Pennant Race, Presidential Race... no, what really matters is who represents Fire Emblem in SSB4!

[mark_asphodel]

I have seen the light.

I have converted to the side of "Bring Back Roy!" for the sole reason that advocates of Sigurd, Lyndis, and random Tellius characters have driven me to it.

[Well, that and I understand Roy and his significance to Elibe and Fire Emblem now, and didn't in 2008.]

I mean, the sole reason I got a GameFuqs account is to screw with people who still parrot the hivemind assertion that Sigurd is the most popular and beloved Lord in Japan.  I think the evidence stacked against that claim is bleedingly obvious at this point, so I'll just point out that fan polling indicates that, the last anyone checked, Sigurd wasn't even the most popular blue-haired mounted lance user in his own game, much less more beloved than, uh, Marth.

Also, I've soured on Krom and FE13, so I kind of hope Sigurd 2.0 doesn't make it in, either.  :/

-x-

How 'bout them Tigers?  Right now it's 6-0.

Can't gloat in advance, but I will point out that the Yankees with their bloated zillion-year contracts have the oldest average age of any major league baseball team (33) and that most of the Yanks' stars are quite a few years above that.  So you've got a team made up of broken-down warhorses who can't do what they did five years ago (especially now that some of 'em aren't juicing), and these no-name kiddies who've been brought into the playoff roster now that the big names are benched, injured, or out to lunch.

The wheels were gonna fall off sooner or later, and this turned out to be the year.  Even Boston's laughing now, fercryingoutloud... mostly because A-Rod ain't on their payroll.

I'm not gonna laugh until nine innings are over.  Mercy rule, anyone?

Comments

[amielleon]

I'm really astonished that anyone wants to keep a ball player until he's well past 30 years old. Over in competitive gaming, which doesn't even come with physical requirements past finger agility, you're ancient at 21.

[queenlua]

I think age-of-retirement varies pretty widely based on the sport. The average NFL player has a four-year career (since it's so injury-prone, hard on the body, etc), but NBA players can remain reasonably competitive into their early 30's, and baseball from what I understand has some of the longest potential careers in sports, with some guys retiring in their late 30's.

I don't know much about the competitive gaming scene, but I suspect there may be something in lightning-fast finger coordination that deteriorates faster than general athletic ability.

[amielleon]

It seems counterintuitive, but it's entirely possible that reflexes slow much faster than joints wither.

[mark_asphodel]

I'd refer you to the article "To Derek Jeter On His 37th Birthday" for an overview of aging in baseball compared to other professional sports.

Kids aren't best at 22, generally-- not in baseball. Justin Verlander was hurling 104-mph fastballs as a rookie six years ago, but it took him about five professional seasons to mature into the genuine ace he is today. And maybe he'll reign there for a few more years, or stretch it for a decade like some (non-juiced) pitchers have managed.

But a team with an average age of 33 is asking to get their butts spanked by somebody younger, faster, and fitter. Derek Jeter's crumbling ankle bones are a pretty good representation for the team as a whole.

[amielleon]

Just finished reading the article. Good article.

[mark_asphodel]

I think age-of-retirement varies pretty widely based on the sport. The average NFL player has a four-year career (since it's so injury-prone, hard on the body, etc), but NBA players can remain reasonably competitive into their early 30's, and baseball from what I understand has some of the longest potential careers in sports, with some guys retiring in their late 30's.

Well, aside from outliers like Nolan Ryan, an old man (read: over 32) can have a better time of it in a sport like basketball, where there's an in-your-face psychological element and experience can give a veteran the edge out of some punk who just dropped out of college. But in baseball-- Steroid Era aside-- it basically comes down to "Do you have the visual acuity and fast-firing reflexes to hit the damn ball?" And after a certain point-- IIRC it's about 27-28-- you lose it.

[amielleon]

an old man (read: over 32)

Fire Emblem as sports drama.

[mark_asphodel]

Yes.

Fire Emblem laws of decrepitude apply here unless you're cheating your ass off using "stat boosters", which is why poor Curtis Granderson (always liked that guy) may be washed up at thirty-one. No sane team is going to be willing to throw major amounts of money at a guy whose abilities are just going to decline from here on out. Not now.

And that's why the Yankees were beyond stupid to sign A-Rod to a ten-year contract when he was 32. He's halfway into it and they already regret it. But they built their entire roster that way, favoring long-term deals with aging stars, which is no small part of why they all have a nice long time to think about the shortcomings of their approach to baseball.

Yankees Management: Suspect Minds

[writerawakened]

an in-your-face psychological element and experience can give a veteran the edge

See: Kevin Garnett.

Strangely, despite being a major contact sport, I might nominate hockey as a great sport for the "dinosaurs." I can think of a number of players in their mid/late 30s who've had success recently in the NHL. In fact, most good goaltenders don't peak until they're in their thirties (Jonathan Quick being a notable exception at 26)

[mark_asphodel]

I can think of a number of players in their mid/late 30s who've had success recently in the NHL.

Not sure when Yzerman peaked, but nobody was looking to run him out of town when he retired, and he was past forty. So, yes, I agree hockey is another place where a guy can manage a two-decade career.

[kyusil]

[Well, that and I understand Roy and his significance to Elibe and Fire Emblem now, and didn't in 2008.]

'v'

(not that I claim to myself, really, but still 'v')

Even gameplay-wise I missed Roy in Brawl. I mean, he was probably too floaty for competitive play and all that but I really liked how he handled. I got used to Marth well enough and picked up Lucas for aerial funtimes, but it's not the same. I think they could declone-ify him easily enough too, if they wanted-- give him projectile attacks, for one. and a Final Smash where Lilina comes in and obliterates everything.

Nobody for Hector? I remember he was my top series choice for Brawl, back when I had the naive notion that weapon diversity meant something to the developers, lol. Chances are our first axe-user will be the Animal Crossing MC (I am okay with this).

[mark_asphodel]

Nobody for Hector?

Not these days. The FE7 contingent wants Lyn to fap over, but calls for Hector's presence seem to have cratered.

[samuraiter]

You've come to Game FAQs, have you?

....

*sepulchral voice*

Here there be asshats.

I should know. I've spent a decade among them.

Alas, they haven't made me their king.

Not yet, anyway.

[mark_asphodel]

I've been trolling, I mean posting there for a while. It's a cesspit. It's unspeakable. But sometimes I can't help myself.

ETA: And I've been lurking for years. YEARS. The Sigurd thing finally pushed me over the edge some months back.