CygnusGal

I saw Craig Ferguson live earlier this year and he was hilarious! His Keith Richards/Mick Jagger story is great! I've enjoyed his DVDs too. We saw Lily Tomlin live a month or so later and she was stellar. A true icon.

 

If you're going 70's and 80's old school, Richard Pryor is a must and probably the gold standard, Steve Martin, Robin Williams, Kevin Pollack, Michael Keaton, and earlier than that Joan Rivers, Bob Newhart, Lenny Bruce, Burns and Allen, Jack Benny (he was more variety show but absolutely hilarious)

Shelly Berman was great, too. He had a series of phone conversation routines that were great. Like "The morning after the night before...".

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nagzOGCc8N4

:goodone: I had forgotten about Shelly Berman and that routine. That's a great one and he was way ahead of his time. Great phone calls (have you seen the phone skit from the Judy Garland show? - hilarious - I don't care how low your sister's voice is, my name's not Dorothy ) He sounds like an influence on Larry David.

http://youtu.be/nOyDkwF8AGc

For me, Bob Newhart is the king of the deadpan phone call delivery. The Button Down Mind of Bob Newhart actually knocked Elvis out of the #1 album spot and won a Grammy in 1961! :o And, he had virtually no experience in front of an audience at that time. He was an accountant who wanted to be a comedian and so they hired a club in Texas where he could have an audience while Bob recorded his album with the help of some friends. The album was a huge hit and launched his career.

I saw Craig Ferguson live earlier this year and he was hilarious! His Keith Richards/Mick Jagger story is great! I've enjoyed his DVDs too. We saw Lily Tomlin live a month or so later and she was stellar. A true icon.

If you're going 70's and 80's old school, Richard Pryor is a must and probably the gold standard, Steve Martin, Robin Williams, Kevin Pollack, Michael Keaton, and earlier than that Joan Rivers, Bob Newhart, Lenny Bruce, Burns and Allen, Jack Benny (he was more variety show but absolutely hilarious)

Well, that was a long read. I don't think I could have listened. But then again, it is Geddy's voice

I think the interviewer was quite condescending. To keep calling Geddy, Geddy Lee every time Nardwuar addressed him, sometimes multiple times in one question... That's just rude. It comes across as mocking Geddy. :tsk:

I disagree with the OP's assertion. Geddy, the ever graceful gentleman, handled himself very well. I would expect no less since he's the coolest person on the planet. Seriously, it's a fact.

Let's all just think about Geddy for a moment shall we ...

:sigh:

That is all.

It's always funny reading the Power Rankings on various websites, even if I never take them seriously. Everyone went apeshit because the Jays won 11 in a row, which is good, but some people shot them up to the #2 spot behind St. Louis.

 

Now that they dropped 2 of 3 to the Yankees, they'll go back down again.

 

 

Cubs are sitting around #4-5 on average from what I've read.

Why is there a need for power rankings? I never understood why. I thought that's what the standings were for. Computer rankings I get, but not subjective ones.

 

Computer rankings are subjective, too.

In a non-biased, and incredibly less significant way. There's no real comparison.

 

The bias is from the programmers, which is incredibly significant.

How so?

 

Led has a point.

 

It's not like we can see how the number crunching is calculated.

huh?

 

"The bias is from the programmers"

 

No. Programmers write algorithms and the result is either correct or it is not. There is no bias. If the result is not accurate it is just wrong. By definition, computers are objective - right/wrong, on/off. The only variable is style of coding. If the input is bad, the result is bad. Garbage In, Garbage Out (we call it GIGO). The ratios and percentages and such are all determined by MLB and Elias Sports Bureau. There are a flurry of swanky new stats and such, but MLB/ESB are the only ones that matter, they are objective.

 

Now what humans do with the results ..

 

Fact: The Blue Jays currently have the highest run differential in baseball at +141 (STL is +122). Any other result from a computer (or human) is incorrect.

Subjective speculation: The Blue Jays are ranked as the number one power team in baseball, blah, blah, blah ...

 

Poor computers. I'm just saying - it's not their fault. :(

 

Don't anthropomorphize machines. They hate that. :tsk:

 

Edit: change objective speculation to subjective speculation ... I'm pretty good with the computers, the English, not so muchly, it is my first language.

 

The point is that whatever algorithms or criteria are set up to conduct a ranking of which team is better will be biased around that criteria and weighting. Using a computer program doesn't eliminate bias, it formalizes it.

Good systems (and I'd be the first to admit not all are) are ones which correlate the factors that make up the eventual result with that result. I suppose you can consider that bias, but it's bias toward those factors that actually matter. It's far superior to the silly power rankings you see in most publications that are purely opinion based with all of the biases inherent in such.

 

All analytics and sports statistics are, frankly, rooted in bias, if not BS.

 

An example.... the run differential point above in the thread.

 

Let's throw in strength of schedule and injury realities and see if we can't shoot a few holes in the concept of run differential....

 

1) St. Louis will play nearly one quarter (23.45% to be exact) of its games against Pitt and Chicago (#2 NL, #3 MLB record and #3 NL, tied #4 MLB - with Toronto, ironically - record, respectively). That alone sets St. Louis' record, and entire season, on a different mathematical level if you tweak the numbers well.

 

2) Furthermore, because of the "natural rivalry" formula with interleague play, St. Louis played KC ( #1 AL, #2 MLB record) 6 times. Toronto's "natural rivalry" set? 6 games against Philadelphia (tied for the second worst record in baseball)

 

3) St. Louis lost their ace pitcher in April. and has had key offensive players (Holliday, Adams, etc.) on the DL for extended runs throughout the season, yet did not dramatically alter their 25 and 40 man roster by way of trades (which Toronto did). There are all sorts of ways to play that out.

 

Basically, any of us could easily create a formula that suggests St. Louis' run differential is much more impressive given those factors. Any of us could find ways to suggest saying run differential is a superior statistic is akin to saying the guy with the best batting average is the overall best hitter in the game.

 

Don't get me wrong. I love analytics. I love stats. I love to look at them, compare them, deconstruct them, etc. They actually help me appreciate the game and many nuances in it. But, in the end, the programs are still limited by the parameters (and bias) of their creators.

 

Power rankings are turds. Mathematical rankings are gold plated turds. One may look more impressive, but deep down, they are all the same thing.

 

That's probably why the leagues go ahead and play out the entire season and playoffs, you know?

I couldn't disagree more. First of all, they play the entire season and playoffs to determine the champion, not the best team. No matter which analytics you use the 2006 Cardinals were not the best team in baseball, far from it. But, and I wretch when I write this, they won the World Series, due to an extreme outlying performance in pitchers' fielding performance. And playoffs are pretty much the ultimate in small samples. A 108 win team will lose a 7 game series to a 54 win team about 1/9 of the time IIRC.

 

Secondly, the nuances you bring up are taken into account in real advanced analytics. The reason they're usually ignored in mainstream sites is that they're too complicated for the average sports fan, let alone people who listen to sports talk radio, to understand. The second reason is that, a majority of the time there's not a significant difference. It's pretty unusual that the situation the Cardinals find themselves in occurs. Even with that, I'd be willing to bet that the weighted average record of the Cardinals' opponents, even taking into account the distortion in the schedule and removing the 46-83 record vs the Cardinals, is less than .525.

 

Any "bias" in advanced analytics continues to be refined until causative relationships are understood better. There's a reason why all of these teams hire dorks who have never played the game and make them integral parts of their front offices. Well, all the teams except for the Phillies. And maybe the Marlins.

Precisely. Teams catch on fire at certain times and the momentum carries them. There is no way to predict it.

Yeah, that's pretty much the bottom line as far as I see it, LCC. If baseball were only about stats and percentages, they'd just play it Star Trek style like A Taste of Armageddon. I just re-watched Joe Carter walk off the 1993 World Series again today (I could watch it a million times) - and that's the sort of humanity that makes the game so thrilling and so unpredictable. Just like Dave Roberts steal in the 2004 Game 4 ALCS that lit the Red Sox on fire and they won the game and the next six and swept the World Series from arguably one of the best teams the Cardinals have ever fielded. The Cardinals won 105 games in 2004 and they were beaten by a wild card Gang of Idiots! :o I don't think any computer program could have predicted that outcome - sure it was possible, but how remote for a team in an 86 year drought? Even I liked the Red Sox that year (the Blue Jays season was over in April that year - it was a really bad year for them).

I pay very little attention to power ratings. We were supposed to win the World Series in 2013 according to all of the models and that year was ... er ... less than optimal.

Though I admit, I did have the fun today getting a Red Sox fan to admit he was cheering against his own team for the Blue Jays to win and beat the Yankees. I can't imagine a scenario where I'd cheer against the Blue Jays Even for play off advantage, I'd never cheer for the other team. Red Sox fans are funny.

But a game and a half lead over the Yankees in early September is heartening. I hope they can hold on and take the division. Oh please, oh please ...

Go Blue Jays!!! :cheerleader:

There are always street preachers for lo, the end is nigh ... :sigh:

 

Ruled

Under

Satan's

Hand

 

Red pentagram is clearly satanic (... er, but it's right side up so it's more pentacle than pentagram ... shhh... ) plus the naked guy on Hemispheres :tsk:

 

I remember some religion channel in the '80s. I can't recall the name of the preacher and his wife, but she sure wore a lot of mascara (as all of the 80s preacher ladies did - it wasn't Tammy Faye who, it turns out, was a genuinely good person, may she rest in peace).

 

Knights In Satan's Service (they wore scary makeup), Styx was named for the river in the underworld which is bad, Alice Cooper obviously for being dead, Kansas (for some reason), and the usual Black Sabbath lambasting.

 

Ironically, as I've started the listening to Sabbath in depth, I've come to the conclusion that they were actually a Christian rock band The greatest ever.

 

One of my favourite Sabbath songs. :haz:

 

http://youtu.be/X9ldb4r7vP0

 

Why would you consider Sabbath a Christian rock band?

 

Just curious, never heard this view before!

 

it's right there in the lyrics. they're not a "christian rock" band, but they preached the wrath of god more sensibly than the people who were busy burning their albums and ignoring their lyrics.

:goodone:

It is ironic. Not "Christian Rock", per se, but much more than any other band I listen to.

Definitely more than Neil...

There are always street preachers for lo, the end is nigh ... :sigh:

 

Ruled

Under

Satan's

Hand

 

Red pentagram is clearly satanic (... er, but it's right side up so it's more pentacle than pentagram ... shhh... ) plus the naked guy on Hemispheres :tsk:

 

I remember some religion channel in the '80s. I can't recall the name of the preacher and his wife, but she sure wore a lot of mascara (as all of the 80s preacher ladies did - it wasn't Tammy Faye who, it turns out, was a genuinely good person, may she rest in peace).

 

Knights In Satan's Service (they wore scary makeup), Styx was named for the river in the underworld which is bad, Alice Cooper obviously for being dead, Kansas (for some reason), and the usual Black Sabbath lambasting.

 

Ironically, as I've started the listening to Sabbath in depth, I've come to the conclusion that they were actually a Christian rock band The greatest ever.

 

One of my favourite Sabbath songs. :haz:

 

http://youtu.be/X9ldb4r7vP0

 

Why would you consider Sabbath a Christian rock band?

 

Just curious, never heard this view before!

Sabbath didn't sing about worshiping Satan (even in NIB, Geezer says it was about even Lucifer can become a better man through the love of a woman). They dressed in black, wore crosses, had long hair, used freaky photographic effects and mentioned God and Lucifer in their songs, so the religious folks went nuts.

As an example, I'll quote the lyrics to After Forever. There are other examples. This is not "devil music". Geezer Butler was raised Irish Catholic, played around with the devil stuff for a while and as he has stated "... I gave up all that stuff. It scared me sh*tless." Sabbath's music isn't a call to Satan. This song is the exact opposite. It is calling out all of the non-believers.

Lyrics by Terry "Geezer" Butler

Have you ever thought about your soul - can it be saved?

Or perhaps you think that when you're dead you just stay in your grave

Is God just a thought within your head or is he a part of you?

Is Christ just a name that you read in a book when you were in school?

 

When you think about death do you lose your breath or do you keep your cool?

Would you like to see the Pope on the end of a rope - do you think he's a fool?

Well I have seen the truth, yes I've seen the light and I've changed my ways

And I'll be prepared when you're lonely and scared at the end of our days

 

Could it be you're afraid of what your friends might say

If they knew you believe in God above?

They should realize before they criticize

that God is the only way to love

 

Is your mind so small that you have to fall

In with the pack wherever they run

Will you still sneer when death is near

And say they may as well worship the sun?

 

I think it was true it was people like you that crucified Christ

I think it is sad the opinion you had was the only one voiced

Will you be so sure when your day is near, say you don't believe?

You had the chance but you turned it down, now you can't retrieve

 

Perhaps you'll think before you say that God is dead and gone

Open your eyes, just realize that he's the one

The only one who can save you now from all this sin and hate

Or will you still jeer at all you hear? Yes! I think it's too late.

It's always funny reading the Power Rankings on various websites, even if I never take them seriously. Everyone went apeshit because the Jays won 11 in a row, which is good, but some people shot them up to the #2 spot behind St. Louis.

 

Now that they dropped 2 of 3 to the Yankees, they'll go back down again.

 

 

Cubs are sitting around #4-5 on average from what I've read.

Why is there a need for power rankings? I never understood why. I thought that's what the standings were for. Computer rankings I get, but not subjective ones.

 

Computer rankings are subjective, too.

In a non-biased, and incredibly less significant way. There's no real comparison.

 

The bias is from the programmers, which is incredibly significant.

How so?

 

Led has a point.

 

It's not like we can see how the number crunching is calculated.

huh?

"The bias is from the programmers"

No. Programmers write algorithms and the result is either correct or it is not. There is no bias. If the result is not accurate it is just wrong. By definition, computers are objective - right/wrong, on/off. The only variable is style of coding. If the input is bad, the result is bad. Garbage In, Garbage Out (we call it GIGO). The ratios and percentages and such are all determined by MLB and Elias Sports Bureau. There are a flurry of swanky new stats and such, but MLB/ESB are the only ones that matter, they are objective.

Now what humans do with the results ..

Fact: The Blue Jays currently have the highest run differential in baseball at +141 (STL is +122). Any other result from a computer (or human) is incorrect.

Subjective speculation: The Blue Jays are ranked as the number one power team in baseball, blah, blah, blah ...

Poor computers. I'm just saying - it's not their fault. :(

Don't anthropomorphize machines. They hate that. :tsk:

Edit: change objective speculation to subjective speculation ... I'm pretty good with the computers, the English, not so muchly, it is my first language.

June 4th 1979 - Pinkpop Festival, Geleen Holland (with o.a The Police on the bill)

Nov 14th 1981 - Ahoy Arena, Rotterdam Holland (support act Girlschool)

May 3th 1983 - Ahoy Arena, Rotterdam Holland (support act Vandenberg)

I have that Pinkpop bootleg on my YouTube channel (no Police - I saw them in 1983 in Arizona - fabulous show). 4 June 1979 was a fantastic show! That's awesome that you were there! :ebert:

And post #1 on TRF - welcome!

:cheers: :hi:

It took me a half hour to read this thread on my phone and the only thing I came away with was the theme from Soap in my head and a very disturbing drum visual from Rod.

