I get interviewed and stuff

Rick from the excellent blog Stiles Points has interviewed me in his "Beers for Bloggers" Series. So check it out! My answers are mostly boring, but you've probably come to expect that from me.

I'll be out of town for a week... yay for spring break! It'll be fun.

Enjoy yourselves, and hopefully I'll come back to some nice FA signings by the Vikings!

NBA 2K8 Review

A couple of weeks back I got an email asking me if I wanted to receive a copy of NBA 2K8 for XBox 360 in order to review it on this blog. Being a big fan of the 2K series, I quickly said yes. Over the past weekend I got a chance to really play it.

As expected, I was impressed. I really enjoyed NBA 2K7, and I found much the same in 2K8 but with some noticeable improvements. But first, let me mention that as always the franchise mode is very deep and fun. You can have multiple human players, which is something I absolutely love. Also, as usual there is scouting, the draft, free agents, development, etc. You can really immerse yourself into it for a very fun franchise experience.

Some of the things I noticed were some of the great graphics and animations during gameplay. The faces look excellent. The player mannerisms and unique styles are there. As a Sixers fan I played with Philadelphia for the most part, and I noticed the shooting styles of guys like Kyle Korver, Andre Iguodala, and Rodney Carney looked a lot like their real-life counterparts, which is awesome.

Another thing I noticed during gameplay was the improved post play. In past game it seemed like all you could do was back your man down and shoot a hook shot. No more. You can do fadeaways, hooks, turn and shoot, fakes, etc. It's really an improvement and an area I enjoy.

Another small thing I liked was some of the player animations. After a guy makes a basket and gets a foul called against him, they will go and high-five teammates or give them a chest bump. That added realism is a nice touch.

So all in all, I really enjoyed this game (and the soundtrack and t-shirt that I also received!)... if you are in the market for an NBA video game, much like last year I recommend the NBA 2K series. The game isn't perfect, but I think you'll have a lot of fun with NBA 2K8.

For some reason I can't post comments on Wordpress blogs!!

This is a bit off topic, but if you've noticed that I haven't commented on your site lately, it may be because for some mysterious reason I can't! I'm not sure why, but for the past few days my computer hasn't allowed me to post comments on Wordpress blogs... I write the comment, hit "post comment", and nothing shows up. I have no idea why, but hopefully I can get it figured out soon.

This has effected a few blogs in particular!

Zoner Sports - I wanted to comment about how I like Craig Sager (mostly because Charles making fun of his awful suits is great), and about how Dick Stockton has entered into the Dick Enberg/Keith Jackson stage for me... they're old and they forget a lot of things, but I still enjoy listening to them.

Shot to Nothing - I tried to comment to say how I agree [mostly] with your thoughts about John Beck... I liked that pick in round 2 for the Dolphins and I agree that eventually he can be a solid starter.

Digital Headbutt - I tried to comment just on the sheer awesomeness of the Bear Grylls vs. Les Stroud post... seriously, that was awesome.

Larry Brown Sports and Signal to Noise - there was a couple of things I was going to comment on but I just wasn't able to. But you guys always have great work!

So I apologize and hopefully I can get it figured out soon!

Random Thoughts

First off... school's out for the summer! FINALLY.

Anyway, other random sports thoughts on the day:

- Well it's one thing to be wrong, another to be dead wrong, and that's what I was about the Bulls/Pistons series. It's one thing to lose 2 games on the road, it's another to blow a 19 point lead at home in a virtual must-win. The future is obviously still bright in Chicago, but they don't have to wear shades quite yet.

- This rap might be the best thing ever.

- It appears that Dirk will be named the NBA MVP on Tuesday... obviously, I agree with Dirk as MVP. The MVP is a regular season award, and Dirk was simply the best player during the year. I don't buy the argument that the MVP has to come from a winning team, it was just a coincidence that the best player played on the best team. It usually doesn't work out that way.

- Utah @ Golden State Friday night... the series is 2-0, but (obviously) it has been absolutely fabulous.

- The evidence that Vick is lying about this dog fighting business keeps mounting. Good. If he really was involved (and all evidence seems to point in that direction), hopefully they can get some type of solid case against him.. and even if they can't hopefully Roger Goodell will step in with an iron fist.

(photo from Deadspin, because I just laughed out loud when I first saw that)

- As far as possible 17 games in the NFL regular season talk, I agree with Shot to Nothing... I like things as they are.

- Tiki Barbaro... this is freakin' hilarious. (found via The Big Picture)

Anything stick out to you on this sports Friday?

Finals Suck

5 finals this week (including an 8 AMer in Money and Banking on Monday) means no time to write for me tonight... too much studying to do!

So wish me luck, though hopefully I won't need it!

Odds & Ends

I don't really feel like putting a ton of coherent thoughts up, but some things that caught my eye:

- Joey Crawford suspended indefinitely. Bravo David Stern, bravo. Tossing Duncan for laughing (as well as asking him if he wanted to fight) was one of the worst reffing moves I've ever seen. Actually, it probably was the worst. As Tim Duncan said, Crawford wanted his TV time, and he got it. Good riddance.

