This entry is kinda (largely) stolen from something I saw my good pal MisawaGQ write, but I'm not necessarily following the same format. It is worth noting it was that simple "here are a list of things I like and dislike right now" entry was what made me think it was time to start updating this thing again.
What I'm playing: Kingdom Hearts II. I'm glad the only reviews I heard about were people spouting off on the forums about being bored by cutscenes and IGN giving it a review below 8, because when I picked the game up on a whim while shopping in the states, I expected to be let down. Well, so far I'm loving the game and I haven't even been to the Tron or Steamboat Micky levels. I then found out pretty much everyone who wasn't IGN loved the game (10/9/9.5 from EGM, 39/40 from Fatsimu, and so on). I think a lot of might be mark out value, like seeing Scrooge McDuck wandering around the same town as Yuffie and Sid (FFVIII). The battle against the Hyrdra on the Hercules world is also pretty awesome - the creature is just so big and awesome looking with the "reaction command" you use to fight it being fun. Tip of the hat to Square Enix on this one (as it stands, anyway). Here's hoping for a Duckburg level in KHIII... and hey, since it's Square Enix now, maybe throw in some Dragon Warrior/Quest references, even if it's just a slime (arguably the most recognizable icon of the DW/Q series... in fact, to be honest, that would probably be the only thing I would recognize). I'd also like to mention the blue bar cage and WMIX arena in SmackDown vs Raw 2006 rule.
What I'm not playing: My Xbox. Good system, and I like the games I have (I really want to finish KOTOR) but for whatever reason the beheamoth just sits with my GameCube, not hooked up to the TV with money being wasted on a XBL subscription I never use. I'm thinking I might solve two problems at once and hook it up through an old VCR on the TV near the computer, thus making changing the wire connected to the modem a less annoying task (or I could just get a router, but that's unlikely).
What I'm watching: My Name is Earl, The Office, Fox Sunday nights, Showcase Sunday nights (Ali G and Curb Your Enthusiasm), Conan O'Brien, and The Colbert Report. I had seen a bit of the Colber Report at the end of 2005 but didn't put much stock into it, but a co-worker brought it up and I've been a loyal viewer ever since. The odd thing there is the guy that brought it up doesn't seem to watch it often, he just saw two episodes and thought they were really good. I LOVE "Better Know a District". The offshoot "Better Know a Founding Father" where he interviewed Ben Franklin was pretty damn awesome too. As I mentioned in my last entry, the recent "War on Easter" graphic with shots being fired at the tomb, with Jesus peeking out and firing off a few more rounds, is great. The best "District" segment had to be the one with Chakah Fatah - just too many quoteable things to mention (Colbert's argument with Chakah about the white house is my favourite part, though). As for The Office, that just happened to be "the show that was on after Earl while I'm trying to read the Observer" back when I worked days, but as I decided that I loved the show, I determined I like it more than Earl most weeks. I had a chance to watch Season 1 this week when I took it from the above mentioned co-workers portable HD (he wanted me to transfer two seasons of mst3k I downloaded - something I started watching thanks to him also) and the "Basketball" episode is tremendous.
What I'm not watching: Reality TV, American Idol, 24, Sopranos, House, Prison Break, Arrested Development. I tried watching the much lauded AD once, but I was put off by the fact that seemingly 90% of the dialogue in the 2 minutes I watched was being narrated to me. Perhaps someday in rerun land I'll give it a chance. The rest of the shows (outside of Idol - no way, ever) are just cases of drama not appealing to me on TV (I'm more of a "TV exists to make me laugh" unless it's anime but even then I like funny stuff like Strawberry Eggs). I'm sure they are fine shows - people tell me enough times that they are - but I just never got around to devoting time to watching them. I might try 24 on DVD though to catch myself up and see what I've been missing.
What I'm reading: EGM and WON. I really enjoy reading Meltzer's opinion on things. It's one of those things were even if I see something incredibly stupid on TV, it makes me happy because I know I'll be reading Meltz make some funny, witty remark about it. Before becoming a subscriber, I had this odd fear that reading it would make me "too inside" and I would start to dislike watching stuff on TV or I would know too much, but if anything it gives me a better understanding of what's going on and helps me look forward to things a lot more. If I can make a criticism (other than the fact many people I talk to feel his star ratings can be off base) it's that he needs a proofreader. I know he has a strict deadline, but it's just odd seeing things like "HHH was dressed like Konnan" (I don't recall HHH coming to ring dressed like a street thug with a bandana) and "OVW star Colt Cabana was a druid" (obviously should be ROH... unless he was making an offhand remark about the E signing Colt, who seems to be working a lot of job spots lately. Interesting).
What I'm not reading: A lot. Never got into the whole book scene. My loss, I guess.
Feel free to comment.
Since cybermark asked. The past couple years in December I've made a "Ethan's Best of 200X" mixtape and traded it with my cousins. I always end up changing it around a few times. Here was the final draft for 2005.
Song Title-Artist-Album
(no those aren't links, i would up them all, but it's too risky with the random bannings going on, lol)
01. Good Morning - Cage - Hell's Winter
02. The Arrival - Atmosphere - You Can't Imagine How Much Fun We're Having
03. Story of Our Lives - Twiztid - Man's Myth : Volume 1
04. Bolivia - Esham - A-1 Yola
05. The Buzz Kill - Sage Francis - A Healthy Distrust
06. Shvanie - Glukoza - Moskva
07. Murder Ya Life (remix) - Necro - Street Villains Volume 2
08. Grand Ol' Party Crash - Cage - Hell's Winter
09. Nobody Moves - Insane Clown Posse featuring Mack 10 - Forgotten Freshness Volume 4
10. Subtle Art of a Break Up Song - Cage - Hell's Winter
11. Smart Went Crazy - Atmosphere - You Can't Imagine How Much Fun We're Having
12. Stripes - Cage - Hell's Winter
13. Unhappy/The President - Esham - A-1 Yola
14. Feels So Right - Insane Clown Posse - Forgotten Freshness Volume 4
15. Shut Me Up - Mindless Self Indulgence - You'll Rebel to Anything
16. Determined - Mudvayne - Lost & Found
17. The Argument - Twiztid - Man's Myth : Volume 1
18. Sea Lion - Sage Francis - A Healthy Distrust
19. Familiar - Twiztid - Mutant : Volume 2
20. Respirator - Twiztid - Mutant : Volume 2
21. Kurt Kobain - Proof - Searching for Jerry Garcia
songs that got bumped in the process - When I'm Gone - Eminem, Goldigger - Kanye West, some others i don't fucking remember.
23.
...
I'd sing that Twins beer song for this occasion, if it didn't totally fucking suck and force me to never watch Sportscenter during football season. But, moving on...
Don't you hate it when at work, certain people DEMAND to be your friend? Especially when these people feel to share with you their entire fucking life story? I'm getting that now with a current co-worker. And she's a fat dirty... well, I don't need to get into race. But, nasty Mexican bitches are usually really nasty. No offense. It's like, bitch, I'm trying to play online. I'm busting my ass posting on crappy message boards for my $16/hour. You bust your ass doing work, like mowing the lawn or picking weeds, or something.
I have little else to talk about. It sucks how your life gets completely boring when you work full-time. It's kind of depressing. This doesn't deserve it's own entry, but I had to update people.
But, for my next entry... I'll start some sports babbling like Bored does. Except like not all boring baseball shit like he does.
Fin.
Installment two of my whoever knows how long part series where I give very little insight to past NFL Drafts. The '93 draft had a lot intrigue going as it was your classic draft where the top two picks were expected to be quarterbacks but it was only a question of who the New England Patriots would select, Rick Mirer or Drew Bledsoe, and who the Seattle Seahawks would end up with.
