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New Jays skipper Charlie Montoyo covers all the bases, for openers

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On Monday afternoon at the Rogers Centre, on the occasion of his own press conference, the significance and impact of the moment did not seem to have yet fully registered with 53-year-old Charlie Montoyo.

It was not a dream. He was really, truly the 13th manager of the Toronto Blue Jays after a 22-year wait.

The Puerto Rican-born former infielder, owner of two major-league hits with the Expos in 1993, was answering questions about strategy and the Jays’ future direction while looking around and trying to soak it all in.

The easy public perception is that Montoyo was hired by the Jays from among the final five candidates who were interviewed in person — a list that included David Bell (Giants), Joe Espada (Astros), Rocco Baldelli (Rays) and Brandon Hyde (Cubs) — because the Jays are in love with analytics, defensive shifts, the starting pitcher opener and low payroll. Montoyo claims he is open-minded about them all.

“That will be a conversation with our front office, our coaches,” Montoyo said. “Just because I come from Tampa Bay doesn’t mean we’re going to do everything that they did over there. We’re a different team and we’re going to adjust to what we have.

“When you guys talk about openers, it doesn’t mean that’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to get our brains together and talk about it and go from there.”

After watching the final months of the season with a makeshift rotation that often did not make it through a batting order three times — not on purpose — the Jays will surely at least consider a modified version of what the Rays introduced to the game: leaning on one starter, Blake Snell, for much of the year and improvising the other four days depending on matchups.

Read more:

Opinion | Rosie DiManno: Shades of Gibbons in new Jays skipper Montoyo

Spring training will be a very interesting time for Montoyo and the Jays as they try to decide how to best handle a starting rotation that had been considered a team strength coming out of last year’s camp, but slipped on the banana peel of life. Could the Rays’ mix-and-match pitching model be right for the Jays?

General manager Ross Atkins has insisted his No. 1 priority this off-season will be to add controllable power arms via trade. Unless help arrives, the Jays rotation could end up a hybrid of starters and openers with a healthy Marcus Stroman and Aaron Sanchez joined by young left-hander Ryan Borucki, and the other spots open to the manipulations and imagination of Montoyo and his coaching staff.

“A lot of times analytics are just giving you what you knew already by managing,” Montoyo said. “I’m going to have seven coaches. I’m going to use that information, that analytics side, my gut feeling, and then we’re going to make a decision. That’s how I’m going to do it, not just one way or the other. Looking at this team from the outside, it almost reminds me of the team we had in Tampa.”

There is a lot of young talent at the upper levels of the Jays’ system and on the 40-man roster. The Rays showed how quickly a young team can compete (if not make the playoffs), while in 2017 the New York Yankees started to go younger at the trade deadline only to improve as a team relying on youngsters.

It used to be that talent and experience were necessary to building a winner, but it now seems that analytics and dissecting numbers have partially replaced the need for years of toiling in the minors. Outfielders have cue cards in their caps with information about where they should position themselves, and infielders are carefully placed in the centre of the most likely hitting zones for each opponent.

“People do it right now because there’s numbers,” Montoyo said. “That’s one thing I can tell you that I learned with the Rays, that some of those things work. You’ve got to make an adjustment. It’s a game of adjustments.”

After eight years managing at Triple-A Durham and 18 years total in the minors, Montoyo could be forgiven for giving up hope on a major-league gig. The window often closes on baseball lifers his age, but his teaching personality and the success of the Rays — with their keen grasp on, and sage use of, modern analytics — impressed Atkins enough to give him his opportunity.

“Experience is very important to me,” Atkins said. “I have a great deal of respect for how that translates into leadership.

“I have a hard time seeing a (successful) manager that doesn’t have a deep level of empathy, (someone) who is willing to be vulnerable in today’s game with — however you want to categorize them — millennials or just today’s players. I think a willingness to be vulnerable, a willingness to have a deep sense of empathy, is crucial. That was overarching in the guys that we were considering.”

While Montoyo was not sure it would happen for him, he knew what teams are looking for and one of the classic examples was coaching with him at Tampa Bay. He encouraged Rocco Baldelli to be aggressive in looking for a job. The 37-year-old former outfielder listened and is now managing the Twins.

“During the year I was telling him, ‘Dude, they’re looking for guys like you. You’ve got to do it,’” Montoyo said. “I love him and he got one, so I’m really happy for him. And then it happened to me and it’s awesome. You just never know.”

Coincidentally Montoyo’s Jays and Baldelli’s Twins have each been installed at 75-to-1 odds to win the World Series.

Richard Griffin is a sports columnist based in Toronto. Follow him on Twitter: @rgriffinstar

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Anglais

Nostalgia and much more with Starburst XXXtreme

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Get a taste of adventure with Starburst XXXtreme based on the legendary NetEnt Game. The nostalgic themes are sure to capture fans of the classic version as they get treated to higher intensity, better visuals, and features. The most significant element of the game is its volatility. Patience will not be an essential virtue considering the insane gameplay, and there is a lot of win potential involved. It retains the original makeup of the previous game while adding a healthy dose of adrenaline. 

Starburst Visuals and Symbols

The game is definitely more conspicuous than before. The setting happens over a 5-reel, 3-row game grid with nine fixed win lines, which function if a succession from the left to the right reel is present. Only those players that that attain the highest win per bet line are paid. From a visual standpoint, the Starburst XXXtreme slots illustrates lightning effects behind the reels, which is not surprising as it is inherited from the original version. Available themes include Classic, Jewels, and Space. The game is also available in both desktop and mobile versions, which is advantageous for players considering the global pandemic. According to Techguide, American gamers are increasingly having more engaging gaming experiences to socialize to fill the gap of in-person interaction. Starburst XXXtreme allows them to fill the social void at a time when there is so much time to be had indoors. 

Starburst XXXTreme Features

Players get to alternate on three features which are Starburst Wilds, XXXtreme Spins, and Random Wilds. The first appears on reels 2,3, or 4. When these land, they expand to cover all positions while also calculating the wins. They are also locked for a respin. If a new one hits, it also becomes locked while awarding another respin. Starburst XXXtreme offers a choice between two scenarios for a higher stake. In one scenario with a ten times stake, the Starburst Wild is set on random on reels 2,3, or 4, and a multiplier starts the respin. The second scenario, which has a 95 times stake, starts with two guaranteed starburst wilds on reels 2,3, or 4. it also plays out using respin game sequence and features. The game also increases the potential with the Random Wilds feature to add Starburst Wilds to a vacant reel at the end of a spin. Every Starburst Wild gives a random multiplier with potential wins of x2, x3, x5, x10, x25, x50, x100, or even x150.

The new feature is sure to be a big hit with the gaming market as online gambling has shown significant growth during the lockdown. AdAge indicates the current casino customer base is an estimated one in five Americans, so Starburst XXXtreme’s additional features will achieve considerable popularity. 

What We Think About The Game

The gambling market has continued to diversify post-pandemic, so it is one of the most opportune times to release an online casino-based game. Thankfully Starburst XXXtreme features eye-catching visuals, including the jewels and space themes. These attract audience participation and make the gameplay inviting. The game also has a nostalgic edge. The previous NetEnt iteration featured similar visuals and gameplay, so the audience has some familiarity with it. The producers have revamped this version by tweaking the features to improve the volatility and engagement. 

That is characterized by the potential win cap of 200,000 times the bet. Starburst XXXtreme does not just give betting alternatives for players that want to go big. The increase of multipliers also provides a great experience. If the respins in the previous version were great, knowing that multipliers can go hundreds of times overtakes the game to a new level. 

Players should get excited about this offering. All of the features can be triggered within a single spin. Whether one plays the standard game or takes the XXXtreme spin route, it is possible to activate all of the features. Of course, the potential 200,000 times potential is a huge carrot. However, the bet size is probably going to be restricted and vary depending on the casino. It is also worth pointing out that a malfunction during the gameplay will void all of the payouts and progress. Overall, the game itself has been designed to provide a capped win of 200,000 times the original bet. 

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Anglais

‘We’re back’: Montreal festival promoters happy to return but looking to next year

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In downtown Montreal, it’s festival season.

In the city’s entertainment district, a musical act was conducting a sound check on stage Friday evening — the second day of the French-language version of the renowned Just For Laughs comedy festival. Tickets for many of the festival’s free outdoor shows — limited by COVID-19 regulations — were sold out.

Two blocks away, more than 100 people were watching an acoustic performance by the Isaac Neto Trio — part of the last weekend of the Festival International Nuits d’Afrique, a celebration of music from the African continent and the African diaspora.

With COVID-19 restrictions continuing to limit capacity, festival organizers say they’re glad to be back but looking forward to next year when they hope border restrictions and capacity limits won’t affect their plans.

Charles Décarie, Just For Laughs’ CEO and president, said this is a “transition year.”

“Even though we have major constraints from the public health group in Montreal, we’ve managed to design a festival that can navigate through those constraints,” Décarie said.

The French-language Juste pour rire festival began on July 15 and is followed by the English-language festival until July 31.

When planning began in February and March, Décarie said, organizers came up with a variety of scenarios for different crowd sizes, ranging from no spectators to 50 per cent of usual capacity.

“You’ve got to build scenarios,” he said. “You do have to plan a little bit more than usual because you have to have alternatives.”

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MELS new major movie studio to be built in Montreal

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MONTREAL — MELS Studios will build a new film studio in Montreal, filling some of the gap in supply to meet the demand of Hollywood productions.

MELS president Martin Carrier said on Friday that MELS 4 studio construction will begin « as soon as possible », either in the fall or winter of next year. The studio could host productions as early as spring 2023.

The total investment for the project is $76 million, with the Quebec government contributing a $25 million loan. The project will create 110 jobs, according to the company.

The TVA Group subsidiary’s project will enable it to stand out « even more » internationally, according to Quebecor president and CEO Pierre Karl Péladeau. In the past, MELS Studios has hosted several major productions, including chapters of the X-Men franchise. The next Transformers movie is shooting this summer in Montreal.

Péladeau insisted that local cultural productions would also benefit from the new facility, adding that the studio ensures foreign revenues and to showcase talent and maintain an industry of Quebec producers.

STUDIO SHORTAGE

The film industry is cramped in Montreal.

According to a report published last May by the Bureau du cinéma et de la télévision du Québec (BCTQ), there is a shortage of nearly 400,000 square feet of studio space.

With the addition of MELS 4, which will be 160,000 square feet, the company is filling part of the gap.

Carrier admitted that he has had to turn down contracts because of the lack of space, representing missed opportunities of « tens of millions of dollars, not only for MELS, but also for the Quebec economy. »

« Montreal’s expertise is in high demand, » said Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante, who was present at the announcement.

She said she received great testimonials from « Netflix, Disney, HBO and company » during an economic mission to Los Angeles in 2019.

« What stands out is that they love Montreal because of its expertise, knowledge and beauty. We need more space, like MELS 4, » she said.

There is still not enough capacity in Quebec, acknowledged Minister of Finance, the Economy and Innovation Eric Girard.

« It is certain that the government is concerned about fairness and balance, so if other requests come in, we will study them with the same seriousness as we have studied this one, » he said.

Grandé Studios is the second-largest player in the industry. Last May, the company said it had expansion plans that should begin in 2022. Investissement Québec and Bell are minority shareholders in the company.

For its part, MELS will have 400,000 square feet of production space once MELS 4 is completed. The company employs 450 people in Quebec and offers a range of services including studio and equipment rentals, image and sound postproduction, visual effects and a virtual production platform.

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