Tiger Woods 14 Review

Not impressed. 

  • The golf ball looks too small.
  • Graphics aren’t much better.  Players still don’t look that crisp.
  • They “added something” in that you can now play at night or any time of the day, and I think it’s a very stupid idea.  I don’t want to play at night, it’s absolutely stupid.  Golf isn’t played at night, and usually not at 5 in the morning or 8 at night when the sun is barely visible.  I want the course and scenery to be fully visible.  Period.  I wish it was a removable feature.
  • Different mechanics on the swing.  Used to be able to power up by tapping on the backswing, and then a good shot would use a different camera and make a sound effect – that is all gone now, and it’s much more dull.
  • Interface for leveling up and seeing progress, choosing clubs, etc. – oversimplified I think.  Feel like there wasn’t much thought or creativity put into it.
  • Jim Nance and David Feherty – commentating seems lacking, not as good as it used to be.
  • Part of game based around getting “pins” you can use.  You can purchase these “packs” of them with coins you earn in game or buy using real money to buy.  EA trying to suck more money out of you when you just spent 60 bucks on a video game.  Do they really need the money? They seem more focused on how they can increase profits, make it a social game, and reward those who play it on a regular basis than focused on the graphics, mechanics, and what a true gamer really wants. 
  • Personally, I don’t think these games should come out every year.  I would much rather see coming out every 2 years with more development between each game.  With it coming out every year, they put pressure on themselves to make tweaks to “spice the game up”, when many times the changes they make are unwanted.  I’m oldschool.  I don’t want to play golf at midnight.  Don’t display that as some sort of big, wanted “feature”.

I do like the music – sort of inspirational and classic.

2012 AL Wild Card, Baltimore 5, Texas 1

It’s still sinking in that Texas is out of the postseason already.  It’s still sinking in they didn’t take the West.  It was a mixture of being shocked and stunned.  The Rangers led the AL West alone since April 9 and had the lead for 178 days.  Including regular and postseason play, they were 4-10 in their last 14 games and lost their last 4 consecutive games.  They lost a series to Seattle, split a series with Oakland, lost a series to the Angels, and got swept in their final series of the season against Oakland.  They needed one of 3 in Oakland to get the division – couldn’t get that one.  Their starters there were Perez, Harrison, and Dempster.  The only shaky one of those 3 was Perez, and in his game there were only 4 total runs for the A’s.

It was frustrating watching the Seattle series that was lost b/c they were low scoring games but the Rangers had some many blown opportunities with runners in scoring position, and especially when there were less than 2 outs, and time after time after time the man on 3rd was left stranded.  There was a stat of them being 0 for 25 or something with RISP.

What can you say? The A’s earned it.  They were hot, the Rangers were not.

It’s only fair that I put this graphic up b/c I did it in 2010 when the Rangers were ridiculously outspent by the Yankees but still beat them in the ALCS

 

                                     2012  Team Payroll
Oakland $49,137,500
Texas $120,510,975

 

That’s insane.

Rangers have star power, practically the entire lineup, and much hype with Yu.  A’s biggest name? Cespedes?

What killed the Rangers?

  • 5th starter was a problem when Feliz and Colby went out for the season earlier in the season.  Oswalt, Perez, and Feldman all had their shot and all performed poorly.
  • Felt like Hamilton didn’t have as much as a all-star season.  He started out extremely hot but cooled down considerably in the second half.
  • Rangers could not come up with hits in scoring position, particularly the last month of the season and against Seattle.

It will be very interesting to see what happens in the offseason.  Where will Hamilton go? He was so hot at the beginning of the season, but the second half it was frustrating his over-aggressiveness at the plate kill him so consistently.  You could bet that the opposing pitcher would throw him an offspeed pitch a foot out of the zone on the first pitch, and you could bet that Josh would swing and miss at it.  I don’t think the Rangers will re-sign Hamilton, but regardless of who gets him I think his contract will be overpriced.

I hope Feliz and Colby will come back strong.  Time will tell..

In the meantime, postseason play goes on, and I think I may be rooting for Oakland a bit, considering they are the underdog – 5 rookie starting pitchers, the team payroll mentioned above which is last in the MLB, and they’re representing the West.  But, they’re down 0-2 to the Tigers right now and the next 3 would be in Detroit so not looking good there either..

As the Brooklyn Dodgers used to say, “Wait ’till next year!”