1. New England - Drew Bledsoe, QB, Washington State
Okay so he isn't going to be a Hall of Famer but Bledsoe has put together a pretty good career that just peeked early. At least New England did pick the correct quarterback here.
2. Seattle - Rick Mirer, QB, Notre Dame
Boy Bill Walsh really took a hit in the "genius" department when he proclaimed Mirer was the next Joe Montana. He had a decent rookie year but it was all downhill from there.
3. Phoenix - Garrison Hearst, RB, Georgia
His first four years in the league were plagued with knee injuries and he was looking like a bust but turned his career around in San Francisco. Ended up with just under 8,000 career rushing yards.
4. N.Y. Jets - Marvin Jones, LB, Florida State
Jones was probably the #1 rated player going into the draft. Decent player but never became star everyone projected him to be.
5. Cincinnati - John Copeland, DT, Alabama
Just decent.
6. Tampa Bay - Eric Curry, DE, Alabama
Bust. Only 12 sacks in his seven year career.
7. Chicago - Curtis Conway, WR, USC
Decent career. More than 8,000 yards receiving and over 50 touchdowns is nothing to be ashamed of.
8. New Orleans - Willie Roaf, T, Louisiana Tech
Arguably has had the best career of any player from this draft and pretty much a lock for the Hall of Fame.
9. Atlanta - Lincoln Kennedy, T, Washington
Forgot he played for the Falcons. Was rated even with Roaf going into the draft, obviously didn't have the career of Roaf but was still a pretty good lineman.
10. L.A. Rams - Jerome Bettis, RB, Notre Dame
ESPN killed any love I could have for Bettis and they do that for a lot athletes for me. Anyways good pick for the Rams, too bad for them they didn't hang on to him.
11. Denver - Dan Williams, DE, Toledo
Workout wonder who moved up the board but was nothing special. Hey that never happens.
12. L.A. Raiders - Patrick Bates, S, Texas A&M
Bust. Lasted only three years, left the Raiders before the 1995 season without notice, lots of off the field problems.
13. Houston - Brad Hopkins, T, Illinois
Been a rock at tackle for the Oilers/Titans franchise, good pick.
14. Cleveland - Steve Everitt, C, Michigan
Pretty good but only lasted seven years.
15. Green Bay - Wayne Simmons, LB, Clemson
Showed flashes of brilliance early in his career but never reached his full potential. Was killed in a car accident a few years ago.
16. Indianapolis - Sean Dawkins, WR, California
Made a career out of being a second or third option but not what you want out of a 1st round pick.
17. Washington - Tom Carter, CB, Notre Dame
Average at best who cashed in on a big money deal with the Bears in 1997 who waived him two years later.
18. Phoenix - Ernest Dye, T, South Carolina
Injury riddled, short career that was spent primarily as a back up.
19. Philadelphia - Lester Holmes, G, Jackson State
Nothing special, started for three teams.
20. New Orleans - Irv Smith, TE, Notre Dame
I don't know why but I always thought he'd up being good. He wasn't.
21. Minnesota - Robert Smith, RB, Ohio State
Like Hearst injuries hampered him early in his career but he turned it around. Not your typical pro football personality as he had his best year in 2000 and then promptly retired.
22. San Diego - Darrien Gordon, CB, Stanford
Average corner but an excellent punt returner.
23. Pittsburgh - Deon Figures, CB, Colorado
Just another average corner.
24. Philadelphia - Leonard Renfro, DT, Colorado
Lasted two years, yup that's a bust.
25. Miami - O.J. McDuffie, WR, Penn State
Had a few decent years but lacked the size to become a great NFL wideout.
26. San Francisco - Dana Stubblefield, DT, Kansas
Maybe remembered more now for being a big contract bust for the Redskins but was a great pick for the 49ers.
27. San Francisco - Todd Kelly, LB, Tennessee
I remember my friends all thinking Kelly was going to be great and that we thought Stubblefield was a bad pick. Probably had to do with Kelly having a much easier name to say. Nothing career.
28. Buffalo - Thomas Smith, CB, North Carolina
Solid cover corner.
29. Green Bay - George Teague, S, Alabama
Decent player who's best known for being the guy who hit Terrell Owens when he posed on the Dallas Cowboys' star.
Other Players of Note
37. Cincinnati - Tony McGee, TE, Michigan
40. N.Y. Giants - Michael Strahan, DE, Texas Southern
52. Minnesota - Qadry Ismail, WR, Syracuse
70. Denver - Jason Elam, K, Hawaii
74. Kansas City - Will Shields, G, Nebraska
79. Minnesota - Gilbert Brown, DT, Kansas
82. Tampa Bay - John Lynch, S, Stanford
118. Green Bay - Mark Brunell, QB, Washington
170. Seattle - Michael McCrary, DE, Wake Forest
181. L.A. Raiders - Greg Biekert, LB, Colorado
196. Dallas - Brock Marion, S, Nevada
207. N.Y. Giants - Jesse Armstead, LB, Miami
214. Houston - Blaine Bishop, S, Ball State
219. San Francisco - Elvis Grbac, QB, Michigan
222. San Diego - Trent Green, QB, Indiana
Today was a bit of a weird day, but that's nothing new for me. I was just hanging out, and not using outdated slang, with my pal Motoki (who some people call Andrew for some reason) at the local arcade. I bump into this dumpling headed girl who is crying about a test or something, I don't know. Ever since I bumped into odango head a few weeks ago, I seem to see her everyday, crying about this or throwing a shoe at me for that. And why do people confuse dumplings with meatballs sometime, anyway?
Anyway, I leave to enjoy some coffee (not hot cocoa) and then like, 20 minutes later, I have this very large pain in my head, such that it brings me to me knees and some crazy aura goes around me.
I wake up having this dream that someone that looked like the dumpling headed girl, but I am certain was not, was in a battle with some monster and I saved her with a rose while dressed in a tuxedo and mask. Turns out I was next to some roses when I woke up... I think maybe it was not a dream. Memories are coming back.. perhaps I am a warrior fighting for good while being stylishly cool at the same time?
Well, it looks like RVD will face whoever's champ on ONS. So far, it look's like we have 3 choices. Let's take a look at them, and how well they fit on ONS.
1.) HHH-Let's it folks, this one has a good chance of happening. Right now, I'm actually digging Trips as a cocky, arrogant heel, and he hasn't done any overdone mic time lately. He'll go over fine with the fans as a heel, though I don't see him losing to RVD unfortunately. That out of the way, RVD has kind of soured out on me since his return.
2.) Cena-This would be interesting, though I don't see it happening. In spite of what rumors say, I don't see him turning heel. Kind of a shame though, as he hasn't really been over 100% as a face lately, and would probably make a decent heel, as a heel turn would most likely rejuvinate his career. Plus, imagine the heat he would get at ONS. He's basically everything representing the WWE like it or not, so imagine him in front of rabid ECW fans, especially against RVD. That would be awesome.
3.) Edge-This is the best choice, IMO. The guy's the best heel on Raw, is excellent on the mic, and even has hardcore cred thanks to his hardcore match with Foley. Plua, Lita used to work for ECW, so she could put down the ECE fans along with Edge, and bring up the old days (no, not her old lockeroom activities). Unfortunately, this porobably won't happen, as HHH keeps putting him down, and seems a bit threatened by him to me.
Well, that's it for now.
