Gabriel

I am not a fan of team's receiving a bye for multiple reasons, but the downtime actually being a detriment is a big one. Sure, you're more rested, but you're also not going at top speed. The opposing team won't be as rested, but they're ready to go. I would prefer a four team per league playoff, with the top 4 teams getting playoff spots regardless of what division they're in. That said, the financial benefits to having a larger playoff pool are hard to ignore for the league, so it's likely we end up with 8 teams per league. If that's the case, I think each division winner should be granted a spot, and the other five should be the top five teams throughout the rest of the league. Seeding should be based on the records, which would make it possible that the number 8 seed would be a division winner in a weaker division. Playoffs should re-seed after each round with the top team playing the last ranked team. Either way, every series should be best of seven. In Jays news, Ross Atkins threw John Schneider under the bus and said that it was his call to pull Berrios... but if you watch Schneider comment on it, you can really see that he's trying his best to take the blame and not lay into the organization for what is clearly a poor mis-reading of how to properly use analytics. Maybe he made the call, but I don't think he does it if he feels like he has the support above him to ignore those analytics. Atkins also said it was the right call and the right strategy, saying it worked but the team didn't support the strategy with enough runs to make up for those that Kikuchi ended up allowing. What a dunce. Sure, they didn't score, but if Berrios gets through that frame without allowing those two runs, the hitters coming up are coming up with a different mind-set than that of a team trailing. Everything impacts everything else, Ross. It was a bad call, and somebody at the top of the organization needs to take responsibility for it and do better moving forward.

I kinda want Only Murders to go to a real dark place and have the final season be Mabel snapping and actually turning out to be the killer. Maybe they lose steam and her life is falling apart, so she starts doing murders to bring the podcast back? Or, maybe they could start Quantum Leaping to solve murders throughout time. The last part was a joke, so that's clear.

Through a few different articles, including one by Shi Davidi (who writes for Sportsnet, a Rogers company), the analytics-based decisions that screwed us over this year are a franchise mandate, and apparently Schneider is just following orders. So, if that's the case, maybe give him one more year if they can sort their shit out at the corporate level a little bit. Analytics are extremely important and useful information for managers, but you need to let your manager look at those numbers and balance them with the flow of the game. For instance, if Berrios was struggling a bit, look at those numbers in the dugout and see who's coming up to bat. If he's already pushing it, and two of the next three batters look statistically likely to bash him around, then yeah... make that call and replace him. But when he's going well, it shouldn't matter that his numbers against left-handed batters weren't fantastic. If you let analytics dictate all those little details, you'll never have guys who can't hit a lefty learn how to hit a lefty because you're constantly subbing them out. Your pitchers might have a bad run of appearances against left-handed hitters, and then you rely on analytics from that point and you're no longer giving them the opportunity to improve those stats because you're not putting them in those positions unless you're forced to. Analytics are a tool. They shouldn't be a mandate.

The Jays did what the Jays do. I think it's time to move on from Schneider. So many games lost because of bad managerial decisions, and I don't think he's going the guy to bring this group forward. I also think it's time to explore trading Vladdy. Back the truck up for Bichette, move on from Vladdy and look for consistent bats this off-season. It's worth exploring what it might take to bring back Chappy on a short-term deal. I think we got what I expected or better from most of the additions from last off-season, but trading runs for run-prevention didn't work out because it went too far in the other direction instead of creating a balance. So, again... drop Schneider... trade Guerrero... look for bats that get on base consistently, who can provide good run prevention as well.

Of that list, I think Counsell is the guy I target. He's a bit more of a new school manager and, from what I've seen, holds his players accountable regardless of who they are. I'd stay away from guys without the experience in the position for now, so McCullough and Flaherty are out, not because they may not be great at it, but because the Mets will want to position themselves to win now as best as they can, and I feel like a more experienced manager with that newer mentality should be the priority. It also helps that Counsell and David Stearns worked together, so there's a familiarity there and the Mets will know what to expect from him in the position.

