Lantern7

There it is, @smittykins. The ideas sound kinky as hell, though I can see one or two maybe getting considered by MLB. ETA: Got a nice present in my copy of Sports Illustrated in the Scorecard section: a simulated Bingo card of the Mets' miseries this year. I can't find it online. I know that there's promise with some of the players, but the hopelessness is so thick with them, to a point where it's easy to lump them with the Marlins and Orioles. I'm thinking the average fan's worst fear is Noah Syndergaard getting traded to the Yankees and losing all that hair. Also, that he winds up winning 30 games in 2020 as a Yankee.

MLB teams with Atlantic League to introduce new rules for the latter’s second half. Normally, I’d post this in the minor league thread, but it looks like MLB is throwing stuff on another walls and sees what sticks. Do “robot umpires” and “stealing first base” sound blasphemous to anyone reading this?

Anybody else out there? Anyway, the Exams reach the rescue portion, as the 100 heroes that had advanced have to save victims of a simulated disaster . . . which gets more complicated when the hero Gang Orca and his crew drop by as the surprise bad guys. The stage requires more thinking from the characters, especially with the victims (paid actors) giving them shit for missteps. For instance, ol' Deku learned not to exclaim "This looks bad!" coming up to a bloodied kid. Also, Bakugo yells at two "victims" asking for his help because their injuries are minor. Did I mention the series is now on 3:30 a.m.? Aside from Sero telling Minetta and Kaminari about the naked girl getting up on Midoriya and their envious overreactions, it didn't feel lewd at all. Oh, and Uraraka still Has Feelings for Midoriya. Basically, the status quo remains unchanged.

Perhaps the greatest book ever written by a member of the Seattle Pilots. Also, one of the most influential books in the sports genre. Get thee to the library.

Armin takes eating Bertholdt about as well as you would expect. Also: photography is explained in a way where one feels stupid for not knowing the very basics, because one takes it for granted. "There's a note on the back. 'This is not from an artist'." "No, it's from a witch. Let's burn this affront to God's plan!!!" ETA: Just remembered to watch the extra stuff. Airships: A Prime Indicator That You're Looking At An Alternate Reality. While I'm thinking it . . . has the manga ever explained why air travel is a no-go? I would not have thought of it, but then I read a story in the American-made Attack on Titan Anthology which centers on that. I'm just curious if the original material dealt with that.

AVClub went off on this episode, and I can't blame the writer for that opinion. I realize that Archer doesn't have to reinvent the wheel every week, but this episode felt lazy . . .which is more disappointing given we had to wait two weeks for it. To review: Archer being Archer basically endangers everyone Lana is front and center at pointing out that Archer is an asshole, but everyone feels that she's got too much negativity Bring in a sci-fi trope . . . this time, it's presumed counterparts from a parallel universe But it turns out that Malory cloned the crew to increase productivity . . . admittedly, that was a nice swerve, and so very Malory Archer basically makes things worse, then manages to save the day thanks in part to blind luck I mean, there are bits that make the episode more palatable . . . like the dual Kriegers. And the stuff with AlterArcher being a nice guy (and bald). But when Malory's twist is revealed, you have to ask why she had that clone head shaved. Or appear to be a nice guy. "Cristal" was a nice callback. Also fun to see Cheryl prepare for the culling, and Pam one-shotting her when she tries to start it. And only Archer would throw another version of himself to feed a beast. An unholy mix of a Jurassic Park super-dino and the Predator. Nice to know the latter is still scary in his comatose mind.

Latest Sanrio merchandising crossover . . . Pop Team Epic?!? Speaking of Popuko and Pipimi . . . are there plans for a second season? As far as gag anime goes, it grew on me.

CBS.com gives us "5 Sweet Amazing Race Couples Who Were Completely In Love" Yep . . . just five. And only two of them were memorable and fun to watch. I don't even remember Jason & Amy. ETA: Seriously, where's Kris & Jon? And even though they didn't last, I'd throw in JVJ.

I think it's more about Tony pissing people off people, regardless of whether he employs them. You watch . . . there was probably a little kid he didn't hug in a prior MCU movie, and he/she grows up to be the elderly antagonist when we inevitably see stuff from the world of 2099.

