YouTube Videos: Nov 6-12

 

Ohio Young

Can't say I'm too bothered with MLB's Cy Young awards.

Shane Bieber very much deserved it during this short season. Pitching in all 12 starts. Eight wins and one loss. A small blemish, but he was a force with the Cleveland Indians. Almost to the halfway point of strikeouts he had last year by getting to 122 this year. A very low earned run average, clocking in at 1.63. At 77 innings, he also got the triple crown, which accounts for wins, ERA, and strikeouts. A unanimous pick and rightfully so. Everything you could ask for and it was lights out for the season.

Then we have the loud Trevor Bauer. The only big question is his wins and losses, going in at five and four. His numbers were either better or behind Jacob DeGrom. Exactly 100 strikeouts, which was second in the National League. He got the ERA title at 1.73. Two complete games and shutouts. He had 73 innings pitched. One of the big improved pitchers considering his disastrous time last year with Cincinnati. They gave him another chance and it paid off. The Reds first playoff team in a good while and he shined in the first game that had no score until extra innings.

It's going to be one of the very few nice things for the state of Ohio. Most of their sports are mediocre at the moment, but the baseball is one that fans should get excited for heading into next year.

Geeks and Jocks: Episode 49

New episode

https://anchor.fm/ryan-sullivan1gaj/episodes/Episode-49-Jeopardizing-ema0ci

Who Is Alex Trebek? That's Correct

When you are hosting a game show that everyone knows for a very long time, it will be hard to forget them. You think The Price is Right, you think Bob Barker even though he retired in 2007. Wheel of Fortune, it's Pat Sajak. Jeopardy, who is Alex Trebek? Unfortunately, he passed away from his battle with pancreatic cancer. It leaves a void in who will be the next host of the long running show. Something that iconic and the same host since 1984, what do you do?

The comparison to Trebek will be common after his final episode that will air next month. You watch a Jeopardy episode, he keeps it calm. There might be points where he'll let loose, but he was able to stay in a professional form despite some answers. Nothing over the top. It's a quiz show with the answers given to you first. Not to mention some of its notoriety. Guys like Ken Jennings having their unbelievable streaks. James Holzhauer last year, it's created a lot of fantastic moments for the show.

Of course, there's ridicule. Saturday Night Live had their version of it which was often funny with idiot celebrities and their version of Trebek getting ridiculed. With SCTV in the 70s and 80s, they had their own take on him not too long before he went on to do Jeopardy. But it is still a fresh show since it doesn't rely on flashy signs, big prizes, and surveys. That's not a knock on other game shows because if it were all the same, no one would want to watch any of it. Not to mention, there is difficulty in figuring stuff on these programs.

Whoever takes over as the host of the show, I would hope they show the professionalism that Trebek carried for over 36 years. There's a reason why it is one of the biggest game shows still going. The new generation growing up will one day not know about the legends of hosting these programs.

ESPN Layoffs: How Much More?

You could say 2020 has been a really bad year for ESPN.

In 2015, they laid off a few hundred people. It happened again in 2017. This is happening again as it laid off 300 over the weekend. Small role people, large ones, producers. You know it's that bad when you have Bob Ley, who was part of the original group when it began in 1979 and retired last year, rips this situation. While I get that people will lose jobs, we're not talking anything normal. And some of the ones who were notified are ones that have been for quite a bit of time. Even people that have had almost 20 years experience with the brand.

Obviously, Disney is losing billions and you can't point the finger at one specific aspect. Clearly, the pandemic hurt them a lot. Cord cutting more than likely has had some influence. The oversaturation of political topics hasn't helped. Poor ratings altogether because of politics and the question of whether or not sports seasons would get finished. I'm not sure if digital will help ESPN. I don't think Jimmy Pitaro had much choice back in the spring and the effects it caused. But if he wants to win back viewers, there needs to be multiple things that has to work.

First, you need anchors that people can give a shit about. I'm not talking idiots like Stephen Smith and Max Kellerman. Anchors that can also get their point across without having a bias. I doubt they would, but the second thing would be to cut down on their NBA talk. Maybe a little NFL as well, but there are other sports. We don't need 24 hour coverage of specific players. Last is to remember past incidents. Understand why SC6 failed in 2017 and why audiences want to watch something that isn't CNN or Fox News. If they continue the path like they did in the summer, there will be heavier losses.

This is a bad move I think altogether. ESPN must know things will get better sooner than they realize, barring a shutdown if Biden does shut the country down completely. I don't know how much more of a bath Disney will take if it struggles the next couple of years.

Sean Connery: More Than Bond

If one were to think of Sean Connery today, they will point to one of the most prominent names in the film industry. With his passing on Halloween night, one should discover the career he had. Stuff that was small, but serviceable. Being able to sustain a career, especially when you get to the mid 80s and his resurgence for a decade. He carved out a career that everyone can look at and be rather pleased at most of his roles.

