Well then! Been awhile, hasn’t it? Between the Easter Holiday and my Tigers suffering their 22nd postponement even though we’re only like 3 weeks into the season, it’s safe to say I’ve been a bit distracted.
I mean, a few days ago against the Twins, we brought in a rookie named Jose Ortega to pitch in a pressure situation about twenty minutes after he got off the bus from Toledo. SPOILER ALERT: It didn’t go well. I think he managed like 1 Strike for every 5 Balls he threw. By the time his manager, Brad Ausmus, made his way to the mound to show mercy on the poor kid and take him out, he had managed to load the bases on no hits. Seriously, not one stinkin’ hit. Not something you see everyday from a Major League pitcher, so maybe I should have celebrated my good fortune of having borne witness to such a rare event, but at that point I had heard enough and was too busy trying to choke on my own tongue like Hilary Swank in Million Dollar Baby. Finally, Ausmus marched slowly back to the mound, took the ball, looked solemnly at the bullpen and raised his left hand, which, as all Tigers fans know, is the universal gesture for “Phil Coke, can you please come in here and make things worse?”
We, uh, … Yeah. We didn’t win that game.
I hope Ortega does better in the future–I really don’t wish him ill–but, statistically speaking, a half-asleep visiting Tigers fan roused from the coldest section of Target Field bleachers should be able to put up a box score of 4 BB’s and 4 ER on no hits in 1 and 1/3 innings, right?
Anyway, this is the part of the Weekly Roundup where I normally wallow in a happier Tigers memory from years gone by:
Ah, Joaquin Benoit, where have you gone? What’s that? San Diego?! Uh… good luck with that!
Anyway, we’re back in the saddle again as we review the week that was in Heroclix!! After a week away, it’s time for…
THE WEEKLY ROUNDUP!!
PODCASTS:
–Dial H for Heroclix is up to Episode 42! This week the guys discuss more of the spoiled War of the Light dials (from Newsarama) and discuss the upcoming FLASH set that has just been announced before touching on what they played this past week and some Community news.
–ClixCast,,, still dark.
–Push to Regen is back from their two-month hiatus. Their last new episode was April 5th. Check their Podbean for updates!
–The Quarry’s latest episode is … Episode 16!
Welcome… to the ROC!
ROC:
–Up to date upcoming tourney listings, which you can find right here!
–Not much else going on in the ROC at the moment, but if you check the ROC page on HCRealms.com, new ROC announcements come down every day!
Previews:
-New War of the Light dials seem to go up every day–Newsarama is a good place to look, but eventually all that info filters down to HCRealms, so you can always check their Units page. Too many to comment on here, but so far, most look like a lot of fun, even if they’re not quite Meta-worthy. But man, this set is gonna be impossible to collect!
-Triple DeadPool spoiler! Banshee, Black Tom Cassidy and Siryn! Black Tom has a ridiculously useful Force Blast ability that simultaneously deals 1-3 penetrating damage, and his dial only costs 57 measly points! Siryn seems slightly less useful at 86 points, although she has a bizarre Pulse Wave that can also Mind Control anyone it hits, even if they’re friendly (I think–definitely some wonky wording there). But the big winner here is the Super Rare Banshee! Man, his Echolocation is sick (8 Range, Ignores Hindering AND Elevated Terrain), and his “It’s Going to Get A Little Loud” Trait is disgusting–go look at it right now. All that with two team abilities, and he’s still less than 100 points! Outstanding. You folks know how much I love Improved Targeting, and Improved Targeting: Ignores Elevated Terrain is as rare as it is useful–which is to say, it’s EXTREMELY useful! Out of these three, he’s the one who excites me the most.
Yep, after 2 months, this was the best image I could come up with for “Entertainment News.”
Entertainment News:
-Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. continues to accelerate–this is a show you need to catch up on if you gave up on it earlier. Hopefully I’ll have a special tie-in article at some point soon that will feature a complete Episode Guide for the first season.
Critical Missives:
–Just one new article last week, but it was one I had a lot of fun writing. It featured a look back at Invincible Iron Man from six months on and considered the different ways this set has affected the Heroclix environment.
Okay!! That’s all I got this week! See ya later this week for more wonderful Clix goodness!
Until then, Stay Safe, and Watch Your Lines of Fire!
Critical Missives 