#baseball reviews

[bestbaseballreview]

How To Fix A Cracked Composite Bat

Unfortunately, fixing a cracked composite bat is not recommended as it can compromise the bat's structural integrity and potentially lead to injury.

Composite bats are made up of layered materials that are bonded together. When the bat cracks, it means that the layers have separated or broken, and this damage can cause the bat to lose its performance and durability.

If the bat is under warranty, it may be possible to get it replaced or repaired by the manufacturer. However, if the bat is out of warranty, it is not recommended to use it anymore.

To prevent the bat from cracking in the first place, it's essential to take proper care of it. Always store it in a cool and dry place, avoid using it in cold weather or with hard baseballs, and avoid hitting the bat's sweet spot too often. Also, do not use the bat to hit anything other than baseballs or softballs, as this can cause damage to the bat.

In summary, if your composite bat is cracked, it's best to replace it or have it repaired by the manufacturer if it's under warranty. Otherwise, it's not recommended to continue using it.

Read More: https://bestbaseballreviews.com/how-to-fix-a-cracked-composite-bat

[astoundingbeyondbelief]

Kaiju Week in Review (March 24-30, 2024)

A coworker asked tonight me how Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire measured up to Godzilla Minus One, and I responded, "Almost as good, but in a completely different way." If you like monsters (and if you're following me I have to assume you do), see it, no questions asked. There's about a million of them and they're all delightful. The franchise has long struggled to recapture the specific charms of the Showa era, and I think this comes closer than any of them. (It's the climactic tag-team battle... also Mothra returning to knock some sense into Godzilla). Pure junk food, but you can't just watch Oppenheimer all the time.

Godzilla x Kong tore up the box office this weekend, performing well above expectations. Its $80 million opening Stateside was the second-best of the Monsterverse (after Godzilla). It added another $114 million internationally for the best overall opening of the (still-young) year. China was a big part of that with $44 million; giant monster movies are among the few Hollywood imports that still play well there. With a $135 million budget, lowest of the Monsterverse by a wide margin, it's a matter of when, not if, Legendary announces the next one.

The Oxford English Dictionary has added an entry for tokusatsu, defined as "A genre of Japanese film or television entertainment characterized by the use of practical special effects, usually featuring giant monsters, transforming robots, and masked and costumed superheroes." It's part of a group of 23 freshly-acknowledged Japanese loan words; unclear if the timing is coincidental. Oh, and if you're curious, they added kaiju in 2018. As someone who remembers when the only English-speakers who used either word were in fandom, it's pretty wild to see.

French company Extralucid Films will release Gappa on Blu-ray in June. The impressive-sounding bonus features are naturally all in French, but there's one that transcends language: 17 minutes of extra monster footage. The U.S. version of Gappa, Monster from a Prehistoric Planet, only has about 7 minutes worth of shots absent from the Japanese version, so I'm pretty curious about the other 10. It's also the first time this footage has been released in HD (Tokyo Shock blew it in 2020).

Season 2 of Chibi Godzilla Raids Again is indeed receiving official English subtitles, starting the same day as the Japanese premiere, April 10. Godzilla Battle Line also added a hilariously busted joint Chibi Godzilla-Chibi Mechagodzilla unit, along with a Destoroyah variant. (Maybe Godzilla x Kong units are next month?)

A new Monsterverse movie means new books to buy. The prequel comic Godzilla x Kong: The Hunted is out already (not recommended), but officially you'll have to wait until April 23 for the novelization and May 14 for the art book. Chalk that up to the late release date change, maybe. Unofficially, people are already getting the novelization from Amazon, because they're a monopoly that can afford to pay the fines from publishers for breaking street date. The audiobook version also released on the same day as the film. I don't have intel on what it adds and changes yet; adding everything from the film itself to Wikizilla is all I can handle right now.

The San Francisco Giants are offering a Godzilla VIP Experience on May 17, a long-overdue acknowledgement of the savior of their city. Tickets are almost gone, though I think it's a shame that the promotion is opt-in to begin; what happened to giving these tchotchkes out to the first thousand fans? Well, figures that they'd make getting merch of the Minus One Godzilla in the States a hassle.

