After much legal wrangling and boycotting, major league baseball umpires and management signed an agreement Wednesday that will allow for the use of instant replay to help determine calls on the field. While no date has been given as to the start of the use of instant replay, the league has been gearing up, installing equipment at the ballparks, and officials had stated that they hoped to use the replay this month.
The agreement calls for replay to be available only for “boundary calls,” – determining whether fly balls were fair or foul, or whether they went over fences. The deal was signed by management lawyer Dan Halem and World Umpires Association attorney Brian Lam one day after a WUA spokesman went public with complaints over negotiations. The WUA had decided to boycott a conference call scheduled for yesterday, in which crew chiefs were to go over replay with MLB officials. Eventually, MLB canceled the call.
The problem, of course, is in the details. According to the agreement, umpire crew chiefs will determine when replay will be used and will make the final decisions on calls. Up to three umpires will be able to look at the replays, which will be provided from a “war room” at Major League Baseball Advanced Media in New York. (A “war room?” Why do I keep thinking about the scene in Dr. Strangelove when George C. Scott (playing U.S. General “Buck” Turgidson) and Peter Bull (portraying the Russian Ambassador) are told by Peter Sellers’ U.S. President “you can’t fight in here, this is the war room.”)
So, the replay will be going to this “war room” which I guess will be an umpire’s version of “Big Brother.” If there is a dispute, the war room will have to make the replay available to the umpires; the umps will have to decide to use it, and three of the four umpires can look at the replay and make the call.
Now, unlike football, baseball is pastoral and has no time limit, but there have been complaints for years that games, particularly American League games were too long. Average games have been over 3 hours for years, and have approached four hours recently. How will this impact the game? I see it taking another 10 minutes for all of this back and forth from the “war room” and for the umpires to review the tape. Meanwhile, fans at home will channel surf to something else and may not return, and in the stadiums, the fans will have little to do other than look at one another. In other words, boredom will reign supreme.
I think that replay should be used only in the playoffs and World Series. Umpires make the huge majority of calls correctly, and having replay for regular season games just slows things down. Besides, who cares if a ball is fair or four for example, in a game tomorrow between the Padres and Pirates or in the AL, a game between the Orioles and Royals; all teams so far out of playoff contention that they couldn’t see the playoffs with a map?
Message to Bud Selig – nice agreement, now leave replay for the postseason; the games are long enough as it is.

I cannot be called a “gamer.” I only own one video game, and it’s the Sony PlayStation Portable. I like being able to play on airplanes, while waiting for the family to come out of the museum, wherever I happen to be at the time. I also admit that I have no interest in role playing games of alien landscapes, monsters and demons, and unbridled carnage. Maybe if I was 16, I’d be into it, but these games do nothing for me now.
What I do enjoy are, big surprise, sports games. And the leading purveyor of sports games is Electronic Arts (television tagline: “EA Sports – it’s in the game!”) Every year, I buy two games: Major League Baseball, and the NHL Hockey game (I don’t usually get the Madden NFL game – it’s too complex for me and my big fat fingers). That is, until last year, when EA decided to make its NHL 08 game for every platform except for the PSP (and alternate handheld game, the Ninetendo DS). I searched all over for the game, but eventually, I was told that EA wouldn’t be making the game for the PSP. I e-mailed the company, suggesting that if it were a profitability issue, I and many people I spoke with in Canada, would be willing to spend $5-$10 more per game to make it profitable for them to release the game on PSP. It’s not like they can’t: Madden, Tiger Woods Golf, MLB The Show, and even FIFA Soccer are on PSP from Electronic Arts.
Reportedly, the company responded, but the link in the e-mail with the response didn’t work. Further requests from the company went unanswered. So, I hoped that perhaps this would be a one year layoff, and EZ would find a profitable way to make NHL 09 for the PSP. Personally, I’m tired of playing the 2007 version of the game, when, among other things, Dominick Hasek played for Ottawa.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t appear to be the case. Amazon is listing the NHL 09 game for PlayStation home console; Wii, Xbox, PC, but again, not for the PSP. What is the deal? So, this time, instead of writing the company, I e-mailed the NHL asking them if they had any influence over the company. (I still await their response.) I also e-mailed Sony, maker of the PSP. If anyone has a real interest in defending people who buy the PSP platform, it would be Sony. And, if there is anyone who has the clout to get EA to listen, it would be them. (I have received the automated response from them, but they promise to respond within 48 hours.)
