ctots

I tried my best, but I can't muster a single molecule of interest in football. I'm sorry!

I felt like I was being put into and taken out of a pocket at some points in this podcast, but it made for pretty compelling radio. The idea of a top prospects game sounds like it has more "mass appeal" for the league, where an alumni game would be a pretty exclusive roster. DC is at 69, nice. Love to see Oslo doing well, they deserve the success!

I think you're right to prefer a super active first gen, but it's definitely not an opinion that everyone shares. A first gen draft and a recreate draft is a pretty solid middle ground between what currently exists and the suggestion I made, and it would probably resolve increase parity and competition within the M.

This is my league shakeup pitch. There are a few forces at play here that I think we could resolve or reduce with my methods. I’ll do my best to structure this in a way that makes sense. Bear with me, I’ve only had two cups of coffee this morning. Pain Points Recreates are much ‘safer’ high draft picks than first generation players, and as such get preferential treatment in the M draft. The VHLE is the catch basin for players who earned at some point but are now inactive, basically. It’s being intentionally avoided by max earners, and it feels like there is an identity crisis going on to some degree. There is absolutely no parity among teams within a league. Teams are either making a cup run or selling as much as they can to collect resources for future seasons, and the result is that many games of the season aren’t really competitive at all. The Shakeup I am suggesting the VHL move the VHLM and VHLE to exist as two separate minor leagues: the VHLM for first generation players, the VHLE for recreates. They would both roster players from 0 TPE up to 350 TPE. These leagues would draft separately, and the VHL would draft from each league independently. This is a super straightforward idea, so I don’t really need to elaborate on this too much further, I don’t think. Instead, let’s discuss how this change would resolve the pain points outlined above. The Aftermath In post-shakeup society, there is a first gen player going 1OA in two drafts per season. League participation has never been higher by new players. They’re competing with and against their contemporaries instead of veterans who have been involved for 10+ years. VHLM players can look to the VHLE as a goal for their next player, further incentive to stick with the VHL. The VHLE is reinvigorated through the influx of active players. Locker rooms go from dead to functional, rivalries happen, and players who earn at any pace are going to be valuable to their team. Potential Problems Maybe STHS doesn’t do that. There’s fully the possibility that the implementation I’m suggesting would be impossible, and I accept that. Waiver pitching to recreates. Obviously if you pitch to recreates, they’re most likely going to stack a team and just win a cup, right? Introducing: ordered waivers. It’s a thing everyone knows about, but (afaik) there isn’t any implementation in the VHL at this time. Maybe you do the same thing with the VHLM for the sake of consistency, but that wouldn’t necessarily have to be the case. Not enough recreates. I guess it might be possible that there aren’t enough recreates to support an entire league? That doesn’t really feel correct though, since there are some teams this season which are heavily rostered by bot players. No veteran locker room presence. I would argue that while this is true, it would put more value on the GM and AGM influence in the locker room. This would be a good justification for turning the AGM from a “maybe do a press conference sometimes” position into more of a “you’re responsible for the locker room, helping players navigate the site, access resources they need, etc” support role, which would (imo) result in them earning TPE for their work. Conclusion Hooray, ctots saved the day! What a genius! We love ctots!

I think people who invoke the first amendment in private places understand that it doesn’t apply, but they want to make themselves look like the victim. “I’m not the bad guy for saying the offensive thing, you’re the bad guy for telling me it was naughty!” It’s schoolyard tactics and everyone can see through it. While I don’t ask about bans on discord, I 100% dig into the ban thread and try to find the offending posts, where applicable. It’s more interesting to read and talk about things that are going on with users than players - people love real life consequences.

Didn't know what a Ukrainian trap was until just this moment. I appreciate your wisdom, dude. Podcast forever. Fuck content that's design for any sense other than hearing. I also bailed out on finding the path, I was under the assumption that it was gonna be a play by post situation. I have no flexible free time for scheduled fun.

YES. I'm so in.

Warning: Not for Weenie Hut Jr. listeners. Pretty sure I say fuck in this a few times at least. https://anchor.fm/ctots/episodes/VHL-23-e1oj3fd

Can't believe you're talking up your Buruku impression when you did such a more convincing job pretending to be your spouse in the car. I listen through spotify in the car or while I'm out and about often, so usually I forget to leave comments. Definitely will more consciously reply to the threads too. I know how it feels to post content that doesn't get much interaction, it can feel a bit hopeless.

I pointed out your pronunciation to get Jardy's goat, not to make fun of you. If I was going to make fun of you, I'd have to try to pronounce your name wrong. Which would actually be pretty difficult, it's spelled phonetically. Because I am a creature of vanity, I listened all the way through my mention and then tuned out. I assume that since this was posted that you didn't end up careening off the side of a mountain.

Behold! An abomination in honor of our fearless leader, @Enorama!

https://anchor.fm/ctots/episodes/VHL-22---DC-Dragons-Update-e1obdpf

Big pile of tires, neat! "Engineering consultant" "Dirt lasagna" "Frying rocks" "Cook dirt" "Earthworks company" -- We get it, Jardy, you cook meth. Holy shit, that's an absurd distance. People have no business living that far north. Come south, guys. Gas math probably isn't hugely important to a lot of listeners, but it felt necessary. Foxes sound like they're doing a really good impression of the Swedish Chef. Shoutout to Franklin and Little Bear for being fundamental television for children. I got distracted by work and I'm back to say that I love the way you shit on the slow driver. SOME SORT OF TEASE ABOUT NEWS FOR NEXT SEASON? Next season is so fuckin' far from this season, Jardy. Your Hecking Podcast prank did not work on me because I read the timestamps. Take that, you dirty trickster. Good stuff. Drive safe.

You've pretty perfectly described the reason that I fell off in the later days. It was evident that I'd fallen quite far behind the 'tryhard' group and felt like my taking actions were a waste of time when the more clued-in gamers were taking steps to win badges and stuff. Between just generally not knowing what the optimal strategy is and the social pressure of forcing other people to process tasks was enough to make me tap out. It's really well designed thought and I really enjoy the "accessory content" like this that comes out of Town of Pallet. Good luck with your travels on the unpaved Canadian earth, I hope you made it safely to wherever the hell your destination might be.

A war is coming. Two great nations will clash on the battlefield in a scene so hauntingly tragic that it will define the generation. Families will be torn apart, our world will never be the same. The war I’m talking about is, obviously, the VHLM against the VHLE. Since the creation of the VHLE, there has been some degree of tension between the two leagues. Recently, however, users have been speaking out about this conflict and weighing in on who the eventual winner may be. (For context, see Alex’s media spot ‘Why the VHL needs the VHLE’ and Grape’s VHL.com article ‘Extend the M, Abolish the E’) I neither know nor care where this debate actually leads, since I’ll be in the VHL for the next several seasons, but it’s fun to see the conversation happening. If I’m pressed to be on one side or the other, I think I would like to see a solution that relies less on bots to fill gaps in the rosters. I don’t know if that would be best for the VHL as a whole though. Whoever has the responsibility of making those kinds of decisions: I do not envy you. Good luck.

There are dozens of games every week, and the only box scores I ever look at are the games I played in. You’re probably the same way. I’m going to try to learn more about the teams and players by choosing a game to deep dive whenever I’m thirsty for media post content ideas. Here’s the first example: Season 85, Game 144: Malmo Nighthawks vs. Vancouver Wolves Igor Molotov had an aggressive start to the game, called for a hooking penalty three minutes into the first period, and following that with a goal only three minutes later. Dabnad Shaw and Jakub Brozik helped make the play and earned an assist each for their effort. The luck ended there for Malmo, however. Two penalties back to back put Vancouver on a 5-on-3 power play. The Wolves were quick to capitalize on the opportunity, scoring back to back power play goals just thirteen seconds apart. Nico Pearce put the first one past Boris Tsezar from an assist by teammates Miklavz and Leduc. Anze Miklavz buried the go-ahead goal after some clever playmaking by Leduc and Powers. The Nighthawks struggled to maintain control of the puck in the second period, and the shot count reflected that - Vancouver led in that category 19-11 in the middle frame. More importantly, the Wolves extended their lead in minute eight: for the fourth time this season, Henry Eagles pushed it past the goal line. Dogwood Maple and Nico Pearce were up in that play as well, earning an assist each for their effort. The gameplay slowed down significantly in the third period, with a combined 17 shots over the full 20 minutes. Malmo found themselves unable to mount a successful comeback, and Brandt Fuhr stood tall in the crease for Vancouver to protect the two goal lead. Both goalies performed admirably. Malmo’s Boris Tsezar stopped 44 of 47 shots faced in this game. Brandt Fuhr faced a comparatively small 33 shots, and only one found the back of the net. At the time of writing this article the Malmo Nighthawks sit seventh in the overall standings, and fourth in the European Conference. The Vancouver Wolves are also fourth in their conference, but they sit in the ninth position in the overall standings. From a roster strength perspective, it makes sense that Vancouver would pick up the win in this case. There is a roughly 500 TPA difference between Vancouver’s first line forwards and Malmo’s first line forwards, and that difference is quite impactful in this game. Anything can happen in the sim, and certainly strategy and line composition and all of those things make a difference, but in this case the stats predicted the outcome correctly. Personal prediction time: I look to see Vancouver continue to climb in the standings as the season progresses, just based on the veterans that make up the first line for the team. I’m not sure what their projected strength is for the season, and I don’t intend to look it up. However, I have a bit better of an idea of what’s going on in both Malmo and Vancouver this season, so I say this is a mission accomplished situation. Thanks for reading.

Anchor link: https://anchor.fm/ctots/episodes/VHL-21---Car-casting-is-Fashionable-e1nrfkc Spotify: oh neat, spotify embeds in the browser

didn't get a notification for the week 1 post, but i got the notification for the payout post what a tease

Love nature walks love root beer love state parks lol hiking in slides nurx I love you bro 70? it was like fuckin 90 here today Did I hear you pronounce Jardy like yardy? Why is that so adorable? I’m a huge fan I’m 100% down for a disc golf podcast! That’s such a good idea Okay live comments over time to listen passively. Hope you don’t get beaten up by a deer!

Trade confirmed! The Nurse Joy Home for Wayward Teen Livestock continues to grow!

Trade confirmed. Nurse Joy is seen walking away from the trade clutching Weezing closely. "I can fix him," she insists. (Narrator: "She couldn't.")

Day #6 actions 1-4: Work. Also: Nurse Joy is now purchasing all neglected and discarded Pokemon for rehabilitation. (trading money for your lil guys)

After just three games of Season 85, it's plain to see that Baxter Arcanum is in a position to far exceed his stats from last season. He is currently on a bit of a hot streak, serving up three assist in three games. Shifts in the DC roster left the blue line less stacked than it once was, and Arcanum's stat sheet is reaping the benefits. While these numbers will certainly fluctuate over the course of the season, it's interesting to get an early look at how they compare. When playing in the VHLM and the VHLE, Baxter Arcanum averaged around 40 points per season. He fell far short of that in his first VHL season, finding only 14 points over 72 games played. On the other side of the puck, Baxter fell just shy of triple-digit numbers in shots blocked and hits last season. As of today, Arcanum sits at 6 shots blocked and 4 hits -- pacing for well over 100 shots blocked this season, but whether he achieves 100 hits is anyone's guess. There are 69 (nice) games left in the regular season, and StatWatch85 will be tracking the movement of these numbers every step of the way. Is Baxter Arcanum finally one the come-up? Yes. Maybe.

It's so early in the season. Lavelle is going to be a reliable earner, I think. Thank you for not drinking and driving. If you happen to pull over long enough to do a drinking podcast though, it'll be well received.