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What we’ve been playing – New York, Poker, and frustration

by admin May 24, 2025

24th May

Hello and welcome back to our regular feature where we write a little bit about some of the games we’ve been playing. This week, Bertie caves and installs the time-hogging phenomenon known as Balatro; Jim returns to the noir-like artistry of Grand Theft Auto 4; and Ed bangs his head repeatedly against Sekiro.

What have you been playing?

Catch up with the older editions of this column in our What We’ve Been Playing archive.

Balatro, PS5

Snap! Wait, that’s not the right game, is it?Watch on YouTube

I did it: I finally caved and played Balatro. It’s free with PlayStation Plus at the moment so I thought why not? Let me explain that hesitation quickly. I’ve never really liked Poker. I tend to defiantly not like what everyone else likes, I don’t know why, and I also struggle to be serious for extended periods of time. The thought of sitting around a table with a ‘Poker’ face on, for hours on end, seems like torture to me.

But I bit, and guess what? No surprise: I really liked it. I had to search for what a couple of the poker hands meant, because I didn’t know my flushes from my straights – and I guess there’s some assumed knowledge on the game’s part there – but otherwise, I was (ahem) straight in. Time to being hooked: about five minutes.

I love the immediacy of games like this. I know I’m predisposed to liking quick-play deckbuilding games – they just work wonderfully with my mental wiring – but there’s clearly a skill to onboarding people in a way that’s fun and frictionless, and Balatro has got it. There’s no waiting for the game to begin, you just press go and learn as you play.

Anyway, brb, see you in a few hundred hours.

-Bertie

Grand Theft Auto 4

Which GTA protagonists are the best?Watch on YouTube

I’ve been replaying GTA 4 for a Thing I’m working on and rediscovering just how bold a game it is. Big budget video games tend to default to a sort of pseudo-photorealism as their visual style, and there’s nothing wrong with that. As we know from a century of pointing lights and cameras at real actors, there is plenty of scope for creativity within that. But it is often a safe choice. With a triple-A budget comes the expectation to have the triple-A ‘look’, essentially mimicking what the real lights, cameras, and actors are doing at the time.

GTA 4 doesn’t have that look. It looks like GTA 4, with its unmistakable forever autumn draping a decaying urban sprawl in soft baths of burnt orange. With its desaturated neo-noir nights pocked with bursts of colour where city lights cut the dour air.

It’s a look that fully serves the themes of the game: a dismantling of the American Dream as experienced through the eyes of an immigrant – a war-damaged man fleeing a war-damaged society, only to find, like millions of people before him, that the problems from an old world tend to follow you to the new.

Niko’s is a bleak life with fleeting moments of triumph and fleeting moments of levity, and his Liberty City reflects this in every flaking piece of paint and every particle of billowing trash. GTA 4 sticks resolutely and defiantly to its aesthetic of grime and decay in much the same way the underrated shooter Kane and Lynch 2: Dog Days did, in

sending the player into an unwaveringly grim handicam snuff film and revelling in their discomfort. Both games are miraculous works of art.

Plus in GTA 4, the stockmarket is called BAWSAQ, which is funny.

-Jim

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, PS4

Here’s Aoife sharing in some of Ed’s Sekiro frustration.Watch on YouTube

I don’t think I’ve ever been as angry as when I play Sekiro. I’m not just talking about being a bit frustrated. I’m talking ‘existential why the hell am I doing this to myself’ despondency. I am not enjoying it, but I can’t stop playing it.

I know I shouldn’t let it get to me. Get a grip Ed, it’s just a silly little video game. I should really just learn to git gud, right? But: sigh.

For context, this is the last big FromSoftware game I’m yet to finish, and I’ve started it three times now. I’m determined to finish it – I’ve come too far with these games to stop now. But Sekiro just hasn’t clicked for me like the studio’s other games have. In part that’s down to aesthetics, I think, as I just vibe more with the dark fantasy of Souls and twisted Gothism of Bloodborne than I do the Japanese horror of Sekiro.

But also it’s to do with combat. It’s so focused on a single method of fighting – parry parry parry – that there’s no room for the expression or build variety that I really like. I do enjoy how rhythmical parrying can be, but each boss encounter feels like I’m banging my head against a wall, much more so than any other game of this type. At least the end is in sight as I only have the final boss to go (I’m ignoring the Demon of Hatred for the moment).

At this point I’m just playing Sekiro out of stubbornness and spite, and I’m not sure what to be disappointed in, the game or myself.

-Ed

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May 24, 2025 0 comments

NFT Gaming

Elon Musk Recalls His Legendary DOGE Twitter-Logo Move: ‘That Was Awesome’

by admin May 24, 2025

X owner and tech mogul Elon Musk has reacted to a tweet from X user “DogeDesigner”, when the latter published a reminder about a “prank” made by Musk on Twitter two years ago.

Making DOGE the Twitter logo was “awesome”: Musk

Back then, Musk briefly changed the Twitter logo with an image of the famous Doge meme which also inspired the original meme cryptocurrency DOGE and became its mascot. It happened in April 2023 and DOGE existed as the Twitter logo for about a week.

