jcalvert

Snapper Time

Hey, it’s not what you’re thinking. Well, probably not unless you were expecting an article on the spring mowing season.

Last November my Toro (20037) Super Recycler 21” 6.5hp Personal Pace mower bit the dust. I purchased this puppy back in May 2003 for just under $530 (including tax). It was relatively trouble free, except for the occasional oil change, new air filter, and blade sharpening, however over the last couple of years it was clear the motor was just not running as well, the mulching power was just not the same, and multiple trips for extra tuning did not restore the luster. Then the throttle line snapped. Finally, the Toro called it a day when I cracked the crankshaft by running over a metal stake in the backyard.

At first I was distraught; it was a good mower, but its time was drawing to a close. If you figure that the Toro only cost me $6.78 a month (78 months of service), the Toro did a pretty damn good job. Add in the regular service, tune ups, and throttle line repair, my trusty little Super Recycler set me back a meet $10.25 a month, which one again is pretty damn good by my standards.

When I laid down $500+ on the Toro, I was expecting to get at least 8 years of service, so by that benchmark the Toro was disappointing. As I said, I put it to a premature death, however regardless of my actions I think it was heading towards failure before this season was out.

Snapper SPV21675E
After much research I settled on a Snapper. I wanted one of the commercial grade Snappers in the local hardware shop where I purchased my Toro. Ninja mulching, hi-vac … all the commercial models sounded enticing! In the end I could not justify spending $600+ for a commercial grade mower for my yard, so I ended up going for one of Snapper’s residential SE model mowers.

Snapper 7800417 SE Series SPV21675E 21-Inch Briggs & Stratton 190cc 675 Series Mulching/Side Discharge/Bagging RWD Self Propelled Lawn Mower With Variable Speed, Electric Start & Single Level Height Adjustment #37123

I love Amazon and their Prime service. For a click under $430 I will have a new Snapper SPV2167E this Tuesday. I mostly mulch with occasional bagging; hopefully this Snapper will hold up past the Toro Super Recycler 78 month mark, and maintain a cheaper maintenance price per month.

Ring The Bells: Ferrari 1-2

Great result for the Scuderia, with Alonso and Massa finishing 1-2 at the expense of Vettel. Party in Maranello? After last season, this result has to be beyond Ferrari’s wildest dreams.

I think Alonso must have had something in hand; even without the late problem with Vettel’s Red Bull, I think Alonso was going to close up and challenge. Massa has to be plenty pleased at a podium finish after last year’s life threatening injury.

As for Michael Schumacher, a sixth place finish is pretty respectable, however I am sure it is eating Schume up that his Nico qualified in front of him, finished in front of him, and as best I can tell outpaced him all weekend.

As for the racing, it seemed pretty typical parade around the circuit stuff as we have come to expect in recent years. It was interesting see what short of strategies would play out with the refueling ban and new tires. The changes just did not seem to translate well on the track. Still, it is the first race, so we will have to see what develops over the coming weeks.

F1 Is Back – Bahrain Within The Hour

I missed out on the qualifying session yesterday, but I thought it was interesting that Vettel took the poll, Massa and Alonso showed well for Ferrari landing the second and third spots, and finally Nico out qualified Schumacher (5th vs. 7th). I wonder if that is what Schume had in mind when he decided to come back at 41?

All things considered, Schumacher securing the seventh position is respectable considering a three year layoff, and the various changes to the cars, rules, and regulations.

In typical American fashion (at least I think it is typical) I am a Ferrari boy, and I always have a few favorite drivers. In the past 14 or so years that I have been following F1, I have cheered for Damon Hill, Jacques Villeneuve, Scott Speed, and of course Schumacher and the drama of putting the Scuderia back on top.

This year things are different. I anticipated a US entry, but alas, I was thwarted in my bid to cheer for the Red, White, and Blue. Disappointing. This year I hope for a remarkable comeback for Schumacher and I expect to see Massa and Alonso splitting race wins. Hopefully there will be good racing all around, with a few surprises to boot!

On the videogame front, maybe we will finally see a worthy successor to the Formula One Championship Edition (PS3). After all, I got my “racing” love back in 1996 by playing Psygnosis’ Formula 1 for the PSX. It is very disappointing that we have not seen some sort of new F1 game – this is a far cry from the PSX heyday when we would see yearly releases, often with competing developers in the same year with semi-licensed games.

MLB 10: The Show vs. MLB 2K10

For some random reason I was looking at the MLB 10: The Show (MLB10) review scores this morning and noticed this review from GamesDaily (8/10).

