Classic Conversation Thread

[Plain Old Tele]

1 hour ago, CJohn said:

Holy fuck at Nikki and Paulo being buried alive while paralyzed. Fucking crazy ending for their characters.

Lindelof and Cuse went full savage on those characters.  

[CJohn]

44 minutes ago, Plain Old Tele said:

Lindelof and Cuse went full savage on those characters.  

They were pretty much useless. They literally exist to be buried alive.

[4815162342]

6 minutes ago, CJohn said:

They were pretty much useless. They literally exist to be buried alive.

 

The fan reaction to them was that bad

[CJohn]

1 hour ago, 4815162342 said:

 

The fan reaction to them was that bad

They are pretty bad but Ana LUcia still had a storyline and lasted 26 episodes. They have literally no plot of their own (besides the one of their death episode) or point in existing and last 14 episodes in which in the majority they are little more than background extras. I almost feel sorry for the actors here.

[Plain Old Tele]

Nikki and Paolo were rare character missteps — the show was dang great at pretty much everyone else. 

[Porthos]

@4815162342 @TwoMisfits

 

re: Giants performance this year.

 

No... We really can't figure it out, either.  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

Best I can come up with is the ol "What if you made an airplane out of nothing but the black box?" cliché.  That is, they don't have (m)any superstars at the moment (though Posey and Gausman are certainly making cases), but they have a team full of Above Average Talent that is playing extremely well.  Just an insane level of depth that Farhan Zaidi has been building over the last few years that can cause them to weather individual slumps/injuries with someone else taking over.  

 

Does mean the occasional stinker of a game like yesterday, but overall...

 

Well, another explanation is that for the first time in a loooooong time, this is a homer happy team, but just lacking a superstar home run anchor.  The other explanation, and one you might find bemusing [or not ], is that the larger than normal for an MLB team coaching staff does seem to be doing a pretty good job at figuring out how to unlock talent, including Gabe Kapler.  Dude has his weakness, don't get me wrong.  But, culturally speaking he seems to be a... pretty good fit here.

 

Maybe it's just the "improve second go around" type deal that has happened to a few managers.  Wouldn't dream of calling him a top tier manager yet.  But a bad one?  Well, some questionable moves aside regarding a bullpen that at the time really didn't have any good options, I've been... quietly impressed with him.  Yes.  "Quietly impressed" might be the best phrase.  

 

Still, the fact that I can't quite figure out why the Gigantes are playing like this does leave room for a collapse.  On the other hand, if you only gave projection systems this years and last years stats and stripped ages out of the question, it's a pretty damn strong team.  Perhaps with an emphasis on "team".

 

...

 

Just wish I could figure out the magic trick that Zaidi and Kapler are pulling here.  

Edited June 21, 2021 by Porthos

[Porthos]

27 minutes ago, Plain Old Tele said:

Nikki and Paolo were rare character missteps — the show was dang great at pretty much everyone else. 

The thing about Nikki and Paolo was... The creators figured it out almost instantly as well.  I am fairly sure with lead time the way it is, they were already being written out of the show before the backlash was fully formed.

 

It's like they watched the same show as we did in the editing room and went, "You know, this is not working."  

 

Not entirely sure when the plug was pulled.  Might have been a couple of weeks into the season.  But they knew as well that Something Had To Be Done About Them.

 

From what I recall, at least.

[Porthos]

17 minutes ago, Porthos said:

@4815162342 @TwoMisfits

 

No... We really can't figure it out, either.  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

Best I can come up with is the ol "What if you made an airplane out of nothing but the black box?" cliché.  That is, they don't have (m)any superstars at the moment (though Posey and Gausman are certainly making cases), but they have a team full of Above Average Talent that is playing extremely well.  Just an insane level of depth that Farhan Zaidi has been building over the last few years that can cause them to weather individual slumps/injuries with someone else taking over.  

 

Actually, there is something sabermetrically inclined that can help explain things a bit.  Much like the Dodgers and Yankees, the Giants have been trying to work up pitch counts and just wear out the other team's pitching staff.  It's recently been alluded to "winning the time of possession".  Any individual plate appearance might not lead to something special.  But if players keep grinding out at-bat after at-bat after at-bat, they can just wear down a pitching staff. 

