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Wednesday, January 21, 2009
High Heat 2004 (Xbox) - Playing in 2009 on Xbox 360. 
01:19 AM - January 21, 2009. Written by JohnDoe8865
Wow, so I fired up High Heat 2004 for XBox on my 360 tonight for a trip around the diamond and to see how the game has held up over the years. Well, I've gotta say - it was the most fun I've had playing a game of baseball in over 2 years. Between nitpicking 2K7 and 2K8, I had forgotten what I loved about baseball games. I found it again in HH 2004. It's hard to put your finger on.

The sound is a mixed bag on the XBox version of HH 2004. On one hand you've got some good commentary, but a lot of repetitive lines, some horrible canned sounds for crowd stomps and chants, and some "good for their time" bat, ball, and glove sounds. The enthusiastic umpire calls are a nice touch, and the crowd boos repeated pickoff attempts too. An example : Tom Glavine attempted to pick my baserunner off 3 times in a row (wow) and the home Cincinnati crowd let him have it! It was a nice touch.

The graphics, while not having face or head scans were good enough to not draw me out of the game world. I was the most worried on how HH's graphics would hold up, but they did, and reasonably well I'd say, in HD. I remember playing on an SD TV and playing far worse looking games, so I try to look back on HH 2004 with some perspective. You simply cannot compare it to any game that has been made on XBox 360 or PS3. It's not even close, obviously.

The field detail isn't very good as far as having correct seating charts, flat crowds, bland scoreboards and wall graphics, and some choppy animations on fielding. The diamond itself though held up pretty well through a couple of play-throughs. It was raining in one game, and while not beautiful, it was satisfactory to me. Now we all know High Heat was never known for it's graphics, but all in all, I think that Heat has aged better than I expected.

I had forgotten some of the little things like the computer making defensive substitutions and pitching around players. Pitching around the 8 hitter when a man is on second and I have the pitcher on deck. The game has some truly remarkable AI even now. I also like how at the end of a game you get an uber-detailed newspaper style boxscore with everything from how many ABs a guy had, to how many strikes each pitcher threw and how many batters he faced. There is also a very detailed run down of each inning's action.

Now I know to some of the HH veterans, this is old news. I also know that the definitive experience of High Heat 2004 is on the PC with all of the mods and community support. But for me, finding the game used for $1.99 at Gamestop and being able to come home, put it on my big screen, pop the disc into my 360, and play a damn fun game of baseball is something that I hadn't done in a long time.

The game is fun and realistic. I think that's about all that any of us are looking for in a game. High Heat 2004 delivers on that.

I've also snagged used copies of All-Star Baseball 2003 ($.99) and All-Star Baseball 2005 ($2.99) a while back, two games which gave me many fond memories during my Xbox days and also kept me up at night tinkering with them. In the near future, I'll take each of those games through a few paces and see how well each game holds up respectively. So look for blogs on those games in the near future.
Blog: JohnDoe8865
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Cubs Serve up Pie to Orioles 
02:37 PM - January 20, 2009. Written by jmik58
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3842286


Being a Cardinals fan, you would think I would hate the Cubs. But that's the thing about the Cardinals/Cubs Rivalry. Cardinals fans -- at least the ones I know -- generally don't dislike the Cubs. The whining and complaining by the organization and fans (not all) has a magnificent way of escalating their self pity. So instead it's more of a humorous sideshow that brings a little smile after the initial annoyance.

I mean, come on, after a while even Nancy Kerrigan's "Why Me?!" cries got annoying and it was time for her to grow a pair.


If you haven't read (the link is at the top) the Cubbies traded away their #1 prospect from 2007, Felix Pie. I had the chance to watch Felix play a little while with the Iowa Cubs and was very impressed. The big boys in Chicago gave him a shot periodically and went all-in in 2008.

Things didn't quite pan out for Pie offensively, but give it a little time and teaching and he can develop into a solid leadoff guy, right?

Wrong.

Instead, the 23 year old is off to Baltimore. Just like that. Traded for two pitchers. A great defensive player in need of some confidence at the plate and an offensive role, groomed through the farm system, at the ripe age of 23, with speed to burn in an era where speed is at a premium in the National League...simply let go.

Obviously, this is in response to the addition of Milton Bradley. I get the bare economics of it... add one starting RF, trim the excess.

Beyond that, I don't get the long-term perspective of letting a guy like Pie go. Who is he holding back in the minors? He's 23 years old. Twenty-three...not Thirty (30).

But whatever, it's not my team so I don't have to understand it. I just know I'll be fighting back a grin when Pie turns out as a solid leadoff guy with a little patience and guidance by Baltimore.

It's not on the scale of the days when Maddux was let go to the Braves, but it's moves like this that remind us that the Cubs are.....well, the Cubs.
Blog: jmik58
Monday, January 19, 2009
SB XLIII - Could Arizona Actually Win it All? 
09:53 AM - January 19, 2009. Written by jmik58
What a day of games yesterday! I'm more excited for the Super Bowl than I have been for a few years. Parody is one thing that sports always thrives on and football never disappoints. How about those Cardinals?!

