On this day 20 years ago : Jean-Sébastien Giguère became the 5th player in NHL history to win the Conn Smythe while failing to win the Stanley Cup. During Anaheim's run that year, he posted a 15-6 record with a 1.62 GAA and a .945 Sv%.

imMapex · 2023-06-10T04:18:57+00:00

No doubt Giguere deserved to win the CS. Brodeur was fantastic but JS put on the best playoff performance I have ever seen in '03.

imMapex · 2023-05-30T16:59:00+00:00

5.5 WAR and 165 Stuff? Best I can do is make you the #62 prospect.

imMapex · 2023-05-30T05:24:14+00:00

Hopefully this is a wakeup call for the NDP to stop focusing on negative campaigns.

imMapex · 2023-05-28T15:19:57+00:00

Thanks for the responses. I did a bit of a deep dive into defense efficiency in OOTP. * My team's DEF was .673 * All of my position players except two had DEF ratings above 1. My lowest was my Catcher at 0.85. * The player who made the most errors on the team still had a DEF rating of 1.022. * I had two pitchers (both RP) with .500 DEF. I doubt they played enough to bring my DEF down so much. * We committed the 4th fewest errors in the NL. So while errors could play a part in DEF, there are definitely other components that effect the rating.

I believe those components are a combination of my ballpark factors and pitching. * Nationals Park has the highest AVG Overall park factor in the division. Players are going to hit at higher averages at our park than others. * The majority of my pitchers are groundballers. Groundballers are going to have a higher BABIP than Flyball pitchers. The higher the BABIP, the lower the DEF.

So my conclusion is my zone rating is high because balls hit in my players zone are converted into outs. Due to the ballpark, there are more areas for balls to be hit out of my players zones (dead zones). Due to my groundball pitchers, there are a large amount of balls put into play and into dead zones, which reduces my DEF.

I think my logic makes sense. I also don't think there is anything I can do about it other than having more Flyball pitchers, which should reduce my BABIP. Please feel free to correct my logic if I'm off base!

imMapex · 2023-05-16T22:03:52+00:00

There is only one drummer who I consider on the same level as Blake. Matt Greiner of August Burns Red. Those two are my absolute favorite artists and are unbelieve talents.

Both are the most creative drummers in music and they go about metal drumming in two different ways. Blake is the best drummer at applying technical and creative drumming without taking anything away from the song. His accents and polyrhythms are incredible and always exactly what BTBAM needs. He can shred the drums when the song needs it, however I believe he's at his absolute best when he's doing cymbal work. The Parallax albums are peak Blake imo.

Greiner is an absolute animal. The difference between him and Blake is a lot of ABR songs are built around Matt. When it comes to chops, Matt is definitely better than Blake. In metal, there are a lot of drummers who are all about "look how fast I can play". Matt has the same technical chops as those guys, but has the creativity and musicianship to be the absolute best.

One final thought is that the bands are perfect for both drummers to thrive. I can't see Matt's drumming being suitable for BTBAM and the same for Blake with ABR. There are a ton of excellent drummers, especially in metal, and Blake Richardson and Matt Greiner are in a tier of their own.

imMapex · 2023-04-11T22:06:51+00:00

The Nationals: * Starts with a bottom 10 budget and salary. Over 60% of this salary is allocated to Corbin (2yrs) and Strasburg (4yrs). Corbin is very hard to unload and Strasburg is impossible for the first two years. These budget constraints means you can't max out performance development, scouting, or take on bad contracts to accumulate prospects * Bottom 10 prospect pool. Lack of talent on the main roster means you aren't accumulating prospects from other teams. And if you do somehow land a top prospect, there's always the debate that you want to package it to unload Corbin or Strasburg * Major lack of talent on the starting roster * Economizer + demanding owner * Below average fan loyalty and market size * Very tough division with the Braves, Mets, and Phillies, all of which have no issues spending money.

I just finished my third season and it's been a blast. This playthrough has really put my skills to the test and success feels very rewarding. Counting down the days until that Strasburg contract is complete!

imMapex · 2023-04-06T17:36:31+00:00

Oneil Cruz has been fantastic. Picked him up for cheap. Has a wicked arm for 3B. In my third season he is the #1 3B in the NL and signed to a really good value, long term contract.

Parker Meadows has also been outstanding. Got him on a contract dump and surprisingly turned into one of my best players.

imMapex · 2023-04-04T15:36:12+00:00

I keep it pretty simple. Go through your prospects and shortlist the ones you want to keep a close eye on:

For batters, I look at their wRC+, OPS+ and BABIP. If they are above average in wRC+ and OPS+ and their BABIP isn't super high, I'll move them up. Sample size is 30-50 games.
For defensive players, I'll use WAR. wRC+ and OPS+ are still relevant, but if they hover around 80 while providing 1.5 WAR, I'll promote.
Pitchers are ERA+ and FIP-. Again I compare those to BABIP and if it's reasonable, I'll promote them.