“DogeDesigner” tweeted: “Elon Musk once replaced this platform’s logo with the iconic Doge meme.” Musk, who is currently using an X name “Kekius Maximus”, responded to it, showing that he does not regret that move with the logo loved by Doge fans: “that was awesome,” adding a “face with tears of joy” emoji to this comment.

😂 that was awesome

— Kekius Maximus (@elonmusk) May 24, 2025

When Musk replaced the blue bird logo with DOGE, the meme coin’s price jumped by approximately 8% and then rapidly added another 30%. The Dogecoin community decided that Musk had finally begun to integrate his favorite meme coin DOGE on Twitter (before it was rebranded as X). Prior to that, the Tesla CEO closed the deal of purchasing the renowned microblogging platform, Twitter, for $44 billion in October 2022.

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May 24, 2025 0 comments

Parikshit Mishra, Regional Head of Asia, CoinDesk at Consensus Hong Kong 2025.(CoinDesk)

Crypto Trends

Sandeep Nailwal Becomes Last Remaining Member of Polygon’s Founding Team as Bjelic Exits

by admin May 24, 2025

Mihailo Bjelic, one of the four co-founders of Polygon, is exiting the network.

Bjelic made the announcement on X, “After much thought and reflection, I’ve decided to step down from the board of the Polygon Foundation, and wind down my day-to-day involvement with Polygon Labs,” he said.

With Bjelic’s exit, co-founder Sandeep Nailwal becomes the last remaining member of the original founding team.

Nailwal acknowledged Bjelic’s contributions to the network and wished him luck for the future.

The layer 2 network, which was original known as Matic, was formed by Jaynti Kanani, Sandeep Nailwal, Mihailo Bjelic and Anurag Arjun.

As of writing, Polygon’s POL is down 5% in the last 24 hours, trading over 23 cents.

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May 24, 2025 0 comments

Gaming Gear

AMD justifies the RX 9060 XT 8GB: “Majority of gamers are still playing at 1080p”

by admin May 24, 2025

AMD’s latest RX 9060 XT GPUs continue the saga of bifurcating mainstream options into different memory configurations for market segmentation. According to AMD’s Frank Azor, the 8GB flavor of the RX 9060 XT is designed to cater to the needs of the majority of gamers, who play at 1080p.

Gamers and developers have long bemoaned constrained memory capacities with modern GPUs. Even at 1080p, many demanding AAA titles can overwhelm 8GB GPUs, as confirmed by professional testing with cards like the RTX 5060 Ti 8GB. Despite sufficient raw horsepower, the constrained framebuffer often forces you to compromise on graphical fidelity or even resolution for a playable framerate. Nvidia’s RTX 5060 GPUs have been at the epicenter of this criticism, to the point where an older RTX 3060 12GB can outperform them in certain scenarios.

There were rumors that AMD might scrap the 8GB model, following the backlash faced by Nvidia. This proved to be inaccurate, as the product was likely too far in the pipeline to be axed. While the GPUs are still almost two weeks away from launch, enthusiasts have already begun raising concerns about the viability of the 8GB model. AMD’s Chief Architect of Gaming Solutions and Gaming Marketing, Frank Azor, stepped in to justify their rationale, stating these GPUs target the “majority of gamers,” who play at 1080p.

Best player of their generation: Mike Trout and Mookie Betts

by admin May 24, 2025

David SchoenfieldMay 23, 2025, 07:00 AM ET
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- Covers MLB for ESPN.com
- Former deputy editor of Page 2
- Been with ESPN.com since 1995

For almost a decade, Mike Trout was the unquestioned best player in baseball.

From 2012 to 2019, he won the American League MVP award three times and finished second in the voting four times. In the years he didn’t win, he led the AL three times in WAR; in 2017, he led the AL in OBP, slugging and OPS, but he sat out some time and finished a mere fourth in the voting; and in 2018, it took a herculean season from Mookie Betts to beat out Trout in what was one of Trout’s best seasons. Really, he wasn’t that far away from winning eight consecutive MVPs.

But since then, it feels as if we’ve been robbed of the second half of the career of one of the game’s all-time greats. Trout has been injured much of the time since 2021, playing in only about 42% of the games the Los Angeles Angels have played. Right now, he’s injured again because of a bone bruise in his left knee; when he has played this season, he cracked nine home runs in 29 games but was also hitting just .179. He had similar results in the 29 games he played before tearing the meniscus in his left knee last season, when he hit .220 with 10 home runs. Admitting the injuries and Trout’s age — he’s 33 — have caught him up, the Angels finally moved him off center field this season.

Those prolonged absences have allowed Betts, who continues to play at a high level and ranks third among position players in WAR this decade, to slowly close the gap on Trout. It’s now an argument to consider: Is Betts poised to pass Trout as the best player of their generation?

First, we need to define what “their generation” is. When generations are discussed in demographic terms, the division is done by birth years, usually lasting 15 to 20 years or so. Trout was born in 1991, so under this definition, his “generation” could extend all the way from players born in the 1970s to the late 2000s and include the likes of Derek Jeter (born in 1974), Alex Rodriguez (1975), Albert Pujols (1980), Clayton Kershaw (1988), Juan Soto (1998), Paul Skenes (2002) and Jackson Merrill (2003).