I would love to see the Cardinals win. Like everyone in Iowa, I'm a big fan of local boy Kurt Warner, but there's a lot more to like about this team. They are starting to get their running game going, Whisenhunt puts a fun offense out there with a couple trick plays a game, their defense has come alive and has shut down some of the better running teams in the league, oh ya and that Fitzgerald guy is the most complete wide receiver I think I've seen play in my lifetime (sorry Jerry Rice).

On the other hand, Pittsburgh puts a "D" out there like no other. I would have been concerned with either Baltimore or Pittsburgh against the Cardinals because of the defense. But, the Steelers are basically the Ravens with an actual offense.

I've always felt that a superior defense will win a championship over a high powered offense around 75% of the time.

The Steelers have a superior defense. While the Cardinals "D" is playing better, will the team be satisfied by just being there?

Offensively, Pittsburgh moves the ball enough to score in little chunks but showed it's big play potential against a tough defense in Baltimore. The Cardinals "O" is impressive, but I don't know if it's dominant enough to overcome the Steelers "D".

Steelers showed they can score on the best defenses in the league -- with big plays at that.

Cardinals have to play even better defensively and maintain offensive execution to win. I fear they may have peaked against the Eagles, which calls for a near-perfect performance to come home with the trophy.

Also, Arizona MUST find a way to give their left tackle, Mike Gandy, some help with the pass rush. Philly's pass rush on Warner's blind side was unstoppable at times. Gandy looked like he was standing still -- oblivious to the snap of the ball; getting out of his stance only enough to give pass rushers a nice tap on the shoulder with lookout block after lookout block.

I really want the Cardinals to win, but realistically I think the Steelers may come away with this one.
Blog: jmik58
Sunday, January 18, 2009
OS Needs New Coders Stuck
07:05 PM - January 18, 2009. Written by bronco92
We are looking for experienced coders who are interested in developing some of the exciting new features we have planned here at OS. The ideal candidate will have a high level of coding expertise in PHP and MySQL and preferably will have worked with vBulletin in the past (most of our site's features are built onto our vBulletin forums). Obviously having a solid understanding of sports video games will also be a major advantage as the new features we have planned all evolve around adding to OS visitor's sports gaming experience.

Recently our outstanding coder, Diego, informed us that he would be leaving OS to concentrate on new opportunities. Most of what you see around you here at OS was coded by Diego. His professional attitude and high quality of work will be greatly missed. Diego's departure though opens the door for a new coder to join OS.

Although this is not a full time job, it is definitely a paid position.

If you are qualified and have the time to commit to developing exciting new features for OS please send an email to matt(at)operationsports.com with some information on why you're the person for this role.
Blog: bronco92
Friday, January 16, 2009
BCS Bowl-Playoff Hybrid 
12:22 PM - January 16, 2009. Written by jmik58
I have had this idea for a couple of years and have been trying to share it in as many places as possible. This was originally posted on my ESPN Fan Blog.

So the plans are all laid out there, but just what would my plan look like if implemented for post-season during the current 2008 season? It’s much easier to understand a complex concept when you get a real example so I’ll attempt to clarify why this is the best plan to appease Bowl proponents, traditionalists, college presidents, playoff junkies, the money hungry, and the filthy poor.


Following the conference championships the final BCS rankings are/were released. The top 8 teams as of right now are:

1 Oklahoma 12-1
2 Florida 12-1
3 Texas 11-1
4 Alabama 12-1
5 USC 11-1
6 Utah 12-0
7 Texas Tech 11-1
8 Penn State 11-1

There would be a 2 week layover from the conference championship game until the first round of the playoff to accomodate for the awards ceremonies (ie. the Heisman on the following Saturday).

On 12/20 the Playoffs and Bowl games would begin.

Remember, the top 8 are included in the playoff, while all other teams are to be nabbed up by Bowl games as usual. The non-BCS bowl schedule would not change barring the “filler bowls” of non-BCS conferences which would be bumped back to December dates. January is a prestigious month for games.

So, now we move forward with the playoff knowing that the non-BCS bowl schedule runs as previously mentioned.

On December 20th we would have 4 games to start round 1 of the playoffs.

#1 Oklahoma vs. #8 Penn State
#4 Alabama vs. #5 USC

#3 Texas vs. #6 Utah
#2 Florida vs. #7 Texas Tech

The winner of each contest would obviously move on to the second round. For the sake of simplicity we will assume that all higher seeded teams won.

So now we have in Round 2 which will be played the following Saturday on December 27th:

#1 Oklahoma vs. #4 Alabama
#2 Florida vs. #3 Texas

The 4 losing teams from round one are placed into a pool that we will call “Tier 3”. There are 4 BCS Bowls and each year they wold rotate their sponsorship to the next highest Tier and cycle from Tier 1 to Tier 3.

