sabugo

I started browsing through your gallery but I'm a bit busy right now and I didn't see all of it yet. In a few hours maybe I'll have some spare time. Great descriptions and pics so far. You should check Y4L's galleries, there is some pretty awesome stuff in there as well. As for the 'Perfect Inning', I was going to search for it when I read Sean's post about being all in Korean, so I didn't even try. It's a shame that both that and the other game aren't available to us.

Yeah! Everybody does that now, I always wondered why.

Thanks seanzarelli. Should have done that myself.

Really interesting stuff man, and thank you for the info regarding the game. Just out of curiosity, how long did it take you to see all the japanese ballparks? Also, that game you mentioned for android, is it in korean or is there an english version?

What, nobody mentions Kevin Youkilis?

There's an award named after Selig? So next we'll have a 'best teamate' award named after A-Roid? Corruption in the Vatican?? Oh my, how could that be... I competed at the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu European Championship last friday. It is the 2nd largest BJJ event in the World, and it is always held here in Portugal. I won my first match vs a german guy and lost in the second vs. a finnish fighter. One more win and I would have gotten a medal. No worries though, living and learning, and I'll be back for more next year. I also got to meet a lot of the elite fighters, since I work for an online BJJ Encyclopedia. There are some really remarkable stories behind some of those guys and of what they had to overcome. Some really great characters, which made my job a lot easier and that much more fun. One of my teamates is currently suffering from cancer. One of the top fighters in Jiu-Jitsu is a brazilian named Lúcio "Lagarto", who beat cancer and then became world champion (kind like Lance Armstrong minus the doping part). Lúcio actually agreed to record a message for my buddy, just minutes after becoming European Champion. That really made my day. My week in fact. It was a message from the heart, filled with positive energies and a good overall support message. Made me love Jiu-Jitsu a little bit more. If some of you get confused, Brazil is not a part of Europe but this is an 'Open' Championship, as it is always the case with BJJ events. Any of you get curious about my work, the site is called BJJ Heroes.

I might be wrong all the way here in Europe, but isn't San Diego a big millitary city? Isn't there a big naval base or something? I wasn't criticizing your work, nor the fact that the military should be honored, I just don't like the camo jerseys one bit.

Bring the sofa, I'm curious too.

Shoudln't the Geneva Convention protect us against things such as these camo jerseys? I have the greatest respect for the armed forces, but come on, this is just ugly. I get it that the Padres are supposed to have one, but everyone else should just stay away.

I'm so jealous right now. I actually have to use mine on a daily basis, which sucks. Great looking franchise Sean.

Amen.

Homer: Learn what? Korean or how to make a game? Don't know which one of the two is the hardest. Y4L: Last I remember it had something to do with licensing and that sort of thing.

Agree with all of the above, unfortunately. Whatever happened to that korean game? Looked kind of promising, didn't it?

It's not murder. At the very best it might be illegal dumping of thrash.

Oh yeah, whatever happened to that guy Crosby? Y4L: Sure hope that is true. Homer: I threw Nunez off the cliff instead. Good enough? The Yankees and Nunez: 2010-2011: «We see him as our third baseman of the future» 2012-2013: «We see him as our shortstop of the future» Turns out he was just the Bubba Crosby of the present...

On more important matters, who's going to play 3rd? If anybody says 'Nuñez' I'll throw myself off a cliff!

You're saying he wasn't vacationing for the past three seasons? Dear Alex, you didn't get caught when everyone and their mother knew you were cheating. What goes around, comes around. Seems like in 2014 we won't have one of those akward moments where we actually have to root for A-Rod (Ryan Dempster how could you do that to us?!)

Much as I might dislike Selig and think in all fairness that MLB has had it out for A-Rod from the beginning...good riddance!

Don't feel bad Y4L, in Europe hardly anybody ever heard of any baseball greats. Eusébio was really someone apart. He would applaud goalkeepers when they made great saves and even pat them on the back after scoring, almost as if he were apologizing for making them look bad. Who would do something of that sort today? The entire city of Lisbon said goodbye to him today. A lot of people came out to pay their respects and he got his wish with one last lap around the stadium where supporters of all clubs including our biggest rivals gave him one last applause. 'When I die, I would like one last lap around the stadium. This is where people really made me feel special and appreciated' he said. His statue was draped in Benfica scarves and other clubs' as well. Someone fittingly put a crown on its head.

