It is amazing…
The ways in which the Cleveland Browns can lose a football game. Truly amazing.
Deep Thoughts
Things I ponder as I make sure my TV, burgers, beer and Doritos are ready to go as I begin the pilgramage to Foxboro for Football Night In America (hey, you gotta start tailgating early).
I hate the Broncos. The playoff game last year was a joke, and Denver didn't deserve to win. They got the most ludicrious calls ever. (Apparently in Denver, fumbling the ball out of the end zone is a down at the 1, but whatever). I want to yell In-Com-Plete at every pass Jake Plummer throws. Unfortunately, Jake's thrown about 3 balls this year so I don't know if that will happen or not. Look for me on TV tonight. Heh.
As I mentioned before, here in New England the only real Division 1-A team we have is BC, and boy did they stink up the place last night. I think I should go walk on as their kicker as that guy just is not very good. When I went to the Clemson game, he actually nailed the long snapper in the ass with a "kick"..so it's no surprise that they lost on that extra point and failed 2 pt conversion.
Congratulations to UNH's David Ball who tied Jerry Rice for most 1-AA College TD's. UNH is an, um, interesting place to watch a football game, as most high school facilities in the South are better. However UNH, primarily a hockey powerhouse, has really stepped up the past couple of years. Maybe they'll fix the football stadium...but don't hold your breath.
Okay, gotta get in the shower and get ready for the long drive to the Razor....of course the longer drive is the ride home at midnight (if you're lucky) and knowing you're working tomorrow. Ugh.
Fans
Fans piss me off.
The Internets fixed a spotlight on the fact that there are a lot of really, really, bad sports fans in America (I assume in Europe too, but being an American, I don't care about them.)
The Internet Age has done some great things: free porn, free music, free movies, and the ability for doofuses like me to make a living working in a t-shirt and sweats without having to deal with rush hour traffic. I love me some Internet.
It's also brought to the surface the complete and total idiocy (and arrogance) of the sports media. I'm no Bob Knight fan, but he's right when he says most are dead from the neck up. I'd have never known that if not for the Internet and ESPN. These guys used to have their little newspaper gigs, and no one reads newspapers so very few people outside their inner circle cared what they had to say. ESPN and the Internet changed all of that and now these loons have a large soap box on which to show off their ability to say dumb shit. But people watch them say said dumb shit so we get more and more loads of it.
But I have grown to accept that. When I see Skip Bayless, Jason Whitlcok, Mike Lupica, or the rest of the gang on the tube, I give them a virtual noogie and change the channel.
It's the fans that disappoint me. I don't expect much from the media but the fact that the Internet has brought to surface the idea of fan self-hatred...that saddens me.
EVERY team has bad fans. All of them. Your team (college, NBA, NFL, whatever) has them, too. It's when you read what they have to say in 'print' on fan forums or newsletters and the like that you start to realize that there are more out there than you ever imagined.
My beloved Buckeyes are by no means an exception. We have a lot of great fans, and we also have a lot of idiots masquerading as fans. We're also extremely spoiled.
Case in point:
Ohio State played it's number two rival yesterday, in the rain, with winds gusting upward to 35 MPH. It was dreary, raining, and the OSU field has been chewed up of late and the ground was like playing on a slip and slide. This was a bigger factor than the rain, actually. (The grass is being replaced right now as I type this; it really is a mess). Both offenses struggled. Heisman candidate Troy Smith looked very average except for one amazing scramble and pass for a 55 YD TD. Still, OSU won 28-6 thanks to two late INT returns.
If you can stomach to read websites like Bucknuts (I don't advise it) you would have thought the Buckeyes lost and all hopes of a title run are over. We won 28-6.
This is the problem: a lot of fans of high profile college teams are never, ever, happy. A few schools have a rep for having fan bases that love to bitch just for the sake of bitching. OSU is one of them. (Kentucky basketball is another.) Winning isn't enough. I don't know why that is...but that's the mentality of a lot of fans -- instead of breathing a sigh of relief that we beat Penn State in terrible conditions and dodged a bullet when the offense didn't play its game, we have fans who act like we're Michigan State.
And thank God we are not Michigan State. If there was ever a fan base with the right to bitch and moan and call for a coach's scalp -- it's Spartan fans. Just be happy, whoever you root for, that your head coach is not John L. Smith.
Anyway, Ohio State is still ranked #1 despite what some OSU fans think or what John Saunders says (somehow USC should be #1 for beating Arizona 20-3, which looks better than the 28-6 OSU win. Saunders also wonders aloud if OSU played Texas again...would we win? Ahh I love the media. Cute, cuddly, and dumber than a box of hair.)
Ohio State plays the game on the schedule next week that will, IMO, be its toughest test outside of the Michigan game -- @ Iowa at night. Unless we win by 30, expect a lot of sad faces in Columbus.
One more thing
I broke down and bought Lego Star Wars 2 for the 360 because GameFly has had it short wait for weeks (hint: if it's short wait for a long time, maybe it's not a short wait).
Anyway, because I am lame, I asked if I could get an Xbox Vision Camera. The GameStop guy said that although it's been released they are sold out and the ones that they have were preorders.
I was like, wha...as he said, a lot of people like to show off their ass while playing Uno. I guess so. No idea why else you'd get this thing..but of course I was asking to buy it too, so what do I know..
FIFA 07 for the 360 is a turd and it’s not even out
From ESPN Videogames There are 1/2 the stadiums in the 360 version than in the Xbox 1 version, and zero MLS teams.
For me being in the USA, this is a no sale for me. Typical. OTOH, I am desperately waiting for the new Winning Eleven on the 360....good thing EA has that MLS exclusive license so they don't even put out a game.
This reminds me of 1997, when Z-Axis had the license to the MLS name and never put out the game, lost the license when EA bought it and then released a turd of a game known as Alexi Lalas International Soccer. I would link you to my OpSports review, but most of the content I wrote has vanished from the site.
EDIT: I corrected the "like" to "link," and thanks to blog poster 21C who found the link on archive.org. Click here if you dare.
Best. Video Parody. Ever.
Weird Al is at the top of this game. This song, "White and Nerdy" which is a parody of Chamillionaire's "Ridin"...and it's so much better. Check it out!!
Jason Whitlock Tees Off
After following a link from Deadspin, I just finished reading this interview at The Big Lead blog, with columnist Jason Whitlock. I've always been indifferent to Whitlock (he did have a great EA NCAA column in the Kansas City Star a couple years ago) , but this is a *great* interview. He takes a great parting shot (he's leaving ESPN's Page 2) at that spaztic punk, Mike Lupica and has some pointed, direct and honest answers to some questions that most people would dodge. Here's a highlight:
Q: A Civil Rights movement? In 2006?
...We’re letting the Ignorant 5 lead us straight to hell. The Ignorant 5 are telling white folks, “Yeah, this is how we really is. Let me bojangle for ya, boss. You say step and I’ll show ya I can fetch.” And what’s even more dangerous, the Ignorant 5 are telling black kids, “It’s cool to be locked up. It makes a man out of you. And don’t embrace education. Dealing dope and playing basketball are better career choices.” The Ignorant 5 is the new KKK and twice as deadly. That’s why you don’t hear ‘bout the KKK anymore. The Klan is just sitting back letting 50 Cent and all the other bojanglers do all the heavy lifting.
Uh. Wow.
Free The Birds
Well, this didn't go over that great, but it did get a lot of press.
The response from Angelos was pretty hysterical. So he's going to raise ticket prices to get the payroll higher to win in the AL East. If 10,000 pay $25 to go see the Orioles, I wonder how many would pay $45.
One of the things that people have noticed about the O's uniforms is the lack of "Baltimore" on their road jerseys. Being an O's fan all this time, I never really noticed it...but once I read it, I noticed how EVERY team has their city name on their road jerseys...WTF? I think it would be nice to see "Baltimore" on the jerseys. I don't think fans would say well I was an Oriole fan, but I saw the Wire and now that I know they play in Baltimore, I won't be a fan? WTF!!!
Wow
The Office just made me LOL. Lots of ex-Daily Show guys over there. Of course, it could be a sensitive subject and everyone may not laugh, but I thought it was hysterical.
Sports Sports! Warhammer! Houses!
Yes, this is still a sports gaming blog and yes--we're all well aware that the two hockey games are out and that we haven't said a whole hell of a lot about them.
I haven't said much (read: anything) because I haven't played them yet. Other reviews are keeping me locked up and busy but I did just get NHL 07 PC for GSpy so I'll be posting notes about it soon. We did get an email today from blog reader David Palomares that said the new skill stick feature isn't even in the PC version (only the passing bit.) Isn't that just peachy? Sigh.
In other (better) news, I have a near final build of the latest 40K Dawn of War expansion. For a Hammer nut like me -- this is a good thing. PC Review code for Tiger Woods 07 is also in hand as is Company of Heroes and I'm waiting on a late arrival copy of NHL 2K7. All in all, Bill is freaking busy. Wow I just went third person. Sorry about that; I need sleep. I also need to get all of this done ASAP as NBA Live and NBA 2K7 (drool) are right around the corner.
Lastly, we are going through a nightmare scenario with our old house. It has to do with a buyer defaulting on a loan and me jumping off the Olentangy Bridge as a result.
Film at 11.
Speaking of SNL
Big news on that front for those who still watch..specifically Tina Fey,Rachel Dratch, Chris Parnell , Horatio Sanz , and Finesse Mitchell have all been fired or quit. Amy Poehler will still head up the weekend update.
Analysis: Fey was getting stale at the update desk, see ya Debbie Downer...Parnell is kind of a surprise, but he's been there a long time. Sanz couldn't read one line on a cue card without cracking up and Finesse..well I wasn't that impressed either.
The weekend update has been terrible since what's-his-name left. The show has pretty much sucked...maybe they need a shake up. Would would Sorkin do?
Happy Wednesday
Interesting that TotemBall went from "release date 09/20/06" on XBox Live arcade to "TBD" .... today's XBLA Wednesday gives you patches to make Backgammon an Xbox Live Vision game. Weee!
Sorry things have been slow -- been busy with work and various meetings taking over my life. Thanks to crappy cable DVR, I've been catching up with shows.
I really want that TiVo HD DMR....but $800..ugh...and then $200 to get lifetime transferred...and then $300 to get 2 cable cards...and then you lose on demand and PPV...it's just not good enough yet. But 30 hours of HD...yum. Current cable DVR only has 10 hours, which I've pretty much filled this week alone. Yikes.
I did see Studio 60 and damn that show flew by. If you liked West Wing in the early years, you'll LOVE this show. If people walking around in hallways talking isn't your cup of tea, then pass. Ironically I remember an SNL skit where they parodied Sorkin's drug use while writing...almost like that was the start of this skit. The ratings were "ok" with CSI Miami taking the lead. Yeah, that's original.
I also watched The Class and How I Met Your Mother. Barney is very funny. The Class has potential, but we'll have to see. I would never try to get my 3rd grade class together.
Tonight I catch up on The Unit and House. Oh and don't forget it's Ventriloquist Week on Letterman. Good stuff!
R.I.P.
This is too damned funny not to link to it. You know, after a tragedy such as this, it's really the kids who suffer the most.
Mania in the Motor City
First off, my apologies for my continued inconsistency in posting to the blog. I normally use a break here and there at work (or my lunch hour) to post, and I'm so behind on my various book projects right now that it's tough to make time. I wish I could say that would change going forward, but one or two posts a week from me is all you're likely to see for awhile.
Aw, don't be like that. Come on now. Dry your eyes.
