Meanwhile... Pt. 1

[Slam_Bradley]

How dare you, Confessor! Going back to Sherlock Holmes, whom I cited earlier, surely you're aware that Nicholas Meyer's novels are universally regarded as fully as "canon" as anything Arthur Conan Doyle ever wrote. Same for Moriarity in League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, of course. Same, for that matter, as the following paragraph I'm about to type off the top of my head --

Sherlock Holmes paused, looked at his cell phone, & said to himself, "Why, it's a message from Wolverine! Whatever could he want?"

There! Instant canon!

After all, they're all imaginary stories.

I'd be just as happy if "canon" were shot out of a cannon.

So no problem with any of the above as long as it's entertaining and well-written.

[The Confessor]

It's fair. You want to read what you want to read. I just can't begin to understand it. All I care about is a good story and art that doesn't detract from it. I simply can't parse why anyone would care about the window-dressing of "616" or "Ultimate" or "Shiz-nizzle."

Well, for me it all comes down to which versions of the characters and their origins I prefer (there being significant differances in that respect between the 616 and "Ultimates" for example). Plus, some fictional settings are just inherantly more appealing to me than others.

I'll probably cop to being somewhat nit-picky, cantankerous or even a tid-bit dickish. But I really find that kind of thing to be counter to creativity. I'll try to be better.

It's fine, we're all friends here I hope.

[dan bailey]

I'll probably cop to being somewhat nit-picky, cantankerous or even a tid-bit dickish.

Oddly enough, those very adjectives appear on my business cards.

[CromagnonMan]

Slam's right: they're all "imaginary stories." All fiction, in every medium, is.

thanks for clearing that up.

sorry, couldnt resist

[dan bailey]

I'm more-or-less with Confessor and dan on this one

My new old best friend!

the Marvel Universe as it existed between 1961 and, say, 1984 will always be the "real" version for me, just as the 1938-86 DC Universe will always be the "real" DCU.

And, of course, same here, pretty much (my cutting-off points are more like '78 for Marvel & '69 for DC, for purely personal reasons, obviously). Not that, if pressed, I won't concede that everything that's come since isn't just as valid, but those just aren't my characters.

But that doesn't preclude me from enjoying other good interpretations like the Ultimate Avengers series, the Dini/Timm animated Batman and the Sam Raimi Spidey films.

The equivalents for me would be the Marvel Adventure & Johnny DC titles I've read (I'd like to amass them all, to be honest), the Waid/Kitson Legion & no doubt plenty of others.

As with so many things, it's all a matter of whose ox is being gored, I suppose. For obvious reasons, Nick Fury happens to be my ox.

Happy is the man -- Slam, evidently, & more power to him -- who has no ox.

[Slam_Bradley]

Happy is the man -- Slam, evidently, & more power to him -- who has no ox.

I made Jamaican Oxtail out of part of him.

[Slam_Bradley]

Oh to have a batter who could hit more than a freakin' single.

[dan bailey]

Oh to have started A.J. Burnett last night, when he struck out 11 & gave up 2 runs, rather than last week, when he gave up 12 runs in 2 innings.

Also, oh not to have had 4 batters go on the DL Sunday & Monday.

[Slam_Bradley]

Oh to have started A.J. Burnett last night, when he struck out 11 & gave up 2 runs, rather than last week, when he gave up 12 runs in 2 innings.

Also, oh not to have had 4 batters go on the DL Sunday & Monday.

How often are you able to update your rosters? Our league is on a seven-day period. My pitching has been good (though slacking the last two weeks). Be nice if the Cubs could provide a little offense for Dempster, who has pitched fabulously and has no wins.

I just have nobody hitting long balls, so I'm damn near last in HRs and RBIs.

[dan bailey]

We can update daily up to game time, which is a drastic change from what I was used to in the league I co-founded & served as commissioner of from '92-'01, which had weekly updates. I have a vague memory of being limited to monthly updates at the very beginning, & even if I'm imagining that horror, I know very well it was the case with the first league I ever participated in, back in '88 (in which the first trade I ever made was with a state employee in an office whose personnel included Gennifer Flowers, or maybe it was Paula Jones ... gotta love Arkansas).

This is a weird league, with a commissioner -- my former cop reporter at the paper here, later a former co-worker in the office I'm now in; he still works here, but in a different division -- who's like a child who has to grab at any shiny object he happens to see & has the attention span of a newt. (Last I looked, he'd made 43 roster moves. That was Monday; the total is probably past 50 by now.) I began participating in '03, & we've always been head-to-head (which I really don't like), so stats aren't cumulative (which, again, I hate). Before this year, at least, categories were cumulative -- that is, if I won 7 categories, lost 8 & tied in 3 while playing Teams V, W, X, Y & Z in successive weeks, that would show up as 35 wins, 40 losses & 15 ties. This season, none of that would matter: I'd be 0-5, period, whether I won 1 category & lost 14 or, again, went 7-8-3. Stupid. But I'm not calling the shots, & since there's no money involved (very much unlike my old league) I don't get bent out of shape over it.

In any event, lack of power plagued me last season, though I was able to ride really good pitching to championship in the postseason (another wrinkle -- postseason play, that is -- that I was previously unacquainted with) despite finishing the season something like 5th overall. No speed, though. This year, I've had solid power most weeks, horrid-to-mediocre pitching & again no speed.

As for good starters who can't buy wins, I'll see your Ryan Dempster (who I think I had last year) & raise you Wandy Rodriguez.

[Slam_Bradley]

I don't think there's anyone in my league who would have the time for daily roster updates...not that it would make much sense anyway since we're not head to head. And since every roster change costs a quarter...could be expensive.

Stats are accumulated over the course of the season. Each category is applied points for position from 8 to 1. I'm rocking in saves, stolen bases, ERA, Whip, and sucking in HRs and RBIs.

It's a good time. Though I'm not in love with the fact that we added a team last year. 8 is just too many for NL only.

[dan bailey]

That's how we did it, except that I think we charged something like $4 for free-agent transactions & $1 per player in a trade. The way you guys do categories & stats is the same as well.

You're right about league size. On the other end of the spectrum (yet again), a year or 2 ago we had only 8 or 9 teams for both leagues, which meant that at any given time a veritable All Star team could be assembled from the free-agent pool, which is ridiculous. This year we're at 14, which is more rational.

[Slam_Bradley]

Seven wasn't bad. It was still skimpy in the free agents, but there was someone there to fill holes...not now. With the Astros moving to the AL it is only going to get worse...particularly for closers. Someone is going to just have to write off the saves category. Not to mention that both Jose Altuve and Brett Myers have been good pick-ups for me thus far this year. Hate to have them be rentals.

Free Agents are subject to bid. Highest bid wins...ties go to first bidder.

[Romero]

Made it to the Berni Wrightson signing. I had him sign my Swamp Thing #10 and picked up the first issue of his "Frankenstein Alive, Alive" series he is doing with Steve Niles. I chatted for a minute with him, but I really don't know what else to say besides "I enjoy your work" etc. I didn't want it to turn into the Chris Farley show or anything!

His new book is alright. The art is, of course, awesome and instead of straight B/W or gray toned, it's like sepia-toned. Real nice. The story is ok. It starts with the monster appearing in a sideshow, which has been done before, but this time the monster is doing it on purpose, actually working there. I'm not sure I'll keep up with it though.

[adam_warlock_2099]

Found two songs from childhood. Such a good singer, and so many memories. Spinning this 45 as a kid.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbjGtFnzWvg