Well ‘Cuse lost last week to Clemson. They were way back but at least stormed back to make it a game near the end. Good job and way to continue to fight and scrap until the very end. I’m of course disappointed in the loss but I am glad they never gave up. Hopefully they can replace the key seniors leaving but somehow I don’t think you can replace a player like Nichols right away nor the big man down low. But do have a good core nucleus coming back which bodes well.
Ducks oh my wish I could have seen the games but unfortunately I was traveling this weekend (see post on this). Looks like they were in control of the game against UNLV until the end when they let them get back into it. Luckily they did enough to fend them off. Nice job!! Way to go TP huge game in the National Spotlight!!! Against Florida it sounds like they put up a fight but weren’t quite shooting as well as they had been. At least it was a game and not all one sided. Man I can’t wait for next year. Aaron meant a lot to the team this season but we return 4 of the starting 5 and get some in coming talent coming that should help out. Ohh boy this should be good. I’m hoping all the Kent doubters will stay off his back for a while, doubtful, but I can hope. But I know if they don’t finish in the top 3 of the Pac-10 and go deep into the NCAA’s next year they will be calling. Unfair but that’s the way it goes I guess. I would have to say the Pac-10 looks set for next year to dominate the nation again. Oregon will stay strong, UCLA barring something surprising gets even better, USC gets stronger, Arizona after a off season should be back to form and I think Stanford should be in the mix. The others will all get better as well.
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Ducks and Cuse move on
*Sigh*
That is the sigh of relief as the Ducks have moved onto the Sweet 16. In Round 1 they were just a tad off, well more like way off, from their Pac-10 Tournament games. Miami (OH) played well and almost got us in that game. We made a couple of moves but never could shake them even at the end. After that game I didn’t feel very good about our match up with Winthrop. I watched the Notre Dame/Winthrop game from round 1 and they have a post player that has some really good moves down in the post. Without a real big man of our own, sorry Maarty but you’re more of a forward then a center, I was worried they would eat us alive down low. However, Maarty and Malik did a fantastic job down low on the defensive end. Tajuan and Brooks both helped out as well I wish we could have seen the look on the guys face as he turned around and realized he had a 5’ 6” defender on him. That had to make him go WTF!! Great job all around by the entire team. Bryce again made baskets when needed and Tajuan and Brooks provided the 3-point daggers to put it away. However, even with Tajuan's 3-point barrage to start the second half I say the game ball should go to Maarty and Malik. Both of them worked hard on both ends of the court to fight for position, rebounds and put back shots.
Well now it’s onto the next round and a surprising, nationally anyway, UNLV team. Man this team looks dangerous. They might have been relatively unknown before the tourney but people sure see them now. This is going to be a tough game to pickas both teams have been shooting lights out in recent games. I didn’t get a chance to see either of UNLV's tournament games but reading the recaps this is a game where if either team has any cooling off at all it will cost them. I’m rooting for my Ducks but I can honestly say I don’t know who should win this game. I think both teams are similar but I’m hoping the off season workouts that the Duck players took upon themselves will allow them to out run the Running Rebels. In either case I think you might just want to strap yourself in because if both teams stay on the streaks they’re on currently this will be a high octane game that just might blow you out of your seats.
On the NIT front Syracuse has moved on again! Oh yeah the walked in that game! Now onto Clemson. This should be a tough game and even though I hate to say it I think Clemson has the edge in this game. But I’m still pulling for the Orange to pull it out with a gritty performance from Nichols. He’s going to want to keep it going into MSG and the finals for his last run!
As I’ve mentioned before many people probably wonder why a person who grew up on the Oregon Coast is a Syracuse fan. Well you have to go back to High School I think it was my Junior year and I was just getting into watching college basketball because I had stopped playing ball in school, which is another story in itself. At this time I had no ties to any of the in state schools other then OSU because my friend was going there. I hadn’t quite started looking at colleges for school yet. Anyways, the tournament was on and I was following it pretty closely as I love basketball more then just about anything in my life. I’ve never been one to really track players or remember when people were on what team. I’ve just always liked watching the games. As I’ve gotten older I have my teams I pull for and have less time to devote to my first love and passion. I’m hoping with the move I may reconnect again with this sport. Anyway back to my point in the tournament Syracuse was in and playing a game when I remembered my Stepfather went there. Now for some reason, looking back on it I think it was because how much my Stepfather has meant to me and what he had done for me yet another story for another time, I just clicked with them and their coach. Since then I’ve been hooked. I hope to never have to pick between the Orange of ‘Cuse and my Alma Mater Ducks because I don’t know who I’d side with. So far I have not had that dilemma and hopefully I never will unless it’s a title game!!
Well good luck to both teams in the next games hopefully both can move on.
