Slow Mo

Maurice Clarett, the embattled former running back from Ohio State, finally worked out at the NFL combine today. As everyone knows, he only played about 8 games at OSU, but was a very impressive freshman performer - on the field. The aftermath has been well-reported. Although he appeared to be in shape, and (transparently) said all of the "right things" in his interview, his workout today may prove to be the biggest obstacle to his chance of success in the NFL. His forty yard dash time today was 4.82. 4.82! There are lineman that can run faster than that! Good luck getting drafted on day one, Maurice. Good luck getting drafted at all.

Personally, despite the troubles he brought OSU, I don't get much satisfaction thinking that he'll be a "bust" in the NFL. Hopefully, he has his life on the right track, and then he can take care of his employment prospects. He will really have to work his way up the ladder at this point, which may be the best thing for this epitome of the "pampered athlete."

Extraordinarily Ambiguous Sports

I couldn't resist; I just picked up EA's MVP Baseball 2005. I was a big fan of the way the game played last season, despite the lack of steals and walks, the computer manager warming up pitchers curiously early in the game, and the notorious "lefty bug." In addition, the way the batting model worked, versus its description in the manual, was hard to decipher. To get the best contact, you needed to swing in the direction or location of the pitch. However, the manual indicated that you swing up to lift the ball, down to hit it on the ground, and so forth. The manual also cautioned that swinging down on high pitches made them hard to hit, and vice versa. Hmm... Do I aim for the pitch to make good contact, or do I swing up to go for the long ball? I never really figured it out last year.

Ah, but it's 2005, and the developers have had a whole year to fix the problems from last year. Thankfully, just about everything I listed above has been corrected, at least according to some reputable and discriminating gamers from the Sports Gaming Nation and Digital Sportspage. The one enigma remains the batting model. To quote from the whopping 12-page manual itself:

Page 2 - "Moving L in the appropriate direction based on pitch location during your swing changes the way the ball reacts off the bat. To take an uppercut swing, move L [up left, up middle, up right] while swinging. This increases the chances of hitting a fly ball, but also increases your chances of poor quality contact if the pitch isn't up in the zone."

Page 10 - "Keep in mind that the EA Sports Pure Swing System tells hitters how to hit the ball, not where to swing. For example, moving L up for a high pitch performs an uppercut swing - it doesn't aim for the pitch up in the zone."

So, which is it? Do you use the stick to aim for the pitch, or to direct the ball? Thanks for clearing that up, EA. Oh, and thanks for the whopping 12 page manual, minus pages 1 (table of contents) and 12 (credits). I'm sure anyone not familiar with your game will be able to master it with that veritable encyclopedia of information.

Despite the above-mentioned issue, I'm excited to sink my teeth into this title. I'll post some impressions in the future, once I get a handle on things.

Takin' it to the Street

I must admit, I'm a bit of a realism snob, or a "purist," when it comes to sports games. Usually, I seek out the most "realistic" game possible, even though how accurately a game truly simulates actual human athletes competing is dubious at best. However, occasionally I relax my standards for the sake of just having fun with a sports video game, because after all, that's what it's all about, right?

EA's NBA Street Volume 3 was just released, to pretty solid first reviews. I hesitate to spend $50 on a "non-realistic" game, so the buzz about Volume 3 actually helped me focus my attention to NBA Street Volume 2, which was critically acclaimed, and which can be had for less than $15 used in most gaming stores. I must say, after a few games with my son, I'm quite pleased with my purchase!

First of all, it's nice to not be concerned with realistic stats, up-to-date rosters, the accuracy of the gameplay, the authenticity of the front office moves, and so forth. It's just pick up the controller, and get on the court, which is somewhat liberating, at least for me. The controls are pretty easy to pick up, and the action is over the top, but tight. The moves are pure arcade streetball, but within the confines of basic basketball strategy. Included with the package are a handful of players from every NBA team (circa 2003), plus several NBA and streetball legends. I know I'm a nerd, but I can form my "dream team" of Larry Bird, Pistol Pete Maravich, and the video game version of me in my "prime" to take on the rest of the hardcourt legends! There are many to choose from, including three versions of Michael Jordan, Dr. J., Walt Frazier, "the logo" (Jerry West), Rick Barry, and many more. For good basketball gaming on the cheap, NBA Street Volume 2 is the "shiznit," or something like that (I guess I need to catch up on the lingo used in the manual to describe some of the special moves, LOL).

More Stuff

After Saturday's coming and going without an NHL agreement, I'm feeling less and less angry, and more and more sorry for NHL fans. What the owners and players are doing to fans is inexcusable, and I think there will be serious long-term damage to the sport. You just can't jerk around the folks that pay your bills, and believe me, hockey revenues are generated more at the gate than via TV ratings. Once I put myself in an NHL fan's shoes, and revisited my anxiety during the 1994 baseball season, it kind of hit home. I hope all of the NHL fans can find something to soothe their collective misery. I promised myself a while back, if baseball ever strikes again, I will give up the MLB for the MLS, and now, maybe even Arena football.

