Spring is in the air...

The Red Sox equipment truck left for Florida earlier this week and I'm about to do the same on Sunday. The truck leaving Fenway is the first sign of life for the upcoming baseball season. For the last several weeks the hot stove has been decidedly cool. I'm excited for the start of spring training games. I hope that NESN has a few HD cameras down in Fort Myers.

Boston Dirt Dogs had a big update recently, with a number of snippets on Petey, Nomah, Nixon, Schill, and Coco. I still visit the site regularly (and you can, too, with the link below my profile on the right) even though the content has diminished greatly the last two years or so. Once BDD joined up with Boston.com/The Boston Globe gone were the days of outrageous headlines and near ridiculous trade rumors. The site used to be the fansite of fansites. Every trade was a "done deal", every rumor was accurate. Like a magherita, Boston Dirt Dogs was better with a pinch of salt. The new watered-down version isn't as fun.

Sons of Sam Horn hasn't changed in the time that I've been familiar with it. I only visit occasionally because in the pantheon of baseball nerds I probably rank a mere 4/10. I'd be a three, but I remember numbers like nobody's business. A good way to lose your spending money is to challenge me on a stat. SoSH members discuss more stats that I've never heard of than stats that I recognize. Still it's a great read when you got a little time on your hands.

Here's hoping that Sox have a healthy spring.

The Olympics

So now that the Olympics have started I feel that it's my patriotic duty to root for my fellow countrymen and women. For some reason I feel like I have to actually watch some of the coverage on NBC to do this. Even though the events are taped delayed, and even though I've probably seen the results at ESPN.com, I still pull for any American athlete. Well, except maybe New Hampshire's own Bode Miller.

Bode Miller seems like an ass to me. I applaud anyone who chastises the Barry Bonds' and Jason Giambi's of the world for being involved with Balco and Victor Conte. I cringe when someone criticizes Lance Armstrong, if only because there is little evidence against Lance to date and what little "evidence" does exist seems driven by angry French media-types. But I laugh-out-loud when the criticism stems from somebody who visits a banned doctor in Mexico to be injected with some concoction intended to promote "growth of new tissue by the reproduction of similar cells." 1

Miller also recently admitted to skiing drunk. I just hope he was alone when he did/does it. If he wants to kill himself, that's fine, but if he hurts someone else, I want to see him suffer.

All that and Bode has fallen on his face so far. I personally hope he comes home empty-handed. Nothing is more satisfying to a sports fan that when the experts are wrong.

I'm only really interested in a few sports during the Winter Olympics: ski jumping, freestyle skiing, and curling. Yes, curling. If I ever train for the Olympics, I'll be a curling master. Then I can compete until I'm 80.

So far NBC's coverage of the Olympics has been spotty at best. They have had some trouble with their HD feed and the overall image quality is below par. Just guessing, but maybe it's the distance they need to transmit the feeds. The audio has given some people trouble, but I haven't tried using my receiver when watching any of the coverage. I don't think speed skating or cross country skiing really warrant surround sound. My cable provider doesn't offer Universal HD so I haven't seen any of the extended coverage, but I hear that it's worse than NBC's feed.

I wonder if Tweeter is pissed at NBC since Tweeter is hyping HDTV's for watching the Olympics.

1 http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/winter06/alpine/news/story?id=2317978

I'm not an addict

I've had DVR (Digital-Video Recorder) service for a little over two weeks now. I already can't live without it.

Nothing beats the ability to pause live TV to go the bathroom, answer the phone, or get some food. Plus I no longer have to choose between watching "C.S.I." on CBS and "My Name Is Earl"/"The Office" on NBC on Thursday nights. I can now record shows that I wouldn't otherwise make a significant effort to watch. That's how I started watching "Supernatural" on WB. I recorded a couple of episodes and watched at my leisure. I like the show, it really utilizes 5.1-surround sound digital audio.

I also love Wikepedia, the open-source online encyclopedia. Yesterday I found that Wikepedia contained a large entry for my cable box. I found out how to program extra features into my remote. The cable box has a dual-HDTV tuner built in. That allows the user to watch one show and record another. However I was disappointed to find out that I couldn't spontaneously record a show in progress without being forced to watch said show. That's because I couldn't use my remote to switch tuners. I asked the cable company how to switch tuners and they said it wasn't a feature.

Thank goodness for the internet. I can now switch between tuners as I please. I can record spontaneously without being locked into a show. I also can record and watch "Earl" and "the Office" while recording "C.S.I." in the background. This week I was forced to cancel my recording of "C.S.I." so I could watch and record NBC instead since the cable box decided "C.S.I." was what the main tuner would display. I was a day late.

I also programmed a "30-second skip" button. This is a feature loved by TiVo users to skip commercials when watching recorded programs. Now I, too, can blaze through commercial breaks.

Mismatched Sox

The Sox were finally able to field a complete team with the trade for Coco Crisp and the recent signing of Alex Gonzalez. Gonzalez tore it up for the Venezuelan team in the Caribbean Series. I hope that its a sign he will return to his form of two and three years ago. I'd like to see 15 to 20 homers out of him batting in the 9th spot this year.

I'm happy with the Crisp trade. Initially I had reservations about trading away Ande Marte. Then I stepped back and took a broader view of the offseason. We essentially dumped Edgar the Terrible on the Braves and got Crisp and David Riske from the Indians. I like that deal a lot. I personally think that Crisp will have a better year than Johnny Damon this year and every year going forward. The Yanks will regret signing Damon for four years when they realize he is a Bernie Williams clone this year - slowing bat and rapidly declining defensive skills.

So far Damon has been a nuisance through the media this offseason. Everything is a production with him. He has to get a shave and a haircut. He thinks Manny and Ortiz would be great on the Yankees. (If he really thinks the NY media is more relaxed than Boston and that Manny would be unrecognized in NYC, he's well on his way to earning a nice padded room with a comfy white jacket with arm straps.) He's meeting with Georgie Porgie.

Damon did do a very classy thing today. He took out a full-page ad to thank the fans and the city of Boston. I have to admit that I didn't expect it. I think it could have been done a few weeks ago, but it is a very nice gesture.

I wish Damon well as a person, but I hope he hits .190 with the Yanks. No offense, Johnny (pun-intended).

Huked on fonics

I'm currently reading "Now I Can Die In Peace" by Bill Simmons, a.k.a. "The Sports Guy" or "The Boston Sports Guy". I always loved his columns for ESPN.com before the Red Sox won the World Series. His humor and pop culture references always made me laugh. It was great to have the voice of New England sports be heard by a national audience; someone at ESPN could actually empathize with fans of the Red Sox, Patriots, Celtics, and Bruins.

I have to admit that I'm not as a big a fan of Bill Simmons as I used to be. Once the Sox won it all he started to give in to the pressure to be a more national writer. Maybe he was also influenced by his move to California. Whatever the reason his columns didn't connect with me anymore and definitely weren't as humorous.

I bought his book just after the holidays in late December. I originally thought that he had penned a book from scratch, especially since it took a year or so after the Sox won to be published. It turns out he collected his Sox articles from his old "BostonSportsGuy" website and ESPN.com and added a bunch of sidebars to them. He edited the columns for basic streamlining, but not for tone and intent. The many side notes he added flesh out a lot of insights to his writing, what he was thinking at the time, background on a reference to a pop culture event or a friend, etc.

I have to say that the book is wonderful. It captures all that I used to love about Bill Simmon's columns. First and foremost it's about the Sox and the ups-and-downs of being a Red Sox fan. It also lends more insight to the pysche of the Sports Guy. I'm about halfway through the book and I highly recommend it to any Sox fan or fan of Bill Simmons writing. It's money well spent.

One final unrelated note tonight: I uploaded a pic for yesterday's post that I couldn't upload last night. Blogger was doing maintenance. Give the column a quick glance and you can't miss it. It's perfect for the context.

Hopefully I can start publishing this thing earlier in the day. Otherwise I hope people visit first thing in the morning. I guess that makes two unrelated notes, not one. Oh, well.

How about a do-over?

So the Super Bowl was decidedly less than super in all facets yesterday: just an okay game, poor play by both teams, mostly lame commercials, and yet more poor officiating. The NFL should consider placing an asterisk next to the 2005 season. *

Neither team played like a league champion yesterday. However, I was happy that the game stayed reasonably close throughout. Seattle clearly stormed out of the gates and grabbed hold of the momentum. They simply failed to capitalize when they moved the ball against the Steelers and they let the momentum slip away. Pittsburgh started the game with 3 three-and-outs. Once again Seattle decided to flirt with Miss Momentum in the second half. Unfortunately for the Seahawks she dropped them faster than Matt Hasselbeck's brain shuts off during the two-minute drill.



I hit the "O-VER-RATE-ED! *Clap*, *Clap*, *Clap-Clap-Clap*" nail on the head yesterday. Roethlisberger is the lowest rated Super Bowl Champion quarterback in NFL history. My dad and I struggled to pick an MVP because no one really deserved it. Hines Ward was the best of bad lot to pick from. I bet he cried in the locker room. And on the bus to the airport. And on the plane ride home. And that he will at some point during the parade.



There were a few humorous ads, but I doubt any will be lasting. All of the advertising companies seem to be trying to outdo one another with the comedy. After a lot a swinging at the funny bone some ads are bound to connect but it leaves a really sore elbow. I don't mind seeing a nice artful commercial here-and-there. There's a nice car ad that is probably a few months old. It shows a split-screen view of different angles around the car as it moves along a scenic road. Eventually the two views line up to show the same complete shot of the car. It's a simple ad that is well done and never gets annoying or old.

So apparently the NFL decided to hire any Johnny Come Lately to pose as an NFL official this year. If you listen to talk radio or read the sports section, you've heard or read enough about this already. I just want to say that I hope the NFL adopts some type of public grading system and public fines for officials next year. Maybe full-time refs are a good idea.

The prognosticators feel the Patriots are the favorites in the 2006 season. I hope they are right. I know that they won't, but I really hope they pick a running back in the first round this year. This site will probably motivate me to publish my first ever NFL mock draft this year. I have roughly 10 weeks to bone up for the draft. I can't wait.


* The asterisk would indicate that the officiating crews exerted their wills upon game after game in the playoffs. They botched interference calls, false-starts, offsides, and even a touchdown in the Super Bowl.

Gaze into my crystal ball

What kind of blog would this be if I didn't make a Super Bowl prediction? Not a very good one, that's what.

With the Patriots out of the running this year I'm simply hoping for a great game. I will probably root for Seattle since they are the underdog. I'm also a pretty big anti-Roethlisberger fan. He has played more games at the start of a career without throwing 30 passes in a game than any QB in my lifetime. Can you say "O-VER-RATE-ED! *Clap*, *Clap*, *Clap-Clap-Clap*"

All year I have felt that the AFC was a much stronger conference than the NFC. Pittsburgh proved its mettle by beating the top three seeds in the AFC to reach the Super Bowl. Given Bill Cowher's record in conference title tilts I do think that he borrowed heavily from the Patriots game plan when he faced the Broncos two weeks ago.

Seattle on the other hand beat a Carolina team that I thought would represent the NFC in the big game. Yes, DeShaun Foster missed the game, but the Panthers laid a big fat egg. Seattle whipped them up and down the field. Shaun Alexander also played very well in that game which surprised me a little bit. I expected that he would still be suffering some lingering effects from the concussion he suffered the week before.

I'm not a gambling man so I haven't paid much attention to the spread in this game. The last I knew Pittsburgh was a four point favorite. I'm working on that basis.

Maybe I'm just an optimist, maybe I'm a coward, but I think the Steelers win the game and Seattle covers the spread.

Steelers: 27
Seahawks: 24

Who needs baseball?

I recently discovered the sport of cricket. A few of my colleagues are quite familiar with the sport and they have been kind enough to bear the brunt of my questions. I now have a solid grasp of the basics. The game is similar to baseball in some ways. I'll give you some of the details with the baseball equivalent in parenthesis.

In cricket a ball is bowled (pitched) to a batter who attempts to put the ball in play without making a wicket (out). Fielders retrieve balls batted in play as quickly as possible to prevent additional runs from scoring.

That's where most of the similarities end. A team is only allowed a total of 10 wickets (outs) in a match. That means the batsmen are highly skilled at putting the ball in play without hitting it right at any of the fielders. A ball that is hit out of the playing area (homerun) is worth six runs. A ball that reaches the wall is worth four (ground-rule double). Any other batted ball is worth between one and three runs. The number of runs scored depends on how many times the batsmen can run back-and-forth between the wickets before the fielders get the ball into a wicket.

If a bowler (pitcher) can get the ball past the batsman and hit the wickets it's the equivalent of a strikeout and one of the 10 wickets needed to end the match. If a bastman barely gets a piece of the ball (foul-tip) and the catcher is able to catch the ball it's also a wicket (out). And the best bowling styles involve assorted bounces and spins. The ball may be thrown straight at the wickets, but good batsmen will crush it. It is almost always bounced in front of the wickets.

Every six bowled balls (pitches) is an over. A match is often played to a set number of overs. The team that scores the most runs wins the match. Just remember to avoid making wickets (outs) or you won't get a chance to use all of your overs.

I've found a few sites that allow you to play cricket online. The best of the bunch (sponsered by KFC, strangely enough) is located at:

http://www.stickcricket.com/tritally.php?gameName=tri_kfc&site=kfc&id=1

Head over and give it a try. One American's endorsement may not be enough, but it may just help you get through those cold winters without baseball.

Go ahead, you're worth it

If you've been thinking about getting an HDTV, I cannot urge you strongly enough to buy one. If you hurry, you can have one in time for the big game on Sunday. If you prefer save a little more money, wait until just after the Super Bowl. Either way you can't lose.

I've become an HD snob. I can't watch SD channels anymore. Since I got digital cable installed I don't need to fuss with an antenna to change HD channels. Now I surf the HD channel range only. For better or worse there is no turning back for me.

I highly recommend purchasing an HDTV buyer's guide. It will help teach you about the pros and cons of the different available technologies. I'm a big fan of DLP sets. Samsung is the leader in DLP technology as they have a great partnership with Texas Instruments. DLP sets give you a great bang for your buck. You get a large viewing area with a smaller footprint than CRT sets, but you don't pay the significantly higher LCD or Plasma prices.

Remember to consider the size of the room when sizing the TV. A general guideline is a TV should be placed where the viewing distance is 2 to 2.5-times the diagonal screen measurement. For example, a 42-inch TV works best if the viewing area is 84 to 105-inches away, which is equivalent to between 7 and about 9-feet away. Buying a TV that is too large for the space will make pixels and other potential viewing defects more obvious.

I'm also a fan of 720p resolution. I think the 60 frames-per-second trumps the increased resolution of a 1080i set. The 30 frames-per-second of a 1080i picture is noticeable to me when watching fast-action sports. I detect a slight motion blur. I think that a 720p image is as smooth as can be.

Whatever you decide to buy make sure to view it in person at the store. Don't buy any TV that you haven't had the chance to play with first. Ask the store personnel to change the channel and view a few different HD feeds and even some SD feeds. Try to see the negatives about whatever technology/resolution you wish to buy. Look for rainbows, the "screen door" effect, motion blurring, and viewing angle, both vertically and from the sides. These potential negatives are not detected by everyone.

If you are happy with the set in person, take it home. Just make sure that you supply a digital signal to your new TV. You can use an antenna with your set if it has a built-in tuner, or if you have an HD receiver. Otherwise you must sign-up for HD service with your cable or satellite provider.

The Red Sox will be the first baseball team to broadcast every home game in HD this year. There has never been a better time to be a fan.

Birth of a Blog

So I've been thinking about starting a blog for a while now. I checked out the "more" link at Google.com and found I could use a template to create my very own blog at blogspot. Well, here it is, "Digital Sox". This blog will focus on cool technology and the New England sports scene. I'm a born-and-bred New Englander from outside of Boston so I naturally bleed Red Sox red and Patriots blue. I also love technology related to computers and portable and home entertainment. I hope that you enjoy my efforts.

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