After three weeks of single elimination basketball, we're closing in on the weekend that counts: The Final Four. Today, Butler and Connecticut both punched their tickets to the final weekend of the College Basketball season. While we won't know the other two teams for a few more hours, it's safe to say that everyone will be on pins and needles waiting for the result, whether it be for pride or pleasure.
Butler going back to the Final Four after last year's near Championship run is a testament to how well that program is run and how good that coach is. If the Coach there bolts for a bigger name after this season it won't come as a surprise to anyone, because he's really earned it. Even if he doesn't go now, he'll go later. Personally, I think he'll end up the next coach at Duke. His style is similar to Duke's, so it'd be like Coach K never left if he came in.
Connecticut winning isn't a big surprise because they're from the Big East. But the fact that they're the only team remaining from the Big East is the surprise. Considering they played 5 games in 5 days to win the Conference Tournament, if they won it all, I don't think anyone would be shocked.
But the question is, who would we be shocked at winning this whole thing? Virginia Commonwealth obviously, but they face Kansas tomorrow. North Carolina and Kentucky look like really good picks right now, but we'll have to wait and see what the refs and players decide is best for us in just 7 days time.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Friday, March 25, 2011
A Blurb about Pokemon
So while I was down in Tampa I bought both versions of the newest Pokemon game (Don't worry, they had a sale). Over the past 3 weeks I've been playing the White version of the game on my DSi XL, and while I haven't beaten the game yet I thought I should talk about it a bit.
First things first, I've seen 86 Pokemon, played 16 hours and have 6 badges. So far I can say that it is definitely a very good Pokemon game. The features it adds are really cool and necessary for the series to grow. While the Pokemon Global Link, which provides for online stats is not active yet, I can say that when it is released, will probably add a new life for the game. The ability to only capture new Pokemon for the main quest seems like a good decision since it forces older players to rely on new strategies than 'get my favorites and dominate.' It adds a lot of strategy to the game, and makes the game quite a bit tougher as well.
The story mode is your basic 'become League Champion and defeat the evil team' quest, but this one seems a bit more involved while still staying very basic. Overall, it keeps me going outside of capturing and raising Pokemon while facing trainers. While this isn't a full review yet, pretty much everything I've seen I've liked with the exception of the C-Gear interface.
C-Gear is basically your multiplayer menu and is with you at all times on the touch screen. It allows you to converse with wi-fi, local and infrared multiplayer at any point. The interface, while simple seems really confusing to me. You can move the buttons around, but there's no real point unless I've missed some unlockable features somewhere. It doesn't detract from the game though, but I just don't mess with it. I recommend this game if you're looking to get back into Pokemon, or are looking for a solid, old school JRPG to help you pass the time.
For me though, if Nintendo releases a Pokemon Gray next year, I'm going to have to pass. I'm really burnt out on Pokemon at the moment given that we've seen a new game released every year for almost the past decade with remakes, 3rd versions of games, etc. Pokemon is a great series, but I think it needs time to breathe a bit.
First things first, I've seen 86 Pokemon, played 16 hours and have 6 badges. So far I can say that it is definitely a very good Pokemon game. The features it adds are really cool and necessary for the series to grow. While the Pokemon Global Link, which provides for online stats is not active yet, I can say that when it is released, will probably add a new life for the game. The ability to only capture new Pokemon for the main quest seems like a good decision since it forces older players to rely on new strategies than 'get my favorites and dominate.' It adds a lot of strategy to the game, and makes the game quite a bit tougher as well.
The story mode is your basic 'become League Champion and defeat the evil team' quest, but this one seems a bit more involved while still staying very basic. Overall, it keeps me going outside of capturing and raising Pokemon while facing trainers. While this isn't a full review yet, pretty much everything I've seen I've liked with the exception of the C-Gear interface.
C-Gear is basically your multiplayer menu and is with you at all times on the touch screen. It allows you to converse with wi-fi, local and infrared multiplayer at any point. The interface, while simple seems really confusing to me. You can move the buttons around, but there's no real point unless I've missed some unlockable features somewhere. It doesn't detract from the game though, but I just don't mess with it. I recommend this game if you're looking to get back into Pokemon, or are looking for a solid, old school JRPG to help you pass the time.