• Sure many Hollywood types are idiots when trying to espouse political viewpoints, but Michael Keaton is A-OK with me. I’m sure the guy’s a commie, but when it comes to sports, he’s a true Pirate “Bat-fan” – LOL-ONE-WIN-IN-EIGHT-GAMES. Before Keaton threw out the first pitch to the Pirates first home loss of the baseball season (and seventh overall), he stood in front of some news cameras and ragged on Pirate management, saying that ownership isn’t spending enough money on good players and taking the fans for granted. Ahahahaha. So the guy selected to throw out the first pitch for a new season – the ALL-STAR season – rags on the organization beforehand. Like I said before, God I love this team.
• Speaking of things I’ve said before, a while back I made some remarks about the alleged rape of a stripper by members of the Duke Lacrosse team. Like I said when the story broke, when it comes to rape allegations, if it’s a recent accusation, I’ll sit back and wait until more evidence presents itself. Well, more evidence did, or should I say, didn't show up. Gotta love the ol’ DNA test. Shit like this is part of the reason why I don’t bother with strippers or “exotic dancers.” The closest I ever came to this sort of thing was when a few of my friends chipped in and ordered a stripper to my one friend’s residence (I chose not to partake in this because I'd rather spend money on myself at the mall and oogle chicks there for free). From what I heard, the chick’s bodyguard threatened everyone there that if they even laid a finger on her she would leave and he would beat the shit out of all of them (from what my friends told me, he could have). So when the dancer did her thing, most of the spectators were shaking, due in part to the threats of physical harm, not to mention the inexperience many of them had in dealing with near-naked women.
• What the hell happened to Brad Pitt? No, he didn’t get a beer belly overnight. What I’m talking about deals more with his mental state than physical state. And no I’m also not talking about him dumping Jennifer Aniston for someone who Billy Bob Thorton stuck his dick into repeated times. (Actually, I do respect Angelina Jolie for her goodwill work; it's a shame she has to be affiliated with an organization as evil as the United Nations.) I remember back when Pitt did that “Seven Years in Tibet” movie he was asked by Time Magazine about his opinion on the whole China/Taiwan issue (or a similar topic dealing with that movie) and Pitt said something like “I’m just a fucking actor; I don’t know anything about that situation.” Now, years, later I read this:
Oh well, at least they’re not naming their kids (real or adopted) after fruit, although former NFL quarterbacks can’t be much bettet. However, if they named the kid "Garcia" they would get the best of both worlds: a fruity quarterback.
Not that there's anything wrong with that.
(Sabata is one of my friends, so he reads this- i just wanted to give him a word of advice- but also i wanted to say somethings)
Lets put it simple easy words.
They dont care and they will never care.
I been there once, and i could care less what they say.
Youre too much of a free spirit to be chained by what a stupid girl says.
Hey, about Pink- Im happy for her. Really i am. Shes married to the guy she loves, and she's asking questions.
Thats all anybody needs to do, not go all over the world and save one child and work with the UN and all that petty bull crap. Its egotism at is best.
Ask them this question- who in the black community is singing this song other than the men?
HELLO?
Anybody?
I thought so.
Keep ripping them apart Sabata. I dont agree with you life style- but at least you know where you are.
Let get one thing clear.
The Simsons, Family Guy and South Park all have good things about there shows, and bad things about there shows.
The problem is that the bad at many times outwiegh the good.
Now, dont get me wrong- John K and Amid Amidi (who worked at Adult Cartoon Party at Spike TV) dismiss Family Guy on purely astetic reasons. Thats fine. But Sean MacFlane has proven he doesnt need asthetics.
This cartoon war however stems from the fact that Family Guy is stating the Simpsons are stealing Stories from there episodes and basicly have made there Charaters more like theirs. Then, it got worse when they showed Peter on an episode on the Simpsons. They retaliated by having Homer get knocked down by Stewie.
Then, here comes South Park- which after a disspointing issue with Issac Hayes, sets there sights on FG.
The war is stupid for so many reasons- im not saying dont compeate for ad dollars, and marketing and all that- but this little artist spat is just that- a "artists" spat. Not something to split the John K Gen away.
Oh sure, i called the John K Genration- because he said hes the one that changed the Business because he was a hardass to Nick, and Fox Kids (and before that CBS).
Yeah, i could understand that- he brought back the animation buisness from out of the gutters.
But my friend, all you did in your relvence of the old men of animation, was make every tom dick and harry to try to meet up to your standard. And as you see they are reaching your standard-
Of crass.
Sure, i love your blog, and the history of how the old men did it, and young guns in CN and Nick cant do it. Its true about that. Its one of the reasons why Spongebob continues to do gangbusters in the ratings.
But come on, you started this. You started everybody following your foot steps, it doesnt matter if the shows E/I or TV14- the whole egeist of what family guy and south park does comes from you.
Its not that I want you to change...Im in no posision to do so.
I just need you to just watch what you say about the weakness of the business when it comes to the new artists in CN and Nick...
You the one that started it, and this is the reward of all your work.
CN marketing Naruto over JLA
Nick making two new japanese inspired series
Adult Swim bring more Kiddie anime
and your hear wondering why the buiness is at this state.
You said you saved it man...
Saved it from this?
I gotta dust the dirt off my shoulder...
*brush*
So I was reading through some of the better blogs around here (not gonna name names) and I decided I wanted to try this again. However, there's only so many times I can write about why I like Randy Orton or how great the history of the Intercontinental Championship is. So, I'm gonna try this in a more conventional manner. And if it takes, it takes. Hopefully I'm a pretty interesting guy. If it fails, then all I'm out is a little time. Who could ask for a sweeter deal?
All right, so, the first entry of the new blog era. If you read it all the way through, I promise you a noteworthy surprise. DON'T YOU DARE SCROLL DOWN...
So, today was pretty awesome. Worked a short day, and the weather was fantastic -- 72 and sunny, with a nice breeze. I immediately came home, changed into shorts, and partook of some Asian delicacies with the roommates. A good time was had by all. Did some spring cleaning when I got home, including busting out my tennis racket. I don't know where my balls are (ha), but I can procure some rather easily (double ha). Looking forward to it.
This weekend was great. I drove out to Wisconsin Rapids and saw my dad, who is going to become a priest. Starting in August, the old man (58!) is going to seminary in Boston for FOUR YEARS to become an ordained Catholic priest. It's been a wild experience for the whole family, just sharing it with him, and I'm thrilled for him, even if it's not my scene. He's...you wouldn't say he's born again, but he fell off the path, so to speak, and now he's found it again and you know, it works for him, so great, right? Right. So, anyway, I need to see him as much as possible before the move to Boston. Massachusettes is a much farther drive than Wisconsin.
This weekend should ALSO kick ass...hell, the whole week. Twins game on WEDNESDAY with my best friend, new computer arrives on Thursday, and old friends come into town for Easter weekend. Hopefully I'll be wiast-deep in liquor by Friday night.
Weather should hold, since I know you all care. A little rain off and on, high 60s and 70s all week. I'm gonna TRY to get a tennis match in next weekend. Wish me luck!
A brief wrestling thought, as I watch RAW: Trish Stratus just came out dressed as Mickie and it was HILARIOUS. I'm glad they found something else to do with these two. It makes the show that much better.
Okay, I'm done for now. More soon. Oh, and the big surprise.
Brace yourselves.
Some of you will love this, some will think me a fool. But I'm retiring the account, so no need to keep the secret.
I, Mr. Hoff, yours truly....I was Heel Turn.
Have a good night!
• I’m not a big Brett Favre fan, but then again I don’t hate him like some other people I know. However, this whole “Will I or won’t I retire?” saga is getting on my nerves, and I’m not even talking about this past weekend’s incident with the faux news conference. While the NFL is notorious for cutting players who have shown a particular team loyalty for years, Favre is one of those few exceptions who should get to call it quits when he wants. However, that doesn’t mean he should screw his team over by not letting them know if he will be back for another season or two. I get it, Brett. You won the Pack a title, and came close other times with your numerous postseason appearances. You helped turn Green Bay into “Title Town” again, at least for one year back in the ‘90s. But the Packers also provided you with a comfortable lifestyle. For as much as you did for the Packers, the Packers did the same for you. I’m sure it would feel horrible to go out the way you and your team played last year, but if it’s taking you this long to decide on whether or not to give this NFL thing another go that’s a pretty obvious sign that it’s time to hang up the cleats.
• Here’s something that’s been bugging me this young baseball season. While some teams enjoyed opening day last week in their home stadium, it took almost a week for some teams to play their first home game. It is famously said that in baseball everyone has a chance at winning the World Series on opening day. Well, by the time the Pirates lost 8-3 in their home opener this afternoon, they already lost six of their first seven road games. Pirate fans (at least the ones remaining) have 161 other games to see how awful their team is; can’t they get their first home game when they’re only 1-2 games out of first, giving those at PNC Park the chance to dream of pennant races and division titles?
• So illegal immigrants are at it again with protests, or whatever the hell those things are supposed to be (well that explains why that head of lettuce was $10 at the market today). I said this before, but it bears repeating. If these illegals want to “show us” how valuable they are by not working the jobs Americans don't want to work, let’s make it a fair exchange. For the day that these people walk out of work, let’s refuse any kind of social services to people who can’t prove that they are an American citizen. If you won’t pick lettuce in the fields or clean hotel rooms, then you don’t get the emergency room health care and state tuition assistance. Sounds fair to me.
• So my favorite Maury Povich “Who is the baby’s daddy?” couple was on today. This black chick claimed this guy with six fingers (one grew out of his pinky, or something like that) was the father of her crumb snatcher. The accused claims he’s not the father, and that she’s just after the “number one draft pick” who is "230 PERCENT SURE" he’s not the daddy. Even though he was exonerated after the test results came back, the best was yet to come. When Maury told the chick they could help her find who the real daddy is she said that she had a list of FIVE OTHER POSSIBLE FATHERS. I don’t watch these shows all that often, but you can’t get any better than a show that has a title like “I have three kids, and I’m not sure if you’re the father of all of them.”
Well, things are alright I guess. Nothing much going on. Anyways, old Lovecraft was also trying to get into different kinds bands and artists. So far, let's see how this experiment has been so far
.Kinski-Here's a cool little band. They are an instrumental rock band, but not a post rock band. They're kind of an instrument psychedelic rock band, with a bit of an shoegazer influence.
.Pelican-This is pretty sweet. Instrumental metal, with a bit of a post rock thing going for them. I downloaded The Fire In Our Throats Will Beckon The Thaw,and it's great. Also worth checking out is Red Sparrowes, a post rock band with members of Isis and Neurosis.
.Ocean-Man, it's amazing I'm starting to listen to more metal, especially considering that I don't have the best relationship with the genre. Here's a cool doom metal band, with death metal, black metal, and post rock tendancies. To be honest, it was the doom and post rock things that dragged me in.
.Burzum-Really, really sucks. Why this band has a following is beyond me. The production is below sub par, it's really grating, and really boring. Plus, I've known about Varg's criminal history and views for a while, and that doesn't help matters. This is the second time I've given them a listen, and both the metal and the instrumental ambience is dreadful.
.7L and Esoteric-On the Hip Hop side of things, here's a cool little group. I dig the rhymes, as well as the production. Hell, they use xylophones in one of their albums. More albums need those.
.Sixtoo-I've always dug instrumental Hip-Hop, and this is pretty awesome. Plus, Damo Suzuki apppears on the song Storm Clouds & Silver Linings . Good to see he's still around.
Well, that's it for now. Next on my list: Solmania, Ulver, Fad Gadget, Trans Am, and Isotope 217.
Sucks. It's like the Olympics, but without the US or the Russians.
It's pretty fucking lame. And nobody cares about it so I end up watching this apethetic bollocks with no-one to talk to about it.
Bastards.
ABC is rolling out a new "Ten Commandments" tonight. While listening to the various promos I always bust out laughing whenever Moses talks, not to mention just the audacity of remaking a DeMille classic is really treading on thin ice. The reason I laugh is the ridiculous upper crust Amero-British accent that Moses is sporting. Now, Hollywood has always given the ancient Romans British accents. Fine, whatever. The Romans need to come across as Imperial, the ruling elite, etc. and nothing says elite like a good British accent. But here we're talking ancient Egypt. Hebrews and Egyptians for crissakes. An ancient Hebrew with a British accent?
All I can think of when I hear this guy's accent is Joan Collins in Dynasty. It's not really a pure British accent, more like a pretenious American blue blood trying to sound British.
Now, that I have finally caught all the offerings of 2005 (although FIP is way behind) and I haven’t gotten through OVW yet. So It’s possible I could be making changes later this year.
*This is NA exclusive as I’m still behind on Puro*
2005
The Top Twenty
20. Austin Aries Vs CM Punk (ROH-Death before Dishonor III)
19. James Gibson Vs Austin Aries (ROH-The Final Showdown)
18. Alex Shelley Vs Claudio Castagnoli (ROH-This Means War)
17. AJ Styles Vs Christopher Daniels (TNA-Bound for Glory)
16. Bryan Danielson Vs Spanky (ROH-BOASJ)
15. CM Punk Vs Jimmy Rave (ROH-Nowhere to Run)
14. Kurt Angle Vs Shelton Benjamin (WWE-Raw)
13. Samoa Joe Vs AJ Styles (TNA-Sacrifice)
12. Samoa Joe Vs Necro Butcher (IWA-Something to Prove)
11 Shelton Benjamin Vs Shawn Michaels (WWE-Raw)
10. CM Punk Vs Roderick Strong (ROH-Escape from New York)
9. Bryan Danielson Vs CM Punk (FIP-Bring the Pain)
8. Rey Mysterio Vs Eddie Guerrero (WWE-Smackdown. 6.23)
7. Samoa Joe and Jay Lethal Vs Low Ki and Homicide (ROH-Nowhere to Run)
6. Kurt Angle Vs Shawn Michaels (WWE-WM21)
5. Samoa Joe Vs AJ Styles Vs Christopher Daniels (TNA-Unbreakable)
4. Low Ki Vs KENTA (ROH-Final Battle 2005)
3. Bryan Danielson Vs Roderick Strong (ROH-Vendetta)
2. Samoa Joe Vs Kenta Kobashi (ROH-Joe Vs Kobashi)
1. Bryan Danielson Vs James Gibson (ROH-Glory by Honor IV)
Here’s the Worker Tally (repeat names only)
Bryan Danielson: 4 (#1, #3, #9 and #16)
James Gibson: 2 (#1 and #19)
CM Punk: 4 (#9, #10, #15 and #20)
Roderick Strong: 2 (#3 and # 10)
Low Ki: 2 (#4 and #7)
AJ Styles: 3 (#5, #13 and #17)
Christopher Daniels: 2 (#5 and #17)
Kurt Angle: 2 (#6 and #14)
Shawn Michaels: 2 (#6 and #11)
Samoa Joe: 5 (#2, #5, #7, #12 and #13)
*This indicates a really strong year for Joe, Punk and Dragon(which is impressive, as he missed 4 months of 2005 in NA) and that Shawn Michaels, despite being one of the oldest active members of the WWE roster is still putting on the top performences for the WWE. It is in my opinion though, that 2005 was the year of CM PUNK.
