DocHaus

Still not sure why the Nats keep starting Tyler Moore, as he's one of those frustrating AAAA players: too good for the minor leagues, not quite good enough for the bigs.

In less team-specific baseball news, SB Nation has a rundown of the latest twists and turns in the Josh Hamilton saga. The Angels have been trying really, really hard to get out of their contractual obligations with Hamilton after he went into rehab, and when the MLB's own arbitrator told them no, they've tried to do every not explicitly illegal thing they could to make him quit instead.

Sad news for DC United and the USMNT in general: Eddie Johnson likely retiring due to a enlarged heart complication that could kill him if he pushes too hard. The lawyers are currently arguing over how much, if any, compensation EJ and DCU would be entitled to for this tragic incident.

Where's the "repeatedly harass the critic, then track down their friends and family on social media and do the same, and continue to do so for weeks because I take every percieved slight against games I like as a personal insult and I have way too much time on my hands" option? Because that one seems to be getting a little more traction these days thanks to the internet providing a veil of anonymity combined with lack of negative consequences.

I remember during my teen years when I wrote multiple paragraphs on some site about how the sanctity of the Hitman franchise was forever ruined when Vin Diesel was rumored to be the lead for the movie before it was made (it would later be Timothy Olyphant). These days, I shrug my shoulders and move on.

@relenus: I listed the newer ones in the OP, but here's some other arcadey baseball games off the top of my head:

• The Bigs and its sequel, where 2K Sports tried to recapture the Midway magic but didn't quite get there.
• Various incarnations of Backyard Baseball, very kid-friendly but still fun.
• Mario Superstar Baseball if you have a Gamecube stashed somewhere.
• MLB Slugfest, which was around the time Midway started branching out from its NFL Blitz series. There were four versions released between 2003-06 before they went under, so hopefully you'll find something there.

@awesomeusername: Mekakucity Actors is a decent show if you can deal with a series of voacloid-ish music videos held together by a few threads of light novel story. According to the internet, that's pretty much how the franchise started. Still, I'm a sucker for most ShaftxShinbo joints, so I enjoyed it for what it was.

In other news: finally started watching Maria the Virgin Witch. Eventually I'll get around to this season, but from the previews I've seen, not much has really jumped out as "Must Watch!" yet.

@slag: Even before the season they were complaining. Old joke. "How many baseball fans does it take to screw in a lightbulb? Two. One to actually replace the lightbulb, and one to bitch about how much integrity the old one had."

In local news: might've had tickets to the Nationals game, thought it was going to get rained out so I passed them on to a friend. Of course, the weather cleared up enough later that the game started and RZimm hit a two-run homer to left field in the first inning. Also would have gotten some free Chick-Fil-A (apparently they do that for every home-field Nats save now), but I can't use it because Passover is still here until Saturday evening.

@redyoshi: If it helps, the first three batters in the Nats lineup are still recovering from injury (and only one of them has a "good" substitute in Michael Taylor), and the setup pitcher is still a question mark with Janssen also injured.

Congrats to the LA Angels, now you get to bury two potential Hall of Famers under a mediocre team instead of one! Mariners fans are now crying into their beer for betting the farm and getting nothing in return.

Also, congrats to Giancarlo Stanton for escaping Miami before it sinks into the sea, leaving behind a team that has been treated like a real-estate investment in Florida, flipped and re-flipped until it loses all meaning as a home while the owners pocket the extra cash.

And now the offseason as this thread hibernates until Spring.

Baseball Video Games: Some current games that you might find interesting.

• The Show, exclusive to Sony consoles as the only serious baseball game with real MLB teams now after 2K didn't get the license.
• RBI Baseball, more arcadey but with actual players and playable on more consoles.
• Super Mega Baseball, another arcadey title with totally made-up players and teams, so you can play around with them to your hearts content!
• Out of the Park Baseball, in case you wanted a PC game that simulates the thrill of being like Billy Beane, poring over spreadsheets and making blockbuster trades while hoping your team sucks slightly less than last year. Now with real teams!

Post about basebaw/beisbol/baseball related things here and try not to be a jerk. Even if it's basic questions like "how is game played?" or "what team good?" I'll try to answer when I have the time.

@hassun: Obviously he put points into the all-important Swimming skill.

and here I thought the "Adam drowns everyone, including himself" ending was supposed to be the canon ending? Are they going to pick one of the three or are they going to somehow shoehorn all three into one in hopes of pleasing everyone?

@49th: Oh come on, that's just cheating.