iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Gabe Lerman ・ラーマンゲイブ @gabelerman.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

My old contact at PLM had this to say on LinkedIn about the Front Office Sports article on #NPB going around the blogosphere. Shared with his permission.

A LinkedIn post by Ryu Takagi, CPA, an employee of Pacific League Marketing:

After reading the recent article on NPB’s business strategy and global expansion, I’d like to share a few thoughts from the perspective of my domain expertise: overseas broadcasting rights.

■ Challenges and Approaches in the North and Latin American Markets
The article highlighted how the KBO gained a temporary surge in popularity when broadcast across the U.S. during the pandemic, but ultimately struggled to sustain that audience long-term.

Drawing from my nearly 9 years of living in the U.S. and 6 years of hands-on experience selling broadcasting rights internationally, I find this outcome somewhat inevitable. The barrier to entry against established local sports content (i.e. MLB and NFL) in North and Latin America is incredibly high.That is why our top priority should not merely be securing short-term rights fees, but rather expanding exposure from a mid-to-long-term perspective. I will continue to work toward building everyday touch points with fans by actively pitching our content to local media outlets and platforms.

■ Strategic Approach to the Taiwanese Market
On the other hand, the market dynamics in Taiwan are quite different, requiring a tailored strategy. The growing number of Taiwanese players taking on the challenge of playing in Japan presents a strong tailwind. Rather than simply reporting on the performances of these Taiwanese players, I believe it is vital to leverage this momentum by spotlighting a wider range of attractions, such as:

・The unique appeal of the clubs and their ballparks
・The broad range of entertainment options available both inside and outside the venue
・The talent and charisma of Japanese players

I am convinced that delivering these multifaceted elements to fans in Taiwan will be key to building a far more robust and lasting fanbase.

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Gabe Lerman ・ラーマンゲイブ @gabelerman.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

A teaser for the next issue of #SMAC which launches in 7 days - the first panel! This was my favourite issue to write, and I can't wait to share it with y'all. Cc @soveryunofficial.bsky.social

A Super Mario Adventures Continued comic panel showing Mario and Wario butting heads in argument. Mario is shouting "I can't-a believe you're still holding a grudge over this!" Wario is replying "And I will until you even the balance about 1,255 times!!" Wonder what this could be in reference to?

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Gabe Lerman ・ラーマンゲイブ @gabelerman.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

And here's the most recent photo I have of each:

Black domestic longhair with a visible license tag on an otherwise hidden collar looking at the photographer, perched on a turquoise sofa.

A photo I took this instant of a brown tabby cat happily purring away on my lap while I'm at work.

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Gabe Lerman ・ラーマンゲイブ @gabelerman.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

I was impressed by Antwerpen Centraal too; my photo is from further into the station area to show how the modern architecture expands the historic building.

A train station at night, with a large roof overtop an elevated track level, a ground floor concourse, and two basements of tracks that you can see from the walkway I'm taking the photo from. In view are escalators, elevators, a sign for ticket windows, and the ornate original station at the end.

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Gabe Lerman ・ラーマンゲイブ @gabelerman.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

AND @soveryunofficial.bsky.social and I are getting rolling on the NEXT issue of #SMAC - this one's a direct sequel to a plotline from the original Super Mario Adventures. Get ready for 27 pages of the wildest ride in the wilderness, starting Thursday September 24!

A yellow background with text on it: It's Official! Super Mario Adventures Continued Issue 11 has started production!! Cowboys & Rustlers 2: Showdown at the Wah-K Corral, Coming September 24!
There's also an image of Wario and Mario wearing cowboy gear glaring at each other, but Wario's got a normal nose and eyes and Mario has a pink nose with pale rings around his eyes.

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Gabe Lerman ・ラーマンゲイブ @gabelerman.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

Happy Friday! A double-shot of #SuperMarioAdventuresContinued news for y'all. First, the full cast announcement for @hypervoiceacting.bsky.social's official Kemical Reaction dub, featuring (and I still can't believe we got him) @brentalfloss.bsky.social as E. Gadd! #SMAC

A yellow background with characters from a Mario fan comic superimposed, each doing something cute or funny. The voice cast's user names are below each character.
Princess Peach: HylianPrincessLida
Kemical the Lakity: Candace the Magnificent
E. Gadd: holy shiitake it's brentalfloss
Luigi: LuckyJack020
Mario: HyperVoiceActing
Dr. Crygor: HyperVoiceActing
Penny Crygor: Jordan Scarzfava
Toad: Swordtee40
Bowser and Blue Shell General: JespoVoices

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Gabe Lerman ・ラーマンゲイブ @gabelerman.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

It is? Goodness, I guess I better post Yogi content.

A black cat all curled up and snoozing atop a blue blanket on a couch, with a green square cushion and a giant Stitch plushie in the background. The cat is named Yogi; hello, Yogi!!

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Gabe Lerman ・ラーマンゲイブ @gabelerman.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

This is a first for me to see: AI slop tunes added to the discography of an existing artist on #Spotify. Give Doug and the Slugs some respect, damnit!

