metsmarathon

finally saw solo last night with minimm before it disappears from theaters. wow, what a fun ride! while some might certainly view it as a unnecessary answers to questions that didn't need to be asked, i personally don't give a shit, because it was cool, fun, not stupid, and showed the foundation of what the character of han solo is, and why for being such a scoundrel, he ultimately came back to help the rebellion at the end of a new hope. it also had a natural continuity with the films that follow it in the timeline, but precede it in the making. i also really, really don't care that they didnt get a guy who looks super-much like harrison ford. instead thy got a guy who evoked a young han solo, and that's far more important. there were also a number of times during the film that i got a distinct indiana jones vibe, mostly from the way the film was shot. and whether that was accidental or intentional, it really just bolstered the continuity between this han solo and his older self, as well as linking the film visually to the originals with the way it was shot. the effects were ether wonderfully practical, or exceptionally rendered, and therefore nothing like the shiny plastic prequels. no, it wasn't an epic saga like the rest of the star wars movies, and it didn't have stakes so high that the fate of the galaxy hung in the balance throughout (although, spoilers, the stakes might've been somewhat higher than we thought all along) as it was really all about han solo fighting for a personal cause, finding his way, becoming who he was to be. but it was fun. more fun than maybe any other star wars movie, save perhaps the original. it felt natural. and real. i hope that it breathes some new life into the surrounding galaxy, with stories and characters to follow perhaps through the events of the principal movies. while i never, ever got into the expanded universe books pre-disney's takeover, i am currently a vacuum sucking up all the star wars literature del rey can pump out (and that i can find when i drop into airports). they're building a fascinating universe that i hope the whining fanboy manchildren don't tear to pieces because it includes things like strong independent girls, people of color, and anti-oppression messaging. also, lando fucking calrissian. that guy.

hey, my team is a disaster, and i could sure use a slugger! [checks chris davis' stats] holy shit dude. he's so bad he wouldn't even help my shithole of a lineup. i, too, did not save during the draft, and am wondering what the hell i managed to spend my money on.

watch out league! my offense now has 6 points to it's name! that's more than i've had since the first week of the season, where i think i had up to 7.5 points of offense, for about a day. i'm coming to get you, drunken savages and red flyers! just you wait. and wait. and wait...

i'm just so offended by the fact that rey is a powerful girl force-user that i'm boycotting this movie and all other things star wars from now until eternity. actually, i just haven't had a chance to take minimm to the theater yet. i can't fathom that there are people who actually subscribe to that first statement, but the internet sez its true.

i hope its still early enough, because i'm still trying to figure out how my team could possibly be so bad offensively. in terms of runs scored and slugging, i'm farther away from 11th place than the 11th place team is from 4th place! obp is better, in that the same gap only puts 11th place into 8th, and for homers only 9th. so i might have a chance at eventually getting some points in those two categories.... my pitching seems to have gotten better, too, after a few unnecessary bumps, with about the third best squad. but, man alive, i could hardly have a worse offense if i'd tried!

yeah, we seem to be at one dropout per year.

this is what i get for questioning the commitment of other owners - my offense is basically carlos baerga in a mets jersey, and thanks to some terribly poor outings of late, my pitching isn't even holding up its own end - basically steve trachsel with a much, much better strikeout rate. its early sure, but yeesh this is looking ugly.

don't mind me, just posting in the thread so that it finally comes up as having been read. apparently, when users don't exist anymore, the threads they participated in (or polluted) remain unread.

man, there's a lot of money still out there! that strikes me as unhealthy. are teams even trying to win...?

yay, no playoffs! (more specifically, yay no format change for playoffs! i'm not necessarily opposed to playoffs in general.) i spoke with the new owner of the deathship. he expects to have his cutlist done by sunday. hope that's enough time. sorry for helping to keep him very very busy at work. welcome backabordick seo!

Ceetar wrote: Ceetar wrote: a few people seem adamantly against playoffs because of a slightly different format for determining the winner. No one's vehemently come out in favor of playoffs so that sounds rather like the basis for making a decision, doesn't it? I'm still wavering between that and the "fuck it all, you're wrong and it's not a big deal. it's my league. deal with it." side. But I'll decide by the end of the day. And that attitude will see you lose owners. Enjoy your league all to yourself.

