Around the Web...
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
From the Washington Post: Feinstein agrees--July is lame for sports.
From ComcastSportsNet (random, I know): From cyclist to author, Floyd Landis now on a different kind of tour.
From Slate: The physiology of competitive eating, just in time for tomorrow's Hot Dog fest.
Also, the latest NBA Live trailer posted below, courtesy of IGN. The game looks flashy and all that, but while the graphics are marginally improved, on close inspection the players still look like stiff automotons. (I don't mind seeing a blank-faced Tony Parker, but when the camera zooms on a zombie-like Jameer Nelson bringing up the ball...well, it mildly creeps me out, at least). Understandably, sports video games still haven't gotten over the uncanny valley effect, where the close-to-lifelike players just look weirder than the more cartoony video game athletes of the past. Plus, there are at least three players in the trailer now wearing the wrong uniforms, which seems odd considering how EA could fix it so easily; it's not like Ray Allen et al. need to actually come into their offices to re-tape the commercial.
Beyond the griping, though, looks like a worthy buy..
Labels: Competitive eating, Floyd Landis, NBA Live, sports wasteland
posted by Crucifictorious @ 17:41,
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How can DC be a dismal sports town? We've got Steinberg!
Monday, June 25, 2007
Anyone who's read We Rite Goode these past weeks knows of our man-love for DC Sports Bog's own Dan "D-Steinz" Steinberg. The man is a multimedia powerhouse--Blogs, YouTube, TV. Oprah, watch out!
Of course, what transformed mere respect for Mr. Steinberg to full-on admiration was his selection of a WRG post--the ill-titled "Yet another reason for fast-food cashiers to love their jobs"--for the top spot in "Today's Top Five," his semi-frequent blog round-up. However, that was last Tuesday; shortly thereafter, Mr. Steinberg abruptly abandoned his post, most likely to get his head examined, if not to pick daisies until today. As a result, our post has sat atop the DC Sports Bog's page for a week...which we choose to interpret as Señor Bog's tacit recommendation that WRG has been a must-read for seven straight days.Sir, we salute you. Your taste may be poor, but your generosity to young bloggers knows no bounds.
So it was with some disappointment that we learned of one "CBS Sportsline columnist" calling our fair city "comical" when it comes to the sporting front. Sure, the Redskins haven't been relevant for a decade, and yes, the Nats are suffering the predictable woes that make them Ex-Expos. But we've got a basketball superstar in Arenas, a flashy scorer in Ovechkin, a soccer powerhouse in United...and some of the best sportswriters. In part because the WaPo staffs the deepest lineup since the 1927 Bronx Bombers. Quite frankly, Wilbon, Feinstein, Mike Wise et al. wouldn't be as interesting without each other--you read the paper every day, you get incisive sports commentary. And can you imagine Kornheiser's shtick in Dallas or Miami? There's a certain je-ne-sais-quoi that would be lost...
(Not that we're against those cities! It's a stupid exercise by the columnist, who we won't link to to boost his readership, but speaks to the current sports wasteland between the NBA Finals and NFL season. Pundits need something to pund-ificate on.)
Plus, we've got Mr. Steinberg running all over town expanding the various sports options. Did "CBS Sportsline columnist" factor in poetry when slamming DC? Or was he too underhanded to include our professional softball team? And how about the shooting rise of our rock, paper, scissors scene?
(Yes, we submitted the RPS post to DCist too. Like the Beach Boys, we're trying to get around.)
Labels: dc sports bog, paper, rock, scissors, sports wasteland, tacos
posted by Crucifictorious @ 18:04,
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Mark Philippoussis needs a reality show to score chicks
Monday, June 18, 2007
There are a number of things that are just utterly wrong about "Age of Love," the new dating reality show that premieres tonight.
1) Mark Philippoussis is somehow on the wrong side of 30 years old. Barring some Agassi-like renaissance, his tennis career's basically peaked. Does anyone else remember when he burst on to the scene, the 19-year old with the killer serve upsetting Sampras at the Australian Open? I thought this guy would revolutionize the game...mostly because his name would give copywriters fits, but figured he'd win a Grand Slam event or two.
2) Mark Philippoussis, despite this blog's title, does not need a reality show to score chicks. Batman's got his rogue's gallery; who knows what Scud keeps to remember his past, ridiculously attractive loves.
3) Mark Philippoussis is being marketed, against a track record that screams otherwise, as a guy who could pick a "cougar" for his potential life partner. See NBC or this self-serious promotional video, courtesy of BuzzSugar.
(Oh, a social experiment? Why didn't you say so! Looks like NBC's found the solution to its ratings woes: Steal tactics from PBS's Frontline.)
I watch reality TV even less than I wager on it, but even I think it'd be a major upset if Philippoussis didn't choose a "kitten." This is a guy who got engaged to a high schooler when he was in his mid-20s. Of course, that didn't end so great, so maybe this is part of NBC's shtick--that the older women will have something he's never experienced before.
Man, the post-NBA finals, pre-football training camp period really is a sports wasteland, isn't it?
Labels: age of love, mark phillippoussis, sports wasteland
posted by Crucifictorious @ 21:58,
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