Speaking of which, do you watch the "50-yard Indoor War?" It's actually pretty entertaining. I've never taken it very seriously, but now that Chris Spielman is coaching (a childhood hero of mine), and I have a local team to support (Columbus Destroyers), I'm starting to pay more attention, at least until the MLB, MLS, and NFL Draft start taking my time. Amazingly, the AFL has been around for nearly 20 years, and it appears to be getting stronger and stronger.

I won my first WE8 League game, against Real Madrid, 4-1! I'm excited, but somewhat worried, because I'm signed up for the 2-star level. I've been hearing that the game gets way too easy on 2-stars, and I'm starting to see it now. I'm getting tons of chances every game, and now I'm learning how to finish. Since we only play our home games, it may just be luck in terms of who gets promoted to the 3-stars division. Regardless, it will be fun to see how things pan out.

Lastly, I finished Moneyball. I can't recommend this book enough to baseball purists and rotoheads alike. What a great read. I loaned it to my father-in-law (another big baseball fan), and I plan on reading it again when he's finished with it! Plus, now I have a new perspective with which to view actual MLB baseball, my fantasy baseball team and my virtual baseball teams (through video games). I love new ideas, and ways of thinking that challenge the "status quo." Moneyball delivers!

Stuff

I heard on ESPN radio tonight that the NHL came back with one last offer to the NHLPA, for a $45 million dollar salary cap. Evidently, the players have agreed in principle, and the annoucement will be made tomorrow. Great; for hockey fans.

I thought they canceled the darn season on Wednesday! I guess athletes in general never tire of hearing their names in the headlines, regardless of the reason. What kind of season can they have - a round robin in their division? I admit having angst towards hockey, and I've grown from just being fatigued by the whole "lockout" ordeal to getting irritated by it. I'm to the point now where I hope hockey dissolves never to reappear on U.S. soil. Unfortunately, it looks like Baseball Tonight is going to resume its regular delay every night in June due to overtime playoff hockey. Yawn. (I apologize to hockey fans; I have nothing against you, and I hope the news makes you happy. I'm sure many non-baseball fans held similar sentiments in 1994.)

The "Battle of the Blogs" fantasy baseball league is up and running! We will have our draft next month. My "GutBusters" hope to make a splash in the inaugural season! Lots of owners claim to be new to this, so I'm hopeful I'll do well. However, they could just be sandbagging... I'll update the developments here throughout the season. I know you can't wait.

I'm also ready to kick off Granatofan's Winning Eleven 8 league. My game this weekend is against Real Madrid. Yikes! What a draw! However, I do have Manchester United, so I can hopefully hang around the pitch with the likes of Ronaldo, Zidane, and Beckham. I've been playing a little bit, and enjoying it very much. I'll have some specific opinions to post at some point, but overall, I'm very satisfied with WE8 for my Xbox...

More Bathroom Follies

I've been potty-trained for over 30 years. One would think that I wouldn't have so many problems with the restrooms at work! The first issue is the doors on some stalls. They must not be installed correctly in some cases, because if anything upsets the equilibrium in the room (for example, the air pressure change when someone opens the door to the restroom), the door becomes unlatched and swings open. There's nothing more fun than trying to wipe while holding the door closed. I like my privacy, and I have no desire to return to the days of the restrooms in middle school and high school, which had NO doors! Yes, those were the days.

Of course, to go along with the automatic-flushing toilets are automatic faucets. These aren't so bad, per se, but I did have a problem with the soap dispenser this morning. The dispenser is adjacent to the faucet itself, which is right about crotch-level. Sure enough, I gently depressed the dispenser, and no soap came out. After a more forceful downward thrust - you guessed it - the soap squirted out, over the sink, and hit my pants, right about crotch level. Fortunately, I was alone in the bathroom. I didn't care to explain why I was wiping down my pants in a sensitive area. The only worry I had was getting back to my desk without anyone noticing the spot on my trousers. Thank goodness I brought a copy of EGM to the restroom, which I could position strategically on my way back to my seat.

Speaking of EGM (Electronic Gaming Monthly), there was an excellent article on EA's upcoming Godfather game. The screen mock-ups were reportedly supposed to illustrate what the game would look like on the Xbox 2 (or Xenon, or Xbox Next, or whatever it will be called), and they were impressive. Plus, the gameplay sounds very good, as the plot will follow the books/movies to a degree, with some GTA-style freedom included. I hadn't thought much about this game, but after reading the article, I'm impressed (I love a good mafia story). The release date is this Christmas, which is an indicator that indeed the next version of the Xbox should make it out before the holiday season. That's not a very well-kept secret, anyway. I have to be honest, I haven't thought much about buying the "Xbox 2," but after reading about this game, I'm starting to get interested. I wonder what else we'll find out about that system and its launch games at May's E3 Expo.