That is the sigh of relief as the Ducks have moved onto the Sweet 16. In Round 1 they were just a tad off, well more like way off, from their Pac-10 Tournament games. Miami (OH) played well and almost got us in that game. We made a couple of moves but never could shake them even at the end. After that game I didn’t feel very good about our match up with Winthrop. I watched the Notre Dame/Winthrop game from round 1 and they have a post player that has some really good moves down in the post. Without a real big man of our own, sorry Maarty but you’re more of a forward then a center, I was worried they would eat us alive down low. However, Maarty and Malik did a fantastic job down low on the defensive end. Tajuan and Brooks both helped out as well I wish we could have seen the look on the guys face as he turned around and realized he had a 5’ 6” defender on him. That had to make him go WTF!! Great job all around by the entire team. Bryce again made baskets when needed and Tajuan and Brooks provided the 3-point daggers to put it away. However, even with Tajuan's 3-point barrage to start the second half I say the game ball should go to Maarty and Malik. Both of them worked hard on both ends of the court to fight for position, rebounds and put back shots.
Well now it’s onto the next round and a surprising, nationally anyway, UNLV team. Man this team looks dangerous. They might have been relatively unknown before the tourney but people sure see them now. This is going to be a tough game to pickas both teams have been shooting lights out in recent games. I didn’t get a chance to see either of UNLV's tournament games but reading the recaps this is a game where if either team has any cooling off at all it will cost them. I’m rooting for my Ducks but I can honestly say I don’t know who should win this game. I think both teams are similar but I’m hoping the off season workouts that the Duck players took upon themselves will allow them to out run the Running Rebels. In either case I think you might just want to strap yourself in because if both teams stay on the streaks they’re on currently this will be a high octane game that just might blow you out of your seats.
On the NIT front Syracuse has moved on again! Oh yeah the walked in that game! Now onto Clemson. This should be a tough game and even though I hate to say it I think Clemson has the edge in this game. But I’m still pulling for the Orange to pull it out with a gritty performance from Nichols. He’s going to want to keep it going into MSG and the finals for his last run!
As I’ve mentioned before many people probably wonder why a person who grew up on the Oregon Coast is a Syracuse fan. Well you have to go back to High School I think it was my Junior year and I was just getting into watching college basketball because I had stopped playing ball in school, which is another story in itself. At this time I had no ties to any of the in state schools other then OSU because my friend was going there. I hadn’t quite started looking at colleges for school yet. Anyways, the tournament was on and I was following it pretty closely as I love basketball more then just about anything in my life. I’ve never been one to really track players or remember when people were on what team. I’ve just always liked watching the games. As I’ve gotten older I have my teams I pull for and have less time to devote to my first love and passion. I’m hoping with the move I may reconnect again with this sport. Anyway back to my point in the tournament Syracuse was in and playing a game when I remembered my Stepfather went there. Now for some reason, looking back on it I think it was because how much my Stepfather has meant to me and what he had done for me yet another story for another time, I just clicked with them and their coach. Since then I’ve been hooked. I hope to never have to pick between the Orange of ‘Cuse and my Alma Mater Ducks because I don’t know who I’d side with. So far I have not had that dilemma and hopefully I never will unless it’s a title game!!
Well good luck to both teams in the next games hopefully both can move on.
Thursday, March 8, 2007
A Sad and Happy Day
Well for the sad news first! The Orange just couldn’t recover late in the second half in their game against the Golden Domes of Notre Dame! Ah they were up at half and were keeping ahead during the beginning of the second half. Then the brief meltdown where they couldn’t do anything right and went down 9. They kept it within striking distance all the way through and ended up losing by 6. Well hopefully on Sunday they’re name will be called for the Dance.
As for the good news the Ducks took care of Arizona in dominating form! Holy cow I thought this would be like the two regular season games with a down to the wire finish. Just like the last game at the Pit we got a good size lead but this time instead of wilting we pushed it to a 20+ point lead. In the back of my mind though I still had doubts and they were almost founded as Zona brought it back to 14 again. But the Ducks settled down and played efficient down the stretch to keep the lead. Next up the winner of the UCLA/Cal game. I want UCLA as it would be nice to have another shot at them as a measuring stick.
Luckily the games were both going on during lunch and were even on the TV where I was having lunch. So I got to see about an hour of both games before heading back to work. I was able to keep up on the ‘Cuse game via ESPN.com and got the Duck game on the radio.
So I’m sitting here fingers crossed the ‘Cuse gets into the Dance and I’m hoping Oregon wins the PAC-10 tournament to get some hug momentum going into the Dance.
As for the good news the Ducks took care of Arizona in dominating form! Holy cow I thought this would be like the two regular season games with a down to the wire finish. Just like the last game at the Pit we got a good size lead but this time instead of wilting we pushed it to a 20+ point lead. In the back of my mind though I still had doubts and they were almost founded as Zona brought it back to 14 again. But the Ducks settled down and played efficient down the stretch to keep the lead. Next up the winner of the UCLA/Cal game. I want UCLA as it would be nice to have another shot at them as a measuring stick.
Luckily the games were both going on during lunch and were even on the TV where I was having lunch. So I got to see about an hour of both games before heading back to work. I was able to keep up on the ‘Cuse game via ESPN.com and got the Duck game on the radio.
