Continue Reading October 4th, 2006
MARS Executive Office Presents MARS: bodogFIGHT01
October 4th, 2006
Shinjuku FACE
Tokyo, Japan
Official Results:
Open, 2R 5M
Fan Hyeon Son (Toshinjuku Korea) defeated Makoto Kato (Freelance) by KO via right hook at 0:23 of the first round.
65 KG, 2R 5M
Tomohiko Hori (Freelance) defeated Seiji Otsuka (Grapple Circle OZ) by unanimous decision at full time limit.
Open, 2R 5M
Jyunpei Hamada (Makoto Gym) defeated Ryosuke Kojima (Zendokai Headquarters) by KO via left hook at 0:39 of the second round.
MFC Lightweight Challenge Tournament Quarterfinal
70 KG, 2R/1EXT 5M
Akihiko Mori (Mori Dojo) defeated Kim Young Su (Donchonbekusan) by split decision at the end of the extension round.
MFC Lightweight Challenge Tournament Quarterfinal
70 KG, 2R/1EXT 5M
Atsuhiro Tsuboi (Grappling Shootboxers Nagoya) defeated Kenta Okuyama (Zendokai Headquarters) by submission via armbar at 2:41 of the second round.
MFC Lightweight Challenge Tournament Quarterfinal
70 KG, 2R/1EXT 5M
Tashiro Nishiuchi (U-FILE CAMP) defeated Takashi Otsuka (Abe Ani Combat Club) by submission via rear naked choke at 3:05 of the second round.
MFC Lightweight Challenge Tournament Quarterfinal
70 KG, 2R/1EXT 5M
Do Hyeong Kim (fight hunters) defeated Yoshimitsu Warita (CORE) by submission via armbar at 2:43 of the first round.
65 KG, 3R 5M
Un Sik Song (Daegu MMA) defeated Matteus Lahdesmaki (Finland Shooto Lahti) by submission via rear naked choke at 3:58 of the first round.
Open, 3R 5M
Edmund Calvancanti (HARD COMBAT) defeated Kareem Ellington (Strike Zone) by submission via kimura at 2:08 of the first round.
Open, 3R 5M
Jarno Nurminen (Tampereen Ju-jutsukoulu) defeated Lee San Soo (Kon AJC) by unanimous decision at full time limit.
Continue Reading October 4th, 2006
This is John Maine, and, so it’s known, he’s really not a bad pitcher. (Why did everyone act like El Duque was somehow Johan Santana, anyway? You know he’s about 84 years old, right? Plus, now the Mets have Oliver Perez on their roster, so what could possibly go wrong?)
And right now, he’s going to take the mound in Game 1 of the most intriguing Division Series matchup, with the Los Angeles Dodgers playing at Shea Stadium against the New York Mets. The predictions are veering toward the Mets, but we are not so convinced.
But anyway, yeah: Your starters are Maine for the Mets and Derek Lowe (!) for the Dodgers. Shea will be rocking, as much as a place with 50,000-plus people stacked in a directly vertical fashion can rock.
And your live blog begins after the jump, and you’re in luck: You’ve got some new blood in there today. You’re in the capable hands of The Mighty MJD. Play along with him in the comments, and email him if you have anything you want to add. Enjoy.
Top of the third inning:
RoyHaygood just sent this in about Vin Scully… who I’d much rather be listening to:
There is nothing like listening to Vin Scully do a Dodger’s game. He just had this exchange with himself:
You know, there’s an old joke they used to tell about the Brooklyn Dodgers (only he would know this and remember). There’s a guy outside Ebbetts Field and a guy inside Ebbetts Field watching the game. The guy outside calls out to the guy inside and says, hey, how are the Dodgers doing? And the guy inside says, excitedly, they’ve got two on! And the guy outside says - what base?
And Vin says, well, they can dust that old joke off today.
Furcal pops out to open the inning for the Dodgers. Kenny Lofton is up next, and he goes down swinging on a 2-2 fastball that Lofton couldn’t even come close to catching up to.
Looks like Maine is settling down a little bit. Nomar Garciaparra quickly goes down 0-2, and then lifts a fly ball into right that Shawn Green is able to track down. Three up, three down for the Mainer.
Dodgers 1, Mets 0
Bottom of the second inning:
Cliff Floyd will lead it off for the Mets here… he’s hitting .241 since coming back from the DL. He hits a hard grounder right to Jeff Kent at second. One down.
