The Blog for the Sports Gamer

Happy New Year! Those of you watching on the East Coast, just found out something that we never thought could happen: Dick Clark is human. It was great to see him back on one hand, but also very sad to see what a stroke can do to you.

Boy if they really think those new Coke ads are really going to strengthen the brand, I have a great golf game for the Xbox 360 to show you. Heh.

So I’m reading this article at Xbox 360.com. Anyone see the part where it says you can play Burnout Revenge over Xbox Live Gold, which is only available on the Xbox 360? How come the play list doesn’t list Burnout Revenge as a playable game and how come when I put it into my Xbox 360 it says I can’t play it then? See what happens when you outsource your writing Microsoft?

I now have Dead Or Alive 4. The online play is pretty good. I love the Las Vegas like scene where you have to dodge traffic while fighting. A guy online nailed me into a police car. It was pretty funny. I have unlocked the “lose 5 consecutive matches on Xbox Live” achievement. So there’s that. (No gamerpoints for that). Jury is still out on this. So far I think there are a lot of high ratings from lonely men who pleasure themselves on watching bouncy boobies. So , 9/10 for me. heh.

I was bummed to see Spikeout Battle Street isn’t playable on Xbox 360. Dammit.

Alright, now that the ball is dropped, back to some hot Xbox 360 action.

This is a repost of the contest info:

Que sent me 20 copies of my book last night. I love how it turned out, at least from a presenatation point of view. There’s a few things I’d do differently and there are a few games in the book that shouldn’t be (Path of Neo turned out to be ass-tastic) but for the most part I’m happy with how it all came out. To actually hold a 300+ page book with your name on the cover is admittedly really cool.

That said, I think we should do some kind of contest so a lucky blog reader can score a free signed copy of the book. Show it off to friends! Impress your boss!

I’m thinking of a January Bowl game Pick Em contest, which would include:

Cotton Bowl: Texas Tech / Alabama
Outback: Iowa / Florida
Gator: Louisville / V-Tech
Capital One: Wisconsin / Auburn
Fiesta: OSU / Notre Dame
Sugar: WVU / Georgia
Orange: Penn State / FSU
Rose: USC / Texas

You can submit your picks via the commemts or by sending an email.
I’ll repost this every few days up until the Bowl games. (I wish we could “sticky” a post..but I dunno if that’s doable)

Pick a winner for each game and for the tie breaker pick the final score of the Rose Bowl. Whoever gets the most wins and nails the final score of the Rose Bowl gets a signed copy of the book. If you already pre-ordered a copy, that’s cool, you can get a free one to give out to a friend or to use as a very effective coaster.

I forgot that I promised to discuss the creepiest gift of this holiday season in the House of Abner. The winner, hands down, is a doll called Amazing Amanda. She should be called Amazing Amanda, long lost neice of Chucky. When she’s turned on, Amanda never stops talking . “I want pizza NOW!” “What’s my name, Mommy?” “I need to go potty!” Then Ashley places Amanda on this little plastic potty…which proceeds to make pee sounds, trickling into the bowl. Amanda also responds to certain phrases. It’s weird. I’m waiting to hear Amanda at 2Am say, “Amanda doesn’t like to be turned off…”

Ashley likes the doll, but she plays with it more turned off — which is totally fine by me.

We also bought Ash some board games which we’re having a blast with: Clue Jr. and Monopoly Jr. are both great board games for youngsters. Ashley is five and has no trouble playing them, with a little assistance. I’m a big board game fan, and I can’t wait for Ashley to get to the age that she can play some of the more complex games out there. She went to the mall with me last month and begged me to buy the board game version of DOOM because she thought the monster on the cover looked “cool and scary.” I think I’ll wait for that one..

By far the hit of the season, though, is the Air Hockey table. My dad is convinced this was more of a gift for me than Ashley but I can’t get Ashley away from this thing. I got it on sale at Toys R Us back in November for $59.99 and it’s been a huge, huge hit.

I’m planning a house warming party this spring and hopefully Todd and Dan can make it here for a weekend. I’ll own them on this thing.

Anyone watch that game? Have you ever seen one guy return two onside kicks for TDs in the same game? Me neither.

Well, after reading the Baltimore Sun online, it was great to see all the current Orioles who came out for Elrod Hendricks funeral….oh wait, there was only one current Orioles — Melvin “The Meat” Mora. Thank you Melvin, I will remember this, and I appreciate it. At least someone remembers the Oriole way.

As the photos show Brooks Robinson, Rick Dempsey, Eddie Murray, and Doug DeCinces, I often wonder if we could bring them all back. We’d probably have a better team. Heh.

