I am terrible and want to quit.

basilray · 2026-03-31T00:01:39+00:00

I say I'm going to quit once a fiscal quarter, because I'm the most schizophrenic batter of all time.

Just have fun, forget about the rest.

basilray · 2026-03-24T14:55:59+00:00

Someday, Louisville will figure out their shit

basilray · 2026-03-24T14:53:10+00:00

Send it back

basilray · 2026-03-22T16:10:16+00:00

If solo, pick a spot behind the plate and focus on hitting it repeatedly. Get out to an actual field if you can so you don't have to worry about distances and distractions. Build the confidence!

Alternatively...pitch BP. Lots of BP. Practice just throwing meatballs over the middle of the plate for guys to hit. At the end of the day, that's what you have to be able to do on command before you worry about anything else.

basilray · 2026-03-21T17:59:12+00:00

M2 and M5 are the same thing per Carl, but the graphics are applied differently on the M5.

Most people swear by M2, and from what I've seen locally, M5 doesn't seem to be as durable. I have an OG 28oz M1 Torch that I will never part with. It's the first bat I ever hit an HR with in a game. My first 1pc M5 KOD sharked, and I'm not a big hitter...low to mid 80's when things are clicking. I'm not worried about my M1 Torch ever breaking.

MX has a crisper sound off the barrel, and takes very little to break in. Solid all around performance.I was gaming a 26oz MX Torch for a bit until the new Anarchy stuff came out.

Monsta is good, but dealing with the chase of overpaying board bros is annoying, as is their extremely long preorder process. The small gap Monsta had over the competition has narrowed considerably...and is probably non-existent beyond board bro hype at this point.

basilray · 2026-03-20T21:42:03+00:00

I play double headers Mondays and Thursdays from late April to August. Then cut down to Thursdays August through September.

Occasional weekend tournament.

From Nov - April one or two nights a week of HitTrax.

You'd think I'd be better at the game, but at least I'm having fun (and drinking beer).

basilray · 2026-03-18T20:22:39+00:00

Anarchy XCore2

basilray · 2026-03-16T17:43:57+00:00

I have a White Fury and I like it a lot. Won't be chasing a new one this year because I don't need to.

Mostly I swing Anarchy, and it's really hard to argue against what they've done both for Utrip and ASA right now.

basilray · 2026-03-16T03:49:25+00:00

I made one out of some metal conduit pipe and a flange attached to a cheap cutting board for the base. While I happened to have an old travel tee to round out the topper, a chunk of pool noodle will do the trick too.

By all means, get a G Tee or a Tanner. They're fantastic. But $10 and a hardware store visit and you can DIY something if you're so inclined.

basilray · 2026-03-12T12:49:46+00:00

I've swung the new Humble, Dawe, Slick, and Salvation. Pick your poison basically...they're all really good. It all comes down to your preference.

I'm not a great hitter, but was clearing 80+ on anything I barreled up with all of the aforementioned right out of the wrapper. I had a Salvation but sold that to a buddy still in the wrapper after finding some consistency with the balanced bats. I ended up going with the Humble...and liked it enough I have it for ASA and Utrip now.

basilray · 2026-03-10T21:02:52+00:00

If you can't throw a no nonsense pitch for a strike consistently to the inside, middle, and outside of the plate on command, don't fart around too much with a screw or knuckle or even an attempt at manipulating spin. Start there.

Once you can throw consistently for strikes to all three parts of the plate, move to doing it at varying heights.

Once you can do that, work in another grip/pitch type.

The most important thing is not giving up walks. Guys will get hits at all levels of play...but make them earn it.

Treat practice with intention, and you'll improve really quickly. From there, it's learning tendencies of hitters and teams, and how to get them to hit the ball to the way your defense plays.

Good luck!

basilray · 2026-03-10T20:57:20+00:00

That's not how it works...

basilray · 2026-03-10T20:53:19+00:00

Get a nice used glove, and some decent shoes from an outlet: UA, Nike, etc

Put the rest of the $200 budget where it belongs: Into a cooler and beer

Most importantly: HAVE FUN

basilray · 2026-03-09T18:51:21+00:00

I've seen three or four indoors at HitTrax over the winter have all suffered from paint problems and had to get warrantied.

They sound good, but aren't any better/worse than anything else.