02/24/1983 - Signals - Phoenix, AZ (my very first concert ever, I was 15 years old and I went with a guy who was my only friend who liked Rush... Golden Earring opened - $12.50)

 

06/04/1984 - Grace Under Pressure - Phoenix, AZ (I went with a co-worker who didn't speak English. He loved Rush though - Rush speaks Universal! - $13.50)

 

Ahh, good times... :)

Sweeeeeettttt! Did you get the 3-D glasses?

Well, duh ... to put on my early 80's Valley (of the Sun) Girl attitude. ;)

One lens was completely opaque black and the other lens was a slightly darker shade of black and sightly more opaque.

I do wish I still had my old concert tees, which included a Signals baseball sleeve tee.

 

Someone else mentioned the Signals baseball shirt in another thread just yesterday. My brother got one from that tour, too. :D

My brother took mine too. It was a T that shrunk up to a little tiny shirt on first wash and dry. I was pretty bummed. :( My brother took it and cut the sleeves off and then it disappeared years ago. He replaced it with the 3/4 sleeve baseball T (with a Houston mark, iirc) but it never fit and I don't know what happened to that one either.

My oldest shirt is RTB and it's pretty ... old.

I've saved every concert ticket stub from every concert I've ever seen. I used the Rush collage ones in my signature during the R40 tour (thanks, treeduck :) :hi: )

Back to Cylons now, and balance is restored ... all of this has happened before ...

http://i1277.photobucket.com/albums/y487/CygnusGal/tickets%20collage%20-%20smaller_zps3vflchfc.jpg

02/24/1983 - Signals - Phoenix, AZ (my very first concert ever, I was 15 years old and I went with a guy who was my only friend who liked Rush... Golden Earring opened - $12.50)

06/04/1984 - Grace Under Pressure - Phoenix, AZ (I went with a co-worker who didn't speak English. He loved Rush though - Rush speaks Universal! - $13.50)

Ahh, good times... :)

They should be in first place by next week, the Yankee fans will start to squirm.

 

I haven't heard from Yankees fans that believe this team is a real contender. They over-performed for so long and we're seeing a correction to their actual talent level. The Yanks might still win the division or the wild card, but I don't think that the average fan's expectation that of success this year.

 

I think I said they would be in first place by next week we'll they are already their. I hope the Yankees continue to fade, yes they've overachieved so far this year.

Yeah, but they're still the Yankees. I'll believe they don't make the playoffs on October 5 (the regular season ends October 4 this year? - that seems late - hey! the Blue Jays are guaranteed to be playing October ball this year! :yay: )

So, the streak ended last night, but I'd actually rather have it that way. I don't like streaky teams. I'd rather see a team play .667 ball (dropping every third game, but winning or splitting every series) than winning ten and then losing three or four and ending up with the same result. Fewer rattled nerves all around. JMO.

Hopefully, they can take the next two.

There are always street preachers for lo, the end is nigh ... :sigh:

Ruled

Under

Satan's

Hand

Red pentagram is clearly satanic (... er, but it's right side up so it's more pentacle than pentagram ... shhh... ) plus the naked guy on Hemispheres :tsk:

I remember some religion channel in the '80s. I can't recall the name of the preacher and his wife, but she sure wore a lot of mascara (as all of the 80s preacher ladies did - it wasn't Tammy Faye who, it turns out, was a genuinely good person, may she rest in peace).

Knights In Satan's Service (they wore scary makeup), Styx was named for the river in the underworld which is bad, Alice Cooper obviously for being dead, Kansas (for some reason), and the usual Black Sabbath lambasting.

Ironically, as I've started the listening to Sabbath in depth, I've come to the conclusion that they were actually a Christian rock band The greatest ever.

One of my favourite Sabbath songs. :haz:

http://youtu.be/X9ldb4r7vP0

Lakeside Park, hands down. I'd never heard them play Lakeside Park other than on ATWAS and it was *fantastic*!

