Blip blop bleep

I spent time yesterday playing two games that I would consider difficult.

The first was God of War. (My first PS3 game(s) was, in fact, a set of PS2 games.)

The second was Madden NFL 10, which I'm going to continue to complain about because I've uncovered yet another issue. (Notice that I'm still playing the game.)

Almost every video game has different difficulty settings because some people want to be challenged and other people suck. Variations in difficulty are achieved in a few different ways. One of the most common – in games based on the principle of death – is to increase the relative "health" of the enemies that the player is required to kill. In a way, this process literalizes the "to beat a dead horse" metaphor, which is a pretty appropriate metaphor for many of my attempts at God of War.

But this same principle wouldn't work for Madden. Increasing the "health" of football players would just lead to fewer concussions and not necessarily increase the difficulty. Madden's tack, it seems, is to instead increase the level of bullshit in order to up the challenge. The result is that the opposing team's players make plays that no footballer should ever make.

...

Madden is increasingly difficult to write about as well. It just frustrates me. My hope is to definitively put it to bed with a slew of Christmas games, but the problem is that it's one of the few games I can play with Bryan on a regular basis. But even he was frustrated by the game's difficulty determining devices, so maybe we can finally stop playing this disappointing blip in the Madden franchise dynasty.

Quote of the Week:

"When [Tiger Woods'] career is over, you'll look back on these indiscretions as a minor blip, but the media is making a big deal out of it right now."

-Phil Knight, a man who has a few blips of his own

I will give a shout out.

So I'm trying to ease my way back into consistent bloggery (hence the single blog last week). At some point, I'd like to be at a place where I'm writing three solid blogs per week like I did this past summer. That place may be this upcoming summer, but if I can get that ball rolling now, it'll be easier to manage when it comes upon a greased-up decline.

All that to say: I'm hoping to write two to three short blogs per week until the new year starts, considering of course that two of the three remaining Fridays are relatively important holidays.

At any rate, this blog is about Spencer. Some of you (Ha!) may remember Spencer from his inaugural appearance at this year's Pig Pickin'. He was the Asian one.

Or you may have met Spencer on EBay if you have any interest in Jeff Bagwell baseball cards.

Spencer was one of my most consistent friends during college and is now one of the half dozen or so that I like to keep in touch with. One of the things that this touchiness has revealed is that Spencer has become/is becoming a stand-up comic.

Over the weekend, Spencer sent me the following video that he posted in preparation for his appearance at the NC Comedy Arts Festival:

I'm planning on going to that festival, but this was the first time I was able to see Spencer perform (comedy), and I thought it was pretty good for what he's labeled as his '"formative' era." Easily my favorite joke was the one about slacker PEDs. That reminded me of a blog I've been planning on writing since...well, probably since I've started blogging.

It seems like this would be a good time to write that blog. But, I'm on winter break, so...

Event of the Week:

UNC-W final grades are due today at 2 p.m. Fortunately, I had 118 of my 122 grades submitted by Friday, which allowed me to fully enjoy this weekend's 5^th annual Sherrick Santa Ski. I submitted the other four grades this morning because I was waiting on final essays from those four students. Some of them turned them in.

Blog of the Month

It's been a long time since I've blogged the information superhighway – almost a month – and I apologize. I'll be honest: I've occasionally had the proverbial time but have spent it doing other things, often Modern Warfare 2, which holds all the addictiveness of a quality RPG.

I've also skipped over at least a handful of good blog topics, some of which I might get to in the near future. But, for today, I want to write about my blogging during this semester. Blogging about my own blogging might seem egocentric, and it is, but writing about my own writing is one of my favorite ways to improve as a writer.

But, I'm going to be lazy about it and steal the formatting idea from my most recent entry, "Movember Madness."

So, here are 10 things I learned about my blogging this semester:

1. I blogged less than most of my students. I ultimately set their semester quota at 20 blog entries (a bit shy of what I predicted in "A is for abacus"). In that same period of time, I've only written 12 blogs, which is still more than a handful of my students. Instead of my "of the Week" feature, I could have used an "of the Month" feature and been more accurate.
   
2. Matthew will respond to my blog even if I don't blog for weeks. I'd guess he thinks it motivates me. It'd probably motivate me more if he seriously picked back up his blog. As our annual Thanksgiving night Balderdash showed, Matthew has some interesting things to say.
   
3. Random people continue to find and comment on my blog. One is less than random, since he's a friend of a guy I knew in college – a guy who Adam Lucas says doesn't exist (but he does). The other may not be a person. I don't know; it's a little suspect. So, I guess this thing I learned may not be all that true.
   
4. I rely a lot on litotes (understatement) in my writing. This is something I've either purposefully or accidently copied from Penny Arcade, which is full of it.
   
5. I like to write about my classroom discussions. When I'm not teaching, I write about sports, video games, and TV, but that all seems to take a backseat when I'm captaining the ship of basic studies – BS – English classes.
   
6. I hate but still make fact errors and typos, the most frustrating of which came in the "Honor Roll" entry. But there are others.
   
7. Lists are an easy way to avoid transitions. See.
   
8. Football teams are much more forgiving of football players than I would have imagined. During my blogging this semester, I prematurely concluded the careers of two troubled running backs: LeGarrette Blount and Larry Johnson. Both have since played football again.
   
9. Metaphors.
   
10. Blogging when I'm up-to-date is better. Remember that glorious summer where I tried to blog about current events and subsequently read about current events. I really do think it improved my blogging, but those plans deflated like Balloon Boy's hopes for a reality show when my life busied itself with teaching and such. There may be a glorious winter break (between December 15 and January 6) when I can get back to those habits.
    

Or I may just play more Modern Warfare 2 and try out my new PS3.

Question of the Week:

What do you want for Christmas?

My take: Mostly video games. My wish list isn't very creative this year.

Movember Madness

Movember Madness seemed like a more appropriate title than November Nadness. For some reason.

The college basketball has begun – for reals. That's even more exciting, of course, because one of the first two games of the season was a UNC game, as they faced off against the FIU Isaiah Thomases.

The game was pretty much a blowout, but I watched the whole thing hoping to educate myself on this newest Tar Heel team. Here are 10 things I learned from the UNC game:

1. Isaiah Thomas is very good at taking the high road (at least publicly). During an interview with Andy Katz, Thomas was more than cordial and conciliatory about the Magic Johnson situation. Thomas' smile, of course, is pretty notoriously glowing, but I often wonder if it is disingenuous. The bad rumors have to spring from somewhere, and it certainly isn't Thomas' smile and public persona.
   
2. Even sports announcers need some time to get back into "game shape." Jay Williams was calling the game on ESPNU and got a lot of things wrong.
   
3. UNC may play three players 6'9" or taller more than 50% of the time. It looks like freshmen John Henson (6'10") and David and Travis Wear (both 6'10") will all get some time at the three. With a young and somewhat, depleted backcourt, all three should see considerable minutes as the season wears on. Both Wears will also join Deon Thompson (6'9"), Ed Davis (6'10"), and Tyler Zeller (7'0") in the frontcourt. Even though these six only make up half of UNC's potential rotation, they account for well over half of the talent.
   
4. Tyler Zeller's post moves are extremely quick and decisive. Zeller looked really good at the start of last season (before the injury), and it looks like he's only improving. I keep hearing about an outside game that I haven't seen much of though. If he plays with from the triple-threat position with the same decisiveness that he shows with his back to the basket, he could be a very valuable seven-footer.
   
5. Ed Davis' post moves, on the other hand, are fairly slow and elaborate. They're no less effective. Davis went 5-for-8 from the field with 13 total points, 11 boards, and four blocks.
   
6. Turnovers could be problematic but...
   
7. Not for Larry Drew Two. Even though the Heels had 26 turnovers as a team, Drew II only accounted for two of them in 21 minutes of play. Many of them came from fast breaks that Drew II wasn't involved with for some reason or another. Drew II also had six dimes, some of which looked pretty classy.
   