For me though, if Nintendo releases a Pokemon Gray next year, I'm going to have to pass. I'm really burnt out on Pokemon at the moment given that we've seen a new game released every year for almost the past decade with remakes, 3rd versions of games, etc. Pokemon is a great series, but I think it needs time to breathe a bit.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Spring Training '11 Update 4
This is my final update for MLB Spring Training '11 in Tampa, FL. This one is going to be a bit different as I will rank all the Stadiums in a few categories to show you my favorite overall experience of the entire trip. I won't be including St. Pete Times Forum because it's not a Baseball Stadium and outside the realm of this post. But for now, here's the Stadiums I went to in order:
- New York Yankees (Tampa Bay)
- Philadelphia Phillies (Clearwater)
- Baltimore Orioles (Sarasota)
- Atlanta Braves (Orlando)
- Houston Astros (Osceola)
- Toronto Blue Jays (Dunedin)
- Detroit Tigers (Lakeland)
- Pittsburgh Pirates (Bradenton)
- Boston Red Sox (Ft. Myers)
Stadium Experience (Seats, Field)
#1 - Clearwater
#2 - Tampa Bay
#3 - Sarasota
#4 - Lakeland
#5 - Ft. Myers
#6 - Orlando
#7 - Osceola
#8 - Dunedin
#9 - Bradenton
Stadium Food
#1 - Clearwater
#2 - Sarasota
#3 - Tampa Bay
#4 - Osceola
#5 - Ft. Myers
#6 - Orlando
#7 - Bradenton
#8 - Dunedin (Best Nachos)
#9 - Lakeland
Parking (Getting in, out)
#1 - Ft. Myers
#2 - Orlando
#3 - Osceola
#4 - Tampa Bay
#5 - Bradenton
#6 - Dunedin
#7 - Sarasota
#8 - Lakeland
#9 - Clearwater
Overall Experience
#1 - Tampa Bay
#2 - Sarasota
#3 - Clearwater
#4 - Ft. Myers
#5 - Orlando
#6 - Osceola
#7 - Lakeland
#8 - Bradenton
#9 - Dunedin
Best Teams
#1 - New York Yankees
#2 - Philadelphia Phillies
#3 - Baltimore Orioles
#4 - Boston Red Sox
#5 - Detroit Tigers
#6 - Toronto Blue Jays
#7 - Pittsburgh Pirates
#8 - Tampa Bay Rays
#9 - Houston Astros
#10 - Washington Nationals
#11 - Atlanta Braves
#12 - St. Louis Cardinals
- New York Yankees (Tampa Bay)
- Philadelphia Phillies (Clearwater)
- Baltimore Orioles (Sarasota)
- Atlanta Braves (Orlando)
- Houston Astros (Osceola)
- Toronto Blue Jays (Dunedin)
- Detroit Tigers (Lakeland)
- Pittsburgh Pirates (Bradenton)
- Boston Red Sox (Ft. Myers)
Stadium Experience (Seats, Field)
#1 - Clearwater
#2 - Tampa Bay
#3 - Sarasota
#4 - Lakeland
#5 - Ft. Myers
#6 - Orlando
#7 - Osceola
#8 - Dunedin
#9 - Bradenton
Stadium Food
#1 - Clearwater
#2 - Sarasota
#3 - Tampa Bay
#4 - Osceola
#5 - Ft. Myers
#6 - Orlando
#7 - Bradenton
#8 - Dunedin (Best Nachos)
#9 - Lakeland
Parking (Getting in, out)
#1 - Ft. Myers
#2 - Orlando
#3 - Osceola
#4 - Tampa Bay
#5 - Bradenton
#6 - Dunedin
#7 - Sarasota
#8 - Lakeland
#9 - Clearwater
Overall Experience
#1 - Tampa Bay
#2 - Sarasota
#3 - Clearwater
#4 - Ft. Myers
#5 - Orlando
#6 - Osceola
#7 - Lakeland
#8 - Bradenton
#9 - Dunedin
Best Teams
#1 - New York Yankees
#2 - Philadelphia Phillies
#3 - Baltimore Orioles
#4 - Boston Red Sox
#5 - Detroit Tigers
#6 - Toronto Blue Jays
#7 - Pittsburgh Pirates
#8 - Tampa Bay Rays
#9 - Houston Astros
#10 - Washington Nationals
#11 - Atlanta Braves
#12 - St. Louis Cardinals
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Spring Training '11 Update 3
Today is the next to last update from trip to the Tampa area for Baseball's Spring Training 2011. There's only a few games to cover here today, but later this week I'll list my best and worsts of each Stadium and Arena I visited.
