OT: Blues Forum Lounge (Home of All Things OT) - Part XIII

[Bye Felicia]

Not that unlikely. Bagley/Doncic/Ayton are all almost assuredly ahead of him. Sexton has looked really good and that’s just off the top of my head. I’m sure there’re more players who could hop above him.

This is a strong draft, but there is still a top tier of four players. His injury probably pushes him to the back of that, but I would be surprised if he drops beyond (unless the recovery goes poorly).

 

[TeeOhEmm]

Ocean Beach is nice. I can't complain about San Diego. We have a minor league Hockey Team, and The Wolves and Rampage play them this year, so I'll get to go watch Jr. Blues Hockey.

 

[bluesfan94]

NBA scouts/execs said that depending on how the surgery goes, he's still guaranteed to be a top 5 pick. It's a no-brainer to leave and enter the draft.

It does look like there are some hints that his recovery could be much shorter than 3-4 months though.

They say that now. It’s different in a few months.

Yeah I remember reading up on a microdiscectomy and it said recovery was 6-8 weeks for jobs involving physical labor but I figured basketball was a step up from that and thought it might be true.

 

[TheDizee]

stanton submitted his trade team list apparently.

 

[Ranksu]

 

[Stealth JD]

Sounds like Stanton has no interest in St. Louis, being a Cal-guy. Guess they better have a plan B for getting out of 3rd place.

 

[Mike Liut]

Sounds like Stanton has no interest in St. Louis, being a Cal-guy. Guess they better have a plan B for getting out of 3rd place.

Plenty of ways to improve the team without Stanton

 

[TheDizee]

stanton will be a giant or cardinal. but i think hes crazy if he doesnt push for a move to boston. he would hit 70 homer a year there

 

[bleedblue1223]

I wouldn't be too upset if we were able to still land Yelich. Shouldn't be that difficult to get Miami to agree to a deal.

 

[Vladys Gumption]

Derek Goold made a pretty good point in his chat today. Even if we miss on Stanton it shouldn't be difficult to pivot onto Yelich or Ozuna since we've already had discussions and the Marlins know what we're willing to offer.

 

[David Dennison]

Derek Goold made a pretty good point in his chat today. Even if we miss on Stanton it shouldn't be difficult to pivot onto Yelich or Ozuna since we've already had discussions and the Marlins know what we're willing to offer.

I hope we arent going to give up Alcantara for either of those guys. For as much as we complain about needing a bat, but our rotation is held together by scotch tape and gum. Wainwright looks done. Wacha is Wacha. Reyes coming off of TJ. This is a far cry from the last few seasons where we were 7 or 8 deep with ready prospects and veterans, you need depth there to get thru a season. Bullpen is paper thin as well.

 

[Vladys Gumption]

I hope we arent going to give up Alcantara for either of those guys. For as much as we complain about needing a bat, but our rotation is held together by scotch tape and gum. Wainwright looks done. Wacha is Wacha. Reyes coming off of TJ. This is a far cry from the last few seasons where we were 7 or 8 deep with ready prospects and veterans, you need depth there to get thru a season. Bullpen is paper thin as well.

I'm not sure that I see Alcantara being a starter in the long term. I really like the stuff, but I wonder whether the command will ever get there. I'd pretty easily move him for Yelich. Not super high on Ozuna though, and I think this last year was a career year. I fully expect the team to add a starter in free agency.

 

[wannabebluesplayer]

Alcantara would probably be part of the package for Yelich because Yelich is younger, more cost controlled, team friendly contract, and although Ozuna has the raw power potential, Yelich is a more all-around complete player. That being said. You'd have to add another bat besides Yelich because Yelich doesn't completely transform your lineup. He's a good Piscotty replacement, but you'd need another bat at 3rd or 1st.

I would love to see what it would take to get Freddie Freeman. It's honestly probably more than what the Cardinals could do. He and Yelich combined would completely change this lineup.

 

[The Note]

The College Football Playoffs really should be expanded to 8 teams. I’m not sure how the logistics would work out, but if they were to make it 5 spots for the Power 5 conference champs and then 3 at large bids, they could eliminate the OSU/Bama drama. And the OSU/PSU drama from last year.