For the past couple of years, The Show has dominated with a superb presentation, in-depth options and unmatched gameplay. There’s still plenty of that to go around this year, although Sony’s grip on baseball superiority has loosened, as this game is about on the same level as 2K’s. That’s good news for baseball aficionados (with two quality products to choose from), but not-so-good news for Sony’s San Diego team.

My first thought was “hmmm, I did not realize that Major League Baseball 2K10 (MLB2K10) had made such major strides.”

The reviewer offers a few MLB10 critiques: The pick off system is a nice addition, but difficult. The catchers’ inability to throw out some runners is also mentioned, along with some minor issues with the AI in franchise mode. Finally the reviewer wraps things up by complains about the install process using 5GB of storage space, along with the menu load times, and the commentary that can often be grating.

To each their own; after all opinions are opinions, so I have no real quarrel with the reviewer’s criticisms. I agree with the reviewer’s comments on the menus, especially when navigating online.

I decided to check out the scores: MLB10 vs. MLB2K10. While there may not be enough of a sampling to make any final conclusions, it is obvious that the majority of critics consider MLB10 the superior game; the fans are clearly attracted to Sony’s product. MLB10 currently has an 88% (12 critic reviews) with a 9.7 user rating (51 votes), while MLB2K10 has a 74% (12 critic reviews) with a 5.0 user rating (2 votes).

While I have not played MLB2K10, much less one of their baseball games in recent years, the majority of reviews indicate that this year’s version has made significant strides; great visuals with solid gameplay. The good news is that gamers have two choices, but are both created equally as the GamesDaily reviewer claims?

Georgia Gets Surprise Opening Round Win

Well, Georgia’s 77-64 win over a sub-par Arkansas squad was a surprise to me. I expected the Dogs to be one and done. They take on Vandy tonight, so Georgia’s season should draw to a merciful close.

WKC:I – Free Quests Aplenty!

Sony has announced that they are offering free WKC:I quests, plus those crazy kids are running a sweepstakes, which offers up some serious looking action figure.

Beginning this Thursday, March 11th, we’ll be offering up additional quests for free every week through the end of June! You read right, free. Just log into the PlayStation Network, start up your copy of White Knight Chronicles and you’ll see new quests pop up on the World Map. Each week we’ll be releasing a new permanent quest, as well as limited quests that will only be available for two weeks at a time.

I am nowhere near enough (currently GR2) to be able to enjoy any of these quests. Not sure if this is poking me in the eye, incentive for me to drop what I am doing and get on with the game, or a little of both. I really appreciate Sony’s support of WKC:I with the addition of free DLC quests.

WKC:I has not received critical acclaim, and it is sure to be lost in the shadow of several other soon to be major hits (cough … FFXIII, cough GOW:III … cough). WKC:I has fan favorite, cult classic written all over it. I hope Sony continues to support the game for a long time to come, because I know I will be lagging behind everyone else in terms of gameplay time and guild rankings.

Chris Houston Experiment Ended

Thank goodness this one came to a merciful close; Houston has been shipped to Detroit.

Cornerback Chris Houston was traded to the Detroit Lions for a sixth round pick on Monday, the team confirmed.

Also, as part of the deal, the Falcons will move up to the second pick overall in the fifth round and Detroit will pick 18th in fifth round

Houston may have had some decent speed and athletic ability, but he was never a decent option; a nickel back at best.

Perhaps better news is that the Falcons should give a few compensatory picks.

The Falcons are also expected to receive at least two compensatory picks during the league’s meeting later this month in Orlando. Teams are awarded compensatory picks for the players they lose during free agency in the previous year. The Falcons lost linebacker Keith Brooking, linebacker Michael Boley, cornerback Domonique Foxworth and defensive tackle Grady Jackson last season.

Hopefully Brooking is worth something; he did have a decent year. Boley and Foxworth are sure to be worth two picks, but I doubt the Falcons will receive squat for big ol’ Grady.

Star Trek Online – Amazon Deal of the Day

In case you missed it, assuming you are interested in the first place, the Deal of the Day features Star Trek Online. The Standard Edition can be grabbed for $27.99, while the Collector’s Edition is available for the bargain basement price of $47.99.

If my laptop was a decent gaming rig, with a video game worthy graphics card, I would give Star Trek a whirl, but as it is, things were WoW was a frame rate mess, so I think I am going to have to pass.

Really need to upgrade my PC one of these days, so I can pick up these types of deals, and of course to give iRacing a go.

FFXIII Ships

Not sure WTF I am doing up at 1:30AM to write that this apparently mediocre (by Final Fantasy standards) game shipped.