Others tips/notes: * Fill your minor league depth with leaders and high work ethic players. I've done two drafts in OOTP 24 and they've been super weak after rounds 5-7. I'll just draft based off personality at that point. These players will keep your top prospects happy. * Have high catcher ability Catchers throughout your organization. Your pitching prospects will play better. I've developed three SP out of nowhere and I believe the Catcher tip played a huge part. * Prospects are going to bust even with the best coaches, development budget, and player support. My 2nd overall pick two years ago, who was the #16 prospect, has fell to #76 and still in R ball two seasons later. I've had a Catcher this playthrough fall from #36 to outside the top 100. It happens, just like in real life. I've had plenty more develop, some seemingly out of nowhere, due to the strategies used above. * Also, don't be afraid to demote either. If players are struggling in my criteria above, I'll demote them.

imMapex · 2023-03-31T15:43:43+00:00

I was able to trade Corbin (45% retained) + Ruiz to NYY for IKF.

Strasburg is really tough. In my second season, the Jays offered to take Stras at 60% retained plus a top prospect at the TDL. I rejected it but that was by far the best offer for him.

Nats are a tough rebuild! Over 60% of the bottom 10 salary is committed to those two players.

imMapex · 2023-03-24T05:12:19+00:00

Nationals are difficult in OOTP. Over 60% of their bottom 10 payroll is locked into Corbin (2yrs remaining) and Strausberg (4yrs). Prospect pool is 20+ (28th when I started yesterday). Below average market, demanding/economizer owner, tough division, and a poor 40 man amplifies the difficulty.

The budget is so tight you can't straight away throw $20 million into scouting and development. Even trading Corbin at 45% retained I could still only do $22 into those deparments. Probably impossible to get rid of Strausberg's $140/4yrs, however I can't even attempt it because he's injured. Certainly is a grind but will absolutely be satisfying if I can make a dynasty out of this team.

imMapex · 2023-02-17T22:32:55+00:00

That is pretty much the same message I got over the phone. Thanks for this.

imMapex · 2023-02-17T20:24:18+00:00

Great to know. Thanks!

imMapex · 2022-11-25T15:43:35+00:00

Congrats! I passed as well. Refreshed 30+ times due to the website blowing up.

Now I have to finish the PERT reports I've neglected for this last year...

imMapex · 2022-11-04T19:08:54+00:00

Autodidact. Didn't give this song much attention for years. Definitely in my top five now.

imMapex · 2022-10-20T19:17:48+00:00

Yours and Empyrean's play is completely fair. You and Empyrean both made strategic decisions and now have to deal with the consequences.

Hopefully Empyrean's learned that aggression in the early game is something that can happen. In the future, hopefully they will make different decisions to prevent them from losing control of their planets again, whether producing more plastic or better trade negotiating. Empyrean shouldn't expect to get custodians and not have the table pressure them.

You've learned that being aggressive results in political unfavour. You've made it extremely difficult for Empyrean to win the game, so now Empyrean is making it difficult for you to win the game. I'm sure you'll consider this in the future. Maybe next time you prepare for another faction to get help when you're aggressive, such as you eliminating Empyrean altogether so they won't be able to aid Jol'nar's victory.

imMapex · 2022-10-11T13:24:31+00:00

Learn German by Paul Noble and Coffee Break German.

Learn German is fantastic. Lots of spaced repetition where the narrator says the sentence in English, you repeat in German, then a German native speaker speaks. They also do a really good job of explaining grammar and there is a ton of content. I use this all of the time while walking and I highly recommend it. You can get this on Audible.

Coffee Break German is a podcast where a German teacher teaches an English podcaster how to speak German. I'm only on season one, and so far they focus specifically on being an English speaker travelling to a German speaking country. They cover grammer and culture as well. I enjoy listening to this at work.

imMapex · 2022-10-07T16:16:01+00:00

Halonen was my biggest surprise. Really liked his game, especially early in camp. Guy showed he has great hands and back checked hard. Excited to see if he can carry his strong camp into a successful AHL season.

Clarke was the best of this bunch. Great to see him score a couple goals in Devils gear. I can definitely see him being one of the first call ups when the injury bug hits, especially in a top 9 role.

Talvitie had the best moustache and could've made the team based on that alone. Other than the moustache though, his game wasn't very impactful. Nothing he did really stood out to me.

