Not so deep thoughts.
Posted on April 14, 2009 at 03:51 PM.
Here is my attempt at the first round of the NFL Draft. This draft doesn’t have a lot of sure-fire picks at the top of the draft and there is quite a bit of uncertainty in the draft. Many teams seem to pick guys based on need and rather than value from some of the mock drafts I’ve seen. I think we will see both, as teams will look to move up or down quite a bit in the first round. You won’t see it happen in the first four picks but after that I expect to see some trades.
From past ... Read More
Posted on April 9, 2009 at 09:58 AM.
As a Tiger fan and someone who watches far more American League baseball, I’ve always preferred the designated hitter. I’ve always said, why have the pitcher hit when batters don’t have to pitch? What’s so exciting about watching a designated rally killer swing the bat? Even if the pitcher gets the rare hit, it wasn’t that exciting. Furthermore, terrible hitters batting in the eighth spot will get a lot of intentional walks just to face the pitcher. I understand the strategy but that guy didn’t ... Read More
Posted on March 30, 2009 at 01:51 PM.
I enjoyed NCAA ’09. It had flaws that eventually burned me out on the game but I do feel I got my money’s worth. The game was very flawed out of the box and there are a few things that I wanted fixed for the ’10 edition.
q Terrible cpu running game. The cpu just never ran the ball well and the sliders were watered down to the point that it was impossible to fix correctly.
q No cpu deep passing game. The computer just dinked and dunked its way down the field and ... Read More
Posted on March 20, 2009 at 02:12 PM.
I was watching the NFL-N last night and was watching some footage of the Dolphins vs. Raiders playoff game in 1974 (I think). The Dolphins of course had Larry Csonka. No such player exists in the NFL anymore. The FB that can block, catch and run! The Browns had a great backfield in the 80's with Ernest Byner and Kevin Mack where both runners had over 1000 yards rushing in 1985. They were just the third tandem to do this (Csonka/Morris Miami 1972; Franco Harris/Rocky Bleir Pitt 1976). It was just ... Read More
Posted on March 12, 2009 at 01:10 PM.
There has always been plenty of talk about getting rid of fighting in hockey. Those guys who want to keep fighting in hockey make some great points. Perhaps we should add fighting to football. Let’s look at the pro-fighting argument in hockey and how it might apply to football.
1. Fighting is Entertaining
Hard to argue this point. Who doesn’t love a good fight? There’s a good reason why Boxing and UFC are so popular. People like blood and fists of fury. Just think how ... Read More
Posted on March 10, 2009 at 02:23 PM.
One area that the Show does extremely well in is how pitchers perform. The variation between each pitcher on your staff is tremendous.
Each pitch type is unique among pitchers. A slider just isn't a slider. A change up just isn't a change up. They all depend greatly on the pitcher who's throwing them. For example, Bonderman throws a really hard slider that has a lot of break but doesn't dip much. Galaragga throws a slider but it is slower without as much break and also dips more. ... Read More
Posted on March 2, 2009 at 03:30 PM.
I finally read Moneyball and am embarrassed to say it took so long. As a statistician who likes baseball, this book is pure heaven. The focus on maximizing runs and minimizing risk in the player acquisition business, this was an excellent book. While many baseball purists denounce some of the strategies, the book does a great job of opening your eyes. It asks questions on subjects long assumed to be true and challenges them.
A number of big things caught my attention in this book. ... Read More
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Posted on February 28, 2009 at 05:19 PM.
While the Show is more polished than 2K9, 2K9 has done some things very well and the Show would be wise to learn a few things. These are all from the demo impressions so things may be a little different in the retail versions.
1. Real time presentation.
This really is a great thing. I really prefer in time zoom ins and cutscenes instead of the cut scenes the way the Show does it. Furthermore, the commentary is a true two man booth. The Show needs to add more dialogue between ... Read More
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Posted on February 26, 2009 at 10:54 PM.
I’ve never played a 2K baseball game before. I downloaded the 2K8 demo on the PS3 last year and couldn’t believe how ugly and choppy the game was. I was stunned and deleted the demo after an inning of gameplay. After reading that VC was taking over the development of the series and seeing some really nice looking 360 videos, I still had huge doubts over how much one game could improve in a single year on the PS3. Especially since they hadn’t released any PS3 videos of the game.
... Read More
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Posted on February 24, 2009 at 02:22 PM.
I’ve long been a football gamer and for a while I only played football games on my console. But over the last few years I’ve found the itch to play the sport that’s popular at that particular time. I’ll play NCAA Football from June through December almost exclusively. But after Christmas I picked up NBA Live ’09 this year for the first time in a long time since I was interested in the Pistons. Now that baseball spring training has started I’m looking forward to the Show, which will hold my interest ... Read More
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Posted on February 12, 2009 at 01:17 PM.
There are many different types of gamers. So many people have such different expectations and styles that I thought it would be fun to analyze them.
Graphics Guy
This is the guy that obsesses over graphics, frame rates, player models, textures and animations. He can tell you that the shade of blue at Boise’s stadium just wasn’t annoying enough. He can tell you the Joe Torre model in the Show doesn’t have small enough fingers to pick his nose. If you have a concern about any of ... Read More
Posted on February 6, 2009 at 03:53 PM.
I wrote these impressions down this morning before reading anyone's comments. Figured I would share them now. I’ve only played 20 innings so far so I need to get a lot more time in as well. That said here are my initial thoughts.
Graphics
The player models looks the same although the angles and displays in the game seem either slightly zoomed in or out. Things seem a little different from ’08. The pitcher camera angle is quite a bit different though. I think it’s zoomed ... Read More
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Posted on February 3, 2009 at 05:56 AM.
Many things are getting repetitive and the thread has finally slowed down. I will no longer update the answers anymore but these blogs will remain up as a good resource.
Updated Tuesday at 3:30 pm.
IMPRESSIONS
-----------------------
Nemesis (#1363 on Sabathia's delivery)
He looked much better!
KolbeSCEA (#1365 on flags in the wind)
To the 3 folks to PM'd me about the flags (and the fair amount of you in this thread ... Read More
Posted on February 2, 2009 at 11:51 AM.
Part 7 now! Updated as of Monday, 3:40 pm EST. Check blog for part 8 (last one I will do most likely).
Community Leader Answers Only
------------------------
Pared (#1240 on sliders working and a ton of other stuff)
I think they all worked well. Jim and Nem both messed with them.
As far as the catcher calling the game - unbelievably awesome. The only thing I did NOT like (very minor) is the catcher would heavily rely on the fastball ... Read More
Posted on February 2, 2009 at 06:08 AM.
I will probably have to grab a bunch more during the day but here is just a new start to a very long list of impressions.
Update complete on Monday, 10:45 AM, EST ! That will be it for this blog. Part 7 is now going.
Community Leader Answers
-------------------------
Pared (#53 in Push vs. Pull thread on too much opposite field power last year)
Dave, I think you'll be extremely pleased this year.
I'm sure someone ... Read More
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