Someone Else's Shoes

Tonight is the season finale of the FX network television show, 30 Days. In case you’ve missed it, the show is hosted by Morgan Spurlock, the man who brought us the brilliant documentary Super Size Me. In the movie, Spurlock subjected his body to a diet consisting solely of McDonald’s food for 30 days.

The show takes that formula and expands it to other areas of life. Every week, a different individual, usually on one side of a controversial issue, is plucked out of his normal routine and environment and thrust into a whole new world. For example, in the season premiere, a Minute Man (the vigilante group that has taken upon itself to patrol the border between the U.S. and Mexico) spends 30 days living with a family of undocumented immigrants.

It has been a pretty good season this year as the show has looked at the issues of immigration; outsourcing -- by sending a laid off American to India; atheism -- by sending an atheist to live with a devout Christian family, new age healing -- by hooking up an average Joe with a life coach; and abortion, by sending a pro-choice family planning employee to live at a maternity home run by an anti-abortion activist.

This week, the show will take a look at the prison system, specifically that of Virgina. Spurlock will spend 30 days in a county jail in Richmond, VA. The prison system in this country doesn’t seem to be working very well. Rather than focus on trying to stop people from committing crimes in the first place, the system seems to be more focused on just sequestering a significant portion of the population, particularly African Americans and Latinos.

Part of the problem is that politicians find it a lot easier to get votes from the American public by talking about getting tough on crime rather than by talking about how to improve the lives of individuals who live in crime-ridden areas and end up following the examples all around them.

I’m sure tonight’s show will try to depict what it’s like on the other side and that’s one of the reasons I really enjoy the show. The basic idea of the series is to try to get the audience to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes. The show tries to present what I consider a balanced view of the issues it tackles. But at its core are two progressive principles: tolerance and understanding. I really do think that the world would be a far better place if people could just consider other people’s perspectives before making their judgments.

People don’t always change their ways of thinking of course, but they do seem to become more sympathetic. For instance, in the immigration episode, the Minute Man member decided to stop patrolling the border. After spending a few days in the Mexican town where the family was from, he was bothered by the idea of helping return people at the border to those impoverished conditions. Instead he decided to focus more on petitioning Congress to tighten security at the border. It’s not a renouncement of his ideals, but it’s a start.

So if you feel like taking a walk in someone else’s shoes, you can catch 30 Days tonight at 10 p.m. EST on the FX network.

An Office Affair

The 58th Annual Emmy Awards were held last night at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California. While I didn’t bother to actually watch the award show, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that The Office won for best comedy series.

Frankly I didn’t know the show was even nominated. I mean who really cares about the Emmy Awards. Nevertheless, it was still nice to see the second best comedy series on TV last season get some recognition. The best series last year was of course Arrested Development, which won the award two years ago and was nominated again this year, but that’s a story for another day.

This was the second season for The Office but the first season that I watched. The show is an adaptation of a British series of the same name. I had heard about the British version of the show and a friend had recommended I watch it. But it wasn’t until after the first season of the American version had already aired that I finally got see a couple episodes of its UK predecessor. I truly enjoyed the British version and I thought Ricky Gervais, the lead and co-creator of the show, was a genius.

The American version was a mid-season replacement last season. Its ratings were strong at first but were fairly weak by the first season’s finale. However NBC decided to bring it back this season. Fortunately for the show, The 40-Year Old Virgin was released last summer and was a solid success. The movie starred Steve Carell, who plays the lead in The Office, and gave the show some buzz which led to a push by NBC before the start of the second season. This push was rewarded with some fairly good ratings.

I actually wasn’t very impressed by the first couple of episodes of the second season. My friend had warned me not to hold the US version to the standard set by the UK version but I couldn’t help it. Fortunately I stuck with the show and the show really improved as the season progressed.

The show takes place at a paper company and is done in a mockumentary format where the characters will occasionally speak directly tothe camera to express their thoughts on the events that are taking place. The writing is sharp and the actors are great. I also appreciate that it has one of the most diverse casts on television.

The office environment might put off some people. Sometimes the humor hits a little too close to home. You really wouldn’t want to work with most of these characters in real life. But more often than not when working in the real world you will run across a Michael, an overbearing boss, or a Dwight, an annoying suck-up, and face similar issues like sexual harassment training and the office holiday party. While some people appreciate finding humor out of real life frustrations, some people find the show a constant reminder of those annoyances. As you might have guessed, I belong to the first group.

And thankfully it appears that most Emmy voters belonged to that first group as well. So if your interest has been piqued and you haven’t been watching the show, it airs Thursdays at 8:30 p.m. on NBC.

Prime Time?

Earlier this week, Kobe Bryant turned 28 years old. While I'’m sure this was a happy occasion in the Bryant household, I couldn'’t help but be reminded that it means Kobe has been in the league for 10 years.