Amazon is also giving me a $10 credit towards a future game with my order. I am becoming so far backlogged that I am not sure when I will actually look at this game, much less when to consider my next purchase at a $10 discount. For those keeping score at home, I have not finished a Final Fantasy game since FFVII, so this does not look very promising.

BTW, the PS3 version is current tracking at 82% (36 reviews) to 84% (17 reviews) on the 360. Go figure.

Edwards-Keselowsk: Just Racing?

At points yesterday the Atlanta race was not very interesting, especially as my favorite drivers fell out of contention thanks to poor setups with Goodyear tires. Then shit rained from the sky. Oh wait; that wait that was Brad Keselowski after Carl Edwards intentionally wrecked him, presumably as payback from earlier in the race and maybe as pent up frustration from other Keselowski run-ins.

Tom Bowles of SI’s Inside NASCAR, sums things up as “just racing” …

Which brings me to my third and final point: what Edwards did was no different than what any other driver has done through the years in retaliating for a wreck that took him out of contention. There was no intent to injure, and both drivers understand what happened and why. When the smoke clears, people need to realize this incident was “just one of those racin’ deals” and move on.

I agree with Bowles on his previous point; NASCAR has a tough call here. They said the boys could take care of things on the track. Edwards serves up the first test for this new hands-off stance.

My first reaction was to suspend Edwards. I really think payback should have come at a future race, not later in the day when Edwards was obviously hot headed, and ultimately reckless. I am still thinking things over because at some point someone else will be killed, which would be a damn shame, especially if my kids are watching with me.

MLB 10: The Show – Briefest of Impressions

I did not get nearly enough time with MLB 10: The Show (MLB10) over the weekend. There was just too much other stuff to do and catch up on after being out of the country for a week. Besides, the weather was spectacular and it was opening weekend for youth soccer, so we spent as much time outside as possible.

I did get to activate my code of the six classic stadiums. I guess this was a nice enough extra from the folks at Amazon, but it was not as if I grew up watching baseball at the Polo Grounds. Of course these stadiums are better than the cement circles that were popular when I was growing up – Fulton County, I call you out. Still; gift horse, so I will not complain.

My first thoughts are that MLB10 has an overwhelming assortment of options. With my thirty minute gaming sessions, it will take me a while to figure which options best suit my style of play.

MLB10 looks like it has superb presentation; the game looks real, the announcers seem to do a good job, and the game appears to have all the other intangibles that go into making an immersive baseball experience. One of the things I noticed right off was the ability to speed up the time it takes in-between pitches. When I actually spent a lot of time playing console baseball games, my favorite experiences where those that I could actually wrap up in 30 minutes; 45 minutes tops. I am not sure if a quick game is possible with MLB10, but any options to speed up the game are always appreciated. I almost feel guilty for attempting to bypass some of the wiz-bang side effects that the development team put into the game to make it appear as a realistic baseball experience.

I played a couple of three inning games; both times as the Braves. I lost 1-0 to Seattle and 2-0 to the Dodgers. I managed a single hit. I suck.

Thankfully there is a practice mode, so I can get some much needed practice in the batting catch. I am not sure if I should keep at it on the default batting Veteran level, move down to Rookie, or maybe change from the Catcher view. I will have to experiment and see if I improve; cannot stand seeing a .105 average. Ouch.

I am sure more impressions will be forthcoming throughout the week. I am cautiously optimistic because I actually have a console baseball that I want to play. It has been a while.

US F1 – A Look Towards Future Days?

The complete failure of US F1 is rather sad; however it is almost pathetic that the team is even talking about a 2011 entry. So many questions, two of which I will ponder now – what really happened and how did it fall apart so (seemingly) suddenly?

US F1 principal owner Ken Anderson is either a fool or delusional; maybe both. Does Mr. Anderson really think that he will just pick up the pieces, and start racing in 2011? At this point why would anyone give any money to this rag-tag startup? It looks like Mr. Anderson singlehandedly destroyed any hopes of an F1 future in the US.

What really happened? I honestly have no idea. Clearly the team was not ready regardless of how the new 2010 rules were going to play out, and more importantly Mr. Anderson and company must not have secured the necessary financial backing for this sort of undertaking.

Disappointing at best, and maybe best described as really downright disheartening to this F1 fan that really wanted to see a F1 racing future in America.

Saturday Stuffs Madness

It has been a while since I went hells blazing, stuffs to the wall crazy, so I figured it was time …

There And Back Again
I spent last week in Calgary, which explains why the site experienced a severe slowdown. Thursday and Friday marked the first time in over 150+ days (8 months) that I did not post something. That was a hell of a run; I suppose it had to end sooner or later.