8. There is a facebook group called "Larry Drew II: Electric Boogaloo," and I'm invited. (Technically, I learned this after the game but only by about half an hour, and I thought it was still relevant information.)
   
9. John Henson could be incredible. His stat line isn't immediately impressive (4 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block), but it's obviously very well-rounded and a good sign of things to come. I did not learn if he does any cool Muppet voices.
   
10. This is Deon Thompson and Marcus Ginyard's team. Since Marcus Ginyard put on the red shirt midway through last season, there's been a lot of talk about his leadership role on this year's team, so that's no surprise. Thompson's role, on the other hand, was questionable before tonight, but with 20 points on 7-for-11 shooting and 10 rebounds – 6 offensive – it looks like his role is becoming a little clearer. Thompson may very well be the centerpiece of this team.
    

Event of the Week:

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is out tomorrow.

I’m [a] PC

Last week most of my classes were discussing religion in the modern world. Many of our conversations touched on or even revolved around the US Constitution – particularly the Bill of Rights – probably, in part, due to the fact that we read one article by Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, who some of my students assumed was a lady – I don't know why.

In that process, we also came upon a number of questions about how far one citizen's rights go, whether that right is to practice religion, "bear arms," free expression, or what have you.

I, of course, being an English professor, part-time journalist, and occasional writer, am most interested in the questions of free speech or expression.

In fact, looking back, I'd guess that I've attempted to steer about 80% of my classroom discussions towards that topic at one moment or another. (Often it's while we're discussing obscenity.)

But I didn't have to do much steering while we discussed an article about the French "veil law," which restricts students in French public schools from wearing obvious religious clothing or symbols. On its surface, this law is about freedom of religion, but there are some deeper connections to freedom of expression as well (insomuch as practicing religion occasionally requires expression).

At some point, a student questioned why this restriction of religion/expression was so strange for students in public schools considering it's essentially required of their teachers. The answer is multi-faceted, but suffice it to say that I do not, as a teacher at a state-funded university, have what I would consider "free speech."

But I'm not alone. For multiple reasons, American free speech is curtailed every day.

Larry Johnson presents a good example. His NFL career is essentially over because of his free expression of his thoughts – in this case a gay slur and insubordination.

Ultimately, the restrictions on free speech are myriad, and very few people possess truly free speech.

Mark Cuban seems very close. It's tough to be pro-steroids – or even ambiguous about steroids – in our current discursive community. But I'm betting he pulls it off.

In the end, it may be that approaching truly free speech requires either a wealth of importance or a wealth of unimportance.

Beyond Cuban and just a few other exceptions, the only people I've heard talk openly about the potential triviality of steroid use in sports are the meaningless, unimportant fans.

Quote of the Week:

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

First Amendment

Sometimes a Slimer is just a Slimer.

It must be a slow sports day when Sportscenter leads with a soccer story, recycles a two-week old feature about Drew Brees' pregame antics (which I can't believe I can't find), and comes up with a bullshit excuse for a "Top 10."

Even though it's a slow sports day, I still want to write a blog, so I'm going to write about a dream I had the other morning.

The dream happened Monday morning and was interrupted by my alarm clock. (It's a clock radio.) I very rarely remember any of my dreams, so when I do wake up mid-dream, I usually spend my first ten to fifteen waking moments recreating and cementing the dream's details, like apples in fruitcake. I'd guess this process occasionally leads to some half-truths and embellishments, but at any rate, here's how I remember the dream:

I was holding individual student conferences, which I did just last week in my waking hours. Essentially, I meet with each of my students – usually in my office – on a brief but individual basis in lieu of teaching class for a couple of days.

But, instead of being in my office or anywhere on campus, for that matter, the conferences were taking place in my childhood bedroom in my mother's house. I was even in my childhood bunk beds, though I didn't notice if they were rocking my Ninja Turtle sheets.

Here's a few other details I remember about the dream:

• My mom was there and would pop her head in to announce students on occasion.
  
• I was using a cell phone with Blue Tooth as another means to announce students' presence. But it wasn't my phone because it was a flip phone and mine's a slider. I've also never worn a Blue Tooth earpiece in my life except, now, in my dreams.
  
• It took place over two separate days. I distinctly remember having some conferences, then going to sleep, and waking up for some other conferences. For this practice, the bed was particularly convenient. Waking up in dreams is curious, at least, and is often used in sci-fi movies, etc. to symbolize our own tenuous relations with reality. (We can blame Descartes for that, as well as for superscript.)
  

I awoke "for reals" fairly quickly after waking in the dream, but I did have time for one conference on the morning of the second day, which is, of course, the one conference I remember the most.

This particular conference was with Slimer – from Ghostbusters. I know it was Slimer because he called me before coming to my room, and the Ghostbusters logo popped up on "my" phone under his name.

But, when Slimer got to my room, he wasn't Slimer. He was just a really big dude dressed in all-white with a white Batman-ears mask on – not the whole mask, just the ears. But this guy obviously thought he was Slimer because he kept trying to walk through walls. In fact, when the dream ended, he was just bouncing around in my doorjamb like some sort of video game character who found the outer edges of the programmed game world.

And then I woke up.

I think every good dream story starts out kind of normal, then gets progressively weirder, and finally ends with "and then I woke up."

I suppose they could also end with a trip to a psychologist.

I'm guessing a Freudian psychoanalysis – though those hardly exist anymore – would probably explain this dream as an oedipal representation of my fear of inadequacy as a teacher, especially considering my mom, herself a teacher, was there but only fleetingly, and I was, for lack of a better term, trapped in my childhood, since I couldn't leave my bed.

Or a Lacanian psychoanalysis – which might be slightly more in vogue – would probably say that the dream represents my desire to forego my responsibilities as a teacher in order to return to some sort of childlike fantasy world, where ghosts dress up like Batman, but neither they nor, again, my mother can actually be reached, since neither can get through my doorway.

I'm not particularly keen on overwrought dream analysis, particularly considering they can be interpreted in any number of ways. I prefer to simply blame the dream on what was on my mind at the time:

• My student conferences because they just happened last week.
  
• My childhood room because I'd just stayed there last weekend, after which I brought home my fish tank, which shared that room with my bunk beds for years.
  
• My crappy slider cell phone because it keeps buying things from my pocket since the keypad lock works like a high school curfew.
  
• And a poorly rendered Slimer because I'd spent Sunday morning watching a large portion of Michel Gondry's Be Kind Rewind, in which rapper-turned-actor Mos Def dresses in a makeshift Slimer costume to stage an amateur re-filming of Ghostbusters.
  

Quote of the Week:

"Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar."

This quote is often attributed to Freud, though there's a lot of debate – at least on the interwebs – as to whether he actually ever said it.

A is for abacus

I wish I was a math teacher.

It's been so long since I've had a legitimate math class that I'm not entirely sure how they work anymore. (Seriously, what the hell could you talk about for 75 straight minutes?) But I do know math teachers don't have to grade hundreds of essays every semester.

Here's a quick math lesson:

I have almost 125 students (since a few have left for greener pastures). Each of my 125 students will write four different essays before this semester concludes. Each of my 125 students' four different essays will go through at least two drafts. Both drafts of my 125 students' four different essays will be at least two or three pages long.

So, at a bare minimum, I should have read at least 2,000 pages of fantastically crafted student writing between International Beer Day and Christmas.

Let's have even more fun with numbers:

Each of my 125 students has been charged with writing a blog. I expect those 125 students to write an average of two blog entries per week. Each of my 125 students' two blog entries per week is supposed to be about 250-words – or one Microsoft-Word-page – long. These same 125 students are responsible for two page-long blog entries per week for the better part of one 15-week long semester.

So, considering the average student-slacking ebb and flow, I should have read approximately 3,750 pages of weekend adventure recaps, exam-week cram-session reports, and long-distance-relationship sob stories between bikini and parka seasons.

If I add in the low-ball-estimated 1,000 pages of in-class writing assignments and 250-pages worth of student emails that I expect to read this semester, I should have read a very-roughly-figured 7,000 pages of student writing between Charles' birthday and Bryan's.

