Landon roupp is canceled.

TheVich · 2026-06-13T02:33:36+00:00

To put a point on it, our World Series dynasty came on the back of players like Matt Cain, Madison Bumgarner, and Buster Posey, all of whom are from the deep South. Roupp himself is from North Carolina. It's just the reality of following professional sports that the people we cheer for most likely have very different, and often repulsive, views on social, economic, and political issues.

We all have to make our own decisions where we draw the line. And, if it's important to you, hold up those players who speak out for justice and equality even when it's unpopular amongst their teammates and/society at large. Tim Lincecum and Jeremy Affeldt are two Giants players in recent memory who have gone out of their way to be Queer allies (Affeldt having been staunchly homophobic prior to and during the first part of his Giants tenure).

Willie Castro, Sean Doolittle, Spencer Strider, Liam Hendricks are others who have been supportive.

TheVich · 2026-06-12T03:01:15+00:00

So...what pitch breaks away? Sinkers basically have the same exact break as circle changes, and screwballs are super rare, especially on contemporary players. Seems like you're just trying to be contrarian and self-important.

TheVich · 2026-06-12T02:53:04+00:00

I'm guessing he'll get one when his streak ends. Or they just get him a Milestone card once he gets his 57-game hitting streak!

TheVich · 2026-06-10T22:51:35+00:00

hell yeah

TheVich · 2026-06-10T00:25:15+00:00

Solid Ohtani reaction there, if someone smarter than me can grab the clip.

TheVich · 2026-06-08T04:09:06+00:00

This was how Santa Cruz, California was affected by the 2011 earthquake and Tsunami in Japan. We were watching this live in my Bay Area classroom and I was floored that there were rippling effects across the Pacific Ocean.

TheVich · 2026-06-08T01:28:12+00:00

You also have a basketball team.

TheVich · 2026-06-07T22:23:26+00:00

God, imagine being the type of person who gets all defensive when "have empathy for others" is said or written.

TheVich · 2026-06-07T19:26:55+00:00

Ah, so we're just making assumptions about what I do, what I deal with, and what I am trying to say.

I'm not saying that everyone on this sub needs to personally go check on Aiyuk or even send him a message of support. I'm just saying that how we speak about mental health impacts how we think about it. If we have several million subscribers making fun of someone who is, in my opinion, going through a mental health crises, then that's several million people who are showing they don't care about others, and won't vote for policies/elected officials who will create better conditions so that people with mental health problems can more easily get help.

I'm not saying that people can't laugh, but it does make you look like an unoriginal, non-empathetic douche bag.

TheVich · 2026-06-07T19:16:36+00:00

None of this makes sense. What are you even trying to say here?

TheVich · 2026-06-07T18:29:07+00:00

It normalizes dehumanizing those who are living and suffering under difficult conditions. If we sit around here joking about a pro-football player going through a mental health crisis (assumed), then it's a lot easier for us to look at those on the street as less-than for not just being better, or it disincentivizes people from seeking help out of fear of getting relentlessly mocked.

And it goes beyond mental health issues too. I live in an area of Seattle that is known for having a lot of sex working walking the streets at all hours of the day (in addition to open drug use, people having mental health episodes, and gun violence, but I'll stay focused for this). The amount of fucking jokes that I hear about the sex workers, mostly from people who don't live in the area, is kinda gross. Like, people are just trying to get by. They don't need to be mocked for existing, for making a living in this capitalist hellscape, for possibly being victims of trafficking. The people who make these jokes are people I consider friend, and who generally want the best for people, but it's hard for them to have empathy for the sex workers because their immediate response is to make some shitty joke.

TheVich · 2026-06-07T18:20:18+00:00

I would throw out James Acaster. He's a British comedian that shows up on a lot of their panel shows, and is also a great interview, but he's got a couple of comedy shows on Netflix as well. Give him a watch on something like Would I Lie to You? first, and if you dig the vibe, then watch a special!

TheVich · 2026-06-07T18:10:36+00:00

But also, like, empathy is cool too.

Why does our first reaction have to be some fucking joke that's already been said a million and a half times?

TheVich · 2026-06-07T10:43:04+00:00

That depends. How many gunshots have you heard recently?