Today's Topics
- Boston Red Sox @ Pittsburgh Pirates (Sunday, March 13th)
The game at Bradenton was an interesting one. The Red Sox had Beckett on the mound and while they started early, the Pirates got to Beckett and started a beatdown which allowed for an easy win. The Stadium was okay, but the seating area was terrible. The seats were like those old corrective posturing seats they have for middle school kids and the aisles were narrow, meaning if you got up you were basically stepping on everyone's toes since the seats weren't folding. It was very uncomfortable and the only downside to what was a quality stadium.
- Pittsburgh Pirates @ Baltimore Orioles (Monday, March 14th)
The next day was the final day as we went to Sarasota for a final time. While the Pirates early pitching was good, the relief pitching allowed the Orioles to come back and blow them out. The Orioles can definitely hit the ball and the Pirates finally showed their weakness: Relief pitching.
- New York Yankees @ Boston Red Sox (Monday, March 14th)
The final game led us about 90 minutes south to Ft. Myers as the Sox hosted the Yanks. I felt both teams took this game way too seriously. It was really slow and low scoring. The park was nice, but it was hard to get to and from your seats. The parking was great, very easy to get in and out of while the food was adequate. If the game was a bit more high scoring and the pacing was quicker it would've been a great end to the trip.
That's all for now. Until my next post!
Today's Topics
- Boston Red Sox @ Pittsburgh Pirates (Sunday, March 13th)
The game at Bradenton was an interesting one. The Red Sox had Beckett on the mound and while they started early, the Pirates got to Beckett and started a beatdown which allowed for an easy win. The Stadium was okay, but the seating area was terrible. The seats were like those old corrective posturing seats they have for middle school kids and the aisles were narrow, meaning if you got up you were basically stepping on everyone's toes since the seats weren't folding. It was very uncomfortable and the only downside to what was a quality stadium.
- Pittsburgh Pirates @ Baltimore Orioles (Monday, March 14th)
The next day was the final day as we went to Sarasota for a final time. While the Pirates early pitching was good, the relief pitching allowed the Orioles to come back and blow them out. The Orioles can definitely hit the ball and the Pirates finally showed their weakness: Relief pitching.
- New York Yankees @ Boston Red Sox (Monday, March 14th)
The final game led us about 90 minutes south to Ft. Myers as the Sox hosted the Yanks. I felt both teams took this game way too seriously. It was really slow and low scoring. The park was nice, but it was hard to get to and from your seats. The parking was great, very easy to get in and out of while the food was adequate. If the game was a bit more high scoring and the pacing was quicker it would've been a great end to the trip.
That's all for now. Until my next post!
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Spring Training '11 Update 2
I'm back with another installment of Spring Training 2011 here in Tampa. It's been a while since my last update, but I can assure that it's been a tiring week of games and travel for me.
Today's Topics
- Baltimore Orioles @ Philadelphia Phillies (Tuesday, March 8th)
For most of the game the Orioles were in command until they brought in Rosario. In the 9th he proceeded to do his best Charlie Sheen impression and throw 2 balls about 10 feet over the catcher's head. This allowed the Phillies to win the game by 1 in the bottom of the 9th yet again. The Orioles seem like an average team, but are in the AL East. The Phillies seem like they can overcome small deficits, but not large ones.
- Minnesota Twins @ Baltimore Orioles (Wednesday, March 9th)
The Twins basically played no one, which allowed the Orioles to jump all over them. The Orioles can definitely hit the ball when they need to, but it seems like a fallacy since it was against the equivalent of a AAA team. However, given from what I've seen of the Orioles so far, they might be able to surprise people.
