I’ve lived almost my entire life on the south side of Indianapolis. Sure, I went away to college and have spent some time on the east side of town, but the vast majority of my life experiences have occurred south of the National Road in my state‘s capital. Over the years, Indy has changed dramatically from the decaying Nap Town that the Bottle Rockets sang about to its current status as the amateur sports capital of the world. The downtown area (albeit tiny) continues to undergo a seemingly never ending process of upgrades and improvements. I have seen four stadiums built, two torn down, and one abandoned. The Indy 500 has gone from the Greatest Spectacle in Racing (and far and away the most important event in the city) to a half-time show for NASCAR (and an aside for our sports fans while the Colts and Pacers are enjoying their off-seasons). We’ve gotten a new zoo, a new state museum, a new downtown mall, and a new airport. The city has transformed itself into a nice little oasis situated at the crossroads of the nation. Through it all, there has been one constant: the Indiana Pacers.
It is definitely difficult for those who are new to the city or are too young to remember otherwise what life was like here before the Colts came to town. Back then we had three professional sports franchises: the Indians, Checkers, and Pacers. While the Indians and Checkers were both minor league clubs, they played at the highest levels and enjoyed a fair amount of success. The Tribe’s domination of AAA began in 1978 and ran through the entirety of the ’80s, winning five American Association championships and playing for a sixth. We witnessed the likes of Larry Walker, Randy Johnson, and even a few of the famed “Big Red Machine” members enjoying stays in the home clubhouse at Bush Stadium. Our hockey franchise (the Checkers) was also in the thick of their league’s title chase each year. As the farm club of the four-time Stanley Cup Champion New York Islanders, the Checkers and their fans witnessed many great players come through town, allowing the city to lay claim to two CHL Adams Cup Trophies.
Both of these franchises had a face. Each had that one player that personified his team and that the fans closely identified with. For the Checkers, it was center Ron Handy. He was a force to be reckoned with in the IHL, scoring over fifty goals twice and registering over 100 points three times. That said, over the course of his twenty year career he saw action in just 14 NHL games. The Indians had the crowd favorite RRRRRRRRRRRazor Shines. Shines came to Indy in 1984 and would remain a fixture here until 1993 (he did spend 42 games with Buffalo in 1990). During that time, he played first and third, pitched, and even acted as a player/coach during his final season. During his 15 year career, he played in 68 MLB games over four different stints with the Expos (Razor holds the MLB record for most games played by a non-pitcher without scoring a run).
Razor and Handy were more than mere sports figures. They were living, breathing reflections of our city’s own ineptitude; AAAA players, who try as they might, just weren’t quite ready for prime time. It wasn’t for a lack of effort or desire. Both men performed admirably at their assigned level and were beloved by those they played for and with They just didn’t have what it took to make the big time, to gain that national recognition and respect. Maybe that’s why we loved them so much. Deep down, we knew their shortcomings were collectively our own. We were above average for a cow town, but all that was good for was a shot at an Adams Cup. We wanted more, but felt/knew we didn’t deserve it (or, at the very least, just weren’t ready for it).
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We also had one other franchise in town, the NBA’s Indiana Pacers. Well, the ABA’s Indiana Pacers. You see, even our big league club came with some serious baggage. While the ABA brought us such great innovations as the three-point line and the tri-colored Money Ball, it wasn’t exactly an equitable product when compared to its elder brother. Only four of its teams would make the leap to the National Basketball Association in 1976 (the Pacers, Spurs, Nuggets, and Nets). While they each had varying degrees of success, it would be 1999 before one would manage to win a championship. Tim Duncan would help bring four titles to San Antonio between ’99 and ’07, two as a member of the Twin Towers and two without The Admiral. This finally put to bed any and all talk of the ABA teams’ status as weak-sisters.
The Pacers? Well, let’s just say that they didn’t start off by setting the world on fire. They had four losing seasons followed by a first-round playoff exit. Six more losing seasons would then be followed by four more first round defeats. They managed to compile a 422-644 (.396) record over their first 13 NBA seasons. You would think that this kind of futility would allow them to stockpile some serious talent. Not so much. The Pacers irrefutably proved that old saying about the draft being an inexact science. They made some egregious errors, but even when they got it right, they got it wrong. Examples would be the selections of first round picks Clark Kellogg (8th) and Steve Stipanovich (2nd). Both were outstanding players and professionals. Both would be forced into early retirement due to knee issues (Kellogg after three years, Stipo after five). There were a few success stories sprinkled in over the years (Herb Williams, Chuck “The Rifleman” Person), but, for the most part, the Pacers were a bad team that were not getting any better.
It’s hard in today’s uber-sports-crazed nation to understand how much negative energy surrounded this ball club. During the heyday of the ABA, the Pacers were a force, winning three championships. One could even say that they were a model organization. Even though it was in an inferior league, the fan base had grown accustomed to winning. This IS Indiana, remember, the home of real basketball. The Pacers’ fall from grace coincided with the real emergence of Bobby Knight’s powerhouse Indiana Hoosiers teams. It was a hard sale to get people to spend much money on a franchise that couldn’t seem to get out of its own way when all they had to do was flip on the TV to see the well-oiled machine from Bloomington doing the whole state proud. It was common place for Market Square Arena to “drop the curtain” for home games. (They actually had a curtain painted to look identical to the back walls of the stadium which, when dropped, would give the illusion that the less than half filled stadium was at capacity) Things were so bleak at one point that former coach Bobby “Slick” Leonard and his wife had to host a “Save the Pacers Telethon” on local television.. Luckily, they were able to sell off 2,000 season tickets, raising the necessary $30,000 needed to keep the team in Indianapolis. Like Razor Shines and Ron Handy, the Pacers were yet another affirmation that we weren’t exactly ready to be considered a major market or even a real sports town.
Under Mayors Richard Lugar and William Hudnut, Indianapolis decided it was time to reinvent itself. Plans were laid and funding was procured to build the Hoosier Dome. This was a major leap of faith by the tax payers and city planners as we had no football team to put in it (originally it was hoped that the building could serve as a multi-purpose facility for the fabled MLB Arrows baseball team - another time perhaps). We bought into the famous line from Field of Dreams years before the movie was even penned, and as you probably already know, it worked. The Colts left Baltimore to set up shop in Nap Town. This was a huge coup for the city on many levels, but none larger than the fact that being an NFL city offered instant national credibility. It was an exciting time, but it couldn’t sustain itself. Indianapolis was not, by its nature, a football town. Kids grew up dreaming of being the next Larry Legend or Isiah Thomas, not Ray Nitschke or Earl Campbell. It was a foreign game to the populace as a whole. The fact that the team was horrendous didn’t help matters either. Until the arrival of Eric Dickerson, they amassed a record of 12-36. They only made the playoffs once in their first 13 years and that was in large part thanks to our scabs being an above average group during the strike year. The town was still there for the taking if the Pacers could only find the right leader.
