#2019 rookies are elite they always will be | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

dorianepin · 2 months

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nba draft models

patrick bacon nhle blog post

f1metrics model blog post

f1 mathematical model 2023 ratings

f1 analysis 2023 driver rankings

+ there was a guy who charted specific prospect comps but i don't remember who it was anymore... need to look around some more

@__@ thinking about projection modeling for feeder series again. the thing is that the world of "advanced stats" does not tangibly exist in f1 fandom, which is mildly fascinating to me because it's a sport literally predicated on real-time data & predictive analysis... of course the issue is more so that the primary "product" is half black-box and there are limits to the confidence one can ascribe to any analysis because projections of a driver's performance must contextualize the inherent characteristics of the car, which are not entirely known to factually anyone, and even more importantly it is entirely impossible to predict or account for any team's incoming in-season upgrades, so by the time a general competitive order has been determined there is less of a desire to make the projections & evaluations that shape so much of nhl/nba/etc. analytical consumption (at least imo).

there are databases and apis (ergast... but it's shutting down) out there except f1metrics hasn't been active since 2019 and the other modeling work i've seen is quite few and far between... the brunt of f1 stats is basically telemetry overlays, race pace distributions, quali h2h metrics & gap medians, etc. etc........ in the end people love stats in this sport but i feel like the framework in which they get disseminated is always so restrictive ?

anyway the thing is that f1 being non-spec (or not the fact of it being non-spec specifically but rather how it makes evaluating team development impossible because of how complex & secretive the processes are) complicates this entire exercise in the first place, but then...... what of prospect evaluation??

it drives me increasingly crasy to see people incapable of contextualizing junior series dominance + the overall trajectory that a driver's career takes before they make it to f1. the big disclaimer is, of course, that f2 and f1 are not linearly comparable and it's presumptuous to be able to say that someone who dominates in f2 will be able to come to grips with the mechanics of a completely different car and the elevated competition at the highest level of motorsport, but the more i think about it the more i'm like well... is this not basically how nhle gets approached too??? sure you can say that someone who thrives at the european junior level might struggle to adjust to a specific coaching system while playing on smaller ice with increased physicality, but that's a speculative caveat at the end of the day... motorsport is one of the most ever Vibes Based fandoms in terms of rating junior drivers and proclaiming others as being washed but i feel like there are enough traits to create a better evaluation system than currently exists.

considerations

(get mecachromed) how 2 account for illegal engines and private testing etc. well: you can't. or i don't know how to

teams obviously know more from running their rookies privately than we do. but models aren't made to be right and in this case they're made to vaguely identify a measure of potential

instantly harder to evaluate the strength of the "rest of the field" if none of the other competitors have ever eventually made it to f1, because those drivers will hence always be something of an unknown variable

nhle is basically about contextualizing junior pts output & using that to determine a player's expected usefulness (further generalized by elite, star, nhler, bust etc.), which again is not really translatable to f1 because although quality of teammate does have a variable impact in hockey it's literally mathematically impossible to be to the same level of f1 wherein you can end up in a backmarker and score 0 points. and obviously it's like... the linear accumulation of points is simply not the same, you don't get 1 single point for every action you make, so going by absolute differences in f1 scoring is often misleading (though it does carry its own context... anyway)

that being said, Traits:

total points (adjusted per championship format)

year # in championship (i think being in your 3rd year Should be much more highly weighted than some people are willing to admit)

age / series run previously

dominance over field (% of total avail points)

dominance over teammates (quali h2h, sprint/feature h2h, quali % diff, etc.)

some measure of consistency? but the idea also, to me, is like....... i wonder how for example ollie would rate if this were applied to his rookie f2 season because how much does a team value his rough-around-the-edges quickness over theo's ultimately unremarkable 3rd year consistency?

that's really the crux of it at the end of the day.......... many thoughts but that's where i'm at right now. hmm. let me put this under a read more i did not think i'd write this much

also -> realizing things about evaluating ceiling of performance in f1 (there Is a maximum you can achieve unlike other sports where the human limit to how many points you can score is more evident) and also that retroactively evaluating current graduates requires some level of analysis wrt f1 performance & longevity anyway.... thinking about george/lando/sharl/alex comparisons + mick/guanyu/oscar co... Hm. idk

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minhoinator · 3 years

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Since there are a lot more new fans since DCM/Atlantis era, I thought I might compile a list of the links and names of Minho's dramas and films he's been in! I'll put it all under the cut and I'll try to keep it update since he seems intent on being booked and busy lol

The Pianist (2010) [youtube] - "Oh Je Ro is a musical genius who had always dream of learning the piano, but had to work in a piano factory as tuner instead of going to school in order to support his sick father. He had despaired of ever being given a chance to learn and thought the name his father gave him sounded like "Oh, Zero", signifying his lack of hope in the future. This changes when he meets an elementary school teacher, Yoon In Sa, and begins a delicate love story with her." (personal note: While you can tell it's his first time acting outside of SHINee's mvs, he's still super cute (granted, I'm very biased, so that anything I say with a grain of salt lol)

Salamander Guru and the Gang (2012) [dramacool] - "A pair of common thieves and a young computer hacker run a fortunetelling scam, while helping people with their personal problems in their spare time." (note: Kibum and Taemin do cameo in this, as well)

To The Beautiful You (2012) [viki] [dramacool] - "A high school girl who's inspired by a gold-medal High Jumper devises a scheme to motivate him by attending his school."

Medical Top Team (2013) [viki] [dramacool] [Minho-only cut] - "A team of elite doctors treats patients while dealing with power struggles within the hospital."

Because It's the First Time (2015) [dramacool] - "A group of young people gather on a rooftop and tell their stories." (note: Taeoh's friends absolutely did not deserve him 😤)

Canola (2016) [dramacool] - "Twelve years after having lost her grand daughter at a market, grand mother and grand daughter become reunited. But things are not as good and perfect as they were twelve years earlier. (note: his first movie! 🥺)

Drinking Solo (2016) [dramacool] - "The story depicts people drinking alcohol alone for different reasons and the romance between Jin Jeong Seok and Park Ha Na. They both work at a private institute for people preparing for their civil service examinations in Noryangjin, Seoul. He is an arrogant, but popular instructor and she is a rookie instructor who struggles to survive in the private institute world." (note: full disclosure, I could not stand the main leads, but I was watching this for Kibum anyways, and he was phenomenal lol Minho just has a cameo appearance in this, and that's episode 5, I believe)

Derailed (2016) [dramacool] - "Four runaways trying to survive and make ends meet struggle day by day. Enter Ma Dong-Seok. He tried to help but they took advantage of the wrong guy. So it's the classic mistake of wrong guy at the wrong time." (note: one of my favorite roles he's done. he didn't have to go as hard as he did but he did and i'm grateful)

Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth (2016-2017) [viki] [dramacool] - "Revolves around an elite group of male warrior youth called Hwarang who grow through passion and love in Seorabeol, the capital of the ancient kingdom of Silla." (note: i have watched this....many times. I love it unapologetically. Kim Sooho has done nothing wrong ever in his life)

Somehow 18 (2017) [dramacool] - "A handsome orthopedic surgeon loses his first love who committed suicide when he was in his high school days. To save her he gets the chance to go back in time."

The Most Beautiful Goodbye in the World (2017) [dramacool] - "The story revolves around a family with their highs and lows when their beloved mother only has one month left to live." (note: I bought this one on dvd so i could watch it when I'm ready but it sounds so sad 🥺 i have to psych myself up for it)

The Princess and the Matchmaker (2018) [dramacool] - "Princess Songhwa refuses her fate of marrying someone who matches her marital harmony. There are four men on her future husband list with different fate signs. Refusing her fate, she decides to leave the palace and find her husband by herself. Seo Do Yoon is a person who interprets marital harmony signs. He is very skilled at his craft and, consequently, selected as the one to read the marital harmony signs between Princess Songhwa and the four men on her husband list."

