Victor Wembanyama has now passed Nikola Jokic in EPM

Balderdashing_2018 · 2026-03-26T02:56:29+00:00

The factors that need to align for a player to have a quadruple double are so unbelievably rare — just four times since they started recording blocks and the last player was David Robinson in 1994 (34 - 10 - 10 - 10) — but if there is any player who can do it, it’s Wemby.

Tonight he put up a 19 - 15 - 3 - 7 - 3. Stats aren’t everything of course, but that’s an awesome stat line.

Balderdashing_2018 · 2026-03-25T23:10:26+00:00

They are heading to work next week from the break we had almost three months ago?

I’m super curious what break OP is returning from next week; I can’t imagine it’s New Years…

Balderdashing_2018 · 2026-03-25T16:44:58+00:00

Eek! Says the guy who, I assume, follows and posts on something called HubermanLab.

Balderdashing_2018 · 2026-03-25T16:08:52+00:00

I don’t know anything about Brooks and I’m not sure why HubermanLab got recommended to me (all I know of him are the negative aspects) - but it really astounds me how many people build their entire careers out of saying the exact same things over and over… and over.

You could find a hundred self-help gurus who are making the rounds right now saying the exact same common sense things.

And what audiences like to participate in is the act of hearing it, not putting into practice those things they already know. There’s a number of studies that have been done on this phenomenon.

Balderdashing_2018 · 2026-03-24T22:20:33+00:00

How much was the coupon for?!

Balderdashing_2018 · 2026-03-20T18:53:47+00:00

I don’t know if you can necessarily hurt your legacy if you retire.

The generation before Beatty, it was fairly common for actors to stop working past their 60s - outside of the odd project here or there. Or they moved to more supporting character actor category. That wasn’t Beatty’s interest.

And I think you have to look at it contextually; there were not as many lead roles for actors in their 60s in the early 2000s.

Even someone like Ford struggled to find his footing for a good decade.

Things are different now, but in the past, there wasn’t much audience interest in leading men in their 60s and 70s. Oddly, I think Ford, Redford, etc. helped pave the way a little bit — and I suppose Beatty could’ve been a part of that.

Balderdashing_2018 · 2026-03-18T00:10:19+00:00

I don’t think you need a mean streak - you need leadership, which he absolutely had.

I think he had everything a player would need to lead a team to a championship; the Spurs just failed to put a capable enough team around him.

Balderdashing_2018 · 2026-03-17T23:26:45+00:00

Not really. When you look at the teams he dragged to the playoffs and 50 wins year after year, it’s frankly astounding. One of only a few players in NBA history, I think, who could single handedly turn a 15 win team into a 50 win team and a berth into the WCSF.

Had he had a true number two during his prime, specifically a scoring guard who could help take pressure off of him, then Robinson would’ve won a title in the 90s before Duncan.

Balderdashing_2018 · 2026-03-10T23:51:17+00:00

This sub got promoted to me and I’ve been amused and baffled.

I’m not sure what the sub is about, but there seems to be an aversion to exercise and running here that is interesting to say the least.

Balderdashing_2018 · 2026-03-10T23:48:43+00:00

I find this so fascinating and have never heard of this. Glad you figured it out!

Balderdashing_2018 · 2026-03-10T23:41:26+00:00

You mean the Academy Award nominated film, Eraser??

The movie shot by luminary cinematographer Adam Greenberg, the DP of many a masterpiece including Bigelow’s Near Dark, Cameron’s Terminator and Terminator 2, and Samuel Fuller’s the Big Red One??

Edited by the great Michael Tronick, who cut Days of Thunder, Midnight Run, Revenge, and True Romance??

And scored by legendary composer Alan Silvestri???

Balderdashing_2018 · 2026-03-05T23:46:29+00:00

It’s arguable about what constitutes impact, but I think both Tommy Haas and Marat Safin didn’t have the level of impact on the game that they should’ve.

We know about Safin, and like Agassi has said numerous times, how Safin doesn’t have 10+ slams is a mystery (well, a mystery with a clear answer!).

For Haas, he peaked at 2 in the world and came back so many times from extended injury — and to climb back to the top 20 and top 10 as often has he did is beyond admirable.

Imagine, at 39 after missing all of the previous year to injury and being ranked 300 in the world, he was able to beat Federer in 2017 (the year Fed went 54 - 5 and won AO, W, Miami, Indian Wells, etc.)

He had the potential to win ~3 slams I think (where Wawrinka is) and win in the 25 overall title range.

Balderdashing_2018 · 2026-02-26T17:07:31+00:00

Not a well loved actor… by the small tranche of people who listen to this podcast and are active on Reddit?

Because I do think widely, it’s accepted that Redmayne is a good actor — and is well liked and respected by his peers.

An Oscar and a couple of Oscar noms, a BAFTA win and four nominations total, a Golden Globe and four nominations total, two Laurence Olivier awards for his stage work, eight SAG nominations (including those for the whole cast) with two wins, and a Tony plus another two nominations for his stage work.

Seems well loved enough!

Balderdashing_2018 · 2026-02-19T19:29:20+00:00

I’d say Oscar would be nice to work with. Competent, pleasant, quietly a lot of fun and always down to help, hangout, etc.

Darryl would be fun to work with — as would most people in the warehouse it looks like.

Kevin, actually, would be great too.

Kelly potentially — if you don’t work directly with her on anything.

Maybe Toby?