The Mets need a manager that will play whoever is going best, not whoever has been around the longest. Showalter did a better job of that this season, but still not good enough. I think in the modern MLB, you need a manager who can both cultivate the young guys and get the best out of the current stars, and Showalter isn't that guy. It always irks me when I see guys who are performing better, or who haven't had a chance to play in a bit, sitting on the bench in favor of a guy who's ice cold and dragging the team down, simply because the guy playing has either been around for x number of years or is making a lot of money. Field your best players, and if half your payroll is sitting on the bench in favor of cheaper, better players... maybe move those guys?

I absolutely fucking adore Wednesday. My first exposure to his stuff came with the Murderdolls, and I fell in love instantly. Tongue-in-cheek lyrics about horror movies and growing up as the weirdo always seem to make me happy. I dove into his older stuff pretty quickly afterwards, and found that I preferred the more punk-rock stylings of the Frankenstein Drag Queens, but the polish that he and Joey Jordison put on the older Drag Queens tracks was perfect. The Murderdolls versions of those songs are far superior to the originals. Maniac Spider Trash is fun, and you can hear the future Wednesday sound being tested and refined on those tracks. His solo work has been fantastic as well, with me being able to say that there isn't a single release that I didn't immediately love. The early solo stuff harkens back to the more punk rock oriented roots, and he's got some really awesome and campy bangers and sing-alongs. More recent albums have veered more into the metal and electronic territory, with more of an emphasis on science fiction in the lyrics. Monsters of the Universe, which heavily focuses on aliens and seems very much inspired by They Live, may be my favorite W13 album, start to finish. It's also the album where he starts to go heavier again, but maintains a really good groove to a lot of the tracks. Heavy, but danceable. Gunfire 76 was interesting as a straight forward rock and roll project, but didn't hit as well as Bourbon Crow, the outlaw country project he has. Crow is fantastic, marrying the horror themes with old school country and planting the tongue firmly in-cheek for a lot of the standout tracks.

I'm excited to see what the Flames can do under Ryan Huska, a coach who better understands the new and more acceptable ways to manage his players. There's a lot more jump from the guys who under-performed for Sutter. It's still pre-season, but they look way more energized and engaged. It was also lovely to see the team extend Mikael Backlund and name him the captain. He should be a Flames lifer, and he's a fantastic choice to set the tone for the year.

Michale Graves is a better singer than Glenn Danzig. The original Misfits planted the seeds for the Horror Punk genre, and the scene has great reverence for them for sure... but I would even argue that the Graves-era Misfits are more influential on the genre, as they laid out the blueprint for what post-Danzig Horror Punk would sound like. Glenn's influence is still very heavy there, but the genre leans more towards the American Psycho/Famous Monsters albums than anything Danzig put out with the group. I will fight anyone who says that Danzig is a technically better vocalist than Graves. It just isn't true. He's less of a piece of garbage, for sure, and he's the godfather, but it's not even close when it comes to legitimate singing talent. Beyond that, though... Blitzkid is the quintessential Horror Punk band, and I don't think they get enough love for taking up the mantle in a JerryFits world.

As soon as Baltimore locks up the East, the Rays don't have anything to play for really and could use the Jays' series to rest some of their regulars. At least there's that possibility. Four games left, and odds are still at 90%, but they cannot afford to lose today to the Yankees because as you mentioned, the Rays always seem to have the Jays figured out. So even if we get to miss a few regular players in the final series, it could still very well end up in a Rays sweep.

Before the Yankees series started, I was reading an article that said something like "The Jays will have to completely implode to miss the post-season. Get ready for playoff baseball, Toronto!" and I thought to myself... "they're going to find a way to make the last week just brutal". Here we are.

If it works like it used to when I ran an EB Games, they'll tell you that you need to send it to Sony within the first year. It used to be that the extended warranties offered would cover you for year two and/or three depending on which one you picked up, but that the initial year is covered under the Sony manufacturer's warranty. They're scum, basically.

Off the strength of reviews by people we trust, we are definitely going to watch it at some point... but I don't really know what it's about. My understanding is that it's about native kids who live on a res, and that's the extent of what I (think) I know. Could you give me a better run-down? I'd just look it up, but I hate doing that because I always end up with something spoiled. On a different note, the new season of Sex Education is out. We are two or three episodes in and they're still laying out bangers. I can't over-state how much more I enjoy this show than I anticipated. I thought it may be fine to throw on and just kind-of pay attention to... but it's really just so well done and the characters feel so very real to me. Fantastic writing, and better performances.

