Happy New Year!

Before we head out of town, I just wanted to wish all of you a Happy New Year! Please be careful tonight, as I can't really afford to lose even one reader of this big-time blog thing I've got going on. If you're going to partake of the firewater, please don't drive. And if you are out driving, please watch out for people that don't drink responsibly.

Enjoy the football games tomorrow, and eat like a pig. I know I will! (This is like my "binge" before going "clean," or something...)

Wow!

I'm suffering from a mental overload right now. I got my copy of Worldwide Soccer Manager 2005 tonight, and promptly installed it and downloaded the patch. All is running smoothly, at least regarding the software itself. A relative soccer "newbie" like me is having a hard time keeping up! There are so many options, so many ratings, and so much information to track, I hardly know where to start.

In my first dry-run of a coaching career, I decided to start out unemployed, instead of picking a team up front (you can start out by picking a team to manage right away, if you like). I played for an hour, simulated 6 months of the season, and still didn't have a job! Great. I'm a good enough failure in real life without having to simulate being a failure in a darn video game. However, after starting a new season managing Hartlepool, it might be better off if I just stayed unemployed!

Thankfully, this game comes with an honest-to-goodness 70 page manual. That sounds like a lot, but hey, I have a lot to learn. I need to read through that sucker before embarking on my new career, so I can at least know where to begin. Interestingly enough, my copy of FIFA 2005 for the Xbox, also a complex game (no where near the level of WWSM, though), came with a paltry 14 page manual. Two of the pages were for notes, and three pages consisted of credits! As a matter of fact, if I added all of the manual pages together for all of my EA games, I probaby wouldn't have a cumulative total of 70 pages of instruction and information. Kudos to SI for at least giving me somewhere to start...

I don't want to sound like I'm disappointed. I love to bury myself in sports games that detail the managerial side of a particular sport, so this is perfect for me. I've played similar games before (Baseball Mogul, Out of the Park Baseball, etc.), but those games focused on baseball, a subject with which I'm MUCH more familiar. I actually planned on using this game as a teaching tool to some degree, anyway, so it will help me be a more intelligent fan of the EPL. I guess I'm getting my money's worth!

Like it or not, I'll keep you posted... At the very least, I might lose weight from the stress of trying to figure this game out, so this will be a productive use of time on all accounts.

Promises, Promises

It's that time of year again, where we turn over the calendar to a new year, and commit to turning over a new leaf in some capacity in our lives. Yes, I'm talking about New Year's resolutions.

If you continue reading this blog, you'll find that it's as much a group therapy session for me as it is entertainment (?) for you. I'm going to share one of my resolutions with you, and provide updates on my progress throughout the year. You may not be interested, but it will be good for me!

My "public" resolution is to shed some weight! Since I started working a desk job, I've gained about 5 pounds a year on average. That's not bad in any given year, but it adds up over time! I've effectively gone from a svelte defensive back-sized body to an aging middle linebacker's body, since college. Before long, not only will my kids beat me with the video games, but they'll beat me in sports, too! I need to commit to an exercise/diet type of program, and commit to it for more than a few days. I'm going to do the Body for Life program. I did a trial program of sorts for three weeks a while ago, and I lost 12 pounds. Not bad! My goal is to get to at least a free safety-sized body by Spring Break, when we take our family vacation to Disney (yes, the Griswold's are heading south!). That way, I can take my shirt off at the pool without scaring little children.

If I don't take this seriously, I'll need to ride the motorized carts when I shop at Wal-Mart before too long! I need your help in keeping me accountable…

January 3rd will be the first day of the program for me. If you're curious, BFL is basically a diet of 6 small meals per day, consisting of a serving of protein and a serving of "good" carbohydrates (like wheat bread, carrots, plain baked potato, etc.), and at least two servings of vegetables a day. It also includes 3 weight-lifting sessions per week, and three cardiovascular workout sessions per week. The workouts only take around a half-hour, so it's not a huge time commitment. On the 7th day, you can eat WHATEVER you want, as you sloth around watching sports on TV or playing video games, or whatever. If you need to shed some pounds, and you think this might be plausible for you, I highly encourage you to get the book and check it out. It's not THAT hard of a program.

If you like, click on "Comments" below this post, and share one or more of your resolutions. Maybe we can help each other out...

My Prediction Came True!