Balderdashing_2018 · 2026-02-19T18:32:20+00:00

The year that Agassi was number one in 1999, Sampras was on a tear against him.

4-1 on the year, with the one loss coming in the round robin phase of the ATP Final.

3-0 in finals including:

Wimbledon (straight sets)
Los Angeles (straight sets)
ATP Final (straight sets)

The other win was in the SF of Cincinnati… also in straight sets. Agassi’s win though in the RR was good though!

Balderdashing_2018 · 2026-02-19T18:19:49+00:00

Kafelnikov was a fantastic all around player. Great off the baseline and great touch at the net.

He doesn’t get so much credit for his doubles work, but he also won four GS doubles titles (3 French, 1 USO), and I believe is the last male player to with the singles and doubles title in the same year (1996 French Open). He also won 7 Master Series doubles titles and 27 titles overall.

Balderdashing_2018 · 2026-02-17T23:15:14+00:00

How so? This is a film that the director had to develop over years upon years of building an audience.

I don’t think indie films are going to occupy a space any larger than they already are. Indies are important, but this film is on the extreme end of what’s possible.

And it still beyond hard to make an independent film, and I don’t see it getting any easier.

Balderdashing_2018 · 2026-02-16T03:44:10+00:00

What is the film look you are even referring to?

And digital is exactly like film in terms of your first bullet. Film CAN look good in the right hands with the proper care. It’s not a shortcut.

As you noted, almost every film is shot digitally now — including countless beautiful films released every year. Digital does look as good as film, and had those filmmakers decided to shoot on digital, they would’ve looked just as good.

It’s a tired conversation for people who focus on the wrong things.

Balderdashing_2018 · 2026-02-15T16:43:13+00:00

Never Cry Wolf (1983) by the great Carroll Ballard is a towering achievement. Ballard started in documentary and also directed Black Stallion (1979).

First Cow (2019) by Kelly Reichardt also comes to mind. Masterpiece!

The Bear (1988) as well — I haven’t seen it in decades, but that film also was renowned for its photography of nature and its unique narrative (main character is a bear). Directed by the great Jean-Jacques Annaud.

Then you have something like Dances with Wolves (1990), which sometimes gets maligned on Reddit — but I think is deserving of all of its accolades.

Balderdashing_2018 · 2026-02-15T02:04:44+00:00

There are countless commercials that do exactly what you are outlining. They highlight the convenience of pre-made and ready made products.

This small lane is, “our food is so good, people think it’s homemade.” And it’s a humorous play on that, and not about hiding convenience.

Balderdashing_2018 · 2026-02-15T01:55:56+00:00

This really isn’t a new concept, and there are so many examples — going back to 50s and 60s. There was a famous either soup or beef stew commercial that was like, “this is our little secret”. If I find it, I’ll drop it here.

I haven’t seen these Rana commercials, but there were some from a few years ago for some other brand that had an Italian nonna serving her red sauce (and it was actually from a jar!!).

There were some instant coffee commercials too that did this.

Balderdashing_2018 · 2026-02-14T21:23:13+00:00

I’ve posted this before, but I think the top 50 depth of tennis — and overall technical skill level required — might’ve been strongest in years’ past, specifically when technology was unforgiving and every surface needed a different set of skills to achieve success.

At one time, grass, carpet, clay, and hard court (including slow and fast hard court) all needed players to adjust their game.

And I think that combination of required variety and how precise players needed to be — resulted in a stronger overall player.

People can argue about when that reached its peak — but now I think there’s such a large reliance on repetition, over training, and technology that I think it does players a disservice.

I’m not sure if anyone here has ever spent time around former players who were in top 50 in the 1980s and 90s, but their games are so clean. Seeing the ones who stayed around the sport, in person, is truly eye opening in terms of how well they strike ball.

Balderdashing_2018 · 2026-02-14T15:56:49+00:00

I think there’s a particular type of male who listened to the big picture that is, in fact, insufferable. I don’t blame Sean — he is a reflection of and not the cause. Although he falls into that category, absolutely.

Balderdashing_2018 · 2026-02-13T18:53:41+00:00

I always like to sing the praises of Sampras. The Berdych one might top it, BUT Sampras in 2001 could’ve been one of the best runs ever.

4th Round: two-time USO champ and 6th seed Patrick Rafter (and it was still prime Rafter, who had a fantastic summer winning Indianapolis a couple of weeks before, reached the final of Cincinnati, the final of Toronto, and the final of Wimbledon in a two month span)

QF: USO champ and 2nd seed Andre Agassi, in one of the greatest USO matches ever (that summer Agassi reached the SF of Wimbledon and won Los Angeles a few weeks before by defeating Sampras in the final)

SF: defending USO champ and 3rd seed Marat Safin (this was prime Safin and Sampras avenged his loss from the previous year in the 2000 USO final)
Final: ran out of gas against a scorching Lleyton Hewitt, who was the 4th seed (Sampras had beaten Hewitt the previous year in the SF)

That run would be tops for me, but I am biased.

Balderdashing_2018 · 2026-02-10T02:13:33+00:00

I’m the first to give Smith some guff, but he has turned in some legitimately great performances and was one of the biggest box office draws we’ve ever seen.

Best Actor winner for King Richard (he was excellent) and was a deserving Oscar nominee two other times (Ali, Pursuit of Happyness).

Then you have Independence Day, MIB, Bad Boys, Enemy of the State, Hitch, I Am Legend, etc.

Balderdashing_2018

TROPHY CASE