Illang: The Wolf Brigade (2018) [dramacool] - "Set in the distant future where both North and South Koreas agree to establish a joint government, which has been in preparation for a duration of seven years, the plot focuses on political uprisings on opposing sides which grow fierce when a special police unit is formed to stop the chaos." (note: 🥺😭)

The Battle of Jangsari (2019) [viki] [dramacool] - "A unit of student soldiers on a diversionary mission for the Battle of Incheon during the Korean War in 1950." (note: yeah so i was a complete mess for like the last twenty minutes so just prepare yourself (it's well worth it, though, he was absolutely amazing in this))

Lovestruck in the City (2020-2021) [dramacool] - "Park Chae Won, an honest and overly passionate architect who loves the city streets. After a woman that he calls the “camera thief” steals his heart one summer night and then disappears, he is unable to get over her. Lee Eun Oh, a freelance marketer who spontaneously decides to adopt a false identity in an unfamiliar place. She accidentally ends up falling in love with Park Chae Won while posing as the free-spirited Yoon Sun Ah."

Yumi's Cells (2021) [viki] [dramacool] - "The story of an ordinary office worker named Yumi-from the point of view of the many brain cells in her head controlling her every thought, feeling, and action." (note: just, so adorable so far. Minho plays a side character who shows up occasionally (heavily in the first two episodes), but the story is based off of a web comic that I read when I found out he got cast as Wook and honestly it's worth the watch even if he wasn't in it)

#SHINee #Minho #Choi Minho #Minho's filmography #Choi Minho's filmography #mine #look at me; promoting him more than SM ever will #lmao #anyways i'll keep this updated!#descriptions are by imdb lol #it's just so cool to see how much he's grown as an actor over the years #i'm really proud of him #I can't wait to see what happens with Goosebumps uwu

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pyotrkochetkov · 2 years

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fiveholegoal said: What a well articulated answer. In your opinion, @ryanpulock do you think he might be more successful on a different team?

that’s actually interesting to think about. it might not be so much as the team rather than the system the team plays.

his rookie season was under doug weight, and the system then was basically no defense, all offense and he put up 85 points that season ultimately winning the calder trophy that year. it might be an unpopular opinion, but if trotz were the coach that season do i think he wins the calder? absolutely not. i can see him getting the oliver wahlstrom type treatment instead.

now beginning the 2018-2019 season, is when trotz comes aboard. you’ll see his production kind of dips, which lends itself to the defense-first, grinder style that trotz employs. the past 4 seasons under trotz, he’s been pretty consistently a 60 point player. not horrible by any means, but on a more offensive-minded system or team, he could easily put up 90+ points. for reference his rookie year he put up 85, and at 25 years old this year, he’s pretty much in the prime of his career, so you can only imagine what he could be doing now.

this is why people always say he’s “overrated”. the system he is forced to play in dictates his analytics. give him an offense-first system, he’d probably be right there at the top with the “elite” players of the league.

i think the trotz system has forced him to round out his game more no question, this season especially i’ve seen him making strides in the defensive side of the game even if he still has a lot of room for improvement. but i also think this system has gotten him in his own head about the player he is vs. the player he is trying to be. this style of play favors the grinder/depth player better than skill guys.

we haven’t really seen him with a legitimate pure goal scorer on his line though, which who knows, he might just be that 90+ point player on the isles if he had that elite skill level finishing the plays he creates. it’s interesting because he plays such a specific style of hockey that not everyone can keep up with (and that’s fine!), we just gotta get him some help. it’d also help if a certain coach didn’t switch up his line every 3 games making chemistry building with line mates nearly impossible...... so lou... you better be picking up the damn phone this offseason lmao

i believe next year is the last year on trotz’s contract before they agree on an extension or not, so i’m actually really curious to see what happens. mat will also be due to sign another contract after next year. more trotz i think lends itself to more of the same as far as mat’s production, but we shall see 🤔

#this became a dissertation sorry 😅#also the fact that there his been something wrong with the team chemistry this year from the get-go #that affects everyone's success #so next year should be interesting #mat barzal

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female-buckets · 2 years

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To be fair to pinoe shes usually good at taking the time to get right after injury, but she was in such a weird position after the 2019 wc that I could see why she'd be pushed into it. Like suddenly she was the face of womens soccer and people were buying tickets to the reigns games just to see her (not to mention on a game level the reign had so many injuries that year that at one point their injury list could have been a starting 11 so they really needed her). Its kinda awful but I get it

Oh totally. I think Elena Delle Donne had similar pressures. In 2018, the Mystics finally had a championship calibre team after 20 years... then EDD got injured early in the playoffs. They made it to the finals and EDD played on the injury. But there was just no way in hell to get past Sue and Stewie in 2018. Maybe EDD could've taken 2019 off to get her back right, but then in the off-season, bam, Stewie got injured. Bam, Sue needed knee surgery. So EDD knew if she played 2019, the Mystics would finally get their first championship. She knew what it would mean for her health and career, but she did it anyway.

Lauren Jackson had pressure to do the impossible for Australian basketball, but beyond that, she was a crazy basketball addict. Like, she could not stop playing. She would never take more than 2 months off competition to rehab injuries. So she was constantly playing injured. Ankles, knees, back. A 3x MVP and 2x champion, and she did it all injured. The longest she ever rehabbed injuries was before the 2010 WNBA season. And when she came back she destroyed everyone in the league. If her and Penny actually got along that year, the Opals could've upset USA for a second world cup. Fortunately for Team USA, Diana's love life kept the Opals from full power 😂But after 2010, Lauren went right back to her old ways. Never taking real time off, putting off surgeries, etc. And it cost her her career.

The LJ mindset, madly pursuing the sport the way she did, that's pretty wild. But I understand players like Megan and EDD actively choosing to use their health and body in certain ways. Ultimately, if Megan struggles with injuries, I'm glad she's with Sue. The very first thing that happened in Sue Bird's elite basketball career? Tearing her achilles her rookie season at UConn. That experience really defined her approach to her pro athletic career. That's why she's always been so levelheaded and wise about injury.

#megan rapinoe #ol reign #wospo #wnba #seattle storm #sue bird #elena delle donne #lauren jackson #washington mystics #nwsl #woso

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jedivszombie · 3 years

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Unpopular opinion. Theres only 1 pay driver on the grid and i think its disgusting that lance and nicky always get roped into that discussion when they had a similar way into f1 than max and lando. Max jumped f2 the year after he lost a championship to lance, lando as the vize champion with money got into the team that posed as his academy team just like nicky did a year later. Everyone needs funds for some drivers it's their family, nepotism (sainz, verstappen, and sorry but even schumacher), for some it's their countries, some get backing from a team (russell wouldnt have made it into f1 without mercedes backing either, hed have to end his career in 2014 before he won the McLaren motorsport award and got mercedes backing after). We live in 2021 stop putting latifi and stroll in the same boat as mazepin because they're not. Also funny how this pay driver debate seems to only focus on the Jewish and part Iranian drivers of the grid. Landos dad is one of the richest guys in the UK and signed a sponsorship deal with McLaren when they took Lando as a junior promising him an f1 seat which he got the year after. Same as Latifi. Theres three differences between them: lando is small and cute, got put in a midfield team while the 2019 (when latifi started out as a Williams reserve and sim driver) Williams was the worst car and let's be honest only got another season because they're a tradition team. Oh yeah and hes white. Lmao stop making this paydriver debate about latifi and stroll only when lando only had the luck to be in the better car. (Sorry this is v long I just get easily annoyed for people saying pay driver and meaning lance and latifi because they're misinformed and ignore all the white boys who did the same aka max and lando)

Whoa Anonymoose. Disclaimer: I sincerely love Nicky and want him to do well and I have done since his rookie season.

I agree which is why in my own post about it I said ‘technically’ there were three pay drivers, I personally only consider Mazepin a pay driver, and explained the path to F1 is paved by paying your way there to some extent whether it’s through sponsorship, team partnership or a shit load of your parents cash/reputation within motorsports.

It’s a problem with the way the sport runs and the model the feeder series uses and it’s a problem with the mindset of the sport itself - F1 as an elite sport for the elites, only a few spaces there because it’s the best of the best but only if you can afford to throw money at it.

I personally rate Latifi and I think if he had a different teammate then we would be able to see how well he is doing - since he keeps falling foul of terrible strategies to back George up. I think Lance was too young when he joined F1 but in his time here he has really improved and is doing so much better.

