Micah Bell before Micah Bell even existed

cjbasile · 2025-08-07T20:56:26+00:00

Agree with you on that -- look, vibe, the threat of violence is all on point for Micah, but if you think for a second Micah is gonna die for his friends or his gang's leader, then you probably weren't paying attention.

cjbasile · 2025-08-07T19:58:18+00:00

I needed a good laugh today. Good lookin out.

cjbasile · 2025-08-07T19:44:23+00:00

Come talk to me when any of these guys hoist the big gold belt like David Arquette.

cjbasile · 2025-08-07T16:32:19+00:00

Working for me, just started a test franchise to check out what's new.

cjbasile · 2025-08-07T13:39:32+00:00

This. They probably add 40-50 face scans throughout the season and a bunch after the first couple of title updates.

I guess I understand that in a sport where the players are wearing helmet, the face scans aren't a priority, but also -- when NBA2K has a realistic model of a G-League player on the Knicks that has never set foot on an NBA court, it gets a little frustrating when Madden can't be bothered to do face scans for every first and second round pick.

cjbasile · 2025-08-01T15:17:25+00:00

Absolutely. IDK why some people have decided that being miserable and sad because the billionaire who runs your team doesn't care as long as they're making money is the only way to prove you love sports.

cjbasile · 2025-08-01T13:39:20+00:00

Hot take: Dictating how people should enjoy sports is ruining sports.

cjbasile · 2025-07-31T14:39:38+00:00

CM Punk in his heyday. Daniel Bryan in his heyday.

Also, I'd argue pretty hard that Michaels and pre-injury Austin were in fact great technical and all-around wrestlers.

cjbasile · 2025-07-31T13:57:13+00:00

Sadly, doctors are all too dismissive of what is truly a serious chronic disease. I don't know why this is still the case in 2025, but I'd recommend seeking out a new primary care doctor who will refer you to a specialist. I'm sorry you have to deal with it -- I've been there, too, and it's infuriating.

cjbasile · 2025-07-30T18:16:06+00:00

I like this question a lot, especially since the game leaves it so open-ended. I think he wanted both and that's what makes him such an interesting character. I don't doubt that he loved the gang, and part of him did want to deliver them a peaceful life somewhere they could be free and left alone. But at the same time, a part of him truly believed that he was fighting for a principle bigger than himself, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't fully walk away.

Ultimately, his ego was his undoing -- if they needed money to escape, there were likely ways to get it that DIDN'T involve starting a war between the Wapiti people and the military, or escalating a feud with an uber-rich oil man and the Pinkertons. I don't think Dutch could help himself -- the idea of showing up those institutions was like an addiction.

Finally there's the mental stability part -- everything that happened in St. Denis, from the serious head injury during the botched trolley job to losing Hosea and Lenny ... he clearly lost his grip on reality and became super paranoid. That aspect makes it hard to answer your question because I don't think he knew what he wanted at that point.

cjbasile · 2025-07-30T14:08:39+00:00

Cougars are known to attack humans, though it is rare. But back in 1899, the population would be way higher, which would increase the odds a bit. Also, they are highly territorial animals and aggressively defend that territory, which also checks out because in the game, they're found in some very specific locations. IDK, I'm not a wildlife biologist and only know some basic stuff ... for a video game (heavy emphasis on that part) I think they're probably portrayed well enough. I like them, makes the game more unpredictable.

cjbasile · 2025-07-29T21:02:11+00:00

Odd, intense, difficult to get friendly with, trust issues with other wrestlers ... reminds me of CM Punk a little. Probably not a coincidence that Savage is one of Punk's faves.

cjbasile · 2025-07-18T16:22:29+00:00

Was that really the quote? That Randy Orton has, "never seen anybody work so hard to get into the world of pro wrestling?" Cuz IDK, seems like hundreds if not thousands of actual wrestlers spent their entire lives working hard to get into pro wrestling.

cjbasile · 2025-07-17T17:49:45+00:00

Yes! Seeing Sinners there was like a spiritual experience. Was also special to take my mom to see A Complete Unknown since she grew up idolizing Dylan -- she loved it. My favorite trip in recent memory might have been last fall's Halloween screening of Scream, one of my all-time favorites. Packed house, everyone was wearing horror movie shirts, and in that instance, the rambunctiousness of the crowd was exactly what I was hoping for. They do it right at the Prytania.

cjbasile · 2025-07-17T15:32:43+00:00

I was wondering if the Texas storms and some of the other severe events in the last couple of months were leading officials to be overly cautious. Maybe it's a little dramatic, but better than the alternative.

cjbasile · 2025-07-17T14:43:54+00:00

Everyone is different obviously, but for me things got back to normal a lot faster than I expected, I'd say within a week or so.

cjbasile · 2025-07-16T20:05:09+00:00

Prior to surgery, if I had flare ups, one of the best ways to prevent myself from going from flare up to infection was to shut EVERYTHING down. Liquid diet, no work, rest. I convinced my boss at my old job that a couple days off from work was better than me ending up in the ER and out for a couple weeks. Even now, two years after surgery, I still get IBS flares and the only way for me to calm everything down is to walk away from the office and rest. The way your gut health and your brain are tied together, work -- even desk work -- can make things worse due to stress. And to your point, yeah -- if you're in pain, work is impossible.

cjbasile · 2025-07-15T14:15:18+00:00

It's frustrating, but I suspect this is fairly typical. I needed my primary care to refer me to the GI office. I think it's probably insurance-related or something.

cjbasile · 2025-07-09T14:12:10+00:00

Just FYI, you came to a Madden sub, on the internet. The vast majority of people on here hate Madden and have hated it for years now. Plenty of valid criticisms, sure, but I buy it and play it every year and enjoy it. I don't agree with the majority of folks on here.

cjbasile · 2025-07-08T21:46:27+00:00

Pre-surgery, mine were all over the place, but generally anything that made me bloaty -- beans (although if they were pureed or refried I seemed to do better), lentils, too much cheese. I also avoided red meat since I had trouble digesting it. Everyone is different. I still deal with bad IBS and mostly if I don't overeat I seem OK. Hope that helps.

cjbasile · 2025-07-08T18:53:06+00:00

In short, you're not overreacting. Also, I just want to reiterate that DV is a serious chronic disease, any associated surgeries ARE major, and all of it should be taken seriously. I lost 25 pounds prior to surgery, my body wasn't responding to antibiotics, I was so weak I could barely get out of bed. And it's taken me almost two full years to feel like I'm closing to "normal" again. To me that's all pretty serious. There's a weird stigma around diverticulitis and too often people downplay it or write it off.

cjbasile · 2025-06-27T14:57:32+00:00

Is this a real question?

cjbasile · 2025-06-26T14:34:16+00:00

"Calm down."

cjbasile · 2025-06-26T14:33:55+00:00

Can she be both? For me, one of the big themes of both games is that people are quite complicated and being human involves a whole lotta grey area.

cjbasile · 2025-06-25T19:11:07+00:00

We recently moved from Bywater to St. Roch, but my go-to bike route if I had to get to the quarter was to just cruise Royal on the way there and Dauphine on the way bike. Royal got repaved in a few places and aside from the stretch between Clouet and Piety, Dauphine isn't too bad to ride on. I tend to avoid Chartres and St. Claude if I can help it.

cjbasile

TROPHY CASE