Tejada wants to spread the wealth of giving B-12 shots to other teams. I think at this point, I’m tired of hearing the whining. I thought the idea of Tejada and Roberts would be awesome. Now I’m not so sure and ready to move on.

Just finished my Tiger Woods review for the Xbox 360. I don’t want to spoil the review, but I don’t want you to blow $60 either. Unless your name is Craig, and then the joke is on you. Actually when I first put the game in, it just looked great. Yup, the graphics whore in me took over. Then I played it. Sorry!

PR time:

Thanks for the heads up, Tara.

GD also has released a demo of its upcoming college hoop game.

I almost forgot to congratulate the NANNO Berries for winning the our Fantasy football league. The NANNOs beat Craig (loser) Tompkins’ Tigers by 4 points to claim the crown.

Hey what’s the difference between 2nd and 16th? Nothing! You’re both losers! hahhaah.

I don’t actually know Nanno’s name…and for winning, he/she/it gets a shout out on the blog. Now how’s that for excitement. Unless he/she/it would like a creatively packaged DarkWatch TShirt and two Resident Evil 4 figurines, in which case, they won that. Said winner needs to email me from their yahoo account their mailing address.

Congrats!

I’m back form our annual holiday trip. It was a good trip, but I always love coming home. Too bad my good mood was ruined by the Alamo Bowl last night. I’ll tell you this, if I was steamed last night (and I was), then I’m raging pissed off today. It’s rare that I can’t let go of a loss after a decent night’s sleep. But this one is going to stick for a while.

By this point if you haven’t heard about it you’re probably living underneath the dirt, slugs and sediment that’s living underneath the rock. Suffice to say it should’ve been a phenomenal game, but it was absolutely buried under a mountain of inept, blown and flat out headscratching play calls from an officiating crew that seemed to have better things to do. How else to explain their eagerness to never go to the replay booth for a review or to leave the field when they should have been throwing flags on the final “play” of the game.

Don’t get me wrong. Nebraska won this game. When you cough up 15 fourth quarter points you deserve to lose and this is the second time in as many games that Michigan has been unable to stop a team and protect a fourth quarter lead. I’m not blaming the officiating for the loss.

That said, yes there were bad calls that went against both sides. But if you think it was even, you’re kiddng yourself. Nebraska got hosed on a catch interference penalty on a punt and a couple of other relatively minor calls. Michigan got hosed out of a fumble (1st quarter), two of their fourth quarter timeouts (since either the replay official or those on the field refused to look at their own bad calls unprompted), a pass interference call on what would’ve been a go ahead touchdown, an inexcusable delay between placing the ball and starting the playclock, as time rolled off the game clock prior to Nebraska’s final fourth down punt, and -depending on whom you talk to- a Chad Henne fumble that was about a tenth of a second from being a clear forward pass (I’ll chalk that one up to bad luck). And then there was the final play.

Someone, anyone, please explain to me how the officials don’t throw a flag when three quarters of the Nebraska football team and staff are on the field during the final play. They took away more than half the damn field when Hart and Tyler Ecker had the ball. Some will point out that there was Michigan staff on the field too. Well, they entered the field well after the Nebraska players did so I’m not clear on how that rule gets interpreted. But even so, how do you not flag both teams? HOW?!?!?!?!?!?!? I mean those f@#$@ just left the damn field as fast as their candy ass little peg legs could carry them. Did they have a poker night they were late for? A midnight movie for which they didn’t want to miss the opening previews? What the hell? Yeah, yeah, if they flag both teams its off-setting penalties and the game is still over. That’s not the ever-loving point. So what if Michigan had scored? No flags would mean a Michigan TD would’ve stood and Nebraska loses a game they should’ve won?

It was hands down the worst officiated game I have ever seen in my life. Even when these guys did get the calls right they needed a huddle, map, flashlight and four advisors from the Harry Potter School of What the Hell Just Happened and Can I Please Divine My Way to a Chickensh#@ Call.

Anyway, the worst part for me isn’t Michigan losing. It’s the Lloyd Carr vultures that will take this tasty morsel and spend the next year picking away at him and the program. I’m so sick of hearing about Michigan’s consistent three loss seasons. I’m sick of hearing how Carr can’t beat Jim Tressell. I’m sick of hearing that Chad Henne, with his whole two years of college ball experience, can’t get it done. He threw for three TDs and ran for another, had a receiver fumble a first down catch and others drop sure first down catches more than once late in the game and it’s pretty hard to fault him for the fumble had while in mid throw. I’m sick of all of it. Because too many Michigan fans seem to forget that the grass ain’t always f@#$@ greener on the other side. Carr recruits well, he runs a clean program and no matter what the insane alum asylum wants to bellyache about Michigan has been a consistent winner on his watch. Over the last ten years the Wolverines are in the top ten in the nation in winning percentage. They’ve been Big Ten champions or co-champions the last two years and several times before that (I can’t find a list at the moment or I’d include the exact number). Oh yeah, and that National Championship thing in 1997.