At long last, Noelle gets one up on the pile of excrement she calls a brother. The last match felt forced, since we had Noelle vs. Solid, along with Yuno facing another guy from the Golden Dawn whose dialogue might have been replaced with "NOTICE ME, SENPAI!!!!!" throughout this episode. Bonus: chilled-out mage with mushroom magic. And the Black Bulls still don't have access to subtitles in order to understand Gordon.

I'm just along for the ride at this point. Yugeo transforms into a giant sword? Cool. As long as he doesn't tell long-winded stories and blame all murders on Dr. Watson, I'm good with it. How many more episodes are there this season?

1-2-3 for deGrom. At least he doesn't have to worry about teammates destroying his work.

Rewinding the DVR. Watching Yankees getting booed warms my heart. deGrom is on deMound. Fingers crossed that nothing bad happens.

While I’m thinking about it . . . is Isaac competing this year?

So you're probably wondering how Polar Bear is gonna get hurt or worse in the near future. I think only two players had been seriously hurt in All-Star Games: Dizzy Dean and Ray Fosse. He plays first . . . maybe he gets spiked tonight? And dang, you came in at the right time. I started going to games in 1983. In retrospect, that was a good era to root for the Mets, given that the Yankees would have their longest title drought since they acquired Babe Ruth (18 years; 1978-1996).

When is the series coming back? I learn a lot from it . . . like how Mitch McConnell isn't that popular in Kentucky. Gives me a little bit of hope, y'know?

Emmy nominations are announced next week. Cue the begging. "Best Choreography In A Show Where Showing Heart Means Weakness"? Fuck it, give that to Rob.

Feh. No Fiona. This Twait kid has a high ceiling. Also: an unfortunate last name. He hung in there with Swanson at the Power Tower. Drew Lachey . . . his brother was the one married to Jessica Simpson, right? Or was that him? I'd look it up, but that would involve caring that much.

*sigh* See, this is why I can't consider myself a "real" Mets fan. I have little idea about Pete Alonso. All I know is that his nickname is "Polar Bear" (from Todd Frazier, because I don't know) and he's broken Daryl Strawberry's team rookie HR record. With the pitching phenoms hitting their 30s, this guy is probably the future of the New York Mets. And that should keep him up at night, because that team is unlucky and chaotic AF.

I don't think that Akbar ever feels bad for the puns. It's part of what makes him fun.

Dang, Tyler Yama . . . "Muscle Ball" just went out early. Maybe it was bad luck for his family to bring out the drums seen in The Karate Kid Part II. I'm good with him. I inflict stuff like The Challenge on myself, so a dude with funny hair and dance moves doesn't bug me. Helluva comeback for Mike Bernardo

Scheduled for tonight: Jesse Labreck, Grant McCartney, Ethan Swanson, Michelle Warnky, Mike Bernado, Drew Lachey. Yes, the guy from 98 Degrees. Maybe because of the term "lachey"? My Speculation: Cincinnati Bengals cheerleaders, University of Cincinnati cheerleaders, Cincinnati Reds mascot, and maybe something resembling Fiona the hippo. So cute, you guys.

Anyone else wondering if the falling anvil will hit Pete Alonso tomorrow night? Or tonight? #OnlyTheMets On a parallel note, the Mets and Phillies will meet again on August 30-September 1 and September 6-8. Jake Arrietta had better still be recovering from bone spurs if he doesn't want to chug on some dirt.

First episode: A LOT OF PEOPLE YELLING AND BEING MAD. Also, a kitty cat fucks a dude up in flashbacks. I'm thinking Lucifer isn't gonna be with us for long. To be colloquial: dem's the Space Nazis, right?

Got bored some more, went over two-time players. This is the top ten: Tai. He's at the top. And his percentage of days played within his two seasons is slightly higher than Parvati. That doesn't seem real, does it? I like the guy, but I'm thinking he got that far on account of looking like a sacrificial goat. And Keith is in third. I still think he didn't get enough votes to make Second Chances, but he got in because Mike Holloway became ineligible after his win. I'm guessing that these lists don't mean much in the bigger picture, but it does make for interesting reading. What do you think?