As I said in my post and in my opinion everybody pays their way to F1 because that’s the only way you can do it. Some do it in cash and sponsoring teams/buying teams (which Haas aside is never a bad thing because you’re helping secure people’s jobs and livelihood). Some do it with reputations of their parents. Some do it with backing from academies and existing teams.

It’s just that there is a perceived ‘right’ way to get into F1 and for some Lance and Nicky fall into the ‘wrong’ way to get into F1. At the end of the day the thing EVERYONE involved here is frustrated at are the conditions created by the sport to get in. Some ignore it for their faves; some find it frustrating but recognise that it’s how the world is built; some just straight up don’t understand.

Finally, a lot of people are under the wrong impression that F1 is a meritocracy and that makes it easy for them to point out people like Nicky since they feel like he’s holding up a seat for someone better/taking chances away from younger talents. F1 is not and has never been a meritocracy and the sooner people realise that the happier they will be.

send me a ☕️ and an opinion (popular or unpopular) and i’ll say whether i agree or disagree

#anonymoose #long post #had a terribly bad dream woke up to this and was like okay cool #maisie loves f1 #i personally hate max and strongly dislike Lando and I am very aware of how they used their connections to get in #like I said it’s an issue of many fans to assume and think that f1 is a meritocracy #it isn’t and it has never been #Maisie answers

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littlemisssquiggles · 4 years

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RWBY Remarks: Shipping the Ace Ops #III: Are Elm and Vine in a secret relationship?

Since the CRWBY Writers are going with the ‘never mix business with pleasure’ approach for the Aces dynamic with one another in spite of their well-oiled machine team working relationship, this has definitely sparked the theory of not all the Ace members agreeing with this rule. Particularly the Aces Ops pair between my favourite big buff barefooted build-a-bear and her partner-in-arms-- Mr. long-man good.

Giving their fairy-tale fable counterpart, my hunch is one of these two possibilities for the Elm and Vine ship:

One. Elm and Vine are either secretly in love with one another and have been forced to quote ‘not mix their strong work comradery with their desire for romance’ with Elm adhering more firmly to this golden rule since she was the one to chime in with Harriet on her stance.

While Vine is silently against this. I noticed that neither him nor Marrow pitched into share their two cents on his. I mean, Marrow I’d give a ‘good boy’ pass since he is the rookie of the team so he’ll probably go along with this for now since he’s possibly the new guy and wants to do his best to fit in better with his older, more experienced comrades as opposed to having them rag on him all the time.

However Vine. Vine pegs me as the quiet guy of the Aces and y’know what they say about dem quiet ones. I definitely have a feeling in my gut that there is more to Elm and Vine’s relationship than just a solid job relationship.

The way how they were the first to support one another really, really well on the field when initiating the frontal attack on the Petra Gigas and given the similarity in their semblances as well as just how well they complement one another in general (like a certain younger version of them)---there is no denying in my mind that there is more to these two. I feel like they probably do have strong feelings for one another but, they can’t admit it cause they’re soldiers and huntsmen.

Or…

Two: It’s the alternative where Elm and Vine are already in a relationship but they keep it under wraps from their teammates. But even though, Vine wishes the progress their relationship, Elm is adamant on keeping up their facades since, as Harriet mentioned in CH4, as soldiers and huntsmen in the field, protecting one another and having your teammates back is part of the job.

But it’s not supposed to go beyond that. As I said, basically your typical ‘never mix business with pleasure’ type of scenario but regardless, we all know how those usually go.

I’d still like to hold onto the thought of Elm and Vine being the two from the Aces who have breached this rule a long time---possibly on a duo mission which brought them closer than they’ve ever been on the team and helped pave the way for their private love affair.

Perhaps Vine secretly has feelings for Elm but is forced to keep them at bay. Or perchance he and Elm are already together-together and that togetherness has been growing more serious by the day---perhaps even with the talk of marriage in the works with Vine wishing to propose to Elm and suggest that they leave the Ace Ops.

Imagine if…that even becomes a point of argument between the pair. Imagine if…Vine and Elm were already a close twosome before they joined the military (y’know just like a certain other younger version of this pair).

Imagine if…Vine has never truly wanted to be a part of the Aces but he did it because he loved Elm and he would’ve done anything to stay by her side. Imagine if it’s one of those love stories where you have a couple in which only one of them dreams of being in something and the only reason the other followed them into the same field was mostly because they just wanted to stay by the person’s side. It was never about them sharing the same goal.

Imagine if…Elm is the one who has always wanted to join the military---be one of the best of the best so being handpicked to join the General’s elite team was like a dream come true for her because she was where she always wanted to be. Vine on the other hand, never really cared for any of it. He just wanted to be with Elm and stay with her to help her achieve her dream as best as he could.

It is said that ‘pruned elm trees act as vine supports and this was taken as a symbol of marriage’.

Imagine if…Vine loved Elm and he’s always supported her through everything just as much as she has. But now he was starting to wonder if their motives for supporting one another were driven by the same thing. Vine supports Elm because he loves her wholeheartedly but…does she only support him because he’s in the Ace Ops with her and its part of her job?

Imagine if…this thought ultimately grows to a point where Vine starts to wonder if he’d been wrong all these years. Staying by Elm’s side out of love..

Dude! This could be great because I’m imagining Vine with Elm being like how things are between Ren and Nora.

And with the way how the show teased us learning more about Nora’s past and had that bit in V7 CH3 where Ren acted funny towards Nora, much to her disappointment, perhaps at some point…Nora will see the discourse between Elm and Vine and it will start to make her question her and Ren.

Was she wrong too? We’ve only heard Nora’s feelings for Ren and know her rationale for staying by his side but…outside of V4, we haven’t gotten the chance to see how much Ren cares for Nora.

I know the show had us believe they were together-together after V4. However, I remember sitting in on MurderofBirds’ Livestream Discussion on YouTube last week and even Arnold was so surprised by Ren’s behaviour that he even took it to believe that they weren’t as together-together as the FNDM believed.

Even though we got that throwaway line from Nora last season when she specifically yelled at Cordovin--- “You get back here with my man!”

While funny and classic Nora, yes, this is still yet another example of Nora expressing her love and devotion to Ren. So we know for a definite fact that Nora loves Ren but….does Ren love Nora?

My fellow Renora shippers, have we been misled? Were we bamboozled and have been mistaken for two whole seasons? Are Nora and Ren not as together-together as we believed? Did we all misunderstand the ending of V4?

Seriously, if there is a love-confession scene to ever come from this season of RWBY, I hope it’s with Renora and I hope it’s Lie Ren finally saying the four magic words that we’ve all been hoping he’d say to Nora since volume one:

“…I love you, Nora.”

I feel like we need a confession from Ren at this point to finally officially seal the Renora deal along with a first kiss initiated by Ren because otherwise, thou art very confused as to what is going on with my precious Flower Power pair.

Hopefully some careful observation from the elm and the vine can aid with this development of this growing pair of pink flowers. And who knows, perhaps this may even help the elm and vine in return with their own relationship. We’ll see.

~LittleMissSquiggles (2019)

#rwby #lie ren #nora valkyrie #elm ederne #vine zeki #rwby renora #rwby elm and vine #rwby theories #shipping the ace ops #rwby remarks

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tact-and-impulse · 4 years

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Shinkane Week Day 1

Shinkane is back and it feels so good!!! A Library Wars AU, because it suits them and because the first novel takes place in 2019.

Prompt: Immortality

Tsunemori was reading during her lunch break again. One hand held the book open, while the other twirled chopsticks through her half-eaten noodles.

He set his tray on the table, before pulling out the chair across from her. “Yo.”

Her eyelashes lifted, and she immediately straightened. “Kougami-san! Um, I thought you went out to collect books.”

“Kagari took over. I suspect he wanted to stop by the game store on the way back.” He unwrapped his burger and dug in.

The library base’s cafeteria was bustling and unsurprisingly, the new recruits were the loudest. Well, except for one new recruit. Tsunemori hadn’t said another word, opting instead to finish her lunch.