That prominent name of course is James Bond. And Connery was the first one to portray Ian Fleming's character when Dr. No first came out in 1962. After many television show appearances in the UK, you can say this was his first major break. He wound up playing the character six more times. It had a formula on what to do. You had puns, catchphrases. There was interesting gadgetry, cars, the Bond girls. It made the spy genre very attractive. This was when programs like Man of U.N.C.L.E. and the parody Get Smart appearing thanks to Bond. Over 30 years later, you have the Austin Powers movies that lampoon how ridiculous those early films were.

With that role being attractive, it would be hard to get roles without being typecast. That is something for many in Hollywood. Connery was still finding roles after Bond. There's The Great Train Robbery. He was Robin Hood in Robin and Marian. Consistently finding work in the 70s and early 80s. But then you look at what he got from 1986 through at least 96, he was in the spotlight for different reasons. Highlander for one. Being part of The Untouchables in 87. Indiana Jones in 89 as Indy's father. The bad guy in The Hunt for Red October, the first major Jack Ryan film.  Of course, Connery slowed down, but still able to do Rising Sun, The Rock. Even in 2000 with Finding Forrester. A couple more films and he retired from acting. Point is, he put out an even bigger legacy with the efforts of playing different types of characters.

When you think about Connery, think about his other roles. He was more than just James Bond.

YouTube COPPA: One Year Later

Last year, YouTube got in trouble with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act. They violated rules and paid a hefty fine. Had something to do with data and collecting it based on what kids would search for. Since then, video uploaders have had to state whether their videos are directed towards kids or not. Over the last year, it has been concerning, but there was a lot of overreaction.

The problem with YouTube is that a lot of it isn't explained very well. Altogether, they are not out to fuck with people. They are not looking to punish everyone since they are aware of what they have. So does the Federal Trade Commission. Many are not exploiting kids to their content. If it is very blatant, then they will go after the violators. Knowing the site's history on how they do things, the overreaction comes from very mediocre help from them and the responses feeling very robotic with automated responses.

Figured this would be a very short blog. Not a lot going on right now that I want to discuss. No YouTube Videos blog since I wanted a recharge and take a week break from doing it. Definitely will try to get back on track next week with new videos. Seems like the site is doing a little better with handling things. If they want to keep being the go-to site, then they will keep abiding to rules and standards. That is if they can remember them.

Tiny Toons Looniversity Thoughts

The thought in my mind was that Tiny Toon Adventures was more deserving of a reboot than Animaniacs. I like Looney Tunes and I like the 90s approach the Steven Spielberg produced show had. You get your ups and downs, but it paved the way for Warner Brothers. Maybe as a way to avoid stealing Animaniacs' spotlight when it returns November 20th, the Tiny Toon gang is coming back with Tiny Toons Looniversity. Plans are two new seasons and on HBO Max.

There are definitely some big hurdles and its things I can only speculate that early. Can the Toonsters adapt to a 2020s style of humor? Or will it try to follow the classic formula that Looney Tunes had? Another part is that the main cast are teenagers. When Tiny Toon Adventures first aired, they were roughly 14 to 15 years old. They might up the ages a couple years. I'm not sure if there is continuity or trying a different age to liven up the comedy. Both them and Animaniacs feel like they are aiming for PG territory. And they weren't afraid of showing stuff for adults that kids wouldn't understand.

But the biggest hurdle will be voicing the characters. Buster Bunny's original voice left before the final season wrapped up in 1992. I'm not sure if he would return. Same for any of those actors that were around 30 years ago. From other types of media I've seen, its tough to see the same energy at an older age. The passing of Joe Alaskey in 2016 leaves a huge void in someone to voice Plucky Duck. Billy West took over as Hamton Pig when Don Messick passed in 1997. I don't even know if West is still acting, but he's near 70 years old. Whether they go with a new youthful group, I have no idea. Danny Cooksey was a teen when the show debuted, but whether he can unleash his inner Montana Max, that's up to the producers.

One notable omission is going to be Elmyra Duff, whose mentor is Elmer Fudd. The character is not like the hunter when it comes to animals. She loves them and wants them as pets rather than shoot them. Some want answers. I know PETA was around when the show was new, but I can't see them going overboard. Then again, they went after Super Mario, so you never know. Supposedly, executives loved her and writers grew tired of her. I would wager most fans don't care for her. When used right, she's not a horrible character to have. There are episodes where you can't help but feel bad. An episode I can think of is Prom-ise Her Anything. Max throws insults on Prom night and she's brokenhearted. There is redemption, but those moments were very rare. I think removing her will benefit from a comedy standpoint where writers won't feel forced to shoehorn her in.