More on Moneyball

I'm about a third of the way through Moneyball, and I'm absolutely enthralled with it! The brilliance with which Lewis intertwines Billy Beane's own status as a scout's dream as an up-and-coming player, with the trailblazing scouting mechanism that Beane himself is implementing that ironically identifies prospects that are his own antithesis, is mesmerizing. What's even more dumbfounding is the realization that baseball insiders simply refuse to view the game like many of us outsiders have for years; through the eyes of empirical data. Arguably, baseball is more a game of highly developed skills than highly developed athletic ability (case in point - Michael Jordan), and after 150 years of existence, professional baseball is finally taking notice of the "Moneyball" philosophy.

I'm so inspired that the inner-geek in me is contemplating settling and age-old argument regarding video game baseball through sabremetric glasses: which video game is the most realistic, and the best simulator of the game? There might be more to come on this topic... For now, let me just highly encourage any baseball fan, especially baseball video game players and fantasy players, to read Moneyball. You'll find it well worth your time.

A Flash from the Past

While perusing Peter Gammon's latest column on baseball, I ran across a tidbit that brought back some memories: "Red Sox to give Petagine a Shot." Roberto Petagine - that's a name that brings back warm, fuzzy feelings while remembering my draft league in Front Page Sports Baseball '94. He was among the top prospects in the game, and often was among the first few players drafted (I was the only "human" owner in my draft league). I often wondered what happened to him. Evidently, he resurrected his career in Japan, and at the wiley age of 33, has earned the opportunity for another shot in the "Bigs." Although I'm certainly not a fan of the Red Sox, a small part of me wishes Roberto well, thanks to all of the fond memories his name generated from my FPS Baseball days (the glory days of PC baseball, in my humble opinion).

Let It Die!

With all apologies to hockey fans, will the NHL and the NHLPA please just let the season die! Here in Blue Jackets' country, I'm sick of hearing every week that if a deal isn't done by the weekend, then the season is going to end. Absolutely, positively, for sure this time; we're not kidding, if there's no deal done, then we're going to make a drop dead date! And then if we don't get a deal, then our really super-duper for sure drop dead date will be next week. Aren't you paying attention to us?! We mean it this time!

I mean, come on, fellas, just put the season out of its misery. I firmly believe that the longer this drags out, the less people care. It's almost a running joke in the media now. These guys are embarrassing themselves. I feel sorry for hockey fans. All I can suggest is that the MLS starts in a few weeks, and what's soccer but hockey on grass?! ;-)

One Step Closer

The U.S. Men's National Team (that's soccer, for the uninitiated) won it's first match of ten in the final round of qualifying for the 2006 World Cup, 2-1. The U.S. basically controlled the majority of the match, playing excellent tactical soccer, given the environmental conditions, and the condition of their players after only two weeks of training, due to the financial disagreement between the U.S. Soccer Federation and the players. Any win on the road is tough in the CONCACAF region, and who knows, these three points may be the margin that puts the U.S. into Germany in 2006. And, even though Trinidad & Tobago doesn't sound like an intimidating opponent, they are ranked 61st by FIFA, and recognizable names like Stern John, Dwight Yorke, Marvin Andrews, and Cornell Glen litter the roster.

This is cause for celebration! We're off to a great start! However, I don't know if I'll celebrate as fervently as this fan. It takes balls to celebrate like that, but unfortunately for him, it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!

The Curse is Over! Or is it...

Those of you that read this blog regularly may recall that I predicted that the Eagles would win the SuperBowl, because I like them slightly less than I like the Patriots. Well, given the state of the world lately, with earthquakes, unstable volcanoes, tsunami's, ice storms, floods, and so on, the stability of certainties like my predictions based upon my propensity to root for the team that always ends up losing are no longer guaranteed. Or, it could be that when the Eagles got within 3, and my prediction fresh in mind, I started rooting for the Eagles at that point, to save my credibility, and subsequently, they lost. Maybe the curse isn't reversed! Or, maybe I'm trying to cover my butt!

Regardless, it was a good game. Congrats to the Patriots and Coach Belicheck. Yes, I'm still bitter, but time heals all wounds (it just doesn't cover up the scars, LOL).

How's that for timing?

Driving home today, I was exiting 270 S to 70 E, right where 70 splits east and west. There are two lanes going towards Wheeling (East side of Columbus), and two lanes heading downtown (West). Right where those four lanes split, the timing belt on my car broke, and I rolled to a stop. There's nothing like sitting there with four lanes of traffic going around you at 65+ MPH at rush hour to give you some perspective on life...

