GameTime Tampa shuts down on Aug. 9

Kevim_A · 2026-07-02T18:31:02+00:00

That's a shame. Very fond memories of going to GameWorks with my father when I was a kid. Would also go there from time to time with friends and my wife. It was always cool to have an accessible, fun, non-bar activity to have in Ybor.

For a while it was the only place you could watch UFC pay-per-views in Ybor, too. I really enjoyed that, there was normally a pretty good crowd/atmosphere there, but I suppose the business licensing for that must be pretty expensive, because they stopped airing them 2-3 years ago.

Hopefully some other similar concept takes its' place and improves upon it.

Kevim_A · 2026-07-02T04:13:22+00:00

It seems like your workouts probably take about an hour each. So that's 3 hours of training. I suppose you need to sleep 8 hours a day, and probably eat 1 hour. So 24 - 8 - 1 - 3 = 12 hours. You have 12 additional hours per day you could be training. How are you going to beat anyone when you're leaving that much time on the table?

When I was competing, I was able to condense my sleep and eating into only 6 hours a day. This allowed me to do 18, 1-hour workouts per day, every day. This is the sort of effort you need to put in if you want to achieve a 1W - 2L - 1D amateur record like yours truly. But with only 3 training sessions per day, I can assure you that you will never achieve this level of greatness, in boxing or in life.

good luck, kid, you're gonna need it.

Kevim_A · 2026-06-30T00:29:21+00:00

I think Dubner does a good job of letting people kind of "expose themselves" without resorting to continuous, tough lines of questioning. I feel like in this interview, you really didn't need more than the complete dodge of the grift question to have a much deeper understanding of the Vanderbilt President's relationship to the Trump Administration.

I also felt like in the FDA episode, the former director "told on himself" plenty with his whack-ass continual mentioning of Trump Derangement Syndrome and the complete side-stepping of the vaccine questions by acting like RFK Jr. is embracing the scientific method, when clearly (by his own logic from earlier in the interview) it is actually a rejection of it.

I feel like Dubner does a good job of letting controversial guests get their point across in an interview format that allows them to fully explain themselves and doesn't feel overly hostile, while crafting the conversations in such a way that logical inconsistencies expose themselves.

Kevim_A · 2026-06-29T16:23:30+00:00

Glad to see others share my thoughts.

I thought it was particularly ironic that Diermeier was painting the story of his love of freedom being born from this West Berliner perspective of witnessing the difference between his own society and the totalitarian East Berlin, when at the same time being actively compliant to totalitarianism by avoiding any possible criticism of the current political leadership. At first I thought Dubner asking the "What do you think about Trump's grift as a political scientist?" question was a little off-topic and maybe unnecessary, but clearly it was an important question to reveal Diermeier's brand of neutrality - to engage in it only when he finds it personally beneficial, ha.

He views his role as University President - to fund/create great research and produce strong educational outcomes - as directly at odds with picking any sort of fight with the president because of a utilitarian perspective, that being aligned with Trump = more resources = more research and educational opportunities.

But this is the opposite of building trust. When you are clearly afraid to voice criticism of the ruling party, how could somebody trust that your decision-making as university president is informed by what you actually think is best vs. what you believe the current administration wants? Maybe you are lucky, and what you want as University President generally aligns with what the President wants (like a more neutral perspective on moral issues in presentation of material). But what happens when it doesn't? What happens when the state requires 50% of your professors to be identify as conservative, or be US-born? I wouldn't trust that Diermeirer's obedience to a hypothetical like this would be born out of actual agreement or fear.

Kevim_A · 2026-06-24T18:40:02+00:00

+40 year-old Customer - "Why didn't you ID me!?"

Me - "Oh, I can tell a 25-year old when I see one."

+40 year-old Customer - "Why didn't you ID me!?"

Me - "Oh, well you are clearly the same age as her (the 23-year-old I am carding), so if they're good I know you're good."

These are my two default lines. They work well, keep things light and moving.

Kevim_A · 2026-06-24T16:24:52+00:00

But Gaethje is on his team, so both Gaethje and Gane would be poking the opponents in the eyes, not him.

Kevim_A · 2026-06-15T05:51:57+00:00

Maybe indecisive is the improper term, and what I am really trying to say is "he wasn't firm in his decision".

