Last week was fairly crazy with the typical array of work, cleaning out the future nursery, and the kids’ soccer games (in other words, the family life mix). Needless to say, gaming time has been pitiful of late, but on a positive note, I actually I was able to take in some quality TV time (is there really such a thing) with the World Series, and plenty of football (college and the NFL).
World Series
Congratulations to the Cardinals. Great coaching? Maybe. Poor showing by the Tigers? Sure. Did the best team win? Hard to say, but I have to believe that this series shows that you just have to be hot at the right time. I am not really sure where this one ranks in the history of World Series upsets, but I doubt many people outside of St. Louis game the Cardinals much of a chance to pull off an upset. Little did anyone know that St. Louis’ pitching staff would post a sparkling 2.05 ERA, which certainly helped Tony La Russa’s bunch pull off a great showing.
Vick lights up Cincinnati
The Falcons and Vick have been on fire, and as much as I would love to jump on the bandwagon, I have a hard time believing that they can keep up the pace. I am a true homer, but are we actually witnessing Vick transforming into a QB (beyond the typical hype)? Mark Bradley of the AJC thinks that is the case.
Carson Palmer, the first player drafted in 2003, is considered a quarterback in the classic mode – tall, polished, a thrower first and last. On Sunday, the first player drafted in 2001 threw the ball better than Palmer, who admittedly threw it well. Vick passed for more yards and more touchdowns, completed a higher percentage of his throws and had a much higher passer rating (140.6 to Palmer’s 106.9). There were many reasons why the Falcons won this rather large road game but, these being the Falcons, all reasons must start with No. 7.
Nine days ago, Vick had never thrown more than two touchdown passes in an NFL game. He has since done it twice – four against the Steelers, three more against the Bengals. The Falcons try to pretend they didn’t redo their offense after being pounded by the Giants, but occasionally the truth trickles out. “I’m glad we’re changing,” Vick said. “Well, not really changing. But doing some things differently.”
Whatever the characterization, the effect has been stunning. Greg Knapp has stopped calling dinky West Coast plays and is catering to Vick’s conspicuous strengths. These past two weeks the quarterback has gotten outside the pocket and flung the ball vertically. (Forget that horizontal garbage.)
As a Falcons’ fan I have to hope that Vick is finally turning into a quality QB. Now if we can only turn the defense back on.
Dawgs take one on the chin
I guess it was not as bad as I expected. In fact, the Bulldogs almost managed to shock a ton of people, but you just cannot escape so many turnovers. I am sure there were some bright spots, but they were hard to find from my vantage point. Besides, when you lose to the same team 15 out of 17 years, it is hard to find a bright spot. Things could get ugly with Auburn and Tech on the horizon (and I am assuming that the Dawgs are better than Kentucky).
WoW
I spent a little time with WoW. My mage is now sitting on level 14, and I am actually getting comfortable playing here and there with random folks. In fact, I have actually been able to help a couple of other newbies, which is surprisingly gratifying. I am enjoying the game, but my next big decision will be to spend $29-60 on a headset and continue to pay the $14.95 monthly fee.