The damage done is a new timing belt, a new drive belt, and a new water pump, for a paltry $550. I can't really complain, though. First of all, I'm unhurt, and secondly, that car has nearly 175,000 miles on it. I plan on driving it until it dies, since I've owned it outright for a couple of years. Hopefully, it's got a few of its nine lives left. Thank the good Lord that the tax return came on Friday. Fortunately, this won't hardly dent our vacation plans. All things considered, it could've been a lot worse.

Movie Night

I had a little money left on my Blockbuster gift card from Christmas, so we decided to watch a couple of movies tonight. I picked up Collateral and Anchorman, but ended up settling on Open Water and Napoleon Dynamite, based upon reviews and recommendations from friends. What a disaster!

Open Water was downright pathetic. I've seen better acting in the middle school Drama Club! And, I absolutely do not get the buzz about Napoleon Dynamite. What was the point of that whole movie? Was it the 80's nostalgia, set in the 21st century? I've seen better plots at the cemetery! (Yes, I'm here all week.)

I give Open Water a lackluster .75 stars for the oceanic scenery, while Napoleon Dynamite nets a paltry .50 stars. The only movies I would rate worse are Green Card and Super Troopers.

There goes 3 hours of my life that I won't get back...

Thieves!

First, ESPN stole my whole "Phantom of Gund Arena" concept (see the comments for this post), and now, Gamespot is robbing my ideas! Hmm... I wonder where they got the idea for this feature?!

Is this blog protected under copyright law?! I had no idea that my posts were so far-reaching and influential!

On to more serious topics... I got my copy of Winning Eleven 8 for the Xbox last night. As I dig in to it, I'll be sure to post some comments and impressions. I also picked up Moneyball, and I'm excited to read about some of the "closed-door" financial dealings of a Major League Baseball club. Maybe it will help out with my All-Star Baseball 2004 Columbus Vultures!

College Football All Year 'Round

Yesterday was the official "signing day" for college football recruits, where former high school football stars submit their signed letters-of-intent to play at the institution of their choice. Serious College Football fans follow this event closely, as today's signees become tomorrow's stars at the old alma mater. Honestly, for many of us, college football doesn't end with the bowl games. We have the recruiting hoopla to take us into February, spring practice in March and April, and of course, the NFL draft. Practice then starts in July/August. The football season is much longer than September through January.

Being the stat geek that I am, I always follow recruiting and the NFL draft with much aplomb. It's also a treat for me to see yesterday's college heroes become NFL future stars, and again, to see the first reports on my favorite colleges' new players.

Akron signed potentially its best class ever. I was surprised to see a significant percentage of the newcomers had offers from Big Ten schools and/or Big East schools. Hopefully, these kids can lead Akron to the next level in the MAC, and take Marshall's place as the top dog in the East. Hope "Springs" eternal on signing day, doesn't it?!

Time to fire up NCAA 2004 on the Xbox, and bring in my next group of virtual recruits!

My New Neighbors

Well, we got bad news this week... Our neighbors sold their house, and they are moving at the end of the month. They are great people; good strong Christians like us. Recently, we suffered with them through the tragedy of their baby that was stillborn. They were exemplary and inspirational in their handling of the situation, although I do wonder if that tragedy prompted the move (just to get away, and get a fresh start). We will miss their companionship dearly.

Anyway, we heard this week that their house sold to two women. I'm assuming they're lesbians, which does worry me a bit. As Christians, we disagree with homosexuality, and I also really am not ready to have that kind of discussion with my young children. Now, before you label me as something I'm not, I don't hate homosexuals. I disagree their lifestyle, and I believe it's a sin. However, I don't feel that it's any greater sin than I have in my own life, and that I deal with. The difference is that I recognize my flaws and mistakes as sins, while homosexuals don't believe they're sinning. That's their prerogative. I don't feel that I'm in a position to tell them how to live their lives, since I believe we'll all be accountable on judgment day. However, I also don't believe that means I have to condone their choices for my life or my kids' lives.

I believe that all Americans deserve and have the right to life, liberty, home, and the pursuit of happiness (pursuant to the law). I'm not saying that I don't think they should be able to buy the house; I'm just saying that I don't agree with the life they live, and I don't want that type of influence around my kids. As a Christian, we are to love the sinner and hate the sin, so I suppose I can teach that lesson to my kids. I just wish my kids were older, and able to understand the scope of one's sexuality.

Again, I don't know for sure what they situation is, and I'm sure there are many occurrences of two people of the same gender living together out of convenience, or friendship. I'm hopeful that's the situation. Regardless, under any circumstances, getting new neighbors can be an adventure, for many reasons beyond lifestyles. Because we are losing two great friends, I'm going to be saddened by this occurrence.

Maybe I should look on the bright side, it could be those two girls from the Miller Lite ads moving in, or Coors' "twins!"