There is plenty of material that is ripe for humor for Tiny Toons Looniversity. You got plenty of high school material. Easily do parodies from stuff that was made 15 to 20 years ago. Horror movies have seen surges in popularity since 1996. While not new, there is much more to mock. Those are just some small examples. If they're going to do slapstick quite a bit, they better find ways to be more creative or make running gags common yet feel fresh.

All that aside, it has the better potential to do well. Animaniacs feels like shaky ground unless the humor really wins the audiences over due to not many characters returning. But either way, both shows have to get a new audience hooked to them and hopefully bring the 90s fans along for a new ride. The 90s generation for Warner Brothers rides again.

Uncharted Waters: Uncharted Movie Finished

When you think of Uncharted, you think of mostly the original trilogy on PlayStation 3. It was an important one as it got the system going with the original and the second one was when Sony pushed the system that hard. For Naughty Dog, it was very much your cinema type of game. That treasure hunt and weaving in some platforming, action. Feeling like Lara Croft or Indiana Jones, but much more wisecracks. It has the makings of a movie, and the one that they are making finished up not too long.

Barring any setbacks from the pandemic or other situations, this video game movie is set to come out next summer. The last couple of years have seen the usually hated genre get commercial success through Rampage, Detective Pikachu, and Sonic the Hedgehog. Sonic and Pikachu also were well received compared to Rampage's mixed reviews. Uncharted went through a lot development hell. This was supposed to be made five years ago and come out in 2016. It went through many directors and never fitted with anyone. 

Whatever happened before and during the pandemic, they got it to work. Ruben Fleischer has a decent track record. Out of all the people to get to play Nathan Drake, why Tom Holland? I know studios see him as the new hot talent, but is it going to be their version of Spider-Man? Pending what they show and what the script was, it could work. Mark Wahlberg playing Victor Sullivan is an odd choice, but he could be a natural to be that character. I guess they got the story to involve Chloe Frazer, who will be played by Sophia Taylor Ali. How that pans out, I'm not sure. And they also have Antonio Banderas in if I had to guess, a villain role. I haven't followed much of the film's production, but from brief glimpses in the last few days, the set up seems better than what I expected.

I could see audiences sort of getting into it, but it will have to impress a lot of gamers to make them see it. At least with the PS3 games, they set up a foundation for what worked and what didn't with its characters. You have the big characters involved. Depending on the timeline, there may not be characters like Elena Fisher. Whether you see rivals like Eddy Raja, I can't say for sure. I'm speculating too much, but it can go down in huge glory or be a massive bomb if the budget is very expensive. It has the makings to go either. The momentum has been better the last few years. Only a matter of whether audiences enjoy a different take on treasure hunting.

Los Angeles Bound: World Series

To get what they deserved has got to be truly special. The last time the Los Angeles Dodgers won a World Series was back in 1988. Two opportunities were lost in 2017 and 18 in controversial Series from alleged cheaters (though a lot will say Houston and Boston cheated). To get it all in 2020, it has to be a sigh of relief and hope to keep continuing hopefully a big dynasty.

A lot of what makes the Dodgers dangerous is through their bats. You can think Cody Bellinger, Justin Turner, Corey Seager. It was able to survive the Tampa Bay Rays' unorthodox approach to pitching. Teams do rely a lot on their bullpens, but they were able to beat them up after guys like Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow were done for the night. Their own bullpen held their own and starters like Walker Buehler gave what the team needed. It creates a long lasting legacy for Clayton Kershaw.

Tampa is not a team in theory you think can go all the way. They do have some bats and their pitching is decent. You look at this year and their reliance on the bullpen to bail them out was going to bite them. The pulling of Snell in Game 6 this past Tuesday is going to be looked at as one of the biggest blunders in MLB postseason history. Up there with Russ Ortiz, Pedro Martinez, and Zack Greinke. It proved costly and is one of the examples of why analytics are hurting the sport. When you anger someone like Tim Kurkjian, you know your ripping is coming swiftly. We don't see pitcher duels anymore, regular and postseason. It's become such a rarity. Overall, I feel Tampa has damaged baseball in many ways and you have to blame both Joe Maddon and Kevin Cash.

On a more serious note, the way Justin Turner handled himself in that game is very careless. There was question on whether he tested positive for the virus and it turned out he did. The Dodgers were told to remove him and they didn't. He celebrated the series clinching win with them and people are outraged. Yes, it's something to celebrate winning a championship, but you endanger 10 thousand plus people in Texas. This isn't me defending the Dodgers, but I can see them giving a big fuck you to Rob Manfred and MLB. Basically, revenge for the way the season was and their handling of the Houston Astros cheating scandal.

Where 2021 brings us, I'm not sure. But I would hope MLB formulates a better plan or possibly a better commissioner. I don't think Manfred is suitable anymore to be run a league.