And, if I happen to manage my time a little better, I will have written more than these two complaint-ridden pages of blogging between my previous entry and the December-tenth last day of the semester. But, for now, this will have to suffice.

Event of the Week:

In lieu of teaching classes this week, I'll be meeting with each of my 125 students on an individual basis to discuss the essays that they're currently working on. While this means that I'll have to do a lot of the aforementioned reading in the next few days, it also means that I get to see all of my students in a little more personal setting. Individual-conference weeks are usually some of my favorite of the semester.

Blogrule

Sports officials are always "cracking down" on something. In recent years, basketball refs have gotten tougher on carrying and other traveling violations. MLB umps are evidently looking more scrupulously at neighborhood plays. NFL officials are taking a closer look at ball control on end zone catches, which has already had a drastic effect on at least one game.

In college football, however, the hot-button issue for officials over the past few years has been sportsmanship. Now, I can't say I blame them when things like the "LeGarrette Punch" happen, but sportsmanship has to have a limit, a point at which winning becomes, if not desirable, at least acceptable. I don't know if the officials truly understand this, though. After watching the first couple scores of the UNC/ECU game Saturday, I felt like that game's refs expected the players to be ashamed of their successes.

In the first quarter of the game, both teams scored a touchdown and both teams subsequently scored an excessive celebration penalty, but neither of the scoring players or any of the offensive players really did much more than run around the end zone and maybe give a chest bump or two. Both were the sort of celebration you might see after a third-and-ten conversion. There weren't any cell phones, sharpies, or popcorn involved. Nobody inducted themselves into the Hall of Fame. There wasn't even a Dikembe Mutombo finger wag. All told, the celebrations were pretty lame.

After the second call, one of the ESPN announcers smartly called the two penalties "excessive officiating," which I'm willing to concede.

On their face, these calls are simply about sportsmanship and a (possibly antiquated) understanding about respect for the game. But there's also a free speech issue here, something that's come up in passing in some of my class discussions about different Englishes. I know that I just blogged about these discussions, but I love the fact that we're even having them and that my students seem legitimately interested in the outcome especially considering that free speech is essentially a necessity for any sort of successful university to actually exist.

At any rate, the most relevant question for this post is this: how do we draw the line between steadfast rules and space for creativity?

Or, considering all the emotion surrounding and infused in college football, would the game really be that much worse off with an occasional Lambeau Leap?

Event of the Week:

Halo 3: ODST launch on Tuesday. Maybe it's because I'm busier now and potentially less "tapped in," but this seems like the quietest Halo launch since, well, ever. Even the first one, which I'd barely heard of at the time, had a huge launch party since it was synonymous with the release of the original Xbox.

Scribblenots

In between my three jobs and sleep, I've found a little bit of time to play the new WB Games game Scribblenauts. Since one of my colleagues has already reviewed it for the Star-News
blog, I figured I'd write a little about it here because I have...thoughts.

Firstly, the concept of the game is really the best part (and really appeals to my profession).

Scribblenauts is a puzzle game where the player tries to reach "starites," which are just stars, on various different levels. To do this, the player can literally materialize things onto the screen by writing the name of those things. So, for example, if you write "ladder" a ladder shows up on the screen and can be interacted with in various ways.

So, conceptually, the game is all about creativity, puzzles, and vocabulary, all things I'm a fan of.

But there is a bit of a flaw in the game's conceptual space.

Oddly enough, the issue arises out of something that we've been talking about in most of my classes: different Englishes. After reading Amy Tan's essay "Mother Tongue," we had conversations about how we communicate differently based on who we're talking to. For example, I might tell Bryan that he just said something stupid, but I would never say that to my students. The final result is that people develop different vocabularies and have different ways of communicating the same thing.

(By the way, most of my students wrote about their different Englishes in their blogs.)

Different Englishes become a problem for Scribblenauts because there's no way to know what the developers had in mind for a particular word that players might type in. For the most part, results are predictable, but more than once I've been completely surprised (and usually disappointed) by the object produced by one of my scribbled words. At these moments, the game is essentially a guessing game.

Generally, this isn't a considerable problem but more an exercise in both creative thinking and/or minor frustration.

Other times...

Question of the Week:

If you could materialize anything out of thin air, what would it be?

My take: Right now, I'd love some sort of machine to grade these 125 student essays I've received over the past few days. Or maybe just my own TA.

Honor roll

With MJ going into the Hall of Fame today, Sportscenter has pretty much been Michael Jordan central all day – that and Boomer-ville.

I don't know if this was a coincidence, but Rick Reilly made a rare appearance as an SC anchor last night for the LA version. In talking about Jordan, Reilly suggested that the NBA should just completely retire Jordan's #23, a la the MLB and Jackie Robinson's 52 or the NHL and Wayne Gretzky's 99.

Arguments tend to be polarizing: before he mentioned anything, I would have disagreed with Reilly about an NBA-wide ban of the number 23, but since he brought it up, I've decided I'm totally against the idea of retiring jerseys.

According to legend (or stories I heard growing up), MJ wore the number 23 because he was half the man of his older brother, who wore number 45. But a ton of basketball players growing up the 90s – including LeBron James – had a different reason to wear number 23: Michael Jordan.

It was the whole premise of a Gatorade advertising campaign. Part of wanting to "be like Mike" meant wearing the number 23. If the NBA retires his jersey number, then that dream is denied.

That's why I think MJ is the poster child for why jersey numbers shouldn't be retired. Sure, it'd be nice to honor Jordan with a league-wide remembrance of the greatest player that ever lived, but that's all it would be, a remembrance.

But, what we've got now, with the Lebrons and the Jason Richardsons and the Jodie Meeks of the world, is a whole generation of basketball players who want to "be like Mike" in any way possible, and one of those ways is to wear his number. To me, that's a better way to honor His Airness. If imitation really is the sincerest form of flattery, then isn't it also the sincerest way to honor a legend? Of course the NBA wants to honor MJ's number – think about all the money he brought to the league – but I find it much more compelling and meaningful when young players choose to honor him.

UNC, where MJ played his college ball, has a pretty strict requirement for jersey number retirement: National Player of the Year honors. Considering that, there are only seven jersey numbers that are technically retired, though dozens of Carolina players arguably deserve it. (Tyler Hansbrough's #50 will be the eighth.) Instead, UNC has simply honored the jersey numbers of 36 deserving players, meaning that current players can still use their numbers. If UNC used that policy with all of their deserving players, then Rashad McCants – instead of wearing #32 – could have worn the jersey number of his childhood idol: Michael Jordan.

Question of the Week:

What's the last CD you bought?

My take: Blueprint 3. There are less than a handful of musical artists whose work I purposefully own. Jay-Z is on the top of the list. Behind him: Robin Thicke and Lupe Fiasco.

That blog won’t hunt

The MLB regular season is pretty much donzo, and it saddens me that it seems to have come particularly early this year.

The only races that are anything close to resembling competitive are the Wild Cards and the Western divisions. So, you know, who cares? Anything past the Central Time Zone isn't really worth keeping up with. (Plus, the NL Wild Card race is pretty much the same as the race for second place in the NL West.)

Technically, there are only two teams who cannot possible make the playoffs: the Washington Nationals and the Kansas City Royals. (Though Baltimore and Pittsburgh are each one game away.)

I don't know why I thought that would be a good blog topic. It really wasn't.

The ACC looked pretty miserable in the first week of college football, with a few exceptions. It started Thursday, when NC State lost to South Carolina with a low baseball score. Then Wake Forest lost to Baylor at home. Duke and Virginia both lost to FCS teams named the Spiders and the Tribe, respectively, which is just unfortunate. Then, in what was probably the biggest hit, Virginia Tech lost to Alabama in primetime on Saturday night, ending the ACC's only real glimmer of hope for a national championship.

I suppose the weekend ended with a bit of a bang, but it was a pretty sad affair otherwise.

Not as sad, of course, as Oklahoma's season essentially evaporating.