Then it happened. With the 11th pick in the 1987 NBA draft, the Indiana Pacers selected Reggie Miller from the University of California, Los Angeles. Ironically, this infuriated most Pacers fans. It’s almost like we subconsciously knew that this was the beginning of a major change, something that would be uncomfortable, and therefore must be fought. The fans had already decided that our first round pick would be used to select Steve Alford. He was a native son that had just led the Hoosiers to the NCAA National Championship. On top of that, he was a former Indiana High School Mr. Basketball. To most, it seemed like a slam dunk. Donnie Walsh, however, decided to use his head instead of the fans’ hearts to draft a skinny little trash-talking punk from the west coast. Reggie (nicknamed “Hollywood”) initially seemed like an odd hero for corn-fed, conservative Indiana. He was brash and demonstrative; a player who not only wanted the ball in crunch time, but demanded it (much to the ire of established veterans like Person and Wayman Tisdale). (I can vividly remember my father screaming for him to “pass the damn ball” as he stood at the top of the key dribbling away the final few seconds of a one point loss we attended during his rookie year.) There was nothing about him that would have led one to believe he was the next great Indiana basketball legend.
As is often the case, first impressions proved to be deceiving. It turns out that he was the perfect hero for Indianapolis. His personal evolution was actually very much in line with the city‘s own. As a young child, he was forced to wear Forrest Gump-style leg braces. He and his parents were told that he would never walk properly let alone run or compete athletically. He was forced to bide his time, watching his brothers and sisters enjoy grand levels of athletic success (one brother caught in the Majors and his sister Cheryl is widely considered the greatest female basketball player of all time). He was surrounded by a greatness that he knew he was entitled to, but told he could never attain. When the day finally came that he was cleared to remove the braces, he took off running (literally) and never looked back. His journey from being the forgotten kid on the sideline to the main attraction matched the story arc he would help bring to fruition in Indy.
This change did not occur overnight. At the beginning of his rookie year, it appeared that the Pacers may have finally found the right combination of talent to make a serious playoff push. This theory came crashing down when their leader and fan favorite, Stipo, suffered career ending knee injuries. It would take the squad two full seasons to recover. By that time, Reggie had not only become a starter, but had assumed a leadership position along with Chuck Person. These two became the face of the franchise both on and off the court. Both huge threats from outside the arch, they invigorated the fan base with their last second heroics and take no lip attitudes. The club would begin a seven year consecutive playoff run that season that was completely unprecedented. They energized the city by finally giving the fans a team that was worth watching.
Fast forward to 1993. At this point, the Pacers had been regularly making the playoffs and were just as regularly being bounced in the first round. Over the course of the regular season, they would rise up and win some huge ballgames, displaying their latent potential,. Unfortunately, they would also let twice as many “give me” games slip away late. Yet to take that next step, they had graduated from being a laughing stock only to be stuck in the role of under-achievers. The fan base was beginning to grow weary. We were already forced to deal with this reality in our day to day lives and wanted more from our fantasy outlet.
The first sign that change was afoot would come in the playoffs that year. Paired with the heavily favored Knicks, the Pacers found themselves down 2-0 upon returning to MSA. Faced with a seemingly impossible challenge, most fans assumed that they would fold tent and go quietly into yet another disappointing off-season. This became clear when less than half of the tickets for Game 3 were even sold. My father and I got in the door for less than half-price that night. What we witnessed was the official rebirth of Pacer Pride and the beginning of Mayor Lugar’s vision for this city becoming a reality. Out of a cloud of grit, determination, and elbows the Pacers embarrassed the Knicks, 116-93. Reggie was unstoppable that night and let John Starks know it all game long. The rest of the team fed off of Reggie’s emotion and stellar play, refusing to be intimidated or give up. More of the same would follow in Game 4. Another gutsy Reggie performance forced an overtime before the Knicks eventually won out 109-100 (this was the game when a completely frustrated and befuddle John Starks resorted to head-butting Reggie). While the Pacers had lost the series, it marked the first time that they or anyone else from this city had shown the guts and wherewithal to stand up to the Big City Bullies, punch them in the face, and say, “We ain’t your poor sisters anymore.”
While 1993 was the beginning, it was the 1994 NBA Playoffs that announced to the rest of the nation that the Pacers were for real. Winning a franchise record 47 games was enough to procure the fifth playoff seed. For the first time in franchise history, they moved past the first round by sweeping the fourth seeded Orlando Magic (of Shaq and Penny fame). Round two brought the ominous chore of facing the number one seeded Atlanta Hawks. While the Hawks had shown signs of weakness in the first round (a 3-2 victory over the 8th seeded Heat), they were far and away the class of the Eastern Conference during the regular season. Led by the likes of Dominique Wilkins, Stacey Augmon, Mookie Blaylock, and Danny Manning, they were a far superior team on paper than the Reggie and Rik Smits led Blue and Gold. Surprisingly, the Pacers were able to steal Game One and hold court at home for two more wins in Games Three and Four. After losing Game Five on the road, everyone knew that Game Six would be “do or die” time. It was as if the streets themselves knew what was on the line. The Pacer Pride in the city had become palpable. You could see signs of it hanging in store fronts, on office windows, and on the bodies of almost everyone you saw walking around downtown. The nation didn’t believe, but Pacer fans were starting too. Atlanta-based TBS played up the notion of the Pacers being a joke by calling our fans hicks, with EJ going so far as to say on-air, “These people are just dumb enough to think they can win this thing (in reference to Game Six).” Dumb or not, we were right. Behind Smits’s game high 27 and Reggie’s 18, the Pacers pulled off the largest upset in franchise history knocking off the top seed and advancing into the Conference Finals. The scene was total pandemonium. After the game, the party spilled into Market Square where fans chanted, danced, and sang for what seemed like hours. All of those years of faithfully waiting for our boys to make it happen had finally paid off. They were for real, a squad we could be proud of and a team we could feel safe to put our trust in. It was an awesome night.
The Conference Finals would once again match the Pacers up with their arch-nemesis, the New York Knicks. The Knicks were a motley crew consisting of a long list of bullies and thugs the likes of which the NBA had never seen cast together before and, God willing, will never see again. They included the aforementioned John Starks, Patrick Ewing, Anthony Mason, and Charles Oakley just to name a few (only the future addition of Grandmama could add to their “detestability“). They were the pride of New York, New York; the team destined to bring home the city’s first NBA championship in over 20 years. All they had to do was dispatch the “Hicks from the Sticks.” That task would prove a little more difficult than first assumed.