 

[Vladys Gumption]

Alcantara would probably be part of the package for Yelich because Yelich is younger, more cost controlled, team friendly contract, and although Ozuna has the raw power potential, Yelich is a more all-around complete player. That being said. You'd have to add another bat besides Yelich because Yelich doesn't completely transform your lineup. He's a good Piscotty replacement, but you'd need another bat at 3rd or 1st.

I think Yelich leaving Miami would result in a not insignificant power bump. Right center in that park is an absolute black hole for left handed hitters. I wouldn't be surprised to see Yelich blossom into a 25 HR, 35 double hitter at Busch. Plus, he grades out very favorably in the outfield. if Stanton chooses the Giants, Yelich is definitely my preference over Ozuna.

 

[bleedblue1223]

I hope we arent going to give up Alcantara for either of those guys. For as much as we complain about needing a bat, but our rotation is held together by scotch tape and gum. Wainwright looks done. Wacha is Wacha. Reyes coming off of TJ. This is a far cry from the last few seasons where we were 7 or 8 deep with ready prospects and veterans, you need depth there to get thru a season. Bullpen is paper thin as well.

I can understand not wanting to move Alcantara, but you're reasoning for why I don't agree with. Alcantara would do nothing in the short-term to fix those concerns. Alcantara is 22, so young, but not super young and he still has major control/command issues. Great stuff, but long-term he might be better off as a closer. With the amount of pitching prospects we have, it makes sense to move 1 or 2 for a real impact bat.

Yelich would become arguably our best player and we'd get him at age 26. That's a good plan B. If we can land him, an infielder that can be a 3/4/5 hitter, and pitchers, we'll be a good team.

 

[wannabebluesplayer]

Well if EA were involved you could get the sleeves for $70 then either walk from STL to San Antonio for the rest of the uniform or pay $450 for the whole thing.

The funny thing is about the "loot boxes" and "pay to win", the EA Ultimate team or whatever is was called in NHL games was using it LONG before the shooters, and I think it was used in the UEFA and FIFA games as well. It's also in Madden too. But because it reached a AAA title, that's why everyone is up in arms all of a sudden. I won't lie, I bought BF2 because I absolutely LOVE Star Wars and the starfighter gameplay is great fun. However, I 100% want to find a way to end the loot box thing. It's horrible and I have already heard my 13 year old nephew ask his parents to pay extra for a loot crate or two. I warned him and his parents not to do that. I told him to just grind it out and don't give in to paying money. It's a deplorable practice and one that EA should honestly be sued over.

EDIT: Apologies for the rant in the wrong thread.

 

[BadgersandBlues]

The funny thing is about the "loot boxes" and "pay to win", the EA Ultimate team or whatever is was called in NHL games was using it LONG before the shooters, and I think it was used in the UEFA and FIFA games as well. It's also in Madden too. But because it reached a AAA title, that's why everyone is up in arms all of a sudden. I won't lie, I bought BF2 because I absolutely LOVE Star Wars and the starfighter gameplay is great fun. However, I 100% want to find a way to end the loot box thing. It's horrible and I have already heard my 13 year old nephew ask his parents to pay extra for a loot crate or two. I warned him and his parents not to do that. I told him to just grind it out and don't give in to paying money. It's a deplorable practice and one that EA should honestly be sued over.

EDIT: Apologies for the rant in the wrong thread.

Let it all out man, I think 99% of the world agrees with you. The other 1% are game execs who's compensation is tied to revenue.

 

[bleedblue1223]

The reason why it works in sports game, is the rank the players and you really only player players of your similar rank. BF2 would be different if all the top-notch players that are on it all the time and the players that bought their way there played each other in matches, and the lower-level players were together.

It doesn't work when everyone is thrown together. In FIFA and the sports games, you can play Ultimate Team and rarely feel like you get screwed because the other player spent a ton of real money on the game.

BF2 will get better now that they are finally increasing the rewards you earn, so you don't have to grind as long.

EA is the worst though.

 

[wannabebluesplayer]

The reason why it works in sports game, is the rank the players and you really only player players of your similar rank. BF2 would be different if all the top-notch players that are on it all the time and the players that bought their way there played each other in matches, and the lower-level players were together.