Tsunemori Akane. Already, she was cultivating a reputation. Karanomori had raved over her sweet, kind disposition at the front desk. Gino liked her efficiency in the shelves, though he wasn’t forthright about it. And from his standpoint, she was physically strong. Swimming discounted, she had earned excellent scores in the mandatory combat drills. He had paid particular attention to her marksmanship. She was consistently dedicated to disarming, aiming for the dummies’ legs or shoulders, and she was good at it.

Pops had singled her out as a promising one for the elite Task Force. “Why don’t you talk to her outside of training? See if she’s interested.”

To be honest, he didn’t need to be prompted. Two weeks ago, during the induction ceremony, he had already been scanning the new recruits. She was in the first row, and as the group recited the declaration of library responsibility, his gaze fell upon her. It wasn’t something as ridiculous as love at first sight. No, what had caught his eye was…

“Kougami-san, you’re part of the Defense Force, right? Um, would you please tell me what it’s like?”

Oh. He was pleasantly surprised that she brought it up first.

“You don’t want to be a traditional librarian?” Kougami was in the minority, of those who took up arms to protect the books from censorship. A hypocritical stance for the so-called peace-loving librarians, but to be fair, the Sybil Censors were to blame for initiating violence.

“My entry assessment results showed that I have a high aptitude for the Defense Force.”

“Aptitude doesn’t determine everything. In the end, you decide on where you want to be placed. Plenty of trigger-happy rookies would want to be in your shoes.”

She sipped her water. “Aptitude may not determine everything, but for me, it helped to know. In my hometown, I’m the only one who qualified for the Defense Force. I figured there’s something only I can do, something I was meant for.”

“You want a purpose. Well, we can certainly give you that. A Defense Force member is a guardian, not only in good physical shape but also quick-witted. Most of our encounters don’t proceed to bullets; the censors like to use the law on their side, but we have legal support on ours as well. Everything we do, it’s to protect something greater than ourselves, like Proust’s In Search of Lost Time.” He nodded at her book. “That one’s a favorite of mine.”

“Oh!” She glanced at the cover. “I’m not very far into it. I didn’t know this was a genre you liked.”

“Hmph. I read a lot of things. What would I be here for, if I didn’t love books? Books hold a writer’s thoughts. Dreams, theories, emotions. Proper and inappropriate, compassionate and vengeful, repentant and hopeful. In those pages, they become immortal. The censors think the same way, only they equate immortality with perfection and that isn’t true at all. When you look across the ages, people have always been flawed and struggle with themselves. To pretend otherwise would be a rejection of humanity. A little critical thinking on the censors’ end would go a long way.”

She’d been listening attentively, and tilting her head, she inquired. “Then, what about books that spread chaotic ideas? Should they be censored?”

“Critical thinking applies to readers too. Do you disagree?”

“No. People have free will. But I can see Sybil’s perspective on restricting hateful words, in order to maintain peace in society.”

He conceded that, with a curt nod.

She lowered her voice to a murmur. “Can I tell you a secret?”

“Go ahead.”

“When I was in high school, I entered a short story contest. I worked hard and agonized over it, and I was so nervous when the submission date approached. I didn’t win anything but I was proud of the little story, even if it wasn’t the best. So, I understand what you mean.”

Melodious chimes sounded the end of lunch, and they stood to leave.

On their way out, he said offhandedly. “By the way, I’d like to read your short story. What does the immortalized high schooler Tsunemori think?”

She blushed. “She isn’t as eloquent as you’d think, Kougami-san!”

He laughed. Indeed, she would be a perfect fit for the Task Force. After all, what had caught his eye…

What had caught his eye was the purity in her expression. This girl would defend the written word without taking a single life, and she was someone he would like to walk beside.

#psycho pass #shinkane #shinkaneweek #kougami shinya #tsunemori akane #also funny because 2 voice actors are shared by the library wars cast and og unit 1

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k-racer · 4 years

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A Formula 1 Fantasy Universe using GPM2 2019 Mod: Intro, entry list, and race calendar

Hello there, after a long break from posting stuff on here.

This is going to be a randomized let’s play of Grand Prix Manager 2, using the recently released 2019 mod as a foundation, but with three expansion teams joining in so that we have a full 26 car entry list. I will be taking control as one of the expansion teams, so enjoy the ride!

The 2019 Entry List

Here’s what the lineups look like for all 13 teams after conducting a Draft Lottery and a snake format Fantasy Draft based off the lottery results complete with a preview of what I think the team’s fortunes are. Remember, in F1 each team can only have two race drivers at a time, and a backup reserve driver is highly recommended and actually required by the game itself. That’s the main reason why each team must have three drivers signed before the start of the season!

Mercedes

14 Fernando Alonso

63 George Russell

T 24 Lucas di Grassi

Will Fernando Alonso finally gets his elusive third Driver’s title? With the best overall car on paper, this is his best and probably final chance that he gets to do just that! On the other side of the garage is George Russell, who will make his F1 debut under massive pressures to perform straight away. George already has proven everything in the junior categories, winning titles in every single category of the ladder, F4, F3 and F2. This has the potential to be awesome like their recent successes over the last five years or maybe it would turn into a nightmare like when Alonso had to partner Hamilton in 2007?

Ferrari

27 Nico Hulkenberg

99 Antonio Giovanizzi

R 28 Brendon Hartley

The Number 27 is officially back on a Ferrari! With Ferrari signing Nico Hulkenberg, they have just gotten a driver that was looking for a top tier ride all of this time, and he finally got his wish. He will perform with a chip on his shoulder and maybe take the Tifosi by the neck and push them to work harder than ever to get that elusive team’s title back to Italy. The biggest question mark regarding the Scuderia is the #2 slot with Antonio Giovanizzi, who only has two f1 starts to his name with Sauber as an injury replacement, but he had to struggle with an inferior car, maybe being in an elite team will help him?

Red Bull-Aston Martin

33 Max Verstappen

25 Jean Eric Vergne

T 37 Nick Cassidy

Max Verstappen was going to stay put as soon as it was announced that Red Bull Racing would get the first pick in the lottery. Now, the bigger question, can Max become the second Red Bull driver to win the Driver’s title? His chances are decent but the biggest question mark is the new in-house built Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR1 engine. If it’s reliable, expect them to be contenders for the team’s title, especially if Jean Eric Vergne relishes his second chance in Formula 1, fresh after winning the Formula E Championship. If not, Nick Cassidy, the team’s new tester will have a stab at things sooner than later.

Renault

3 Daniel Riccardo

77 Valtteri Bottas

T 6 Artem Markelov

Mr. Smiley has a new home! After being treated harshly at red bull racing last year, he decided to exit the program altogether and joined a factory team in desperate need of a savior. In addition, Valtteri Bottas, a perfect #2 driver during his time at Mercedes AMG before being let go over the lack of one-lap qualifying pace relative to Hamilton joins the Enstone-based team looking to crack into the big three conversation once again. What does this mean for Artem Markelov, who was looking to crack into F1 after finishing 2nd in F2 during the 2017 season? He will be a hot prospect going forward, that’s for sure.

Haas-Ferrari

11 Sergio Perez

88 Robert Kubica

T 50 Josef Newgarden

Money is starting to be a problem over at Haas especially if the rumors that Rich Energy is a faker happens to be true. In the meantime, they have Sergio Perez’s Carlos Slim backing of companies providing a more stable back-up package if the Rich Energy deal happens to be blocked by a court. On the other side, is an amazing comeback story, Robert Kubica, who almost lost his life before the 2011 F1 season, is officially back in a F1 race seat. There’s no question that his qualifying pace is still great, but how can his race pace be especially considering his physical limitations post-rally crash?

Racing Point-BWT

31 Esteban Ocon

94 Pascal Wehrlein

T 34 Nyck de Vries

Racing Point is now officially a full-fledged constructor now. They still have a customer Mercedes Benz Engine but it’s rebadged as BWT. As for their drivers, they kept Esteban Ocon, a promising talent that is looking for a promotion to Mercedes AMG, when and if Fernando Alonso calls it quits. Pascal Wehrlein, who is back into a F1 race seat after a year’s worth of testing work with Ferrari is the other driver. Nyck de Vries is the team’s reserve driver, after getting his F1 super license thanks in part of his stellar F2 finish last year.