Pricing tiers for all these different subscription services we have at our disposal now feel like trying to make sense of the National Baseketball League standings and post-season. When in doubt, simpler is better.

When Bichette and Chapman both went down at the same time, I could hear the death knell. But then, off the back of surprisingly good pitching this season and the shocking rise of Davis Schneider and Ernie Clement, the team not only survived, but gained ground on everyone they were chasing. Things we learned this year: Defense and Pitching are the base for a winning team in today's game. You still need mashers and runs obviously are needed to out-score your opponent, but you have to start on the defensive side of the game and work your way out from there. This is no longer Vlad's team. As goes Bichette, so go the Jays. He is the most consistent bat on the team, if not right at the top of the list league-wide. He brings a fire that pushes his teammates to perform better. He's a leader and he's fearless. He's going to make mistakes, but you're never going to question the effort or intention. Vlad, as much as I love the guy, is way too focused on just having fun and hitting balls hard. He doesn't seem to have a second gear, or the ability to judge when it's appropriate to be goofy. Don't be surprised to see Guerrero wearing a new uniform in the next couple of years. There's going to be a lot of money asked for by the young players and they're going to want to keep some ear-marked for veteran additions as well. Something's gotta give, and the asking price versus contributions equation will easily show Vlad to be the odd man out.

For years, people tried to play it off as Topher Grace just being a dick and that being the reason why he wasn't ever part of the gang, and why he stayed away from extra-curricular activities with the cast. Turns out they've got a rapist, a groomer, collectors of beans that look like L Ron Hubbard and at best, the rest of them are apologists and enablers. Yeah, Danny Masterson's kid (or kids, I dunno) are going to grow up without a dad... and yeah, they're probably going to grow up to hate him... and yeah Ashton, that IS an injustice unto itself. Except, who did that? The guy who decided to rape women did that. A rapist's a rapist is a rapist. Lock him up and let him rot.

Stadium Stampede is being released this weekend to coincide with All In. Some more news or communications would be appreciated though.

Does anyone have any experience with BandLab? One of the kids that works for me told me to check it out, and it's pretty rad and easy to use. I've just got a question in regards to using the program that I couldn't find an answer to, and we've got a pretty diverse group of people kicking around in here. My dumb-ass question to anyone who has used BandLab: I put a track together that I really like, but I can't seem to figure out how to make the program move from one section of sound seamlessly into the next. Even if it's the same sound file, every bar seems to have a "jitter" as it moves into the next one. So, could anyone help me figure out how to connect it all together for one seamless experience? https://www.bandlab.com/revisions/3bfe74ef-653d-ee11-b8f0-000d3a41ec20?sharedKey=oUXsr-nuRkuzYKirCgRjSw That should work, I think, if what I said didn't make any sense. It's just my first attempt at doing anything other than splitting tracks with BandLab, so I just put it all together in twenty minutes to see what it was like. It's very 80's horror, synth and bass. EDIT: Fuck me. It only does the stuttering when you're making the song... but if you go outside the studio and listen to it, it's seamless. Now I'm actually pretty impressed with myself, because I'm really digging this and my god am I just so happy that I found a program that makes sense to me.

Stevens does a really good job of speaking the same way that Roiland did for the character, but the accent is obviously different. That's what makes it work so well. It's still the exact same Korvo, down to the finest details, except the accent.

Season four has been great. The explanation for his voice being different was funny and you're right, they haven't missed out on anything. Roiland out. Stevens in. Show feels the same, except now Korvo is played by a much more charming gentleman. The first four episodes of season four are on Disney+, so we caught up with that after we demolished Twisted Metal over a 24 hour period. Twisted Metal was great. Highly recommended. All of the major performances were very well done, and I really hope they get a second season for that. 10 episodes, about 5 hours total, and it was a blast all the way through. Oh, and The Toast of Tinseltown... fuck, I love Matt Berry and Clem Fandango is my jam. Only Murders in the Building is back for a strong opening few episodes as well. I'm getting spoiled right now... and there's still Ahsoka, Loki and The Fall of the House of Usher to come over the next couple of months.

