Zeakden

Revive #9000

2010-12-29T15:40:00.001-05:00

Attempting to revive this blog for the 9,000th time. This time to start talking Fantasy Baseball. Subscribe/check back often for rankings, opinions, and the like.

Green Day: Rock Band Voxtar FC #5

2010-08-06T10:53:00.001-04:00

Viva La Gloria? (Little Girl)

What a cool song this is. This’ll be the last one posted today. 5/44 done.

Green Day: Rock Band Voxtar FC #4

2010-08-06T10:46:00.001-04:00

Murder City

Should have had this one in one shot like the others, but totally choked on the final solo. Oh well. It’s done.

Green Day: Rock Band Voxtar FC #3

2010-08-06T10:40:00.003-04:00

Peacemaker

One of my favorites on the album, and a lot of fun to Voxtar because it doesn’t particularly let up. Just annoyed by the choice of high “hey-ey-eys” during the verses as opposed to the much more audible low ones in Solo vocals.

Green Day: Rock Band Voxtar FC #2

2010-08-06T10:34:00.002-04:00

Last Night on Earth

By far the easiest one I’ll have. Lots more to go.

Green Day: Rock Band Voxtar FC #1

2010-08-06T10:26:00.002-04:00

Before the Lobotomy

Not too difficult. The first of many. Trying to get through it album-by-album.

Testing new format

2010-08-04T10:19:00.001-04:00

Testing using Windows Live Writer to make blog posts. Interesting.

Zeakden Presents: Dig Gold Star/Full Combo

2010-01-11T16:08:00.004-05:00

Zeakden: Back from the Dead

2010-01-11T13:19:00.003-05:00

I originally started this blog with intentions of DLC Chart links, RB news, Rays insights, and recording Youtube videos. However, once I failed to get my capture device working for my videos, my interest started to plummet and this blog became barren.

However, now that I have a working device (and a few videos up and running), I will try to bring it back - and definitely keep linking new videos as they appear.

Welcome back, Zeakden.

RaysSpeak: Umpiring in the World Series

2009-10-22T20:47:00.005-04:00

ESPN is reporting that for the World Series, they are going to break tradition and only use experienced umpires for the seven-game set.

Usually, there is at least one umpire working the World Series for the first time. There are a number of other rules in the bargaining agreement - including that umpires cannot work the World Series if they worked the LCS (cannot work consecutive playoff series.)

The purpose of the change? To ensure the least amount of blown calls in the World Series, given that there have been a number of mistakes in the first two rounds of the playoffs so far. Which makes sense - you want to have the most fair and correct game possible. But why not take it a step further and actually use the technology we already use for home-run calls? Why not use Instant Replay?

The main concern is time - people don't want to wait around while the umpires run off the field, into the booth, and then back out. We've had home-run calls that have taken upwards of 8 minutes to decide...these sorts of times are detrimental to the speed and flow of the game.

However, here's my idea - for the playoffs we have 2 additional umpires in left and right field, as backups for the usual 4. But even then we've had an issue this year with a ball that was incorrectly called "Foul" when it hit the line right in front of the umpire...I believe it was Chase Utley at the plate in the NLDS.

Why not have those 2 extra umpires in a booth upstairs watching the game with all necessary replays? That way these decisions can be made in real-time...they're already watching the replays. No running on and off the field. A signal to the umps upstairs, and a signal back with the correct call. I don't see this taking any more than 1 minute at a time to correctly identify a safe/out call, a catch/trap call, etc. Why not make the game as accurate as possible?

What do you think?

Link: Missed calls cause ump switch

Zeakden Presents: The Abbey Road Medley

2009-10-21T12:39:00.003-04:00

5 Stars on the 16-minute Abbey Road Medley for Beatles: Rock Band. Next time going for the gold stars.

Return

2009-10-21T11:07:00.003-04:00

I'm reopening the blog with a new focus - rather than your typical DLC Charts and Updates with a splash of Baseball talk, I'm going to try and open it up further...more links, more opinion pieces, more talking than reporting.

Hopefully anyone who reads this but me will make some comments - after all, I'm not doing this to talk to myself!

Zeakden is open for business once again!

Images

2009-10-12T12:54:00.007-04:00

Image Holder

Break Time

2009-09-25T12:01:00.001-04:00

Hi all,

Taking a break from the blog for a little bit - apologies for the lack of content. It's been a pretty hectic month.

Stay tuned for updates.

Rytor

Song of the Day: Them and Us

2009-09-18T14:19:00.003-04:00

Song: Them and Us
Artist: Bad Religion
Album: The Gray Race

Yes, I know. CRAZY TAXI!

Great song. Looking forward to seeing these guys open for Pearl Jam in Philly.

DLC Update: 9/18/09

2009-09-18T10:07:00.003-04:00

Pearl Jam's "Backspacer" album will be released this week for Rock Band:

• “Gonna See My Friend”
• “Got Some”
• “The Fixer”
• “Johnny Guitar’
• “Just Breathe”
• “Amongst the Waves”
• “Unthought Known”
• “Supersonic”
• “Speed of Sound”
• “Force of Nature”
• “The End”

Different release schedule than usual, too: XBox 360 will get it on Sunday, Wii on Tuesday, PS3 on Thursday.

DLC Charts: Week of 9/14

2009-09-15T09:24:00.000-04:00

Here is the link to the charts for this week's DLC. Enjoy.

Link: DLC Charts for Anvil, Tenacious D, more

DLC Update: 9/11/09

2009-09-11T10:07:00.004-04:00

Here are the downloadable tracks that will be available next week (Week of 9/14):

• Anvil – “666”
• Anvil – “Metal on Metal”
• Anvil – “This is Thirteen”
• Dinosaur Jr. – “Pick Me Up”
• Dinosaur Jr. – “The Wagon”
• The Guess Who – “Hand Me Down World”
• The Guess Who – “No Time”
• Tenacious D – “Rock Your Socks”
• Tenacious D – “Tribute”

I'll get the Tenacious D stuff, nothing more.

Song of the Day: Less Talk More Rokk

2009-09-09T11:26:00.004-04:00

Song: Less Talk More Rokk
Artist: Freezepop
Album: Future Future Future Perfect

It's a Freezepop kinda day.

RaysSpeak: Beating a Dead Horse

2009-09-08T10:54:00.003-04:00

Let's recap a few things here...

The Rays chances of making the playoffs are pretty much done. They're not mathematically eliminated, but it would basically take close to a 20-3 run or so in the final 23 to make it with Boston playing ~.500 ball. It's just not going to happen.

So the question is - was this the general thought going into the doubleheader at Yankee Stadium? Even after Pena's broken finger, Longoria and Pena still spoke of how this team can grind it out and go on a run to get back into the race. But let's look at some interesting points:

- First and foremost: You may see a bullpen implosion and Sonnanstine being Sonnanstine, but I see 2 runs scored in 2 games. These are the facts, and they are undisputed.

- Andy Sonnanstine's start. Yes, he has major league experience...but an ERA over 8 on the road against the best offense in the majors? I know we've been plucking from Durham constantly lately, but could Talbot, Carlos Hernandez, or anyone else possibly start to give the Rays the best chance at success?

- Did the Rays decide to give up after the first game? Why bench Carl Crawford for Game 2? If you wanted to bench him for a game, why not let him sit in Game 1 against the lefty Sabathia, and have him start against the struggling righty Burnett?

Having lost 6 straight with the next 5 games coming against NYY and BOS both on the road, it's time to look ahead to the future. A rotation of Shields, Garza, Price, Niemann, and Davis sounds fairly strong for 2010. Sonnanstine seems cut out for long relief, and the bullpen needs an entire makeover, but that's a story for another day.

It's time to focus on the positives - the second winning season in franchise history is upon us, and the window of opportunity is not as grim as some make it out to be. Not as long as we have the top 2 prospects in the minor leagues in Hellickson and Jennings waiting in the wings. Relax and enjoy the rest of September.

Song of the Day: 9/5

2009-09-05T14:57:00.002-04:00

Song: Is There A Ghost
Artist: Band of Horses
Album: Cease to Begin

Song of the Day, 9/4: Untitled

2009-09-04T10:40:00.001-04:00

Song: Untitled
Artist: Simple Plan
Album: Still Not Getting Any

Haven't done one of these in a while, so might as well make it silly. Best video ever. :)

DLC Update: 9/4/09

2009-09-04T10:26:00.002-04:00

Here are next week's DLC tracks for Rock Band:

· Freezepop – “Get Ready 2 Rokk” *
· Freezepop – “Less Talk More Rokk” *
· Freezepop – “Science Genius Girl” *
· Jonathan Coulton – “Re: Your Brains” *
· MC Frontalot – “Origin of Species” *
· Paul & Storm – “Opening Band” *
· 3 Doors Down – “Kryptonite”
· AFI – “Miss Murder”
· Audioslave – “Gasoline”
· Jackson 5 – “ABC"

Songs followed by a * are $0.99 instead of the usual $1.99.

Less Talk More Rokk is a must-buy. Hands down. Probably will get Get Ready 2 Rokk too, because it was in Guitar Hero 1. Probably get ABC, too. On the fence with Gasoline and Kryptonite. Pretty damn good week!

The Foosball: Metropolis' Opening Day Lineup

2009-09-03T14:14:00.008-04:00

Starting a new feature on here today...reporting the weekly news of my $150 Fantasy Football league with some people from ESPN. Here is the result of my draft on Tuesday:

QB - Matt Schaub
QB - Mark Sanchez

RB - Marion Barber
RB - Pierre Thomas
RB - Reggie Bush
RB - Knowshon Moreno
RB - Earnest Graham
RB - Kevin Faulk
RB - Tashard Choice

WR - Andre Johnson
WR - Roy Williams
WR - Jerricho Cotchery
WR - Antonio Bryant
WR - Josh Morgan
WR - Domenik Hixon

TE - Antonio Gates

K - Rob Bironas

D/ST - Cowboys D/ST

Definitely some major risk at QB - I'm banking on a big year by Schaub and Andre Johnson. Moreno has major upside, and Pierre Thomas/Reggie Bush (depending on who is healthy) can put up some great numbers in the Saints offense.

All in all I'm fairly disappointed with my results. We will see how my teams match up once the first fantasy week begins.

DLC Charts: Week of 8/31

2009-09-01T09:48:00.001-04:00

Here's the link to the charts for this week's DLC:

Link: DLC Charts for Talking Heads, Avenged Sevenfold, others

RaysSpeak: The Final Month

2009-08-31T19:41:00.006-04:00

Rays need to sweep Boston to have any chance of getting the Wild Card. There is no room for error.

That is all.

DLC Update: 8/28/09

2009-08-28T11:38:00.003-04:00

Here are the tracks coming out next week:

• Avenged Sevenfold – “Bat Country”
• The Jam – “A Town Called Malice”
• The Jam – “Going Underground”
• Oasis – “Supersonic” (Live)
• Rage Against the Machine – “Guerilla Radio”
• Talking Heads – “And She Was”
• Talking Heads – “Crosseyed & Painless”
• Talking Heads – “Girlfriend is Better”
• Talking Heads – “Once in a Lifetime”
• Talking Heads – “Take Me to the River”

WOO BAT COUNTRY

RaysSpeak: Zobrist the MVP

2009-08-25T13:47:00.006-04:00

I know arguing with Joe Morgan's comments is "so 2007" but I just have to say something...see this chat question from ESPN.com this morning:

Steve (Middletown, CT)

What do you think about Ben Zobrist for AL MVP consideration?

Joe Morgan (11:47 AM)

There are a lot of guys having a good year on a lot of different teams. But to say that he's an MVP candidate, I don't think so. I think you're looking at Teixiera, Morneau, Mauer. There are guys ahead of him as far as MVP is concerned. But Zobrist is having a good season.

Let's get the easiest thing out of the way first. Ben Zobrist is leading the AL in WAR (Wins Above Replacement Player), meaning both offensively and defensively, he has contributed and saved enough runs to be directly responsible for more wins than any player.

ANYWAY, I have no argument against Mauer. In fact, I would be perfectly content if Mauer won. Morneau on the other hand, in my opinion, gets a lot of his praise because of his RBI totals, which has a direct connection to who gets on base directly before him, one Joseph Mauer.

As for Teixiera, he is batting .288/31/93 compared to Zobrist's .293/23/69. Teixiera has played a very good 1B this year. Zobrist has played games at 2B, 3B, SS, LF, CF, and RF and has committed 5 total errors.

I'm not saying Ben Zobrist should be the MVP. I think he's a better pick than Teixiera though. And to say he's just having a "good season" just isn't enough.

Link: ESPN Chat with Hall-of-Famer Joe Morgan

DLC Charts, Week of 8/24

2009-08-25T09:19:00.002-04:00

Enjoy!

Link: DLC Charts for 8/24

Song of the Day: 8/24

2009-08-24T00:31:00.003-04:00

Song: Lies
Artist: Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova
Album: Once (Original Soundtrack)

A little early, I know, but it needed to be said now.

Song of the Day, 8/21: United States of Eurasia/Collateral Damage

2009-08-21T10:55:00.003-04:00

Song: United States of Eurasia
Artist: Muse
Album: The Resistance

Off the new album coming out next month. At first I was kind of taken back by how much it sounds like Queen, but the more I listen to it, the more I love it. I get chills at the end every time.

DLC Update: 8/21/09

2009-08-21T10:12:00.003-04:00

Here are the songs coming out next week, the week of 8/24:

• Billy Idol – “Mony Mony”
• Billy Idol – “Rebel Yell”
• Fleetwood Mac – “Don’t Stop”
• Fleetwood Mac – “World Turning”
• Jet – “She’s a Genius”
• Tom Petty – “I Won’t Back Down”
• Tom Petty – “Runnin’ Down a Dream”

Thoughts: Rebel Yell should be awesome, and Mony Mony is so delightfully 80's I have to at least consider it. Runnin' Down a Dream should be great too. The Fleetwood Mac ones don't really do much for me, nor does the Jet one. We'll see next week when the charts come out!

DLC Charts: Week of 8/17

2009-08-18T13:01:00.002-04:00

Here is the link to the full band and individual instrument charts for all of the new songs coming out this week for Rock Band. Stay tuned for reaction.

Link: Rock Band DLC Charts 8/17

Reaction: Just watched all the charts. No Rain looks fun but ridiculously boring on Drums. Has a neat little solo though. Inside Out looks great...but apparently has a broken vocal part near the end (can't get Awesome on it no matter what.)

Shipping Up to Boston seems cool, but its really short and really repetitive. Drums look tricky, though. The Blur song seems about as average as you can get. I Predict a Riot seems fun but doesn't seem to have anything we haven't seen before.

Finally, the Foo Pack: All My Life is a chordfest, I'll Stick Around has a great drum part, and Lonely as You looks, well, pretty average. Not that I'm a fan of the song anyway.

Rytor is buying: Inside Out, I'll Stick Around. On the fence with All My Life and I Predict a Riot.

Zeakden Presents: My Name Is Jonas FC

2009-08-16T20:31:00.003-04:00

I actually did this about 2 weeks ago and completely forgot to blog it. Great song to sing and play.

DLC Update: 8/14/09

2009-08-14T09:56:00.003-04:00

Here is the list of songs coming out the week of 8/17:

Blind Melon - No Rain
Blur - There’s No Other Way
Dropkick Murphys - I’m Shipping Up to Boston
Eve 6 - Inside Out
Kaiser Chiefs - I Predict a Riot
Foo Fighters - All My Life
Foo Fighters - I’ll Stick Around
Foo Fighters - Lonely as You

Thoughts: Some interesting selections. Lonely As You is a REALLY strange choice to round out a pack...probably one of my least favorite Foo songs ever. If you're going to give us stuff from One by One, why not pick something a little more appealing? Dropkick Murphys and Blind Melon should sell well. I Predict a Riot is a pretty neat song, too.

Song of the Day, 8/12: Million Miles Away

2009-08-12T10:41:00.002-04:00

Song: Million Miles Away
Artist: The Offspring
Album: Conspiracy of One

It's too bad this album gets swept under the rug - it's one of my favorites by the Offspring.

DLC Charts: Week of 8/10

2009-08-11T09:14:00.005-04:00

Taken from the Rock Band forums - you can get links to single instruments, or full band videos of the new songs to determine whether or not you might want to buy them. Enjoy!

Link: DLC Charts for 8/10

Thoughts: Magic Bus looks craaaazy on drums. Not really my style, though. White Rabbit looks awesome, and Clint Eastwood has that random guitar solo in the middle...

Rytor is buying: White Rabbit, Clint Eastwood, Feel Good Inc.

Song of the Day, 8/11: Crawl

2009-08-11T08:11:00.001-04:00

Song: Crawl
Artist: Kings of Leon
Album: Only By The Night

Awesome song.

Song of the Day, 8/10: My Name Is Jonas

2009-08-10T10:22:00.002-04:00

Song: My Name is Jonas
Artist: Weezer
Album: Weezer (The Blue Album)

RaysSpeak: Troy Percival Day?

2009-08-09T23:30:00.006-04:00

We're not going to talk about the disappointing game in Seattle today - at least the Yanks kept the Sox in the loss column.

Instead, here's a note from MLBTR pertaining to Troy Percival's possible retirement:

Well, according to Marc Topkin of The St. Petersburg Times, manager Joe Maddon recently spoke to Percival and is "under the impression his career is over."

Paul Cohen, Pervical's agent, indicated that his client was having severe back problems and is seeing a specialist this week about a possible fusion, but said that the decision to retire hasn't been made yet. Maddon would like to see the team have a day to honor Percival if he does indeed call it quits, saying "He was such a big part of what we did last year, and people have kind of forgotten about that way too fast."

Troy Percival got 34 saves in 2 years for the Rays. He wasn't even on the postseason roster. In fact, he FLEW HOME and wasn't even with the team during the postseason.

I understand Maddon's ties to Troy with the Angels, and I appreciate the work he did with the franchise on and off the field, but a day to honor him seems a little excessive.

Link: Percival Leaning Towards Retirement?

Song of the Day, 8/7: A Nightmare to Remember

2009-08-07T14:34:00.003-04:00

A Nightmare To Remember (Album Version) - Dream Theater

Thanks to Youtube's new awesome 10-minute max length rule, I can't get a full version of the song on there, so we're stuck with imeem today. Definitely check out the full song.

DLC Update: 8/7/09

2009-08-07T10:08:00.004-04:00

Here are the new tracks coming out next week for Rock Band DLC:

Gorillaz “Clint Eastwood”
Gorillaz “Feel Good Inc.”
Gorillaz “Re-Hash”
Janis Joplin “Piece of My Heart”
The Band “Chest Fever (LIVE)”
Jefferson Airplane “White Rabbit”
The Who “Magic Bus (Live at Leeds)”

Interesting selections...definitely considering Clint Eastwood and Feel Good. White Rabbit is pretty awesome, too. We'll see.

Song of the Day, 8/3: Brighter Than Sunshine

2009-08-03T10:42:00.003-04:00

Song: Brighter Than Sunshine
Artist: Aqualung
Album: Strange and Beautiful

Apologies for the lack of updates over the past week. We're gonna get back on track starting today.

Song of the Day, 7/28: Malaguena Salerosa

2009-07-28T09:41:00.002-04:00

Song: Malaguena Salerosa
Artist: Chingon
Album: Kill Bill Vol. 2 Original Movie Soundtrack

Traveling today for work. Be back on Friday, hopefully with an update or two in between.

Song of the Day, 7/27: Falling Down

2009-07-27T10:16:00.002-04:00

Song: Falling Down
Artist: Muse
Album: Showbiz

Now the world is upside down, I'm heading straight for the clouds.

RaysSpeak: The Week Ahead

2009-07-27T10:02:00.008-04:00

The ridiculous road trip is finally over. After 3 come-from-behind wins in the 8th inning, a perfect game, Garza and Halladay dueling into extra innings, and an 8-run deficit turned victory, the Rays finally come home with a 6-4 record. That's exactly where I said they needed to be - although I didn't expect the Yankees to go 9-1, either. The Rays stand 6.5 behind the Yankees for first, and 4 behind the Red Sox for the Wild Card.

This week the Tampa Bay has a 9-game homestand: 3 against the Yankees, 4 against the Royals, and 2 against the Red Sox. That's 5 potential catch-up games on their home field. I am hoping for at least 6 wins in this stretch - it's the only way they are going to be able to maintain pace. Winning 3 out of 4 at home against Kansas City should be a given - if not, the Rays are too inconsistent to be considered a contender, dealing with a team who has currently lost 10 of 11.

The Yanks will be sending Burnett, Sabathia, and Chamberlain at the Rays this week, while Tampa Bay counters with Shields, Kazmir, and Garza. It's not quite make-or-break time, but it's getting damn close.

[Photo courtesy of the Associated Press via ESPN.com]

RaysSpeak: Maddon Insults Buerhle?

2009-07-24T12:25:00.004-04:00

Was reading through ESPN's Buster Olney's blog today, and came across an article stating that Joe Maddon had some choice words for Mark Buerhle before the All-Star Game:

Tampa Bay Rays manager Joe Maddon was having a blast at Mark Buehrle's expense last week.

As manager of the American League All-Star team, Maddon phoned Buehrle the day before the big game at Busch Stadium -- and the day after the White Sox lefty got lit up for eight runs and 10 hits in 3 1/3 innings against the Minnesota Twins.

"Maddon called me and told me to stay at home because I pitched like crap," Buehrle recalled last week in St. Louis. "He asked if I was going to pitch in the Home Run Derby."

Guess who had the last laugh.

Has Joe Maddon ever been known to insult a player, let alone another team's? This is a guy who dealt with the horror show Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 2007, when they had one of the worst bullpens in history, and still found a way to be positive after every game. A guy who is regularly quoted in blogs and articles because of his vernacular. Would he really tell Mark Buerhle that he "Pitched like crap?"

I have a very hard time believing this story.

Link: Perfect game answers jab by Rays' Maddon

Song of the Day, 7/24: Am I Evil?

2009-07-24T10:56:00.004-04:00

Song: Am I Evil?
Artist: Metallica
Album: Kill 'Em All/Garage Inc.*

This song is a Diamond Head cover. It has some of the best metal guitar I've ever heard. Period. The intro is badass, and the solo is amazing.

*This song has been in three places: The 1988 Elektra re-release of the album Kill 'Em All, the Creeping Death single B-side, and also on the Garage Inc. Album, Disc 2.

DLC Update: 7/24/09

2009-07-24T10:39:00.002-04:00

Here is the DLC for the week of 7/27/09:

Blink-182 “Down”
Blink-182 “Feeling This”
Blink-182 “The Rock Show”
Damone “Out Here All Night”
KISS “100,000 Years (Live)”
KISS “Deuce (Live)”
KISS “Parasite (Live)”
Weezer “My Name is Jonas”
Weezer “Pork and Beans”
Weezer “Undone – The Sweater Song”

Pretty good week, if you ask me. My Name is Jonas and The Rock Show are must-buys for me. On the fence with the rest of those two packs. I still need to get the Kings of Leon pack from last week...

Zeakden Presents: Jeremy FC

2009-07-23T19:43:00.004-04:00

Another FC. This one is dedicated to Mark Buerhle of the Chicago White Sox for his perfect game. As we all know, Buerhle spoke in class today.

I know, I know, back to my corner I go...

Song of the Day, 7/23: Eulogy

2009-07-23T13:07:00.001-04:00

Song: Eulogy
Artist: Tool
Album: Aenima

You've claimed all this time that you would die for me. Why then are you so surprised when you hear your own eulogy?

RaysSpeak: 7/22 at White Sox Recap

2009-07-22T12:07:00.005-04:00

How about Jeff Niemann? Having your #5 starter pitching like a #3 starter is fantastic, but only when your #3 and #4 starters aren't struggling...either way, the fastball was working, the curveball was working, and I don't see any reason why Niemann can't continue pitching this way for the rest of this year into next. But the question remains: When will Wade Davis get his shot? And what happens with Sonnanstine or Talbot? Having this pitching depth is fantastic - I just don't want to lose players on account of their being out of options like we lost Jason Hammel (his return, Aneury Rodriguez, has been pretty dreadful in AA.)

For the fifth straight game, the Rays trailed entering the 8th inning. Somehow, they've won 4 of those games. This isn't a trend that can continue, though. The offense needs to pick it up, and quickly. When will Pat Burrell really start to turn it on? When will BJ Upton stop fouling off every fastball he sees? Will Dioner Navarro ever hit another line drive, ever?

With the Red Sox loss and the Yankees win, the Rays are 4.5 games behind the Bombers, 3.5 behind the Sox. I don't foresee the Yankees holding that lead for much longer - when the Red Sox return to Fenway and the Yankees go on the road, they'll be flip-flopping again. I asked the Rays for a 6-4 roadtrip, and they are currently 4-1. Winning 2 of the next 5 games shouldn't be much of a problem, I hope. Gotta keep pace.

[Photo courtesy of the Associated Press via ESPN.com]

Song of the Day, 7/22: Cure My Tragedy

2009-07-22T10:35:00.003-04:00

Song: Cure My Tragedy [A Letter To God]
Artist: Cold
Album: Year of the Spider

Awesome, awesome song. Really heartfelt, written by the singer about his sister's struggles with cancer.

RaysSpeak: 7/20 at White Sox Recap

2009-07-20T23:12:00.001-04:00

Dear Jason Bartlett,

Sincerely,
Rytor

Radio Radio

2009-07-20T14:25:00.003-04:00

Gives me chills every time I hear the end of it. Fantastic outro.

Here's a full-band Gold Star Vid.

Trade Machine: Crawford for Kershaw

2009-07-20T12:27:00.005-04:00

For the first installment of Trade Machine, I'll post a trade that hits close to home - because I just made it.

In this CBSSports $100 league I'm in, pitching is premium. I fail at reading league rules before joining them, and it turns out that this particular head-to-head league has no add/drop or start limit. In other words, the top team streams through probably 35-40 starters per week and completely obliterates anyone they face. I took a slightly different approach - horde as many "elite" pitchers as I could and just stream the rest - focus the rest of my resources on improving my lineup. Basically I stream 2 guys a day, sometimes 1 depending on who is available to pick up to start (before the other guy gets him) and add maybe 5-6 extra starts for myself per week.

So far this strategy is working, because I own a 2 game lead in the standings in my division (luckily, the other guy is in the other division.) Here is my current lineup:

Batters:

C - Posada, Jorge
1B - Gonzalez, Adrian
2B - Kinsler, Ian
3B - Sandoval, Pablo
SS - Ramirez, Hanley
OF - Crawford, Carl
OF - Upton, B.J.
OF - Ramirez, Manny
U - Kemp, Matt

RS - Jones, Adam (OF)

Pitchers:

SP - Greinke, Zack
SP - Shields, James
SP - Oswalt, Roy
SP - Cueto, Johnny
SP - Jurrjens, Jair
SP - Hanson, Tommy
SP - Pettitte, Andy
SP - Blanton, Joe
SP - Gonzalez, Gio
RP - Jenks, Bobby
RP - Soria, Joakim

Blanton and Gonzalez are currently in the streamer spot, and Pettitte might also be there pretty soon if he doesn't shape up. As you can see, I have 5 quality outfielders for 4 positions - hence the deal.

My trade partner has no outfield depth but a lot of pitchers - so in my eyes, this makes sense. The question is, who is more valuable: Crawford or Kershaw? Is giving up the stolen base leader for a starter for a good team with strikeout potential worth it? Leave your thoughts in the comments.

Zeakden Presents: Everlong FC

2009-07-19T23:53:00.007-04:00

Hooray, another FC. This one's not too bad to do, because on Guitar it's all chords. Overdrive runs out really fast on vocals - might need to do another run and save up more energy between overdrive uses for a better score.

The Future of Rock Band: The Rock Band Network

2009-07-17T11:23:00.005-04:00

Harmonix announced today that they will be releasing a Rock Band Network as a means of a faster distribution of new songs to the gaming public - unsigned artists, major labels, anyone can submit a song to this network, which will then review the content and, if no complaints, be released as a downloadable song for Rock Band. The author will then set their own price (50 cents to 3 dollars) and receive 30% of all sales.

Furthermore, the authors can simply submit the song, and there is independent set of developers hired to chart said songs for the game. Or, major labels may decide to hire their own in-house developers to chart and submit those tracks to the network.

***

This is a huge deal for the future of this franchise. Harmonix/MTV are banking on the future of music distribution being completely digital. Stay tuned for updates, and some opinions.

Link: MTV to Launch New Track Upload Program For 'Rock Band'
Link: Official Rock Band Network Website

DLC Update: 7/17/09

2009-07-17T10:19:00.006-04:00

Here's the latest DLC announcement, for songs that will be coming out the week of 7/20/09:

Kings of Leon “Crawl”
Kings of Leon “Molly’s Chambers”
Kings of Leon “Sex on Fire”
Rancid “Last One to Die”
Rancid “Ruby Soho”
Rancid “Time Bomb”
Rise Against “Prayer of the Refugee”
Rise Against “Re-Education (Through Labor)”
Rise Against “Savior”
Lush “Sweetness & Light”

Pretty excited about some Kings of Leon DLC. Might get the Rise Against songs too. Woo!

Zeakden Presents: Go With The Flow FC

2009-07-16T20:54:00.004-04:00

The first (of many) FCs* for Zeakden. Here's Go With The Flow.

*FC stands for Full Combo, meaning you hit every note in a row in a song without missing. In my case, I am playing the guitar and singing at the same time, so an FC is doing both without missing.

RaysSpeak: The Second Half

2009-07-16T15:58:00.007-04:00

Tomorrow marks the unofficial second half of the season, so let's take a few minutes to see where the Tampa Bay Rays stand:

Boston (54-34)
New York (51-37) - 3.0 GB
Tampa Bay (48-41) - 6.5 GB

I was going to include Toronto, but they sit 11 GB of the Red Sox, and are 2 games UNDER .500 (!) Seems like just yesterday we thought they could be contenders...once they hit the AL East Buzzsaw, that quickly changed.

The Rays no longer have the best run differential, but are sitting pretty at +76, good for second in the American League. The offense, while being at times frustratingly inconsistent (see: every start James Shields has made) still is second in the AL in runs scored, and is fifth in runs allowed.

On paper, these are Wild-Card getting numbers, and with more luck in 1-run games, division winning numbers if they keep it up. However, Bartlett and Zobrist have been unbelievable, and can't be expected to maintain their current levels of production. This is where the Rays will be heavily relying on Pat Burrell, who started to show signs of getting out of his slump with some hard-hit doubles against Oakland last Sunday.

On the pitching end, Kazmir's return from the DL has brought solid (but far from spectacular) numbers, and Price is improving every time he takes the mound. Jeff Niemann has been excellent as the fifth starter, and stands to continue his current level of production, if not exceed it.

So where do we go from here? The Rays embark on a 10 game road trip out of the break: 3 at Kansas City, 4 at Chicago, and 3 at Toronto. First game will feature Shields against Greinke - if we win, it will be a huge bonus. I'd expect the Rays to head home following this trip with no less than 6 wins if they want to keep pace with New York and Boston.

Stay tuned for some postgame threads and thoughts as the 2009 season comes to a close!

[Editor's Correction: First game will be Shields vs. Bannister; Second game will feature Kazmir vs. Greinke.]

Kool Thing

2009-07-16T10:17:00.009-04:00

Just got this song last night, thanks to the Pepsi promotion - and I have to say, it's probably the most fun I've had on the drums in a while. All those crazy fills! Anyway, here's a link to an FC video I found on YouTube:

I was thinking about starting to record some videos on YouTube as well. Now that I have this shiny ol' blog as a medium, I may do so. Just gotta get a camcorder now!

Welcome

2009-07-15T15:48:00.002-04:00

Come on in, have a seat. Kick your feet up. Let me tell you a story.