Ceetar wrote: a few people seem adamantly against playoffs because of a slightly different format for determining the winner. No one's vehemently come out in favor of playoffs so that sounds rather like the basis for making a decision, doesn't it?

so i just PM'd seo; a spot may be opening up. the playoffs thing is a factor in the decision-making - not the only consideration, but it pushed him over the edge. i _really_ think you should reconsider the playoffs...

we do seem to have a 1 team / year turnover rate! i'm sure you'll get in sooner or later.

the guy wants the team, and is a mets fan. he was this ][ close to joining last season, but because initech dropped out literally the day before the draft, he decided to hold off. i'm literally about to send you an email with his contact info. the email is open on my other monitor ready to send.

but anyone who is at the bottom of the league isn't going to become suddenly interested because they cannot make it into the 6-team playoffs. i finished 3rd last year, and up until the last week, i still had a shot at winning, if a few things broke right. when one team runs away with it, fine, there might not be much competition. but that's not always the case. as far as keepers... i paid no attention to how many stolen bases anyone is projected to get. none. CS either. not a factor. what's billy hamilton getting valued at right now? across all of ottoneu, billy hamilton is an $11 player. in our format, he's worthless. but in the playoffs? he's tremendously valuable. on my roster, i gave no concern to saves or holds. wasn't a factor. i just cut two players who reliably should get 20 holds in will harris and jake mcgee. maybe i keep them with points. i just don't know. i didn't look into it. maybe chad green and nate jones aren't as valuable to me now. who knows! it's a minute difference? it's how we determine who won the damn league!

there was no option for "no playoffs". the three outsiders that i work with all do not favor the playoffs (specifically the format change for the playoffs). this includes all past champions of the league. my prospective new guy is also not in favor of the playoff format change, for the record. if playoffs could be done with the 4x4 roto scoring, then i think it would be a whole lot different. in this thread, there are 4 votes for a playoff format. one of those is mine, as if i'm forced to participate in playoffs, then i'd like 6 teams. assuming the other three votes are from participants who are actually interested in having playoffs, then you have at most three votes in favor of playoffs, and five votes against. plus two additional outside players who do not have access to this forum, whose voices have yet to be heard. i think your assessment of "overwhelming support" is far overblown. i'll put it this way. switching formats from 4x4 roto to points h2h for the playoffs is going to cause up to 4 teams to leave the league. do we really have anyone jumping up and down that they're not going to want to play if we do not switch over to playoffs? the best course of action is to, at a minimum put off any format change, including playoffs, until next offseason, when it can be factored into our arbitration and keeper rationale. it also gives ottoneu a chance to figure out how to run 4x4 h2h, either for a full season or just in the playoffs. switching scoring formats for the playoffs is preposterous, and will destroy the league. and by "destroy the league" i mean, cause a sizaeable portion of it to leave.

just so you know, the non-forum members who work with me are not at all happy with the playoff format change. i don't disagree with them. i like the appeal of playoffs, but not with the format change. that's just absurd. seriously, i think you're in danger of ruining my favorite fantasy league.

Ceetar wrote: We may need another player, anyone in? there's a guy i work with who would very likely be interested. what do i need to tell him?

no but we also don't switch from counting runs to determine a winner to counting total bases.

fluky is one thing. switching formats is another. though i suppose the analogy would be akin to doing shootouts in hockey at the end of overtime.

hmm... seems kinda half-baked on that end, no? i mean, why not run roto stats for the week? (i know, you're not the one coding it) i like the appeal of playoffs, but i wonder if it's just too much not ready for prime time that it'll end up further fracturing our delicate league. maybe i just need to run some numbers and see how much it actually affects my valuations of players. if good players stay good irrespective of the format, and bad players stay bad, then it's no net difference. if there's some major differences, then it will require further thought. i do find it odd that pitcher stats do not include blown saves, for one...

but in the playoffs, the scoring format switches over to h2h points, and not roto format, correct?

i'm currently undecided as to how i feel about he switch to h2h. i think that the biggest change is going to be the sudden valuation of running stats and relief stats; more importantly, the devaluation of the rate stats. i mean, i can make the adjustment, sure, but i liked that key differentiation between this league and any others readily available. i don't know that h2h really, truly makes the league more competitive, at least not moreso than simply adding playoffs does. the sucky teams are still going to suck, and they'll dig themselves a hole either way. if you don't have a good roster, you're not going to win head to head matchups. if there's enough momentum to move towards h2h, i'll play either way. but i much prefer the current 4x4 roto.

wait... are the playoffs also something that happens if we're still 4x4 roto?