Leave Me Alone

Another lazy post. It's definitely how I feel right now and I just want to shout it at a certain person. All credit to the photographers kindaiwantto and vi-ol-et.



Leave Me Alone. by ~kindaiwantto on deviantART


leave me alone by ~vi-ol-et on deviantART

Limbo

Played this game straight through today. It was pretty good. Very interesting visually and solid puzzle-based gameplay.

Gaming Tuesady Update

I'm bumping my achievement goal up to 20775 from 20700. I've found myself less burnt out on gaming plus I will be getting Limbo for XBLA and playing it over the weekend.

Madden 11 demo

I thought I would hate the new play-calling system, but I actually kinda love it. I actually think it makes me a better player and breaks up the monotony of play-calling. The new locomotion engine, as in NCAA Football 11, adds another element of realism. If they made improvements to Franchise Mode, I think this will be with out a doubt the best Madden to date. Unfortunately, the Browns are going to suck hard in this game and I'll have to spend a lot of time trying to get them better.

Random Wednesday- Okkervil River

I'm severely lacking inspiration this week, but this is a lazy solution. So, here's a tribute to my favorite band: Okkervil River.

"Lost Coastlines"



"For Real"



"Girl in Port"



"Love to a Monster"



"It Ends With a Fall"

Gaming Tuesday

Achievements

Gamerscore Last Week: 20529
Goal: 20650
Gamerscore Now: 20659

Achievements Unlocked

NCAA Football 11

One Hit Wonder 25G
The D Is For... 15G
Options 25G
Throw 'Em a Curveball 15G
Aggressive Spread No Huddle 25G
Spread No Huddle 25G

After an an afternoon of achievement whoring, I managed to meet my goal for this week. For whatever reason lately I've been a little burnt out on gaming and the things I'm enjoying aren't very achievement rich.

Goal for next week: 20700

Here's what I've come up with for a "punishment" when I fall short of my achievement goal. For ever point I am short of my Gamerscore goal, I will donate a nickel to The Harry Potter Alliance. There will be more on this in future Gaming Tuesdays.


Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood Multiplayer

I have loved the two Assassin's Creed games, so far and to this point they have been entirely single player. The new multiplayer looks awesome. I'm just afraid that it'll will be prone to being entirely ruined by douchebags. Hopefully there are safe guards against douchbagery.

Browns' Monday

Quarterbacks

Perhaps the bleakest position on the team is the Quarterback position. Unless it turns out that Delhomme just needed a change of venue to quit sucking so hard, it is really hard to imagine the Browns having any semblance of a passing game. Since I have serious doubt that is what is the problem, my guess is that Seneca Wallace will end up being the starter by the half-way point in the season. Not that he would be any great improvement. At least Colt McCoy is signed and will be in camp on time. I don't think he should see the field this season unless the other two get hurt. Given the way Browns' quarterbacks go down, that is a possibility. Realistically, McCoy probably isn't going to the answer at the quarterback position anyway.

The weak passing game will be make having a successful running game very difficult. I think using Cribbs in the Wildcat will be the most effective use of the QB position this season.

Haden Holdout

Joe Haden is looking like a likely holdout. I doubt it will be very long holdout, but this year the number seven slot is difficult to price without some other top 10 deals signed. Last year the number seven pick was Darius Heyward-Bey, who the Raiders way over-paid. Right now only one first rounder has signed a deal, but it will take a few more signing from higher up in the draft to set the market. Assuming the Raiders don't give their draft pick another way over priced deal to mess it up, I doubt Haden will miss more than a few days of camp.

Buckeye Sunday- 5 Reason This Won't Be the Year

Last time I outlined the reason why this could be the year for Ohio State to win another National Championship. Here are the reasons why that may not actually happen:

5.) The System- Generally the BCS has been kind to the Buckeyes, but if the Big-10 proves to be as weak as I think it will be, it may not be.

4.) Luck- As noted last time, luck can play a factor. Unfortunately that can cut both ways. What if Robert Marve has turned himself into the greatest quarterback ever? What if there's a bad call in a close game against Wisconsin? That element of uncertainty could cost the Buckeyes.

3.) Expectations- There are great expectations for this year's Buckeye team. That could work against the team in several ways. There is believing your own hype and therefore thinking it will be easy. There is also the burden of high expectations that could cause poor performance. Finally, there is the target that is produced by being considered a 'great team.' It's not that Ohio State doesn't always have a target on their backs; it's that it's bigger this year.

2.) Injuries- This team is loaded with talent, but at some critical positions there is an apparent lack of depth. It is not entirely true that Ohio State would be in trouble with certain injuries, because the depth is still big name recruits, just generally unproven. If someone can name Pryor's back-up in comments I'd be impressed.

1.) Alabama- Alabama is loaded and if they make it to the National Championship game, I do not think there is a match for them anywhere in college football.



The Agent Problem

In recent weeks four programs have come under investigation by the NCAA for alleged player involvement with agents. This is a serious problem in big-time college athletics. Agents are trying to assure themselves a cut of a player's rookie contract, which in the NFL is massive, and there are no real consequences for the agent or player. I have a feeling that this issue will prove to be rampant in college football and even worse in college basketball due to the one and done rule.

So, what's the solution? There really isn't one that the NCAA can implement that will be truly effective. The most effective tool the NCAA has is the punishment that it can issue to programs whose players commit violations. Unfortunately, these punishments never actually punish the guilty parties, but those who are in the program long after those who are responsible have moved on. It is still all the NCAA can do and it does really encourage programs to ensure compliance, when they see the type of punishments that was handed to USC. These punishments still don't really solve the problem of agent involvement with college athletes though.

The only real effective solution can come from the agents themselves, the NFL and the NBA. Starting with the agents, some sort of trade-union or organization of agents that provides licenses and oversight would be a step in the right direction. If an agent is found to be involved with a college athlete, that license should be revoked. If the player's unions of the NFL and NBA could make it so they only deal with licensed agents, that would make doing business with college athletes a huge risk and not worth it. Also, introducing a rookie pay-scale in the NFL would reduce the incentive for an agent to involve himself with a college football player. Sam Bradford is looking at 50 million guaranteed money in his rookie deal, so the agents cut will be massive. Not only will it help with the problems in college, but it would fix one of the really messed up things about the NFL.

Thanks for reading and please comment.

-Michael