I know it's been a minute since it happened, but I do want to touch on the opening night shenanigans. Two things: (1) it sucks that LeGarrette Blount's career pretty much ended with one hit (and that it will end on a year in which he has a total of -5 rushing yards) and (2) Byron Hout's career, sad as it might be, should be over as well. Hout was certainly the instigator and, in my mind, the asshole of the situation. Blount's actions, though certainly not ideal, were considerably more civilized and understandable than Hout's.

Quote of the Week:

"It's like a hangover that lasts more than one day."

Brad Gilbert on Andy Murray's loss at the US Open.

Fluish

Most teenagers think they're invincible.

I'm not a teenager, but I couldn't remember the last time I was sick, so as far as being ill is concerned, I seem to have considered myself invincible for some time now.

As few but Bryan know, this isn't the first time I've been wrong.

My Monday night ended with a cough. But I woke up on Tuesday feeling fine. I was in my office by 11, waiting for my classes to start at 12:30. Between those two temporal flagpoles, my capacity to function was severely diminished. I had gotten sick.

It was what the university is calling "influenza-like illness (ILI)," and as far as illnesses go, it's certainly influenza-like.

I went home and basically died on my couch – for about four hours – during which time, I was literally rapt with fever. I eventually managed that, but I still felt like Satan's punching bag, so I missed my Wednesday classes as well.

After that, I started feeling better (though not well enough to blog). The worst of it lasted only about 24 hours, but I'm still left with my initial warning sign – a cough – and it appears to be getting worse rather than better. It's not a fun thing to teach with a sore throat in a classroom that still relies on chalkboards.

At any rate, I've survived, and my sense of invincibility has retreated to a more reliable, probably safer degree.

I'll probably skip Monday's blog, too, since it is a holiday and all.

Question of the Week:

What would be the best Marvel/Disney team-up or collaboration? Here are some suggestions.

My take: Hercules meets Hercules could work. Ariel from The Little Mermaid and the Sub-Mariner. Forge from the X-Men and Tron. The Lion King and the Black Panther. But seriously, any Pixar and Marvel collaboration would be awesome.

Can I give a shout out?

My right-hand-side blog list is currently longer than the sum of my last seven posts. (As soon as I upped this post, that last statement lost all its truthishness.) Mostly that means that I've added most of my students' blogs to my blog list. It also means I'm doing a lot more reading than writing right now.

I'm already impressed by what this semester's crop of students is doing with their blogs, and most of them have less than three posts. I'm going to run through some of the ones that have caught my eye so far, give some students their propers. This is by no means an exhaustive list of the good blogs that my students have created; it's just a short list.

I have to start with Justin's poorly-titled Zack's Gamer Blog. Justin must have read my mind before creating his blog because it's a very video-game-centric blog, replete with Halo music and Star Wars: The Old Republic news. I think Justin really tapped into the baseline goal of the internet: to encourage geeks to communicate with each other.

Ellen posted some nice fifth-grade level riddles, for any riddle fans. I'm a sucker for a clever riddle.

For some reason, I really like the look of this blog entry from Jessica. Maybe I'm just nostalgic for storybook days, but the different-colored opening letters for each paragraph really made me happy.

Emma posted a pretty good story on Friday. She also already has some non-class-related followers, which is good to see. I like it when my students invite their friends and/or families to read their blogs. If only I convince my mother to read mine.

I told most of my classes that they should use a feature of day/week like I do, so they could get into a routine. Nicki has ambitiously decided to post a picture every day. So far, they're all pictures that she's taken, which is pretty cool. I hope she keeps it up. The daily post is a little daunting.

Generally speaking, the first introduction that I have with these blogs is their titles. A few of my students have come up with pretty sweet titles. I really like Melanie's Blog: Mel, for some reason, and it looks like she's carrying that titling schematic over to her individual posts. Alex put a Chris Farley reference into his blog title: The Motivational Blogger...Blogging in a Van Down by the River. Very classy. I also like Julia's bling blang pow. Plus, she references Venture Bros. creator Jackson Publick's blog.

There's a bunch of other good titles, but there's some highlights.

So, far a good portion of my students seem really interested or even excited about blogging. I just hope it continues.

A couple other notes:

Disney bought Marvel. That might be blog fodder for Wednesday.

The Batman: Arkham Asylum review is up, and it is glowing.

Event of the Week:

College football starts Thursday night with, amongst other games, South Carolina at NC State. Secondary EotW to Saturday, when all sorts of college football aims to happen, including (5) Alabama at (7) V. Tech.

Effin’ cry

Family Guy's cool. I like it. But it may be a little over-syndicated at this point.

Let me begin, as they say, at the beginning.

I've been a Family Guy fan since jump street. I'm often proud to admit that I used to tape – as in VHS tape – Family Guy because it was on opposite Friends, a show to which I was very devoted at the time. At one point, I think I had the "entire series" on VHS since it was, at the time, cancelled. I think I even signed a petition (back in my petition-signing days) vying for Family Guy's return during its brief hiatus.

So, I like the series. (I was also Stewie for Halloween one year.)

But here's the thing: On Mondays and Tuesdays in Wilmington, Family Guy is on seven times on three different networks (FOX, TBS, Cartoon Network). That's a potential four and a half hours I could spend watching Family Guy on those two nights. (It's also on at least three times every other weekday.)

When that's coupled with the fact that the show often relies on repetitive jokes – like Peter's fights with the chicken or Conway Twitty – or excessively drawn-out jokes – like when Peter hurts his knee or the second appearance of Conway Twitty – the cycle becomes almost unbearable.

This Family Guy syndication schedule makes me feel like my dad caught me smoking and made me smoke 20 cartons of cigarettes as punishment. At first, I'm loving it because I want to smoke anyway, but after a carton or two, I just can't put up with anymore.

This constant syndication has essentially made me want to quit Family Guy, especially considering the forthcoming Cleveland Show and American Dad, which surpassed Family Guy as my favorite Seth McFarlane show some time during last season.

I'm still stoked for the next season of Family Guy, but I'm now fed up with every other one.

Question of the Week:

What show can you watch the most of?

My take: I can watch Sportscenter pretty much all day, except Mondays during football season. Also Arrested Development.

Named

I have 125 students this semester, which is 150% more than I've had in the past. But I still feel like I need to know all of their names. I kind of thought that I'd take forever – maybe literally – to learn all 125 names, but I feel like I may be at about halfway already.

Here's the thing, though: I only really "know" a good portion of the students' names while in class. When I'm in class, I have clues, like where they're sitting or who they're not, to help me identify them. But outside of class, my students are just one of the hundreds of people I pass on campus on any given day.

That doesn't mean I wouldn't recognize my students already. By now, I could probably recognize about 90% of my students outside of class, but I'd only be able to name about 10% of my students in a non-classroom setting.

I'd guess it works retroactively, too. I have a really hard time remembering names of my former students when I see them around, but I'm sure if I got a whole group back in a classroom, I'd be able to name most of them. Maybe not.

I've had a hard time "staying current" this week, since I do have students again. When I don't have time to read/watch news stuff, my blogging tends to suffer. I apologize for the sub-par blogging week.

Quote of the Week:

One of my favorite quotes of all time:

Dorothy Parker was asked to use the word "horticulture" in a sentence. She responded:

"You can lead a horticulture, but you can't make her think."

Fifth estate

I'm not feeling very bloggy today, so this'll be short.

I feel the need to mention Holly's wedding, which was Saturday, since Holly was one of the original blog readers so many years ago. It was at Belmont Estate in Reidsville, NC. Somehow I ended up talking to one of the owners. I asked him if the place used to be a plantation. He said it was a "working farm." I don't get the need for the distinction, but evidently there is one.

That guy's (business) partner evidently still lives upstairs in the house, but he was the emcee and DJ for the evening and kind of a tool about it. He did a "play-by-play" of the cake cutting, which wasn't easily viewable by a good percentage of the party. I guess when you live in an event center, you lose touch with what counts as play-by-playable events.

It was a good weekend though, and I got to revisit Chapel Hill, which is always entertaining for me.

The Cardinals played a very useful game last night.