I know I didn't post this publically, but prior to tonight's Alamo Bowl, I guaranteed that OSU would win. Seeing as how OSU was playing OSU, I felt pretty comfortable with my bold stance on the game. (Yes, since there is no editor for my blog but me, bad jokes are part of the deal. Sorry!)

All I really want to know is who replaced my Ohio State Buckeyes with a REAL team?! After four years, Lydell Ross finally decided to play hard. The offensive line is blowing people off of the line of scrimmage. All of the sudden, the defensive line is getting pressure and penetration. Ohio State actually dominated a game, instead of squeaking by. I really don't know how to react. Plus, they are only losing 4 starters (at least in terms of eligibility; who knows what will happen down at the police station or during their summer employment), so they might actually be a contender next year. And, that Ginn guy is pretty good! I know they played pretty well against Michigan, but one game does not a season make. This team is finally starting to play like all of us fans hoped they would all season. Now, if THE Ohio State University can just fix that pesky off-the-field thingy that comes up now and again...

Party Like it's 1999

Am I a Prince fan, or something? Nah. I'm just mildly excited because my wife and I are actually going to a party that doesn't take place at Magic Mountain or Chuck E. Cheese! We're going to go to a New Year's Eve party, and the kids are going to grandma's. It's literally been since about 1999 since we've had the opportunity to do this.

For the record, I'm not a big "partier." However, when I was asked to bring my copy of Madden 2005 to the party, I knew I was going to have a great time! I'm looking forward to my first all-night gaming marathon session since, well, about New Year's Eve 1999...

Busy Week...

In addition to getting acclimated to my new job, and cleaning up after a wonderful Christmas, I've had a lot on my plate. Just this week, I embarked upon my boxing career, defeated Darth Vader's evil minions on Naboo, played my first two matches as the player/manager for the Columbus Crew, led my basketball Zips in a scrimmage against Ohio State, pursued the outlaws that killed my father (and collected some bounties in the process), and assembled a MLB expansion team for the city of Columbus (and managed them to a 9-8 record thus far!). No doubt, I had a very good Christmas...

However, I'm most excited about the message I received yesterday from my friends that drive the big brown trucks: "Item shipped notice." My next career move will be to manage a forlorn English football team to greatness (Hartlepool United, maybe?), or get sacked in the process!

Aren't video games great?!

By the way, my "item" is Worldwide Soccer Manager 2005. Normally, I'm not much of a PC gamer, because I got sick of downloading patches and drivers, and tweaking settings, just to get a game to run as smoothly as a strobe light on my then 6-month old PC. This was probably around 1999, when I decide to get a PSX. Since then, I've played almost exclusively on the PSX, Xbox, and the PS2. I know that I've missed out on a lot of good gaming by pretty much playing on consoles only, but I couldn't take the headaches anymore! However, we just picked up a new PC in October, and I'm hopeful that I can get WWSM 2005 to run without much hassle. I downloaded the demo this past weekend, but got an error when I tried to install it. I hope that's not a harbinger of things to come…

Movin' On Up?

I received a promotion this month, and consequently work out of a different building. This building is just a few years old, and comes equipped with all of the modern conveniences and amenities. For example, now I no longer have to flush the toilet myself. There is an "invisible eye" that can detect when I begin my "business," and the completion of my "business." Supposedly.

Earlier this month, I was on the 2nd floor to sit with somebody to get oriented to the areas with which I will work. After my training session, I felt the need to "drop the kids off at the pool." What follows is a strictly factual account of my harrowing experience...

As soon as I entered the stall, the toilet flushed. I disrobed and positioned myself on "the throne," and flush. One of my (many) weird habits is that the first thing I do upon resting on my throne is to reach down and pull up my socks. Flush. During the course of executing my mission, I ever-so-slightly changed positions for comfort, and - you guessed it - flush! I leaned up a bit on one cheek for greater access to the wiping region; flush. I reached for some more toilet paper, flush! I finally completed my task, stood up, fastened my pants, and NO FLUSH! "It figures," I thought to myself. I exited my office, er, the stall, and went to wash my hands. NO FLUSH! Now feeling a bit irritated, yet inquisitive, I opened and shut the door to the stall again, but still NO FLUSH! Finally, I reached my hand into the stall, and waved it in front of the darn "sensor," and NO FLUSH!! To get the last remnants of my wiping paraphernalia appropriately discharged from the bowl, I had to actually push the darn "manual flush" button above the sensor! Of course, upon exiting the stall for the second time, the "automatic flush" functioned once again!

