The Blog for the Sports Gamer

Yes…..it’s here!!!

No, not the Wii or PS3, I’m talking about Sneak King! The best game ever!!!

I am so proud of myself…I managed amazing self-control and didn’t buy a Wii, I didn’t even look…okay well I called Wal-Mart and they did have them…but I didn’t buy one anyway, so there!

I did go to Burger King, and bought that lovely 54g of fat Triple Stacker, but it was tasty. You can buy all three games with one meal, at least I did at my local BK. They said that sales were pretty good so far.

I have played Big Bumpin’ and had fun online. Think Fuzion Frenzy but fun.

Now I’m playing Sneak King. You know for a $3.99 game this isn’t bad. It’s a whole lot better than the crap that’s been on XBLA recently!

First off, that was a hell of a football game. To be there, with great seats, is another father/son memory I’ll never forget. Me, my dad and my uncle had an emotionally draining, voice-ripping good time. My throat is a mess this morning. I feel like I’m hungover even though I didn’t drink a drop. 5 of 6 against Michigan is a feeling only a Michigan fan can understand. It’s the Cooper era in reverse.

OK the rematch. The talking heads, most of them, are clamoring for it. I have said from day one that a rematch would be unfair to the winner — and I still feel that way. OSU exorcised the Michigan spectre in 2006. The game’s over. OSU won. Michigan should get the grand daddy of all consolation prizes and play in the Rose Bowl. No shame in that.

My argument is that no team should lose its conference and its final game and still play for a title. It’s wrong. This has nothing to do with the rivalry, although I think a game played outside of Ann Arbor or Columbus dilutes the game a hell of a lot. It wouldn’t be the same.

I considered last night’s game a playoff game with the winner getting a title shot. Is Michigan clearly the #2 team in the country? I don’t know. We’re still playing the speculation game, which continues to be the elephant in the room inside this sport. I know that OSU put up 500 yards on them and neatly gift-wrapped 10 points to them and gave away another scoring chance with their 2nd botched shotgun snap. Yes, it was a 3 point game and one for the ages, but I think OSU was clearly the better of the two teams. The Buckeyes, just like 2005, did everything they could to keep Michigan in it.

Here’s another problem: Notre Dame. Michigan fans are saying, rightly IMO, that no way should ND get a shot after Michigan beat them earlier in the year. Well, this is the same logic I’m using. If OSU would play Michigan again, the whole time I would be thinking, “Damn, we just beat these guys.” What if Michigan wins the rematch 27-26 on a last second field goal? What the hell have we decided?

Finally, Mike Hart. I’m willing to cut Hart some slack after losing a game like that with Michigan still with a heavy heart after the loss of Bo. I get that. If you’re that torn up, don’t sit down in front of a mic and do a post game presser. Hart ‘guarantees’ that in a rematch Michigan would win and win big, that OSU’s defense was nothing special and flatly ‘not that good.’ It’s a shame that such a great game has to end on a sour note like that. The guy played a whale of a game, and perhaps he’s right that the OSU defense isn’t as vaunted as some thought, (one can say the same for the Wolves unit) but they were clearly good enough to beat Michigan.

Well, first of all, congratulations to Ohio State and their fans. They were pretty clearly the better team on the field yesterday. Any team that can dismantle Michigan’s defense like that is worth tipping your cap to. If we could have just one play back it would be the helmet to helmet hit by Crable on Smith on that last OSU drive of the fourth quarter. From a punt to a TD. That hurt.

But like the title of this post, it was that kind of day. My son, Kyle, inaugurated the game by waking up from his nap 20 minutes before kickoff and blowing chow all over himself and his crib. He spent the whole afternoon throwing up, so I spent a good chunk of the game cleaning up vomit rather than watching. (Maybe that’s why I have no idea what Bill’s talking about with Mike Hart.) Anyway, starting around 11 last night it was Ana’s turn (that lasted all night). And in between I was running our kitchen sink’s garbage disposal when the pipe leading out of it separated (for the second time in six months) and sent water and chopped up bits of food *everywhere*. So, by the time I got to sleep last night Michigan’s loss to OSU wasn’t really the first thing on my mind.

