Agreed.
I always did random, but only after I got the random stage switch so that I could turn off all the gimmick stages.
While it's not the biggest deal, I just find that it would be nice.
I also don't understand why you guys are keeping it realistic. We can only speculate now, and while some characters you might want to see in Brawl are unlikely, it still is interesting to talk about, at least IMO.
But I do seriously think that TF2 characters have some viable chance of making the cut... though if Alucard and Megaman don't make it, that will unleash the rage of so many fans...