So, if you’re a hockey fan with a Sony PSP game the new tagline should be: “EA Sports – It’s Not In The Game” or, “PSP Owners, you’re not important.”

The Chicago Bears announced that Kyle Orton will be the starter when the regular season opens on September 7th against the Indianapolis Colts. His play in the preseason has been marginally better than Rex Grossman’s, which probably brings his Bear career to a close.
Realistically, however, it really is not going to make much difference who is at center; the Bear offense is going to suck. Without Grossman, there will be fewer turnovers, but the plain fact is, the line is horrible; and there aren’t any great playmakers at wide receiver or running back. And, last but not least, offensive coordinator Ron Turner’s second tenure with the team is making Bear fans long for his horrible time as head coach at the University of Illinois.
First, let’s discuss wide receiver. Marty booker is the only man in Bear history to catch 100 balls in a season. Of course, that was six seasons ago, and Booker, never that fast to begin with, hasn’t gotten any faster, only slower in his stint in Miami. Yes, kick returner extraordinaire Devin Hester is trying to play wideout, but he is still learning the position. It seems like brains is more important than speed at the wide receiver position in today’s NFL.
The Bears are definitely better off without first round bust Cedric Benson, but at least Benson was a name that defensive coordinators had heard of, and had a right to be wary of, even if it was looking at old footage from the University of Texas. Second round draft choice Matt Forte, could be a fine back, but he has been thrust into the starting lineup after the Bears gave Benson his walking papers. In other words, the jury is out. Of course, it appears that the days of the superstar running back are over – just plug in anyone in Green Bay, or Denver, and watch them run for over 1,000 yards. Only LaDanian Thomlinson is the exception.
The biggest problem is the line. It was expected to be better with just the addition of 6 foot-6 inch, 320 pound tackle Chris Williams, first round draft choice from Vanderbilt. Then, aged John Tait could move to right tackle where there’s less pressure and help from the tight end. Well, that didn’t work – Williams is out for at least nine more weeks after undergoing back surgery. John St. Clair, the current right tackle, was beaten like a drum by the Seahawk defense last weekend and should probably be at guard. Both of the Bear quarterbacks are immobile; and Orton is going to be standing back there getting killed.
But he still makes fewer mistakes than Grossman, who needs a change of scenery and may never be the franchise quarterback the Bears envisioned when they drafted him out of the University of Florida. He has the big arm and can make the big play; but he also makes the bad play, and with a defense that has struggled and teams finding ways to kick the ball away from Hester, it could be a long season for football fans. It’s good that the Cubs and White Sox are in first place and the Blackhawks are returning to respectability, maybe we can avoid the football season entirely.

It is August 15, 2008, and if the past is any indication, the lines should be around your nearest multiplex. Why, you ask? Because there is a new Star Wars movie released today. You say that you didn’t know, and you just drove past your local mall and the lines of people at the movie theater were all going in to watch “The Dark Knight” for the 15th time. What has happened?
First, this is an animated Star Wars film; called The Clone Wars, and it takes place between the live action Episodes II (Attack of the Clones) and III (Revenge of the Sith). Furthermore, instead of having mind blowing animation like a Pixar film, or even much of today’s Japanese anime, this film uses the same stylized animation that was used on the Cartoon Network animated shorts of the same name. This film is, in fact, a lead up to a television series that is scheduled to premiere this fall.
The film has already been panned by the Chicago Sun-Times’ film critic Roger Ebert, and I expect plenty more bad reviews to come down on the film. What’s worse, certainly from George Lucas’ point of view, has been the apparent apathy on the part of the youthful, escapist moviegoers of today. Let’s examine the reasons…
To begin, the film is unnecessary. When the first series of animated shorts came out, they added some information that was useful (but not vital) to people who had seen Episode II and were eagerly awaiting Episode III. But we know how the story ends: Anakin Skywalker turns into Darth Vader and the Sith Lord becomes emperor of the galaxy. Further foreshadowing of Episode IV (the first film) neatly ties up the loose ends before we get to a more grown up Luke Skywalker, et.al.