- Great videos over at The Sports Flow today... this is the stuff I should be putting on Sports Videos, but I've been kind of lazy.

- Refer to WBRS and The Big Picture for expressing similar thoughts as mine as far as all of the events in Blacksburg. Not much to say really. Nothing I write here will be able to accurately convey the tragedy there.

- On a completely different note, I tried to be first on the Francisco Liriano bandwagon, picking him up in all my leagues. This year, my recommendation is to run (stop reading) and go pick up Tim Lincecum right now in all of your leagues. Stash him on the bench, because he should be up soon. In AAA for the Giants, he has thrown 18.2 scoreless innings this year with 14 baserunners allowed and 28 strikeouts. Pick him up immediately.

- Fire Joe Morgan... maybe the best site ever.

That's what I got.

Kenny Mayne

These days, I generally try to avoid ESPN as much as possible (Sportscenter included), because most of their programming isn't that good. So while I knew Kenny Mayne was back on Sportscenter, I hadn't really seen him on it yet.

But a couple of nights ago I watched part of Sportscenter with him on it, and it reminded me so much about why Kenny Mayne is my favorite thing about ESPN. The guy is hilarious.

Here is a sampling of a mere 20 minutes of Sportscenter that I watched:

- "Maicer Izturis, no relation to Al Newman."
- "Barry Bonds with homerun #735. Not this season, that would be a record."
- "He hit that ball over some fencing they put up in the outfield prior to the game."
- "He was traded for a player to be named later. Right now no one knows his name, they just say 'What's up big guy?'"

Again, this was in like 20 minutes, and I was laughing my head off.
*Note: It was like 1:45 in the morning when I started watching.
*Note 2: Then again, it is like 1:00 in the morning as I type this.

So if having Kenny Mayne back on Sportscenter was all a cunning ruse just to get me to watch again, well, it may work. He's the best.

Other Mayne quotes from throughout the years (many from The Sportscenter Altar):

- "I am amused by the simplicity of this game."
- "Tell 'em what they've won...it's an American League baseball game."
- "We're gonna show it again, cause we have editing equipment."
- "But we all know that games aren't played on paper...they are played by little men inside our TV sets." (this could be the best ever)
- "Jeff Gordon takes the checkered flag, and he'll have to give it back for the next race."
- "Now on to tackle football news..." (Note: I just like the shtick where he calls it 'tackle football' or 'ice hockey')
- "We show you this to see how women 18-34 feel about the play."
- "Portions of this game were taped for training purposes..."
- "He scored [number] off the bench. Had he been on the bench, he'd have been out of bounds."
- "That's his first homerun. The media pressure will be intense for his second."
- "He makes the restaurant-quality play."
- "[Football player] has decided to tackle people on behalf of the [NFL team]. Terms of the contract are not disclosed, but we believe it has something to do with money."

Thoughts? Do you like Mayne as much as I do?

2-0

So yeah, I turn 20 today.

Which basically just means I'm getting way too old for birthdays.

Also, since I share the birthday with Honest Abe, enjoy the picture of him... there aren't enough Abe Lincoln photos out there.

A Special Shoutout to My Mom

I don't know if she'll ever read this because she doesn't like sports, but my mom was commenting on how I never write about her (or any of my other family) on here... which I thought there was an obvious reason, being that I generally write about sports. But that's ok. Which means that I'm breaking stride here with a non-sports post, but it's my party and I'll cry if I want to.

I don't want to leave anyone out, so rest assured, I love you Mom and you're the best!

(I hope she doesn't object to her picture being up here!)

Happy Birthday Complete Sports!

Yes, that's right, this little blog of mine has reached the 1 year milestone.

When I started this little thing with this post and my NFL divisional conference preview, I'm not sure what I expected. I know I loved sports and sometimes liked writing things, but beyond that I had no idea what I was in for.

Well, it's been fun. I'm not into Journalism and I have no aspirations of being a writer (hey, I'm an Accounting and Finance major!), so I realize my actual writing sucks, but that's ok. That said, even though I'm not a writer, I will accept an offer if you make one ESPN! I never really expected to make any money with this, but I have made a little chunk of change, which is great because it's getting paid to do something I really enjoy doing.

And truly I enjoy doing this. I mean, where else could I write my list of the 50 greatest NBA players ever, or my list of the Top 10 MLB players of all-time, or unveil my hopes to create a Bill Walton Quote Library? Where else could I write nearly 100 posts about the NBA, or 88 posts about the NFL, or 83 posts about college football? Where else could I make nearly 400 posts in a year and not look like a total nerd. Well, kinda.