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That’s a broad swath of birth dates — too broad. Instead, let’s categorize generational value using the same years as defined in pop culture — Baby Boomers, Gen X, etc. — but with a twist: looking at value accumulated only in those specific years (not the years in which the players were born).

This is a thought exercise as much as a hardcore statistical study, because we do talk about generations (or eras) all the time in baseball — the dead ball era, the steroid era, the wild-card era and so on. As we take a deeper dive into how Trout and Betts compare, let’s also go through each generation to see which players ruled those periods in the sport, ending with the great Generation Alpha debate between Trout and Betts (and yes, Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani might pop up, too).

Trout vs. Betts by the numbers

Trout was piling up so much WAR at such a young age that we used to do monthly updates on all the players he had just passed on the career WAR list. His run began as a rookie in 2012 in his age-20 season, when he hit .326 with 30 home runs and led the AL in runs scored and stolen bases. And for a long time, he looked destined to become one of the greatest players of all time — the inner circle of the inner circle. Look at where he ranked on the career WAR leaderboard for position players through each age:

Age 20, 2012 season: 11.0 (second behind Mel Ott)
Age 21, 2013: 19.9 (first, ahead of Ott)
Age 22, 2014: 27.6 (first, ahead of Ty Cobb and Ott)
Age 23, 2015: 37.1 (first, ahead of Cobb and Ted Williams)
Age 24, 2016: 47.5 (first, ahead of Cobb and Mickey Mantle)
Age 25, 2017: 54.4 (second, behind Cobb)
Age 26, 2018: 64.3 (first, ahead of Cobb and Mantle)
Age 27, 2019: 72.2 (first, ahead of Cobb and Mantle)

Then, starting with the COVID-shortened 2020 season, Trout’s pace took a downturn.

Age 28, 2020: 74.0 (fourth, behind Cobb, Rogers Hornsby and Mantle)
Age 29, 2021: 75.9 (sixth, now behind Ott and Alex Rodriguez)
Age 30, 2022: 82.0 (fifth, climbing back ahead of Ott)
Age 31, 2023: 84.9 (10th, with Babe Ruth, Henry Aaron and Willie Mays passing him)
Age 32, 2024: 86.0 (15th, with Barry Bonds jumping ahead for the first time)

This takes us to 2025, Trout’s age-33 season. He’s currently squeezed on the all-time list between Jimmie Foxx and Eddie Mathews — two players, coincidentally, who had already compiled more than 89% of their career WAR total through their age-32 seasons.

Meanwhile, with Trout sitting out so many games in the past several years, Betts started making a run at Trout for best player of their generation. Trout still has a significant lead in lifetime WAR, 85.8 to 72.2, but consider Betts’ advantages in this statistical chase:

He’s a year younger (Trout was born in August 1991, Betts in October 1992).
He’s playing at a higher level, averaging 7.8 WAR per 162 games since 2022, compared to 6.2 for Trout (we went back to 2022 to include Trout’s high rate of production that season).
He obviously has stayed on the field much more, playing 579 games since 2021 compared to 295 for Trout.
His ability to move to shortstop means he’ll continue to accumulate more defensive value.

And Betts has also been incredibly consistent in the age/WAR chart:

Through age 23: 18.1 (33rd)
Through age 26: 42.5 (21st)
Through age 29: 57.0 (28th)
Through age 31: 70.3 (24th)

Betts took a small dip through age 29 due to the COVID-shortened season and then had the worst season of his career in 2021, when he produced 4.1 WAR (still a strong season for most players), but he bounced back with 6.7, 8.6 and 4.8 WAR over the next three seasons. (That 2024 number of 4.8 WAR came in 116 games, as he sat out time because of a broken hand after getting hit by a pitch).

He’s not off to a sizzling start in 2025, but he’s still on pace for another 6-win season. If he does do that this season and next, he would be around 83 career WAR at the end of 2026, his age-33 season, which would move him into 20th in the rankings at that age — just behind where Trout sits.

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There’s no guarantee how Betts will age into his late 30s, but one key attribute he has been able to maintain as he gets older is his contact ability. In fact, the lowest strikeout rates of Betts’ career have been 2024 (11.0%) and 2025 (9.2%). Trout, meanwhile, has posted his worst strikeout rates in 2023 (28.7%) and 2025 (29.8%). Those numbers point to Betts continuing to age well and post respectable offensive numbers while Trout probably will continue to post low batting averages mixed in with some home runs.

It makes Betts catching Trout feel attainable, unless Trout has a career renaissance. History might show how unlikely that is. Mantle and Ken Griffey Jr., two other all-time great center fielders, battled injuries in their 30s and were never able to reclaim their past glory. Mantle had just 11.9 WAR from age 33 on, and Griffey had just 6.4.

Where do Judge and Ohtani fit in? Back to Generation Alpha in a moment, after we look back at how the debates over past generations’ greatest players played out.

Generational breakdown

Asking “Who is the greatest player?” isn’t necessarily an easy question with a simple answer. There can be three different ways to approach this:

Who has the most accumulated value in this period? We’ll use WAR, as we did above with Trout and Betts.
Who has the highest peak level of performance over a shorter number of seasons? Trout dominated the sport for eight seasons.
Who is the most iconic player of this generation? That’s a fuzzier notion, but it’s more about which player will be most remembered or who best defines the particular era.