It doesn't work when everyone is thrown together. In FIFA and the sports games, you can play Ultimate Team and rarely feel like you get screwed because the other player spent a ton of real money on the game.

BF2 will get better now that they are finally increasing the rewards you earn, so you don't have to grind as long.

EA is the worst though.

Yeah, I know why it works a little differently in the sports games side, but it's still gambling with no monetary or real-life payback. You can't sell the gear or cards for real money return. I don't mind the RNG (random number generator) style rewards in games to earn upgrades/weapons, but in a competitive multiplayer where the majority of players are just mashed together regardless of skill level, it's an obvious targeting mechanism. "Hey, you suck at this game. Give us an extra $50 bucks and you won't suck anymore." Or at least until the good players actually catch up with you.

 

[Majorityof1]

The funny thing is about the "loot boxes" and "pay to win", the EA Ultimate team or whatever is was called in NHL games was using it LONG before the shooters, and I think it was used in the UEFA and FIFA games as well. It's also in Madden too. But because it reached a AAA title, that's why everyone is up in arms all of a sudden. I won't lie, I bought BF2 because I absolutely LOVE Star Wars and the starfighter gameplay is great fun. However, I 100% want to find a way to end the loot box thing. It's horrible and I have already heard my 13 year old nephew ask his parents to pay extra for a loot crate or two. I warned him and his parents not to do that. I told him to just grind it out and don't give in to paying money. It's a deplorable practice and one that EA should honestly be sued over.

EDIT: Apologies for the rant in the wrong thread.

Its not just about the existence of loot boxes, but that they are decreasing the odds of good items while also increasing the importance of said items to being competitive. As you said, it has been used in FIFA in the past but its use in FIFA this year is causing tremendous backlash. FIFA is EA's cashcow, making close to a billion dollars yearly through sales (generally one of top 3 best selling games worldwide every year) and Ultimate Team micro-transactions. This year fans are up in arms because the drop rate of good cards and items is much lower. People are reporting spending hundreds and even thousands and not being able to field a competitive team based on bad RNG. With the main stream backlash in the news due to ties with Star Wars and the backlash in EAs top franchise (worldwide), hopefully there will be enough critical mass that consumers will start voting with their wallets. Don't buy non-cosmetic RNG-based in-game items. Don't by games that have it. I have never spent a dime more than $60 on NHL or Madden, and they won't even get my yearly $60 if they keep this up. This Black Friday (where I normally load up on every game I want and haven't gotten), I only bought ones without micro-transactions. Which means Battleffront 2, Assassins Creed Origins and Shadow of War are getting rented from GameFly or purchased used. Instead I spent that money on Indie titles I might otherwise have skipped. IF enough people do so to impact EAs bottom line, they will get the memo. they are doing this to make more money. When they make less, they will roll-it back.

 

[bleedblue1223]

Yeah, I know why it works a little differently in the sports games side, but it's still gambling with no monetary or real-life payback. You can't sell the gear or cards for real money return. I don't mind the RNG (random number generator) style rewards in games to earn upgrades/weapons, but in a competitive multiplayer where the majority of players are just mashed together regardless of skill level, it's an obvious targeting mechanism. "Hey, you suck at this game. Give us an extra $50 bucks and you won't suck anymore." Or at least until the good players actually catch up with you.

Completely agree. At least BF2 will release more content in maps and characters. I do think it's debatable how much better it makes you. The players that typically dominate are just the ones that play it a ridiculous amount of time. Still not an excuse for EA, but I'm not at my college playing days level simply because I don't have the time to invest in it anymore.

My complaint is locking up content for those types of players.

 

[bleedblue1223]

A tip is to only buy hero crates, then use the crafting parts for the cards you actually want.

 

[The Note]

Lol I didn’t mean to turn this into a P2P offshoot. Just trying to have a little fun at EA’s expense .

 

[bleedblue1223]

Lol I didn’t mean to turn this into a P2P offshoot. Just trying to have a little fun at EA’s expense .

There CFO has made some of the dumbest comments recently. They make it too easy lol.