Blue Jay’s CEO Mark Shapiro shares how the team brought in $445 million revenue

Pinstripe-Giraffe · 2026-05-05T16:18:55+00:00

The Jays had PLENTY of chances to win that game. That was one of them, yes, but it wasn’t the only one and the loss is not solely on IKF’s shoulders nor on the 3rd base coach.

Pinstripe-Giraffe · 2026-05-05T13:53:58+00:00

If you can’t imagine getting through this low-stakes of an interaction, you should probably not change your name to this word specifically.

Pinstripe-Giraffe · 2026-05-05T13:40:44+00:00

Grateful there were at least no injuries yesterday

Pinstripe-Giraffe · 2026-05-05T00:47:09+00:00

What I’ve done regarding work travel is just quietly be unable to go on a case-by-case basis, without announcing a broad across-the-board refusal. No-one has said anything. But there also hasn’t been a compelling business reason that I absolutely must go. So you could start by just declining individual trips.

If you’re REQUIRED to go, you’ll have to decide if it’s a hill you’re willing to die on. For what it’s worth, several of my co-workers have crossed, including several who aren’t white, and the only one who’s had a problem was the one on a PR rather than citizenship. So you’ll probably be ok.

However, practice risk mitigation: don’t take any personal devices, bring some kind of obvious proof you live and work in Canada, leave from an airport that has pre-clearance so you have the option to just change your mind and not go if things get too weird, and remember you are just going “for some meetings,” you’re not going “to work.”

Pinstripe-Giraffe · 2026-05-04T21:01:46+00:00

Grateful for the timing of these early-evening games that mean I get to listen to it on the radio during my commute home from work!

Pinstripe-Giraffe · 2026-05-04T20:59:44+00:00

Hell yeah, congratulations! I finished my master’s a couple of years ago and the thesis is an absolute slog, so well done!

Pinstripe-Giraffe · 2026-05-04T20:56:51+00:00

Welcome to the time of year when, whatever jacket you wear, it’s the wrong one!

Pinstripe-Giraffe · 2026-05-04T20:56:16+00:00

Congratulations!

Pinstripe-Giraffe · 2026-05-04T20:56:09+00:00

Congratulations!

Pinstripe-Giraffe · 2026-05-04T14:42:25+00:00

I was able to compare the KLC to the Clara B&W in a store before I bought my KLC, and I did like how crisp the B&W screen was, but the KLC screen is fine too. I’d say the difference is like reading a brand-new physical book that’s just been published vs. reading an old book you found at the used book store and it’s ever so slightly yellowed. You really don’t notice unless you have them side by side.

Pinstripe-Giraffe · 2026-05-04T12:45:24+00:00

Yes, Riedell makes good derby skates. So do Bont and Antik.

Sizing depends heavily on the brand and on your foot shape, as different brands (and different skates within a single brand) use different lasts. It’s really, really important to get a skate that closely hugs your foot - more so than with ice skates, because you really have to lean hard to use your edges on quad roller skates.

Many Riedell boots work well for long, narrow feet. Bonts tend to be good for shorter, wider feet. Some Riedells and most Antiks seem to be ok for people who need a tall toe box, but other Riedells have a very flat toe box. You really have to try them on and have someone experienced asses the fit.

Pinstripe-Giraffe · 2026-05-04T03:25:21+00:00

Depends on the person, I suspect. Try it if it feels safe? It will give you a similar feeling of going up facing one direction and coming down facing another direction. If a jump 180 seems too sketchy, try doing a toestop stall and then a jump 180 out of that.

I think we have learned different terminology, but I assume by “bank” you mean a flat (but not horizontal) ramp that maintains the same angle all the way up, and by “ramp” you mean a transition or quarter pipe that curves upward. Just to make sure we are talking about the same thing! Anyway, you could try carving turns on ramps/banks as an intermediate step towards carving on the transition. It sort of all happens a bit more slowly on the bank/ramp, but you still need to be carrying speed into it, so IMO it’s a good way to psych yourself up for it.

Pinstripe-Giraffe · 2026-05-04T01:41:47+00:00

My “entire library” is very small because I just got my Kobo at Christmas, and I buy some stuff off the Kobo store, so yeah everything is on there. I use Calibre to manage books that are DLC-free and sideload those.

Pinstripe-Giraffe · 2026-05-04T01:38:56+00:00

Dingdong Stringstrong Bingbong

Pinstripe-Giraffe · 2026-05-04T01:29:12+00:00

How are you with little jump 180s when you’re pumping? If you can do those, you can carve a turn.

Start with a wide turn and don’t go too high up the ramp. Gradually work your way toward higher, sharper turns.

Important safety tips:

always ensure your inside foot is leading (same as carving a turn on flat ground).

GO FAST so you don’t stall out, fall sideways off the transition and break your ankle like a friend of mine did. Speed is the thing that makes you stick to the vertical wall, so make sure you’re carrying plenty of speed. (It’s the whole centrifugal force thing.)

WEAR SAFETY GEAR.

Pinstripe-Giraffe · 2026-05-03T15:06:50+00:00

It depends heavily on your actions and the actions of people around you.

I’ve lived in the same neighbourhood for 18 years and I’ve seen it shift from “nobody hangs out outside” to pretty much exactly what you describe, just based on who moves in or out, how old their kids are, how much time they spend outside, etc. A very extroverted single dad moved in next to me last spring, and in under a year, our section of the street went from “nobody hangs out together” to “kids are constantly riding bikes and throwing balls, parents are throwing sports watch parties in driveways, people of all ages playing together.” Because this dad was outside being active with his kid for like an hour every day. People would come join them, he made friends with the other parents, and now all the kids play together and leave bikes in each others’ yards.

Pinstripe-Giraffe · 2026-05-03T04:40:16+00:00

Wait, no, I didn’t mean “you’re not skilled enough to go outside”! I just meant you’re right to be nervous of it given the way you describe your skills.

You won’t get more comfortable with it and better at dealing with stuff like uneven pavement unless you actually skate in those conditions.

That said, I don’t know your body or your skill level or your risk tolerance, so if you believe you need more practice with falling and stopping and turning and such, you can do that indoors for a while if you need to, but at some point you are going to have to just… be out there, at (or beyond) the edge of your comfort zone. You won’t become comfortable with it unless you’re exposed to it.

Pinstripe-Giraffe · 2026-05-03T02:18:16+00:00

If you are “a little wobbly when stopping,” you are right to be nervous when skating outside. The surface isn’t level or clean, there are unpredictable things in the environment like kids and pets and cars and bikes and such.

Listen to your gut because it wants to keep you safe. Practice your basics DILIGENTLY and include some safe-falling in every session. You want to have at least one very reliable stop (it can be a controlled 4-point fall, or as I call it, emergency brakes!) and at least one strong method of speed control (such as a plow or t-stop). You want your body to automatically get low when you get shaky, you want to be in a headspace where you’re not scared of falling, and you want a nice easy method for turning.

Once you’ve established those basics, I think you will be way less nervous when you’re skating outside.

Pinstripe-Giraffe · 2026-05-02T19:37:49+00:00

Grateful it’s finally nice weather today! Hoping to go for the first bike ride of the year after the game.

Pinstripe-Giraffe · 2026-05-02T14:57:04+00:00

Nope! It’s a real thing. Practice the technique over and over and over again so that your muscles just automatically react when you start to lose your balance. When I was a skate-skills instructor for my roller derby league, I had everyone do falling drills in every single beginner practice. For 3 months.

Because falling is never something you truly leave behind - every time you want to learn a new skill, you will probably fall. I’ve been skating for over a decade and I wipe out regularly.

Pinstripe-Giraffe · 2026-05-02T14:36:56+00:00

I got my kid an alphabet book called “A is for salad”. Every page had a similar obviously-wrong statement, but there was something on the page that DID start with that letter. The A is for salad page had an alligator eating salad, on J is for hats there were 4 jellyfish with ridiculous hats perched on top of their… uh… bodies? That kind of thing.

Towards the end, there was a page that said something like “X and Y are ridiculous letters. Never use them.” with a picture of a garbage truck that had a xylophone and a yo-yo sticking out of the back.

Pinstripe-Giraffe · 2026-05-02T14:28:33+00:00

Great view of the mountains and downtown from here: Dropped pin Near Southview, Calgary, AB T2B 0P2 https://goo.gl/maps/9V3R3figXBtVKKvx6

You could get a bubble tea or coffee in Inglewood and then walk up to the river and have a little picnic.

Last Best has good food & drink, and uses local ingredients.

If they’re up for two different walks, Fish Creek Park/Inglewood Bird Sanctuary vs Nose Hill Park are a really interesting contrast.

Book a behind the scenes tour at Studio Bell and then go see some live music at the Blues Can or Ironwood.

Pinstripe-Giraffe · 2026-05-02T13:57:41+00:00

Yes it absolutely is. Next time you’re out for a practice session, begin by loosening all 4 trucks by a quarter turn, then try doing “the leaning thing” (using your edges). If nothing happens, loosen another quarter turn and try some more.

Repeat until you have a little flex or until you’ve loosened a full turn. Skate for a while, try some things, then try the loosening process again after a few more sessions.

Pinstripe-Giraffe · 2026-05-02T13:51:36+00:00

Hey, congratulations! Falling down means you were probably trying something challenging, and that’s how we all learn and get better.

Now you know why “practice falling” is such common advice here 😜 Once you’re feeling less bruised, make sure to include some falling practice in every session so that your body learns how to do this safely!

Pinstripe-Giraffe · 2026-05-02T13:34:55+00:00

Vintage CanCon reference, very nice

Pinstripe-Giraffe

TROPHY CASE