We’ll dig into all three of those for each generation. Let’s start back in 1901.

The Greatest Generation (1901-27)

Babe Ruth, left, and Ty Cobb were two of their generation’s top talents, but Cobb probably was more appreciated in the moment. Bettmann/Getty Images

Top five in WAR
Walter Johnson: 155.1
Ty Cobb: 149.4
Tris Speaker: 134.4
Babe Ruth: 133.5
Eddie Collins: 124.2

Next five: Honus Wagner (113.8), Grover Alexander (111.3), Christy Mathewson (101.1), Rogers Hornsby (100.8), Nap Lajoie: 89.3

Best peak: 1. Ruth, 1921-27 (10.3 average WAR per season); 2. Johnson, 1912-19 (11.5 average WAR per season); 3. Hornsby, 1920-25 (9.9 average WAR per season, hit .397)

Most iconic player: Ruth

This generation’s biggest debate: Cobb and the dead ball era vs. Ruth and the home run

Ruth, of course, had additional value beyond 1927 that pushed him past Cobb in career WAR. But the idea that Ruth was the superior player wasn’t necessarily the consensus view until around maybe 1960 or so — and, of course, modern metrics now clearly show Ruth as the more valuable player. In the first Hall of Fame vote in 1936, Cobb received more votes and many contemporaries appreciated him in an era of more “scientific” baseball.

“The Babe was a great ballplayer, sure, but Cobb was even greater. Babe could knock your brains out, but Cobb would drive you crazy,” said Speaker, who played against both.

The Silent Generation (1928-45)

Lou Gehrig was one of the most iconic players during his career. Mark Rucker/Transcendental Graphics, Getty Images

Top five in WAR
Mel Ott: 111.8
Lefty Grove: 98.0
Lou Gehrig: 91.2
Jimmie Foxx: 90.9
Charlie Gehringer: 79.9

Next five: Arky Vaughan (75.9), Carl Hubbell (68.8), Joe Cronin (64.5), Paul Waner (62.2), Babe Ruth (58.9)

Best peak: 1. Ruth, 1928-32 (9.5 average WAR per season); 2. Gehrig, 1930-36 (8.8 average WAR per season, averaged 155 RBIs); 3. Grove, 1928-33 (8.8 average WAR per season, averaged 25 wins)

Most iconic: Ruth/Gehrig/Joe DiMaggio

This generation’s biggest debate: DiMaggio vs. Ted Williams

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That’s how good Ruth was: He cracked the top 10 in career value in two different generations, including that monster five-year stretch when he hit .348/.475/.701 and topped the AL four times in WAR while averaging 47 home runs and 150 RBIs. Ott’s career perfectly overlaps with this timeline, as his first full season was as a 19-year-old with the New York Giants in 1928 and his last as a regular was in 1945. He was a truly great — and underrated — player but rarely remembered now.

But the most compelling debate kicked off near the end of this generation. DiMaggio reached the majors in 1936 and the Yankees immediately won four straight World Series and then another in 1941. Williams reached the majors in 1939 and hit .406 in 1941 — and finished second in the MVP voting to DiMaggio (who had his 56-game hitting streak that season). Who was better? Are DiMaggio’s World Series rings more impressive than Williams’ statistical superiority? The player with the record hitting streak or the last player to hit .400? The debate would continue into the early years of the next generation (Williams won the Triple Crown in 1947, but DiMaggio again won MVP honors).

Baby Boomers (1946-64)

Willie Mays averaged 9.4 WAR from 1954 to 1964 with the Giants. Bettman/Getty Images

Top five in WAR
Willie Mays: 108.9
Stan Musial: 104.1
Mickey Mantle: 98.4
Warren Spahn: 92.5
Ted Williams: 87.7

Next five: Eddie Mathews (85.9), Henry Aaron (80.8), Robin Roberts (80.6), Duke Snider (65.9), Richie Ashburn (64.3)

Best peak: 1. Mays, 1954-64 (9.4 average WAR per season for over a decade); 2. Mantle, 1955-58 (10.2 average WAR per season); 3. Williams, 1946-1949 (9.4 average WAR per season)

Most iconic: Mantle

This generation’s biggest debate: Mays vs. Mantle

Mays over Musial and Mantle as the best player of the Baby Boomer generation isn’t a slam dunk. Musial gets two of his three MVP awards in this time frame and Mantle gets all three of his; Mays won only one (with his second coming in 1965). Musial also finished second in the MVP voting four times and had a slew of other top-10 finishes (as did Mays, of course). At his best, Mantle was a better hitter than Mays:

Mantle, 1954-64: .312/.440/.605, 397 HRs, 185 OPS+, 622 batting runs above average

Mays, 1954-64: .318/.392/.601, 429 HRs, 166 OPS+, 561 batting runs above average

As for iconic, it’s Mantle over Mays, Musial and Williams with Jackie Robinson deserving an honorable mention as a different sort of icon. Musial might have been the most popular player across the sport at the time. Mantle was in the World Series almost every year with the Yankees, won seven of them, and even now, his baseball cards still carry the ultimate premium. Ask any Baby Boomer: The Yankees defined the 1950s and Mantle defined the Yankees.