Oh, but that was like so ten years ago. I’ve read that more than once today. Four words. Shut. The. F@#!. Up. Guess what Mensaboys. Winning a National Championships is f@#%@ hard. It’s not supposed to happen all the time. When was the last time before 1997 the Wolverines won it? Gary Moeller didn’t win one. Bo didn’t win one. And god do people seem to forget how many damn Rose Bowls Bo lost. He practically made losing that game an art form. It doesn’t take away from him being one of the greatest coaches in college football. It’s like we Michigan fans forget that the list of teams that have won it more than once since 1997 is exactly one school long: USC. End of list.

Losing to the Buckeyes sucks. Losing something like four of the last five bowl games sucks. But at some point you also have to take stock and be realistic. Michigan ranked #4 at the start of this season was a fracking pipe dream that set way too many unrealistic expectations. Yeah, this team could easily have been 6-6. They could also easily have been 10-2 with those close losses and end of game collapses against Notre Dame, Minnesota and Ohio State, let alone the Alamo Bowl. That’s college football. The fact that this team rallied from 3-3 even when nearly all of their Big Ten opponents met them while playing their best football of the season is a good reflection of the Michigan coaching staff. Yeah it makes me go crazy they play in such soft zones. Yeah it makes me crazy when Henne throws another crappy pass. But that’s how it goes some years. It doesn’t make them the damn Detroit Lions. If Michigan rolls out another five loss season next year fine. Let the debates rage, but I’m telling you right now it won’t happen. This team has a lot of young talent and a lot of starters coming back. And more importantly, coaches that can routinely win 10 games a season, or even eight or nine are not exactly growing on trees. And to think that a coach like Carr can be easily replaced, well, be careful what you wish for.

I just sat and watched the most stunningly poor officated football game of recent memory. I’m sure Todd will chime in, but damn that is a tough, tough way to lose a Bowl game.

As you are aware, Bill Harris (ex-Gone Gold, now Dubious Quality) and us chat often. Probably too much.

Bill was ‘kind’ enough to mention New Star Soccer 3 in passing for the PC. Bill, thanks so much, I really didn’t need to have any other life outside of this game.

You don’t play this game for the graphics, instead you play it for the crack addiction that it is. I created a player, run him through the usual RPG-esque skills, and then wait for a contract from the Revs. I get one and get paid on MLS scale (ie crap).

I then try to build my skills up, and between games, hit the horse races (Bill Abner would love this). I pick a 33-1 who places, and I’m in the money. A lovely girl hits on me, and I ask her out, but because she likes bling and all I have is a bicycle (MLS remember), she says no and takes her confidence with me. Coach decides not to play me (even as a sub) because my confidence is low.

In order to boost my confidence, I start drinking, which then affects my energy. I take an energy drink which helps but then consider other, um supplements.

In the meantime coach hasn’t put me in yet, and I’m still gambling. Obviously I didn’t get a cap for the National team this time around.

Oh yeah, and this is only week 4 of the time limited demo. Can it get better? For $19.99, I think so. Try it out by clicking here.

Yeah, another book plug, sorry. This one could save you some $$, though. If you are planning on buying a copy of the Gamer’s Tome you may want to order direct from Que as they are running a Buy 3 Get 50% off sale at the moment (plus shipments from Que will be faster than Amazon.) Here’s the deal.

So you could order, say, the Gamer’s Tome, The Absolute Beginner’s Guide to Pregnancy and Upgrading and Repairing PCs, 15th Edition and then take 50% off the price at checkout. Not bad.

Well, a busy day here in Abnerland as we had our first house showing this afternoon. This means I have to pack up Ashley and my 11 year old dog and go away for an hour or so. With the weather being decent today, I spent most of the morning at a nearby park. It’s a weird feeling. Obviously I want the house to sell but our new house won’t be ready til March or so, and I REALLY don’t want to move into temp housing if I can help it. I’m hoping for the best case scenario but I doubt I get that lucky.

Anyway, this marked the first Christmas that I did not get ONE computer or video game item of any kind. Nothing for my PC — nada.