- Chicago Blackhawks @ Tampa Bay Lightning (Wednesday, March 9th)
Another game of hockey that ended in a shootout. I can't believe I saw 2 shootouts in a row. In the early 2nd it looked like Tampa had it in the bag but Chicago fought back to tie it. There were a lot of no calls by the Refs, including a very blatant hand pass. The Lightning ended up winning, but it was an entertaining game to say the least.
- St. Louis Cardinals @ Atlanta Braves (Thursday, March 10th)
We traveled over to Orlando for a day-night doubleheader, first up being a chance at seeing Albert Pujols play...who didn't. The game was pretty boring as well, ending up a 2-1 Braves win. There was very little fanfare. Runners got to third a couple of times, but nothing really exciting happened. Both teams really failed to impress, especially since their starters were played most of the day.
- Washington Nationals @ Houston Astros (Thursday, March 10th)
That night we went over to Osceola County Stadium to see these two teams play. It was a good game that featured some good offensive firepower, but not much in terms of fielding. We got to see #1 pick Bryce Harper catch a fly ball and get a double on a blooper to shallow left field, which was pretty exciting. The Nationals seem to have that fighting spirit like they did last year, but it remains to be seen how long they can keep it up.
- New York Yankees @ Toronto Blue Jays (Friday, March 11th)
We went over to Dunedin for this one, and let me say that this Stadium was pretty terrible outside of the Nachos. The game featured the Yankees short squad, so no one played. This allowed the Jays to win handily on this brisk day.
- Toronto Blue Jays @ Detroit Tigers (Saturday, March 12th)
Lastly we traveled to Lakeland to see the Tigers stadium. It's a nice stadium and the game featured some solid play with both teams using their starters for most of the game. The Jays seem to have a good offense, but their pitching staff needs some work. The Tigers need some work in the fielding department, even though they won late.
That's all for now. The last post will come on either Tuesday or Wednesday. Until then!
Today's Topics
- Baltimore Orioles @ Philadelphia Phillies (Tuesday, March 8th)
For most of the game the Orioles were in command until they brought in Rosario. In the 9th he proceeded to do his best Charlie Sheen impression and throw 2 balls about 10 feet over the catcher's head. This allowed the Phillies to win the game by 1 in the bottom of the 9th yet again. The Orioles seem like an average team, but are in the AL East. The Phillies seem like they can overcome small deficits, but not large ones.
- Minnesota Twins @ Baltimore Orioles (Wednesday, March 9th)
The Twins basically played no one, which allowed the Orioles to jump all over them. The Orioles can definitely hit the ball when they need to, but it seems like a fallacy since it was against the equivalent of a AAA team. However, given from what I've seen of the Orioles so far, they might be able to surprise people.
- Chicago Blackhawks @ Tampa Bay Lightning (Wednesday, March 9th)
Another game of hockey that ended in a shootout. I can't believe I saw 2 shootouts in a row. In the early 2nd it looked like Tampa had it in the bag but Chicago fought back to tie it. There were a lot of no calls by the Refs, including a very blatant hand pass. The Lightning ended up winning, but it was an entertaining game to say the least.
- St. Louis Cardinals @ Atlanta Braves (Thursday, March 10th)
We traveled over to Orlando for a day-night doubleheader, first up being a chance at seeing Albert Pujols play...who didn't. The game was pretty boring as well, ending up a 2-1 Braves win. There was very little fanfare. Runners got to third a couple of times, but nothing really exciting happened. Both teams really failed to impress, especially since their starters were played most of the day.
- Washington Nationals @ Houston Astros (Thursday, March 10th)
That night we went over to Osceola County Stadium to see these two teams play. It was a good game that featured some good offensive firepower, but not much in terms of fielding. We got to see #1 pick Bryce Harper catch a fly ball and get a double on a blooper to shallow left field, which was pretty exciting. The Nationals seem to have that fighting spirit like they did last year, but it remains to be seen how long they can keep it up.
- New York Yankees @ Toronto Blue Jays (Friday, March 11th)
We went over to Dunedin for this one, and let me say that this Stadium was pretty terrible outside of the Nachos. The game featured the Yankees short squad, so no one played. This allowed the Jays to win handily on this brisk day.