Generation X (1965-80)

Pete Rose was arguably the most popular player during his playing days because of his Charlie Hustle persona. AP Photo/G. Paul Burnett, File

Top five in WAR
Joe Morgan: 88.8
Tom Seaver: 88.8
Gaylord Perry: 84.0
Phil Niekro: 82.5
Carl Yastrzemski: 80.3

Next five: Ferguson Jenkins (78.2), Pete Rose (76.7), Johnny Bench (72.9), Reggie Jackson (70.0), Rod Carew (69.8)

Best peak: 1. Morgan, 1972-76 (9.6 average WAR per season); 2. Bob Gibson, 1965-70 (7.6 average WAR per season, led all players in WAR 1968, 1969 and 1970); 3. Mike Schmidt, 1974-80 (8.2 average WAR per season)

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Most iconic: Rose or Reggie … or Nolan Ryan?

This generation’s biggest debate: Rose or Reggie … or Nolan Ryan?

This generation shows how peak value can cement a player’s legacy. Gibson didn’t have the career value of fellow pitchers Perry or Niekro, but his legacy is much stronger. In fact, that five-year peak would be even higher except he broke his leg in 1967, only to return and win three games in the World Series.

The most iconic debate is the interesting one. Throughout the 1970s, Rose and Reggie were the towering figures in the game — Charlie Hustle and Mr. October. They weren’t the best players, but Rose was the most popular, Jackson more controversial. Even Rose’s recent reinstatement shows how he continues to impact the headlines, even in death. Ryan would be a late entry to the icon discussion. He didn’t really become an iconic figure until late in his career with the Texas Rangers in the late 1980s and early 1990s — when he kept racking up no-hitters and strikeouts deep into his 40s — but he now possesses a larger-than-life persona that might even exceed Rose and Jackson.

Millennials (1981-96)

Barry Bonds’ early peak years produced three MVP awards, but he probably wasn’t the most iconic player of his time. Jeff Carlick/MLB Photos via Getty Images

Top five in WAR
Rickey Henderson: 95.7
Cal Ripken: 88.8
Wade Boggs: 88.2
Barry Bonds: 83.6
Roger Clemens: 80.8

Next five: Ryne Sandberg (67.1), Ozzie Smith (66.9), Tim Raines (66.5), Lou Whitaker (65.1), Alan Trammell (63.0)

Best peak: 1. Bonds, 1990-96 (8.6 average WAR per season, three MVP awards); 2. Greg Maddux, 1992-96 (8.1 average WAR per season, four Cy Young Awards); 3. Roger Clemens, 1986-92 (8.3 average WAR per season, three Cy Youngs)

Most iconic: Ken Griffey Jr.

This generation’s biggest debate: Bonds vs. Griffey

Look … even pre-alleged-PED Bonds was a better player than Griffey. Bonds’ 1993 season, right before the offensive explosion across the sport, was a season for the ages: .336/.458/.677, 9.9 WAR. He had an OPS+ of 206; from 1962 through 1993, only four players had an OPS+ over 200: Willie McCovey in 1969, George Brett in 1980 and Bonds in 1992 and ’93.

From 1991 to 1998, Griffey’s peak, he averaged 7.2 WAR per season and led AL position players three times in WAR. From 1990 to 1998, Bonds averaged 8.5 WAR and led NL position players seven times in WAR. Bonds got on base more and was the better base stealer, and though he didn’t play center field, he was a spectacular left fielder (especially earlier in his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates). In those pre-WAR days, the debate was a lot more hotly contested and Griffey was generally regarded as the better player.

But most iconic? The Kid in a landslide.

Generation Z (1997-2012)

Alex Rodriguez had the numbers but not the World Series rings to make him as revered as another Yankee. John Cordes/Icon Sportswire

Top five in WAR
Alex Rodriguez: 107.0
Albert Pujols: 91.5
Barry Bonds: 79.1
Chipper Jones: 76.2
Randy Johnson: 74.1

Next five: Pedro Martinez (71.6), Scott Rolen (70.4), Derek Jeter (69.9), Roy Halladay (66.5), Carlos Beltran (65.5)

Best peak: 1. Bonds, 2000-04 (10.2 average WAR per season, four MVP awards); 2. Johnson, 1999-2002 (9.5 average WAR per season, four straight Cy Young Awards, averaged 354 strikeouts); 3. Martinez, 1997-2000 (9.4 average WAR per season, 2.16 ERA)

Most iconic: Jeter

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This generation’s biggest debate: Jeter vs. A-Rod

This era might top the others in terms of peak performances. We could have also listed Rodriguez, who averaged 8.3 WAR and 46 home runs from 1998 to 2005 (and that doesn’t include 9.4 WAR seasons in 1996 and 2007). Or Pujols, who had seven consecutive 8-plus WAR seasons from 2003 to 2009. Or Mark McGwire’s four-year run from 1996 to 1999, when he averaged 61 home runs. Or Sammy Sosa averaging 58 home runs in a five-year span. Or Ichiro Suzuki’s incredible 10 consecutive seasons with 200 hits.