Soccer, or football, is a foreign and strange, pointless and boring sport for most of the American people, much in the same way baseball is to us Europeans. Nevertheless, there is something I absolutley need to write about today. It so happens that my dad worked for the biggest football club in Portugal, and one of the biggest in Europe, Sport Lisboa e Benfica, the 'Encarnados' or 'Reds' (sometimes I have to remind myself to hate the Red Sox just because they wear red). For 42 years my old man worked for the team, 32 of those as the football team doctor. He won many championships and cups during that period and I can only say that growing up I spent more time in the stadium (the old Estadio da Luz with a capacity for 120,000) than at home or school. At one point growing up I actually played for the the club's youth squads. In fact one very famous soccer played, Miguel Veloso - whose dad was the senior team captain, was cut from the team during preseason and I wasn't! Which brings me to today, one of the saddest days I've had in quite some time. Today I've lost a hero, an idol and a true example as a human being. I woke up to the news that Eusébio, my country and club's most iconic figure had passed away at 71. The man was an absolute force on the field, scoring more than 700 goals in his career. A great football player nowadays finishes a career with 250 to 300 goals scored. Off the field he was loved by everyone due to his humble behaviour. He never tried to be the 'big man' unless it served a purpose, but I'll get to that soon. He arrived in Portugal with 17 years old, coming from Mozambique which at the time was one of the portuguese colonies. He learned to play soccer with no shoes, on the streets of the Mafalala neighbourhood in the capital city Lourenço Marques (now Maputo). Benfica and our rivals, Sporting, had a quite interesting dispute as to who would sign this young phonom back in 1960. It was enough drama for a movie, involving kidnapping accusations and all! After he got to pracitce with the team he turned to another young man who would also become a star and asked: 'Who's getting benched? I'm gonna have to play...' He wasn't being cocky. He was that good and that confident. Once he was in, he never left. During his career he was ofthen a target for vicious defenders and a victim of racism by those who woudln't accept defeat. He suffered a number of knee injuries which today would have ended every professional athlete's career. He had 6 surgeries on his left ACL and MCL and 1 on his right. Time and again he would take the field just days after such surgeries because the prize money for the team appearance was doubled whenever he was on the field, and he just wanted his teamates to make more money. They used to call him 'our extra allowance'. Can you imagine playing only days after major knee surgery? (in the 1960's no less!) Big man Eusébio, always looking out for the little ones. As a kid I was hanging around my dad's office one time and Eusébio who was long retired was there too. I tell you, you didn't have to be a doctor or look at x-rays to see how messed up those knees were. My dad also lived in Mozambique for a long time and he shared some of those memories with Eusébio. They had this connection going back to their days in Africa, which made me very proud. Whether it was food, places they visited and lived in or even how both never quite got used to say 'Maputo' and kept saying 'Lourenço Marques to this day. Eusébio was the first football player in history to have signature cleats. The 'Puma King' were the first on the market, in the 1960's. Yeah, the man's nickname here in Portugal was 'King' in english and all. He was also referred as the 'Pantera Negra' or 'Black Panther', a nickname he earned during the 1966 World Cup in England. During that World Cup, Portugal was losing 0-3 vs. North Korea. Then Eusébio shows up, scores 4 goals, assists on the 5th and we win 5-3. After retiring he was on the Benfica staff for many years as assistant coach or team embassador, as well as for the national team. Whenever Benfica had do travel to eastern bloc countries there were problems going through customs. During the cold war days, borders and customs were usually tough. That's when Eusébio would pose for photographs and chat up the man in charge. It was the difference between staying 6 hours filling unnecessary paperwork or 30 minutes of photos and autographs. I've written a lot more than I originally intended and there is so much more to write...My wife is now staring at me because I said this would only take 5 minutes... I'm sad, I really am. It's not everyday you lose a hero. Anybody notice my hersey number on the MVPMods team? Number 10. Guess where that came from!

I'm glad it's out there. And I'm glad Jon Stewart uses it in some of his bits. That's the only use I find for that show. That being said, I'm a couple of days behind, but since I dislike Christmas: Happy Festivus!

I still remember when NLSC first started, run by Tim and Lutz. That was way over a decade ago. Man, I'm getting old!

@dennisjames: Watching your screenshots, two things come to mind: 1) Poor Spike Lee. And while we're at it, poor John Starks. 2) Poor Rik Smits, who got abused in every possible way by Shaq.