Has it really been a decade? I can still remember the skinny, fresh-faced youngster with the bald head who electrified Laker fans with jaw-dropping dunks. I still remember worrying what Kobe'’s arrival would ultimately mean for Eddie Jones, who was my favorite Laker at the time. Of course three straight championships made it a lot easier to forget about Eddie.

Most NBA players enter their prime around age 28. And scoring wise, last year was undoubtedly Kobe'’s best season. But given that Kobe entered the league at the age of 18 and has been in the playoffs all but one season, I wonder how long that prime can last and whether Kobe can find a way to win another championship with the Lakers before he leaves the team.

Frankly, I don'’t have any idea. Part of me takes solace in the fact that the team almost defeated the Phoenix Suns in the playoffs and the Suns made it to the Western Conference Finals. The same part of me hopes that Lamar Odom and Kwame Brown will improve and that Andrew Bynum and Jordan Farmar will develop into all-stars and provide enough of a supporting cast for Kobe to get the job done. The same part of me appreciates that Phil Jackson, the greatest basketball coach ever, is leading the team.

The other part of me is worried about the wear-and-tear on Kobe over the last 10 years. It sees that the Lakers' window is closing and wonders how the team could ever beat San Antonio or Dallas. It fears that Lamar doesn'’t have enough intensity and Kwame doesn'’t care enough. It sees Bynum as nothing more than a stiff and wonders if it wasn't an accident that Farmar dropped near the bottom of the first round of the draft. It remembers that Jackson only has two more years left on his contract.

Well, regardless of whichever part of me turns out to be right, I know one thing for certain. Whatever happens I'll be watching. After 10 years, I know at the very least I'’ll get a good show.

Not So Mad About Madden

Madden NFL 07 was released yesterday. For many video game fans, Madden Day has become something of a holiday. As both a football fan and video game fan, you might think that I would be excited about the release of latest version of the game. In truth, I couldn’t care less.

I first played Madden about 10 years ago when I was still in college. I really wanted to like the game. A couple of my roommates loved playing it and I was a football fan so I thought I would enjoy it too. One day, when no one was around to mock me as I played it for the first time, I loaded up the game. I decided to play with the Green Bay Packers as I was a big Bret Favre fan at the time.

It was a debacle. I couldn’t pass the ball. I couldn’t run it. I couldn’t even play defense. After about 5 minutes and a couple of turnovers, I was down 14-0. Needless to say I started getting frustrated. After the computer scored a third touchdown I turned off the game and decided to hang up my video game cleats.

A few years ago I decided to come out of retirement and give Madden another shot. This time I even tried out some of the practice drills. But once again, once I started playing an actual game, my team looked like the Houston Texans.

So for yet another year, Madden Day came and went without me. That’s ok, NHL 2K7 Day and NBA 2K7 Day are just around the corner.

So Far So-so

Earlier today, the US basketball team defeated the Slovenia team 114 - 95 to win their third game in the tournament and clinch a spot in the round of 16 in the 2006 FIBA World Championship. While this accomplishment isn’t anything to write home about, at least the team has gotten off to a better start than its 2004 predecessor, which was defeated by 19 points in its first game of the preliminary round of the Olympics by Puerto Rico.

So far the team has shown some encouraging signs as well as some causes for concern. On the bright side, it appears that Coach K has decided on a starting five and tightened up the rotation a bit. Nothing is set in stone but it looks like the team will start Chris Paul, Shane Battier, Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James, and Dwight Howard.

While I might have started Kirk Hinrich because he’s a bigger threat from the perimeter than Paul is, I really like this line-up. Paul is a great passer and ball handler. Battier provides an outside threat and some hustle and defense. Carmelo gives you a great scoring punch. LeBron gives you a little of everything. And finally, Howard gives you rebounding and interior defense.

Halfway through a quarter, Coach K brings in Hinrich, Dwayne Wade, Joe Johnson, Antawn Jamison, and Elton Brand. Coach K is still mixing up the rotation a bit but these two units appear to be working well together. At 115 points per game, the team is the only one in the tournament to be averaging over 100 points.

Another positive is that the team is doing a great job of forcing turnovers. That was Coach K’s plan from the outset and it appears to be working. In its first three games, the US is forcing the opponent to commit over 20 turnovers per game. That figure will probably go down as the competition gets tougher, but it’s a good sign.

I also like how the perimeter game is going. One of the biggest problems for the US team in recent years has been the inability to make perimeter shots in the face of the zone defenses that are favored in international play. While the team is missing Michael Redd and Ray Allen, they are currently hitting 37% of their shots from the 3-pt line, good for 10th among the 24 teams playing in Japan. I wouldn’t mind a little improvement there, but that’s not a bad start.

On the other hand, the two teams with the best 3-pt accuracy thus far are Puerto Rico and Slovenia, both of which hurt the United States from behind the arc. Puerto Rico made a blistering 10 of 16 (62.5%) three-point attempts while Slovenia was 6 of 15 (40%). China, the other team the US had faced, made 13 of 31 from 3-pt land (42%). I would feel a lot better about the team’s chances if it defended the three a little better.

Another area where I’m a little concerned is the team’s ability to stop dribble penetration by the opposing teams’ guards. Part of the problem is that the team gambles in order to try to force turnovers. When those gambles fail, it’s a lot easier for the guards to get to the rim. Hopefully the team will be able to find the right balance in the next couple of games against Italy and Senegal before the next round of play. Regardless, I still think the team will bring home the gold. Only time will tell.

If I Could be Like

Six years ago I took a short trip to Europe with a few friends. One evening I was talking to one of them and he asked me a funny question. He asked if I could be any one person in the world, who would I want to be.

Without even a second’s thought I answered Tiger Woods. My friend was surprised. He knew that I was a big fan of the Los Angeles Lakers and assumed I would say Kobe Bryant.

When he told me that, it made me reconsider. Who wouldn’t want to be Kobe Bryant? This was the summer of 2000, right after the Lakers had won their first championship since 1988. While Shaquille O’Neal had been named the Finals MVP, Kobe had played well and was already being compared to Michael Jordan. This was before the Colorado incident, before Kobe helped drive Shaq out of LA, and before Kobe became won of the least popular athletes in the country.

Upon reflection I explained my initial answer. Yes, Kobe Bryant seemed to have it all. He had money and fame and was one of the best basketball players in the world. Basketball was and continues to be my favorite sport. I’ve dreamed of being able to dunk like Kobe. Unfortunately, at 5’5” the closest I will ever come to that is dunking on an eight foot rim outside of an elementary school. At the same time, up until that point, I had never even swung a golf club.

But what set Tiger above Kobe in my eyes is that while many felt Kobe could go down as one of the best in his sport, most people believed Tiger had a shot to be the very best in his field.

In basketball, most fans would say that Michael Jordan is the greatest. But there is no single criterion that marks him as the greatest. He didn’t score the most points or win the most championships. That’s why occasionally you get some arguments about who really is the best basketball player ever. Some fans, including myself say it was Magic Johnson. Others say Larry Bird, Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, or Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was the best.

In golf, there doesn’t seem to be much of an argument. Jack Nicklaus is the best golfer ever because he won 18 major championships. Sure Sam Snead won more PGA Tour events than Nicklaus, but what people really care are the majors. Regardless of what Kobe did the rest of his career, the most he could hope for was to be considered one of the best. Even now, while he’s in his prime and after scoring 81 points in a single game last season, some argue that Dwayne Wade or LeBron James is better.

With Tiger, all he has to do is win 19 championships and he’ll be the G.G.O.A.T., Greatest Golfer Of All Time. Back in the summer of 2000, Tiger was dominating golf and in the middle of completing the Tiger Slam, holding all four major championships, though not in the same calendar year.

There was a stretch of time when there was some doubt about Tiger becoming the greatest. He failed to win a major in 2003 and 2004 when he was changing his golf swing to reduce the wear and tear on his knee. With his PGA Championship win yesterday, his second major in a row and fourth in the last two years, Tiger seems to have erased any doubt of getting to 19. He is now only seven championships away from overtaking Jack Nicklaus.

I actually first remembered my friend’s question last month when Tiger won the British Open. Seeing his poise and dominance and his emotional breakdown after winning the tournament reminded me of why I started watching Tiger in the first place. Yesterday, that dominance was on display again. He started the day sharing the lead with Luke Donald. It only took one hole for him to assume sole possession of the lead.

That poise is another reason why I wish I could be Tiger. Kobe is arguably a clutch player and has hit his fair share of heroic shots to win games. But he has also missed his fair share of game-winning shots. Tiger doesn’t miss. With his win yesterday, Tiger is 12-0 when he’s leading or co-leading a major championship after three rounds. Now that’s domination and why six years later I still find myself saying if I could be like anyone, I want to be like Tiger.

The Reclamation Project

Tonight marks the start of a journey for twelve young Americans in the Land of the Rising Sun. The 2006 FIBA World Championship begins tonight in Japan. As a public service I decided to offer my unsolicited preview and analysis of the eight teams with the best chance to win the championship according to the odds posted yesterday at bodog.com. For the record, I am not advocating any type of gambling, merely providing some information.

France
A France championship will reward its supporters with $16 for every $1 they wager. The team is tenth in the FIBA rankings and features five current NBA players: Mickael Pietrus of the Golden State Warriors, Boris Diaw of the Phoenix Suns, Johan Petro of the Seattle Supersonics, and my favorite French player, Ronny Turiaf of the Los Angeles Lakers. That’s a fair amount of NBA talent. Tony Parker was on the team’s roster but a broken finger right before the tournament will keep him out of commission.

The team also features Frederic Weis, who was immortalized during the 2000 Olympics when Vince Carter literally dunked over him. Earlier this week, the French team beat the European Champion Greece 72-68 in an exhibition game in China. The French team isn’t a bad sleeper pick. But the fact that it’s in the same group with Argentina and Serbia & Montenegro makes it less likely the team will advance.

Greece
I was shocked to see that betting on Greece would pay out 10 to 1 since the only Greek player I could think of was Jake Tsakalidis and he’s not even on their roster. According to the FIBA rankings, they are the eighth best team in the world. In 2005, the team won the FIBA Europe Championship. The team throttled Germany 84-47 in an exhibition game a few days after the loss to France. They are in Group C with Brazil and Lithuania so like France, I don’t see them getting very far.

Brazil
Like Greece, a bet on Brazil will pay out 10 to 1. Brazil is fifteenth in the FIBA rankings and its roster includes two NBA players: Leandro Barbosa of the Phoenix Suns and Anderson Varejao of the Cleveland Cavaliers. I did not find Nene Hilario on the team’s roster and I assume it’s because he is still recovering from the knee injury that had him miss all but one game of the 2005-06 NBA season. Last year Brazil won the FIBA Americas Championship with victories over Argentina and the United States. Brazil faced the United States in an exhibition game earlier this month and lost the game by only four points. However, the team followed that game with a close loss to Germany so I’m not sure how strong their team really is.

Lithuania
Now we’re getting to the true contenders. A dollar will get you $8 if you bet on Lithuania to win it all. According to FIBA, the team is the fourth best in the world. It features three NBA players, although I only recognized one of them, Darius Songaila of the Chicago Bulls. The other two NBA players are Arvydas Macijauskas of the New Orleans Hornets and Linas Kleiza of the Denver Nuggets. I’m not sure why Sarunas Jasikevicius of the Indian Pacers isn’t on the team this year as he has been a prominent member of the team in the past. Lithuania was easily defeated, 104-90, by the United States earlier this week and barely beat South Korea 83-81. However I still consider the team a good bet since they usually do well in international competition. They faced the United States in the bronze medal game in the 2004 Olympics. Even though they lost the medal game, they defeated the US during the preliminary round.

Serbia & Montenegro
A bet on Serbia will pay out at 7 to 1. Serbia doesn’t have a FIBA ranking but FIBA ranks the now defunct Yugoslavia team as number 2 as their rankings are based within the scope of the last two Olympic games. The only NBA player on the team is Darko Milicic of the Orlando Magic, whose claim to fame until now has been the dubious distinction of being selected with the second pick in the 2003 NBA draft, before Carmelo Anthony, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh.

While Darko may never be as good as those three players, he did show signs of improvement after being traded from Detroit to Orlando. In 30 games for the Magic he averaged 7.6 points, 4 rebounds and 2 blocks in about 21 minutes. He averaged 1.5 points, 1 rebound, and half a block for Detroit in 5.6 minutes. Last week he helped lead Serbia to a blowout victory over Argentina, 83-64. Serbia is the defending FIBA World Championship having won the tournament in 2002. However, I would be hesitant to bet on Serbia given that they failed to get out of group play at the 2004 Olympics.

Spain
A dollar will get you $6 if you decide to put your money on Spain. The team is fifth in the FIBA rankings and features Pau Gasol of the Memphis Grizzlies and Jose Calderon of the Toronto Raptors. Spain has been playing very well in the exhibition games leading up to the tournament with convincing victories over Argentina, 87-66, and Serbia, 80-65. They might not be as dominant once the tournament begins, but they wouldn’t be a bad pick to win it all.

Argentina
A bet on Argentina will pay out at 5.5 to 1. If I were going to put money on the tournament, I would bet on them. That’s not to say I think Argentina will win, I just think you’re getting good odds with this bet. The team is the third best in the world according to FIBA and features Manu Ginobili and Fabricio Oberto of the San Antonio Spurs, Andres Nocioni of the Chicago Bulls, and Carlos Delfino of the Detroit Pistons. The team is the defending Olympic gold medallist and came in second at the 2002 FIBA World Championship. They also came in second place at the 2005 FIBA Americas Championship. They haven’t played well in the exhibition games leading up to the tournament having lost to both Spain and Serbia. But they should be very tough to beat once the tournament gets going.

United States
And now we come to the reclamation project. The US basketball team is on a mission to reclaim its positions as the preeminent hoops squad in the whole world after finishing with only the bronze medal at the 2004 Olympics and coming in sixth place at the 2002 World Championship. I sincerely hope and believe they can do it. They are my pick to win the championship. But at 1 to 5, you’d have to be a fool to put money on them.

According to the FIBA rankings, the US team is still the number 1 team in the world. However it hasn’t felt that way since that awful showing at the 2002 World Championship. The team is the only one to feature 12 NBA players: Carmelo Anthony, Shane Battier, Chris Bosh, Elton Brand, Kirk Hinrich, Dwight Howard, LeBron James, Antawn Jamison, Joe Johnson, Brad Miller, Chris Paul, and Dwayne Wade.

At this point I would like to formally apologize to Carmelo Anthony for suggesting in an earlier column that he be left off the team. Carmelo has arguably been the team’s best player and seems to be the most dedicated to restoring glory to the US. I thought the team had too many small forwards and hadn’t even considered the possibility of going with smaller line-ups (with James at the 4 spot at times). I guess that’s why Coach K is in Japan leading the team and I’m sitting at home.

Aside from a narrow victory against Brazil, the US has looked impressive in its five exhibition games over the last few weeks. While I don’t expect the team to dominate, I do like how the team is composed. You have your three superstars and team captains in Anthony, James and Wade; a good ball-handling guard in Paul; good perimeter shooters in Hinrich, Battier, and Johnson (the latter two also being excellent role players and defenders); big men that have range in Jamison and Miller; and finally you have athletic big men in Brand, Bosh, and Howard. Sure it would be nice to have Kobe Bryant, Shawn Marion, and Michael Redd on the team, but I have confidence in this team and fully expect them to bring home the championship and reclaim the title of the best basketball team in the world.

I Don't Get It

For the last few months there has been a bit of a buzz surrounding the release of the movie Snakes on a Plane. Most of this hype has come from the internet and it apparently has influenced the movie's content. When the studio considered taming the film's goriness to avoid an R rating, the uproar on the internet helped convince the studio to make the movie even gorier. Every new development in the movie's progress has been met with a great deal of fanfare from a segment of the internet community and it seems a lot of people are eagerly anticipating the movie's release this Friday.

After hearing the basic plot and seeing some of the trailers for the movies, I find myself lost. I just don't get it. Why are so many people excited about a movie that looks so horrible.

As a fan of the Sports Guy, I'm fully aware of the appeal of unintentional comedy and I do find myself amused by it. But this seems more like intentional unintentional comedy and I can't understand the appeal of that.

Why reward a movie studio with my hard-earned money for releasing an awful movie. There seems to be enough garbage out there without me supporting a movie studio for putting out more.

Maybe it's a cultural thing. Or maybe I'm too old. Or maybe I'm not cool enough. Whatever it is, I think it's pretty silly to waste your time and money on a piece of trash. But who am I to judge, I go to summer league basketball games and it's pretty hard to come up with something that's a bigger waste of time than that. I guess to each his own.

To Hell with the NFL

Tonight begins a new era in Monday Night Football with a pre-season game between the Oakland Raiders and the Minnesota Vikings. While the most obvious change would be the move from ABC to ESPN, the biggest change for me is the new announce team, particularly the debut of Tony Kornheiser.

Most sports fans know Kornheiser from his show on ESPN, Pardon the Interruption, which he co-hosts with Michael Wilbon. Since 2001, the two of them have entertained America with their insightful and humorous banter on the latest sport headlines. Last spring, Wilbon branched out from PTI and became part of ABC’s NBA pre-game shows. This fall, Kornheiser will get his chance to do a little moonlighting.

Back in February, ESPN announced their MNF announce team would consist of Mike Tirico, Joe Theismann, and Kornheiser. With the choice of Kornheiser, ESPN seems to be looking for the next Howard Cossell. Unfortunately for Kornheiser, trying to live up to the legend of Cossell can be a daunting task. Just ask Dennis Miller. Six years ago ABC surprised football fans when they hired Miller to announce games with Al Michaels and Dan Fouts. The experiment lasted only two years.

Will Kornheiser fare any better? It’s tough to say. Part of what makes PTI work so well is the chemistry he has with Wilbon. While Hornheiser seems like he’d be easy enough to work with, we won’t really know how he’ll mesh with Theismann and Tirico until the football season starts.

Another potential pitfall is that Tony arguably runs the show on PTI. He and Wilbon are equals, but Kornheiser is the driving force. He’s the one that puts on the silly costumes and makes the silly jokes and does the stupid penguin dance. On Monday Night Football, Tirico, as the play-by-play guy, will be running the show.

Nevertheless, I’m looking forward to seeing their debut tonight and I’m excited that the real football season is only a few weeks away. However, this excitement is tainted with a lot of bitterness. This will be the twelfth football season without a professional football team in the City of Angels and frankly I’m getting a little perturbed.

Twelve years ago if you had told me that I’d have a better chance of watching an NFL game in person in Mexico City rather than in Los Angeles, I would have said you’re nuts. After all, LA had two football teams at the time (although the Rams actually played in Anaheim). But I would have been dead wrong as last October the Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers faced off against each other in a in a packed Azteca Stadium for a regular season game. While it was cool to see over 100,000 exuberant Mexicans watching an NFL game, the event really underscored how ridiculous the situation has become.