This series would serve as the Pacers (and consequentially Indianapolis’s) national coming out party. Things started slowly with two losses in New York. The trip home would go much more smoothly. As it worked out, the city would host Game Three on Saturday night (Pacers victory), the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, and then Game Four on Memorial Day Monday (another Pacers victory). It had never been so grand to be a Hoosier! The Pacers even took Game Five in the Garden to go up three games to two, before losing Game Six at home. The series had been a war to that point, and Game Seven proved to be no different. Down one with less than four seconds remaining, an absolutely ridiculous intentional foul call on Miller gave the Knicks two shots and the ball, essentially sealing the Pacers’ fate*. Despite the defeat, Reggie (who averaged almost 25 points a game and poured in 39 in Game Five) proved to the whole nation that not only he, but the whole Pacers franchise were for real. Nation, Indianapolis. Indianapolis, Nation.
The Pacers would make it to the Conference Finals again in 1995, 1998, and 1999 before finally breaking through to the Big Dance in 2000. Along the way, Reggie would provide many more magic moments, but perhaps none more memorable than his shot with 0.5 seconds remaining to defeat Michael Jordan and the Bulls in Game Six of the ‘98 finals. He proved time and time again that he could stand toe-to-toe with any rival and come out on top. He was truly an inspiration. He was the face of our city, our hero, and our beloved son. We fed off of his confidence and heart, using the lessons he taught us to expect more from ourselves and our city. The success of Mayor Lugar’s plan is in large part owed to that skinny little trash-talking punk Donnie Walsh had the foresight to draft over twenty years ago.
Today, Indianapolis is thriving. While no one will ever confuse us with Chicago or New York, we have a beautiful, if small, downtown with all of the amenities one could wish for. We are widely accepted as the amateur sports capital of the world, a perception bolstered by our hosting of the NCAA’s national headquarters. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway now hosts marquee events over several different genres of racing, not just the 500. We are also a top destination for many of the nation’s largest conventions due to our beautiful facilities, world class hotels, and fine dining establishments. We were also able to finally gain that elusive title of World Champions when the Colts knocked off our big brothers to the north in the Super Bowl a few years back.
Many things have changed over the past twenty years. Almost all of those changes were for the better. While today, Indianapolis and its hearts belong to the Colts, I hope we never forget what the Pacers did for this city. Peyton Manning currently has the keys to the palace, but it was Reggie that built it.
PS - Razor Shines finally has a regular gig in the Show. He currently works under Jerry Manuel as a coach for the New York Mets. Aside from a MySpace page where he claims to “live hockey - eat/sleep/s**t hockey,” little can be found about the whereabouts of one Ron Handy.
A Personal Aside
Growing up, I loved the Pacers. L-O-V-E-D them. It was my father that instilled this love in me. Most of my earliest non-hockey sports memories center around watching or listening to Pacers games with him. If we were in the car, we were listening to Mark Boyle and, later, Slick Leonard. If we were home, we were watching the WTTV 4 broadcasts. In my memory we went to a ton of games. I don’t know how many games I actually attended, but it was enough for my mind to be filled with the sights and sounds of MSA. There were few things or places I enjoyed more. I specifically remember getting to see the Showtime Lakers in the mid-80’s. This memory sticks out for two reasons: 1. I remember that our seats were in Row UU. I didn’t know that the rows went that high until we got to the top of the stadium. I then realized just how far behind the curtain we were. 2. It was exciting to see a team play that wasn’t in the bottom half of the league. Typically we would go to see the Nets, the Bucks, or the Nuggets. When those chumps were in town, tickets would be very reasonable about five minutes after tip-off.
My favorite memory occurred when the Pacers set their consecutive home victory mark against the 76’ers in the ‘91-‘92 season. Charles Barkley had recently suffered a broken nose and was forced to wear a full face shield. When the game turned into a laugher late in the 4th quarter, my father and I were able to move down to roughly the 12th row. At one point, Charles in-bounded the ball and began walking up court. The stadium was fairly quite when my father decided to address Sir Charles. “Hey, Chuck! Does your momma wear a muzzle like that?” “Chuck” stopped dead in his tracks, stared at my father, and then took two to three steps in our direction before thinking better of a confrontation. I couldn’t help but think of my dad when years later I heard Barkley being interviewed. He was asked, “Were opposing fans hard on you?” “Yeah,” he replied, “they would say all sorts of things to you. Sometimes they would even say things about my mother.”
While in grade school, I was definitely in the minority. Most of the sellouts I went to school with Bird, Magic, or Isiah fans. They couldn’t be bothered with the lowly Pacers. It wasn’t until I got to high school and changed school systems that I met some true, die hard Pacers fans. It was wonderful to finally have someone my own age to share my enthusiasm with. Almost all of my memories of the great playoff runs have to do with these guys. We were all there for Games Three and Four in ‘93. In ‘94, we partied in the streets of downtown after attending the elimination of the Hawks. Countless playoff battles were watched at Andy’s house, forcing his brother to stay in the basement lest the Pacers play poorly. When they won, it was like we were winning. When they lost, it affected us deeply as well. We were coming of age at the same time as our heroes. Those were the days.
Years have gone by now, and the Pacers suck. They have basically been unwatchable since Reggie retired. I knew at the time that it was a horrible thing. In fact, even though we were a thousand miles apart, my father and I shared a tear on the phone as we watched Reggie walk off of the court for the last time. It was like saying goodbye to a close friend. The entirety of my sports-conscious life had been built around following the exploits of this one man. No one else had I spent as much time watching, cheering for, and leaning on as #31. Without him a void was created. That void has been somewhat filled by #18. I fully realize how blessed we are to be able to watch one of the all-time greats on a weekly basis, but it’s not the same. I long for the Pacers return to glory. My son is six years old now. He will be old enough to start really following sports in the next year or two. Is it too much to hope that somewhere out there our next Reggie Miller is preparing to graduate high school?
Thursday, April 29, 2010
ModNation Racers PSP Demo Review
I recently got my hands on the demo for Sony’s upcoming PSP kart racer, ModNation Racers PSP. The full title (and its subsequent PS3 big brother) are scheduled to hit stores May 25th, 2010. For those unfamiliar with the game, it is basically a MarioKart and LittleBigPlanet hybrid. It is like MarioKart in that the gameplay is almost identical. The next in the Sony line of “Play. Create. Share.” titles, ModNation takes a page from LBP’s playbook by allowing users to design their own racers, karts, and tracks. They can then go online to share them or download other people’s work. While not exactly sackboys, the racers (or mods) are cute little things that surely will wear a wide variety of costumes and outfits. Designed by the same studio who produced MLB 10 The Show, these games are targeted as the next big thing in the Playstation universe.
I’m going to break this review into two parts. The first section will serve as a quick overall review of the demo. Those wanting a more detailed description of the demo will find that immediately following.
Quick Review: I'm Ready to Immigrate
As I stated before, the game plays a lot like MarioKart. In the Action Race, you are in a mad dash to finish your two laps before the competitors. You are free to use all sorts of power-ups and shortcuts to make that happen. It’s a time tested formula, that when done well, can be a lot of fun both for a group of gamers or one playing solo. The good news is that this isn’t M&M Racing shovel-ware crap. Sony has done a nice job of crafting a racer that is fun to control. The karts are responsive and handle as you would predict. I was worried that so much emphasis would be placed on the creation side of this game that the actual gameplay would render it moot. I am happy to report that this is not the case. This would easily stand on its own as a $20 racer.