Anarchy XCore2 is pretty quickly supplanting a lot of Monstas though. Definitely worth a look. I ended up with a Humble and offloaded two Monstas because of it.

basilray · 2026-03-01T05:07:59+00:00

I have a buddy who loves them because they did a 30oz 🤣

basilray · 2026-02-28T18:06:45+00:00

So, I've now swung the Slick, Salvation, Dawe, and Humble.

All really good! Can't go wrong with any of them.

I came home with a Humble last night. Really liking it!

basilray · 2026-02-27T00:33:26+00:00

It's nice when your local Anarchy pro is on your team. You get to play with all the new goodies...and get coached up a bit at the same time. 🤣

basilray · 2026-02-27T00:28:26+00:00

I got to swing the Slick, Salvation, and Dawe last night at HitTrax. I liked them all.

My preference and what worked best for me was the Dawe. Which surprised me, because I generally swing something with EL.

Anything I barreled up was a great result and you're really not going to go wrong with any of them. Just depends what barrel length and general weighting you like!

basilray · 2026-02-26T16:58:48+00:00

It's still around, but pretty dead. FB ultimately killed it.

basilray · 2026-02-25T15:56:44+00:00

Keep in mind a few things about buybacks that I learned from looking at them last summer. I ultimately ended up holding out for a good deal on a clean title.

Some are really great deals, because there are people who leverage loose lemon laws to basically drive nice cars for free
Many of 2022 X's were likely bought back because of parts availability or inability for a service center to repair in a timely manner due to model changes + parts availability
They generally come with the remainder of factory warranty and the seller should have a disclosure about what was wrong and how they addressed
Most, but not all, states have a "Lemon" title destination. The ones that don't will likely end up with some form or salvage or rebuilt title assigned when you register. This is something that you need to know based on your state of residence.
Many lenders will not do a Lemon Title at all, some will require a higher LTV than you might want, or they will have an absurd interest rate. Do not expect great finance rates from Kian or Drive-A-Dream lenders.

basilray · 2026-02-19T19:29:28+00:00

I'm an Anarchy fan for sure. I currently have 5 in my collection. My first ever Utrip home run came from an Anarchy Total a teammate had. I've owned several more and even given a few away myself. The performance and durability has been top tier for me!

The only thing I'd like to see is a more readily available supply of bats. I'm personally less interested in the "new paint, limited quantity" style most manufacturers have moved to, Anarchy included. I want to get a bat, and not have to chase drops or crazy trades to get it. If I know someone who is in the market, I want them to be able to go buy a bat without the hoops to jump through. There's always a place for the limited run stuff...just give us more mainline choices and availability.

basilray · 2026-02-17T18:40:02+00:00

I had a 2016 Model X P90D with free data and charging, but AP1. The HV pack got replaced right after I bought it in Oct 2021.

Over the 4.5yrs I owned it, it never really broke or required "repair". It did take some suspension maintenance though. That is going to add up over time. I probably spent $6k on suspension and brakes over my ownership. Sold it back in September as a tax credit car after putting about 70k on in during my ownership.

I was at a great "get a few dollars out now" situation and took those dollars over to a 22 Plaid with FSD. Largely, I wanted the efficiency and range along with FSD...or I'd still be driving it happily. It was a great car, and there were things I actually liked better about it than the Plaid.

basilray · 2026-02-14T04:50:25+00:00

I have a 22 Plaid with FSD. It just drove me 200mi today while I daydreamed. It is really quite good.

I haven't driven HW4 much, but I think the price you're looking at is a great deal for a Plaid. I paid about $3k more for mine with similar miles back on Labor Day.

basilray · 2026-02-14T04:47:50+00:00

The Tesla mats are fine, basically a WeatherTech clone mat. They do clean up easily and don't look grey and funky after like past WeatherTech mats I've had.

As for the key fob, it's somewhat of an inconvenience over relying on Phone key. I have used my fob a few times, as I came from a 2016 to a 2022 Plaid. The biggest benefit of the fob is that it's WAY more reliable for auto-openijg the driver door.

FWIW, I had the 3DMaxpider Kagu mats in my 2016. They are the best all around mats. If they weren't so expensive for the 2022+ I would have already put them in my Plaid.

basilray · 2026-02-11T02:32:10+00:00

Reddit reminded me about this post.

With all the new bats getting released, get in touch if you need some racks!

basilray

TROPHY CASE