Second, this story is not that vital to the total story. It introduces offspring for Part VI bad guy Jabba the Hut, but do we really care? Besides, we know what happens to him as well.
Finally, it seems to me that Lucas has gone to the well too often. The first three films in the Star Wars were groundbreaking in terms of building a fantasy series for the time and the films ranged from great (Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back), to very good (IV – A New Hope) to passable (VI – Return of the Jedi – harmed by the Ewoks who were only in the film as a marketing gimmick). Lucas remastered and improved the original films and re-released them to more profit, as he prepared to “complete” the story by filming the first three films.
Episode I was the lamest of the bunch, with an incomprehensible story line; a “virgin” birth, and no idea where the story was headed. On top of that, Lucas introduced Jar Jar Binks, again for marketing purposes, and one of the most annoying characters in the history of film. Furthermore, Episodes V and VI limited Lucas’ abysmally juvenile dialog by having talented people like Lawrence Kasdan rewrite the script and people like Irvin Kershner and Richard Marquand take the director’s chair from Lucas, who was busy building the rest of his empire: Industrial Light and Magic; Skywalker Sound; and all the rest.
But with improved technology and an empire and fortune unsurpassed, Lucas could turn his attention back to Star Wars. Unfortunately, having not directed a film in decades, Lucas never progressed past the first Star Wars, and his dialogue was stilted at best. But he had Ewan McGregor, Liam Neeson, and character Darth Maul who did what they could to make the film adequate. The fifth film (Episode II) was a marked improvement: Jar Jar was almost nonexistent (but he wouldn’t disappear altogether – Lucas had too much ego to admit his error totally); the plot moved in an interesting direction. The only downside – the hokey dialogue Lucas wrote for Anakin (Hayden Christensen) and Queen Amadela (Natalie Portman). Portman is a fine actress, and it was painful to watch her have to parade spouting the worst dialogue imaginable. Christensen was an unknown and his overblown, wooden performance made one want to go back and watch the first trilogy. (Christensen was much better in the film Shattered Glass, about the journalist who made up many of his stories, but once again, he was playing a smarmy, unlikable character.) Episode III was the best of the first trilogy; the plot moved; the story was interesting; and the scenes between Christensen and Portman were limited.
So, the main question is, does George Lucas have any more ideas? He said that he wanted to finish Star Wars and get back to making “small, personal pictures.” He and buddy Steven Spielberg resurrected Indiana Jones this summer to huge box office, so what’s Lucas do next? More Star Wars.
Where are the small personal films Lucas has promised? Or is he as robotic as his reputation says – better dealing with technology than people? A small picture deals with people: the actors in the star Wars films have bee quoted over the years as saying that Lucas was more interested in the look of the films than the people. My friend Carl Bonasera, owner of the comic book store I have frequented for almost three decades, says that storytellers in the comics field have two stories to tell, and after that, they are just retelling the same stories. Are Star Wars and Indy his two ideas, and he has no more? If that’s true, that’s entirely alright, because his two stories were terrific, in the tradition of Tolkien and Homer. That’s awfully heady company.
The worst part of course is that he keeps asking us, the public, to pay for his vision. There has been two different editions of the films on DVD; the films were on VHS and Laserdisc before that. There are Star Wars books, CDs, toys, games, shirts, and so much more than I can barely list them all. How much more of my money does this guy need? I have a feeling the consumer, with many more options, and less disposable income than before, may give George Lucas a nasty rejection this time. And he deserves one.

I know I haven’t been around for awhile, but the Indignant Family was in Washington D.C. for a long weekend. But, we did do some reportable things, like going to the Redskins-Buffalo Bills pre-season game last Saturday night.
Overall, FedEx Field is very nice, StubHub has an agreement with the Redskins for people to return tickets and allow them to be resold without worrying about phony tickets, not knowing what you are going to pay, having enough cash, etc. Unfortunately, the StubHub line moved so slowly that we missed the first part of the game waiting in line.