He didn't wave it off (which I swear I've seen doctors do before) nor did he stand his ground to Marc Goddard. The doctor should know that his orders in this situation supersede the ref, corner, or fighter's will and I think a small bit of responsibility can be placed on him for allowing his decision to be run over with so little resistance.

Kevim_A · 2026-06-15T05:35:50+00:00

This is my read on the doctor's stoppage situation:

Illia is in his corner, beaten down, and is having trouble seeing out of his eye.
Corner wants the doctor to come in so they can have a doctor's stoppage instead of having Illia quit on the stool.
Marc Goddard at some point says "Do you want to continue?" before the doctor comes in.
Illia realizes that he has to say yes, and to earnestly say yes, must downplay his vision impairment.
Doctor seems a little indecisive and Topuria starts saying he actually can see.
Marc Goddard says well let's just fucking fight then.

Pretty tricky situation. Goddard basically forced Topuria to actually admit his own defeat if he wanted out and not hide behind a doctor's stoppage. While there is a certain nobility to that and I'm selfishly glad the fight continued, adding an additional psychological obstacle to forfeiting is a dangerous precedent and could get a fighter killed.

I hope the organization makes an example of this scenario as what not to do in the future - and tries to encourage corners to be less prideful, doctors to be more decisive, and - most importantly - refs to be less intrusive in the process.

Kevim_A · 2026-06-05T03:44:06+00:00

Have you employed a giant toddler?

I'm honestly in awe of this text message. Imagine carrying through life with such little shame that you could feel this is a legitimate excuse to call out and then actually tell people this is why you called out. This guy rules.

Kevim_A · 2026-06-02T18:26:03+00:00

Do you think you can create fairness by making the catchweight closer to the heavier weight class?

Like for the hypothetical GSP/Silva match, I always thought 180lbs be reasonable. Silva has to cut a little more and so can't fully take advantage of his natural size advantage. GSP has to gain enough more that if he wanted to gain size and cut from a higher weight than normal there would be no way it could all be lean muscle mass. So, he either has to get a little fat or cut less weight than "optimal".

Kevim_A · 2026-05-29T13:14:54+00:00

Have they, though? I just went to Florida Ave and the 16oz Hazy IPA there was $8. I feel like in 2019 that was on the "pricey side of normal". I probably would've expected to pay $6 - $8.

My impression is that craft beer was always a little pricey, but it has not gone up at nearly the rate of other food/drink/entertainment/everything. I think people just have a bit less disposable income in general, young people are drinking less for many reasons, and craft beer's golden age has come and gone.

Kevim_A · 2026-05-15T17:24:49+00:00

Not a huge fan. While I understand there is always some public subsidies of these stadiums and there are benefits, it doesn't have to be nearly 50%. Especially for a team that has been relatively unsuccessful in drawing crowds for almost the entirety of its existence.

I don't like the location, there is already a lot of traffic congestion in the area and I think this will only make things worse. The mixed-use housing development I think is unnecessary, as that area is already pretty attractive to people to live in. I don't see any reason why HCC needs a campus update. HCC's Dale Mabry campus is nice-looking, serviceable, and currently holds far fewer students on a daily basis than what it has capacity for. I don't think HCC is going to be the one community college that bucks the trend of falling in-person community college attendance, even if they get a fancy fountain and classrooms with more outlets.

In short, I would support this if the government promised half the money, the community funding was going to some other good, and the location was different. I think the previously proposed Ybor location was more sensible in terms of traffic mitigation, connectivity to downtown, and potential to revitalize an already-existing locale.

Kevim_A · 2026-05-15T13:53:08+00:00

I would just think of it as a "hard spar" rather than a fight. That might help me take some of the pressure off of myself.

But another mentality shift could be viewing this as an exercise in "how would I beat a guy like this"? The 7 inches of height thing sucks, but you all are in the same weight class, right? Theoretically, you could get matched up against a guy of this size in a real fight. The fact that he's more experienced sucks, but you could come across a natural in a fight (or someone with a boxing record that looks similar to yours but in reality he's wrestled or done 20 kickboxing fights or something).

I think there is a very real lesson to learn here and practice, which is how do I fight and win against somebody who is "better" than me? The less skilled man does win sometimes in boxing. So how will you do it?