Establishing 4 top twenty matches, in addition to a handful of honorable mentions, he also captured the ROH World Title in a memorable fashion and had a excellent heel turn in the process. The storyline of Punk holding the ROH Title hostage in the summer, was easily a top five storyline in all of wrestling and don't forget his emotional farewell in Chicago against Colt Cabana in a 2/3 falls match. That show ranks #2 all-time best seller for ROH (behind Joe/Kobashi, and ahead of Joe-Punk II). CM Punk moved onto OVW, where he was an instant star and has had great matches and storyline with Brent Albright.
My Top 15 workers of 2005
1. Samoa Joe
2. Bryan Danielson
3. Kurt Angle
4. James Gibson
5. CM Punk
6. Eddie Guerrero
7. Christopher Daniels
8. AJ Styles
9. Shawn Michaels
10. Rey Mysterio
11. Shelton Benjamin
12. Low Ki
13. Roderick Strong
14. Austin Aries
15. Brian Kendrick
I decided to watch Baseball Tonight because apparently I want to punish myself, might as well make an entry out of it. Watching people analyze one week of baseball is always hilarious anyways especially when it’s done by the likes of Harold Reynolds and John Kruk. Who cares about sample sizes? Tigers/Brewers in the World Series!
-Chris Berman is doing the show because it’s the Sunday of the Masters and he must do Baseball Tonight every Masters’ Sunday every year to show off his green jacket. He genuinely thinks people care. The world would stop if we didn’t see him squeeze all that fat in his green jacket.
-Berman can’t believe that the Phillies let Vincente Padilla go and Kruk and Reynolds agree. Gee I know the guy had a 1.50 WHIP last year, what kind of a nut lets go of a pitcher like that? Hey he’s 2-0 so I’m sure he’s on top of Kruk’s Cy Young list.
-Kruk went on a mini-rant about how Jim Leyland gets things done his way and that the Tigers are going to manufacture runs and he's not going to baby pitchers (woo hoo Tommy John surgery for everyone!) "because the more you baby pitchers the more they pitch like babies." Of course the Tigers "manufactured" 17 homeruns this week. Maybe Leyland has all of his players smoking too? OMG nicotine is a performance enhancing drug!
-Berman loves Kevin Millar. He loves him. It hurts him seeing him play such a shitty first base. This man has waaaaaay too many man crushes.
-Now Reynolds criticizes the Blue Jays for leaving Roy Halladay in too long, which Kruk agrees with. What happened to not babying pitchers? Well Halladay already has had shoulder surgery so I suppose Kruk just believes in running a pitcher into the ground and then baby him after he has surgery.
-Berman asks the panel, who is the best lefty in baseball? Steve Phillips says Cliff Lee. Hey I can’t believe this guy isn’t a GM still, can you?
-They are playing Godsmack as bumper music to commercial breaks. Way to keep with the times ESPN. What demographic are they targeting exactly?
-They are doing a countdown of Barry Bonds’ 20 greatest moments and #14 is him being intentionally walked with the bases loaded in a meaningless game. Ya that was exciting.
-Chipper Jones’ injury is shown and I swear Berman gets a hard on every time a player gets hurt because he gets to his patented soft tone voice where the producers cutout the background music because this a very serious situation and Chris Berman is talking. At the end of the Braves/Giants highlights Berman says “The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant!” Comedic genius I tells ya.
-Diamond Cuts, it’s extreme highlights with nu-metal! Seriously who are they targeting? Are there really viewers sitting around through the whole show wanting listen to Godsmack to overly produced baseball highlights? At least it’s not like last year where they would do features on other no longer relevant bands talking about baseball.
-Shit, this has been a boring weekend. I've been stuck with homework, and the only time I get to go out is for dinner. Basically, I've been stuck in my dorm all weekend.
-I've been doing a lot of reading at night, mostly Richard Matheson. I love this guys work, and he's second to H.P. Lovecraft in my favorite horror authors of all time.
-Watched "Cabin Fever" last night. I still love that movie, so fuck the haters. For those of you who do love it, just some advice: You need to watch it more than once. The more you watch it, the more you'll recognize stuff and dialogue you didn't recognize before.
-I really don't have much else to say, so here's some YTMND links For Ya
Interpretation of the David Hasslehoff Song "Du" (I need to download this song some time)
Scooby DU
Return of the Mack
Return of The Retun of The Mack
Return of The Return of TheReturn of The Mack
Return of The Return of The Return of The Return of The Mack
and Finally
Return of The Jesus
22.
I lived out one of my dreams yesterday. Twas a lovely day. I can't wait for next weekend.
Otherwise, nothing to talk about. Horrendous sports weekend. Ignoring all of that.
That's all. I will feed you more verbage during the week, blog.
*hugz blog*
Ok, in the fanofcoils thread, there's those discussions about sniper bans and who deserves a ban/who doesn't. Personally I think the people who were banned, they deserved it, not so much because I don't like them, but more because they had nothing of value to offer. Now for some reason, there are people on this board that seems to share that opinion, however, it's of ME. I don't understand why. I would like to preface that with that I'm not crying about it, not complaining about it, or anything. I'm just legitimately confused as to why people think I'm so terrible. Now it's just the internet, and people shouldn't care what the others think of them, however it is opinions that creates a dynamic on the board, whether it's a positive one or negative one. Take a look at those people who are "established" like Slayer, FFMS, etc, and for the most part, people take to them positively. They're allowed to delve into discussions without someone *coughs* bob barron *coughs* comes in and intentionally try to make the poster look bad, just because he doesn't like that poster. Now truth be told, I'm guilty of this, with past incidents involving Damaramu, EHME, etc. Two years ago, I first became a father. I still retained my personality, because for the most part, one kid is pretty much easy to handle, so I was able to have some "me" time on-line, which was spent on various forums like this one. Last January, however, my little daughter was brought in the world. Now any parents of more than 1 child will know that it's a lot harder to handle two kids. You'd have to keep a close eye on a toddler, in addition to a newborn. Tough but I manage. I love my kids, and while I may come off like an asshole or whatever on the board, I'm for the most part a nice guy who looks out for my friends or family. My wife's in-laws just loves me because of how well I take care of their daughter, and how I am one of those dads who spends a lot of time with his kids. One of the advantages of being a dad at such a young age is that my body hasn't deteriorated yet, so I am able to keep pace with my son, who likes to keep himself active. I also take on a large load of changing my kids' diapers or feeding them or whatnot. Not that I want a medal or anything, don't get me wrong, but that's how it is in my household.
The reason I'm talking about this, is because I frankly don't have time for my detractors. They don't know who I am, they look at a few posts of mine, and decree me an idiot or someone not worth their time. That's fine if I rub them the wrong way, but the last thing I need is for a bob barron or whoever to come in right after my posts and just try to take me down a notch. The internet is about opinions. Am I not allowed to express mine? When my daughter came into my life, I realized, life is too precious and short, that you know what? All the grudges, all the petty bullshit, it didn't matter anymore. Leena hates me, fine. Bob Barron hates me, fine. Whoever else, if they hate me, that's fine. If that's the case, just put me on ignore and leave it at that. It's not so hard. I would much rather be ignored than be ragged on for no apparent reason other than a vendetta. As EHME would say, "they're just catching feelings". Well stop it. If you are a legal adult, act like it. Stop all the petty bullshit. I buried my hatchet with Damaramu, so you won't be seeing any more Porter/Dama crap in college football threads. I think I buried my hatchet with EHME, so nothing between us either. When I first joined, I spoke with Czech Republic and Bob Barron on AIM. We seemed to have civil conversations. I told Bob I enjoyed his SNL recap. I talked about the Cubs with Czech despite my team being the White Sox. Now they're acting like I'm the bane of their existence, it's just stupid and silly.
So in closure, I'm giving those detractors a rare opportunity. An opportunity to get rid of me without waiting for the admin to deem me undesirable and taking me out with a sniped ban. If you want me gone, just say so. I will not waste any more time on this board if I'm not wanted.
Also, if there are ANYONE who feels that I'm a decent guy or a guy worth talking to, and I got banned/exiled, then my AIM SN is Slasherflick, so shoot me an IM whenever you wanna talk wrestling/sports/etc.
Thanks for reading. And my apologies if this sounded emo-ish. I just needed to get it off my chest. Well toodles.
As I was reading the comments from yesterday’s entry, I was suddenly getting flashbacks to my youth and all the hours I wasted playing video games. Bah, I actually don’t consider that time wasted. Going to school, doing homework, doing required community service in order to graduate high school – now that was a waste.
Although I had a decent variety of Sega Genesis games, I was mostly drawn to the sports-related genre. Below is a trip down memory lane featuring my favorite games of that era from the early-to-mid-1990s. I should note that there aren’t any baseball games below -- no offense to the baseball lovers out there.
#3 Lakers vs. Celtics and the NBA PLayoffs
It’s not the prettiest game out there, and the computer A.I. left something to be desired (my favorite “glitch” was with the Bulls and how Michael Jordan rarely took a shot). Also, you only got to pick from eight teams: Celtics, Pistons, 76ers, Bulls, Lakers, Suns, Spurs and Trailblazers. Despite all these flaws, if you had a few friends over, this was a fun game to play, or at least it was for me. The big feature in this game was the “signature move” one superstar on each team had. From Barkley’s gorilla dunk that started beyond the free-throw line to Magic’s no-look finger roll, these moves were the shizzle back in a time where the shizzle was not even a fizzle. Then there was the ultimate in cheese: the Tom Chambers double-pump dunk that you couldn’t stop no matter what. Next year's version (Bulls vs. Lakers) included more teams and an attempt at improved graphics, but there was something missing from that game which Lakers vs. Celtics had; God knows what it was, though. Oh, another thing I liked about the game was that everytime you scored the sideline coach would cheer, along with some players on the bench; if you missed a shot or turned the ball over, the coach would freak (hey, when it's 2 a.m. and you're running on fumes and Pepsi, a lot of things seem funny at the time).
#2 NHL ‘94
When Electronic Arts came out with NHL Hockey in the early 1990s, my neighborhood found a new favorite game to waste away on. Several of us had enjoyed the Nintendo Entertainment System’s Blades of Steel and that Ice Hockey game where you had teams consisting of fat, regular and thin players. But when NHL Hockey came out, this took hockey gaming to a new level for us. One thing I remember about this game was that for the longest time we thought the player whose jersey was “07” for the Los Angeles Kings was Luc Robitaille, when in fact it was someone else. (Thomas Sandstrom?) Anyway, the next year’s installment (NHL ’93) wasn’t as good and there were many days in which my friends and I chose to play the previous year’s version. However, when NHL ’94 came out, the first two NHL games were shelved forever. What made ’94 great was that it went back to game play more similar to NHL Hockey than NHL Hockey ’93. In addition, one-timers and penalty shots were introduced, there were more stats available for viewing, and players went on “hot” and “cold” streaks. But the greatest addition of all was being able to control your goalie. In the first two games there were certain type of shots that the A.I. goalie couldn’t stop no matter what, so whenever someone was lined up in a certain way it was pretty automatic that there was going to be a goal no matter what you tried to do on defense. That was no longer a concern with ’94; all you had to do was hold down the select button and you could be the Patrick Roy of your block. Out of all the sports games I played during my teen years, this by far the most competitive and exciting contests. Many games I engaged with other kids from my neighborhood in 2-1 or 4-3 affairs, and sometimes we actually had to take a break before playing the next game because we were emotionally spent.
#1 John Madden ‘93
A few years ago I went into an Electronics Boutique to purchase the newly released Madden ’03 game. Apparently, EB had teamed up with the ESPN brand of football games, and when I brought my purchase up to the counter, the clerk, who was wearing a 2k3 button, tried to change my mind about my choice of game. I responded by saying “Getting me to buy ESPN football over Madden would be like trying to get a four-time FDR voter to cast a ballot for Dewey in ’48.” For those that don’t follow political history, this line meant I have been raised on Madden football all my life and I will never switch brand loyalty (one of the few instances, along with Miracle Whip and Heinz Ketchup, that I will not use price or some other factor in my purchasing decision). I mentioned in a comment entry from yesterday’s thread that I had no desire to purchase Madden ’06, but that doesn’t mean I won’t ever purchase a future Madden game; it just means I’m content with the ’05 version. Anyway, my friends and I played our fair share of the original John Madden football game for the Genesis, which only had 16 unlicensed teams; let’s see if I can remember them all: In the NFC there was San Fran, Chicago, New York, Washington, Philadelphia, Minnesota, Los Angeles and Atlanta. In the AFC there was Miami, Buffalo, New England, Shittsburgh, Cincinnati, Houston (the Oilers, not the Texans, you youngins), Kansas City and Denver. The funny thing about these teams was that at the start of every game you could check out each franchise’s strengths and weaknesses. Now although they didn’t have specific athletes, each team was molded in its real-life counterpart. For example, although Philadelphia had a nasty defense and a really agile quarterback *coughRandallCunninghamcough* they had next-to-nothing when it came to receivers and running backs. And of course Denver had this certain “Golden-Armed Golden Boy.”
Anyway, after this game came Madden ’92, which featured every NFL team at the time. Although the graphics were better, much like my experiences mentioned above, there was something missing with this “new and improved” version. Thankfully, whatever it was missing Madden ’93 found. I can’t begin to count all the nights I spent beating my friends at this game. Sadly, although I enjoyed this game, a number of my acquaintances didn’t. So unlike NHL ’94, I had a much smaller pool of human competition to choose from. I can also say that I have never been defeated at this game. The last time I was “challenged” at this game was in ’95. My opponent picked Denver, and I went with one of my favorite teams for that game: the San Diego Chargers. The Bolts didn’t have a great quarterback or core of receivers, and their defense was so-so at best. What I loved about this team was that their trio of running backs was, collectively, the best in the game, and this enabled me to have a field day with my play selections. I was up by at least 21 come halftime, and the game was forfeited sometime early in the fourth quarter.
However, there was something else about this game that I remember. In Madden ’92 there was a new feature in which two players could play on the same team instead of playing against each other. This “teammates” function was in place for ’93, and the wording of this feature in the ’93 instruction booklet was the same as ’92, except for one paragraph at the end of its section. Here it is word-for-word: “When one player is dissatisified or upset with the play of his teammate, there is no need to argue. For example, if the player controlling the quarterback and the play-calling is making a lot of unwise decisions, both players should discuss the problems and come to an agreement – perhaps pause the game and decide together which play to run next. It’s okay to be angry, but don’t let your anger get the best of you, and never resort to violence.” I’m all but certain that this language was put into the ’93 guidebook because some soccer mom called to complain when her kids fought over this issue in the ’92 version of the game.
Another thing about Madden ’93 was that there was this “collector’s edition” which instead of having all current teams, went old-school and used more than 30 teams from the past, from the ’66 Packers to the ’90 Buffalo Bills. I paid nearly $100 for this game, and to this day I don’t regret the purchase because this was by far the most-played game I ever had for my Genesis. Also, the next year Madden football went to a new look and style; I never accepted these “improved” versions of Madden and it wasn't until the PS2 started producing games that I really felt the thrill of playing football on a video game console again.