The bad news is that its going to cost $40; so does the rest of the package live up to the hype? I would have to give it a resounding YES. The demo only allows you to create a track (the full game will allow for mod and kart creation as well), but that would almost be enough for me. The creation tools were very easy to figure out. You simply drive forward to lay down the track. When you are finished, you have a ton of straightforward tools to help you trick out the course with your personal flair. While unbelievable, I found the creation tools for LBP a bit daunting. The tools for MNR are the exact opposite. I firmly believe that my 6 year old son will be able to design some pretty cool tracks within the first hour he has the game.
While this demo just offers a small taste of what’s to come, I have to say that I am impressed. I have been waiting a long time for its arrival. This sneak preview as done nothing but intensify my desire to play the full game in beautiful high definition.
Full Blown Walkthrough of the Demo
Demo Walkthrough:
The demo offers just a taste of what all this title has in store. The front menu shows four choices: Race Central, Design Studios, Community, and My Stuff. Only the first two options listed here are functioning. Going into Race Central, you are met with a menu featuring three options: Single Player Race, Community Race, and Career. Again, only Single Player Race is playable. There are three types of SPR’s: Action Race, Pure Race, and Last Kart Standing. We get to play the Action Race. There are 27 tracks shown, but only two are unlocked. There are menu options to play My Tracks and Downloaded Tracks as well. It appears as though you will be able to adjust the number of laps (2), the speed (faster), number of AI opponents (5), and difficulty (easy or medium) (demo choices). You will also be able to choose from 20 Pre-Made Karts, 18 Elite Karts, My Karts, and Downloaded Karts (for the demo, 5 Pre-Mades and 1 Elite are available). You will also be able to select your Mods from 25 Pre-Mades, 18 Elites, My Mods and Downloaded (6 PM, 2 E).
If you choose the Design Studios, you are taken to a menu with the following three choices: Track Studio, Mod Studio, and Kart Studio. We must choose the Track Studio. From here we must choose New though the full game also offers Edit. Next we will choose Alpine from a Theme Select Menu (others choices will appear include Desert, Seaside, and Jungle). Now we find ourselves on our “First Drive.” This is where we begin to actually layout our course. There is a large flat area to work in. We can choose anywhere to place our starting gate (done by pressing L). Once the gate is in place, we are free to begin putting down our track. You will start with a very basic oval layout. As I hold down R to advance my kart, I can steer the road whichever way I want it to go and change the elevation by holding down X to make it higher or Square to make it lower. Once you have completed your track (come back to the start line), you are taken to a new menu. This gives you the option to Edit, Reset, Save, or Test Drive (there is no saving in the demo). Entering into the Edit Menu opens up an impressive array of tools. The first thing you can do is to Modify Track. In the demo, all you can actually do is to Re-Pave your track, but the full product will feature the ability to Bank, Lift, Widen, Design Runoffs, and Put Up Fences. Choosing Re-Pave will take you back out to your track. Once there you can choose from four different options: asphalt, bricks, sand, and some sort of mystery material I could not identify. The first three are unlocked in the demo. Pressing Start takes you back out to the Edit menu. After you are done modifying the track, you can Place Props. There are 12 On-Track Interactive props (things that will smash you), 14 On-Track Props (ramps, bombs, weapons), 71 Off-Track General Props (buildings, signs, etc), and 45 Off-Track Environmental Props (trees, rocks, etc.) These can be placed just about anywhere in the landscape based on being on- or off-track props. Next you can choose to Deform Terrain. Here you will be able to choose from 8 different templates, though only 2 were available for making mountains on the demo. The final game will allow you to choose the sky backdrop (of the four listed, only Alpine Morning was available). Finally, you will be able to Paint the Terrain. Four different colors of dirt and grass are here for you selection. As with many of these editing tools, you can change the size of the area affected by pressing O. At this point, you can either Reset, Save, or Test Drive (but saving is not an option in the demo).
The races themselves play very much like MarioKart. R gives your Kart gas while L works first as a brake and then reverse. You can use either the D-pad or the analog stick to steer. X serves as your jump button. You can jump into a drift which will build up your turbo boost. You can also double jump to get some serious air. Doing tricks while in the air will also charge your boost. Triangle is the boost trigger while square will fire your weapon. You gain weapons by picking up balloons on the course. Again, it plays very much like a MarioKart game. The good news is that it plays very well. It’s not a cheap imposter like so many Wii kart racers are.
Hit me up with any questions, and I’ll respond ASAP!!!
I’m going to break this review into two parts. The first section will serve as a quick overall review of the demo. Those wanting a more detailed description of the demo will find that immediately following.
Quick Review: I'm Ready to Immigrate
As I stated before, the game plays a lot like MarioKart. In the Action Race, you are in a mad dash to finish your two laps before the competitors. You are free to use all sorts of power-ups and shortcuts to make that happen. It’s a time tested formula, that when done well, can be a lot of fun both for a group of gamers or one playing solo. The good news is that this isn’t M&M Racing shovel-ware crap. Sony has done a nice job of crafting a racer that is fun to control. The karts are responsive and handle as you would predict. I was worried that so much emphasis would be placed on the creation side of this game that the actual gameplay would render it moot. I am happy to report that this is not the case. This would easily stand on its own as a $20 racer.
The bad news is that its going to cost $40; so does the rest of the package live up to the hype? I would have to give it a resounding YES. The demo only allows you to create a track (the full game will allow for mod and kart creation as well), but that would almost be enough for me. The creation tools were very easy to figure out. You simply drive forward to lay down the track. When you are finished, you have a ton of straightforward tools to help you trick out the course with your personal flair. While unbelievable, I found the creation tools for LBP a bit daunting. The tools for MNR are the exact opposite. I firmly believe that my 6 year old son will be able to design some pretty cool tracks within the first hour he has the game.
While this demo just offers a small taste of what’s to come, I have to say that I am impressed. I have been waiting a long time for its arrival. This sneak preview as done nothing but intensify my desire to play the full game in beautiful high definition.
Full Blown Walkthrough of the Demo
Demo Walkthrough:
The demo offers just a taste of what all this title has in store. The front menu shows four choices: Race Central, Design Studios, Community, and My Stuff. Only the first two options listed here are functioning. Going into Race Central, you are met with a menu featuring three options: Single Player Race, Community Race, and Career. Again, only Single Player Race is playable. There are three types of SPR’s: Action Race, Pure Race, and Last Kart Standing. We get to play the Action Race. There are 27 tracks shown, but only two are unlocked. There are menu options to play My Tracks and Downloaded Tracks as well. It appears as though you will be able to adjust the number of laps (2), the speed (faster), number of AI opponents (5), and difficulty (easy or medium) (demo choices). You will also be able to choose from 20 Pre-Made Karts, 18 Elite Karts, My Karts, and Downloaded Karts (for the demo, 5 Pre-Mades and 1 Elite are available). You will also be able to select your Mods from 25 Pre-Mades, 18 Elites, My Mods and Downloaded (6 PM, 2 E).