- Toronto Blue Jays @ Detroit Tigers (Saturday, March 12th)
Lastly we traveled to Lakeland to see the Tigers stadium. It's a nice stadium and the game featured some solid play with both teams using their starters for most of the game. The Jays seem to have a good offense, but their pitching staff needs some work. The Tigers need some work in the fielding department, even though they won late.
That's all for now. The last post will come on either Tuesday or Wednesday. Until then!
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Spring Training '11 Update 1
It's been four days since my Spring Training trip to Tampa started, and while it's not going to be a daily feature like I promised, I can still provide some insight as to what I saw, liked, didn't like and thought about the games I saw.
Today's Topics
- Boston @ NY Yankees (Friday, March 4th)
My first game started in Tampa between these two bitter rivals. While the Yankees played most of their starters, the Red Sox didn't. Both teams look really good, but one area of concern I see from the Red Sox is the ability to close out their games. Going into the bottom of the 9th they were up 5-1, and allowed 2 runs. If it weren't for a close out called I'm pretty sure the Yankees would've won this game.
- Boston @ Baltimore (Saturday, March 5th)
The next day I traveled down to Sarasota to see Baltimore's refurbished stadium, which I must say is nice. However, this is a stadium where you could literally hear a pin drop at even though the place was sold out. Again, the inability for the Red Sox to close out the game worries me. While the game ended in a tie, and they weren't using their star players, it is a concern that Boston fans will have to learn to cope with this season. I haven't quite figured out the Orioles yet, but I'll see them a couple of more times to help me see who they really are.
- Tampa Bay @ Philadelphia (Sunday, March 6th)
The following day the trip was to Clearwater to see the Phillies facility. Of all the places I've been too so far, this definitely seems like the loudest crowd, even more than the Yankees facility. The Phillies led for most of the day, but in the bottom of the 9th they played small ball to perfection, allowing them to win. However, if Tampa's first basemen didn't bobble the ball on Philly's first bunt, the situation for the game would've completely changed. Cliff Lee looks to be at the top of his game once again.
- Philadelphia @ NY Yankees (Monday, March 7th)
While the previous day the Phillies put on what I'd call a hitting display, the Yankees bullpen for the most part made them seem like a double A team. The Yankees got out to a 5-0 lead eventually winning 7-1. Roy Oswalt didn't look good at all, giving up 5 ER. To me the Yankees look like a Playoff team while the Phillies look to be feeding off the mistakes of poorer teams.
- Washington Capitals @ Tampa Bay Lightning (Monday, March 7th)
The day concluded with a trip to St. Pete Times Forum to see a battle for the Southeast Division title. The first period was very intense and the Capitals looked like they were out for blood. The Bolts led 1-0 after 1 which led the Caps to switch from Neuvirth to Holtby in net. Neuvirth apparently got some metal in his eye after the first shot which took his mask off. The second period was dominated by the Tampa but no goals were scored. The third period was completely dominated by the Caps, resulting in the game going to overtime and eventually the shootout. When Washington tied it up it seemed like Tampa had no clue as to what to do, allowing the Caps to almost win it in overtime. But luckily it was the stick of Alexander Ovechkin that was the lone goal in the shootout that allowed the Caps to retain their Southeast division lead.
That's it for now. Over the next 3 days I'm going to 5 games including another Hockey game, so expect another update then.
Today's Topics
- Boston @ NY Yankees (Friday, March 4th)
My first game started in Tampa between these two bitter rivals. While the Yankees played most of their starters, the Red Sox didn't. Both teams look really good, but one area of concern I see from the Red Sox is the ability to close out their games. Going into the bottom of the 9th they were up 5-1, and allowed 2 runs. If it weren't for a close out called I'm pretty sure the Yankees would've won this game.
- Boston @ Baltimore (Saturday, March 5th)
The next day I traveled down to Sarasota to see Baltimore's refurbished stadium, which I must say is nice. However, this is a stadium where you could literally hear a pin drop at even though the place was sold out. Again, the inability for the Red Sox to close out the game worries me. While the game ended in a tie, and they weren't using their star players, it is a concern that Boston fans will have to learn to cope with this season. I haven't quite figured out the Orioles yet, but I'll see them a couple of more times to help me see who they really are.