What was worse, however, is the pissing contest between the municipalities, and the Redskins. FedEx Field is located in Maryland, about 1 mile from two Metro rail lines: the Yellow and Blue lines. However, the local transit authority used to provide a free shuttle bus from the Metro station to the stadium. But, apparently, there is now a “law” that prohibits the use of municipal busses when a private company could rent their own busses. So, no transport and a very long walk. I wish that Daniel Snyder and the District come to some agreement – hell, in Chicago, the CTA runs extra service to try and relieve the congestion, and I don’t know how much, if anything, the team pays for it.
Overall, it was worth it; we sat on the 35-yard-line, about 20 rows from the field, and had a great view. I’m still not sold on Jason Campbell, the Redskins quarterback, but the fans seem to believe in him and he did look sharp, however, this was the ‘Skins second live game but only the first for the Bills.

I guess this Michael Phelps is the real deal. He has won all five events he has entered and is going for a sixth as I type. He could end up with nine for this Olympics. Amazing!
On the other hand, what’s with Roger Federer? He lost to American James Blake 6-4, 7-6 (2) in the quarterfinals, making his 2008 a disaster for someone who had owned men’s tennis for the past 4-5 years. Federer has lost the French Open final to Nadal (no surprise since it’s the one major that has eluded him and Nadal has now won four straight on clay); lost to Nadal again at Wimbledon; and now he’s lost to Blake who had been 0-8 against Federer in his career.
If Federer getting bounced isn’t enough, the previously upset free Olympics had them in spades with both Williams sisters losing.
I may have been mistaken in one thing, the indifference of Americans. Michael Phelps has apparently energized casual viewers’ interest in the games. NBC announced that viewership is up 24% from the last Summer Games. Still, considering the cost of the rights; the physical cost of telecasting from China; the use of the various networks, etc.; I will be curious to see if NBC posts a profit. If they do, it would be a first in several decades.
But, cheating is in full force…

For several weeks, it has been rumored that several of host China’s gymnasts are too young to participate in the Games. The three gymnasts: Jiang Yuyuan, Yang Yilin and especially He Kexin, had been backed all the way by Chinese officials, but a report in The New York Times on July 27th showed online documents that He Kexin’s birthday is January 1, 1994, making her 14 when the Games began (athletes must be 16 to participate).
When Ms. He made her first appearance this week, even the blind could see that something was wrong. She is 4-foot 8-inches tall and weighing 72 pounds, and appears significantly younger than most of her Chinese teammates, and way younger than the Americans and Europeans.
The NBC gymnastics commentator Bela Karolyi has routinely referred to the 2008 Chinese team as “half people” and he has regularly called the Chinese out for age falsification (which is interesting since his main prodigy, Nadia Comaneci was too young by the current standard, that was enacted after Nadia’s perfect 10s). After China outscored the U.S. in the qualification round, Karolyi was quoted as saying: “These people think we are stupid…We are in the business of gymnastics. We know what a kid of 14 or 15 or 16 looks like. What kind of slap in the face is this? They are 12, 14 years old and they get lined up and the government backs them and the federation runs away. There is an age limit and it can’t be controlled.”
China has done this before. At the 2000 Sydney Olympics, three years after the minimum age was raised to 16 in gymnastics, Chinese gymnast Yang Yun competed and won a bronze medal in the uneven bars (coincidentally this event is also He’s specialty). Yang’s passport said she was born on December 24, 1984 and turning 16 in the year of the Games, making her eligible. She later confessed in a television interview that she was only 14 at the time of the competition and that she and her coaches had lied about her age.
It’s funny that in the Olympics, adults are willing to lie to make children appear older than they actually are compared with say Little League Baseball, when adults cheat to allow kids who are too old to compete to play with (and dominate) younger kids. And what about the kids? They aren’t winners; they’re cheaters. They get to live the lie while the adults move on to the next set of children. As I’ve said on several occasions on my other blog sites, without adequate records, the only way to really tell the age of these kids are to cut them in half and count the rings.