John Smoltz pitched well in his Cardinal debut. He even struck out a record seven in a row on his way to 9 Ks through 5 innings. That means that 60% of his recorded outs were strikeouts. Pretty impressive.

Despite Smoltz outing, the Cardinals used five different relievers in the game, two of which earned holds. The hold is such a weird statistic.

Also, Pujols hit his 40^th HR on the year. He's good at baseball.

Event of the Week:

My students start blogging Wednesday, so I should put up an enormous list of their blogs before the week is out.

The only ten I see

I've recently become one of the few, if not the only, Madden NFL 10 detractors in the gaming press.

The proverbial "word on the street" is that Madden 10 is the most realistic football experience EVAR!

I have at least a few issues with that statement. Here are some:

1. If we consider this statement to be based exclusively on graphical excellence – as fidelity to reality often is in video game discussion – then every consecutive version of Madden should theoretically be the most realistic football experience ever. Graphics are always dependent on technology, and technology has, over the course of human history, consistently amassed weapons against its former selves (with a few historical exceptions like the era of the Black Plague or the Dark Ages). Even Bryan, who falls closer to casual than hardcore on the casual-to-hardcore-gamer continuum, realizes that continuous graphics improvements are less an achievement and more a necessity in video game franchises.
   
2. Despite the existence of the FOX Reality Channel, a FOX broadcast should by no means be the high water mark for what actually counts as reality. As far as I can tell, EA Tiburon tried harder than ever to make the Madden experience feel like the watching-football-on-TV experience. But this game doesn't make me feel like I'm playing football. I really doubt that Ed Reed sits down and watches Chris Berman and Tom Jackson during halftime of a game. And if I wanted to do that – if I wanted to watch football – I would. It's on seven months out of the year.
   
3. I'm willing to admit that my recent love affair with NCAA Football 10 has probably colored my perception of Madden 10, but I'm not willing to admit that this is a problem. The problem is that Madden has no more legitimate NFL game comparisons. In other words, I have no problem with this statement: "Madden 10 is the most realistic NFL gaming experience this year." But that's very hollow praise. Instead, I think that Madden 10 should be compared to NCAA 10, as well as previous Maddens, as well as other legitimate franchises like NFL Fever or NFL 2K, which Madden unceremoniously slaughtered mid-decade, leaving room only for painfully trite niche football games like Blitz: The League or Black College Football: The Xperience. And in that pantheon of football games, Madden 10 probably sits right above the median, with the upper echelon filled primarily with previous Madden games.
   

The bottom line is this: the upgrades in this year's edition were negligible at best (gang tackling, moving towels, semi-useful online franchise mode), but the downgrades are many and glaring (scaled-down play calling, annoying halftime shows, increased missed tackles, slower gameplay, automated clock runoff, ill-explained rules and settings, sideline Peyton Mannings who look like pigmen). In my mind, there is no way that this year's Madden is an improvement.

Question of the Week:

What's the most disappointing video game you've ever played?

My take: I'd like to say Hour of Victory because it was one of the worst video games I ever played, but I didn't really expect much, so I wasn't exactly disappointed. So, probably Lord of the Rings: Conquest. I'd really hoped that could live up to its Star Wars: Battlefront heritage, but it just didn't.

Bronze, at best

I'm not sure that I can put my disappointment with Madden 10 into words – though I'm going to try later today when I review it for the other blog. It's just philosophically flawed (amongst other things). It feels like it suffers from an identity crisis.

I'm going to stop writing about that now, so I can save my harsh words for my review because it's gold, Jerry, gold.

Brett Favre's back. Surprise! He's also soon to be back in Madden 10, along with Michael Vick. And by soon, I mean possibly now or at least now adjacent. Two things about this: (1) I might care more about Favre and especially Vick if I still wanted to play Madden, but I don't. (2) EA moved very seamlessly and clandestinely from last year's NBA Live feature Live 365 to an era where every game has updated rosters, which are semi-mandatory and semi-hard-to-find. After the NBA season started, though, Bryan and I were both pretty adamant that the updated roster feature should be absolutely standard, like breathing or something.

By the way, I'm typing a blog post during a class for the first time in months, and it's not turning out to be very coherent.

John Smoltz is "strongly leaning" towards signing with the Cardinals, and why not? Their offense has been clicking lately, and he'll get to work with one of the best pitching coaches in the league. Plus, the Cards will get some bullpen help, which they seem to need less and less as the team starts to gel, but it can't hurt.

Yeah, not very coherent at all.

Quote of the Week:

"Hanson never saw it coming."

An unnamed source about Raiders head coach Tom Cable punching assistant coach Randy Hanson. According to every official Raiders source since, he never saw it coming because it never actually happened.

Leftovers

This'll probably just be a quick spastic blog about highlights from the 5^th annual Sherrick Pig Pickin'.

The "event" is technically on Saturday, but the Friday night festivities have gone through a disproportionate growth in attendance – compared to Saturday. The necessity for a Friday night party rose out of the issues of grilling a whole pig at eight in the morning. Basically, we invited a group of people who we knew would get up and put in work to make the party on Saturday happen. Then we started having so much fun that more and more people started coming up on Friday. This year, we had maybe 20 or so on Friday and only added a few stay-over guests on Saturday. It takes a lot of commitment to go in for the whole weekend, and it looks like our general population commitment level is rising rapidly.

Pops wanted to put the pig on earlier this year – about the same time we did for the first Pig Pickin'. It ended up being a little dry – about like the pig from the first Pig Pickin'.

Non Sig Eppers won the annual wiffle ball game this year – supposedly for the first time ever (so far Sig Eppers have been the ones keeping records). I'm not naming names, but somebody had a bases-loaded AB with two outs in the final inning of a three-run game and blew it. Austin had a great diving stop and base tag at the hot corner – easily the play of the game.

This was our first year with a live band. Everybody reported enjoying that, especially the band.

I met a lot of new people this year, which I think is a good sign. In previous years, I've always known pretty much everybody, but it was nice to have some fresh faces around.

Thanks to everybody who came out and made it happen, and if you didn't make it this year, there's always the next one.

Event of the Week:

UNCW classes start Wednesday. I get to meet a bunch of new students (roughly 125) and begin another semester of ruining young minds.

B.

Not much blog today because I've got an all-day meeting at UNCW. But I did want to finish the "of the week" features.

Question of the Week:

When was the last time you were excited about work?

My take: Certainly not today since I'll be in meeting for the next 7 or 8 hours. But, yesterday I was writing up a syllabus and was actually pretty excited to start teaching again.

Happy Pig Pickin' weekend.

Here I come

I've been grappling with the idea of writing a blog in the style of a late night monologue for a few weeks now. Basically the idea is to talk about a bunch of snippets of news content and follow each with a joke. I'm going to write it like a Conan O'Brien monologue – with his speech patterns and such – because I watch his show the most, but I'm guessing it'll turn out to be about as funny as a Jimmy Fallon monologue. We'll see.

As you probably know, Michael Vick has served his sentence and is now looking to return to the NFL. And insiders are saying that Vick is very close to signing with an NFL team. Some football experts are saying that Vick would be the perfect fit in a newly popularized formation: the wilddog offense.

Speaking of the NFL, the newest version of the Madden football game will be released this Friday. That's right, and nerds, dorks, and geeks across the globe are really excited about this. Not because they'll get to play the newest video game, but because it's the one weekend a year when all the jocks will be playing video games, so the nerds, dorks, and geeks can roam the streets freely.

Xbox Live just released a mandatory update for all Xbox 360 consoles connected to Xbox Live. One of the new features is the avatar marketplace. How it works is that Xbox Live subscribers can pay real money just to dress up their virtual selves in new clothes. Well, now this business model has begun to attract some attention, and other stores are following Microsoft's lead. Earlier today, I tried to go into a Banana Republic, but it cost me $50 just to get in the door.

Another new feature of the update is the ability to purchase and download full versions of recent Xbox 360 games. It turns out some of the games are actually priced pretty fairly and are actually pretty good deals. Yeah, but the problem is that the digital games are so huge and take up so much hard drive space that to you actually have to buy a new hard drive every time you want to download another game.

