make sure you all know that I have no expectation that any of this really goes down. This IS Blue Jays baseball, after all. It's just really exciting to know that the top free agent available is not only interested in Toronto, but that the Jays are in on him right down to the wire. That's huge.

Estimates on Ohtani's value to the Jays have him pulling in between 20 and 30 million in revenue for the team, so even if you pay the dude $50 million a year, you can approach it as if you're on the hook for only $20 or $30 million for the player. For that reason alone, I believe one-hundred percent that the ownership group is more than happy to sign off on whatever contract it takes to bring Ohtani north of the border if he chooses to sign with the Jays. I don't think that we are the number one destination of choice, by any means, but I do believe that Toronto is very much in play here beyond just kicking the tires. The Soto rumors, I believe have two prongs. First one is that I believe San Diego leaked Toronto's involvement in talks in an effort to try and force the hand of the Yankees and get the package they wanted from New York. I don't know if that's going to work, but it's something to try for sure. The second prong to that one, I feel is that Atkins will only pull the trigger on a Soto deal if it doesn't subtract a key player from the 2024 season (other than Manoah) AND if they get Ohtani. Yes, you're then looking at an additional $30+ million for one year of Soto... but what better way to convince Ohtani that you're serious about contending than to go out and acquire a guy with that kind of generational bat? Acquiring Soto also doesn't HAVE to be a rental. He is almost certain to test the free agent waters next year, but I'd wager that they would be having discussions with the player about what it might take to lock him up if they deal for him. Even if they can't lock him up before the end of the year, if the team wins the World Series or even goes on a serious run, it increases the likelihood of two things: Soto's interest in staying, and Rogers interest in further opening the pocket books. If Ohtani's valuation to the revenue is so high, then Soto's could be up there as well, especially if he keeps performing the way he has. I don't think Rogers is concerned about spending the money if they feel like it will be a good investment. Merchandise, new fans and post-season success will help off-set a lot of those costs. So, it's not like we're all living in a dream world here with these two linked to Toronto. All that said, I'm prepared for Ohtani to land somewhere else and Soto to end up in the Bronx anyways. It's just exciting to know that we might actually have a chance to get talents like those two. If Ohtani gets signed, expect one of Bichette or Vlad to be inked to a long-term deal, with the other being traded for high-end prospects at some point before they hit free agency. Me personally, I'm signing Bo and holding onto Vladdy for as long as I can before I need to pull the trigger on a deal... whether or not we get Ohtani or Soto.

My top 5 artists remained the same core group of Cancerslug, Alex Story (of Cancerslug), the Misfits, Blitzkid and Argyle Goolsby (of Blitzkid). This is year three in a row, I believe, where I finished in the top 0.1% of listeners for Cancerslug. Amazingly, my most played song of the year, Try Suicide by (you guessed it) Cancerslug, was only played a total of 26 times. That's how fucking vast their catalog is. My listening time totaled over 26,000 minutes, Slug was far and away what I listened to the most, and the top song was only played 26 times. I have been trying to diversify more each year, and I'd be really interested to see what my top 20 artists look like. There's going to be the obvious ones like Ghost and Twin Temple, which are my go-to artists when I need to touch on the more spiritual side of myself... Wednesday 13 and other horror punk bands would be up there, Stellar Corpses, Calabrese... I dove hard into William Control and Me And That Man this year, and I'd be shocked if those artists weren't creeping their way toward my top 5. My top 5 probably won't ever change though. So Spotify needs to expand next year and give me a top 10 at least.

I made my annual Black Friday purchase of The Show, after getting 20 or so years into my Athletics franchise on 22. I started with a Road to the Show, but thought I'd switch it up and do some hitting this year. So I'm a 2 way player, but I can't seem to figure out how to get my guy to run through a bag. I mean, I just hit what should have been an easy double, but the motherfucker always stops at the base before I can press the advance button to move him to the next one. So, what am I doing wrong and how can I be better? Other than to just hit dingers to avoid running altogether.

Played around with vocals a little bit in BandLab. Here's a shitty little vocal demo of William Control's cover of Can't Help Falling in Love. https://www.bandlab.com/band/band8355227470543555/william-control-cant-help-falling-in-love-7572da38-0daa7784 Turned out better than I expected with just being able to do the one vocal take this morning.