[clonerightsagenda]

I invite you to a reading of my dark academia novel. You expect a bunch of smoldering boys in button up dress shirts. I start reading. Chapter one is a transcript of a two hour faculty senate meeting. You try the doors. They're locked.

[askmovieslate]

I know you like to ship your stuff and what not, Tumblr.

But nah.

Don't do it.

Jamesy: This is what we call reverse psychology. She actually really wants you to do it.

Shut up feather duster!

[bloodbruise]

Jegulus ❤️

my loves for ever and ever and ever <3

[moregraceful]

having trouble staying silly so made a medium impulse purchase of a slightly higher quality reloadable point and shoot than the one i got a target which had some strange warping i didn't like (like worse than a regular disposable camera, somehow...the shein-ification of target i think) for the roadtrip. i'm so harrowed by losing that entire roll of musty and will smith (shark) that i cannot bring myself to commit to the om-1 so i'm hoping that getting to blow through a roll or two on the roadtrip has promise of enough joy to get me through the next two weeks🥲

[everygame]

Space Invaders Part II

Developed/Published by: Taito Released: 7/1979 Completed: 04/06/2024 Completion: Able to polish off three waves counting shots. I could do better.

Not exactly by design but I’ll admit the last few weeks of Every Game I’ve Finished have been like “you should really buy exp. 2601 for context” and this week is even worse, because my article on Space Invaders there is such a banger.

However, in precis, I look at Space Invaders like Bishop looks at the Alien: I admire its purity.

I mean, there really is nothing like it. The heartbeat. The clean, immediate, graphics. You not simply against the machine, but your own ability to count shots to ensure you get the highest score. That beautiful Pepper’s Ghost.

Space Invaders Part II, which Tomohiro Nishikado pitched by writing “Space Invaders” on a big whiteboard and then adding an Y with two lines through it (this caused a lot of confusion in the office because the symbol for yen in Japan is generally 円 not￥and no one thought “Space Invadersy” was a good name) is therefore in an awkward position. Change too much, and the intense and specific flow is gone. Don’t change enough and it’s not really anything.

Of course, you have to remember the context of 1979. Everyone is still Space Invaders mad, and really all you need to do is offer people enough novelty to keep them playing. To this end, Space Invaders II offers a few things. Most simply, it allows people to actually log decent high-scores with their initials, making in the version for glory hunters, and adds some little interstitials which interestingly prefigure those that would be seen in Pac-Man not too soon after. In terms of play, however, the main changes are that there are now Space Invaders that split into two when shot, meaning that the formation can now have gaps (gasp!). Interestingly, this doesn’t happen until the fourth wave in the Japanese original, but for the US Midway release, titled Space Invaders Deluxe (guess they didn’t think it was different enough to deserve that II) you actually get to see this happen from the second wave onwards. And UFOs are slightly different: you can still count shots to ensure you get 300 points, but some of them blink on and off and can only be shot when visible, which weirdly gets you a flat 200 points in Deluxe but 500 in Part II.

And that’s not all! For the truly dedicated, you now get a 500 point bonus for the last Space Invader you kill if it was one of the octopus ones (the lowest two rows) and a 1000 point bonus if it’s the very bottom left one, requiring some creative shots (I certainly haven’t managed it.) Oh, and UFOs can sometimes drop new invaders into the formation, ruining everything!

It sounds like a lot, and it does actually significantly increase the mental load compared to the original, but in particular if you’re playing the Japanese original you’re going to have to be extremely good at Space Invaders to really notice most of it.

Which, to be honest, I don’t mind. If you’re used to playing Space Invaders, you slip into this like a warm bath, and for Pepper’s Ghost fanatics, the machine has an even more beautiful backdrop, where you’re now defending a wee moon base, your bases fitting perfectly on top. I mean for that alone I’m tempted to rate this higher than the original.

This really does manage to ride the line of being different enough, but not too different; it feels like exactly what it was intended to be: the version you upgrade to once you feel like you’ve mastered the original. 

Will I ever play it again? Whenever I see a Space Invaders machine, be it the original or Part II, I’m gonna play it.

