He's Keeping His Word?

Jesus, the second half of the semester is hell for my blogs. Projects, papers, and finals are running amok on my schedule. But, I kept saying for days that I was going to write about the Chiefs once again. Especially, since I encountered a rarity this week. Jason Whitlock and myself disagreed on our lovable Chiefs. Wait, did I just say that? Yes...yes I did. But, we will save that for another time...

Instead, the reason I am writing today is to discuss the big (no bullshit) move in baseball yesterday pulled by our very own Dayton Moore. Dayton traded away Ramon Ramirez for Coco Crisp. Now, I have no qualms with this move. Ramirez was a very bright spot late in our bullpen last year. But, I don't understand why we went to the outfield...

I understand this outfield acquisition will no doubt help us to flash some more leather in the field. But, this was not where we needed fixing. We didn't need it in the outfield and we didn't need it with the glove. Ask any Royals fan what our biggest weakness was last year and they will no doubt point you to our terrible hitting. Finally, with so many questions left in the infield, I don't understand why we are doing work on our back 3. We have unanswered questions at second which causes problems at shortstop, and third base is even up for grabs in a way. At least we locked down Mike Jacobs at first...

Maybe I'm just being naive, maybe I'm just jumping the gun, but I can't help but feel that while this wasn't a step back, it certainly was anything but a forward move for our broken organization...

Same Name, Different War

Yesterday was a day that I had anticipated for over 2 years. If I could, I would have hibernated two years ago to November 8th. Why is this? It's a simple reason really, I got to continue the fight against those damn locusts...

Gears of War 2 dropped yesterday. Having beaten the campaign yesterday (that's right, I was determined), I can safely say that this game was worth the wait. The graphics have improved drastically with the addition and tweak of Unreal Engine 3. The voices and characters are better than ever. All of your favorite characters return (even Carmine, I'll let you find out how) and some new ones make their debut. The story is much more engrossing and developed than the first one. There is even a romance back story associated with Dom and his long lost wife Maria. Multiplayer is just as bad ass as ever. Better yet, to quote Cliffy B, "it's bigger, better, and more bad ass". The game has been upgraded to 5-on-5 and also includes new weapons (mortars, flamethrowers, poison grenades, etc.), and maps. I could go on all day about how awesome this game is. But, there are somethings that rubbed me wrong as well...

Look, I know this is supposed to be a trilogy. But, this game has succumbed to the same fate as the Halo 2 campaign. I won't give anything away, but I do feel a little like my time was wasted upon completion of the campaign. There is also no four player co-op and the "Halo" replay feature is average at best. The shotgun got nerfed, really really bad. This gone has gone to useless now. It almost feels like I'm playing an entirely different game from the first one. Finally, the end boss battle was painfully easy. Incredibly disappointing ending battle.

Don't get me wrong, I love this game. This is my new favorite game on the 360. But, I might have gotten taken in the hype. I know Cliffy has high standards, so I expect a Utopian experience on a game with no flaws, and that's just unfair of me. Best game so far of 2008, 10/10.

The Audacity of Hope...is true

Tonight, is a historic night in American history. Never before has an African American been elected president. But, you didn't need me to tell you that. Everybody knows that I am a huge Obama supporter, almost as big as they come. I did lots of work back in Lee's Summit for his campaign and I read both of his award winning books. I know I'm a little liberal. But, I took an amazing liking to Barack Obama. I studied the man, his policies, and politics. I was amazed to find out, what I consider to be, one of the greatest stories in American history...

Summed up nicely from his website:
"Barack Obama was raised by a single mother and his grandparents. They didn't have much money, but they taught him values from the Kansas heartland where they grew up. He took out loans to put himself through school. After college, he worked for Christian churches in Chicago, helping communities devastated when steel plants closed. Obama turned down lucrative job offers after law school to return to Chicago, leading a successful voter registration drive. He joined a small law firm, taught constitutional law and, guided by his Christian faith, stayed active in his community. Obama and his wife Michelle are proud parents of two daughters, Sasha and Malia."

This is the ultimate rags-to-riches story in American history. Not only do I agree with his policies, but I love this man and his story. It is so refreshing to see such an uplifting and overcoming story in America. Just as Barack stated tonight, if this isn't the ultimate example of anything being possible in America, I don't know what is.

Congratulations to you Mr. Obama. You deserve everything you've earned. You also gave one of your best speeches ever tonight. How do I know this? It made me cry...tears of joy for this uplifting and inspiring man and most importantly, our leader.