A screenshot of Spotify mobile app, showing three legitimate albums from Doug and the Slugs, a defunct Canadian rock band, then two singles purportedly from them released this year that are CLEARLY AI generated slop.

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Gabe Lerman ・ラーマンゲイブ @gabelerman.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

I learned ages ago to have little googly or cartoon eyes behind your webcam to improve eye contact during video meetings or recordings. Then I got this Ludicolo and realized he's a better option than those.

A small plastic Ludicolo figurine from the Pokemon franchise sitting behind a laptop screen with the webcam turned on and below a second monitor.

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Gabe Lerman ・ラーマンゲイブ @gabelerman.bsky.social · 25/07/2026

🧵 Some thoughts on a Saturday evening. About gratitude and luck and family. (Cat pic is from earlier this week - hello Yogi!!)

My black cat Yogi (hello Yogi!!) looking out the living room window on a sunny evening from atop his cat tree. The dappled light turns his coat brown. There's a globe and some boxes on the ledge in front of the window.

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Gabe Lerman ・ラーマンゲイブ @gabelerman.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

Mine has always been Reb Brown screaming in his golf cart from Space Mutiny.

Reb Brown screaming in his golf cart from Space Mutiny with the MST3K silhouettes at the bottom.

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Gabe Lerman ・ラーマンゲイブ @gabelerman.bsky.social · 11/06/2026

Okay, NOW the condo feels like a place I own. Finally graduated from Command Strips to nails for hanging things, in part because I have too many hats.

A tall portrait photo of a hat organizer nailed to a wall and already full of baseball caps. The left two columns show the current NPB standings, the remainder are MLB or other caps.

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Gabe Lerman ・ラーマンゲイブ @gabelerman.bsky.social · 24/05/2026

Almost 14 years since I moved from the suburbs into the Big Smoke, and now I find myself heading back there, possibly for good.

A timeline diagram hastily thrown together in PowerPoint. The title is "So Gabe, where do you live?" Poster's name is Gabe, so the diagram is his answers. The left portion of the timeline up to July 1 2012 is labeled "Toronto" with quotation marks, indicating he doesn't actually live in the city. Between July 1 2012 and tomorrow (March 25 2026), it's labeled Toronto without quotes, indicating actually in the city. After tomorrow, it's back to "Toronto" with quotes.

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Gabe Lerman ・ラーマンゲイブ @gabelerman.bsky.social · 30/04/2026

Glad to hear you're on the mend; you following along with issue 10 of SMAC? Kemical is eagerly waiting for your return to their vocal cords.

A Lakitu scientist with a teal peacock hairstyle, wearing a head set and chuckling while at a control desk.

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Gabe Lerman ・ラーマンゲイブ @gabelerman.bsky.social · 10/04/2026

#Giveaway time! Now that the #NPB season is well underway, you may be thinking about taking a trip to Japan to watch a game. I've got two copies of my #JapanBall travel guide, 2026 edition, that I'd be happy to sign and send to the first two people who quote this with where they want to go.

My hand holding two copies of the JapanBall Travel Guide to Japanese Baseball (by me!) in paperback. Behind it are a hat rack of NPB caps and my old Blue Jays Ballpark Passes.

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Gabe Lerman ・ラーマンゲイブ @gabelerman.bsky.social · 09/04/2026

Excited for y'all to see what we've cooked up - this issue has some fantastic performances from the cast. cc: @soveryunofficial.bsky.social

The cast announcement for Super Mario Adventures Continued: No Rest from the Wicked's official comic dub.
Peach: @princesslida.bsky.social
Mario: @hypervoiceacting.bsky.social (voice), @slickframe.bsky.social (singing)
Luigi: @luckyjack020.bsky.social
Daisy: @jordanscarzfava.bsky.social
Bowser: @jespovoices.bsky.social
Prince Peasley: @dojaymi.bsky.social
Toad: @swordtee40.bsky.social
Brunch: @sammiebeeva.bsky.social
Raini: @deeleetheoddity.bsky.social
Raz: me! I also do the narration.

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Gabe Lerman ・ラーマンゲイブ @gabelerman.bsky.social · 23/03/2026

Happy to be the first customer of @soveryunofficial.bsky.social 's ACG Goods shop. Koopa Pete now graces the keyring of my condo keys; my sister's purse has the Kawakappa Bowl.

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Gabe Lerman ・ラーマンゲイブ @gabelerman.bsky.social · 10/03/2026

Took this myself during the Canada 150 celebrations at Ontario Place (RIP); it was after that heavy rainstorm and so much of the grounds were waterlogged.

The Ontario Place Cinesphere, a geodesic dome with an Omnimax cinema inside, surrounded by water and casting a reflection. The sky is blue, and there are trees flanking it.

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Gabe Lerman ・ラーマンゲイブ @gabelerman.bsky.social · 02/03/2026

Love the juxtaposition of these two posts 5 minutes apart. From "There's nothing boring about this" to "I believe it will be the most beautiful ballroom." Okay, Gramps.