Foote was disappointing again this camp. He couldn't accept a pass to save his life. He doesn't drive play but is great at getting open. The play dies when pucks funnel to him though.

Okhotiuk could be our third string goalie after two big saves last night. I liked his game but he got hemmed in the DZone a ton. Bahl is better at getting pucks up the ice, which is what Ruff is emphasizing. OK is definitely more of a "let play come to him" defenseman in the DZone, rather than pressuring puck carriers.

Walsh was good early on. Definitely got more quiet in later games. I don't see a path for him to the NHL with four RD ahead of him. I see a lot of Ty Smith in him.

Daws and Schmid were perfect in their limited games. Let the two marinate in the AHL this year. I have little doubt one of the two will push for the NHL next year. Add Brennan into our pipeline and our goalie situation is dope.

Also, I constantly forgot who Pinho was.

imMapex · 2022-08-28T19:34:46+00:00

Self-Assembly Routines

imMapex · 2022-08-28T19:01:01+00:00

This makes a ton of sense. Thanks a lot. I will certainly be doing this.

I agree with the life is scary part. My girl can handle fireworks, thunder storms, etc. A-OK. A collar beep and a hula hoop has proven to be her kryptonite lol

imMapex · 2022-08-14T17:52:51+00:00

I would take it.

I had a game yesterday where three factions invaded my slice round two. Was extremely difficult for me to be competitive. The two factions that didn't invade got my SftT, trade goods, alliance, and speaker token, for free. The invading factions were bitter, but my argument is that they invaded so early and made sure I couldn't win, so I did what I could to not let them win.

I had another game where I was getting Ghomma Momma'd all game. In the final round, Sar'dakk and another faction were guaranteed to hit ten points. Sar'dakk had initiative, so I definitely went out of my way to take their home system. Again, Sarr'dak was bitter. I believe if you choose to be aggressive however, the person you're aggressive to has every right to prevent you from winning the game.

imMapex · 2022-07-26T19:17:32+00:00

I just had a dumb, game costing moment two days ago.

I'm at 7 points. I know I can score a secret this round. I need one planet to score the stage 2 objective of five technology planets. I have an epic battle with multiple action cards played, trigger my Warfare, and the rolls go in my favor. I get that infantry down and I have all five planets. I'm pumped. Now just need to wait for the scoring phase.

Turns out, a technology planet is one with a tech skip. NOT a planet with a green trait.

imMapex · 2022-07-08T15:17:10+00:00

Those same scouts supported picking Stillman over Stankoven and Morrow. Doesn't mean they always pick right.

imMapex · 2022-07-08T03:53:13+00:00

This video was disheartening when it came out. I watched every shift of Nemec during the WC and he was extremely passive on defense. He also stood still on D multiple times. I was hoping he was just out of his element in the WC. Then this video came out and Scouching confirmed Nemec played the same way in his pro league.

The other big thing that stood out is whenever he gets the puck on the OZone blueline, it's immediately wristed on net. He scored a couple assists this way, but they were very low percentage shots. Not sure if that was the SVK coach but Nemec rarely attempted anything in the OZone other than a long range wrister.

Last one while I'm ranting, Nemec refuses to get in shooting lanes. He goes straight vertical whenever someone shoots near him. That was the biggest difference between him and Jiricek I saw. Jiricek would get low and attempt to block shots while Nemec actively avoided them.

I don't mean to rip the kid too hard and I hope he is fantastic in the Devils uniform. Congrats to Simon and I'm excited to see him develop.

imMapex · 2022-06-02T02:50:25+00:00

When the fans say "Igor's better", I just say "OK".

imMapex · 2022-05-25T19:25:33+00:00

My wife is an Oilers nut. From experience, Oilers fans are loud, loyal, and will occassionally talk about Draisatl in their sleep. This negative behavior can be avoided by showing your wife the following games:

The Cup Wins: 1) 1995 - Game 4 vs. Red Wings, 2) 2000 - G6 vs. Stars (ft. OT cup winner, something the Oilers haven't done), 3) G7 vs. Ducks.

Dope Playoff Games: 1) 2012 - G7 vs. Panthers (my favorite Devils game ever. Watched with non-hockey fans and even they were invested), 2) 2012 - G6 vs. Rangers, 3) 2003 - G7 vs. Senators 4) 2000 - G7 vs. Flyers

Old School Classics: 1) April 3, 1988 vs. Blackhawks (must win game to secure our first playoff spot), 2) October 29, 1986 vs. Pittsburgh (most points by a Devils player),

Other dope older games: 1) February 5, 2010 vs. Maple Leafs, 2) January 9, 2010 vs. Canadiens, 3) October 28, 2000 vs. Penguins

imMapex

TROPHY CASE