When the Rams and Raiders left the LA area in 1995, I completely agreed with city leaders that the taxpayers shouldn’t have to bear the burden of financing new stadiums for fat cat NFL owners. I was even proud that my city wouldn’t bow down to the NFL. I also figured that NFL needed LA more than the city needed the NFL. I imagined that it would only be a few years before LA had another football team.

As the years passed I became aware that while the city really doesn’t need the NFL (since it still has the Lakers, Dodgers, UCLA, and USC), the NFL really doesn’t need LA either. As a matter of fact, the league has only grown in popularity and prosperity since it abandoned LA. Sure without LA you end up having the Super Bowl in cities like Jacksonville and Detroit, but I guess that’s a small price to pay.

But I continued hoping that LA would get a team again. In 1999 it seemed I would get my wish as the NFL was set to approve an expansion team. But once again, the issue of financing resulted in Los Angeles missing out and Houston ended up getting the new team instead.

Since then, LA has become the NFL boogey man. Whenever a football team wants a new stadium, it just has to mention the possibility of relocation to Los Angeles to get the local taxpayers in line and approval of public financing for that new stadium. Over the last few years I’ve heard rumblings about the Vikings, Colts, Chargers, and Cardinals moving to LA. But in every case, the team ended up getting what it wanted from their home cities and the rumblings ceased. My desperation for a new LA team has gotten so bad that I was actually hoping that Los Angeles would benefit from the misery of New Orleans and host the Saints last season after Hurricane Katrina.

Frankly I’m tired of it. Damn the NFL, damn them to hell. I don’t care if LA gets an NFL team or not. Of course that doesn’t mean I’m going to stop watching and I fully intend to watch MNF on ESPN tonight and I can’t wait for the regular season to start. Thankfully, even if Los Angeles doesn’t have a team, thanks to the good people at Yahoo! Fantasy Football, I have my own team and this year they’re the Defending Champs. God Bless the NFL.

Adios PS2 and Friends, Part 3

The PlayStation 2 is the undisputed champ of the current generation of consoles. Since first being released in 2000, Sony has sold more than 100 million units worldwide. That’s more than double the number of Xbox and GameCube units combined.

Despite the system’s popularity I held off from buying it for a while. I was happy with my XBox; and my Nintendo 64 and PC before that. Sure occasionally I would see commercials for a PS2 exclusive that looked pretty good, but I always fought the urge to buy it.

But in 2004 I couldn’t fight off the temptation anymore, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas was going to be released. I had played Grand Theft Auto III on my PC rather than the PS2. When Grand Theft Auto: Vice City was released, I borrowed my friend’s PS2, in exchange for my Xbox, for a couple of weeks to play it, and eventually bought it when it was released for the Xbox months later. With San Andreas, I didn’t want to wait.

So I ponied up $150 and joined the other 100 million PS2 owners. I still continued to primarily play my Xbox, but the PS2 purchase opened up a whole new world of video games for me. On the bright side, I was able to go back and buy great games I hadn’t played for less than half what they originally cost when they were first released.

Without further ado, here are the top 10 PS2 games according to X-Play.

1. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
This game is almost perfect. It builds on all that is good about Grand Theft Auto III and Vice City. The developers add enough nuances to truly expand the freedom you have in this sandbox game. I also loved that the game is set in the fictional state of San Andreas with cities that closely resemble Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Las Vegas. The game really captures the essence of these cities with its landmarks and characters you come across. I really got a kick out of running around causing havoc in the cities that I know and love. The main story line was pretty strong but when it comes down to it, it’s all about the freedom to stray from the path.

2. God of War
To be honest, my top ten list would probably have Grand Theft Auto III at number 2 and Vice City right below that. But I can see why X-Play chose only one game per series for their list and God of War is a worthy choice for the number two spot. God of War is an awesome game. The action is fast-paced and unrelenting. You play the game as Kratos, a Spartan seeking vengeance against the Ares, the god of war. The story is strong and the visuals are amazing. Truly a spectacular game.

3. Shadow of the Colossus
It was a bit of a surprise to see this game so high on the list. But as I mentioned in the Xbox article, the staff at X-Play loves originality. What makes this action game different is that you basically go through the entire game only fighting boss battles. In most other action games, you face countless minor enemies before getting to a boss. This unique recipe works for Shadow. What makes it work is the magnitude and variety of your enemies. The game is a truly unique and satisfying experience.

4. Guitar Hero
Think of it as Dance Dance Revolution for the guitar with a dash of karaoke thrown in. The game features a controller in the shape of a guitar that you use to play along with your favorite rock songs. I never played it myself, but the game looks fairly amusing.