Two posts from @atrupar.com from President Trump's Iran War press conference, five minutes apart. The earlier one reads "We have right from the beginning projected 4 to 5 weeks, but we have capability to go far longer than that. We'll do whatever. Somebody said 'the president will get bored.' I don't get bored. There's nothing boring about this." The later one, again only five minutes later, shows that Trump has indeed gotten bored of talking about the Iran War: "See that nice drape? When that comes down right now you see a very very deep hole, but in about a year and half you're gonna see a very very beautiful building. In fact, it looks so nice I think I'll leave it and save money on the doors. I believe it will be the most beautiful ballroom."

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Gabe Lerman ・ラーマンゲイブ @gabelerman.bsky.social · 28/02/2026

The only guy who's happy to wake up to this news.

A cartoon of an ancient man, looking vaguely like Jabba the Hutt, in a wheelchair with a tube running from his nose to an IV. The caption reads "Holden Bloodfeast (R) Iowa
- 118 years old
- please God just let us nuke Iran, nothing else matters, I'll do anything please I just want to see burning flesh one last time before I die
- Respectable bipartisan"

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Gabe Lerman ・ラーマンゲイブ @gabelerman.bsky.social · 22/02/2026

If you can't hear the #Pokemon TCG battle music, we can't be friends. Icon courtesy of @izzi8bit.bsky.social from her fundraiser for @xenosupial.bsky.social .

A fake screenshot of a battle introduction from Pokemon Trading Card Game on the Game Boy Color. A custom pixel portrait from @Izzi8Bit.bsky.social of me (!) overlaps the regular opponent portait, and the text has been replaced with "Some Schmucko: Gabe, Annoyance Deck."

Fun story for the alt text: I actually played an annoyance deck in Pokemon League at Sci-Fi World in Thornhill back when there were only three expansions. Stuff like Aerodactyl to stop evolutions, Muk to stop Pokemon Powers, Gust of Wind and Energy Removal to mess with the opposition.

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Gabe Lerman ・ラーマンゲイブ @gabelerman.bsky.social · 14/02/2026

Kinda fun to think that I'm the only person in the city, maybe the province, rocking a Kintetsu Buffaloes cap right now. Can't wait for the season.

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Gabe Lerman ・ラーマンゲイブ @gabelerman.bsky.social · 12/02/2026

All set for the new season to cheer on the #BlueJays! Or at least one of them.

A Yomiuri Giants road jersey with Okamoto 25 as the name and number on the back, laid on top of a bed. My black cat Yogi is just visible at the bottom right of the frame; hi Yogi!!

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Gabe Lerman ・ラーマンゲイブ @gabelerman.bsky.social · 12/01/2026

Last season, one of my fellow sleep-deprived #PacificLeague simulcasters said this as a game crept into the 9th inning tied. I said I was gonna immortalize it as a T-shirt. And now the PLTV English team will be getting these.

A black T-shirt lying on a table, with white and orange text on the front. The text reads "MORE BASEBALL IS ALWAYS MORE BASEBALL." My right hand doing a thumbs up is blocking the "LL" of the last word.

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Gabe Lerman ・ラーマンゲイブ @gabelerman.bsky.social · 01/01/2026

No cheating. Reskeet with the most recent picture of your pet.

My domestic shorthair cat Mickey arching his back so much from skritches that his (toothless) mouth is agape. He's lying in a mound of clothing with my wife's hand on his back.

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Gabe Lerman ・ラーマンゲイブ @gabelerman.bsky.social · 23/12/2025

This was *after* 12 innings of baseball with the Tigers walking off the Giants on a grand-slam. It's why I proselytize going to #NPB games. You WILL become a fan.

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Gabe Lerman ・ラーマンゲイブ @gabelerman.bsky.social · 26/11/2025

Happy to announce that the second edition of the #JapanBall Travel Guide to Japanese #Baseball will be launching on the JapanBall store THIS FRIDAY! It'll be exclusive there for a month, then available on Amazon for Kindle and print-on-demand copies. 1/2

A green-tinted book cover showing a collage of a baseball pitcher about to start his delivery, a cheerleader blowing a trumpet, an "uriko" serving a beer from a draught keg on her back, a batter finishing his swing, and a manager being thrown in the air by his team. Surrounding them are Tokyo Skytree, the Glico man on Dotonbori, and Nagoya Castle. At the top-right is "2026 Edition", along the bottom is "JapanBall Travel Guide to Japanese Baseball," with the author name Gabriel Lerman (me!)

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Gabe Lerman ・ラーマンゲイブ @gabelerman.bsky.social · 08/11/2025

Did the top text load all the way at the bottom of the page for anyone else? Tried on Firefox and Edge.

A bad attempt at using the Zohran for New York City generator, where the top text has the bottom-text size bar overlaid, and is clearly smushed together with the bottom text in Paint.NET. The text is "OH for Cryin' Out Loud"

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Gabe Lerman ・ラーマンゲイブ @gabelerman.bsky.social · 02/11/2025

The Dodgers series in a GIF. Well played, what a series, but goddamn this is my new answer for what if a series result got flipped.

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Gabe Lerman ・ラーマン ゲイブ

Gabe Lerman ・ラーマンゲイブ