Some of you may have heard of the scandal surrounding Louisville men's basketball coach Rick Pitino. It turns out he had an affair and then gave the woman money to help pay for an abortion. Yeah, this is true. Pitino said he didn't want to pay for an abortion, but she threatened that if he didn't, she would raise their kid to be a Kentucky fan.

How many of you watched the show Prison Break. (Hold for applause.) Wow, there were like six of you. Well anyhow, the show has been canceled but it looks like the series might continue in a video game. But unlike in the show, the goal of the game is to actually break into prison. This is true. Yeah, the goal of the game is to find the only place in the world where people actually watched the show Prison Break.

As some of you may know, gaming magazine EGM recently stopped printing their traditional magazine. So, to fulfill their existing subscriptions, they sent the men's magazine Maxim to all of their subscribers instead. Well, it turns out, that some mom's weren't so happy about their sons receiving Maxim in place of a magazine about video games. Yeah, apparently, they didn't want their sons to stare at unrealistic and unattainable women all day.

Tonight 37-year-old Pedro Martinez makes his return to Major League Baseball when he starts a game for the Philadelphia Phillies. He's 37 years old. But the crazy thing is that he's replacing Jamie Moyer, who's even older than Martinez, in the Phillies' starting rotation. It turns out Moyer isn't too happy about being replaced. Yeah, Moyer said he hasn't been this upset since his team lost the World Series to the Chicago Cubs.

Quote of the Week:

Hank Hill: "Bobby, vegetarians can't be trusted. Just last week we caught one of them siphoning gas out of a company truck."

This isn't a particularly recent quote, but I heard it on King of the Hill last night and decided it was a go.

Event of the Day: the premiere of the Event of the Week

There were a couple of fun ejections in MLB yesterday. One was in the Cardinals/Pirates game, when Pirates reliever Matt Capps plunked Pujols in the first at bat after Skip Schumaker hit a two-run HR off of Capps. Here's the ejection. The ump was really quick to toss Capps, which seemed kind of weird since there wasn't any bad blood in the series – that I saw. The ump hadn't given a warning during that game. One of the Pittsburgh commentators said, "Well, you can't hit a superstar – apparently."

I wonder if there is a legitimate superstar effect in these situations. Pujols may be the most transparent case: he already has 36 intentional walks through only 111 games. I think any time he gets hit, an umpire has to wonder if that's just another way to avoid a Pujols AB.

I also love Tony La Russa's comments about it, from the MLB.com recap:

"I think he [the umpire] had it exactly right. I think it was an intentional hit and there is no doubt in my mind it came from the bench, and I really believe it didn't come from the manager. Don't ask me to expound on that."

I don't know that I've ever read a single quote that was so blunt, yet so cryptic. I probably should have saved that for Wednesday's Quote of the Week.

The other really strange ejection was when Shane Victorino got thrown out for arguing balls and strikes. Pretty much everybody gets rung for arguing balls and strikes, so that's not a strange thing, but Victorino was doing it from center field. Tim Kurkjian is fond of saying that he sees something different every time he goes to a baseball game. This was a little bit different.

50 Cent was in last week's episode of Entourage so he could make fun of Turtle, and 50's already lined up another cameo that is relevant to my interests. Evidently, the forthcoming Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is stocking its multiplayer mode with celebrity voice cameos, and 50 has been confirmed. Here are some cameos I'd like to see in the game: Woody Allen as the voice of characters near death, Quentin Tarantino as a squad leader, Larry David as a guy who's out of ammo, and Gilbert Gottfried as the best player in each game. Those voices may not bring the same sort of grit as a 50 Cent or Keifer Sutherland and Gary Oldman (who were in Call of Duty: World at War), but they should could play their parts – and be hilarious.

Event of the Week:

I probably couldn't have picked a better week to start the Event of the Week feature since the 5^th Annual Pig Pickin' is only 5+ days away. If this feature were, instead, the Event of the Year, the Pig Pickin' would probably win. As a lead up to this weekend's festivities, this happened:

Q&A

I'm not sure why I don't respond to your responses, as Trevor pointed out in his response to Wednesday's blog. I can vaguely remember having a reason not to at some point, but that reason has since become irrelevant and forgotten. So, from here on out, I will make a conscious effort to respond to your responses, assuming they merit a response.

Response.

Usually, I'll just respond with my own comments in the comment section. (Maybe I won't even have to do a word verification since it's my own blog.) However, since Trevor's comment(s) raised a number of issues, I'm going to respond this time with an entire blog. It's also just an easy blog topic, which is nice.

Before I start the answering, let me say that this is exactly the type of conversation I've always hoped to stir up with the "What should I do with the blog?" questions. As any good writer ... er writing instructor will tell you, understanding audience is a crucial aspect of effective writing. I feel like I understand Bryan (plus I talk to him every day), and I have a reasonable understanding of Matthew, but beyond that, I don't know who is reading and what they want. That's why I ask the questions.

Now for some answers:

1. I do read your blog responses. I get an email from Blogger every time somebody responds to my blog. Assuming I have internet access and am running Microsoft Outlook, I get a desktop notice every time I get an email. So, I usually read your responses pretty quickly after you respond. The emails with blog comments are usually my favorite emails.
   
   
2. I don't agree that my lack of response to your comments precludes community. After reading your response, I decided that this blog has already created a community. The fact that Trevor and I communicate pretty exclusively through this blog proves that. A community is a place where people go to communicate about certain things. In my mind, there isn't a set number of communications that have to take place before that place becomes a community. At any rate, what I should have said is that I would have liked a bigger community.
   
   
3. At a further rate, I'm still totally down with the community aspect of this blog, but it also has other, potentially more important purposes for me now, namely:
   
   
   1. To prod me to write regularly. If I believe my own teaching, the best way to become a better writer is to write.
      
      
   2. To set an example for my students who are all required to blog.
      
      
   3. To showcase my writing skills to potential employers. It's not much proof, but at least I can put it on my résumé.
      

   These are some of the reasons I'm willing and partially excited about letting the QotD – blog starter though it was – take a bit of a back seat for now.
   

4. Another reason I'm considering chilling the QotDs is that not many people are answering them, even if they do respond to the blog. One of the QotD's purposes was to encourage response, but if you folks are responding to the blog in general without need for a question, then that purpose seems less valid.
   
   
5. With that in mind, I will begin test driving a new feature format next week. I don't want to devote certain days to particular sports, as Matthew suggested, because there isn't always MLB or NBA news, though there's always NFL news, much to my chagrin. I also don't want to limit my ability/desire to write on other topics, like the state of the blog, video games, or TV. Anyhow, here's what I'll try next week:
   

   Monday: Event of the Week
   Wednesday: Quote of the Week
   Friday: Question of the Week
   
   I'll deal with Tuesdays, Thursdays, and weekends as they come up, if they do.
   

6. I got this picture from MLB.com's Gameday feature. Once I found the at bat I was looking for, I used the print screen button to essentially copy everything on my screen, which I could then paste into whatever – I think I used Paint. From there, I just cropped out the excess, saved it as a .jpeg, and posted it.
   

A few other notes:

If you're the Mets, at some point you have to start thinking about replacing your training staff, right? Just look at their injuries. Ridiculous.

My other blog has undergone a revamping of sorts lately. So, it'll look a little different if you check it out.

Happy early birthday to stat boy who finally turns 21 tomorrow and should be drinking beers at the Milwaukee/Houston series this weekend.

(Possibly the final) QotD:

The NCAA football preseason coaches' poll was unveiled today. What do you think?

My take: Four ACC teams, including my alma mater? I like it. But considering the semester hasn't even started at most -if any - of these schools, it's safe to say that it's still early.

History of the QotD, Part I

I doubt if anyone remembers, but the Question of the Day began on AOL Instant Messenger or AIM, as it's now known. I had, as happens occasionally, given up on the concept of an away/status message, since mine were rarely correct and I didn't really have the patience or interest to change that fact. So, I decided to inject some life into my away messages with the QotD.