But as almost any blogger will tell you, the best part about this is getting comments on my posts, or getting email from someone who happens to be reading. Because as much as I do like writing this, I probably wouldn't do it if no one read it. So thank you to all my readers and commenters, most notably the writers from WBRS Sports Blog, The Big Picture, The Sports Pulse, Sweaty Men Endeavors, Zoner Sports, Insomniac's Lounge, Pacifist Viking, and many others. Without getting too sentimental, guys like you make this enjoyable.

Anyway, for the first year, if my calculations are right, I think I got somewhere around 50,000 visitors, which is many more than I ever expected. But I was always told to dream big, so my goal is 70,000 for year 2, which is about 200 a day, which, well, we'll see. But I'm optimistic.

So anyway, thanks to any readers, and it's been fun. Hopefully I can make another post like this in a year.

Happy New Year's!

First off, hope your 2006 was great and hope your 2007 is even better!

Anyway, things look a little different here, as I was upgrading some stuff, but that knocked out my header and I'm not sure how to get it back yet!



So hopefully I'll be able to get that figured out, in the meantime if anyone has switched and knows how to help, I'd be grateful!

Happy New Year's!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

I'll be super busy as I'm sure most will over the next couple of days, but hopefully all you great readers have a great holiday!

Podcast worth listening to

Normally I'm not a guy for podcasts (or sports radio), but I have made an exception.

This one is run by a couple of guys I know, one of them being the writer of Divine Interception. But the podcast itself is called "The Sam and Sam Show," obviously starring a couple of guys named Sam, both of whom I've known online for awhile now and both of whom I can vouch know their stuff.

As from the site, their show this week contains:

Today, Jonathan Forman joins us on the Sam and Sam Show as we catch up on the ridiculous baseball free agent signings. Also, Michael Strahan on the prowl, Tony Romo’s “ancestors”, Carlos Lee’s weight problem, Mark McGwire’s HOF bid, Ben Wallace’s headband issues, the BCS and Week 13 NFL picks.

Today is the first chance for all you listeners to win free baseball memorabilia in 360’s Reel Baseball Giveaway. Our first question was announced in the show. Check it out.

A lot of what they say, especially on the topic of baseball free agents agrees with what I wrote about it, which only enhances their credibility! For example, it was pretty much agreed that Juan Pierre sucks and was an awful signing. Lots of great topics, lots of good stuff on there.

So there you have it. Listen to lots of good sports talk and maybe even win a baseball book. From what I understand you can even listen to it on iTunes. What could be better?

The Sam and Sam Show

Happy Thanksgiving!

Obviously because of the Holiday weekend I'll be pretty much nonexistent on here until next week... I might come back to make some college football and NFL picks, but then again I might not.

Either way, enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday for all of you Americans... hope it's a good one!

Out of Office AutoReply

Well all, it's time for me to head back to school, which means I'll be moving all of my stuff in, which means my computer access will be sporadic, which means I'm not even going to bother to try to post anything, and just take the weekend off.

I know for some of you, reading this blog is probably like the highlight of your day, so accept my humble apologies. As they say on PTI, I'll try to do better the next time!

Happy 4th of July!

I don't know if anyone will actually come to read this on the 4th of July (but if you do, thank you very much!), but well, Happy 4th of July, especially for those in the USA (obviously).

Stay safe, and have a great holiday!

Off for the Weekend

Since I started this blog, I only have taken the weekend off once, when I was out of town and had no computer access.

But now that we've got the weekend of the 4th of July, and family is in town, and with me working in the morning Saturday and Sunday, you won't see me posting here for the weekend. But don't fear, I am working on something now which could be kinda cool that hopefully I'll start next week.

So anyway, when there aren't any new posts for the weekend, don't worry, I'm ok!

See you next week!

Let me apologize in advance to my one reader (whoever you are), and let me say that I'll be gone for the weekend! I believe that this will actually be my longest break for the blog since I started up, which means hopefully the traffic won't completely die!

I promise I'll be back next week, until then, go U.S. on Saturday, go Twins, and a thanks to all my readers, because you're the people that makes writing here fun.

The time has come for word verification on comments

I've tried to hold off on having to use word verification on my comments because I think the less work for commenters the better, but I had to add it after a wave of anonymous spam comments over the past couple days. Hopefully this will at least slow them down.

So anyway, hope you don't mind, and feel free to comment away!

Happy Easter!

Hopefully everyone had a great Easter!

Anyway, mine was great, as the weather here was absolutely gorgeous, which is always a plus. Anyway, that's why my posting hasn't been too great the past couple of days... it was the weekend, the weather was great, and I was home for Easter break. I'm short on time now so I'll just give a little preview of the week ahead.

I'll give you my NBA Awards (with of course extra attention being paid to the fantastic MVP race), and my NBA Playoff previews. I really think this is shaping up to be an excellent postseason... lots of stars, some excellent teams, but some very solid upset possibilities. I'll try to forecast it, as it should be very good.

Anyway, that's all coming up in the days ahead as we get back to a normal week and I get back from Easter break. Thanks for reading!