All that said, I agree with the ABC postgame crew. Michigan, to me, is pretty clearly the second best team in the country. There’s no shame in losing by three in Columbus like that. And Michigan’s offense, despite the sputtering in the first half, really showed something, I think. That said, I agree with Bill that there should be no rematch. Michigan lost. Turn the page and let another team have their shot at the Buckeyes… just as long as that team isn’t Notre Dame. No team that Michigan skunked on the road like that should be in the National Championship Game ahead of them. Right now it sure looks like USC. I think that would be a good game, but I don’t see USC (or anyone, really) beating the Buckeyes. That offense… well, like I said. Any O that can do that to Michigan’s D…

What a game.

I’ll have more thoughts tomorrow…I’m dead tired and emotionally spent.
I’ll talk tomorrow about why a rematch would suck and be totally unfair, an opinion that I had all week long regardless of who won, why I lost respect for Mike Hart, and bask in the glory of the fact that Troy Smith is winning OSU’s 7th Heisman trophy.

OH-IO!!!

Hido, you know me too well. What I’ve done is that I went ahead and purchased the wireless wheel and the wireless headset for the 360. Overstock.com has the wireless wheel for $125– which is $25 less than EB/Gamestop. It comes and goes over there, so if you’re interested, better grab it while it’s still there. I hear the headset is very nice too and I want a wire free world at this point so I’ll give it a shot.

Still curious about the Wii, but I think I’ll skip buying one tomorrow and instead focus on getting Sneak King. We had to go out tonight — nothing like those 5 hour skating competitions, although my daughter did get 2nd place in the program and 3rd in the Elements — and I went to BK hoping that they would have them early. The Store Manager–let’s call her “bitch” — made it clear that they do have the games, but they aren’t selling them yet, nor did she know when she would be selling them. This despite the tray paper that says “buy all 3 games - available now” and a big King poster saying 11/18/2006. Yes, I know it said 11/18, but apparently she didn’t. Grr.

So I guess I’ll be purchasing another BK stacker tomorrow and hope for better luck. What’s another 20 points on the cholesterol meter anyway? I could just throw out the food, but it’s yummy.

One thing about both of these new consoles, I don’t think they understand the crack like substance that is GamerScore. For example, Cars is in my GameQ on GameFly for the 360. Would I every play this game of my own free will (ie if I didn’t have to review it) for any other platform? F-no! But I am getting it for 360 because I can get GamerScore points.

Just broke 8,000. I thought that was impressive until I see other people with over 30,000…so I went back to Fight Night 3 to get that last 100….I thougth I finished the game, but I just got bumped to the next level. Ugh. Fun game though…the play by play commentary sucks hard, but I enjoy the game. I enjoy it so much I now have Fight Night Thumb— the skin has broke on my thumb because I’ve been hitting that right thumbstick so much. It’s like a paper cut. It f’n hurts. I have it taped up right now.

So many X360 games, so little time. In other news, I’m going to quit my console bitching for the time being, but I’d love to hear from any of you that are playing a PS3 and what do you think — especially if you already have the 360. I also want to hear your Wii stories. Convince me!

In the meantime, I have 10 Galaga gamerscore points calling my name, and I’m sure we’ll hear from Bill and Todd drivel on about that game today. LOL

Okay, I can’t get both, and I don’t know which to get: Xbox 360 Wireless Wheel or Nintendo Wii. If you haven’t noticed, I’m not as awe inspired with the Wii as the rest of the world is. I am curious but not dying. However, if I’m in Target tomorrow and they have it, I’ll probably get it, even though I’ve never been a fan of Zelda. The Wii sports sure sounds interesting, although I get the feeling it’s more of a demo than a real full featured game.