Shawn Green pops one up into shallow left, and Rafael Furcal fights off the sun to make the play.
Jose Valentin, he of the two assists on one throw in the first inning, is up… but not for long. Lowe sets them down in order, and gets Maine coming up first in the third.
Dodgers 1, Mets 0
Top of the second inning:
Hey, Sandy Koufax is in the house. He’s going to follow the Dodgers around all throughout the playoffs.
Jeff Kent is up for the Dodgers, and he’s one of the few guys in baseball that I actively dislike. In fact, most of the guys in baseball I actively dislike are Dodgers… of course, Kent gets a base hit.
Up comes J.D. Drew, and John Maine is pitching out of the stretch here. That might affect his concentration, but in his pitching, and his trying to chew that giant gob of whatever that happens to be in his mouth. Drew swings and just dribbles on down the 3rd-base line… a Willie Mays Hayes base hit, and the Dodgers have two men on and nobody out.
Russell Martin is at the plate, and the Mets are playing the bunt. Martin jacks one into the rightfield corner, it bounces off the wall, and Kent is DEAD at the plate… great throw. And then DREW is pegged at the plate. Wow. What the hell… Drew just followed Kent right in. Were they just gambling that Paul Lo Duca wouldn’t be paying attention to the second guy? Double play… good luck scoring that one, Mr. Scorekeeper. 2 down, 1 on, a single for Martin, and it’s still scoreless. Unbelievable. Great work by Lo Duca, and John Maine, backing him up and letting him know the second runner was coming.
Marlon Anderson then pushes a base hit down the 3rd base line and drives the runner in, and the Dodgers take a 1-0 lead. Wilson Betemit takes the intentional walk, and Maine will pitch to Derek Lowe.
Maine falls behind 2-0 to Lowe, and we’ve got a brief conference at the mound here. Candlesticks always make a nice gift. Maine comes back to strike him out… and it’s amazing that the Mets are out of this inning, having given up just one run. The replay of that double play at the plate will blow your mind.
Dodgers 1, Mets 0
Bottom of the first inning:
We’re moving to ESPN now, and ESPN2 has to feel so… used. They’re switching to poker now. If there’s not a run scored or a charging of the mound in this half-inning, I’m liveblogging the poker instead.
Jose Eyes flies out to right to open things up for the Mets. I like Reyes, and I really couldn’t tell you why. LoDuca then grounds out to shortstop… and then Carlos Beltran drew a walk from Lowe. A base hit from Carlos Delgado gives the Mets 2 on with 2 out. And that really, really slow mo camera that ESPN has… that’s pretty cool.
And here comes David Wright… the commentators are asking him to take it to the “Derek Jeter level.” I don’t know if that’s such a good idea, I heard that Jeter guy has AIDS.
And Wright grounds to the second baseman, they get the force out at second, and Lowe gets out of the first unscathed.
Mets 0, Dodgers 0
Top of the first inning:
We’re starting on ESPN2, because the A’s/Twins game is running a little long. That works out pretty well for the Mets, because it gives them an extra hour or two to walk around NYC and look for someone who can pitch.
John Maine will be taking the mound for the Mets, as it turns out. I guess Jose New Hampshire was busy. Our commentators for the day are Gary Thorne, Steve Phillips and the ever-popular Joe Morgan. Gary Thorne just put his arm around Joe Morgan and then leaned his face close to Joe’s. So, racially, he’s pretty cool.
This commercial where Holiday Inn has Joe Buck hanging out some guys who somehow appear less cool than Joe Buck… that one really took some doing. Very ambitious project.
With 15 HRs and 63 RBIs, Gary Thorne says Rafael Furcal is having an “MVP-type year.” I suppose. He also just called Derek Lowe “Kevin Lowe.” My God. I bet Gary Thorne cries every day because ESPN no longer carries NHL games.
That “Maine Man!” sign is really clever. Be proud, buddy.
Furcal lined out to Reyes to open the inning, forcing him to make a nice leaping grab while gazing into the sun. They should really consider moving this thing indoors.
And up comes Kenny Lofton, a man around him I once built a fantasy baseball empire. And Maine struck him out on four pitches. Maine looks like a really young guy… the kind that Congressman Foley would probably love to instant message some kind.
And Carlos Delgado tried to track down a Nomar Garciaparra foul ball a few feet into the stands. Some douchebag fan knocked it away from him… he probably could’ve had that. That fan deserves to get his ass beat. But Maine gets Garciaparra to ground out the third on the next pitch. 11 pitches, and the side is retired.