McLaren-Cosworth

44 Lewis Hamilton

20 Kevin Magnussen

T 40 Paul Di Resta

Just as Lewis Hamilton was looking like he could potentially get his 6th drivers title, the FIA has decided to conduct a sport-wide fantasy draft in an effort to stop his domination. Despite this, Lewis Hamilton has returned back to McLaren, after Zak Brown selected him 3rd overall in the draft. With McLaren rebuilding after years of devastating management calls since Lewis left before the 2013 season, the hope is that he turns them back into title winners. His teammate would be Kevin Magnussen, who is also returning to the team for a second stint. Hopefully, the in-house built Cosworth engine is up for the task.

Alfa Romeo

5 Sebastian Vettel

13 Pastor Maldonado

T 36 Luca Ghiotto

The newly renamed Alfa Romeo F1 team, who is now building their own engines, has managed to steal an elite level qualifying talent to spearhead their rebirth since flopping big time during the ground effect era of the early 80’s. Sebastian Vettel who failed Ferrari thanks to the massive pressures of driving for the Tifosi, has returned back to the team that gave him his F1 debut in 2007. However, in a highly debatable move, the Alfa Romeo Management decided to give the second seat to an interesting driver, Pastor Maldonado, who was out of F1 since the end of 2015 has somehow got more money to spare!

Toro Rosso-Honda

10 Pierre Gasly

23 Alexander Albon

T 53 Alexander Rossi

Entering year two of the Honda engine partnership, Toro Rosso are hoping to build on a modest start by improving driver talent across the board. Pierre Gasly stays put which is a good thing for research and development work. Alexander Albon, a relatively late addition to the draft, was selected as the team’s second driver after initially was hoping to crack into Formula E instead. As for the test driver, that role falls on a resurgent Alexander Rossi, after spending the last three years back in the United States honing on his race craft in the IndyCar championship.

Williams-Mercedes

7 Kimi Raikkonen

4 Lando Norris

T 21 Esteban Guiterrez

Things couldn’t get much worse for Claire Williams, right? After going for the extra money in 2018, which backfired them in the worst possible way. They are now going in the opposite direction, going for experience and proven quantities that can help set up and develop a car that desperately needs it. Kimi Raikkonen, an elite racing talent still at this point of his career despite losing some outright one-lap pace over the last few seasons, signs on a one-year prove it deal. For the other seat, they are going with Rookie Lando Norris the 2nd place finisher in F2 last year, who has star level qualities already.

Panthera-Honda (User Controlled by Myself)

16 Charles Leclerc

18 Lance Stroll

T 70 Naoki Yamamoto

Now for the brand-new teams that will enter Formula 1 in 2019. First up, Panthera Team Asia, who will use Customer Honda Engines. It also helps that this expansion team got the 2nd overall pick in the draft and snatched Charles Leclerc away from Alfa Romeo. He can lead this team far if given a solid baseline to begin with. The bigger issue is at the #2 seat, with Lance Stroll, now being separated from his rich dad for the first time in his racing career, after Lawrence decided to run the Racing Point team. How well can he respond to this separation? At worst, Naoki Yamamoto is a quality driver that should get some looks.

SMP-Renault

26 Daniil Kvyat

2 Stoffel Vandoorne

T 35 Sergey Sirotkin

The second of the three Brand-new teams, SMP Racing has decided to go with two drivers looking for fresh starts to their F1 careers after fizzing out with their previous teams. Daniil Kyvat, who bombed out with Red Bull and refined his career with a simulator job at Ferrari the previous year, has a new lease at life with SMP racing. The other seat will be taken by Stoffel Vandoorne, who failed to produce alongside Fernando Alonso at McLaren over the last couple years, but he should be better in a lower-pressure environment. Sergey Sirotkin, the team’s reserve, pays the bills for the Renault engines if anything.

Campos-Porsche

55 Carlos Sainz Jr.

8 Romain Grosjean

T 9 Marcus Ericsson

The last of the three Brand-New teams, Campos Racing has managed to convince Porsche to return to Formula 1 as an engine supplier only. As for their drivers entering 2019, they managed to draft Carlos Sainz Jr. with the 4th pick in the draft, and he will spearhead the charge for this young team that is looking for a role model to rally around. As for the other race driver, they are counting on Romain Grosjean to be less of a crasher in the races and more helpful with feedback during the practice sessions. If that doesn’t happen, Marcus Ericsson, a useful veteran is always welcome to try.

The 2019 Race Calendar

1 Albert Park: Melbourne, Australia

2 Bahrain International Circuit: Sakhir, Bahrain

3 Circuit de Catalunya: Barcelona, Spain

4 Monte Carlo Street Circuit: Monte Carlo, Monaco

5 Circuit Gilles Villeneuve: Montreal, Canada

6 Silverstone Circuit: Silverstone, Great Britain

7 Nurburgring: Nurburg, Germany

8 Hungaroring: Budapest, Hungary

9 Spa-Franchorchamps: Spa, Belgium

10 Monza Circuit: Monza, Italy

11 Marina Bay Street Circuit: Singapore

12 Suzuka Circuit: Suzuka, Japan

13 Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez: Mexico City, Mexico

14 Circuit of the Americas: Austin, United States

15 Interlagos Circuit: Sao Paulo, Brazil

16 Yas Marina Circuit: Abu Dhabi, UAE

The First round will be posted shortly, stay tuned!

#formula 1 #f1 #onlyinagame #alternate universe #grand prix manager 2 #letsplay

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thesportssoundoff · 4 years

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Playoff Droughts And Who Can Break Theirs

Joey

Baseball season is approaching and in the interest of breaking up the monotony of what figures to be a LONG and painful spring training, I wanted to take a peek whimsically while looking backwards. There's no more enjoyable story than when a team that's been excluded from the postseason dance for quite some time gets their invite. Sometimes it's years of hard work and team building and other years its due to ownership just throwing money around and sometimes? It's just a fluke luck circumstance not to be repeated for quite some time. For the sake of doing something of a bit of a project, I decided to take a brief look at teams that have not made the playoffs in over five years. I chose five years arbitrarily I suppose because to me five years or more without a playoff run is a genuine drought whereas four or less just feels like a lull regardless of expectations. Yankees fans may consider three years without the playoffs to be a drought whereas that's if anything a lull or a break in tradition. Teams that have been out of it for five years or more are teams that are either mired in long term BAD baseball or embracing mediocrity at best and so five years just felt right. Also I wanted to do it since the invent of the two game wild card but then it would be literally just three teams and nobody wants that.

Of the eight teams who have missed the playoffs for five years straight or longer, who are most likely to break that streak and join the dance? Well...

1- Philadelphia Phillies Last Playoff Appearance: 2011

Last year's darling picks, the Phillies have been out of the playoffs since 2011. For fun facts, 2011 was also the first year of the Chromebook, snapchat and the release of Elder Scrolls: Skryim. If you read this space for MMA? 2011 was the year Jon Jones beat Shogun for the LHW title, the Strikeforce HW Grand Prix started and Alistair Overeem's UFC debut. It's been a while and to the credit of Philadelphia, they've tried a multitude of ways from riding out the final years of aging veterans to rehauling their farm system to spending and spending big. It's not for a lack of trying they haven't made it back to the playoffs! Last year they seemed armed to roll through a perceived weak NL East with big names and big money across the board. Of course little did we know the Nationals would be better without Bryce Harper and the Phillies wouldn't even crack the top two of the division. Out goes Gabe Kapler and in comes Joe Girardi who will be tasked with VETERAN MANAGING his way through this ultra talented and underachieving roster that has added the likes of Zach Wheeler, Didi Gregorious as well as Andrew McCutchen who was lost early into 2019 with a torn ACL. The Phillies boast an insane line up as if Didi and Cutch are healthy and productive then you've got a core of Jean Segura, JT Realmuto, Didi, McCutchen, Rhys Hoskins and Bryce Harper. The rotation is pretty damn spiffy (health permitting) with Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Zach Eflin and Jake Arrieta plus flostam as a fifth if need be. The Phillies are always going to be a team that has slumps magnified and streaks glorified (such is life with Bryce Harper) but I can't see them not cracking the playoffs in some form or fashion this year. If they don't make the playoffs, we may need to try and discuss if there's some kind of a curse out there on the Phanatic.