 

It's something that the Yankees were famous for for a long time, and the Dodgers picked up on it as well.  Last time I checked, the Giants were leading the majors in pitches seen per plate appearance.  If they aren't leading it now, they're right near the top. [EDITED:  tied with the Yankees right now at 4.06 pitches seen per-plate-appearance]

 

With starting pitchers going fewer and fewer innings, and a heavy reliance on pitch counts, just trying to grind another pitching staff into dust, and pouncing on mistakes when they happen, does have its advantages.

 

Enough to keep them in the race?  Time will tell.  But it's working so far.

 

@TwoMisfits @4815162342

 

 

Edited June 21, 2021 by Porthos

[aabattery]

mariners are the best team in the mlb

[aabattery]

also my deepest condolences @Chewy

[lorddemaxus]

 

[Maggie]

///

Edited June 21, 2021 by Maggie

[Eric Duncan]

 

[Porthos]

 

👍  👍  👍 

[filmlover]

The Television Academy is changing how it recognizes gender-nonbinary performers in the #Emmy competition. Nominees in any performer category can now ask that their nomination certificate and Emmy statuette read “performer” in place of “actor” or actress.” https://t.co/befMu7B9bB pic.twitter.com/rxxMiEL9Bj

— Variety (@Variety) June 22, 2021

 

Quote

 

The Television Academy is making a small, but meaningful change in how it recognizes gender-nonbinary performers in the Emmy competition. Effective immediately, nominees and/or winners in any performer category can request that their nomination certificate and Emmy statuette carry the term “performer” in place of “actor” or actress.”

 

The org isn’t abolishing its actor, actress, supporting actor or supporting actress categories, but it is acknowledging that “no performer category titled ‘actor’ or ‘actress’ has ever had a gender requirement for submissions.”

 

 

[Chicago]

Dp

Edited June 22, 2021 by Chicago

[Chicago]

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/sport/2021/jun/21/olympics-tokyo-laurel-hubbard-trans-weightlifter-new-zealand

 

This is very controversial. By all means refer to people by their preferred pronouns but allowing them to compete in sporting events as prestigious as the Olympics is a huge slap in the face to the women competing. 

 

 

[Porthos]

I hate the extra innings "ghost runner" rule so so much.  😕

[Porthos]

1 hour ago, Porthos said:

I hate the extra innings "ghost runner" rule so so much.  😕

 

 

Okay, the Giants won, and won in the end going away, but I still stand by both of these comments.  The "ghost runner" rule is an abomination that can lead to snowball innings like I just saw in the top of the 13th.  Plus it just wrecks strategy as it dooms ground ball pitchers and pitch to contact types (which baseball is allegedly trying to cultivate).  Also leads to a ton of just weird base running plays.

 

Don't get me wrong, I laughed my head off at the top of the 13th.  But, still, it ain't baseball.  If someone can win a game after hitting the ball to the first or second baseman covering 1.5 hole twice (first advances the runner to third, the second the runner scores if the throw to the plate is late)... Ain't baseball at all.  Two plays that should lead to two infield outs* shouldn't lead to a win.  Didn't happen in this game, but I've seen it before and it just sticks in my craw.

 

* The throw to the plate wouldn't be an out, but since there would be an easy out at 1st, I count it as something that shouldn't be rewarded.

Edited June 24, 2021 by Porthos

[Webslinger]

21 minutes ago, Porthos said:

 

 

Okay, the Giants won, and won in the end going away, but I still stand by both of these comments.  The "ghost runner" rule is an abomination that can lead to snowball innings like I just saw in the top of the 13th.  Plus it just wrecks strategy as it dooms ground ball pitchers and pitch to contact types (which baseball is allegedly trying to cultivate).  Also leads to a ton of just weird base running plays.

 

Don't get me wrong, I laughed my head off at the top of the 13th.  But, still, it ain't baseball.  If someone can win a game after hitting the ball to the first or second baseman covering 1.5 hole twice (first advances the runner to third, the second the runner scores if the throw to the plate is late)... Ain't baseball at all.  Two plays that should lead to two infield outs* shouldn't lead to a win.  Didn't happen in this game, but I've seen it before and it just sticks in my craw.

 

* The throw to the plate wouldn't be an out, but since there would be an easy out at 1st, I count it as something that shouldn't be rewarded.

Agreed. I’ll confess to not really seeking out any contrary opinions on this subject, but is there really a significant base of people outside of whomever concocted this thing in league offices that really *likes* this extra inning ghost runner nonsense? It feels like the reaction has been largely negative (and rightly so).