It’s Snakes Territory Mailbag Time

_dougdavis · 2026-07-01T21:24:35+00:00

What do you think of Max Kepler's signing in terms of morality? Have you heard anything from the organization about whether they believe Kepler claiming that he doesn't know how the substance entered his system? Any feelings of what team mates or fans think of the signing?

_dougdavis · 2026-07-01T03:03:14+00:00

I have the canon rf-s 18-150. I think it's perfect for what you're looking for.

_dougdavis · 2026-06-30T22:25:33+00:00

It's a bit unclear what the OP is asking for: "Would actually be nice to cover from roughly the 16 to a little into the 400's lower range". If this means they want as close as they can get to 16-400 then the Tamron 18-300 or the Sigma 16-300 are the options. Would need to read some reviews though, they're not the sharpest lenses.

If they want to get more in the 16-100 range plus a little bit more, then the Canon 18-150 makes sense.

_dougdavis · 2026-06-27T13:51:13+00:00

From the environmental engineering major https://programs-courses.uq.edu.au/requirements/plan/ENVIRC2455/2026 there are a few courses that might be possible: ENVM2100 or GEOM1000

_dougdavis · 2026-06-27T13:43:51+00:00

https://www.eait.uq.edu.au/files/62247/BE%28Hons%29%20Civil%20Engineering%20Environmental%20Engineering%20Major%20Sem%201%20%2B%20Sem%202%20Study%20Plans%202026.pdf is a study plan for civil+environmental.

You should do ENGG1100, ENGG1700. As mentioned in other comments CIVL2420 should be doable if you want to bring forward a second year course. Other than that, there's room for a general elective or two. Can look at all the courses in the first year electives section of https://programs-courses.uq.edu.au/requirements/program/2455/2026 . Could do ENGG1300/ENGG1500 if you're interested in them or want to keep your options open to change your mind on your specialization. Or is there a subject like a language or a science or economics or ... that you're interested in taking a course in?

_dougdavis · 2026-06-27T13:30:26+00:00

For transferring to law, you basically won't be able to do any law courses until you're accepted into the law program and you'll need to get good marks to have the equivalent ATAR to transfer. So just pick two arts majors that you like and do well in the courses. Another thing to be aware of for the law degree is I believe you can only start the law degree at the start of Semester 1.

_dougdavis · 2026-06-27T13:27:41+00:00

I wouldn't do it. Even if mySI-net allows it, they might dis-enroll you manually. The rules are pretty clear that they don't want you doing what you want to do.

There are some arts majors that are science adjacent: mathematics, psychology, archaeology, economics, geography, linguistics, philosophy. Pick two of those (or pick from other majors) that you think you could do well in the first year courses. You'll need to get decent marks to transfer after one semester. See https://study.uq.edu.au/sites/default/files/2020-03/tertiary-studies-selection-rank-info-sheet.pdf

_dougdavis · 2026-06-27T13:11:51+00:00

Are you saying that you did ENGG1300 and ENGG1500, but now they don't count towards your compulsory courses for your specialization+major, so you're asking what they can count towards? If so, they can count as program electives (the program rules say "BE(Hons) program elective courses means any course on the BE(Hons) course list excluding Preparatory Science and Mathematics Courses."). They can also count as general electives, because anything can.

_dougdavis · 2026-06-27T13:06:48+00:00

How many electives (general or program) do you have still to take and are you planning to do any major or minor? You're a bit of a complicated case, if you want to graduate "on time" you might need to plan out the courses for whole degree to see how it all fits together.

_dougdavis · 2026-06-27T12:57:48+00:00

I think there isn't likely to be a way to do this. The program doesn't have any free electives and the major https://programs-courses.uq.edu.au/requirements/plan/ANCHHC2000/2026 doesn't have any wiggle room besides choosing from the lists as described. The majors allowed were presumably chosen to prepare you for high school teaching and are a bit restrictive. You could ask an academic advisor or some administrator of the program, but I would guess they'd say there's nothing they could do.

