The late Cincinnati Reds radio broadcaster Joe Nuxhall would sign off with the tag line, "This is the old left hander, rounding third and heading for home. Good night everyone." Today Sparky Anderson. former manager of the Cincinnati Reds, rounded third and crossed home plate. He passed away at 76. He was the first manager to win World Series in both leagues with the Cincinnati Reds and the Detroit Tigers. We called him Captain Hook for his penchant to remove starting pitchers before they failed. This started a revolution on how managers would go to the bullpen before their starting pitcher would weaken. He was able to manage a team of superstars and mold them into the greatest baseball team in the history of the game. The Big Red Machine. They won two World Series from years 1975-1976. He was the manager of my team during my childhood. He was the manager of my field of dreams' team. Good night Sparky. God bless you.
Stephan Colbert defended the Democrats better than the Democrats. In this video he talks about the great things they have done in two years. Yet angry Americans voted them out. Faux conservative celebrates the Republican's victory while Democratic leadership got the country out of the ditch.
Today, it was announced that former Cincinnati Reds manager Sparky Anderson was placed in a hospice for dementia. Sparky Anderson was the manager of the Cincinnati Reds during the Big Red Machine era. (1970-1976) Some say he was lucky to be a manager of such a talented team and that caused his success. I'll tell you that it takes talent to manage such big stars, know when to remove a pitcher and eventually mold a diverse group into a champion. The 1975-1976 Cincinnati Reds were one of the greatest teams in the history of baseball. Sparky was the best Reds manager that I have ever seen.
What drives me nuts about the Democratic Party is that they allow the Republicans to define them. This has been happening since Ronald Reagan made "liberal" a bad word. Republicans have attacked the Democrats for the last two years. They called the stimulus a failure. And the Democrats did virtually nothing. The Democrats should have said if there was no stimulus there would have been Great Depression, Part Two. Where's my proof? Here is one of many articles that says the recession is over. The Democrats need to fight back.
Since it looks like Rep. John Boehner is going to be Speaker of the House, the Democrats must do to him what he did to soon to be Speaker Nancy Pelosi. I'm sorry. They started this and the Democrats must finish it. In 1995, Boehner is a guy who was distributing contributions from lobbyists on the House floor! Democrats and progressives must keep track of these right-wing people for conservative stupidity. When they screw up and they will, the left must strike. That means liberals must not be feeble. The Republicans aren't feeble neither should the Democrats.
Democrats must stop running away from their liberal roots or friends. Is this counterintuitive? No. The Republicans turned hard right as in embracing the Tea Party. It did help them. Yet there was one race that shows the country has not turned as right as the Republicans are saying. Senator Harry Reid was in serious trouble in Nevada. His opponent was Tea Party darling and nut, Sharron Angle. He won. The Democrats have powerful friends in groups like Move On and the unions. Use them. President Obama raised a ton of money from his liberal friends. The Democratic Party does better when they are united with its progressive friends.
I'm all for compromise. But if the conservatives in the Republican Party move to hard right positions, then the Democrats must fight.
Now that the Republicans have gained control of the House of Representatives, will they be able to work with the Democratic Senate and President? I am not encouraged. Republican Senator Mitch McConnell (KY) said "[T]hat his top priority in the next Congress is to ensure that President Barack Obama serves only one term." How can you have government that works for the people when your primary goal is to drive out the President? That's because there will be no compromise from this new congress. I'm not trying to be partisan about this. But folks the Republican Party has stripped all the moderates from the party. Former President Gerry Ford would not be welcome in this Tea Party dominated party. The right-wing would not compromise with any moderates or liberals. Stand by for divided government.
I called Halo 2, the best of all the Halo games. I took a quick look at other reviewers rating the Halo games and discovered the usual complaints. So let me address them and then go over why Halo 2 is the best of the series.
1. The Complaints.
a. Complaint One: The game ends with a cliffhanger. Well, this is act two of a three act play. There's nothing wrong with having an ending that's going to lead you to act three. There are many who believe that Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back is the best of all the Star Wars movies. And that film ended with a major plot point unresolved, the fate of Han Solo.
b. Complaint Two: You finish the game not playing the Master Chief. Yes, you don't play the Master Chief in the last level. But come on, you do play the last level. You still get to wield awesome guns. And as the Covenant Arbiter, you get a short burst of invisibility. It's still fun. A player should not be so human centric.
2. Why Halo 2 is the best of all the Halo games.
First, like all Halo games there's wonderful multiplayer. Halo 2 is the first of the series to introduce online multiplayer. And it was done with a console, introducing console players to online multiplayer.
Second, the gameplay retained the superb gun mechanics of the first game while improving other facets of gameplay. While driving the Warthog could still be difficult, driving other vehicles was made easier. The Banshee allowed altitude control via jet boosts thereby increasing flight accuracy. You could now double wield certain guns. Improvements in gameplay demonstrates that Bungie who made the game was listening to the complaints with the first Halo game.
Level design in the campaign mode has improved. Unlike the first Halo game, levels are different. I won't say the game is easy but of all the Halo games, the player always has a chance of surviving a level. There are less opportunities for cheap deaths. Combat is a blast. And Bungie improved the tank mechanics so it's now fun to blow things up.
The story is more complex. That's a good thing. Instead of just shooting a generic bad guy, the aliens in the Covenant, you get detail of your adversary. This is where I argue that Halo 2 like other good science fiction makes points through metaphor. When you play as the Arbiter, the Elite warrior, you gain insight into opponent's society. You may feel tolerance. Obviously the writers were delivering a message about religious fundamentalism and the blindness that can lead to disastrous results. Halo 2, Mass Effect and Half Life are pushing the envelope of storytelling in video games. It's no longer rescue the princess.
I've had the most fun playing Halo 2 than all the other Halo games. The story is compelling. The gameplay is sublime. That's why I rate it an A+.
Here's the short trailer for the game, where the sultry A.I. Cortana says "I bet you can't stick it." Cool. Oh, I forgot one more thing. Cortana looks the best in Halo 2. She's absolutely beautiful.
Sarah Palin described bloggers as people in their pajamas sitting in their mother's basement. Well, Sarah I sometimes blog in my pajamas. Your comment has inspired a great name for this blog. Thanks, Sarah.
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