Mets 0, Dodgers 0
Continue Reading October 4th, 2006
Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360, Sports, Business
A group of NBA Live ‘07 fanboys have had enough of the series’ annual increase in broken gameplay and have written a letter to EA expressing their displeasure. Although the focus of the letter is on NBA Live ‘07, with YouTube links showing the latest issues with the series, it touches on the general unhappiness with other declining EA franchises like Madden and FIFA. “At one time, EA was producing the best titles money could buy and one had little reason to look elsewhere. Now gamers have a sense that if you want the best, it’s not EA.”
And as an aside, more than a few eyebrows were raised when press copies and reviews of NBA Live ‘07 came trickling in a week after the game went on shelves, almost as if EA knew they produced a sub-par product. Hollywood employs this same tactic on bad movies so they can get as much money back before the word gets out how bad things really are.
Although the issues expressed by the fans of NBA Live ‘07 are positively valid, there is the alternative NBA 2K7 from 2K Games which was released the same day as NBA Live ‘07. This doesn’t help Madden fans who experienced similar issues with Madden ‘07, but have no recourse because of EA’s NFL exclusivity deal. In the case of Madden, EA also shows apparent ignorance toward reasonable proprosals by fans to fix the series.
It’s certainly cause for concern that EA Sports is taking the “we’ll patch it later” stance toward console games this early. This is the first generation capable of console patching and ideally should be used to fix subtle errors. Instead EA is following the PC model that console gamers have fled from: ship first, patch later. It’s probably time for sports gamers to show consumer activism and take their money to other franchises. That’ll get EA’s attention faster than any letter.
Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
SPONSORED BY: Age of Empires III - Real-Time Strategy Game Control a European power on a quest to colonize and conquer the New World. AOE3 introduces new gameplay elements, as well as new civilizations, units, and technologies. http://www.ageofempires3.com/
Continue Reading October 4th, 2006
Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360, Sports, Business
A group of NBA Live ‘07 fanboys have had enough of the series’ annual increase in broken gameplay and have written a letter to EA expressing their displeasure. Although the focus of the letter is on NBA Live ‘07, with YouTube links showing the latest issues with the series, it touches on the general unhappiness with other declining EA franchises like Madden and FIFA. “At one time, EA was producing the best titles money could buy and one had little reason to look elsewhere. Now gamers have a sense that if you want the best, it’s not EA.”
And as an aside, more than a few eyebrows were raised when press copies and reviews of NBA Live ‘07 came trickling in a week after the game went on shelves, almost as if EA knew they produced a sub-par product. Hollywood employs this same tactic on bad movies so they can get as much money back before the word gets out how bad things really are.
Although the issues expressed by the fans of NBA Live ‘07 are positively valid, there is the alternative NBA 2K7 from 2K Games which was released the same day as NBA Live ‘07. This doesn’t help Madden fans who experienced similar issues with Madden ‘07, but have no recourse because of EA’s NFL exclusivity deal. In the case of Madden, EA also shows apparent ignorance toward reasonable proprosals by fans to fix the series.
It’s certainly cause for concern that EA Sports is taking the “we’ll patch it later” stance toward console games this early. This is the first generation capable of console patching and ideally should be used to fix subtle errors. Instead EA is following the PC model that console gamers have fled from: ship first, patch later. It’s probably time for sports gamers to show consumer activism and take their money to other franchises. That’ll get EA’s attention faster than any letter.
Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
SPONSORED BY: Age of Empires III - Real-Time Strategy Game Control a European power on a quest to colonize and conquer the New World. AOE3 introduces new gameplay elements, as well as new civilizations, units, and technologies. http://www.ageofempires3.com/
Continue Reading October 4th, 2006
Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360, Sports, Business
A group of NBA Live ‘07 fanboys have had enough of the series’ annual increase in broken gameplay and have written a letter to EA expressing their displeasure. Although the focus of the letter is on NBA Live ‘07, with YouTube links showing the latest issues with the series, it touches on the general unhappiness with other declining EA franchises like Madden and FIFA. “At one time, EA was producing the best titles money could buy and one had little reason to look elsewhere. Now gamers have a sense that if you want the best, it’s not EA.”
And as an aside, more than a few eyebrows were raised when press copies and reviews of NBA Live ‘07 came trickling in a week after the game went on shelves, almost as if EA knew they produced a sub-par product. Hollywood employs this same tactic on bad movies so they can get as much money back before the word gets out how bad things really are.