I did receive Super Monkey Ball for review and of course I always feel like “hey I have to review this game” so I will drop $250 and not get that back for some time…

The Wireless 360 wheel is wireless except for the fact you have to plug it in for power for force feedback. You can either get force feedback or rumble. Force feedback is much better as it is more realistic. I’m a big fan of racing games, PGR 3 has FF support and rumor has it that Test Drive will also have it…but the other racing games just support rumble….Forza 2 will have FF as well.

The Wheel is 1/2 the price of the Wii…I just hate those monster accessories cluttering up my office area. I have way too many wheels already. But then again, I already have too many consoles as well. Any advice?

I had just gotten in my car to meet my wife for lunch when I heard the news today. Bo Schembechler had died this morning. Generally, I’m not really affected all that much when I hear about a big name having passed on. Even those for whom I had some affection. For most of us, it’s not like we really know these people and it seems silly to get over-sentimental about a person you’ve never met. But, for obvious reasons, this one is much different to me. It’s much more personal.

Bo was 77 and had a long history of heart trouble and had other medical problems in recent months. Yet I find myself shocked that he’s gone. I’m not sure how much of that is because it’s on the eve of one of the biggest Michigan/Ohio State battles in history. But as someone who was raised as a Michigan fan, a Michigan football fan, pretty much from birth, the idea that Bo is somehow mortal just doesn’t seem possible. He’s not made up of the stuff of lesser men. He’s Bo. And how can Bo possibly be gone?

As I ate lunch with my wife I found myself trying to recall specific memories of Bo and I was surprised to find that I really couldn’t come up with many. Considering I spent nearly all my Fall Saturday afternoons in the 80s watching Michigan football, you’d think there would’ve been moments that were particularly memorable, but I honestly can’t name one. I just think Bo, and I think Michigan football. End of story. They’re one and the same and there’s just no single moment seen through a kid’s eyes on TV or from atop my dad’s shoulders in a distant seat at Michigan Stadium that could possibly sum up what the guy represented. Bo made you proud to be a Michigan fan and because his eventual successors both came from his staff, it’s never felt like he was really gone from that sideline. At least, not to me. And now I wonder what it will be like to watch the game tomorrow. How will it be different? What impact will it have on the Michigan coaches and players? Hell, what impact will it have on OSU sideline? I really don’t know what to expect, but I do know that for anyone with a passion for Michigan football this will be one of those days you will always remember. I know that thirty years from now I’ll still be able to tell you I was getting in my car to meet my wife for lunch at Qdoba when I heard on ESPN Radio that Bo Schembechler had died.

Rest in peace, Bo. You will be missed.

I’d still wait to talk to Woody until after the game, though.

There is obvious irony in Bo’s passing 24 hours before kickoff of the biggest OSU/Michigan game ever, but if anyone lead a full life, it is Bo Schembechler. Buckeye fans will miss Bo, too, as he was such a huge part of the rivalry, and a disciple of Woody. He’ll be missed.

Major Nelson reports that the NCAA March Madness demo has been released. No word on whether or not EA will charge 200 points to actually play it.

Check out this article. This guy flew from London to Boston and then drove to New Hampshire just to get the PS3. He’s #1 in a line that goes all the way to 6. Why does it only go to 6? Because that’s all the Circuit City has. Funny, the ad said minimum 10 per store — so either 4 employees got a console, or the ad lied…

Anyway, this is the guy I was talking about in an earlier post. He loves the console so much, he flew to another continent and can’t wait to play Genji. Well, even though Genji probably sucks, I have to respect a guy like that.

The other 5 in line say they are going to sell them on eBay. It’s up to you to fuck them over and make sure they are stuck with a $600 turd. I’m begging you to avoid eBay..unless 100% of the profit is going to charity, then I’ll allow it. Remember if you buy a PS3 on eBay, the terrorists have won.