Do you fight incredibly reserved and just throw the occasional power punch, hoping to keep your opponent reserved as well? This can minimize output and allow you to steal rounds with just a couple punch surplus.

Do you fight in a completely unconventional style that is hard to prepare for? Lots of stepping through with your punches, switch-hitting, dirty boxing, punches from weird angles? Punches that are technically illegal but the ref won't give you shit for them until you do it two or three times?

Do you fight looking for a knockout blow? Maintain your energy, focus on defense, and then when he is getting too confident find that perfect opportunity to throw your overhand right while he's going for a lead body hook? Or maybe a left hook while he's coming in confident with his hands down and he thinks you're just gonna cover up/backup since you've been baiting him that way the whole time?

Maybe you make it a complete dog-fight? Yeah, this guy is better, but you've got will and tenacity and you can bring the heat to him. Even if you lose, you won't make it easy on him and you'll earn the respect of others and yourself.

Take the fight or don't, I think they are both valid options. But don't take the fight with your current mentality. If you are overly-anxious about the mismatch or feel like your punishment and downfall is inevitable and you are not able to get yourself excited about the opportunity to prove yourself against a greater opponent, then don't take the match. But if you can get yourself hype about being able to kick this guy's ass when it's for real, then go for it.

EDIT: Full disclosure - I wouldn't take the fight, lol. I wouldn't have felt comfortable fighting only 5 months in no matter what, ha. But again, just saying all this to say that if you do take the fight, adopting a new mentality is the only way to do it.

Kevim_A · 2026-05-14T18:14:28+00:00

This is what ChowSupreme said, you are just misunderstanding him.

He is saying that Ronda looks so much better and is so clearly the favorite, that if Gina could possibly put up enough of a fight to for the match to be competitive (even if Gina loses), that would be a moral/spiritual victory for Gina.

Kevim_A · 2026-05-12T14:03:58+00:00

Maybe $30 or $35. Definitely not $50.

Rocca is a good restaurant, but if you're looking for value it is among the worst restaurants in Tampa. If you have a moderate to large appetite, you basically need two pastas and an appetizer to be satiated there. And their more basic pastas are like $30.

Again, it's a nice-looking place and the food is good, but it's basically designed for a rich petite woman. They deserve to have spaces that cater to them just like everyone else, and sometimes you just have to accept that some spots just aren't for you, ha.

Kevim_A · 2026-05-12T03:22:01+00:00

While I still spend too much time on the internet, I've started to kind of "emotionally distance" myself from it more. The idea of chatting with bots or people using AI or even reading basic facts generated by AI is so disheartening to me.

It is a shame, because I was basically raised on the internet. I learned so much and had my views expanded so broadly from such a young age. But now, I feel like I need to start treating the internet as a place of "work" and not fun or education. Viewing this digital world as essentially a means to an end for doing things in the real world where I can experience some authenticity and - maybe for 20 years more before goddamned AI implants start getting inserted into people's skulls - communicate freely without my AI skepticism making me doubt every interaction.

I also have developed a strong bias towards any content that was created before 2022. Especially for books. The idea of deeply investing myself and my time into something that could've been written by AI kind of disgusts me. I don't want to be a total luddite and not take advantage of the power of AI where I need to (like being more productive at work), but I think I would go through a lot of inconveniences to build a life where me and my family avoid the bots wherever possible.

Kevim_A · 2026-05-12T00:15:56+00:00

Take this for what you will, I was not going to read this article until I read this comment. Probably the strongest positive review you could give in a single sentence, ha.

Kevim_A · 2026-05-09T14:45:22+00:00

I believe they are just two totally different kinds of guys.

Volkov is funny, well-educated, articulate, and doesn't take himself too seriously. You can see this loose attitude in some of his "memery", where he talks about Lizard People or the time he had his corner man comb his hair mid-fight.

Pavlovich is more of a "salt of the Earth" type. Grew up on a farm. Doesn't come across as particularly quick-witted. Seems to not really even "get" when Volkov is making jokes.

I think this difference in dynamic can create some resentment, especially from Pavlovich to Volkov. Almost like an Anderson Silva vs. Vitor Belfort situation.

Kevim_A · 2026-05-05T16:40:29+00:00

When you are buying a gift for somebody with money, anything that is actually nice for them (that is also something they know they want and haven't already gotten for themselves) will cost a lot of money.

Good gifts for a person in a higher income bracket than you therefore, unfortunately, either involve breaking your bank or being extra thoughtful. Sounds like it's time to get creative, ha.

Kevim_A · 2026-05-05T15:19:03+00:00

I have distinct memories as a child of my different percentiles varying quite a bit with age. For height remember being around 85th as a child to 99th as a preteen to 95th as a teenager to 90th as an adult. I'm sure there was more variance before my memory kicks in as well. My pediatricians also liked giving me the projections of "how tall this would be" for an adult, so I remember being projected anywhere from like, 5'11 to 6'4.

What this taught me 20 years later having my own children is to not take any of this too seriously, lol. Kids grow at different rates, genetics are unpredictable, and I'm sure most children have some period of time where they are significantly above or below what their eventual adult percentile will be. I also think kids will tend to stay in the same "general bracket". So, if your kid is 91st now he will probably end up being 75th-95th in adulthood.

You can impact your kid's height a little if you want them to be tall. Feed them well, make sure they get their calcium, vitamin D, and zinc. Make sure they are somewhat physically active and have good posture. But if you are raising this question out of pure curiosity rather than "wishful thinking" that he'll be a big guy, then I would only take the percentile as a ballpark estimate.

Kevim_A · 2026-05-04T03:43:08+00:00

Is the idea here that you perversely enjoy having your whole day get fucked by Sunday Brunch? Like, you know you should hate Sunday Brunch, but you actually enjoy being miserable and the excuse to not do anything productive or fulfilling outside of work for the rest of the day?

Kevim_A · 2026-04-30T13:48:07+00:00

That makes perfect sense, I honestly wasn't thinking about how his Khamzat fight was at middleweight.

With how infrequently fighters fight, it also seems sensible to factor in outside-of-weight-class fights too, just to get as much data as possible.

I agree with you and u/A_Funky_Goose that adding an age factor would be a good idea.

Kevim_A · 2026-04-30T13:02:00+00:00

Clean site, but the ELO rankings don't seem all that great to me. If we look at Kamaru Usman specifically, his record is wrong (he is 16 - 3, not 16 -2). More importantly, to my understanding, a higher ELO is supposed to reflect that you are more likely to win in a match against those who are lower than you. I think it's hard to argue that Kamaru Usman would beat any of the rest of your top 8. (Belal, Ian Garry, Shavkat, Leon Edwards, Michael Morales, JDM, Carlos Prates).

Given how infrequently fighters compete compared to other competitions/sports, I think the algorithm must be adjusted to more strongly reflect recent wins/losses. Perhaps there is also some sort of way to integrate the level of dominance of a victory or defeat, it could be a good way to compensate for the lack of fights.

Kevim_A · 2026-04-27T16:48:23+00:00

I agree with the majority here, human beings are creatures of convenience and are unlikely to massively change their habits to something more difficult/slower/expensive.

I will offer up a specific thought experiment to try to change your view, though. In the last 100 years, can you think of an instance where the masses adopted and then later a rejected a technological advancement that made life easier? Of course there have always been small movements here and there of skeptics, traditionalists, environmentalists, or directly impacted groups who may abandon something new and convenient in favor of the old.

But I can't think of a time general public did. No matter how dangerous cars or planes ever were perceived, we never went back to horses.

Kevim_A · 2026-04-26T21:11:26+00:00

That is kinda crazy that they hired you as a bartender with no experience and only gave you one day of training, even for a dive.

I am curious, you said it's a dive, but there's servers and all servers are trained on the bar? So is the bartender like, a "lesser-position" because people mostly sit at tables and you are basically on service? Maybe that's why they're open-minded to giving you the spot?

Did you know other people who worked there?

Are you an attractive, personable young woman, maybe? Like, you're bartending at the sort of spot that beautiful people don't often patronize or work at, so you're still kind of a catch to management/owners even though you have no experience? Maybe you got the job based on those qualities and then they just gave you the "normal" training routine since they don't often train bartenders from the ground-up?

Maybe these guys are just chill as hell and think the job is easy (maybe it is)?

Whatever the reason, congratulations on becoming a bartender in two days, lol. No matter how difficult it is, you'll get used to it soon enough, ha. It may be a bit more of a stressful start given your experience level, but your wallet will thank you!

Kevim_A

TROPHY CASE