What You're Doing and the Garden Road riff are tied for a close second, but Lakeside Park wins.

Sublime beauty.

Mike Napoli is on his way back to the Texas Rangers, and I'm the happiest Rangers' fan on the face of the earth!!! :7up:

Congrats on that - nice pickup. Rangers are positioned to make a playoff bid if they press.

 

The Red Sox fire sale is underway. Victorino is gone - management shakeup with Lucchino's at the end of the season. Papi's contract renewed but I don't think that he has many seasons left in the tank. Red Sox don't quite know where to go from here, it seems. No one is really talking about them this year (other than how bad they are). It's all about the stupid PSI in leather covered, rubber bladders. :sigh:

 

I think they have problems with Farrell and I'm totally schadenfreude about it. :)

 

edit: typing

 

 

Hey, CG! Nice to see you around again. :)

 

I think Farrell and Cherington are gone after this season. Two straight seasons like this aren't going to get it done. I mean, we're not Cubs fans for goodness sakes. ;)

Hey Rick! :hi: Good to be around ... I'm always on the fringe (at least) ... some would say on the edge ... :crazy:

I think the RedSox are in for a longer string than two straight bad seasons. There's talk this morning of trading Panda. I think that would be the proverbial fork. For all their faults, Theo and Duquette (I think a lot of Luchinno's success was from the seeds sown by Duquette - though Luchinno made some great moves on his own) were the best thing that happened to the Red Sox in generations. Now, Theo is in Chicago. It will take some time, but I'm optimistic for them - go Cubs! Too bad Francona departed Boston so badly (pretty shabby treatment by Boston management, fans, and media), the Sox could use a strong manager now.

And, hind sight leads me to believe we dodged a bullet with the way things unfolded with Farrell. I sure didn't feel that way when it happened.

I'm sorry John Gibbons. Time and tempering has shown you to be a far more capable manager than I initially believed. You have the staff, now win the division!

Go Blue Jays! :cheerleader:

I wonder if there was someone who actually saw each and every show this tour, other than the people who were paid to do it.

 

And no I don't mean by periscope. :)

I know a person who said she did. Her name is Stevie and she's from Austin, TX. She was at all three show I went to, plus Tom Healey and CygnusGal met her in different cities. It's possible.

Well...not quite.

Stevie followed the band for a while. She saw Philly and then went home (life on the road is not easy and not cheap). I'm not sure how many shows she hit after the NYC break, or if she went to KC, but I know she was in SoCal (I presume Irvine). I know LA because you sent me a photo (Alex's side before the show). I was with you and Animate in spirit that night and, in hind sight, should have planned it better to have been there in reality.

For the record, I don't think this is Rush's last show. Probably the last tour though and I don't think they'll play Boston again.

Number of Rush shows attended on this tour:

One!

And it was *awesome*! :yay:

I made it to Boston to spoiler free (other than what the band *ruined* with the Xanadu trailer (! ) and I saw Anthem in this forum - yeah, yeah, I know ... spoiler expected ... I got what I deserved).

In May, I went into total Rush media aversion. Spoiler free to the Boston show June 23 and I was all the better for it. :)

Mike Napoli is on his way back to the Texas Rangers, and I'm the happiest Rangers' fan on the face of the earth!!! :7up:

Congrats on that - nice pickup. Rangers are positioned to make a playoff bid if they press.

The Red Sox fire sale is underway. Victorino is gone - management shakeup with Lucchino's at the end of the season. Papi's contract renewed but I don't think that he has many seasons left in the tank. Red Sox don't quite know where to go from here, it seems. No one is really talking about them this year (other than how bad they are). It's all about the stupid PSI in leather covered, rubber bladders. :sigh:

I think they have problems with Farrell and I'm totally schadenfreude about it. :)

edit: typing

I've seen too many of these seasons where things looks ducky and then not so much. I haven't been a big Gibbons supporter over the years, but maybe all he really needed was the right players. There's certainly something gelling in the clubhouse and they are firing on all cylinders. It's been an awesome run to watch. Run production has been stellar all year, and now it looks like we have an actual rotation with an ace starter and everything.