If you choose the Design Studios, you are taken to a menu with the following three choices: Track Studio, Mod Studio, and Kart Studio. We must choose the Track Studio. From here we must choose New though the full game also offers Edit. Next we will choose Alpine from a Theme Select Menu (others choices will appear include Desert, Seaside, and Jungle). Now we find ourselves on our “First Drive.” This is where we begin to actually layout our course. There is a large flat area to work in. We can choose anywhere to place our starting gate (done by pressing L). Once the gate is in place, we are free to begin putting down our track. You will start with a very basic oval layout. As I hold down R to advance my kart, I can steer the road whichever way I want it to go and change the elevation by holding down X to make it higher or Square to make it lower. Once you have completed your track (come back to the start line), you are taken to a new menu. This gives you the option to Edit, Reset, Save, or Test Drive (there is no saving in the demo). Entering into the Edit Menu opens up an impressive array of tools. The first thing you can do is to Modify Track. In the demo, all you can actually do is to Re-Pave your track, but the full product will feature the ability to Bank, Lift, Widen, Design Runoffs, and Put Up Fences. Choosing Re-Pave will take you back out to your track. Once there you can choose from four different options: asphalt, bricks, sand, and some sort of mystery material I could not identify. The first three are unlocked in the demo. Pressing Start takes you back out to the Edit menu. After you are done modifying the track, you can Place Props. There are 12 On-Track Interactive props (things that will smash you), 14 On-Track Props (ramps, bombs, weapons), 71 Off-Track General Props (buildings, signs, etc), and 45 Off-Track Environmental Props (trees, rocks, etc.) These can be placed just about anywhere in the landscape based on being on- or off-track props. Next you can choose to Deform Terrain. Here you will be able to choose from 8 different templates, though only 2 were available for making mountains on the demo. The final game will allow you to choose the sky backdrop (of the four listed, only Alpine Morning was available). Finally, you will be able to Paint the Terrain. Four different colors of dirt and grass are here for you selection. As with many of these editing tools, you can change the size of the area affected by pressing O. At this point, you can either Reset, Save, or Test Drive (but saving is not an option in the demo).
The races themselves play very much like MarioKart. R gives your Kart gas while L works first as a brake and then reverse. You can use either the D-pad or the analog stick to steer. X serves as your jump button. You can jump into a drift which will build up your turbo boost. You can also double jump to get some serious air. Doing tricks while in the air will also charge your boost. Triangle is the boost trigger while square will fire your weapon. You gain weapons by picking up balloons on the course. Again, it plays very much like a MarioKart game. The good news is that it plays very well. It’s not a cheap imposter like so many Wii kart racers are.
Hit me up with any questions, and I’ll respond ASAP!!!
Pitch Selection - Watch Baseball Like a Pitcher
Each AB is a War, Each Pitch a Battle
The number one criticism you hear about baseball is that it’s “too boring.” I contend that anyone who feels this way just doesn’t understand what they are watching. There are few things more interesting than the battle between pitcher and batter. Gaining an appreciation for this give and take will surely go a long way towards increasing your enjoyment of watching a baseball game. To me, the local watering hole should offer a version of QB1 for baseball where instead of calling “run/pass plays” you would predict pitch type and placement. Learning how to think like a pitcher is the first step in getting more out of your baseball viewing experience. Luckily, it’s not that difficult of a skill to learn.
The most basic principals are as follows: change speeds, change height, and change width. Up, down; in, out; fast, slow. This is the prescription for keeping hitters off balance. There’s no set formula for how to go about this, though. Several factors will play into pitch selection. What type of stance does a batter have? Are there base runners on? Does the batter have any holes in his swing? What pitches have already been thrown to this hitter and how did he react?
Let’s take a look at a generic at bat. Right handed hitter vs. Right handed batter. There is no one on base and the batter has a very balanced stance with no known holes in his swing. It’s important to note that a majority of batters will take the first pitch. This gives the pitcher a chance to get ahead early in the count. In fact, less then 9% of first pitch strikes end up being hits. Research shows that the advantage greatly shifts in the pitchers favor if he can get to two strikes.(the hitters batting average is more than a .100 less on average than without two strikes). So let’s get started by throwing a strike, a knee-high fastball on the outside corner of the plate. This will get the batter thinking that we are planning on working him away, leading to him shifting his weight up on his toes to cover the outside part of the plate.
From here, we can do just about anything. We have the option to throw another fastball, inside this time high or low. A change-up, low on the outside corner of the plate is another great option (the change in speed at the same location should result in a miss, or a weakly hit ball).. We could throw a breaking ball for a ball on the outside half of the plate (hoping to get him to chase) or one for a strike on the inside (with his weight shifted over the plate, the ball coming at his head should buckle his knees as it breaks back across the plate), but it would probably be better to hold that for an out or waste pitch later. I would opt for that high fastball on the inside corner. If we locate it well, we should find ourselves up 0-2. We gain the element of surprise by changing both height and width. The high and tight fastball is incredibly difficult to hit. The downside here is that a mistake will either put us at 1-1 or end up in the bleachers for a home run.
So we are now sitting at 0-2, having thrown two fastballs (one low and away, another high and tight). At this point we can/should waste a pitch. Our goal is to throw something outside of the strike zone, but still tempting enough to possibly draw a swing. It’s important to make sure the ball will not be able to be hit hard if the batter does offer. An eye-level fastball middle of the plate to in would be a great call here. It’s going to be tempting to someone protecting the plate with two strikes, but will more than likely be popped up if hit. We have also shown him nothing but fastballs at this point, leaving all of our options open for the 1-2 pitch. Our batter is a disciplined fellow and takes the high ball.
At 1-2, we want to go for the kill while not giving the hitter anything particularly good to pound. Having thrown two hard pitches inside, it is time to switch all three variables. The time is right to work the outside half of the plate, low, and with something off-speed. I prefer the change-up to the curveball here, thrown slightly off the plate. If he doesn’t offer at this pitch, he is not thinking defensively. This would set him up nicely for a 2-2 inside curveball that should get him looking. If he is working to protect the plate, it almost guarantees that he will at worst foul the pitch off.
If he lays off the change-up (or even fouls it off), we will come right back with that inside curve. If we see a foul ball or miss our location here, our count could be anywhere from remaining at 1-2 to full. If the count is less than full, we throw another curve breaking from the middle to off of the plate. If the count is full (before or after the outside curve), it just comes down to best on best. You have to throw your best pitch, period (and the batter knows it). Good luck to you.