Flying sucks. Everything stinks about flying from the airport parking experience, to get a boarding-pass, to security, to sitting next to overweight folks that have no business buying a single seat. It all makes for a crap experience. For this trip I had to go from Atlanta to Salt Lake City to Calgary, and returned via Minneapolis/St. Paul to Atlanta. Four different airplanes; 2000 sky miles. Glad to be home.

Now Drinking
I am sort of a homebody; I am not much for traveling unless it is with my wife. With three kids, that is just not something that occurs frequently these days. When I do travel, it is almost exclusively for work. If I had to pick a favorite part about traveling, it would have to be having the opportunity to sample different local beers. While I was in Calgary, I was able to enjoy 4-5 different beers, my favorite of which of Big Rock Honey Brown Lager. The Big Rock Black Amber Ale was a very close second.

New on Blu
While I was out of town, two new Blu-rays arrived – Never Ending Story and Clash of the Titans. Unfortunately it looks like both movies received absolutely nothing in the way of extras, which is extremely disappointing. We watched Never Ending Story for family night tonight. My youngest son was really into it, although he did not know what was going on except there was a really bad wolf. My oldest was pretty much soured on the whole “making him watch another stupid movie” routine. Thankfully my middle boy decided the movie was pretty good, even if he tried to play it off as a ho-hum experience.

Gaming Backlog
MLB 10: The Show arrived earlier in the week, but I have not had a chance to crack it open yet. I have not even come close to finishing Heavy Rain, and of course WKC:I is also uncompleted. FFXIII arrives next week, so I better get going. Or get eBay’ing.

I should have plenty of comments on these games over the next few days. Something video gaming related to make you stand up and clap your hands. Sorry; I think you get the point.

While I was in Canada, all hell broke loose in PS3 land. I guess I should be thankful for small favors. Non event for me, but from the best I can tell, there are some seriously pissed folks out there. Time heals all wounds? This too will pass.

Chrony In Action
Today was truly a blessed day; 60 or so degrees. Sunny, blue skies. I was finally able to get my Chrony setup for a few rounds from the Beeman R1 .22 Long and my Beeman R7. The good news is that I was able to get the shots to register. This was a huge improvement over my first experience, which was a non starter. I still do not know what I am doing, but it looks like my R1 is blazing at around 713.85 FPS while the R7 was cracking at 574.75 FPS. As the weather turns nicer, there will be a whole lot more of this for your airgun reading pleasure. I just hope the weather holds so I can break out the Chrony again and see how the Marauder fares.

Bring on Sunday!

Falcons Sign Dunta Robinson

The Falcons are working out final terms of a six-year contract with Houston Texan CB Dunta Robinson.

We’ve known this was coming most of the day and it comes soon after the Falcons prevented Brian Williams from becoming a free agent by giving him a contract extension. Suddenly, the Atlanta secondary looks a lot better than it did at the end of last season.

I do not know much about Robinson; everything I have read indicates that he is a number one coverage DB, which is a great need for the Falcons.

The Falcons are hoping the return of defensive tackle Peria Jerry will help improve their pass rush. The signing of Robinson clearly is designed to improve the coverage.

Last season, he covered the opponent’s best receiver and played on both the right and left sides of the field.

Solidifying the corners, along with the return of Jerry should provide the Falcons with an instant improvement on the defensive side of the ball. Getting Robinson now gives the Falcons a lot of different directions to go with their first two picks (first and third rounds). They can continue to work the defense with additions to the d-line or LB corps. I would love to see the Falcons go defense with the first two picks, and look for value pickups along the o-line (specifically concentrating on the C spot) and WR and RB depth with their later picks.

Falcons Attempt to Keep UFAs

According to the AJC, the Falcons have tendered several offers to their unrestricted free agents.

The team has made tender offers to right tackle Tyson Clabo, right guard Harvey Dahl, running back Jerious Norwood, punter Michael Koenen and offensive lineman Quinn Ojinnaka, according to their representatives.

Clabo, Norwood and Dahl all have four accrued NFL seasons and received first round tenders. With the first round tender their salary for 2010 will be $2.521 million or 110 percent of their 2009 salary, whichever is greater.

I doubt anyone will take any of these guys in exchange for a first round pick, but if they do, it is really a win-win situation for Atlanta. They either get to keep some decent players, or they get high draft picks in return. Seems like a joke because no one is going to give up a first round pick for a change of pace back (Norwood) or a second round pick for a punter (Koenen).