FIFA 11 Bad Guys

I looked at this with FIFA 10 and am asking myself the same question with 11. Who am I facing online most of the time? Well... 52% of the time you will be facing the following teams:

12% : Manchester City
12% : Real Madrid
10% : FC Barcelona
10% : Chelsea
10% : Milan

I have enough data points (42) to show that most choose the best teams in the world. It's understandable with the way online ranking is set up. I just wish I could see more of SL Benfica, where I had that one magical 6-0 win. Outside of that I've not scored more then 3 goals in a game. Nor have I ever had more then 3 scored on me. That's saying something I guess.

I'm off to play. And if you can figure anything on the lyrics on this song... your a better man then I. I love it.

Friendly Neighborhood Reminder

Fable III comes out today.

Chevy Runs Deep

GM's new tagline. It's interesting that they are using "Chevy" because of the memo that created a manic 24 hours at GM instructing employees not to use the term.

So... from "See the world in your Chevrolet" to "Like a rock" we now have "Chevy Runs Deep".

My thoughts are the same as Rob Finfrock over at The Truth About Cars:

...how “deep” does Chevy want its customers to go back into their memories for a happy story?

“Remember when your Dad told you fond stories of his father’s 1957 Bel Air… while you both waited in the Service Department lounge for your S-Blazer’s third transmission to be installed?

“Remember that first date with that special someone, in your 1975 Vega? Remember how she helped you push it into your driveway? Remember how the rusted rear bumper fell off and broke her foot?

“Remember the 1990 Lumina? Wait… please don’t.

“Remember the Malibu you rented last year in Atlanta? I mean, it was pretty decent, right?

“Chevy runs deep!”
-----------------------------

I can relate especially to the Malibu I rented in Boston. I found myself not saying to myself that the car was good. Just asking myself questions... Is this interior good?... Do I like how I sit high up?... Does this car have any power?

A League Sliding

In terms of revenue, the NFL is the most successful league on the planet. Throughout the mid-nineties till now it has over taken just about everything out there. I am here just to say that it has reached it's peak dominance. It will always be popular, don't get me wrong. It just will not be where it is now ever again.

Back in the 1980s the NFL grew really fast. So fast that in 1987 there was a player strike. You see this sort of thing in other businesses as well. When a company is doing "too well" labor problems creep in. It happened in 1987 for the NFL and it will happen again next year. In 1994 it happened to MLB, which opened the door to the NFL. In the NHL you had the opposite problem. The league stopped for an entire year back a few years ago because of loss of revenue. That, my friends, is just normal distribution of data. Meaning, sports fans were choosing to watch a disproportionate amount of NFL, therefore some other sport had to suffer.

The NFL has many, many major issues to work out. Not just labor either. Injury to players is becoming more and more a problem. Last weekend there were 5 concussions in the span of about an hour. All played out on national television. In pro football it isn't something that new, just the timing of it is new. It is an extremely violent game, it's always had serious injuries we just have a bunch of newer fans with new eyes watching it.

This past weekend, after stiff fines going out to players hitting too hard, we had a kinder, gentler NFL... except for a sideline ref who got run into, fell crashing down on the back of his head and was wheeled off the field with blood running down his face out of his eyes form his brain bleeding. Yes. His brain. Oh, and something more horrifying, at least to me. A player named Todd Heap for the Ravens, who was the recipient of a blow to the head two weeks ago, just collapsed on the field with no one around him this week. That video is actually being promoted by the NFL. HERE.

I'm not for making tackle football; flag football. Just stating that the league that has grown at this rate is taking a dive. This stuff is now under a microscope.

Speaking of dives, I've got some soccer to play.

IV. Only Interesting to Me

1. One Man's Sasquatch is another Man's Chewbacca.

2. Johnny Reb was retired in 2006
After four years nobody noticed, Ole Miss finally decided on a suitable replacement. A Black Bear. I don't get bent out of shape about this stuff. The bear is fine. I liked that Reb was prowling the sidelines, I reckon. But the mascot politically correct thing just keeps marching on and on. It's a mascot, folks. How can some people get upset with the Redskins saying it is derogatory and offensive and then the same people take Johnny Reb seriously. Wouldn't those people want to keep Johnny because it, by the same reasoning, makes a joke out a southern redneck? Shouldn't Mississippians been offended by ole Johnny? Just my two cents.

3. Found a really bad logo today:


Feast your eyes on that! Anyway, I'm mentioning it because winter is coming here to Ohio.

4. I saw a guy wearing a Colt McCoy Browns Jersey this morning.
It's an ongoing joke with some co-workers because Browns fans here have a hard time investing in a player jersey because no player ever sticks around there. You know what? The Browns beat up on the Super Bowl champs today. Maybe that dude knows something.