There are several other factors that can weigh into pitch selection. A wider stance is going to make it harder for a batter to protect the outside half of the plate. A closed stance (feet closer together) will make it more difficult to react to inside fastballs. Does the batter have a great deal of movement with their hands during their swing? If so, throw hard. Does the batter step to a closed (towards the plate) or open (steps out of the batters box) stance. Closed stances call for hard stuff inside. Open stances deserve soft (breaking) pitches on the outside half of the plate. Does the batter have a “hole” in his swing (a place where he is less likely to hit the ball with authority or a pitch that he constantly misses)? Conversely, does he have a “hot zone” (a pitch or location that he routinely crushes)? All of this information becomes that much more pertinent as you get closer to that pay-off pitch (3-2).
Base runners will also have a great effect on pitch selection. Is the runner on first a threat to steal? Better make sure you are getting the ball to your catcher quickly. You typically won’t throw too many change-ups or sweeping curves for fear that it will guarantee success on a stolen base attempt. With less than two outs and base runners on, you have to work for a ground ball. That means you are basically done working the upper-half of the batter’s strike zone. You may even “pitch to contact” (stay inside the strike zone at all times) in an effort to draw a double-play. Certain pitches may be taken out of the pitchers repertoire with a runner on third. Nasty breaking pitches and split-finger fastballs may be considered too dangerous to unleash for fear of a run scoring on a past ball.
Next time you watch a baseball game on TV, try to guess what pitch will come next and where it will be thrown. Think like a pitcher, and I guarantee you’ll have a much more “exciting” time.
The number one criticism you hear about baseball is that it’s “too boring.” I contend that anyone who feels this way just doesn’t understand what they are watching. There are few things more interesting than the battle between pitcher and batter. Gaining an appreciation for this give and take will surely go a long way towards increasing your enjoyment of watching a baseball game. To me, the local watering hole should offer a version of QB1 for baseball where instead of calling “run/pass plays” you would predict pitch type and placement. Learning how to think like a pitcher is the first step in getting more out of your baseball viewing experience. Luckily, it’s not that difficult of a skill to learn.
The most basic principals are as follows: change speeds, change height, and change width. Up, down; in, out; fast, slow. This is the prescription for keeping hitters off balance. There’s no set formula for how to go about this, though. Several factors will play into pitch selection. What type of stance does a batter have? Are there base runners on? Does the batter have any holes in his swing? What pitches have already been thrown to this hitter and how did he react?
Let’s take a look at a generic at bat. Right handed hitter vs. Right handed batter. There is no one on base and the batter has a very balanced stance with no known holes in his swing. It’s important to note that a majority of batters will take the first pitch. This gives the pitcher a chance to get ahead early in the count. In fact, less then 9% of first pitch strikes end up being hits. Research shows that the advantage greatly shifts in the pitchers favor if he can get to two strikes.(the hitters batting average is more than a .100 less on average than without two strikes). So let’s get started by throwing a strike, a knee-high fastball on the outside corner of the plate. This will get the batter thinking that we are planning on working him away, leading to him shifting his weight up on his toes to cover the outside part of the plate.
From here, we can do just about anything. We have the option to throw another fastball, inside this time high or low. A change-up, low on the outside corner of the plate is another great option (the change in speed at the same location should result in a miss, or a weakly hit ball).. We could throw a breaking ball for a ball on the outside half of the plate (hoping to get him to chase) or one for a strike on the inside (with his weight shifted over the plate, the ball coming at his head should buckle his knees as it breaks back across the plate), but it would probably be better to hold that for an out or waste pitch later. I would opt for that high fastball on the inside corner. If we locate it well, we should find ourselves up 0-2. We gain the element of surprise by changing both height and width. The high and tight fastball is incredibly difficult to hit. The downside here is that a mistake will either put us at 1-1 or end up in the bleachers for a home run.
So we are now sitting at 0-2, having thrown two fastballs (one low and away, another high and tight). At this point we can/should waste a pitch. Our goal is to throw something outside of the strike zone, but still tempting enough to possibly draw a swing. It’s important to make sure the ball will not be able to be hit hard if the batter does offer. An eye-level fastball middle of the plate to in would be a great call here. It’s going to be tempting to someone protecting the plate with two strikes, but will more than likely be popped up if hit. We have also shown him nothing but fastballs at this point, leaving all of our options open for the 1-2 pitch. Our batter is a disciplined fellow and takes the high ball.
At 1-2, we want to go for the kill while not giving the hitter anything particularly good to pound. Having thrown two hard pitches inside, it is time to switch all three variables. The time is right to work the outside half of the plate, low, and with something off-speed. I prefer the change-up to the curveball here, thrown slightly off the plate. If he doesn’t offer at this pitch, he is not thinking defensively. This would set him up nicely for a 2-2 inside curveball that should get him looking. If he is working to protect the plate, it almost guarantees that he will at worst foul the pitch off.
If he lays off the change-up (or even fouls it off), we will come right back with that inside curve. If we see a foul ball or miss our location here, our count could be anywhere from remaining at 1-2 to full. If the count is less than full, we throw another curve breaking from the middle to off of the plate. If the count is full (before or after the outside curve), it just comes down to best on best. You have to throw your best pitch, period (and the batter knows it). Good luck to you.
There are several other factors that can weigh into pitch selection. A wider stance is going to make it harder for a batter to protect the outside half of the plate. A closed stance (feet closer together) will make it more difficult to react to inside fastballs. Does the batter have a great deal of movement with their hands during their swing? If so, throw hard. Does the batter step to a closed (towards the plate) or open (steps out of the batters box) stance. Closed stances call for hard stuff inside. Open stances deserve soft (breaking) pitches on the outside half of the plate. Does the batter have a “hole” in his swing (a place where he is less likely to hit the ball with authority or a pitch that he constantly misses)? Conversely, does he have a “hot zone” (a pitch or location that he routinely crushes)? All of this information becomes that much more pertinent as you get closer to that pay-off pitch (3-2).
Base runners will also have a great effect on pitch selection. Is the runner on first a threat to steal? Better make sure you are getting the ball to your catcher quickly. You typically won’t throw too many change-ups or sweeping curves for fear that it will guarantee success on a stolen base attempt. With less than two outs and base runners on, you have to work for a ground ball. That means you are basically done working the upper-half of the batter’s strike zone. You may even “pitch to contact” (stay inside the strike zone at all times) in an effort to draw a double-play. Certain pitches may be taken out of the pitchers repertoire with a runner on third. Nasty breaking pitches and split-finger fastballs may be considered too dangerous to unleash for fear of a run scoring on a past ball.
Next time you watch a baseball game on TV, try to guess what pitch will come next and where it will be thrown. Think like a pitcher, and I guarantee you’ll have a much more “exciting” time.
Heavy Rain Review
Heavy Rain. Love it. Hate it. Seemingly those are the only two emotions one will have while playing Quantic Dream’s PS3 exclusive. For the most part, critics have applauded it as a breakthrough . Metacritic compiled over 70 reviews with scores of 90 or higher, including 8 perfect 100 scores. These feeling are not universal, though, as there are multiple scores in the 40’s as well. The average critic score is an 87 while the average user score is a 6.2 out of 10.
But if you wanted that info, you would have gone to Metacritic. No, my effort here is designed to help you decide whether or not this game is right for you. First off, this is an M-rated game for a reason. Sure there is plenty of language and violence, but truthfully, it will take a mature audience to appreciate, if not even enjoy, this experience. This game is unlike anything I have ever played, and it definitely ain’t Gears of War. Let’s start with a check list:
Are you a fan of suspense/horror films like Seven or the original Saw?
Are you more interested in the story line than the game play?
Can you overlook an occasional plot hole?
Does the fact that a game can end in one of about 50 ways appeal to you?
Are you a parent?
Are you as trophy whore?
If you answered “yes” to all of these, stop reading and go buy the game right now (I recommend glyde.com for a cheaper package than new/Gamestop). If you answered “no” to all of these, stop reading the review and return to your copy of Bad Company 2. If you are somewhere in between, we need to flesh this decision out a little bit more.
Are you a fan of suspense/horror films like Seven or the original Saw?
Let’s handle the questions one by one. First off, Heavy Rain is not porn-gore like so many of the present day horror movies. With one possible exception (your actions should prevent this from happening), the game shies away from showing you the gross stuff up close. What HR does do well is develop a foreboding sense of dread through the music, pacing, and cinematography. The four characters you play with all have their own theories as to who the killer is and motives for their actions. Everyone is working to unravel the mystery before the life of another child is taken. Most are forced to jump through some pretty interesting hoops. This is the meat and taters of the game. If this does not sound like your cup of tea, don’t waste your time. If it does, read on.
Are you more interested in the story line than the game play?
This is not so much a game as it is an “interactive drama” as its makers are fond of calling it. You are in control of your player a majority of the time, but any of the meaningful action sequences are handled by QTEs (quick time events - basically the screen shows you a button to push and you have a second or two to get it done). The difficulty selection will change the amount of time you have to respond and how many times you can be wrong before you fail outright. At its easiest level , someone who has never picked up a controller will be able to finish the game. At it’s toughest, you will be playing a lot of scenes over. You basically only control your character completely when you are investigating an area for clues or deciding where to go.
The biggest form of story control comes through your conversation choices with the other characters (a model similar to Mass Effect). You will often be given several different options on how to handle a conversation/situation with a single button push. Unlike most games that make this claim, many of these decisions will ABSOLUTELY effect the game. Several times you will see the results immediately. Others do not manifest themselves until late in the plot. This is why I ask if you can sacrifice gameplay for story. Heavy Rain is light on handling the controller and heavy on letting you dictate the story through choice. To enjoy this game in the least, you have to come to terms with that.
Can you overlook an occasional plot hole?
Just as I have promised, I’m not going to get into any spoilers on here, but we need to address the issue of the plot before we go any further. A ton has been written on video game message boards about the various holes in the plot. To be honest, there were several things that I had questions about or didn’t fully understand upon finishing my first play through. However, my second and third play throughs (making different choices) helped to explain away many of these. That said, there were still a few things that didn’t make sense. It lessened the experience for me (especially in a game where the plot is the whole selling point), but it by no means ruined it. If you are the type of person that can’t let the little things go when watching a movie, you should probably stay away from Heavy Run. If you are not an obsessive a-hole, you should be fine.
Does the fact that a game can end in about fifty different ways appeal to you?
The first time I played through the game, I based my decisions on what seemed to be the obvious choices given what was known about the characters. I played it “blind” (without seeking advice or walkthroughs). When I got to the end of the game, I recognized how a few of my earlier decisions, and even my performance in the last scenes, could have greatly changed my outcome. I would have guessed that there were about five different possible endings. It was not until I decided to get the platinum trophy that I realized just how many different possible endings there were. If you are someone that has to know every possible outcome, you will easily need to double your playing time to achieve this goal. I would tell you that it is well worth it. The final two outcomes I saw were entirely outside of how I envisioned the game ever ending.. Along those lines, all but one of the four main characters can be killed early, some in a variety of ways. The game won’t just keep players alive for the hell of it. If you fail, you die, and the story moves on without you. That’s pretty cool.
Are you a parent?
From reading other people’s thoughts on the game, one thing has become apparent to me: this story hits parents a little bit harder than those without kids. It’s not quite written well enough to make you cry, but there were definitely several moments when I could see myself in Ethan’s shoes. I could empathize with him and the emotions that he was feeling. This seems to be completely lost on most non-parents. This is important to note because your feelings about the characters will go a long way towards your enjoyment of this type of game.
Are you a "trophy whore"?
All in all, the game takes about 8 hours to play through. If you want to go back and see every ending, you will need to budget anywhere between 8-15 more hours depending on the choices you made in your first play through. So when it is all said and done, you could be looking at roughly 16-20 hours for a platinum trophy. That’s not bad at all. Plus, your difficulty level makes absolutely no difference when trying to acquire the smaller trophies. Play through the game however you like, then shift it into easy mode to bang out all of the things you missed. If you are a trophy whore, you have no choice but to spend a little time in the Rain.
Conclusion
For what it’s worth, I greatly enjoyed my time with Heavy Rain. I bought the first batch of over-priced DLC. I would consider buying more when it comes out if it is more substantial or more reasonably priced. I will definitely buy any sequel. If you are looking for action, go away. If you are looking for a perfect tale, head back now. If you’re looking to spend 8-10 hours taking part in an entertaining, suspense filled drama, this is the game for you. Thanks
But if you wanted that info, you would have gone to Metacritic. No, my effort here is designed to help you decide whether or not this game is right for you. First off, this is an M-rated game for a reason. Sure there is plenty of language and violence, but truthfully, it will take a mature audience to appreciate, if not even enjoy, this experience. This game is unlike anything I have ever played, and it definitely ain’t Gears of War. Let’s start with a check list:
Are you a fan of suspense/horror films like Seven or the original Saw?
Are you more interested in the story line than the game play?
Can you overlook an occasional plot hole?
Does the fact that a game can end in one of about 50 ways appeal to you?
Are you a parent?
Are you as trophy whore?
If you answered “yes” to all of these, stop reading and go buy the game right now (I recommend glyde.com for a cheaper package than new/Gamestop). If you answered “no” to all of these, stop reading the review and return to your copy of Bad Company 2. If you are somewhere in between, we need to flesh this decision out a little bit more.
Are you a fan of suspense/horror films like Seven or the original Saw?
Let’s handle the questions one by one. First off, Heavy Rain is not porn-gore like so many of the present day horror movies. With one possible exception (your actions should prevent this from happening), the game shies away from showing you the gross stuff up close. What HR does do well is develop a foreboding sense of dread through the music, pacing, and cinematography. The four characters you play with all have their own theories as to who the killer is and motives for their actions. Everyone is working to unravel the mystery before the life of another child is taken. Most are forced to jump through some pretty interesting hoops. This is the meat and taters of the game. If this does not sound like your cup of tea, don’t waste your time. If it does, read on.