But the Jeter/A-Rod debate takes in everything about this complicated era. In the end, Rodriguez had the numbers and Jeter had the rings and the fist pumps from the top step of the dugout.

Generation Alpha (2010-25)

Mookie Betts has been slowly closing the gap in WAR on Mike Trout over the past several seasons. Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire

Top five in WAR
Mike Trout: 85.8
Mookie Betts: 72.2
Max Scherzer: 71.9
Clayton Kershaw: 70.1
Justin Verlander: 65.8

Next five: Paul Goldschmidt (63.9), Freddie Freeman (62.7), Manny Machado (59.1), Nolan Arenado (57.4), Aaron Judge (56.4)

Best peak: 1. Trout, 2012-19 (9.0 average WAR per season); 2. Shohei Ohtani (2021-??); 3. Aaron Judge (2022-??)

Most iconic: Umm …

Now we get back to Generation Alpha. There seems to be some disagreement on when it begins — maybe it’s 2010, maybe 2012 or 2013. And maybe it ends in 2025 or 2027. But for this exercise, we started in 2010, which is convenient when discussing Trout and Betts since their entire careers encompass this time frame.

Trout, even sitting out all that time in recent seasons, holds the lead in career WAR. What’s interesting is he’s not yet at 400 home runs, 1,000 RBIs or close to 2,000 hits, so his career counting totals lag behind players with similar WAR.

His value at his peak was posting high on-base percentages and high slugging percentages in the 2010s, when offense was somewhat down for much of the decade. His career wRC+, which makes those era-related adjustments, is 168, seventh all-time behind Ruth, Williams, Bonds, Gehrig, Hornsby and Mantle. That’s with a cutoff of 5,000 plate appearances. If we lower it to 4,500 plate appearances, Judge comes in third behind Ruth and Williams.

Ahh, yes, Judge and Ohtani. Both are close to Trout and Betts in age (Judge is only a few months younger than Trout, and Ohtani was born in 1994, making him three years younger). Neither made their debut until halfway through this generation and are thus currently significantly behind in career value — Judge is at 56.4, Ohtani at 46.4. Both are accumulating it at Secretariat-like speed, but even if we extend this generational period a few more years, they won’t catch Trout or even Betts in WAR within the time frame.

But most iconic? That’s a debate. Trout, despite the MVP honors, has one postseason appearance way back in 2014, a bunch of losing seasons on a franchise that failed to build around him, and — fair or not — never had that undefinable “it’ factor the way Griffey did.

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Maybe the most iconic is Judge, although he has never won a World Series either, struggled for the most part in his playoff appearances and his peak seasons are, for now, limited to 2017, 2022, 2024 and 2025. Still, he seems to be improving at 33 years old; who knows how many more historic seasons he still has in him. Maybe it will be Ohtani, who is now in the fifth season of his unicorn status. He has pitched in three of those seasons, had the first 50/50 season in 2024 that earned him his third MVP award and now he’s maybe on his way to a fourth MVP, especially if he returns to pitching later this season, which is still the plan.

Or maybe it’s even Betts. He has played for two of the sport’s glamour franchises: the Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers. He has won an MVP, six Gold Gloves and seven Silver Sluggers. He’s also won three World Series titles — and is still going strong. He’s like Jeter in that he’ll do whatever it takes to win, like moving from the outfield to second base or shortstop (and he already has more career WAR than Jeter).

The answer? Well, the answer is we still have a lot of baseball for these guys to play — and that makes us all fortunate baseball fans.

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May 24, 2025 0 comments

GameFi Guides

UK wants more crypto user data just as trust in KYC takes new hit

by admin May 24, 2025

New U.K. rules could mean more data from crypto users, just as a recent leak shows how risky that can be.

Just as a major crypto platform admitted contractors leaked user info, the United Kingdom unveiled strict new rules requiring firms to collect and report detailed personal data on every crypto transaction.

Starting Jan. 1, 2026, crypto firms operating in the U.K. will be expected to keep tabs on just about everything — every customer, every transaction, every movement of crypto. It’s part of the U.K.’s effort to bring transparency — and accountability — to a space long accused of being a bit too shadowy for its own good.

HM Revenue and Customs dropped the news in a May 14 statement, saying crypto firms will need to collect the full name, home address, date of birth, and tax identification numbers of all individual users. Entities like companies, partnerships, and charities are also in the spotlight, with requirements for legal business names, addresses, and company registration numbers.

That includes every transaction, even those just moving crypto between wallets. The rules follow international standards but go further by applying them within the U.K., not just across borders. Firms will be expected to submit reports annually, and those that fall short could face fines of up to £300 (around $398) per user.

Protecting consumers

Authorities say the move is about protecting consumers and creating a more robust regulatory environment. But it’s also clearly aimed at closing tax loopholes and keeping pace with broader global standards, including the European MiCA regulation. As HMRC put it, firms should start preparing now — not in 2026 — to avoid a last-minute scramble.

Mark Aruliah, head of EMEA policy at blockchain analytics firm Elliptic, said in a commentary for crypto.news that the move is an “expected next step” for an industry maturing toward parity with traditional finance.

“Reporting of personal transaction data has historically been a challenge for the industry and for consumers. This clarity on legal obligations to reporting will help and also the growth of new reporting services.”