OK, after a pretty shitty two days, I am back and ready to get down to business. It’s good to see Dan approaching the deep end. It was only a matter of time.

I have my tickets for The Game Saturday. 17C Row 20. This puts us around the 25 yard line with a view of the entire field. To say I am pumped would be a lie. I feel like I’m 9 years old and Saturday at 3:30 is not only Christmas, but I have a ticket from Santa to come hang out at the workshop. To be a fan/alum that is part of this whole thing…it’s amazing.

I am standing by my 24-10 prediction. Troy Smith has been Michigan’s Kryptonite and I see no reason why that changes Saturday. I really don’t. At the Shoe, the world is watching, his senior year and his team is healthy — I just don’t see Troy Smith allowing OSU to lose that game I don’t care how many new defensive coordinators Michigan wants to hire. Smith has proven himself as one of the best “big game” QBs to ever play college football — from Michigan in ‘04 and ‘05 to the Fiesta Bowl against Notre Dame to the Texas game earlier this year — he’s the difference, I think.

That, and the fact that I still don’t think Manningham is 100% healthy and without him at full-go, the Michigan offense isn’t the same one we saw earlier in the year. I just think OSU has the better of the two teams and with the ‘Shoe Advantage, I like the Bucks to two TDs.

Regardless of what happens, I do not want to see a rematch. If Ohio State or Michigan cannot win the Big10, they shouldn’t be allowed to play for a title. Period. This IS their shot at each other. The winner goes to the desert, the loser goes to the Rose Bowl, which is the best consolation prize since the great Ginger/Mary-Ann debate.

If OSU wins, I’d like a shot at USC. To play USC would be an epic end to an epic season that really started with the Fiesta win against the Domers last year. I doubt USC hangs around though — too many landmines in Cal and the Irish and I still don’t think USC is an elite team, this year…next year…that’s another story.

There is a part of me that’s pulling for Rutgers. I really hope they trash WVU and make the BCS look even more foolish by not allowing them to play for a title even though they are from a BCS conference and would be most likely undefeated. If you are in the BCS, and you go undefeated and there’s no other teams without a loss…

Isn’t that a no-brainer?

Anything that mucks up the BCS I am ALL for…so GO Scarlet Knights!

And more importantly:

GO BUCKS!

BEAT MICHIGAN!

This was pointed out in the comments section last week and I only just got around to checking it out. There’s a great thread at OS where one of the Legacy mode developers is taking questions. There’s a lot of good information on how this mode is evolving (reduction in the number of seven foot recruits, better sim results based on seedings in the tourney, and a list of teams available in the closed legacy mode, for example). There’s also a list of teams available in the closed legacy mode. Be sure to check it out if you’re into this one. There’s also a another thread in the same forum where SteveOS is giving loads of gameplay impressions. It sounds like they really nailed the college atmosphere in this one.

Go Blue!

According to Major Nelson you can download the Hall of Fame Classic Stadium for a mere 300 points ($3.75 US by my translation…)…can’t wait for next year when you can buy Madden for $60 and Gillette Stadium will be an extra $3.75 and the roster will be an extra $4.99 and the same console multiplayer will be an extra $2.00.

Please do me a favor — don’t buy it on eBay. The biggest problem right now are “enterprising entrepreneurs” hiring homeless people to get in line so that they can buy the PS3 and then resell it on eBay.

If no one buys it on eBay….they don’t make their profits and they won’t do this again next time.

There’s nothing wrong with speculating on the open market, but I do truly feel bad for the fans who just want to buy the system and yet can’t because some guy decided to hire 50 homeless people to buy the consoles.

Now that is stupid. If you are a gamer, and decided to camp out — I certainly understand and respect that. Personally, I don’t see why you’d do that, given the tepid launch titles, but I know why you have to have it :)>

If your TV only supports 1080i and not 720p, like my 27″ Samsung 4:3 HDTV….and you have a PS3…you’re screwed. Check this out.

Well not screwed but not high-def…