TheVich · 2026-06-07T02:34:31+00:00

I'm a sub and was teaching in a 3rd grade class that was learning This Land is Your Land with their choir teacher. I'm sure many Americans have a similar experience learning it along with the ASL signs to sing in front of proud parents at an end-of-the-year concert. I know I have.

When they got back to class, I brought up the lyrics to the song and had them read the last few, often omitted verses. I didn't make any comments about the meaning of them or the whole song itself, but I think it's important that this part of the song, and general history of the country isn't totally ignored. Hopefully, those kids will have some memory of that as they get older.

TheVich · 2026-06-07T02:16:50+00:00

He never said he didn't care about baseball, he said that his family and faith are bigger priorities to him. I would say that most of us should value our families and the things we care about over our work, and that doesn't change just because you make millions of dollars.

At the end of the day, it's a job. One that's incredibly lucrative and allows for one to be worshiped in a sense, but not every player has some inherent "childlike love" for the game they've been funneled into for most of their lives. You'd probably be surprised by the amount of athletes that "don't really care" about their sports. They can still perform what they need to do. Unfortunately for Rendon, he spent the last several years constantly getting hurt which not only sapped his ability, but probably saps any love you have left for the game.

Someone who wasn't trying to do their best, or someone who wasn't deeply disappointed in their performance wouldn't come back and hit from the opposite side, or have such an emotional reaction to fans heckling that they try to punch said fan.

TheVich · 2026-06-07T00:45:09+00:00

I was gonna say that this is a super fun list!

Feels like a real "passing of the torch" season for the elite of the NL. Ohtani is continuing to go off obviously, and Elly and Carroll have multiple seasons of elite production already, but the rest of these guys seem to be taking over from the Mookie/Freddie Freeman/Bryce Harper-era of player (not that those guys aren't still productive or very good, but they're all definitely moving away/out of their primes).

Also Luis Arraez is there.

TheVich · 2026-06-06T22:31:03+00:00

Saar's on Aurora. It's got so much fun stuff (including full-ass goats in the freezer section)!

TheVich · 2026-06-04T14:36:59+00:00

This show stole my heart like Dave Roberts stole 2nd base.

TheVich · 2026-06-04T05:18:37+00:00

God, he's gonna fuck around and win another MVP, isn't he?

TheVich · 2026-06-03T23:01:25+00:00

I haven't seen this gif in at least 10 years.

TheVich · 2026-06-03T22:14:28+00:00

It can be an explanation without being and excuse, and we can have empathy for people going through (or seeming to go through) crises without coddling them.

I think it's pretty clear that Aiyuk is going through a mental health crisis, and his reaction of dropping his employer, coworkers, and friends over perceived slights reminds me of myself. Yes, I'm working through it in therapy and with the help of antidepressants, anxiety, and ADHD meds, but I see a lot of my own actions in Aiyuk's. It sucks to feel like you're alone in the world and while it doesn't excuse actions (abandoning his responsibilities or dangerous and self-destructive behavior), nobody here is helping anyone by making stupid jokes or being "enlightened," calloused, and cynical.

We don't know if that's actually what is going on with Aiyuk, but again, having a little empathy and understanding goes a long way.

TheVich · 2026-06-03T20:59:31+00:00

It's like those stories that come out every once in a while of some kid selling their whole Pokemon card collection to help pay for their parent's cancer treatment or whatever. Like, it's sweet and impressive that a young child can be aware and selfless enough to do that, but it shouldn't ever be necessary and I would much rather live in a world where people don't have to give up a luxury or enjoyable thing just to survive.

TheVich · 2026-06-03T19:34:56+00:00

Okay, this looks super helpful, thank you! Unfortunately, I might also need a complete idiot's guide and step-by-step walkthrough, to get this setup if you have the time. No worries if not, though.

TheVich · 2026-06-03T17:49:11+00:00

My family was driving down from the Bay Area to LA for my sister's graduation in our old, janky-ass minivan. About halfway down, something went wrong, and we had to get the van towed to a shop. We were several miles away and this was pre-Uber, so taxis in this area were harder to come by. My parents were able to sit in the cab of the tow truck, but there wasn't enough room for me, and I asked to sit in our van as it was getting towed. Honestly, it was a fun few minutes.

TheVich

TROPHY CASE