Unlike a lot of people, I don't think Yankee Stadium was his problem. Sorry Phil, but if you leave pitches in the middle of the plate with no movement at all, you will get bombed pretty much anywhere. He might see a decrease in HR allowed because Target Field is more spacious, but he'll still suck as a starter. He won't ever dominate as a starter as much as he did when he was a reliever. Not without a decent offspeed pitch. Not by trying new pitches and then scrapping them without properly mastering them. Also, his head might have something to do with his innefectivity. Time and again he placed two pitches on the corners and then tossed a meatball waiting to be destroyed. If that's not mental, I don't know what is! In conclusion, dear mr. Hughes, this is how baseball goes: Leave pitches in the middle of the plate, sh*t gets broken. And that's all. What's really getting under my nerves are the trade rumours surrounding Gardner. I'm perfectly fine with an outfield composed by Gardner in left, Ellsbury in centerfield and Beltran in right, alternating the DH spot with Soriano. Ellsbury is basically a slightly better Gardner. A little more speed, a little better batting average and that's pretty much it. Why the Yankees felt the need to go out and get a player that's similar to the one outfielder they already had - who by the way, was the only outfielder who produced according to expectations last season - is beyond me. Gardner for Sandoval???? Hell no! The Yankees have no need for an overweight 3rd baseman who pouts, and whose body is breaking down. We have A-Rod for that, save for the weight. Gardner for Price? That's another story, and we can only dream. As for Cano, Safeco is a great place for your bat to go and die. Just ask Jesus Montero, Smoak, Morse, Jason Bay - oh the list is long... And they're already calling him Pujols 2.0 I see a crash and burn here. And a lot faster than expected too. And good luck to you on your computer chair quest. There isn't a measure unit big enough to quantify how much I've grown to dislike Christmas. For one thing, everything is more expensive because 'it's Christmas!'. I absolutely loathe the fake happyness on everybody's face. And completely despise the obligation of buying gifts. I really don't mind going out with the mrs. and if she sees something she likes and I can afford it, no problem. I prefer to buy her something when she's not expecting it. It's that much better for me, and the look on her face is also something I like to see. Christmas...God, let's just get it over with! If everyone in the PD knows Earl Sampson (they have to, how can they not?!), why the hell do they keep hauling him in?! Something's not right with that story. Like you, I have the feeling there is something missing there. As for Cristiano Ronaldo, I could write a book on his passion for himself. He might be a dumbass, but he's my country's dumbass Then again, how would each one of us be if you'd left your family to play soccer at age 12, then have the other kids make fun of your accent and how poor you were, and as soon as you turn 15 have everybody around you tell you that you're going to be the greatest soccer player ever. And then you turn 20 and people tell you that you are the greatest soccer player ever. That should be enought to screw anyone's mind. He's pretty sane by superstar soccer player standards, and by all accounts an extremely hard worker, who keeps honing his craft despite being one of the two top players in the world.

When he was in Detroit he didn't try to hit a homer every time. First, because with Detroit's park he knew he probably coudln't. Second, he hadn't yet believed is own hype. I woudln't say he was a totally different player, but he sure was different. For a guy who's supposed to have great speed, he stole a surprisingly low number of bases while with the Yankees, save for 2011. He was always strikeout prone, but with the Yankees it just got ridiculous. At times you just knew he was going for the HR and instead ended up with a K. Last season he was very unlucky. I mean, two trips to the DL because of broken bones on HBP in one season, come on! If his asking price wasn't so high, the Yankees should have probably kept him. As for Cano, I can understand what he's feeling and I can see the interviews, sooner or later: "Been here for 9 years, hitting above .300 and playing well. I want to get paid. Yankees holding out on me, then go out and spend all that money for McCann (the Yankees actually needed a catcher) and Ellsbury (not a real need IMO)." He might even throw Granderson in the conversation just to show that he's a good teamate and that they both got screwed. And Beltran...meh...Should have gotten him 9 years ago, and that's all I have to say. Is there like an age-minimum for people to play for the Yankees? I can almost imagine this conversation between Cashman and a very good player who's soon to become a FA: "Sorry Mr. Trout, no can do. You're only 25 and waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay to healthy to play for us. Go run into some walls, get beaned in the head, go break some bones and in 10 years we'll talk. Go on now, just go and be productive for someone else. Come back when your hair is turning gray and your hips set off airport alarms."