Final Thought: Speaking of: I took a trip down to the Rochester Museum of Play to see their new video game focused expansion and sitting in the middle of their Video Game Hall of Fame, was an original Space Invaders cabinet. It was superb and practically worth the trip on it’s own. In fact, it made me fall in love with the “real” experience that after googling around I discovered that desktop toy maker MyArcade makes a tiny desktop arcade Space Invaders that marvellously uses the real pepper’s ghost technique for the screen, and I was so excited to pick it up for it’s honestly quite reasonable price until I found out that it doesn’t feature the 23-15 UFO shot timing, rendering it sort of pointless. Admittedly there’s also the Numskull quarter arcades Space Invaders if you’re absolutely determined for “the real thing, only smaller” but comes in at an eye watering $340 and I literally cannot imagine using those ridiculous wee controls. I guess I’m stuck driving to Rochester. Could be worse I suppose, I love a garbage plate!

Support Every Game I’ve Finished on ko-fi! You can pick up digital copies of exp., a zine featuring all-exclusive writing at my shop, or join as a supporter at just $1 a month and get articles like this a week early.

[mandoreviews]

📽️ A League of Their Own (1992)

Surprisingly to me, this movie was very touching. There were several moments that brought tears to my eyes. I don’t want to give any spoilers, but it’s a pretty emotional movie. I thought it would just be a fun movie about a women’s baseball league, but it’s much more than that. It’s funny, sad, and real. The fact that it’s based on a true story just makes it even better. I really like this movie a lot. I could watch it again and again.

Sex/nudity: 3/10 (quite a few sexual innuendoes and comments, females seen in underwear frequently in a non-sexual manner)

Language: 2/10 (no f bombs, a few instances of milder language)

Violence: 2/10 (some sports fighting, baseball injuries shown, talk of war and war injuries)

Overall rating: 9/10

[rocknroll2024]

[ecargmura]

Oblivion Battery Episode 1 Review - Returning To Base Form

How long has it been since I watched a baseball anime? My personal favorite baseball anime is Big Windup (Ookiku Furikabutte)…and that’s the only one I watched. So, how is Oblivion Battery? Well, it’s only the first episode, so I need to watch more. I can safely say that, for a baseball anime, it is rather unique.

The story is about how a genius battery disappeared after middle school and one person who had witnessed their greatness, Taro Yamada, finds them at the same unknown public school he went to one day. It turns out that the genius catcher Kei Kaname has gotten amnesia and forgotten how to play baseball while his childhood friend and genius pitcher Haruka Kiyomine tagged along because he wanted to be with Kei whether it be playing baseball together or just hanging out together. Kei was initially disciplined due to all the baseball training but after getting amnesia, he has reverted to his supposed usual self, which is being a whiny goofball. After demonstrating his pitches to an upperclassman with Kei as the catcher, Haruka decides to make Kei remember how much fun baseball is.

Amnesia plots are usually hit or miss due to how the writer handles it. To me, they feel a bit contrived due to the character suddenly retrieving their memories when the plot wants it to. Will Kei’s memories come back or will they stay forever gone? All I know is that the current Kei, the amnesiac one, is rather annoying with his perverted jokes and whiny attitude. While the whiny attitude is understandable and that he doesn’t run away, I think the rather perverted jokes will get old fast. I do hope how he lost his memories will be told and shown.

Though, to me, I feel like the first episode is more about getting used to the characters rather than focusing too much on baseball, hence why I said that I need to watch more to see what happens. I do want to know more about Taro Yamada and how he got into baseball. I want to know more about Haruka and Kei’s friendship before and after the amnesia.

Haruka and Kei seem like a brains and brawn duo with Kei being the brains and Haruka being the brawn. Kei originally was going to make Haruka the best pitcher in Japan, and he had a bunch of notebooks regarding strategies and plans. Haruka seems more like a guy who goes with the flow with whatever Kei concocts and doesn’t question him. While he seems stoic and serious, the way his eyes are drawn makes him look a bit dopey. Despite that, I do like how Haruka is such a good friend that he still sticks by Kei’s side even though he has changed and doesn’t like baseball as much anymore due to his amnesia. Given my rather bad experience with Bucchigiri and how the protagonist Arajin wanted to lose his virginity, simps for girls and abandons his friends for his selfish purposes, I just hope that Kei doesn’t go the same route; however, I believe that he won’t given that he still had the urge to catch Haruka’s pitches even if he doesn’t remember.

