I Am Batman!

A little over two years ago, a game by the name of Batman Arkham Asylum was released. Not only was it released, it was surprisingly a very good game. It was a revelation to everyone that licensed video games, and those based on super heroes can be great games too. The polish and attention to detail to this game left everyone wanting more. On October 18th, 2011 we all got more, and it was good.

Circle The Bandwagons

To provide a little background, I began writing this during the Cardinals/Phillies Game 5. It took me over 2 hours to write this because I didn’t want to miss any part of the game on TV.

As I write this, it is now the top of the 9th in the Cardinals/Phillies game, and I am legitimately reluctant to keep writing because that means that I’m not actually watching the game. This baseball postseason has been that enthralling thus far. You want to know what else? This is the first time in my recent memory that I’ve had this much fun watching the baseball playoffs. It’s also the first postseason in recent memory that I have literally no rooting interest in who wins the World Series. I think the two are related…

After last year’s debacle (which never happened), I sure could use a fun postseason. The Chosen 8 have delivered in spades, even getting started a day early, with Tampa Bay and St. Louis making the playoffs on the absolute last day of the season in the most mind blowing, holy-crap-did-that-just-really-happen ways.

Out of the 30 teams in Major League Baseball, there is really only one that I stand behind, and a select few that I truly despise (seriously, screw Brian Wilson). In recent years, since the A’s have been, shall we say, mediocre, and have fallen well short of the postseason since their (most recent) disastrous playoff appearance in 2006, I have found myself jumping on various bandwagons in order to cheer against teams that I dislike. Therefore, in the 2010 postseason, at various times I found myself rooting for Atlanta, Philadelphia, and even the Texas Rangers in the World Series (which never happened), even though the Rangers are Oakland’s division rival.

Just to be clear, I’m not particularly proud of this sort of “fandom”. I’ve never been big on bandwagon jumping, and would much rather genuinely cheer for a team than cheer against it. Due to the presence of at least one of those three despised teams in the playoffs each year since 2006, and the success of said teams in the playoffs, there have been more self-induced heartbreaks for me than necessary in Octobers past. All of which makes this October awesome. The fact that the playoff teams have provided some genuinely exciting baseball hasn’t exactly hurt either.

Truth be told, I just really don’t care who wins this World Series, be it Philly, St. Louis, Milwaukee, Detroit, or Texas. And right now, that’s good enough for me.

Let the Games Begin

About a year ago, I wrote a post that detailed the beginning of a new football season and how it would affect my life during that time of the year. At last, that wonderful time of the year is here again. However, this year I’m going into this season with a different approach. Instead of looking at how this season will take away my free time, I want to look at it from a way in which I can see the positive results of working in this field.

One of the major perks in working in collegiate athletics, mainly with football, is that there is a decent amount of travel associated with this. To begin the season, I will be traveling to Houston. This is a city that I have yet to visit, and from my recent travel across the country, I know that each city has something unique to offer its visitors. I’m not quite sure what that is for the city of Houston, but I’m ready to find out soon enough. If I am lucky enough to make all of the away trips this season I will be visiting some of the best cities in the western United States. That is something that I am truly excited about.

Save the Dodgers!

Throughout my 25 years of life, it has become a tradition for me and my family to attend many Dodger games throughout the course of the season. Unfortunately for me and many Dodger fans around the Southern California have been staying away from the ballpark. It is not because we have suddenly lost our love for our beloved Dodgers. It is because of an incompetent ownership that has driven a once proud franchise into the ground, both in the standings and financially. I have simply had enough of having my beloved baseball team become the laughing stock of the league.

As of me writing this, I have only attended to one Dodger game this season. I have decided that I will not be attending any more games until they are dealt to a different owner. Personally, this has left me with a lot of time to find things to replace my time at the stadium this summer. As of this writing, attendance numbers indicate that it has left many other people with the same problem. I said it once and I’ll say it again, I love the Dodgers! However, I do not have to accept this fraud of an owner, and his delusional ways of operating one of MLB’s crown jewels. If something doesn’t change soon, the damage that is being done to the fan base, the city and the team can become permanent.

At this point, I’m just counting down the days until MLB is legally able to take the team away from McCourt. I understand that the commish needs to wait until the bankruptcy hearings are conducted, but this has been a painful process to say the least. Both MLB and the Dodgers deserve better ownership! What is good for the Dodgers is good for baseball. Likewise, what is good for baseball is also good for the Dodgers.

As a fan, I do not wish this incompetent ownership upon any fan base. It depletes rivalries, and also diminishes the passion of the fan base, and rips out the heart of the city.

Stupid Ads: The Delta App

Anyone that knows me knows that I really do not like Apple products. Mainly, it’s the Apple sheep culture that has been created where Apple can “do no wrong.” I’m here to tell you that they definitely can. Case in point, the ad for the Delta app.

Tucson, AZ to be continued in Eugene, OR

First and foremost, I have to get this rant off my chest. Why in the hell would anyone in their right mind settle in a desert city? It makes no sense to me. You are land locked, the weather ranges from hot to hell, and you can’t really be outdoors without the risk of it sucking too much. That said, I enjoyed my weekend there. Mainly, it was due to the people I was with over the weekend.

One Weekend As A Hipster

As I write this, I am still recovering from staying four days in the desert, having gone to Coachella this weekend. I feel absolutely miserable right now, and I couldn’t be happier. Those of you who know me well know that I don’t normally fall in with the hipster crowd. Therefore, the hipster mecca known as Coachella might normally not be the best fit for me. But you see, this was not a normal weekend. It was time to fit in.