2- Cincinnati Reds Last Playoff Appearance: 2013

Gotta admit I had no idea the Reds had a playoff cameo back in 2013. Guess that's just one of those years lost to time. Fun facts of 2013? Grand Theft Auto 5 came out that year, Yahoo purchased this hell site and the UFC brought women into the organization for the first time ever. The Reds spoke openly about wanting to spend a bit in the offseason and so they did, flexing some financial muscle with deals for Mike Moustakas, Shogo Akiyama and Nick Castellanos to help out a lineup featuring the likes of Joey Votto, Nick Senzel and Eugenio Suarez. If the Reds are going to make a serious run of things, it'll likely be on the arms of a rejuvenated Sonny Gray, mercurial Trevor Bauer and the league's best kept secret to casual fans Luis Castillo. There's obviously going to be concerns about a team that hits a lot of dingers but strikes out a bunch and a somewhat unheralded bullpen but the Reds have power, they've gotten better and they've got a cadre of arms to flex at any time. Also? The NL Central figures to be up in the air as the Cubs seem to coast with the core they have until the rebuild comes around, the Cardinals and Brewers underwent massive changes and the Pirates figure to be flat out bad. There's never been a more clear path for the Reds to make some October noise.

3- Los Angeles Angels Last Playoff Appearance: 2014

The year is 2014. In the real world, Colorado legalizes the purchase of wacky tobacky, selfies became "a thing" in need of forever going away and the occulus rift creates a youtube grift genre. Sports wise? The MLB struggles through record rating woes, the Cowboys finally break through in the Jason Garrett tenure with a 12-4 record, the UFC is undergoing massive upheaval as stars retire or are suspended for PEDs, Bellator hosts its first PPV which in turn leads to the ousting of Bjorn Rebney for Scott Coker and LeBron James leaves Miami to go back where it all began in Cleveland. That's the last time the Angels saw a playoff game and it's been beaten to death at this point. "WHY DON'T THE ANGELS MAKE THE PLAYOFFS DURING MIKE TROUT'S PRIME?!" is tired and done to death but for those of you who feel the same way, 2020 marks the BEST chance for that to become a fad question (or perhaps just morph into "WHY CAN'T THE BEST PLAYER IN BASEBALL WIN THE WORLD SERIES ON HIS OWN?!") since the Angels are pretty damn loaded for bare. With the Astros about to endure a pretty weird season and the A's always lurking, the Angels will roll into the year with three bonafide superstars in Anthony Rendon, Shohei Otani and Mike Trout. The pieces around them aren't bad shakes either as Andrelton Simmons is a defensive whiz, David Fletcher is one of those solid under the radar types and the rotation isn't flashy but it should be competent with minor league depth to make moves if they see a big fish out there. The Angels would've been higher up had they gotten Ross Stripling and Joc Pedersen in a deal but since that fell off, I feel like 3rd behind the Reds and Phillies is a fine spot to put them in.

4- Chicago White Sox Last Playoff Appearance: 2008

2008 will probably best be known as the year of change headlined by the election of Barack Obama as President of the United States. It was the year Fidel Castro stepped down in Cuba. China got the olympics in Beijing and people were TOTALLY cool about that with nary any controversy whatsoever. Beyond that? 2008 was the year I got into MMA and that was a special time, dudes. It was also the year where the White Sox saw their last real sustained succeed with its last postseason appearance. The White Sox feel like they've been in a rebuild since pretty much the end of the Ozzie Guillen tenure and despite multiple managers, multiple attempts to figure it out, rebuilds aplenty and some damn good talent coming through the organization, it's been a rough go of it for the majority of 2010 to 2019. Put it this way, the LAST time the White Sox made the playoffs, Chris Sale was a 22 year old rookie and Paul Konerko was still an active player. They've got a chance to kick off this next decade as a bit of a sleeper team in the Central. This team can hit and one can assume that another year of development for phenom talents like Yoan Moncada and Eloy Jiminez can only help. Tim Anderson for better or worse has a style and swagger that generates attention but it is fair to remember that for at least one half a season, he was a phenomenal player worthy of the acclaim. The White Sox have tried hard to secure elite free agents (Manny Machado and Zack Wheeler) but it's been a bust so at this point it's going to be up to them to draft, develop and trade for it. It would not surprise me if the White Sox are good enough in June and July to make a big deal to try and push them over the hump and chase for the second wild card.

5- San Diego Padres Last Playoff Appearance: 2006

The Padres last made the playoffs in the year of the Nintendo Wii. Floyd Mayweather hadn't even come up with his Money Mayweather gimmick yet! Lost to baseball obscurity, the Padres had at the very least an interesting team out west. The likes of Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr, arguably the worst defensive outfield in the history of the universe and freakishly good young arms like Chris Paddack and Joey Luchessi at least made them fun to watch. They weren't "good" but this is a team that was still struggling to balance expensive veterans with clout (Machado, Eric Hosmer, Will Meyers) with really good young talent trying to figure things out. The Padres figure to be better with a full season of Tatis Jr, more production from guys like Hosmer and Machado plus improvements in the outfield with Tommy Pham and Trent Grisham (hold your jokes, Nats fans) figure to give this team a chance. There's a pretty good bullpen (Emilio Pagan is a sneaky nice pick up) and plenty of talent in their 26 man roster. The NL West has so much legit top talent with the D-Backs and Dodgers figuring to be really good that it's hard to make an argument for the Padres to be a playoff contender but they figure to try and trying is truly half the battle.

6- Miami Marlins Last Playoff Appearance: 2003

It's kind of a bummer that we didn't get our decennial Marlins "The fuck?" World Series win but they made up for it by giving us Jeffrey Loria and David Samson fucking things up for most of the decade leading to Derek FUCKING Jeter opting to get into the management game much to the chagrin of most folks on all sides. The Marlins are in the midst of rebuilding....again. Don't expect them to compete but they've got some good talent to at least want to see play. Brian Anderson, Caleb Smith, Jorge Alfaro and a bundle of veteran signings that will at the very least make the Marlins a fun trade partner in July will keep this team relevant. Wouldn't surprise me if the Marlins flirt with a 20 win swing from where they were last year.

7- Seattle Mariners Last Playoff Appearance: 2001

My god man. The Mariners were SO close in 2018, winning 89 games and finishing a few spots out of a Wild Card spot. As if they decided that this core couldn't do it, the Mariners went to work tearing their team apart and were rewarded with a pretty blegh squad that was once again picked apart at the deadline. To their credit they have some spiffy talent worth watching, namely the infield duo of JP Crawford and Shed Long. They’ve also got some fun young arms who might take the next step. Just don't expect them to win many games.

8- Detroit Tigers Last Playoff Appearance: 2014

The Tigers are aways away from being contenders. They're not trying to be contenders. They're in the midst of what could best be described as a multiple year rebuild after riding out the end days of the core from the start of the 2010's. They will be bad but god bless 'em for embracing it.

#MLB #playoffs #baseball

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mcmuppet · 9 months

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no rookie class will ever top them 💚🧡💙

credit: @/mercedesamgf1 on insta

#2019 rookies are elite they always will be #little lando #little georgie #little alex #i love them to bits #mclaren #mercedes #williams #f1 #lando norris #george russell #alex albon

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jrgsportsbuzz · 5 years

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WISCONSIN'S MVP QUARTET

Fans of Wisconsin sports teams produce a mixed bag of reactions when asked about how it feels to be said fan. Some point to the overall success of the teams while others are somewhat down about the lack of championships.

However, no one can deny the talent of the athletes the state’s sports fans have the privilege of witnessing. The four players who have taken home their sport’s top honors represent a perfect mix of the past, present and future.

The Milwaukee Brewers and Green Bay Packers have three players between the two teams that have won Most Valuable Player awards in Major League Baseball (MLB) and the National Football League (NFL), respectively. Brewers outfielders Ryan Braun and Christian Yelich won the National League (NL) MVP in 2011 and 2018 and Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers took home the NFL’s top hardware in 2011 and 2014.