"If I play badly enough, maybe they won't make me come back to Oakland."

I know it's well past when you were looking, but I haven't seen Hypnotic... but I've gotta spread the love for Bodies, Bodies, Bodies. The Anti-Kanye Pete Davidson is the biggest name in the movie, but it's just a really great time. Don't read anything about it. Don't spoil anything. Just dive in. The Soska Sisters were raving about it and my partner and I decided to give it a go on the strength of their recommendation, because we adore them. Easily one of the most satisfying films I've seen in a while. It's a little bit of a Whodunnit with a group of friends who realistically all could have done it. Oh, and there's Greg. Greg is awesome. Love Greg.

We watched the first 3 episodes of Twisted Metal last night, and we are impressed. My partner didn't even know it was a video game, and she's quite enjoying it for the Mad Max-ness of it all. Mackie & Beatriz are both great. "Sweet Samoan Tooth" William Joe Arnett worked out infinitely better than I anticipated. There's a lot of love going into the characters, and the episodes are a nicely compact 30 minutes. I wouldn't complain about longer episodes, but I do feel like the pace at which the show moves with no real downtime is a really good nod to the games. Also, there really doesn't seem to be any boring or unnecessary filler in first 3 episodes because they're not padding things out to increase the run-time.

I end up with zero hits, for sure. My pitching and fielding kept me getting regular time when I played in my younger days... but for reference, I had a season where I played probably 75-100 games including our local league games, playoffs and the post-playoffs rep tournaments... I had a grand total of four hits all season long. My local league coach was all about development, so he never gave up and made sure I had my opportunities, but if they didn't need me to keep pitching in the game and it was an important at-bat, I would always talk to him about getting someone else in there to hit for me. I worked a lot of walks because I knew I sucked in the box, and tried my best to avoid chasing pitches, but even I didn't want myself taking a swing with a game in the balance. My rep team coach once told me that if I couldn't figure out hitting, I'd have no future in the sport because pitchers gotta be able to hit. I ended up quitting a couple of years later, and here we are in 2023 with a Universal DH. Fuck that guy.

Provided that the things that we've been wanting since launch are relatively easy, I would imagine that continual updates would be more cost-effective than another game with full-on production and marketing costs. Plus, they know that the fanboys (myself included) will shell out for content that we want. So if they can tailor that content, even with an added cost to the customer in the form of it being DLC, it would likely be more financially intelligent to do updates for Fight Forever instead of making a second game and relegating the debut to Fight For-a-Little-While. Obviously, there are things that we want that will take more development than just whoever has been maintained by the developers for the post-launch team, and those are things they can tell us we'll have to wait for. We're big boys and girls and lizard people and other such things, so we will understand. I think the majority of the more recent negative talk of the game comes down to the lack of clarity from anyone involved in the game as to what is happening. They tease more content, but give no dates, or even hints as to what they are working on. All we know for sure is that we're getting a battle royale Stadium Stampede mode and the already announced additional wrestlers and mini-games. No dates. As far as I've seen, they haven't even said a word about additions to the creation suite, which I do believe is the number one thing holding this game back. I've said it before that we all have imaginations, pens and paper or a laptop, and fond memories of No Mercy... so if the creation suite were up to par, I believe very strongly that this game would have a much longer shelf-life for the bulk of the players. Things I'm happy to pay extra for: new wrestlers, new arenas, a season/universe type mode, additional stories for Road to Elite. Things I'd be pissed to not get for free: creation suite updates. It's literally the only thing that I feel ripped off about. Also, I'm not sure if how they created the models will allow it, but they kind of fooled us all into believing we'd be able to properly edit the attires of existing wrestlers... so we really should be able to do that. If it takes a lot of extra coding, I'm happy to pay up to a certain amount for that addition... but it really should have been in the game from the beginning as well. If they created the in-game models in a way that doesn't allow customization, then they need to re-think that if they make a second game in the future.