5. Katamari Damacy
Another truly original game. In the game you play a prince of all cosmos that has to go around rolling balls out of different materials to replace stars that have fallen out of the sky. I swear I’m not making this up. The game probably would have been more fun if I was high while playing it. Unfortunately I was sober and only played it for about half an hour before giving up on it.

6. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
I enjoyed playing Metal Gear on the original Nintendo. I never got around to playing the first two Metal Gear Solid titles, mostly because I didn’t have a PS or PS2, but also because I tend to dislike stealth games. However, the glowing reviews for Snake Eater convinced me to try it out. After playing it for half an hour, I was ready to sell the game. I hated the camera angle that prevented me from seeing where the enemies where coming from. Fortunately I wasn’t able to find a buyer and I forced myself to play the game. I was rewarded with a thoroughly engaging, cinematic experience. Once I got used to the game, the boss battles were terrific and the final hour of the game was one of the most intense video game experience I’ve ever had.

7. Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves
I avoided this game for a while because of the because the visuals are cartoonish and the game seems to be aimed at a younger audience. Once again though, the reviews convinced me to give the game a chance. And once again I was not disappointed. The amount of varied game play makes this a really fun game to play. The story is strong and has a good amount of humor. I enjoyed this game so much that I went back and played Sly 2: Band of Thieves, which I actually enjoyed even more than Sly 3.

8. ICO
This game, by the developers of Shadow of the Colossus, is another novel experience. You play as an acrobatic young boy with horns who attempts to escape from a fortress where he’s being held along with a young girl he finds while being pursued by shadowy enemies. It’s hard to say what makes this game so enjoyable. It is fairly simple as you just climb around the fortress trying to find a way out. But the game draws you in and you become engrossed with it. I’m not sure it would have made my top 10, but it’s a very good game.

9. Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando
I made the mistake of playing the third game in the series, Up Your Arsenal, before playing this one, it’s immediate predecessor. Up Your Arsenal was a great game. Unfortunately, when I went back and played Going Commando, I found myself looking for some of the features found in the third game. Despite my disappointment, Going Commando is a solid game that does a great job of combining platforming with combat and flying missions. While it’s not as funny as Up Your Arsenal, the story line and dialogue are very amusing.


10. SSX Tricky
I played this snowboarding game, or one of the other SSX titles, on the Xbox. It’s a nice enough game but I got bored of it fairly quickly. Maybe if I was an X Games fan I might have enjoyed it more. Needless to say, it wouldn’t have made my top 10.

Notable exclusions: Final Fantasy X. I can’t believe this game is not on the list. I loved this game. It would have been number two on my list. It’s a turn-based role-playing game so it’s not as exciting as most action games. But the story line and graphics are fantastic. It was the first time I played a Final Fantasy game so I was really blown away by all the creatures and magic I encountered in the game. I really can’t fathom why it didn’t make the list. Devil May Cry. If you want action, this is your game. You play as a half demon, half human trying to save the world with his trusty sword and guns. The action is very intense. I’m ashamed to admit but I had to play the game on the easy setting as I couldn’t handle the normal difficulty.

Bye George!

Last week the Dallas Mavericks signed Devean George, formerly of the Los Angeles Lakers, to a two-year, $4.2 million contract. Most basketball fans probably thought this rather insignificant news. Frankly, most Lakers and Mavericks fans probably didn’t care much either. But for me the signing marked the end of an era.

George started his Laker career as a pleasant surprise but he turned into a serious disappointment. He was drafted by Jerry West in the first round of the 1999 NBA draft out of a small Division III school named Augsburg. He was taken with the 23rd pick, just one spot ahead of Andrei Kirilenko. In fairness to Jerry West, Kirilenko had a contract with a Russian team and wouldn’t actually play in the NBA until the 2001-02 season.

As expected, George didn’t produce much in his first two seasons with the Lakers, playing only 7 minutes the first season and 10.1 the next. He made some progress in his third season and averaged 7 points and 3.7 rebounds in 21.5 minutes. These numbers along with 11 points and 6 rebounds in the fourth game of the 2002 NBA finals garnered him a four-year, $18.4 million contract.

That’s when the surprise started to turn into disappointment. George’s game hit a plateau after his third year and his averages hovered around 7 and 3.7. There were some bright moments like when he returned from injury during the playoffs against San Antonio in 2003 and when he was the fifth Beatle with the four hall of famers at the beginning of the 2003-04 season. But for the most part, Laker fans felt George was stealing money from the team with his mediocre performance.

Nonetheless, I couldn’t help feeling a little sadness when I heard the news. I actually wouldn’t have objected if the Lakers had kept George around for the veteran’s minimum. Right now it looks like the Lakers will be playing Vladimir Radmanovic and Luke Walton at the small forward position with Lamar Odom playing at the 4. While I like Radman and Luke, neither is really known for his defensive ability or athleticism. Having George available on the bench would have been a nice luxury.