So there you have it. Sure these three selections haven’t really stood the test of time, but there will always be a special place in my heart for this trio of games. And because I own PS2 versions of Madden ’05 and NHL ’06, with each of these games offering a “retro” option that allows me to play these games in a ’93 and ’94 look, respectively, I can always relive a bit of my younger days whenever I want.
In a recent entry kkk talked about how excited Pirates' fans were in 1997 over the small glimmer of hope the team provided that year. Now I haven't really given any thought to the '97 Pirates before now and nor has anyone outside of Pittsburgh but I need excuses for an entry so by god I'm gonna talk about '97 Pirates.
The Pirates currently hold the longest active streak of losing seasons in baseball at 13 seasons (well on their way to 14) and 1997 was the closest they've come to sniffing .500 since the departure of that guy Pedro Gomez follows around 24/7. As a Golden State Warriors fan I know the Bucs fan's pain and what it is like to get excited about mediocrity. The high watermark for them in '97 was on August 25th they were 67-64 and just three games out of first place. Now a team being just three games over .500 being only three games out in late August tells you that the N.L. Central was pretty bad in 1997. They would lose their next four games and never be over .500 the rest of the year although they would not be mathematically eliminated until September 24th. The division was almost as bad as N.L. West was in 2005 as the Astros would take the division crown with just 84 wins. The Pirates would finish 79-83 with a second place finish, five games out of first.
One thing to keep in mind about this Pittsburgh team is that they had a pathetic $10.7 million payroll, by far the lowest in baseball in 1997 so any success they certainly had to be considered overachievers. The Reds had the highest payroll in the N.L. at $49.7 million but the Bucs finished ahead of them. Now I take a look back at the Little Bucs That Sorta Could and where they've went since.
C: Jason Kendall (.294/.391/.434, 40.9 VORP, 22 Win Shares) - Just his second year but he had already emerged as the team's best player. He was a rising star but as well know in 1999 he'd have a horrific leg injury although he'd comeback in 2000 and have one the best years of his career which he'd parlay into an obscene contract that the Pirates would spend a few years trying to unload. Finally after a very good 2004 season he was traded to Oakland where unfortunately for the A's, and me, he'd hit catcher career wall in 2005.
1B: Kevin Young (.300/.332/.535, 26.5 VORP, 12 Win Shares) - Mainly a 4-A player Young put up solid numbers in a platoon with Mark Johnson in '97. In 1999 he'd have himself a pretty good year but that would be bad news for Pirates fans as he'd get a four-year, $24 million contract after that and hit like crap for the duration of the contract. Young really signifies what is wrong with the Pirates organization as after slugging just .399 in 2001, just awful for a first baseman, they still managed to give him 525 plate appearances the following season. They finally cut him loose during the 2003 season.
2B: Tony Womack (.278/.326/.374, 32.5 VORP, 18 Win Shares) - Aww the stat geek punching bag. After cups of coffee the previous three seasons this would qualify as Womack's rookie season and it he wasn't half bad. But it was obvious from that year already that he wasn't a reliable option as a lead off hitter, although he'd fool teams for several years just because of his speed, as he had only 43 walks in 689 plate appearances. He was traded to the Diamondbacks for the 1999 season, where he'd pick up a ring in 2001. Had two very short stints after trades in 2003 with the Rockies and Cubs. Then in 2004 with the Cardinals he'd have his career year at age 34 and convince the Yankees that he could be their regular second baseman for 2005. Whoops! What was so great about the Yankees signing Womack was that everyone knew he would suck. So congratulations to everyone for being right for once. Now currently with the Reds.
3B: Joe Randa (.302/.366/.451, 32.2 VORP, 16 Win Shares) - Acquired from the Royals before the season in what would be the first of five trades he's been in, he had a decent season. He's really the type of guy that would be useful for a good team that had a big hole at third base for a cheap price. Problem is he ends up on bad teams all the time who count him to be a key hitter in their line up. Following the season he'd be taken in the expansion draft by Arizona who'd unload him the same day to Detroit for Travis Fryman. Just another one year stint there and he'd be traded to the Mets who'd trade him six days later to Kansas City where he'd find a home for six years. Spent 2005 between the Reds and Padres and has now comeback to Pittsburgh to recreate that '97 magic!
SS: Kevin Polcovich (.273/.350/.396, 14.6 VORP, 6 Win Shares) - Who? No really, I have no memory of this guy. This would be his rookie year at age 27 and he'd only spend one more year in the Majors. He was one of six guys to have more than 10 starts at shortstop for the Pirates in '97 including aging veterans Dale Sveum, Kevin Elster, and Shawon Dunston.
LF: Al Martin (.291/.359/.473, 33.1 VORP, 13 Win Shares) - You always have to feel sorry for a guy who has to replace a legend but that's what Martin had to do. The typical numbers he put up would have been very good if he was a great fielding, center fielder but he was a poor fielding, corner outfielder. He also was awful against left handers so he often had to be platooned. Traded to the Padres before the 2000 season he'd bounce around from there to Seattle, be out of baseball in 2002, and then finish his career in 2003 with the Devil Rays. Al Martin Fun Facts: Arrested in 2000 for bigamy and made up a story about playing football at USC. Yes because no one pays attention to USC football.
CF: Jermaine Allensworth (.255/.340/.339, 4.6 VORP, 7 Win Shares) - Simply a prospect who never panned out and no surprise with those numbers. Traded to the Royals during the 1998 season who'd flip him to the Mets less than two months later where he'd last appear in the Majors in 1999. Last seen in the independent Northern League.
RF: Jose Guillen (.267/.300/.412, 1.5 VORP, 7 Win Shares) - This was Guillen's rookie year at just 21 years old as the Pirates hot shotted him from High A ball and he was clearly not ready yet they kept him up all year playing him in 144 games. It was this incredibly stupid decision that contributed to Guillen having a very slow start to his career. Traded to the Devil Rays in 1999 he'd be released by four different teams until in 2003 he'd breakout with the Reds. He'd be traded in a deadline deal to Oakland and then sign with the Angels on a surprisingly cheap deal as there were rumors of attitude problems. This would come up in late September in a key series with the A's where the Angels would suspend him for the rest of the season for an unknown clubhouse altercation. You know when a team in the middle of the pennant chase essentially dumps it's starting left fielder, who was having a pretty good year, that's probably a sign that the guy might have some problems. Currently he's with the Nationals where he wants to beat up Pedro Martinez or something. Maybe he should beat up Jim Bowden.
Pitchers
Esteban Loaiza (104 ERA+, 25.0 VORP, 11 Win Shares) - Loaiza has made a career out of being very average and '97 was no different and is probably now the definition of a journeyman starter. Pirates traded him to Texas during 1998, who would trade him to Toronto during 2000. After a miserable 2002 season he signed on the cheap with the White Sox and out of no where had a Cy Young caliber season. Then traded to the Yankees for Jose Contreras in a deadline deal which would turn into an absolute nightmare for him and the Yankees. Signed with the Nationals in 2005 and then signed a three-year, $22 million deal with the A's that I'm absolutely hating.
Jon Lieber (96 ERA+, 17.0 VORP, 9 Win Shares) - Yet another pitcher who's put together an average career. Pirates traded him to the Cubs for Brant Brown after 1998 (that turned out well) where he'd have a 20 win season in 2001. Late in 2002 he'd have Tommy John surgery which would cause him to miss the entire 2003 season. The Yankees gambled on him before 2003 knowing he'd miss the season and he'd comeback for 2004 to be a moderately succesful pitcher who Yankee fans fell in love with. Now currently with the Phillies.
Jason Schmidt (93 ERA+, 12.6 VORP, 8 Win Shares) - Oh here's a painful one for Pirates fans. Acquired in a late season dump of Denny Neagle the year before, Schmidt was a hot shot prospect. Now typically leaving the Braves seems to be career suicide for a starting pitcher. After two decent seasons, shoulder problems with derail Schmidt as he would miss four months that season. He'd struggle at times in 2001 and it was uncertain if he'd ever regain form. So during that season, with him eligible for free agency following the year, the Pirates traded him to San Francisco for Armando Rios and Ryan Vogelsong. In 2003 Schmidt would emerge as one of the best pitchers in baseball and follow that up with a very good 2004. Injuries have again slowed him down since but safe to say the Pirates wish they had gotten a little more in return for him.
Steve Cooke (100 ERA+, 10.7 VORP, 7 Win Shares) - Another Pirates prospect that was probably rushed too soon. He had a pretty good rookie year in 1993 but shoulder problems would pop up the following season, probably due to throwing 210 innings at age 23, and he'd barely pitch at all the next two seasons before finally returning to full action in '97. But his shoulder and elbow were thrashed, he'd sign with the Reds but make only one apperance for them in 1998 and was out of baseball by 1999.
Francisco Cordova (118 ERA+, 32.9 VORP, 13 Win Shares) - Young, overused, Pirates pitcher with shoulder problems. See a theme? Cordova broke out in 1997 as a potential rising star pitcher and had a combined no hitter against the Astros in July. He'd follow it up with a very good 1998 season and Pirates fan's hearts were all a flutter. But those pesky shoulder problems would pop up in 1999, he'd only throw 95 innings in 2000, and that was it for his career. Really too bad as he looked like he might be the real deal.
Closer: Rich Loiselle (139 ERA+, 16.3 VORP, 11 Win Shares) - Pirates pitcher with injury problems, this is just getting depressing. Loiselle set a Pirates rookie record with 29 saves in '97 and then had a decent '98 season before elbow problems would effectively end his career. He'd have multiple surgeries and comebacks over the following few years but he'd never be effective again, his career over by 2001.
So there you have it. I just spent more time than anyone every will on the 1997 Pirates. What do I win?
Well, time to talk about things that I need to get off my chest A new part of the blog, that i do any chance I get:
Freedom to...Show This?
Ok, some 10 year old girl in the middle of the country (If you call Pittsburgh Middle) is protesting in her school...Not because of a war or illegal immrgation.
Because the school stated, she has shorts that are too small.
...Hillarity Insues.
Can the parents of the girl tell her, wrong issue to start a fight? Save it when it REALLY means something...
When the teachers are too busy fucking there best friends.
Ok, when did CBS turn from scraping old men, into whoreville?
Take it from me, When Uncle Walt says something- he means it. He said that Sheffer was a better choice than Dan Rather- it showed in the ratings. I mean when your 1.0 points away from Brian Willams, who is still doing well after Brockaws retirement, that saying something.
Then the bitches came to town.
Katie Couric is the same as Jenny Anniston- even the dispite the fact the former has some cred. What scares me the most is that she is taking the place of not only Bob, but the legendary bad ass, Mike Wallace. My father always had away to get around situations- he threthened them with saying that he had the number to Wallace's office. They turn shit face and run.
Katie isnt gonna do much more than be the vanilla ice to Moonves's carmel coating. That was a bone headed move from McManus.
Its even more stupid to let her go from NBC side of things, because Vierra isnt that good after catting it up with Star Jones for the last 7 so years.
So now Katie is gonna lead CBS news.
That makes no sense, after that they have many women- who so desevre it more than her.
And besides, it breaks tradition- The future doesnt look bright, and it was all looking better than good from my view.
(Come on, cant you give RUSS a shot!?)
Ninty is only hurting themselfs.
HOW many times do I have to tell people the DS is a GIMMICK- im tired. It might have good games, but when the third parties can only get the same numbers on the PSP, even despite the fact the PSP has less support from these same parties, then it seems that the japanese third parties are still falling for the old Ninty JuJu magic.
And the fact they cant make them faster than people can buy them- its only a matter of time, before the bubble bursts.
If they were smarter, they would have priced the system higher. 3/4 near the cost of the PSP in Japan. It doesnt matter if there 14 million ahead. They said the same thing about the saturn when it was 7, the same with dreamcast when they had a 5 million. They crashed. Burned.
They cant hold on to the handlelds until a TRUE GB successor comes. Then we will talk.
They dont make them like they used to
24 and Lost are in broild in a war. The fans are in it badly- whos the better mindfuck, 24, and how many times Jack Bauer can excape death, or how many connetions can you make with the Losties.
But the diffrence between these two shows?
Part of the 1990's young gang (Sarah Jessica Parker, with fellow struggling actors Billy Zane and Robert Downey Jr.) Keifer stands tall, mistakes and flaws. You want to be this man, and thats saying alot, because all Lost does its try to make you like there charitors, but even at there best, they kinda fall short.
24 heart is Keifer, and this season shows that hes is that good of an actor- even though astechicly, Hugh Larie is snarker, and Wenthworth Miller (Michal Scofeld) does better with a good cast like has. (The best actors on Lost are the Korean actors- and one was the back up on season 3 of 24)
And come on, who doesnt love a dude that loves a good gitar (and Hendrix...)
(besides, people hate on AnaL too damn much, if any of you have seen IPGX, shes the same girl, and everybody on gamefaqs's boards wanted to jump her bones- so you go from her anime version and jumping her bones, to hating her in Lost because she was a bitch...you still will jump her, jump damn you- if she spreds, JUMP...DONT make me go Bauer on you!)
I dont hate dub...much
GM, take note- when you bring back the Bonnie as the G8, please- let these guys mod the car? I mean, come on, they told Dodge how to get the two door charger!
They and Rockstar made one of the best racers out there, much better than EA's Three Games based on the Tuner style. The magazine isnt that bad eather, but its not Fusion magazine. But DUB remembers the classic cars, brought respect back to Dodge- and does it with out showing too much ass and tits...It works for me.
Now if they were just do more...like tell us how to fix GM?
Now anime dealing with American Properties?
Here comes Witchblade...Highlander...and A version of the Wizard of Oz?
Ok, the first just aired recently...some say its good but wheres the Mike Turner-Ism? Sorry guys, not there...no ass cracks eather.
Highlander is going to air later, but my guess its that its going to be a good ass Euro-Anime. The other animated series based on Highlander wasnt that good- but hey, if it does gangbusters- maybe we could see a revival- it wasnt a bad series, just never had a long story arc.
There is the new show as well, The Good Witch of the West...not much is known, but this seems to tell the story LONG before Dorthy and the Gang came to OZ. Maybe the Wizard fell in love and broke her heart... It explains everything.
(theres like 40 some anime that aired this week, many with 13 some with 26 and others continued...last year it was 26 and I liked it that way... despite the Harlem daze there living in, granted i dont like much anime, but if theres any good ones Eyeshield 21, Shana and Blood + are LOCKS for great series.)
Man...
Graduation is coming soon, and things are gonna be hetic. I hope they can bring my grandmother here to see this, but i have my doubts. How can a school make the dates between the final project and graduation day so close is beyond me but damnit i have seen worse.
As for the rest of life? Sabata (Dave) is crazy as ever... James is being too locked in his ways of getting people, my sisters are fine, my parents want me to get married...but it doesnt really matter right now and well- im trying to figure out what makes me tick...
Finally
You payed 400 for PS1
You Payed 350 for PS2
You will pay 375 for PS3.
(We all hope.)