Although the issues expressed by the fans of NBA Live ‘07 are positively valid, there is the alternative NBA 2K7 from 2K Games which was released the same day as NBA Live ‘07. This doesn’t help Madden fans who experienced similar issues with Madden ‘07, but have no recourse because of EA’s NFL exclusivity deal. In the case of Madden, EA also shows apparent ignorance toward reasonable proprosals by fans to fix the series.
It’s certainly cause for concern that EA Sports is taking the “we’ll patch it later” stance toward console games this early. This is the first generation capable of console patching and ideally should be used to fix subtle errors. Instead EA is following the PC model that console gamers have fled from: ship first, patch later. It’s probably time for sports gamers to show consumer activism and take their money to other franchises. That’ll get EA’s attention faster than any letter.
Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
SPONSORED BY: Age of Empires III - Real-Time Strategy Game Control a European power on a quest to colonize and conquer the New World. AOE3 introduces new gameplay elements, as well as new civilizations, units, and technologies. http://www.ageofempires3.com/
Continue Reading October 4th, 2006
It’s hard to believe, but the NBA season is just around the corner. Let us celebrate with five tiny tidbits on each team. Today we continue with the Central Division, so do us a favor and send us your tips at tips@deadspin.com.
• 1. Ute? What’s a Ute? The University of Utah became the first school to have athletes drafted No. 1 overall in both the NBA and the NFL in the same year, when Andrew Bogut and Alex Smith were both taken in 2005. Bogut is the son of Croatian immigrants to Australia.
• 2. 2001, A Ruben Patterson Odyssey. Ruben Patterson must register himself as a sex offender in the state where he lives after pleading guilty in 2001 to attempted rape of his child’s nanny in Bellevue, Wash. Also in 2001, Patterson was convicted of misdemeanor assault for attacking a man who scratched his car outside a Cleveland night club. Patterson was arrested in 2002 for felony domestic abuse charges on his wife. His wife dropped the charges, and they later divorced.
• 3. No Makeup Date Scheduled. South Korea native Ha Seung-Jin’s older sister, Ha Eun-Joo, who is 6-foot-8, is also a professional basketball player. She signed with the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks in February 2006 and was later waived for failing to arrive in LA due to a conflicting contract with Chanson Cosmetics of the Japanese league.
• 4. The Buck Stops Here. In a name the team contest in 1968, R.D. Trebilcox of Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin, was one of 45 persons who suggested the name “Bucks.” His reasoning: “Bucks are spirited, good jumpers, fast and agile.” Mr. Trebilcox won a new car for his efforts in picking the name. — (Thanks to Bucks fan Sam McClone).
• 5. Deliverance. As soon as he signed his first NBA contract, Michael Redd, a devout Christian, bought his father a church. The church, in his hometown of Columbus, Ohio, is named the Philadelphia Deliverance Church of Christ.
Tomorrow: The San Antonio Spurs.
Continue Reading October 4th, 2006
Only a day removed from being formally named the tournament replacement for Kazushi Sakuraba, Lithuania’s Kestutis Smirnovas held his public media work out today for his October 9th bout with Yoshihiro Akiyama.
Smirnovas, who opened the eyes of many fans with his shocking pounding of Sakuraba early in their August bout, spend three minutes showcasing his striking for the media, followed by another three minutes of showing his ground technique. Smirnovas sparred lightly on the mat, showcasing takedowns, and some armbarring techniques, but perhaps was wary of revealing too much to the press.
Despite coming from a grappler’s background, the focus was on Smirnovas’ striking, as he hit the mitts hard for three minutes with his coach, making particularly use of his unorthodox left hook, the punch which he put Sakuraba on the mat with.
Yoshihiro Akiyama’s striking trainer Takeshi Yamada of JB SPORTS GYM attended the open workout, to scout the opposition of his fighter. Yamada remarked that it was clear that Akiyama had to pay particular attention to Smirnovas’ left hand and watch out for his hook when he wanted to engage him standing.
The most interest part of the practice came when Smirnovas spoke to the media. Smirnovas commented that he’s been doing judo for the past 15 years, and said that he is curious about testing Akiyama’s judo ability in the ring. Smirnovas hinted at a possible jacket match of sorts, stating, “He wears the judo gi, and I may wear the gi to fight now, too.”