5. Jim Valvano once said:
"Everyday you should have your emotions move you to tears. If you laugh, think, and cry... that's a heck of a day." He said that three months before he passed. Here is a story of a kitten born blind that I can't believe I'm mentioning but I am. Jack Tripper. And he is doing great. If you haven't had anything move your emotions today take a look. Click on his name at your own heart melting peril.

Jack Tripper.

6. Dear smart dumb people,
The same people who ban mascots. If you leave any food out in a dry environment it will not mold. You'll get beef burger jerky and french fry jerky.

A photographer hard up on ideas decided to leave McDonald's food out for a half year and take pictures. People seemed to be all up in arms about how it didn't mold. Anybody who has found a fry in your car knows they don't. You need moisture. That said, news flash... fast food is bad for you. You don't need misguided story from Yahoo news to tell you that. Take it from Helltown. It makes you fat, don't eat it.

3b. Speaking of logos, Cadillac over the years:

III. Only Interesting To Me

1. Buckeyes

The football player kind. The only kind and they rule these parts. They lost last night in a rowdy Camp Randall stadium. Since I mentioned a few weeks back the VT entrance I can't not mention the Wisconsin tradition of playing Jump Around at the end of the 3rd quarter. I like this one for a few reasons: A. Visiting fan filming in awe B. Opposing team joining in. C. 90,000 people. D. Ref is signaling at the end... in time with the song. E! Bucky the Badger dancing F!!! Cheerleaders in full dance routine. G!!!!! God Bless America.

However: If we are going to compare stadium atmosphere let us take a lot at the granddaddy of entrances.


2. Tough loss Stoke.

3. Colt McCoy starting for the first time
The guy was a legend in Texas. He even saved someones life. He's going up against the Steelers as his first time out in the NFL. Someone may need to save his.

4. Redskins on Sunday Night Football in America
Breaking out the Beenie Weenie dip for this one.

4a. Larry's Traditional Beenie Weenie Dip Recipe:
- Thick and Rich Bush's Baked Beans
- Mexican shredded cheese
- Fresh Mozzarella
- Two thinly sliced cheese dogs
- Tostitos cheese queso dip
- Texas Pete hot sauce
(how much of each ingredient you put in is up to you)

- Tostitos Multi-grain Chips

PS: Back to Camp Randall with the same game the lady from ASU was wowed by... from inside the student section (what she was looking at).

Hesmer Goal!

Only the 2nd time in MLS history that a keeper has scored. This happened in stoppage time and allowed the Crew to get a much needed point going into the playoffs. They are in, but they could take the top spot next weekend, which would mean extra home game.

A Perfect Getaway

Another film that I just happened across that falls into the category of "a film Larry likes, oh boy." In some ways it is classic suspense type storytelling. Who done it turns into, well, doing it. Simple, sharp and has great scenery. The acting by Zahn and Olyphant is really good. It helps that the characters are strangely likable. For a movie that you know is building to a twist the writer pushes onward with honesty which makes it difficult to explain here. How about; straight laced and not about who the killers are but how is it going to get there.

Milla is in this one, which is welcome. I was surprised with Kiele Sanchez. I like her.

Another note on Steve Zahn: he is going to be in another movie that is right up my alley. "Knights of Badassdom".

Here is the tagline:

Live-action role players conjure up a demon from hell by mistake and must deal with the consequences.

yup.

EPL Talk; Not to be Mean

But the readers and gamers of your site choose the following teams in the FIFA 11 League:

Manchester City: 8 ppl
Liverpool: 4
Chelsea: 4
Tottingham: 4
Manchester United: 4
The rest of us: 6

Where is the diversity of teams man?! Eight players with Man City?! 1/3 of the league??

It's a game, yeah I know. Most football/soccer die hards are probably not playing. I don't know. It's a little discouraging. As a (new) fan of Premier League soccer I couldn't imagine playing as a bunch of hired guns, even if it means a win as meaningless as a video game online league. When I was in England I found so many passionate fans supporting their local team... Good or bad. I don't know. Maybe I expected more from what I thought this EPL website has. I kinda respected what some of the folks had to say.

I'm a stickler for passionate fans. Soccer I thought was about "z-passion". Not a transparent bunch of Americans posing as "real" Barclay's Anglophiles. But as it turns out it's the same kinda people that go to a Columbus Crew game wearing an Barcelona jersey. Soccer and EPLtalk in America has a ways to go, man. I don't think I'd say this if I didn't notice a lot of the people playing in the league were people posting comments often. Anywho.

Maybe it's just to much of a "my home town team is better then your home team thing". Maybe I need to get on to the bandwagon of just playing with the best players, I mean, "team" and shut up and have some fun.

Maybe I'm tired of loosing to Manchester City. But I thought EPLtalk.com was more then what I'm getting with FIFA 11. But it isn't.

Man, I'm a sore looser.