Taro is a bit enigmatic so far despite being an ordinary guy. I do like how he’s the narrator of sorts as he witnessed the diabolic battery during his middle school baseball tournament and then goes to the same high school as him. Usually, sports animes do give good characterization, so I hope that Taro isn’t the one guy who gets focus early but then fades into the background later on.

The animation is rather good for MAPPA standards. None of the baseball movements use CG, so I think this might have promise animation-wise. The music is okay. I like the opening! I feel like this anime is more of a “keep on watching and it’ll get better” type, so I won’t comment on the animation and music too much right now.

The voice actors…ARE GREAT! They seriously got a strong cast of voice actors. Toshiki Masuda and Mamoru Miyano play the monster battery with the former voicing Haruka and the latter voicing Kei. Masuda’s softer voice is really nice to listen to! I can tell Mamoru Miyano is having a fun time voicing Kei because he gets to be silly and serious. Not only do these two have great voice actors, throw in Yuki Kaji as Taro and you legit have fans lining up to watch this anime. I think it’s been a while since I watched an anime with Kaji in it. I still like his voice a lot as he does voice high schoolers/young boys well. Oh, speaking of which, Ryota Suzuki and Gen Sato voice those two random boys recruiting people for the baseball club. Crazy casting indeed.

For now, the first episode feels more of a character-driven thing rather than a sport-driven thing, but I’ll keep on watching! Question of the day: What is your favorite baseball anime?

[bestbaseballreview]

How To Hit Home Runs In Slowpitch Softball?

Hitting home runs in slowpitch softball can be a challenging task, but with the right technique and preparation, it can be achieved. Here are some tips to help you hit more home runs in slowpitch softball:

Use a heavier bat: Heavier bats generate more power, making it easier to hit the ball over the fence.

Swing with authority: When hitting, make sure to take full swing and follow through. This will help generate more power and increase your chances of hitting a home run.

Focus on your hips: Your hips play a crucial role in the power of your swing. Make sure to rotate your hips fully to generate maximum power.

Keep your eye on the ball: Make sure to keep your eye on the ball throughout your swing. This will help you to accurately track the ball and hit it in the right spot.

Practice: Hitting home runs takes practice, so make sure to spend time in the batting cage working on your swing. This will help you to refine your technique and increase your confidence at the plate.

By following these tips and putting into practice, you can increase your chances of hitting home runs in slowpitch softball. Remember, hitting a home run is not just about brute force, but also about technique and mental preparation.

Read More: https://bestbaseballreviews.com/how-to-hit-home-runs-in-slowpitch-softball

[briswamnlava]

barely a month into 2024 and i think ive found my reoccuring music obsession ! title fight ! theyve been on my radar for years now but recently ive started to delve into their sound and holy shit dude. my top song is def 27 and i highly recommend it to anyone.

other than that, kiss the ladder by fleshwater has one of the most amazing intros ever. heavy with the distortion and soft female vocals which im a sucker for. the chord progression is so magical and gives me goosebumps every first listen. very lsd and the search for god vibes.

also im quite liking the idea of posting every sunday my air buds recap :)

[ducktracy]

!!!NEW REVIEW!!!

another short prone to terminal Ben Hardaway-itis, Porky’s Baseball Broadcast is best seen as a bridge between two other Freleng directed shorts based on baseball—1936’s Boulevardier from the Bronx and 1946’s Baseball Bugs, the latter of which derives inspiration from this one. a spot gag cartoon under the duplicitous disguise of a Porky short, Porky serves as a commentary to guide the audience through a variety of baseball themed hijinks.

[quarklynx]

fuckyoufuckyoufuckyoufuckyoufuckyoufuckyoufuckyou

FREE HIM!!

[jimsmovieworld]

MAJOR LEAGUE- 1989 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Fun 80s sports movie about a hopeless baseball team on a decades long losing streak. The new owner assembles a team of has beens and bozos so bad she expects them to come in last place, which will allow her to move the team to another city. When the team discovers her plan they rally around each other and start playing like superstars, taking them to the top.

Charlie Sheen, Wesley Snipes, Corbin Benson and Rene Russo star.

Very good baseball movie. Good characters and dynamics between the team. Great underdog story and upbeat ending. Its strange hearing someone other than Jon Moxley come out to Wild Thing but i got used to it.

[kaoharu]

hiihello i have arrived home o7