Mark Aruliah

While Aruliah acknowledged the potential burden on smaller startups, he said the push toward transparency was not only necessary but overdue.

“Any regulation is generally regarded as an additional cost burden to the industry but that has to be balanced against the benefits that it provides. Therefore, it may be that smaller firms are impacted disproportionately based purely on costs (i.e. due to their size and profits), but nevertheless, these obligations are an expected next step and simply look to match the general reporting obligations in the tradfi space.”

Mark Aruliah

But for many critics, the bigger question is not about collecting data. It’s about keeping it safe.

Great responsibility

That concern came into sharp focus as cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase recently confirmed a breach involving customer data. According to the U.S.-based crypto exchange, contractors working for Coinbase overseas were bribed by attackers who gained access to sensitive customer information.

That included names, emails, phone numbers, addresses, and in some cases, partial Social Security numbers. Some users have even reported that ID documents like passports and driver’s licenses were exposed.

Coinbase said the breach affected less than 1% of its user base, though with nearly 9 million monthly active users, even that sliver represents a significant population. Worse still, it’s exactly the kind of personal data the U.K. now wants firms to collect and verify — and the breach raises urgent questions about whether crypto companies are equipped to handle such responsibility.

While Coinbase claims its internal systems caught the breach quickly, blockchain investigator ZachXBT has said signs of trouble were visible much earlier. Back in February, he flagged a string of scams tied to Coinbase’s infrastructure, including one victim who lost $850,000 after being duped by a fake Coinbase support agent.

If the U.K.’s CARF-aligned rules were already in force, the firm could be staring down millions in fines, not to mention reputational damage that’s harder to quantify. Still, the juxtaposition is hard to ignore: the U.K. is telling crypto firms to hoard personal data, just as one of the world’s largest exchanges admits it failed to keep such data safe.

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May 24, 2025 0 comments

Game Updates

There’s an Elden Ring film on the way from Alex Garland and George R. R. Martin

by admin May 24, 2025

An Elden Ring live action film is in the works from Ex Machina director Alex Garland, film production company A24 and game publisher Bandai Namco. It’s not clear whether developers From Software are involved, but Game Of Thrones novelist George R. R. Martin – who worked on Elden Ring’s story and characters alongside From boss Hidetaka Miyazaki – is contributing as a producer. All of this comes via Deadline.

Miyazaki has dangled the prospect of a movie adaptation in the past, while stressing that film-making very much isn’t his wheelhouse. “I don’t see any reason to deny another interpretation or adaptation of Elden Ring, a movie for example,” he told The Guardian last year. “But I don’t think myself, or FromSoftware, have the knowledge or ability to produce something in a different medium. So that’s where a very strong partner would come into play. We’d have to build a lot of trust and agreement on whatever it is we’re trying to achieve, but there’s interest, for sure.”

There’s no word yet as to the story, characters and cast, let alone a release date. Perhaps predictably, I struggle to imagine a film that captures the ambience of a From Software game, in which so much of the charm is being the one real agent of change in a static, ruined world. But I can think of a few references for the moodboard: David Lowery’s silty cinematic adaptation of Gawain And The Green Knight and Matteo Garrone’s dynastic triptych Tale of Tales. Perhaps they could pay homage to the soapstone functionality by encouraging audiences to write “is this a dog?” on the box office posters.

It’ll be a while till we learn more, I expect. In the meantime, you can get your fix of Limgrave from Elden Ring Nightreign.

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May 24, 2025 0 comments

Product Reviews

Elon Musk Says He’ll Step Back From the Government. DOGE Isn’t Going Anywhere

by admin May 24, 2025

What to make of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency at this stage of the Trump administration? Elon Musk has purportedly stepped away from his government duties. Courts are trying to strike down some of DOGE’s most egregious efforts. It may seem as though the worst excesses of DOGE have passed, replaced by something closer to a stasis.

This isn’t true. Not even close.

While the image of DOGE most likely burned into your retina is that of Elon Musk wielding a literal chain saw, the theatrics belie an organization that has quietly permeated all corners of the federal government. More than that, it’s increasingly clear that its objectives are now indistinguishable from that of the broader Trump administration. Removing DOGE at this point would be like trying to remove a drop of food coloring from a glass of water.

And what is it doing from its perch? Not loudly, clumsily attempting to fire thousands of government employees, but working in secrecy to collect, combine, and analyze data that was never intended to comingle. Using that information to find and surveil immigrants. Giving the Justice Department an assist on alleged voter fraud indictments.

Even if Musk claims he’s stepping away—though he met with House Republicans just this week—his lieutenants are still firmly in place at the agencies that control the federal workforce and regulate his companies. DOGE is reportedly using his xAI Grok chatbot to parse sensitive data, which potentially means millions of Americans’ personal information is doubling as training data for the model. A 19-year-old who goes by Big Balls online is still a central figure.

Meanwhile, the victories against DOGE may be short-lived. The Trump administration used it as a battering ram to push its policies through with overwhelming force. While the courts have held firm in some cases—just this week, a judge declared DOGE’s takeover of the United States Institute of Peace to be unlawful—the policies still exist, and there are other ways to achieve them. The Wall Street Journal reported recently that director of the White House Office of Management and Budget Russell Vought would pick up DOGE’s cost-cutting mantle in the post-Musk era. Expect him to wield not a hammer but a finely edged blade.

