u/chi_sweetness25

Sometimes I have runs where I get a solid build going and it becomes clear well in advance that everything up to and including the Ante 8 boss is going to get one-shot. It's nice to win the run with no hassle, but it feels unsatisfying to end it there before the build encounters a real challenge. However, if you proceed it just ends unceremoniously within a couple antes when the blinds skyrocket into 8-9 figures. You go from one-shotting everything guaranteed to suddenly having zero chance even if you draw the perfect hands.

It actually feels way more satisfying when I'm barely scoring enough and have to rely on certain cards to scrape past the final boss, and then can just end the run there.

My system memory and 256 GB card are both officially chock-full (thanks in part to games like Pokopia not being available on physical). I considered getting a second card to store more games, but I read somewhere that the system isn’t designed to swap memory cards that often. Are the only real solutions to either uninstall games as I go along, or get a larger memory card and retire my current one? The issue is that some games like EA FC or Mario Kart aren’t ones that you ever really “finish” and I might want to pick them up at any point.

The only nation that has won Olympic gold in both men's and women's soccer

Correct response: What is>!​Canada?!<

>!Canada's women won the gold medal at the Tokyo Games in 2021. At the St. Louis games in 1904, Canada was represented by Galt FC, who won a three-team tournament in which the other two clubs were both from the host city.!<

If you feel like doing it, that's great, it's a nice thing to do. But if your friend decides not to do it for any of the following reasons:

• money is tight, or they don't feel like spending extra money at the moment
• they don't feel like supporting that particular charity
• they're skeptical about where that money goes and would rather donate through other means
• they believe the business should be making donations rather than passing the buck to customers

then no worries, it's optional for a reason. You're not going to lecture your friend about it or view them as an immoral person, and your friend isn't going to resent the charity for asking about a completely optional donation.

Instead, we live in a culture where people who don't want to tip are cheap assholes and workers who solicit tips are greedy and entitled.

Let's say a contestant has just over double the next-closest contestant's total and time is running out, but there's still a $2000 clue in a category they're not very good at, along with a few other clues on the board. How offside is it to buzz in on a clue, wait as long as possible to answer, and then wait as long as possible to pick the next one in the hopes of not getting to that $2000 clue?

Players on a Cup-winning team are automatically included on the engraving list if they did either of the following that season:

- Appeared in at least 41 regular season games for the winning team

- Appeared in at least one game in the Stanley Cup Final

Teams can also decide to add the names of players who don’t meet those criteria. Which player was the most crucial piece in a championship run who didn’t meet those thresholds? Other than Tom Dundon’s wife and children, of course.

I felt like the first half of the Argentina-England featured both teams playing a scrappy game and not being afraid to foul each other often at midfield. The only cards handed out were for clear offences like intentionally holding someone's jersey during a fast break.

It made me feel like those regular midfield fouls aren't punished heavily enough. The other team gets a free kick, but in that area it's usually just a quick pass to restart the possession, so the offending team isn't really any worse off. You also get a few moments to halt their momentum and regroup, on top of getting a physical shot in on the guy, so why not err on the side of aggression? It's like if you could commit non-shooting fouls in basketball over and over.

Do referees ever go as far as handing out cards if a team is consistently being a bit too physical?

It's fair to be apprehensive or even disappointed about what's been going on with the league, but I'm trying to take away some positives wherever possible.

Playoff Format: The default goal for the regular season for most pro sports teams is to make the playoffs, and in the CFL from 2027 on, that will simply mean not finishing last. I admit it's silly that the team in second-last after 18 games gets a chance at the Grey Cup, but I don't think it will take too much of the fun out of the regular season. The difference between second and third in your division is major; you either need to win four straight, or win three while having two cracks at the first one (on top of home advantage). Rather than simply making the playoffs, getting into those top-two spots will become the primary goal for most teams, with the play-in games acting as a last resort. Last year, the tight three-way race between the Lions, Stamps, and Bombers would have carried a lot of weight in this format.

The addition of some East-West matchups will be interesting as well. This post shows how the format would have shaken out last season.

Field/Rule Changes: First off, the play clock change was an easy one. No more inconsistencies with timing, or teams with a late lead burning 50 seconds with mass subs. Given that the awesome post-three-minute clock rules are untouched, I see no downsides there. The 110-yard field and centre line are classic idiosyncrasies of the Canadian game, but they're no more than that. Removing them won't change gameplay in any discernible way beyond boosting scoring slightly, and it's not enough of a change for me to fear that the game is being Americanized. Call me if they go to 11-a-side or lose the waggle.