So I’m sitting here fingers crossed the ‘Cuse gets into the Dance and I’m hoping Oregon wins the PAC-10 tournament to get some hug momentum going into the Dance.
Thursday, March 1, 2007
Classic Video Game fun with the Wii
Yes I am one of those people who picked up the Wii! This system I was very excited for as it was Ninendo’s first backward compatible consoles. You can play your GameCube games on the device with the old controllers and memory cards plus the new Wii games. Another good feature is the built in Wireless Networking. It was a pain at first to set up the networking but I think that was due to something wrong with the software on the system. After resetting my wireless router and letting the Wii do its automatic updates I was then able to resecure my wireless router again and the Wii worked just as before. Another sweet feature of this system was the ability to download old games from other Nintendo systems (NES, SNES, Nintendo 64) along with the Sega Genesis and something called TurboGrafx. Not sure what the last system was but the others excited me greatly as I’d be able to download old games for small fee ranging from $5-10 depending on the system. The motion sensing controllers sounded really cool and in use are great.
I love when playing the Wii Sports games that come with the system that you actually make real life motions to do things such as Pitch a baseball, swing a bat, swing a golf club, swing a tennis racket, bowl, or box. It’s actually a great workout and a great party game even if it is simplistic. I had a friend of mine who wants to get one now after we made her do the home run hitting mode. She knocked one so far it went out of the park. On another she swung so hard she slipped on our hard wood. But she was laughing the entire time. Her little girl did the practice range mode for golf and after a little trial and error was having a blast playing. This probably led more to her wanting the system then the fun she had. I personally can’t wait until Tiger Woods or Mario golf comes out for the system. I also want to see what they do with the basketball games.
When I bought the system I picked up Zelda and Madden. Two staple games for any Nintendo system. Zelda just rules!! I love the fact in this version you can fight from horseback and that you actually swing the controller to attack. Very fun and well put together game. Madden is a ton of fun like normal but with the Wii Controllers it’s even more fun. To hike the ball you pull the controller towards you. To throw you select your receiver and make a throwing motion. When running you can swing the controller/numchuck right or left to stiff arm or juke. Kicking can be very sensitive if you don’t watch the orientation of the controller all the way through the upswing motion. Any right or left tilting of the controller will cause the ball to slice or hook. Absolute blast and easier then remembering what button does what.
This system should appeal to just about any type of gamer I would think as even the first person games should absolutely rock what with aiming at the screen with the controller for you gun and stuff. I just can’t wait for some of the upcoming games to get released.
Currently I have only downloaded 2 games from the online store. They are Kid Ikarus and Donkey Kong Country. Kid Ikarus was one of those games that always stuck with me and my friends growing up. Hell we even have a common saying that came out of my frustration with this game. “You little dorks”. I’m having a blast remembering this game and reliving my youth. Donkey Kong Country, for the SNES, was a great game at the time and while the graphics are not quite what I remember it is still loads of fun to control Donkey and Diddy Kong in their mad cap adventures.
Well back to gaming for me I write another write up on my current video game of choice World of Warcraft sometime in the near future.
I love when playing the Wii Sports games that come with the system that you actually make real life motions to do things such as Pitch a baseball, swing a bat, swing a golf club, swing a tennis racket, bowl, or box. It’s actually a great workout and a great party game even if it is simplistic. I had a friend of mine who wants to get one now after we made her do the home run hitting mode. She knocked one so far it went out of the park. On another she swung so hard she slipped on our hard wood. But she was laughing the entire time. Her little girl did the practice range mode for golf and after a little trial and error was having a blast playing. This probably led more to her wanting the system then the fun she had. I personally can’t wait until Tiger Woods or Mario golf comes out for the system. I also want to see what they do with the basketball games.
When I bought the system I picked up Zelda and Madden. Two staple games for any Nintendo system. Zelda just rules!! I love the fact in this version you can fight from horseback and that you actually swing the controller to attack. Very fun and well put together game. Madden is a ton of fun like normal but with the Wii Controllers it’s even more fun. To hike the ball you pull the controller towards you. To throw you select your receiver and make a throwing motion. When running you can swing the controller/numchuck right or left to stiff arm or juke. Kicking can be very sensitive if you don’t watch the orientation of the controller all the way through the upswing motion. Any right or left tilting of the controller will cause the ball to slice or hook. Absolute blast and easier then remembering what button does what.
This system should appeal to just about any type of gamer I would think as even the first person games should absolutely rock what with aiming at the screen with the controller for you gun and stuff. I just can’t wait for some of the upcoming games to get released.
Currently I have only downloaded 2 games from the online store. They are Kid Ikarus and Donkey Kong Country. Kid Ikarus was one of those games that always stuck with me and my friends growing up. Hell we even have a common saying that came out of my frustration with this game. “You little dorks”. I’m having a blast remembering this game and reliving my youth. Donkey Kong Country, for the SNES, was a great game at the time and while the graphics are not quite what I remember it is still loads of fun to control Donkey and Diddy Kong in their mad cap adventures.
Well back to gaming for me I write another write up on my current video game of choice World of Warcraft sometime in the near future.
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