2012 AL Postseason Scenario

With only 3 games left in the regular season, here are the scenarios for what must happen for each team to get to the postseason that can:

  • Central – Tigers, leading central by 3 gms, White Sox, E#1, White Sox must (a) sweep Cleveland in Cleveland and (b) Detroit must be swept by Kansas City in Kansas City, otherwise Tigers take the Central Division, will not take best record.
  • East – Yankees, Athletics tied for AL East and 1 gm behind Texas for best record in AL.  Both have at least clinched Wild Card spot. 
    • Yankees, 3 games at home vs. Boston, sweep is likely, but it is NY vs. Boston, anything could happen.  Pitching matchups:
      • Mon., Bucholz – Sabathia
      • Tues., Lester – Nova
      • Wed., Matsuzaka – Kuroda
    • Baltimore, 3 games @ Tampa Bay, series could go either way.
      • Mon., Chen – Cobb
      • Tues., TBA – Shields
      • Wed., TBA – Hellickson
  • West – Texas, 2 gm lead over Oakland in West, 1 gm advantage for best record, have clinched wild card spot.  3 games at Oakland.  Texas wins 1 of 3, they clinch division.  Oakland sweeps, they clinch division.  Series could go either way.  Pitching matchups:
    • Mon., Perez – Parker, Oak certainly has adv here, don’t know what to expect w/ rookie Perez
    • Tues., Harrison – Blackley
    • Wed., Dempster  – Griffin
  • AL Wild Card (2nd Spot) – Will play either New York or Baltimore
    • Oakland, favorite – 3 games up on Tampa Bay and LA Angels  (WC Elimination # is 1) If Oakland wins 1 game versus TX, they clinch Wild Card spot.
    • Los Angeles – must (a) sweep Seattle in Seattle and (b) Oakland must sweep Texas.  Tough matchup vs. Seattle b/c Seattle starters going are solid.  Pitching matchups:
      • Mon., Wilson – Hernandez (adv King Felix)
      • Tues., Haren – Hiwakuma
      • Wed., Weaver – Beavan
    • Tampa Bay – must (a) sweep Baltimore at home and (b) Oakland must sweep Texas.

    National League is much more simple.  San Francisco and Cincinnati have clinched.  Washington will likely clinch East and Braves take a Wild Card spot since Braves are 3 behind Washington with 3 games remaining.  The big race is St. Louis and L.A. Dodgers for the other Wild Card spot – the Cards have a 2 game lead.

Excessive NCAA Time Outs

How many timeouts are in a televised NCAA basketball game? Possibly 28! Twenty-eight!

Each team gets 5 during each half, four 30 seconds timeouts and one 60 second timeout.  On top of that there are 4 TV timeouts each half at 4 minutes intervals ( at the 16, 12, 8, and 4 minute marks in the half).  This is a grand total of 28 time outs in a game (with the half-time break).  I know, basketball is a physically demanding sport, but man, that is too many commercials for me.

No timeouts in soccer!

CJ Throws 4th Complete Game

CJ Wilson went the full 9 tonight versus the Mariners, while giving up only 1 earned run and fanning 12.  The Rangers won 5-2.  The defensive woes continued for the team and for Andrus, who committed his 8th error of the season.

Neftali Feliz and Tommy Hunter both pitched for AA Frisco.  Feliz went one inning and Ked 3.  Hunter went 4  and gave up 2 earned runs.

Nelson Cruz is still out with a strained quad, and Josh Hamilton is still out after recovering from a broken bone below his right shoulder.

April Summary

April of the 2011 MLB season is done, 1/6th of the season, 5 more months to go.  Division leaders at the end of April are:
AL East:  Yankees (15-9), .625
AL Central:  Cleveland (18-8), .692
AL West:  Texas (16-11), .593
NL East:  Philadelphia (18-8), .692
NL Central:  St. Louis (16-11), .593
NL West:  Colorado (17-8), .680

The Rangers started out 8-0,  but have cooled down considerably since then, going 8-11.  The Angels are only 1 game back at 15-12.

Rangers Advance to 1st World Series

Before the 2010 ALCS, the Rangers, Mariners, and Expos/Senators franchises were the 3 teams to never make it to the World Series.  You can cross the Rangers off that list.

Previous Rangers postseason history was ’96, ’98, and the ’99 seasons.  All three ALDS series were vs. the Yankees, and they only managed one win in 10 games against them.  Eleven Years later the Rangers faced the Yankees again, this time in the ALCS instead.  The Rangers dominated, winning the series 4-2.