The AIM QotDs worked well because, at the time, I communicated with a lot of people specifically through AIM anyhow, so it wasn't much of a stretch for those same people to answer questions through AIM. There were problems, though, like a word limit on away messages and the impermanence of AIM away messages in an era where very little information is actually discarded.

So, I moved the QotD to a blog format on my MySpace blog. I even posted all of the AIM QotDs on one lazy blogging day. The MySpace QotDs worked reasonably well, though I lost a good chunk of my non-habitual responders in the switch. The QotD, for the roughly year and a half that it lived on MySpace, evolved into what was essentially a message board for our small group of fantasy players, et. al.

After about a year hiatus, the QotD phoenixed its way into this blog, which was started, in part, as an example for my students who have since been required to blog. At the time, I revived the QotD without much though, assuming it would be at least as successful as its predecessor on MySpace.

I was wrong. In the time that I've been writing this blog, the QotD has pretty much become a way for Matthew, Bryan, and I to keep in touch.

The thing is: we have cell phones and email and stuff, so that's not really the purpose of the QotD. The purpose was to create a larger community, which it did on AIM and MySpace. At this point, I'm willing to forego the QotD's original purpose, since nothing I seem to do has much effect towards a return. Earlier in my life, I would have been more angry and adamant about my readers responding. There was even a time when I would have considered it stealing if they didn't, though I can't seem to find that time. But, now I suppose I've calmed down about it.

I'm not ready to completely 86 the QotD, but I am willing to evolve it. With that in mind, today's QotD is two-fold:

QotDs:

1. Why don't you respond to the QotD?
   

   My take: I do.
   

2. Would you be more interested in a different blog feature?
   

   My take: Perhaps. I've been kicking around ideas, like Event of the Week, Quote of Week, Question of the Week (of course), Stat of the Week, etc. Each feature could have a specific day, like Event of the Week would probably be a Monday feature to warn you of upcoming cool stuff. The downside, from my perspective, is that these new features wouldn't necessarily be interactive, but from my best estimation, 50% of my readership isn't interactive anyhow.

Let me know what you'd be interested in seeing.

I’ll take that one please

I couldn't think of a blog topic today, so I've decided to write about a single pitch from last night's Cardinals/Astros game in St. Louis.

It was the bottom of the seventh inning, and the Cardinals were down 2-0 but were threatening. The inning started with a Rick Ankiel pop out, but then Mark DeRosa walked and Yadier Molina hit a single, moving DeRosa to third. Julio Lugo struck out for the second out (and that was probably the real problem).

So, with two outs and two on, Joe Thurston pinch hit for Adam Wainwright. Thurston was facing Bud Norris, who was making his first ever Major League start and proving to be a real problem for the Cards. Norris had a little trouble this at bat, though. He started with three straight balls to Thurston.

Of course, Thurston was taking all the way with three balls. Here's a snapshot of the pitches in the at bat. Take a look at pitch #4:

Thurston took the pitch and was already a few steps out of the batter's box when the umpire, Bill Hohn, lazily called the pitch a strike. Norris didn't throw a single pitch in the strike zone during the AB, but Thurston ended up swinging at the next two pitches, ending the inning and the Cards' last legitimate scoring opportunity.

The sole called strike was a bad call, but the fact that it came so late was like getting a speeding ticket after you've already parked in your own driveway. I usually don't like complaining about officiating because I understand that they're human too and I generally like that aspect of human error penetrating every portion of the game. But, when an umpire or a ref makes any sort of delay before blowing a call, it looks, to me, like they're unsure of the call themselves and are therefore more likely to actually be wrong. I suppose it's just about acting confident about the calls even if they're not.

I'm proud of myself for creating that screenshot of the Thurston AB and getting it into the blog. If that hadn't been possible, I probably would have just skipped blogging today.

QotD:

What percentage of sports officiating should we relegate to computers, replays, etc.?

My take: I'd say no more than 22%. Again, I'm perfectly fine with human error factoring into officiating if for no other reason than we can bitch about it later. Besides, mechanical judging systems have proven to be ineffective as well.

The Queue > The List

In other Xbox Live-related news, the whole deal is getting a system update in the near future. There's a video preview here that shows off the new features. Chief among them are Netflix improvements and purchasable avatar items.

Personally, I've been trying to get rid of my Netflix membership for months because there just aren't that many movies that I'd like to queue up. Right now, I'm down to seven, but three of those seven won't be released until August 11^th or later. The only reason I justified Netflix anyhow is the instant streaming movies, though I was instantly disillusioned when I was able to look at the list of available streaming movies – only after officially subscribing. The Xbox support is definitely a plus, especially if it continues to improve, but the instant movie selection just isn't that impressive. However, my entire Netflix subscription, which is probably nearing 10 months, was made worthwhile with the discovery of Californication, only made possible with instant movies, Xbox support, and a bored day with Austin. Season 2 comprises two of the DVDs in my queue that have yet to release.

As for the new avatar items, they're about as exciting as the rural Midwest. I did design my own avatar when that option became available but immediately felt as if I'd wasted five minutes of my life. Soon, I'll have the option of paying internet monies just for the opportunity to waste five minutes of my life. I can't say I'm surprised.

I'm not entirely sure what Carson Daly and the Red Sox are doing. I was originally confused by the trade for Adam LaRoche, considering they already possessed two multi-million dollar corner infielders and a multi-million dollar DH who only ever played first base. Did they think it was like the Taco Bell All-Star Legends and Celebrity Softball Game where every player bats even if they're not in the field? Now they're looking to get Victor Martinez even though they have a multi-million dollar, All-Star, and captain catcher in Jason Varitek. And if that doesn't work, they're also interested in Adrian Gonzalez, another corner infielder.

So maybe this is what happened: the Red Sox organization leaked the information about Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz being "on the list." I'm sure they'd leak Manny's name just for spite, since he's become a beloved and integral part of the Dodgers since leaving Boston. Perhaps they named Ortiz just so they could get him out of the way, so to speak, clearing up room for their soon-to-be-acquired DHs – who can actually play in the field – without looking like the bad guys for benching fan favorite Ortiz. If this plan works, Big Papi may just Mo Vaughn his way out of baseball while the Red Sox lineup would be pretty well setup for the future, though their pitching future would certainly suffer since they'll probably lose Clay Buchholz in any deal.

It's not a very likely scenario, but it could work in the Sox favor, even if they're not behind it. Either way, it sucks to be an AL East team right now.

QotD:

Which sports franchise has the least room for error?

My take: This is a tough question. I'd like to name a New York franchise, but all of them have made enough errors in the past few years to really invalidate that answer, since they've clearly had plenty of space to err. I'm going with the Cleveland Cavs right now, since they're literally on the clock until LeBron James signs his next, possibly billion-dollar contract after next season.

Come out and play

I'm spending this week in Youngsville, which would theoretically inspire me to blog more often out of sheer boredom. But I'm actually finding I have a lot to do, partially because Bryan is in Raleigh, so I'm hanging out with him four of the five nights I'll be here. I also spent the last two days helping Charles move out of his apartment in Richmond and onto his parents' front porch. It took us two days (and a total of three carloads) because (a) Charles has way more crap than he thinks and (b) we – and by "we," I mean Charles – pack cars like we've never played Tetris before. We – and by "we," I mean Charles – were smart enough to pack the radio last, but we weren't smart enough to record the Tetris theme song on a disc before starting.

Anyhow, Richmond is not my kind of town, Chicago is (just kidding – I've only been through the airport in Chicago, so I have no idea – it's just a song).

When I'm not in or on my way to Richmond, I'm trying to play Wii Sports Resort, which I got on my way into town on Sunday. I've already written a review, and basically it's as fun as the original Wii Sports. (Now you don't have to read my awesome review.)

To be honest with you, Diane, I'm surprised. Specifically, at how well the basketball game works, especially considering it uses only the Wiimote and no nunchuck. If you've played the tennis game on the original Wii Sports, and I'm assuming you have, you know that the main problem with playing a mobile sport with just a Wiimote is that you have absolutely no control over your character's movements. That's still true in basketball, but it didn't stop tennis from being fun, and it doesn't stop basketball from being fun either. Plus, there's a three point shooting competition.