I hope they can keep it up through August and September. There is a lot of baseball left. I'll take it while I can get it.

Eight in a row and a sweep of the Yankees - 1.5 back from the Yankees for the division lead. :yay:

Go Blue Jays! :cheerleader:

Very well done, TM. The finest of your compositions thus far methinks.

no matter what. somehow we wont be satisfied with this upcoming dvd..

I was at the Newark show and felt it was just amazing, crowd and band on fire and fueling each each other. This was a Rush tour for the ages and everyone probably thinks shows they were at are 'the best'. All 34 were no doubt fantastic..no need to split hairs over levels of concert perfection.

Clearly, you fail to understand the underlying premise of TRF. ;)

We also split hairs about which Geddy could beat up which Geddy, the size of Alex's bald spot and the amount of contempt in which Neil hold the fans and by extension humanity.

:dweez: :syrinx: :smoke: :D

From my vantage point, they seemed to really step up to another level for the 2nd Toronto show in comparison to the 4 shows I had seen up to that point. I wasn't at the Montreal and Boston shows, but I'm told they kept it up there for both, and Philly was next in line, and I felt like the Philly show was even a little better than Toronto II. I will admit I have difficulty being objective though - Philly is my hometown venue, and I was front row right in front of Geddy for that show. Philly was also one of the toughest tickets to find of the entire tour. I was extremely proud of how we represented ourselves, and love the fact that johnnyonthespot (a non-Philadelphian) singled out this show as the "most electric" audience. We get a lot of bad raps from a lot of outsiders, but many bands over the years (Rush included!) have enjoyed feeding off of the unsurpassed enthusiasm we bring to a concert.

 

Taking the audience electricity out of the equation, I think Toronto II, Philly, and LA were the best performances of the dozen shows I saw.

Boston was the best that I've seen them ... ever (24 shows over 14 tours)

I'm not a huge fan, but I've seen quite a few episodes and the dumbest one I can remember is the one where they went to that utopia planet full of blonde dudes in really inappropriate outfits and dumbass Wesley broke the greenhouse.

 

Yeah, most of Season 1 is like that. Yech. The quality jumps a ton as soon as the crew gets the better, non-spandex uniforms IMO.

I've never had a problem with those early episodes. That's just the show trying to find its legs. The premise of Angel One was good, it just went totally sideways in the execution. I didn't mind Angel One, though it is certainly not a strong episode. I find its sins to be more forgivable than say Masks (I think the worst episode made - what the hell?!? ... it's season seven and you guys do that?!? Oh, right Berman/Bragga... :eyeroll: )

edit:typing

Season 3 also had Yesterday's Enterprise. One of the best Star Trek episodes, all series included, ever.

 

That was a great episode, especially how they brought back Denise Crosby.

Season 1 suffered from being compared to the Original Series. Personally, I think it was too similiar in tone to the Original Series. It simply wasn't as good. Season 2, if my memory is correct, suffered from a writer's strike and they had to recycle scripts from the aborted 1970's Star Trek series. Season 3, the growning pains passed and a great television show emerged.

and

Season 3 also had Yesterday's Enterprise. One of the best Star Trek episodes, all series included, ever.

 

That was a great episode, especially how they brought back Denise Crosby.

Which is one of the reasons Season One is so great. We see the beginning of the story line. I'm not surprised I'm in the minority about Season One and Two. I really liked The Motion Picture, although the nebula scene was very long.

I think Rerushed is right about the strike (I seem to recall that too). I didn't watch TNG for years specifically because I couldn't get past the comparison to TOS. I was a rare watcher until The Inner Light, then I went back and watched the entire series (a few times). I think they relied on the comparison to draw viewers initially but it was a hard sell (I know it was to me).

:cheers: