What are you reading this for? Go over to Hall of Very Good, where my latest “Wisdom and Links” is made entirely of links to the best baseball writing of 2014!
(And a Andrelton Simmons GIF, because reasons.)
Happy New Year!
As you know, I’m a big fan of Out of the Park Baseball. In fact, I purposely have to keep myself from playing it unless I really, really want to, because otherwise I’ll end up getting lost in it and never emerging for about a week and a half. I’m currently two months OOTP-sober, for example, but I think I might have a relapse soon.
Oh, I got a bit off track there.
Anyway, the developers of Out Of The Park, OOTP Developments, are now running a contest for what their tagline should be for their games (they are increasingly diversifying their portfolio and are adding a football game to the baseball and hockey games they already have). Y’know, like “It’s In The Game”. The winner gets $100 gift card, free copies of all of their games next year, and, presumably, bragging rights for all eternity. I mean, if I win, I’m totally putting it on my resume.
I, of course, had some suggestions. After checking to make sure sharing them won’t disqualify me, here they are:
OOTP Developments: Imagination and VictoryOOTP Developments: Imagine VictoryOOTP Developments: Dream of VictoryOOTP Developments: Dream It. Win It.OOTP Developments: Beyond Fantasy, Beyond RealityOOTP Developments: For When Paradox Isn’t Addictive EnoughOOTP Developments: Just One More SeasonOOTP Developments: On Grass, On Turf, On Ice, On Your Computing Device!OOTP Developments: More Than Mere GamesOOTP Developments: The Games Go OnOOTP Developments: Your Team, Your League, Your WorldOOTP Developments: Where The Game Never EndsOOTP Developments: Make The Crowd Go WildOOTP Developments: Just Imagine…
Personally, “Imagination and Victory” is my favorite, as it sums up the two best things about OOTP games: coming up with big or neat worlds or scenarios to play in, and winning in them. I even googled a Latin translation of it (Imaginatio Atque Victoria) in case they want to make it sound all profound. The “For When Paradox Isn’t Addictive Enough” is a joking reference to Paradox Interactive, a game company that makes grand strategy games like Crusader Kings and Hearts of Iron that, like OOTP, can perhaps best be described as addictive drugs in video game form.
Anyway, if you want to try and beat me (and everyone else) in this contest, you can check out the rules and get the e-mail address to apply to here. Good luck, and if you somehow grab one of the above suggestions and they pick you to win for some reason instead of me, I expect half of the winnings.
Wisdom and Links. Hall of Very Good. Now (well, yesterday). Go. It’s about how they should have more Winter Meetings in places that actually have a winter.
It’s another new “Wisdom and Links” over at the Hall of Very Good! It has a pitch to teams to sign Ichiro, has it’s usual links, and has the best MLB alum for each College Football Playoff team. Check it out.
The latest “Wisdom and Links” is up at Hall of Very Good. This week, I look at how Jeffrey Loria views the Stanton deal, share some links, and expose you to the Baseball Boogie.
Another “Wisdom and Links” is up, so check it out for some good links, some quick musings on barnstorming, and bad “Too Many Cooks” joke.
While adding in the link yesterday, I realized that there was a site that belonged on the Blogroll that I somehow had never placed in it: The Cespedes Family BBQ. Run by two college students (Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman), it features their hilariously offbeat podcast (a recent episode dealt with whether it was safe to eat a baseball and how much Jake’s mom disapproved of the idea), as well as articles on various things, most of them involving their unhealthy obsession with Barry Bonds, shirseys, Yoennis Cespedes, and Backyard Baseball‘s Pablo Sanchez. It all makes no sense, and yet it also makes all the sense in the world.
Their Twitter account is arguably even better.
So, if my “Bizarre Baseball Culture” installments and weird eBay finds aren’t weird enough for you, check out Jake and Jordan’s stuff.
Over at Hall of Very Good this week, I have links to some of the best World Series stories of 2014. Check it out!
Over at Hall of Very Good, you can find my latest “Wisdom and Links”. This week, I look at Buster Posey’s early Hall of Fame case and honor Oscar Taveras in the best way possible.
Over at the Hall of Very Good: my latest “Wisdom and Links”. This week, I look at the history of player-licensed video games, and also do my prediction for the World Series. Check it out.
The Baseball Continuum 