Now, the Milwaukee Bucks have joined the fray, as forward Giannis Antetokounmpo is the National Basketball Association’s MVP for 2019. Giannis is the Bucks’ first MVP since Hall of Fame center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar won the award as a member of the team in 1971, 1972 and 1974. The long and uber-athletic Giannis led Milwaukee to its best season since 1980-81 this past year, finishing with a scoring average above 25 points per game, rebounding average above 10 per game and an assist average above five. He has improved in each of his six seasons in the NBA and has established himself as one of the league’s icons. The Bucks’ lethal transition offense ran through Antetokounmpo, as he was the league’s top paint scorer by virtue of many easy layups and dunks on the fast break. Giannis still needs to improve his jump shot, but the increased team production from beyond the 3-point line allowed him to remain one of the NBA’s elite despite his shaky jumper. Giannis brought the NBA’s top player award back to Milwaukee for the first time in 45 years and, at age 24, could bring it home on a few more occasions throughout his career.

Braun and Rodgers are seasoned veterans who have been entertaining fans of Wisconsin sports for just over a decade now, while Yelich and Giannis are young phenoms who could provide similar excitement for years to come.

Yelich broke through in his first season in Milwaukee in 2018. The right fielder was a solid hitter through the first half of the season, but was otherworldly following the All-Star break and has continued that amazing hitting into 2019. He spearheaded the Brewers’ hot stretch during the final month and a half of 2018 that earned the team its first playoff berth since 2011 (Braun’s MVP year). That torrid second half allowed Yelich to beat out Chicago Cubs’ infielder Javier Baez for the NL’s top honor. Yelich is also putting up one of the best seasons in Brewers’ history in 2019 and could be well on his way to winning another MVP.

Rodgers has consistently been one of the NFL’s top quarterbacks throughout this decade, with many arguing for him being the best. He is one of the league’s craftiest field generals and has always been the league’s best at avoiding mistakes and turnovers. He won the MVP award in 2011 after leading the Packers to a 15-1 season following a Super Bowl XLV victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers the previous season, in which he was named MVP of the game. Rodgers then won his second MVP three years later in 2014 during a season that ended in a fashion that Packers fans need not rehash. Despite the declining talent around him, Rodgers has remained one of the top signal-callers in football and has been the main reason for the Packers’ success during this decade.

Braun’s MVP award in 2011 was the most controversial, as many around baseball, including some Brewers fans, do not believe he was deserving of the award because of steroid use. However, on stats and success of his team, Braun’s case was as strong, if not stronger, than anyone else in the NL that season. Braun, while not being what he once was, still is a productive outfielder for Milwaukee and is a great complementary piece for Yelich and center fielder Lorenzo Cain. Those three, along with utility outfielder Ben Gamel, combine to give the Brewers one of the best groups of outfielders in the league.

A lot of fans and followers of Wisconsin professional sports praise the success of the teams but are critical of the fact that they only have one championship while having these special athletes (Packers SBXLV win).

The Packers have been the most criticized because of their many playoff appearances with Rodgers at the controls and only one championship to show for it. The team has been to two NFC championship games since, including the 2017 blowout loss to the Atlanta Falcons and the appearance two years prior. Green Bay has fallen on hard times since that 2017 loss, having not made the playoffs the past two seasons and firing coach Mike McCarthy, who was the head man during the Super Bowl victory.

The Bucks’ rebuild finally culminated in a successful year in 2018-19, but fans waited 18 painstaking years for the team to advance past the first round of the playoffs before their Eastern Conference Finals appearance this past season. Milwaukee was one of the league’s most downtrodden franchises during most of the 2000s and the first half of this decade, as they were consistently mediocre at best during the latter part of previous owner Herb Kohl’s tenure. The team’s rebuild and new arena are a function of shrewd management and ownership under New York hedge fund investors Marc Lasry and Wes Edens.

The Brewers have been a struggling franchise throughout the majority of their existence (first season was 1969 as the Seattle Pilots, moved to Milwaukee and became the Brewers in 1970). However, the general manager and manager pair of David Stearns and Craig Counsell, respectively, have turned the franchise into a winner for the time being. Acquiring Yelich and Cain before last season turned a talented, up-and-coming team into a World Series contender, but the Brewers are one of the smallest markets in baseball. They will likely need to win a title with a lot of their current group, or could face another painful rebuilding process.

Despite the lack of trophies, most fans do appreciate the talent of the star athletes of the Wisconsin teams. Wisconsin fans are very lucky to have some of the country’s premier sports stars suiting up for their home franchises.

Giannis could be the most gifted player the Bucks have ever had and he has become the cornerstone of the franchise at age 24. He went from being a thin, raw rookie in 2013 to one of the NBA’s dominant forces and was one of the best NBA Draft steals of all time. Much of the newfound excitement for a once-moribund franchise can be attributed to the player known as “The Greek Freak”.

The Brewers acquired Yelich in a trade with the Miami Marlins for four minor league prospects in January 2018, one day before signing Cain to a 5-year, $80 million deal. Yelich was always a solid player in Miami and continued that in Milwaukee en route to his first All-Star appearance last season. However, he became inarguably the best hitter in baseball during the latter two-plus months of 2018 and will be the main piece of the Brewers’ lineup for years to come thanks to his team-friendly contract that doesn’t expire until 2023.

Rodgers has spent many years as one of the NFL’s top quarterbacks and, at age 35, can be considered a legend. He took the reins from Hall of Fame signal-caller Brett Favre in 2008 and has continued the Packers’ legacy of outstanding passers. Rodgers has been at the controls of offenses that consistently rank among the NFL’s best during his time as the Packers’ quarterback and has shown an ability to make a good receiver out of almost anyone. He has shown some signs of slowing down later in his career, but he still can produce better than most at his position.

Braun came up as a hitting prodigy in 2007 and has remained a solid piece of the Brewers’ lineup despite no longer being one of the league’s stars. He likely will remain with the team throughout the rest of his career and is one of the team’s all-time leaders in nearly every hitting category. His leadership was invaluable during the Brewers’ late-season push in 2018 and continues to be during this current renaissance of the franchise.

The presence of Yelich, Braun, Giannis and Rodgers have generated much excitement for Wisconsin sports during their tenures here. With their presence has come success, though not as much as some people have hoped for. However, these four are special talents who have been linchpins for their teams for a long time (Braun, Rodgers) and provide excitement for the future (Yelich, Giannis).

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coach-cole · 5 years

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2019 NFL Mock Draft Par 3

Here is the final part of my 2019 mock draft

21. Seattle Seahawks: Noah Fant, TE, Iowa: The Seahawks could go several directions here with needs in the defensive backfield but given how much they spent to sign Russell Wilson, they might want to keep him happy and a top notch receiving threat like Fant makes a lot of sense. Fant is more of a big receiver and has shown tremendous speed and explosion to create separation against linebackers and the strength to dominate smaller defensive backs. Fant should step in immediately and become an effective receiver on the inside.

22. Baltimore Ravens: Marquise Brown, WR, Oklahoma: The Ravens have said that a major part of their offseason will be giving Lamar Jackson the weapons that he needs to succeed and that starts by giving him an athletic downfield threat to take the top off of a defense and create separation. Brown is blessed with top notch speed and explosion to create separation against any pro defensive back and will make the big play when needed. However he lacks great size and strength and could be an injury risk at the next level.

23. Houston Texans: Cody Ford, OL, Oklahoma: Ford is the best offensive lineman available at this point in the draft and the Texans desperately need to add talent along the offensive front. Ford is a powerful run blocker with enough length and strength to be effective as a pass blocker. Ford is overweight and will likely need to move inside at the next level, though he could work as a right tackle in a pinch. They need to protect Deshaun Watson and Ford could give him that extra half second to find the receiver downfield.

24. Oakland Raiders: Josh Jacobs, RB, Alabama: The Raiders luck out and give John Gruden a powerful inside runner to take the pressure off of Derek Carr. Jacobs is a stout and powerful inside rusher with a low center of gravity and driving legs that can consistently get those tough 3-4 yards between the tackles, though he lacks elite speed and explosion and likely will never be able to create massive plays in the air.