Anyway, my real life sports watching world has been a roller coaster the past few weeks. First the Tigers can't win a game through most of August and first half of September. I mean they loast in the neighborhood of 20 of 30. That's not just bad. That's horrifying.
Then Michigan has as memorable a victory in South Bend as I think I've ever witnessed. There are no words to describe encourging your 2.5 year-old daughter to shout "Go Blue! Go Blue! Go Blue," while your 18 month old son joins you in signaling touchdown, as Lamaar Woodley sprints down the field for a fumble recovery, game-clincing TD run. It was great. And even though there's a long season left to play, I can't help but have a nice warm feeling down in the cockles (perhaps in the subcockle area) at the prospect of a battle of undefeateds when Michigan makes the trek to Columbus. It's still to early to gauge where the offense is at, but I've seen enough now to firmly believe the Michigan defense is no joke. There are shades of the vaunted '97 D in that group.
Of course, the Lions had to go and take the shine off the weekend by getting drubbed in Chicago. I didn't get to see the game, but I read continuous game log updates on line, so I felt like I was right there. If you've seen one Lions loss, it's not hard to picture the rest when you've got the log text in front of you. That team can't even snap the ball without yellow laundry hitting the turf right now. I still think Marinelli will turn the team around, but it may be a brutal few more weeks before it happens. (If they get crushed by Green Bay this weekend, then the season will offically be over.)
But then the Tigers beat the White Sox last night and, having now won 4 of 6, it seems like their world is finally being set to right. They've all but clinched a playoff birth at this point. In fact, tickets for the divisional series went on sale at 10am through their phone lines and their website. I put in an order for Game 1 tickets at precisely 10:05 and rolled snake-eyes trying to get four seats together in the section I'd specified. Of course, it took 20 minutes for the damn ticket engine to tell me that. So by the time I was able to just run a search for "best available" the games were basically sold out. I could've gotten four standing-room only tickets for game 3, but let's face the facts: the odds of them playing a game 3 in a five game series aren't all that hot, and I'm not driving over four hours to the game for standing room only. (Well, I would. But that doesn't mean my wife, dad and step-mom would warm to the idea.)
Ah well. At least the first Tigers post-season action in nearly 20 years will be broadcast in HD. I'll still feel like I'm at the games. (No, they're not officially in yet, but with two series against the Royals, one against Baltimore and a six game cushion over the White Sox, I'm pretty happy with where things sit. The only thing they had to avoid was a sweep in Chicago this week and with one game in the series gone, they've already done that.)
Studio 60
Anyone whose been reading this blog for awhile knows of my unabashed love for the the Aaron Sorkin/Thomas Schlamme years of the West Wing (and for Sports Night). So it was with no small amount of trepidation that I tuned in to see their latest venture in TV land: Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, a show that takes a fictional behind-the-scenes look at a late-night Friday sketch comedy show (think Saturday Night Live).
At this point, there are only a handful of regular shows that I'll watch (Lost, House, NCIS, comes to mind), but there isn't a show on TV that, week-to-week has me aching to come back to more. Firefly was the last one to really grip me, and I didn't even see it until a couple years after it's all-to-brief sting on the evil Fox Network. (My god, I still do hate them so for cancelling that series. Every time I see Serenity pop up on HBO -twice in the last few days- I'm reminded how much I want to throttle the Fox TV execs responsible for cutting that show off at the knees.)
But I digress.
Studio 60, in just one episode, is a reminder of how good the West Wing was in it's hey-day (and why it sucked so hard after Sorkin and Schlamme left). TV is just not the same if there isn't a Sorkin-penned program somewhere in the lineup. I'm also all-too happy to see that Bradley Whitford, Matthew Perry and Timothy Busfield have been recycled from the West Wing cast (and the cameo from Felicity Huffman was a nice touch). I don't know if the pilot is set to re-air anytime soon, but if you liked Sports Night or the first four years of The West Wing, then Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip is a show you can't miss.
Contact Us
Riding the Pines Podcast
Search Amazon.com
What We’re Playing
Dan:
