You Love It: 3/30/07

So in the tradition of naming stuff after songs that I like (blog's name comes from a Locust song) I decided to name the weekly links after a Peaches song that is totally badass, "You Love It". I don't know why, so give me some feedback in the comments.

IGN makes another top 10 list
Via IGN

I will admit that I love top 10 lists. They are always good for sparking conversation and good natured complaining. IGN really loves top 10 lists, making a new one almost everyday. This is one of the better ones I have seen, the top 10 toughest games to beat. As with all lists, there are some strange inclusions and questionable order (Ninja Gaiden Black only number 10? That game took years off my life) but overall, a solid read.

Former MLB pitcher, Ugueth Urbina, sentenced to 14 years in prison
Via ESPN

This is truly a bizarre and sad story. Urbina, who last pitched in 2005 for the Phillies, has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for attempted murder of five workers on his Venezuelan ranch. It's strange to think that this guy was pitching in Boston a few years ago and won a World Series in 2003 with the Marlins.

Lil John receives officially dumbest Guinness World record ever
Via Tiny Mix Tapes

TMT comes off as pretentious more often than not (way worse than Pitchfork) but every once and a while they come out with gems like this. Apparently Lil John now holds a Guinness World record for, get this, "largest pendant in the world". No additional comments needed for that.

Gilbert Arenas, NBA's court jester
Via ESPN

Let me just say that Arenas is my favorite player in the NBA, and it has very little to do with how he plays. So far this season Arenas has: laid his jersey on an opponent's court after hitting a game winning shot, coined his own nickname - "Hibachi" and said he would score at least 80 points against this years Duke team. Add to that list "made bets with opposing fans that he would hit the game winning shot." Arenas bet Portland fans $10 that he would hit a game winner against the home team Trailblazers. Turns out he lost, but that's not the point. Arenas does all the ridiculous things us normal people would do if we were athletes. He's is a mix between Chad Johnson, T.O. and Manny Ramirez and maybe the craziest super-star we have in sports today. I can't get enough of him.

Mario and Sonic to appear in video game together. In other news, cats and dogs now living together
Via Kotaku

Back when my gaming habits were in their infancy, you were either a Sonic fan or Mario fan. Never both. I myself liked Mario more, I think Sonic was a little too edgy for me. Those spikes and that smirk were a bit much. Anyway, Mario and Sonic are now set to appear in a game together for the first time ever. This is pretty earth shattering for anyone born after 1980. It really doesn't matter what the game is, it could be a stupid Olympics tie in and people will still be interested in it. Oh wait.

Cubs pitcher Ryan Dempster training to become ninja
Via AZStarNet

Absurd quote from this: "You have to (learn) how to throw a throwing star and nunchucks and all those kinds of things," the Chicago Cubs closer says. "Obviously you've got to do martial arts and learn how to be really quiet, which is a tough task for me because I talk a lot."
That pretty much sums it up.

Mysterious God of War site goes up
Via Kotaku

Viral and guerrilla marketing has become huge over the past few years. Most recently, that over-blown Aqua Teen Hunger Force bomb scare. On the heels of God of War 2's release and the announcement that a PSP version of God of War will arrive sometime, comes this mysterious countdown site. According to the article, the site's URL was revealed when a gamer landed a 999,000 hit combo. The countdown also has nothing to do with the PSP version of the game. I love the GoW franchise and I am pretty interested to see what this is all about.

Kobe Bryant shoots his way into record books
Via ESPN

Earlier this week, Kobe Bryant scored 50 or more points in a record four straight games, becoming only the second in NBA history to do so. I have always felt Kobe gets a bad rap as being a ball hog and shaky character guy. The bottom line is, his team stinks and they need him to score 35-50 every night to win games. The Lakers won these four games by five, seven, two and six points. In short, they needed every ounce of his scoring to win. Did Kobe throw his name in the MVP race discussion? We'll save that for a full article.

Shaughnessy rips Schilling, bloggers
Via Boston.com

I saved this for last because it made me quite angry. In short, Globe sports writer, Dan Shaughnessy, decided to tear into Curt Schilling and his fans, particularly about Schilling's new blog. In the article, Shaughnessy creates mock messages sent to Schilling and subsequent Schilling responses. Using handles like "Sycophant38", "Lapdog38" and "Suckup38", Shaughnessy has no qualms about expressing his bias.

One passage that really struck me:
"Loser38: I used to go to Star Trek conventions and comic book trade shows. No more. Now this blog is my life. My girlfriend says I'm spending too much time on this site. I say she's being ridiculous. I mean, what's six hours a day when you have a chance to communicate -- cyberspace to cyberspace -- with a legitimate Hall of Famer? Do you think I'm being reasonable, Schill?"

That passage rips: Star Trek fans, comic book fans, folks who use the Internet, puppies, babies, rainbows and unicorns. Among others ripped in the article: Red Sox fans, people who live at home, anyone socially awkward, WEEI listeners and overweight individuals. All in two small pages.

Now I consider myself an ethical "journalist." Shaughnessy's article is unprofessional, foolish and immature, to say the least. I am shocked that the Globe would print it, as it subverts many unwritten journalistic codes. I understand that blogs are slowly dissolving the need for newspapers, and thus, Shaughnessy's job. And I understand the world is rapidly changing around him, with this crazy interweb seeping into the holy institution of news. But that doesn't give Shaughnessy an excuse to grind a whole lot of axes in a childish and cowardly way. I sincerley hope this article cost the Globe a significant number of readers. I know it has lost one.

I'll leave with this passage from Shaughnessy:
"CHB38: What do you say to those media morons who contend that you are a self-important blowhard with an ill-informed opinion about everything and an insatiable need to be worshipped by sheep-like fans and late-night blog boys who live in Ma's basement?" (Italics added by author).

Pulitzer prize committee, save yourself some time and give it to Shaughnessy now.