I've been writing about Wii Sports Resort for about two hours now, since I just finished the review this morning, so moving on...

Xbox Live is what I would deem "fully blowing up" during these summer months. Xbox Live release dates are historically tricky to pin down, but here's a brief list of things that have happened or will happen in the recent and immediate past, present, or future:

1. Watchmen: The End is Nigh, Part 2
   
2. The Warriors: Street Brawl
   
3. Marvel vs. Capcom 2
   
4. TMNT: Turtles in Time
   
5. The Secret of Monkey Island: SE
   
6. Fallout 3: Mothership Zeta
   
7. Gears of War 2: All Fronts Collection/Dark Corners
   
8. Halo Wars: Historical Battle Map Pack
   
9. NCAA Football 10 Online Franchise
   

Wait, that last one's not happening, but it should be. At any rate, it may be a long time before I need to head to Best Buy again.

QotD:

Which is your favorite Wii Sports sport?

1. Golf
   
2. Tennis
   
3. Boxing
   
4. Bowling
   
5. Baseball
   
6. Archery
   
7. Canoeing
   
8. Swordplay
   
9. Wakeboarding
   
10. Frisbee
    
11. Basketball
    
12. Table tennis
    
13. "Power cruising"
    
14. Cycling
    
15. Air sports
    

My take: Right now, I'm fully digging basketball but mostly because Bryan, Charles, and I spent about an hour last night in some tight and entertaining three point shootouts.

Mass substitutions

The Cardinals have been really busy this trade season. They've already made three trades involving Major League talent: Brian Barton for Blaine Boyer, Chris Perez for Mark DeRosa, and Chris Duncan for Julio Lugo. So far, I'd say that none of the trades have proven too successful. Boyer was optioned to AAA and claimed off waivers by the Diamondbacks, DeRosa has a wrist injury that will need surgery in the offseason, and Lugo hasn't played since July 6.

But maybe the best indicator that none of the trades have been satisfying is the fact that the Cards are still trading. Their latest trade, which is still in the works, would send top prospect and third baseman Brett Wallace to Oakland for Matt Holliday.

The Cardinals wanted Holliday in the offseason, and I wasn't sold on the idea then because of the bevy of outfielders that they already had (Barton, Duncan, Rick Ankiel, Ryan Ludwick, Skip Schumaker, Colby Rasmus). During this season, though, Tony La Russa has proven to me that he can play and win with what I would call an excess of outfielders, so that's not a major concern for me anymore (except that I have Ludwick in fantasy and this trade would probably limit his time even more).

I'm also a little worried about trading with the A's. GM Billy Beane is pretty notorious for scouting good players, getting the best years out of them, then getting rid of them (Barry Zito, Mark Mulder, Tim Hudson, Jason Giambi, Miguel Tejada). There was a whole book about it. I'm not particularly worried that Holliday's best years are behind him, though this isn't his best year. I am worried that Brett Wallace and the other two players going to the A's (Shane Peterson and Clayton Mortensen) will turn into absolute studs. I think the general opinion is that Brett Wallace will. And he has a good name.

One more minor concern: Holliday's contract is up at the end of the year. I have no doubt that the Cardinals can resign him, considering every player who plays in St. Louis claims to love it. I just hope he doesn't want too much money.

Ultimately, this trade comes down to one thing: the Cardinals are trying to win now.

When I started this blog, I was pretty much against this trade, but I think I've talked (written?) myself into believing in it. Most of my concerns are minimal and have good counterpoints. The Central division is really tight, and the Cards are the only one making moves. If Holliday continues to hit like he has lately (.338 batting average in July), then maybe he'll provide the offense that the Cardinals so desperately need. St. Louis would need a few of their players to start hitting like they have in the past, but if they do then this lineup looks pretty good:

2B Skip Schumaker
OF Colby Rasmus
1B Albert Pujols
3B Mark DeRosa
OF Matt Holliday
OF Ryan Ludwick
C Yadier Molina
P Adam Wainwright
SS Brendan Ryan

QotD:

Friday is the day that Sportscenter replaces their "Top Ten" segment with the "Not Top Ten." In a hypothetical "Not Top Ten," where would Matthew leaving Mark Buehrle on his fantasy bench when Buehrle throws a perfect game fall?

My take: #3. It's funny and dumb, both pluses. But there's no physical injury, so I can't imagine it would earn a one or two spot.

Hello, my name is Brett...

I'm addicted to video games. I'm not afraid to admit it.

Some more than others, though. NCAA Football 10 definitely falls into the 'more' category.

I'd say that by most standards I live a "slacker's life," at least during the summer months when I don't have any young minds to shape. For the most part, I sit around my house and play video games. But in my mind, it's not really slacking off. I usually write about any games I play for the Star-News blog, and if I don't, I can still justify pretty much any video game playing I do because it all increases my in-touch-ness with the industry which I've fully devoted my life to. It's hard to explain to most people, but I don't consider my video gaming to be related to slacking at all.

Usually.

However, since I've been playing NCAA Football 10, I have been slacking the fuck off. It's not like I have many responsibilities right now anyway, but I barely take breaks from this game. It's the sole reason that I haven't blogged for more than a week and am now blogging on a Thursday. I don't even want to pause long enough to write about it for the paper – presumably the reason I got it – and I don't know that I even want to write about it there. (This is probably a more appropriate forum for my "review feelings" about this particular game.) I went to the lake this weekend for a Pig Pass weekend but couldn't stop thinking about getting home to play more NCAA Football 10. Yesterday, one of my college buddies asked me to play Battlefield 1943 with him on Xbox Live. I told him I was too addicted to my game. (He should understand; he's a WoWer.)

The part that I find so addictive is the recruiting. It'd been a long time since I bought a college sports game, so I forgot how much I love that. Depending on what my level of sanity turns out to be, this could point either to a genuine desire to help young students – hence the teaching – or it might point to a repressed and desperate need to get people to like me. Either way, I am totally "into" convincing fake, digitized high school athletes to come play football for my school because it's the best thing for them.

The crazy part is that I haven't even gotten into the new online franchise mode. I knew that this mode was in the works for Madden 10, but was surprised to see it in the earlier release of NCAA Football 10. I told Bryan about it, and he responded with, "Basically it's the mode we've been wanting for NBA Live." (I assume Bryan said that title in italics.) And yes, yes it is. Assuming this online franchise mode works, now is pretty much the time when online gaming meets all of my needs. Welcome to the future my friends.

Other notes:

The Cardinals traded Chris Duncan for Julio Lugo (formally of the Boston Red Sox). I wonder if the Cardinals had Dave Duncan tell his son that he'd been traded. That'd have to be an awkward conversation. I don't mind the Cards trading an outfielder, though I didn't think it would be Duncan. I suppose that was the best option. I can't say I'm all that excited about Lugo because I'd pretty much gotten used to Brendan Ryan at SS. Plus, Khalil Greene looked better during his last stint in the majors. I'm not sold on this trade.

Matthew has continued blogging during my hiatus, which is good because he took a break of his own at the outset of July, and I was afraid that it might have been permanent.

One of my colleagues at the other blog has reviewed the Gears of War 2 expansion "All Fronts Collection," due out next week. Two things: (1) he evidently has better connections than me and (2) next week may be time for some Horde, if I can stop playing football by then.

Comic-Con 2009 starts today. Get you popcorn ready.

QotD:

Will you play online franchise mode with me? If so, which game are you most likely to play it in?

1. NCAA Football 10
   
2. Madden 10
   
3. NBA Live 10
   
4. NCAA Basketball 10
   
5. NHL 10
   
6. FIFA Soccer 10
   
7. Other __________
   

My take: I'm voting for NCAA Football 10 because it's here now, and I'm ready to do this. Four things: (1) I don't know that all of these games will have the mode; (2) they should; (3) I am making this happen, with or without you; and (4) don't say FIFA (Charles).