There will always be 2 (two) BCS Bowls in “Tier 3” because there are 4 (four) teams meaning two games.

In 2008, I’ll randomly say that Tier 3 is the Rose Bowl and Sugar. The losing teams (PSU, Utah, USC, TTech) are the candidates. We’ll say that the Rose Bowl is 1st to choose in Tier 3 this year so they select USC vs. Penn State (trying to keep tradition alive). That would then leave the Sugar Bowl with Texas Tech and Utah.

Moving on…

Round 2 on December 27th, assuming all higher seeded teams win again results in:

#1 Oklahoma and #2 Florida winning.

Let’s assume that the national championship is considered “Tier 1” and this year it is the Fiesta Bowl’s turn to sponsor the national championship.

This then leaves “Tier 2” which would be the Orange Bowl this year, pitting Alabama versus Texas.

The schedule of BCS Bowls would be arranged in such a way that the national championship would be played on Monday, January 5th, 2009. The other three BCS Bowls could be spread out in any way in January prior to the 5th. One suggestion would be for them to play the Rose on Jan 1, Sugar on Jan 2, Orange on Jan 3, day off on the 4th for media, and National Championship on Jan 5th.

You may also notice that there is a week off between the 2nd round and the BCS Bowls. Time for suspense to build up in the media, time to rest and prepare for the teams, etc.

So it’s very plausable within the realm of the current system. Does it leave anyone out? Sure, Boise gets no invite. But “it” (the problem) is the BCS. We have to approach with baby steps for there to be any legitimate chance at change.
Blog: jmik58
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Monday, January 12, 2009
Friday, January 9, 2009
Friday Other Stuff (1-9-09) Stuck
06:35 AM - January 9, 2009. Written by Steve_OS
If any of these links interest you, talk about them.QOTD: What are you up to this weekend?

Happy Birthday to the following OS'ers!

ACEMAB1914 (95), 4deuce (30), ElBastard (30), CanuckJ (28), dales (25), niners1234 (24), Michael90002002 (21)
Blog: Steve_OS
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Thursday Other Stuff (1-8-09) Stuck
06:07 AM - January 8, 2009. Written by Steve_OS
If any of these links interest you, talk about them.QOTD: Who wins the National Championship game tonight?

Happy Birthday to the following OS'ers!

Skyboxer (43), bigfnjoe96 (39), sl8b (36), cdjenk2 (36), Lewshus (34), umd (30), Dante LeRoi (29), BigDofBA (25), NEolithic (25), A.Statuto (25)
Blog: Steve_OS
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Wednesday Other Stuff (1-7-09) Stuck
06:16 AM - January 7, 2009. Written by Steve_OS
QOTD: Does Utah deserve a share of the National Championship?

Happy Birthday to the following OS'ers!

dew7 (39), CPRoark (30), Vast, Big_Johnsta (25), bue-train05 (20)
Blog: Steve_OS
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
MLB Network is Live! Stuck
02:16 AM - January 6, 2009. Written by JohnDoe8865
Major League Baseball finally caught up to the NFL, NHL, NBA, and even College Sports when MLB Network was launched on January 1, 2009 in approximately 50 million homes as the largest network debut in cable history.

MLB Network promises to air live games, original programming, highlights, classic games, and coverage of baseball events. The Network also has secured the rights to air Ken Burns's 'Baseball'. That is a huge plus to me.

MLB Network has a really strong cast of personalities such as Matt Vasgersian, Al Leiter, Joe Magrane, Harold Reynolds, and occasionally Bob Costas.

MLB Network plans to air 26 live games throughout the season. While that might not seem like much, remember that the NFL Network, the strongest of the dedicated sports networks, aired ZERO live games until the last couple years and upon launch in 2003 was mainly just a studio show.

Now I've been watching a lot of MLBN since it launched on January 1st, and I have to say that so far I'm impressed. The selection of shows seems to be adequate, especially for such a new network, and I must say it looks great in high-definition. The MLBN looks very professional and comes off as a good promotion for the game of baseball.

I've enjoyed the ''Cathedrals of the Game' series, the 'Hot Stove' studio show, and the re-airing of games so far. I'm looking forward to watching the Ken Burns's 'Baseball' as well. I missed it's original airing on PBS and haven't bought the DVD set yet.

So far I like what I see from MLBN. I have been thinking for a while now; that with the very eventful off season in baseball, and wealth of knowledgeable voices in baseball available, that having a dedicated channel was a natural fit.

I'm excited to see this trend because I'm a fan of the dedicated sports network with the ESPN family airing more original programs and entertainment and not as much sports and scores as you would get 10 years ago. I could write a whole other blog entry about that, but I won't - for now.

With NFLN, NBAN, NHLN, CBS College Sports (formerly CSTV), and now MLBN - fans of each of the above mentioned sports can now get 24/7 access to programming that is geared to that sport. It's a good thing and I think it is a boon for the hardcore sports fan.
Blog: JohnDoe8865