Evidently, there needs to be some type of training course or orientation for some of these perks that come with a management position…

Cheese DNA

My son, who recently turned eight years old, has been gaming in one fashion or another ever since he's been able to sit upright. Of course, he's rarely had the opportunity for success when competing against me directly. Yes, I know, I'm the man. Just last week, he threw down the gauntlet and challenged me to a game of NFL Fever on the Xbox. I know Fever has it's problems, but it does have a certain "pick-up-and-play-ability" (after a phrase like that, I'm sure you're wondering why no one has hired me to write professionally) that's suitable for children and like-minded adults. Prior to this game, I'd guestimate that I'm about 300-0 versus my son in video game football. Although he plays that game regularly, and I haven't touched it months, I felt pretty confident going into the competition.

If you know anything about Fever (we're playing the original incarnation), it's notorious for pass-rushing predicated by some random factor other than player ability or user control, and defensive backs that can't cover a book with a sheet. Also, keep in mind that my eight-year-old has never played organized football, and he just occasionally watches bits and pieces of games on TV. Hank Stram he is not. Anyway, I figure this will be fun, since he's now at the age where he can legitimately play these more "complex" games.

So, my son proceeds to lay the smack down on his old man, 50-26. He was playing the Vikings, and I was the Packers. His main offensive strategy was to drop back 30 yards, wait for Moss to break free of any stiff that I might have in coverage, and launch the bomb. He also went for it on fourth down regularly, never punted, and exploited a money play on the extra points to go for two each time. His defensive strategy was to play a linebacker or defensive back, and blitz relentlessly. Without any formal training, my son has become a "cheeser" in his approach to video game football. Here I've been avoiding playing unknown quantities on Xbox Live for fear of running into a "cheeser," yet my own flesh and blood has become the enemy.

Indirectly, I've scientifically proven that either "cheesing" is part of our DNA, or that every random opponent on Xbox Live is an 8-year-old kid learning the game of football by cutting his teeth on NFL Fever. And, I've proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that I suck at video games.

Intial Reaction

Well, what can I say? Hopefully something occasionally relevant, humorous, or insightful. Most likely, I often won't meet that expectation, so let me apologize in advance…

Please allow me to introduce myself. I am Kevin Mosley, formerly of Baseball Sim Central, where I got my first crack at providing internet content for free (and believe me, they got their money's worth), and also of the now-defunct Calvert Games website. CG is still up and running in blog-form, and Jonathan is still putting out the quality content; just of the low-fat variety. Actually, over at Calvert Games, we kind of prided ourselves on fattening up on the details. Review work like that is actually more like a term paper than a video game piece, so it can be fatiguing at times, especially when balanced with "real" life. After a four-month hiatus from the 'net, and semi-recharged batteries, I decided I'd throw my hat back into the ring, mainly because I enjoy writing. The blog format is my new voice, because frankly, I don't have the time or the resources to create and manage a website.

Other semi-relevant details include my allegiance to my beloved Akron Zips, Ohio State Buckeyes, Cleveland Browns/Cavs/Indians, and the Columbus Crew. Yes, I am a "homer," and I will probably rant on with a local flavor at times. I'm happily married (although I can't speak from my wife's perspective), with two wonderful kids that are someday going to be huge successes in their respective endeavors of choice (don't all gushing parents feel that way?). I work in the insurance industry (exciting, eh?), in the training/technical side of the business. Most importantly - to me, anyway - I’m a Christian, and I try to define my life by that standard (and subsequently fall woefully short of the mark).

My focus will be on sports, gaming, parenting, the latest headlines, or whatever else strikes my fancy. Unlike some of my previous work, there won't be much research involved in my entries. What you see is what you'll get at face value - my initial response to whatever stimuli that has driven me to make an entry. Hence, the name of my blog - "Gut Reaction." Of course, if you saw a picture of me lately, you might think that name is appropriate for other reasons… For now, I'll spare you the visuals.

I truly hope you stop by now and again and share your thoughts. The internet is just another means of interaction, one of our most basic needs as humans. I've enjoyed many blogs and message boards, like The Sound of Simpson, Granatofan's Corner, Webdanzer's Spin, Dubious Quality, and the Blog for the Sports Gamer, and I hope my tiny corner of the internet can be some type of positive contribution as well...