Re: Earlier Entry
I was looking over that baseball defense entry I typed up before and it reminded me of the time I was at the lake and I came up with a whole new game.

I don't know what made me do it, probably a combination of daydreaming, boredom, and the nice view, but I totally wrote out a brand new baseball game. It was a sort of the baseball equivalent of "Ultima Online" - which was the first game to really bring online-ness to the forefront of gaming.

THe idea was to create a role-playing game, you are one guy that you create, modify, alter, customize, etc. Then you go and practice and try to work your way up from the minor leagues up to the bigs. The catch was that everyone is a human player. Everyone on your team is an actual player.

The one thing that really excited me was that the GMs were also human. Hell, why not the umpires too? You could get an email that was like "Yo playa', you just got traded to Memphis, sux 'cause they have a stud in the bigs that plays your position, looks like the minors for you again...sorry but we got some mad players in return."

That felt awesome to me.

Actually, it was a magazine competition for the best new game idea that I wrote all this out for. I wrote like 10 pages (diagrams and everything) even though the thing I sent was a paragraph long.

Nothing happened, I didn't win. I felt I should, what a great game! I would certainly buy it if it ever existed.

THen, maybe 4 months later, I hear of this game in production called "Ultimate Baseball Online" and I was like "whaoa." Since I was modeling my game after Ultima Online, I had called it Ultimate Baseball Online, so I was very suspicious.

Turns out the game isn't that great and it isn't the game I had in mind, but still- you never know.

Time Traveler's Wife
I had seen this book around lately called “The Time Traveler’s Wife” and I wondered what it was about. I girl in one of my classes was touting it and revealed some of the plot. It turns out that this guy can time travel, so he goes back to when his wife was a little girl and visits her. He does this frequently so she gets to know him and keeps him “her little secret.” Kind of like an imaginary friend. But when she actually meets the real-time husband-to-be, she knows all these things about him and he has no clue that they have already “met.”

Apparently it’s pretty good and the overall concept is intriguing.

Baseball Video Games and Defense
To those of you who are unfamiliar with my history with playing baseball video games (Koji is aware of this issue), there is one thing I have yet to experience with satisfying results: defense.

If you're unfamiliar with this whole genre, High Heat Baseball for the PC is the best baseball video game so far. I'm talking here of versions 2001, 2002, and the apex of the series, 2003. The series is over and will not release another game, leaving EA Sports' MVP Baseball as the reigning champ - a game I have not played.

Anyway, High Heat 2003 was a great game. The pitcher-batter interface is spectacular, coming as close as you can get to the real thing without any unnecessary clutter. This has been one of the series' staples since the very first High Heat game.

But defense, in every game I've ever played, has been neglected.

High Heat did add momentum (in the 2002 version, I think), which helped a lot, but it's still not enough. You can put any Joe Schmoe out there and he'll make the same diving catch as Torii Hunter will.

This has to be addressed. There has to be a defense rating that will actually impact gameplay. My suggestion? Have players be able to make plays that others simply cannot. If they have a higher defense rating (the cutoff here is tricky), then have them capable of turning a play another guy simply cannot. Make them able to turn those tough plays more often then a bad defensive player.

The whole idea is to make defense matter. Make it a statistic that you care about as you consider trading for a guy. It matters in the Big Leagues. There are guys who are in the starting lineup based mostly on their defense. Make it count. Make me, as a player, feel the difference in having a great defensive player. Make me want to acquire a great defensive player. Make it valuable.


All this talk has got me yearning for a High Heat season, something I've dropped like a Heroin habit (just ask Koji) and am now being tempted to resume.

Luckily I left the game in Guatemala.

Damn I love baseball.

NBA and racism
Nice article on the proposed age limit for guys in the NBA

Curry Out for season
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylc=X3oDMTBpZmFlcXBpBF9TAzk1ODYxOTQ4BHNlYwN0aA--?slug=ap-bulls-curry&prov=ap&type=lgns

big blow

Deng and Curry both out...shit

Jay Mariotti is as ass
His "article" says that Kerry Wood should be traded. Vintage Mariotti, getting all riled up after a player has a bad performance and going to an extreme over it. Wait until Kerry has a good game and we'll finally hear this guy shut up for good.

I hate reactionary reporters who only care about making a buzz instead of being real journalists.

My AL Team is...
Tough call, I like so many. Oakland is great, they always seem to be in it, and I'm really interested in how their new rotation is going to hold up. THeir bullpen is great and this Houston Street kid is pretty exciting.

White Sox: They got Podsednik and two Cuban starters, what more do you need? How about a player's manager and a bunch of blue collar players? May have the most underrated rotation in baseball, plus they got that McLain kid at AAA.

BUT, I must say, the team I root for can be none other than the Cleveland Indians. They have young talent that gels. Guys with no concern for their egos but for winning (Victor Martinez, Hafner, Crisp, Belliard, etc.) The only trouble is their starting pitching, we'll see how far it gets them.

DuBois Watch
My main man Jason DuBois got a start yesterday in the double header. He went 1-3 with a double and a walk. Good job. We have a lefty on Monday so maybe he'll start again.

Corey Patterson
I really want him to do well, even though he isn't a leadoff man and all. But he has so much potential. The problem is I heard so much on the offseason about how he was working so hard on some hitting things and that we would see a totally different Patterson this season. I don't see it. Sure, he's got a .310 average and has hit in every game, but he doesn't look good. THat's why this ticks me off:

The Chicago Cubs center fielder has taken that approach to the plate, and it's paid off. He has a hit in every one of the nine games so far and is batting .310 (13-for-42) in that stretch. New hitting coach Gene Clines has helped Patterson in the process.

"I think it's just how I prepare myself and get ready for every game," Patterson said of his approach. "I think your preparation is a key, really. That's what I focus on is how I prepare for the game. Whatever happens, happens.

"I try not to base my success on how I do in the game," he said, "but make sure I focus and prepare myself well. If I do that, I know the results will show in the game."

Patterson played both games of Wednesday's doubleheader against San Diego. He led off in the opener and was inserted into the No. 3 spot in the second game, going 2-for-9. He hit his first home run in the opener.

"Any time you talk to a player who has a hitting streak, it's definitely pretty nice," Patterson said. "It's just a payoff from what they're working on with early work and their focus and concentration."

It's just the opposite. He looks terrible out there and the numbers have just been there anyway. He's gotten lucky. Infield hits, pulling everything, etc. He just doesn't look good out there. When reality sets in, if he doesn't adjust, he's in deep.

Exageration
This is what they call a bit of the ol' bullshit:

Talking about former Cub Sean Estes:

``The best left-handed curveball in the league, no question about that,'' Colorado catcher Todd Greene said. ``He used it early, and then he used his heater later. He's a quality big league starter. He's got good stuff. Obviously I worked with him a lot last year. He's not scared. He throws strikes and lets his defense work for him.''

Riiight, let's not forget his numbers last year, yes he won 15 games but:

202.0IP 223H 30HR 105BB 117Ks 5.84ERA .291OAVG

Ummm, yeah, this guy is horrible.

Oh but those numbers were with Colorado, thin air, etc etc.

Ok, with the Cubs in 2003:

152.1IP 182H 20HR 83BB 103Ks 5.73ERA .305OAVG

This bullshit about having to have a lefty is one thing, but calling this guy the "best" anything in the league just isn't right.