I did score:

• Portable speakers for the iPod.
• A $50 Home Depot Gift Card
• An IOU from my parents that they’ll buy us a new Lazyboy when we finish the house.
• A Resubscription to Bucknuts
• Stuff for my soon to be new office, which will be decked out in OSU garb with: An OSU trashcan, a big OSU street sign for the wall, a sweet OSU Mirror Clock, a plush OSU wall covering, and a Mini OSU Helmet signed by Archie Griffin and Hopalong Cassady.
• The Complete Works of H.G. Wells
• A Far Side Wall Calander
• An Illustrated Encyclopedia on the history of the World Series
• Sweat Pants, AKA “Work Clothes”
• The Complete First Season of Curb Your Enthusiasm

Anyone get anything else cool for Christmas?

The reviews are in! Actually, two reviews from people on Amazon.

As a professional critic, I’m used to throwing out opinions left and right without thinking too much of it. It’s interesting to get opinions about your own work tossed back at you. It’s a very different experience.

Today, I go to Amazon to check the sales rank of the book (it was as low as 20,000 a few days ago…even though I really have no idea what that means in terms of numbers.) It’s better than the WarCraft 3 Strategy Guide and worse than Narnia. That much I know.

I see 2 reviews with an average of 3 stars. The first review is a 5 star review by my new best friend from Lexington, KY named Quint. Quint writes a well thought out critique of the book, with both pros and cons. He liked the book quite a bit, so that’s one satisfied customer. I dunno where he got it, though, as I don’t think any Amazon preorders have shipped yet. I do know that those that got it from Que’s website should have it by now. I was also told that it’s in a few Barnes and Noble stores and even online at Wal-Mart.com. Anyway..

The next review is a 1 star review by someone who obviously hasn’t read the book because instead of picking apart the book, which would be fine, he picks apart the description of the book on Amazon and deems from that, that the book is a total waste of time. My skin is pretty thick, but stuff like that is admittedly frustrating. Does he not know that I’m building a house and just bought a new car?

Oh, yeah, we bought a new car the day before Christmas. Well, “new” as in a 2005 PT Cruiser with 11,000 miles on it. So..it’s sorta new. New-ish. I like it a lot. A HELLUVA lot more than the old Labaron with the ripped convertible top.

This is a repost of the contest info:

Que sent me 20 copies of my book last night. I love how it turned out, at least from a presenatation point of view. There’s a few things I’d do differently and there are a few games in the book that shouldn’t be (Path of Neo turned out to be ass-tastic) but for the most part I’m happy with how it all came out. To actually hold a 300+ page book with your name on the cover is admittedly really cool.

That said, I think we should do some kind of contest so a lucky blog reader can score a free signed copy of the book. Show it off to friends! Impress your boss!

I’m thinking of a January Bowl game Pick Em contest, which would include:

Cotton Bowl: Texas Tech / Alabama
Outback: Iowa / Florida
Gator: Louisville / V-Tech
Capital One: Wisconsin / Auburn
Fiesta: OSU / Notre Dame
Sugar: WVU / Georgia
Orange: Penn State / FSU
Rose: USC / Texas

You can submit your picks via the commemts or by sending an email.
I’ll repost this every few days up until the Bowl games. (I wish we could “sticky” a post..but I dunno if that’s doable)

Pick a winner for each game and for the tie breaker pick the final score of the Rose Bowl. Whoever gets the most wins and nails the final score of the Rose Bowl gets a signed copy of the book. If you already pre-ordered a copy, that’s cool, you can get a free one to give out to a friend or to use as a very effective coaster.

You know holidays, family and all that stuff.

Received an awesome new wedding ring for an Xmas present. No, not from a new wife. LOL. My old one, being 11 years old, was pretty much..uh let’s just say I’ve gained some weight in 11 years. This is a very nice ring and gives ample space to eat more food! Oh wait, I promised I would start losing weight. My bad.

Tonight is the last MNF, so I gotta watch the Pats…before the game, I’m replaying Lazy Sunday (which you probably noticed from the title) over and over again. This should be a Top 40 song. I think it would go places. (BTW, Apple’s iTunes store now lets you download the video to your iPod for free, so check it out).

I’ve been playing the heck out of NFS:MW and Tiger for the X360 for my reviews, which are due this week. Love NFS:MW. Love it. What does suck though is the achievements — you only move up when you beat someone on the blacklist. If you do the challenges in the game…all 63+ of them ..you get…nothing!

I also checked out some of the Xbox Live arcade games. Some are very intriguing. The Bankshot billiards is pretty good, but 1100 friggin points? Damn. If I bought that, I guess you could call me Aaron Burr from the way I’m dropping Hamiltons on XBL points.

Alright, is that enough references for you? I’ll take off now.