What I'll miss the most are wide field goal attempts staying in play and being returned. Those are great moments, and it'll suck to have those go by the wayside. However, I can see the point that removing the giant 13th defender from the goal line will open up passing into the middle of the end zone. The CFL doesn't lack touchdowns overall, but a lot of them are of the QB-sneak variety. Maybe trading some field goals for some passing TDs won't be so bad. Also, I'd expect plenty of 3rd-down gambles between the 30 and 40, since kicking will be a tall order and an overcooked punt will place the ball on the 40 with no score.

New Media Deal: I already use DAZN for the NFL and soccer content, but if you have no interest in that, then I can see how it's hard to justify paying for a new service for one game a week. Still, you're getting the other three games, and while it's a step down from having every game in one place, that's the reality of most pro sports these days. It's a plus that DAZN already has 20 million subscribers, meaning a lot more potential eyeballs on the CFL. And then there's the most important part: a windfall of almost $4 million per team! Given all the fretting over seven teams being in the red, this could hardly be better news.

As little as I want the things I like to change, adaptation is necessary, especially with the challenges the CFL faces. I'm hoping this becomes an exciting new era of football.

This year, my favourite NHL team was remarkably crap, and I didn't really tune into their games. I've been glued to the playoffs though, to the point of starting to burn out on it. It made me realize that I watched practically no NHL hockey for six months, followed by every single minute that I could for the last month and a half. In an 82-game regular season that serves as an overlong qualifying round for the only part that everyone seems to actually care about (the playoffs), there are no must-watch games. It's the same thing in the NBA and MLB. Fans will follow their own team, but even games between the top teams in the league aren't usually appointment viewing for neutral fans; it's just one game out of 82 (or 162) in a season where the playoff championship is viewed as the be-all and end-all.

We all love the excitement of playoffs, but I feel like the huge emphasis on them means that month or two is the only time where games actually feel like events. I think the regular seasons in those leagues would be more enjoyable if they featured secondary competitions or rivalry series throughout (like the NBA is trying to do with the new midseason tournament, or how college football teams play for classic rivalry trophies throughout the season) rather than just being a list of 82 games. Look at European soccer; the season usually starts with a "supercup" match, and domestic cup games and European tournament games take place as the season goes along. Even an early-season league game between title contenders feels momentous because you have to actually finish first to win and can't afford many slip-ups. You don't have to wait until the last two months for games of major importance.

Football is the one American sport exempt from this due to the scarcity of games in the schedule, and I firmly believe this is part of why it's so popular. Each game represents a full week of preparing for a specific opponent and has a lot more power to swing your spot in the standings, and you can follow not just your team but other high-profile matchups as well. It feels like the NFL has five months of big games, while the other major leagues have one or two.

I'll choose hypothetical winners based on their real-life playoff matchup (if applicable), followed by regular-season head-to-head, then regular-season record.

Out: Ottawa (4-14)

First Round

Play-In #1: Edmonton (7-11) @ Winnipeg (10-8) (WPG wins)

Play-In #2: Toronto (5-13) @ Calgary (11-7) (CGY wins)

West Showdown: BC (11-7) @ Saskatchewan (12-6) (SSK wins)

East Showdown: Montreal (10-8) @ Hamilton (11-7) (MTL wins)

Second Round

Elimination Game #1: Calgary @ Hamilton (CGY wins)

Elimination Game #2: Winnipeg @ BC (WPG wins)

Third Round

Grey Cup Semi-Final #1: Winnipeg @ Saskatchewan (SSK wins)

Grey Cup Semi-Final #2: Calgary @ Montreal (MTL wins)

112th Grey Cup

Montreal vs. Saskatchewan (SSK wins)

Honestly, I don't hate this. On the one hand, the regular season does get watered down with 8 of 9 teams making it, and it's an awkward look for the league to have a 5-win team in the postseason.

At the same time, though, it's not like any games would be meaningless. Toronto and Ottawa are obviously fighting to the end in this scenario, and there's also a lot to be gained by getting into the top half of the bracket and having two chances to reach the semis. Teams like Calgary and Winnipeg would be gunning to get that instead of the play-in.

Also, there's a whole extra playoff weekend with four games, some fresh matchups, and a greater possibility of two teams from the same division reaching the Grey Cup.