- Tampa Bay @ Philadelphia (Sunday, March 6th)
The following day the trip was to Clearwater to see the Phillies facility. Of all the places I've been too so far, this definitely seems like the loudest crowd, even more than the Yankees facility. The Phillies led for most of the day, but in the bottom of the 9th they played small ball to perfection, allowing them to win. However, if Tampa's first basemen didn't bobble the ball on Philly's first bunt, the situation for the game would've completely changed. Cliff Lee looks to be at the top of his game once again.
- Philadelphia @ NY Yankees (Monday, March 7th)
While the previous day the Phillies put on what I'd call a hitting display, the Yankees bullpen for the most part made them seem like a double A team. The Yankees got out to a 5-0 lead eventually winning 7-1. Roy Oswalt didn't look good at all, giving up 5 ER. To me the Yankees look like a Playoff team while the Phillies look to be feeding off the mistakes of poorer teams.
- Washington Capitals @ Tampa Bay Lightning (Monday, March 7th)
The day concluded with a trip to St. Pete Times Forum to see a battle for the Southeast Division title. The first period was very intense and the Capitals looked like they were out for blood. The Bolts led 1-0 after 1 which led the Caps to switch from Neuvirth to Holtby in net. Neuvirth apparently got some metal in his eye after the first shot which took his mask off. The second period was dominated by the Tampa but no goals were scored. The third period was completely dominated by the Caps, resulting in the game going to overtime and eventually the shootout. When Washington tied it up it seemed like Tampa had no clue as to what to do, allowing the Caps to almost win it in overtime. But luckily it was the stick of Alexander Ovechkin that was the lone goal in the shootout that allowed the Caps to retain their Southeast division lead.
That's it for now. Over the next 3 days I'm going to 5 games including another Hockey game, so expect another update then.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Gran Turismo 5
Gran Turismo 5 is a racing simulator that was finally released in late 2010 after nearly 4 years since the Playstation 3 launched in 2006. For PS3 owners it was a long-time coming, and after playing it months after its' release with a few new patches and features, as someone who is not a fan of the series I can say that it is an enjoyable experience that looks like it'll be improved over the following months to come.
Gran Turismo 5 offers a wide assortment of cars, tracks and modes from various forms of driving including Stock Car, Formula 1 and Go Karts. While some are restricted to specific modes that are limited in size and scope, it makes you wonder what they could draw from those in the future, if anything. The controls are tight, the graphics are great aside from a few moments of screen tearing and it is very well made. It's very fun to race, enjoyable to buy and tweak cars and mess around with various features the game has. However, there are some quirks that go along with it.
Firstly, the menu is terrible. I'll just leave it at that. Second is the loading. While after installing it's not as big a problem, but it's still a problem. I've installed nearly 7gb of data to my HDD already and I've only put a handful of hours into the game. I just wish they'd give me a full HDD install, or at least a bigger one. Third is that some of the challenges weren't designed with a controller in mind, meaning they're nearly impossible to complete/get a Gold on with one. It comes off as a bit of lazy game design, one they should have thought more about.
Overall though, GT5 is a great game. Considering the great amount of patches they've put out so for it, I can't imagine what they won't put out for it next.
Gran Turismo 5 offers a wide assortment of cars, tracks and modes from various forms of driving including Stock Car, Formula 1 and Go Karts. While some are restricted to specific modes that are limited in size and scope, it makes you wonder what they could draw from those in the future, if anything. The controls are tight, the graphics are great aside from a few moments of screen tearing and it is very well made. It's very fun to race, enjoyable to buy and tweak cars and mess around with various features the game has. However, there are some quirks that go along with it.
Firstly, the menu is terrible. I'll just leave it at that. Second is the loading. While after installing it's not as big a problem, but it's still a problem. I've installed nearly 7gb of data to my HDD already and I've only put a handful of hours into the game. I just wish they'd give me a full HDD install, or at least a bigger one. Third is that some of the challenges weren't designed with a controller in mind, meaning they're nearly impossible to complete/get a Gold on with one. It comes off as a bit of lazy game design, one they should have thought more about.
Overall though, GT5 is a great game. Considering the great amount of patches they've put out so for it, I can't imagine what they won't put out for it next.
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