25. Philadelphia Eagles: Jeffery Simmons, DT, Mississippi State: I fully believe that the Eagles will take the best player available, though they could move up to get Josh Jacobs. However in this mock they take Jeffery Simmons, a player that has top 10 talent and likely would be the best defensive tackle prospect in most other drafts. Simmons has some off the field issues and has dealt with injuries but he possesses a tremendous mix of strength and athleticism that allows him to play all over the defensive line and could be a top notch player once he gets back from injury.

26. Indianapolis Colts: Rock Ya-Sin, CB, Temple: The Colts would have loved Simmons here but this allows them to address their defensive backfield that has had issues defending the pass all year. Ya-Sin is an athletic corner prospect that could play inside or outside and shows tremendous ability as a man coverage corner that easily tracks the ball downfield. Ya-Sin could evolve into a lock down corner but will need to clean up his footwork to consistently lock receivers down.

27. Oakland Raiders: Clelin Ferrell, DE, Clemson: The Raiders could go QB here but I believe that they need to spend one of their 1st round picks on an outside pass rusher and Ferrell happens to be the best player left on the board. Ferrell has all the attributes you could want from and athletic edge rusher with a top notch get off, a array of pass rushing moves and the raw speed to chase down ball carriers when he wants to. However getting him to show consistent effort is an issue and he has issues rushing the passer when he doesn’t have his hand in the ground.

28. Los Angeles Chargers: Greg Little, OT, Ole Miss: This is a bit of a surprise pick but adding offensive line help to protect Phillip Rivers during the final part of his career should be a major need and Little is quietly one of the best pass blockers and athletes along the offensive line. Little has consistently performed since coming out of high school and though he doesn’t have elite strength to anchor he has the quickness and technique to keep between the pass rusher and the QB.

29. Seattle Seahawks (from KC Chiefs): Greedy Williams, CB, LSU: The Seahawks have a lot of needs, especially since they traded away their best pass rusher for this pick and they could very easily select Brian Burns here. However I fully believe that they will go defensive back here and Williams has the look of a prototypical Seattle cornerback with impressive length, great athleticism and ball skills to knock passes down at a very high rate. Williams had a decrease in production from his freshman to his sophomore year but he would make a lot of sense here.

30. Green Bay Packers: Irv Smith Jr., TE, Alabama: The Packers could use another receiving threat for Aaron Rodgers and, despite the new coaching staff, I can’t imagine that the new coaches picking a QB at this point in the draft. Smith is a complete tight end, though he is a top notch receiver in an H-back mold. He shows the speed to consistently create separation on safeties and linebackers and is very physical at the point of attack. Smith will likely need to add some weight to be used as an inline tight end but his receiving talent should guarantee that he stays on the field.

31. Los Angeles Rams: Erik McCoy, C, Texas A&M: The Rams need to add more talent along the offensive line, and with most of the 1st round tackles off the board they go with the best remaining center. McCoy is very athletic with top notch technique and control and despite not being massive he is able to stonewall larger defenders with leverage and technique. He needs to add more strength at the pro level and needs to show better lower body strength consistently but he should be a day 1 starter and could reach the Pro Bowl.

32. New England Patriots: N’Keal Harry, WR, Arizona State: The Patriots are always a wild card and they could go several different directions with this pick, including trading down, but with the loss of Gronkowski they will need a powerful downfield threat that can go up and get the ball and Harry fits that role perfectly. Harry brings huge size and power to the receiver position and shows tremendous tracking ability downfield along with being arguably the best blocking receiver in the draft. Harry creates the same matchup issue for defenses and could be played all over the field as a rookie.

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junker-town · 2 years

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The Knicks are getting 2019 Duke back together, and they’re only missing Zion Williamson

Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images

The Knicks are Zion Williamson short of getting 2019 Duke back together.

The New York Knicks were the NBA’s biggest surprise last season. The Knicks entered the year expected to be one of the worst teams in the league before a shocking turnaround in their first season under Tom Thibodeau that saw them earn home court advantage in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Unfortunately for the Knicks, the clock struck midnight when the postseason began, and their charmed year ultimately had a sour ending when Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks dominated New York over five games.

The Knicks hoped to build off last season’s success heading into Year 2 under Thibodeau, but it just hasn’t happened. Halfway through the season, the Knicks are a .500 team and would miss the play-in tournament if the season ended today. Part of that is because the East is much improved from last season; part of it is because several key performers — most notably, reigning All-NBA forward Julius Randle — have experienced significant downturns in production. The Knicks aren’t bad in the ways they’ve usually been bad, but they are still disappointing.

On Thursday, the Knicks swung a trade for another piece in attempt to make a push up the standings. New York acquired Cam Reddish from the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for a 2022 first round pick originally owned by the Charlotte Hornets and fourth-year wing Kevin Knox. Reddish should provide minutes on the wing for New York right away, but it’s more fun to think about how the deal could impact the franchise’s future.

Only a few years back, Duke basketball had one of the greatest freshmen classes in recent memory. The Blue Devils landed the top three recruits in the country for the first time in the modern history of college basketball in RJ Barrett, Zion Williamson, and Cam Reddish. Duke also had another consensus top-20 recruit in Tre Jones.

While Barrett was the consensus top prospect heading into the year, Williamson immediately emerged as a supernova. He was one of the great talents college basketball has seen over the last decade, and it made every Duke game feel like a must-watch. While Williamson thrived, Barrett and Reddish also had their moments. Duke earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament and was the favorite to win the national championship before getting stunned by Michigan State in the Elite Eight.

Williamson was the no-brainer top prospect heading into the draft, with 14 NBA teams hanging on the lottery results to see who would get him. The New Orleans Pelicans jumped way up the order to be the shocking winners of the No. 1 pick and the rights to Williamson. The Knicks came in with the third pick. Williamson was reportedly bummed to see Knicks fall to No. 3 because he’s always had an affinity for playing in Madison Square Garden.

Zion went No. 1 to the Pelicans, the Knicks took Barrett at No. 3, and Reddish went No. 10 to the Atlanta Hawks.

Fast forward two and a half years, and Barrett and Reddish are together again playing in New York. Williamson hasn’t played a game all season as he recovers from a foot injury, but he’s been incredible for the Pelicans when he’s actually on the court. Unfortunately for the Pelicans, Zion’s love of New York has never really dissipated. There have been reports he’s been upset with the direction of the Pelicans, and he never misses an opportunity to talk about how much he loves Madison Square Garden.

*throws Molotov cocktail onto the timeline* pic.twitter.com/8pIeG2x4G5

— Kazeem Famuyide (@Kazeem) April 18, 2021

Now Williamson’s close friends Barrett and Reddish are together on the Knicks. Williamson remains stuck in New Orleans, and he might not play all year because of this foot injury. All three players have one more year left on their rookie contracts and then will become extension eligible. Anyone who doesn’t sign an extension will have two options: a) become a restricted free agent and give their incumbent team the right to match any offer, or b) play on a one-year qualifying offer and then hit restricted free agency the next year.

Williamson will still likely get a max extension offer from the Pelicans despite his injury issues. He would have to turn down a contract potentially worth $200 million for the right to pick his team starting with his sixth pro season. That’s a huge risk for someone with his injury history, though perhaps Zion’s lucrative endorsement deals make it more palatable.

It’s no secret Zion loves New York. It’s also no secret Zion loves Reddish and Barrett. With the Knicks move to land Reddish on Thursday, it’s possible New York is laying the groundwork to one day land Zion. It’s still complicated getting Williamson to New York, but at this point it’s hard to imagine him playing anywhere else on his next team.

Are the Knicks going to pluck Tre Jones from the Spurs next? What about acquiring Marques Bolden from the Jazz’s G League team? The Knicks are getting the 2019 Duke band back together, and they just need Zion to finish the job.

The Knicks just better hope they don’t see Cassius Winston or any other Spartan in the near future, because we know how that one turned out.

For now, Barrett and Reddish are reunited on the Knicks. Zion is sidelined in the present, and his future remains unknowable. It just isn’t hard to imagine all three coming together again one day in New York.

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