But that’s not why George’s departure marked an end of an era for me. Aside from Kobe Bryant, Devean was the only other player that remained from the Lakers mini-dynasty. The pieces have been falling away over the years. It started with Robert Horry signing with the Spurs, one of Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak’s biggest mistakes. Then Shaq was traded, Derek Fisher signed with the Golden State Warriors, and Rick Fox was traded/retired.

I realized that the team hasn't been the same since then. But I wanted to keep some connection from those glory years. However with George gone and Kobe changing his jersey number from 8 to 24 next season, the ties have been severed. It really is a new team. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. It’s just the end and I guess all things must come to an end.

Class is in Session

Thursday evening I set out to watch a Dodger game for the first time all season. I had caught bits and pieces of games while channel surfing, but this was the first time all summer I had looked at the baseball schedule and set aside time to watch the entire game from the first pitch.

I have never been much of a baseball fan. You could probably tell as it’s the middle of the summer and this is my first article on baseball. I have flirted with the LA Dodgers, but I have never made a full commitment like I have with the Lakers.

It doesn’t help that baseball has been saddled with the steroid controversy and I was very skeptical of the purchase of the Dodgers by Frank McCourt. My problem with McCourt was that I thought he was more interested in the Boston Red Sox and turning Dodger Stadium into condos than the Dodgers.

And despite the fact that the Dodgers finally won a playoff game in 2004 for the first time since 1988 and this season they signed Nomar Garciaparra, one of my favorite baseball players, I was still staying off the bandwagon because I didn’t think they were a legitimate contender.

All that changed on Monday when the Dodgers traded for The Professor, Greg Maddux. I know Maddux is 40 years old and has struggled this season and the Dodgers are three games behind San Diego in their division. But it was still a breath of fresh air to see the Dodgers make a move at the trading deadline to solidify their chances for the postseason.

So I made it a point to tune in and watch The Professor’s Dodger debut against the Cincinnati Reds Thursday night. Unfortunately, the weather wasn’t cooperating and as I sat down to watch the game I was treated to a pre-emptive rain delay. Even though it apparently wasn’t raining yet, the Reds decided to delay the start of the game.

Eventually the game got started. I missed the top of the first inning with Eric Milton pitching and the homer Olmedo Saenz used to welcome Maddux to the Dodgers for a two-run lead. I also missed the first couple of batters that Maddux faced but I thoroughly enjoyed the rest of his classic performance.

When I tuned in, Maddux was facing Ken Griffey, Jr. Sure this match-up would have been more exciting five or ten years ago, but I was still thrilled to see two of the biggest names in baseball facing off, with one of them in a Dodger uniform. Maddux got the upper hand in this meeting by getting Griffey to hit into a double play with the Professor and his 15 Gold Gloves tagging first base to get Griffey out.

The second inning was more of the same as Maddux continued his masterful pitching. As he’s done his entire career, he doesn’t try to overpower his opponents. He just puts the ball where they can’t get a good hit, even without much help from the umpire Thursday night. Wilson Betemit, another recent Dodger acquisition, gave Maddux the help he needed with some nice fielding on two of the three outs in this inning. Playing with the Dodger defense and in Dodger Stadium should definitely help Maddux turn back the clock the rest of this season.

The next couple of innings brought more of typical Maddux. He only had a couple of strikeouts in the game but he was in complete control of the Reds lineup. By the end of the fourth I started to notice that he hadn’t allowed a hit.

Maddux carried his no-hitter into the sixth. Hollywood couldn’t have scripted a nicer debut and I purchased my ticket on the Dodger bandwagon for the rest of the season. But then Mother Nature decided to go off the script and it started to pour after the top of the seventh inning.

We had ourselves another rain delay. Part of me hoped that the rain wouldn’t stop so Maddux’s no-hitter would be kept intact. Surprisingly, despite his years of dominance, Maddux has never pitched a no-hitter.

Alas, Mother Nature again refused to cooperate and the rain stopped after half an hour. I really didn’t want to see Maddux out there again, despite the potential no-hitter, because I thought the delay had been too long. Much to my relief, I saw Joe Beimel about to take the mound. Maddux placed the team ahead of his own personal glory by not taking risk of coming out after cooling off. Fortunately his new teammates didn’t let him down. Julio Lugo, another new Dodger acquisition, padded the lead in the eighth with a triple that scored Rafael Furcal and the Dodger bullpen completed the shutout.

Despite the rain delays and the aborted no-hitter, I really couldn’t have asked for a better game. The victory was the Dodgers sixth win in a row. Unfortunately, since San Diego also won, the Dodgers didn’t make up any ground. But after Maddux’s performance I’m more confident than ever that the team will make the postseason. There’s no way the Dodgers can fail Making the Playoffs 101 with the Professor teaching.