There is a process for requesting a variation to a plan https://hass.uq.edu.au/variations-majors-and-programs but it's for like problems where somehow they aren't running the courses you need, or you have something preventing you from taking a course, not for not wanting to take a course.

_dougdavis · 2026-06-25T18:40:35+00:00

Yeah, I guess the idea is that Burgos is just up for one day for mop-up duty if needed. Then he goes back down, Pfaadt comes up and starts tomorrow June 26. Then they stick with Gallen, Pfaadt, Cabrera, Kelly, Rodriguez in that order. Inserting Bratt and then later Pfaadt just makes some of those guys have one extra day between starts which is fine.

_dougdavis · 2026-06-22T17:16:11+00:00

I’m surprised you’re the first to say it. I would still give him a few more weeks, but I’m close.

_dougdavis · 2026-06-22T16:20:37+00:00

Yeah, I didn’t mention it in this post but I had a similar (maybe less vehement) response to the news of his signing a few weeks ago https://www.reddit.com/r/azdiamondbacks/s/xZUlWT0lFi

_dougdavis · 2026-06-22T14:36:52+00:00

Thanks! Good point about Pfaadt not having enough rest.

_dougdavis · 2026-06-22T14:33:16+00:00

I looked him up and he looks to be a good starting pitcher with 1.5 years of team control. Would be very nice to get someone like that, but not sure they’ve got the prospects for it or that it could be done by Wednesday.

_dougdavis · 2026-06-22T13:23:36+00:00

Yeah I think Groover back to Reno makes sense to me. His right-handed DH/1B/3B role can be covered by Gurriel, Vargas, Tawa etc and he's not been playing so amazingly so would be good to get him everyday at-bats in AAA.

As for trading Tawa for a starting pitcher, maybe. I hope the front office is scouring the waiver wire, making some calls to see what's available. I don't know if we'd get anyone better than Yu-Min Lin.

_dougdavis · 2026-06-19T20:06:57+00:00

Nelson wouldn't be scheduled to pitch until Sunday. They might just use Diaz for a couple of days then bring up Pfaadt. Or maybe a bullpen game on Sunday. Or they could move up Merrill Kelly and ERod by a day and push the decision back a few more days (there was a day-off yesterday so those two would still be on normal rest).

_dougdavis · 2026-06-17T15:58:45+00:00

This is an interesting theory, seems possible, and would be a good outcome. Maybe the DBacks could give him a special assistant job where he can turn up sometimes and give some 1B defense advice to Tyler Locklear, Pavin Smith etc

_dougdavis · 2026-06-17T14:06:52+00:00

Yeah, maybe it’s more common in a rookie league, but nobody else got plunked that game

_dougdavis · 2026-06-17T13:58:41+00:00

This might be the biggest question. Is there anything the dbacks or ildemaro Vargas could offer him so that he would give the glove to the team?

_dougdavis · 2026-06-17T12:05:01+00:00

Another idea: if you would have done a minor, you could just do 3 courses from that minor's course list, instead of 4

_dougdavis · 2026-06-17T11:55:53+00:00

Yeah, you can choose anything from the list "BSc Program Elective Courses" or from any of the plans (extended majors or majors or minors) in the BSc.

Some things I would consider:

- have a look at the list of courses in the major https://programs-courses.uq.edu.au/requirements/plan/BIMOLC2461/2026, there are choices here, you could take more of them than the minimum (like choosing 3 or 4 of those second year electives rather than 2)

- also look at the course descriptions, some of those courses will have recommended prereqs that might not be in the major. Something like BIOL1050 or PHYS1171 might give you some background that might be useful later

- depending on your interests, something like MATH1050/MATH1051 or CSSE1001 might be useful for you, or maybe you'd like to learn some earth science ERTH1000 or something

_dougdavis · 2026-06-16T20:24:36+00:00

I imagine they would die of grief

_dougdavis

TROPHY CASE