This has always been the plan. Vought is the architect of Project 2025, the policy road map that DOGE has been following turn by turn. He has been explaining for months what happens after DOGE’s first assault.

“We’re going to use all of our executive tools to make those savings permanent,” Vought said in an interview with Fox Business anchor Larry Kudlow on March 11. “We’re going to do everything we can to make sure that those are not merely something that goes on a website, but becomes permanent … We’ll work with Congress to do it, but we’ve also been aware the extent to which Congress has had a hard time passing cuts of any magnitude, and so what we want to do is everything we can to use presidential tools to bank those savings home.”

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May 24, 2025 0 comments

Game Reviews

Disney’s 23 Best And Most Memorable Songs Ever, Ranked

by admin May 24, 2025

Phil Collins knocked it out of the park with the entire Tarzan soundtrack. Somehow his earthy voice, drum-infused instrumentals, and heartfelt lyrics were the perfect mix for this jungle story. Rather than a traditional Disney musical, Phil Collins acts as an omnipresent narrator, commenting on the action or voicing the character’s thoughts. “You’ll Be In My Heart” rightfully earned the Academy Award for Best Original Song. Originally written as a lullaby for his own daughter, the song starts off tender, with Phil Collins almost gently whispering against soft marimbas.

Its lyrics of true love and devotion are moving, especially in the scene where Kala sings it to a baby Tarzan, who, despite being a different species, experiences a bond where love and care know no bounds. The song eventually crashes into driving drums, moving toward a bridge that sees the child fly free on their own: “When destiny calls you / You must be strong / I may not be with you / But you’ve got to hold on.” This song is touching for anyone who has ever loved someone and watched them grow, no matter what type of relationship.

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May 24, 2025 0 comments

NFT Gaming

American Tourist Drugged, Crypto Worth $123K Stolen By Uber Driver

by admin May 24, 2025

Trusted Editorial content, reviewed by leading industry experts and seasoned editors. Ad Disclosure

An American visitor ended up losing $123,000 in crypto after getting into the wrong cab in central London. He said he felt drowsy and blank after taking a cigarette the driver offered him. Thirty minutes later, he woke up on the pavement with a smashed phone and no way to unlock his crypto wallet.

Mistaken Identity At Night

According to My London, Jacob Irwin-Cline hailed what he thought was an Uber at around 1:30 a.m. on May 9, 2025. It wasn’t. The driver looked similar to the person in the app, but the car was different. He didn’t check the plate number. He says he only spotted the mistake after the attack.

US Tourist Says Bitcoin, XRP Worth $123K Stolen After Ride With Fake Uber in London

An American tourist has lost more than $123,000 in crypto after being drugged and abducted by a fake Uber driver in London’s West End.
Read more: https://t.co/6oEsTH79ig pic.twitter.com/uIu9ZijSK7

— Mars Signals (@MarsSignals) May 21, 2025

Sedative Cigarette Encounter

Based on reports, the driver handed him a cigarette when Jacob was already half asleep. He says it felt odd right away. He thinks it was laced with scopolamine, a powerful sedative. This drug can make you feel calm, confused, or even forget what just happened. He lost consciousness for about 30 minutes. When he woke up, the taxi was gone.

Jacob Irwin-Cline believes he was robbed with the help of scopolamine, a powerful sedative Source: Jacob Irwin-Cline/My London.

Lost Wallet And Cold Facts

His phone was the real prize. It held his private keys and gave full access to his crypto accounts. He later discovered the cab clipped him as he stumbled out. He spent days trying to track down the device. It was never returned. Now he has no way to tap into that $123,000 stash.

BTC is currently trading at $109,858. Chart: TradingView

Rising Threats To Crypto Holders

This case follows other violent crimes targeting people in the crypto world. On May 3, French police freed the father of a crypto exchange owner after he’d been held for ransom. The kidnappers wanted millions of euros. Days later, masked men tried to shove Paymium CEO Pierre Noizat’s daughter and grandson into a van in broad daylight. They fought back and escaped.

Steps To Stay Safe

Experts urge crypto holders to use hardware wallets for large sums and only keep small amounts on a phone. They say matching every ride-share detail helps too. Check plates, car model, and driver name before you step in. Use long passcodes or biometric locks on phones. And if you carry big assets, think about a travel companion or security guard in unfamiliar places.

The growing number of violent crimes against crypto investors shows that digital money can attract more than just hackers online. It can draw real-world danger. Jacob Irwin-Cline’s loss is a stark reminder that convenience often comes at a cost. Stay alert, check the details, and keep most of your holdings offline. That way, you won’t wake up to a $123,000 hole in your pocket.

Featured image from Pexels, chart from TradingView

Editorial Process for bitcoinist is centered on delivering thoroughly researched, accurate, and unbiased content. We uphold strict sourcing standards, and each page undergoes diligent review by our team of top technology experts and seasoned editors. This process ensures the integrity, relevance, and value of our content for our readers.

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May 24, 2025 0 comments