Are you more interested in the story line than the game play?
This is not so much a game as it is an “interactive drama” as its makers are fond of calling it. You are in control of your player a majority of the time, but any of the meaningful action sequences are handled by QTEs (quick time events - basically the screen shows you a button to push and you have a second or two to get it done). The difficulty selection will change the amount of time you have to respond and how many times you can be wrong before you fail outright. At its easiest level , someone who has never picked up a controller will be able to finish the game. At it’s toughest, you will be playing a lot of scenes over. You basically only control your character completely when you are investigating an area for clues or deciding where to go.
The biggest form of story control comes through your conversation choices with the other characters (a model similar to Mass Effect). You will often be given several different options on how to handle a conversation/situation with a single button push. Unlike most games that make this claim, many of these decisions will ABSOLUTELY effect the game. Several times you will see the results immediately. Others do not manifest themselves until late in the plot. This is why I ask if you can sacrifice gameplay for story. Heavy Rain is light on handling the controller and heavy on letting you dictate the story through choice. To enjoy this game in the least, you have to come to terms with that.
Can you overlook an occasional plot hole?
Just as I have promised, I’m not going to get into any spoilers on here, but we need to address the issue of the plot before we go any further. A ton has been written on video game message boards about the various holes in the plot. To be honest, there were several things that I had questions about or didn’t fully understand upon finishing my first play through. However, my second and third play throughs (making different choices) helped to explain away many of these. That said, there were still a few things that didn’t make sense. It lessened the experience for me (especially in a game where the plot is the whole selling point), but it by no means ruined it. If you are the type of person that can’t let the little things go when watching a movie, you should probably stay away from Heavy Run. If you are not an obsessive a-hole, you should be fine.
Does the fact that a game can end in about fifty different ways appeal to you?
The first time I played through the game, I based my decisions on what seemed to be the obvious choices given what was known about the characters. I played it “blind” (without seeking advice or walkthroughs). When I got to the end of the game, I recognized how a few of my earlier decisions, and even my performance in the last scenes, could have greatly changed my outcome. I would have guessed that there were about five different possible endings. It was not until I decided to get the platinum trophy that I realized just how many different possible endings there were. If you are someone that has to know every possible outcome, you will easily need to double your playing time to achieve this goal. I would tell you that it is well worth it. The final two outcomes I saw were entirely outside of how I envisioned the game ever ending.. Along those lines, all but one of the four main characters can be killed early, some in a variety of ways. The game won’t just keep players alive for the hell of it. If you fail, you die, and the story moves on without you. That’s pretty cool.
Are you a parent?
From reading other people’s thoughts on the game, one thing has become apparent to me: this story hits parents a little bit harder than those without kids. It’s not quite written well enough to make you cry, but there were definitely several moments when I could see myself in Ethan’s shoes. I could empathize with him and the emotions that he was feeling. This seems to be completely lost on most non-parents. This is important to note because your feelings about the characters will go a long way towards your enjoyment of this type of game.
Are you a "trophy whore"?
All in all, the game takes about 8 hours to play through. If you want to go back and see every ending, you will need to budget anywhere between 8-15 more hours depending on the choices you made in your first play through. So when it is all said and done, you could be looking at roughly 16-20 hours for a platinum trophy. That’s not bad at all. Plus, your difficulty level makes absolutely no difference when trying to acquire the smaller trophies. Play through the game however you like, then shift it into easy mode to bang out all of the things you missed. If you are a trophy whore, you have no choice but to spend a little time in the Rain.
Conclusion
For what it’s worth, I greatly enjoyed my time with Heavy Rain. I bought the first batch of over-priced DLC. I would consider buying more when it comes out if it is more substantial or more reasonably priced. I will definitely buy any sequel. If you are looking for action, go away. If you are looking for a perfect tale, head back now. If you’re looking to spend 8-10 hours taking part in an entertaining, suspense filled drama, this is the game for you. Thanks
Mound ball; Odds and Evens
I first heard of Moundball from a caller on The Jim Rome show about eleven years ago. Finding the action of the Astros game a bit lacking, they developed an entertaining way to get more for their money. Upon emptying one of their $8 beers, they decided to employ it is a kitty. Each of the four friends put a dollar into the cup. They randomly decided who would get to hold the cup first. If, at the end of the inning, the person who recorded the last out tossed the ball back towards the pitching rubber and it stayed on the dirt, the person with the cup would get to keep its contents. If not, everyone would put another dollar in and the cup would pass to the next person. Easy enough. My friends and I gave it a try at a Cubs game later that summer (being 20 at the time, we used a hat). The four of us had a great time with it. In fact, several of the people around us caught on to what we were doing and joined in on our trash-talking.
This is a very easy game that everyone can play. All it really requires is to watch what happens after the last out is made. Every time we play it, we work out the rules and caveats anew. This can be an entertaining process in itself. Our rules generally come down to one principal: the person who recorded the final putout is the only one who can touch the ball before it stops on the dirt of the mound, resting such that it touches absolutely no grass. In other words, if he throws it to someone else, you lose. If he throws it towards the mound and someone kicks it, you lose. If he throws it and it sits on the lip of the mound, resting on the edge of the grass, you lose. There are all sorts of different add-ons and penalties you can apply. The person holding the cup could take his dollar back if the player throws the ball into the crowd. You could win half of the cup if the umpire throws a ball which satisfies the other rules. The possibilities are endless.
Odds and Evens is another such game. It requires that someone in the group knows how the positions are numbered (1=P, 2=C, 3=1B, 4=2B, 5=3B, 6=SS, 7=LF, 8=CF, 9=RF). It also means that you will have to watch the game a little more closely. This game can be played with 2-4 people. Here is how it works: Everyone puts a dollar in a cup at the start of each half-inning. Then the person holding the cup decides to take odds, evens, outfield, or none (odds gives you the pitcher, first, and third; evens gives you the catcher, second, and short). Each person after that gets to pick from the remaining options. If any group makes a majority of the putouts in the half-inning, its owner wins the cup. If one out is made by each of the odds, evens, and outfield, “none” wins or the cup rolls to the next half-inning. Every one puts another dollar in, and the cup moves to the next person. They would then begin the selection process anew. It’s important to remember that it’s all about the putout. If the pitcher strikes someone out, the catcher is the one who records the putout (if he doesn’t catch the ball, the batter can run to first in most cases).
Again, there are a few tweaks that can be made here and there. You may demand that everyone pays an extra dollar if someone’s pick makes all three outs. If you have less than four people, you will face some innings where no one wins. Before the game starts, you need to decide how to handle this (let it roll or add a dollar). You can also attach bonuses to one or all “picks” (ie. A home run means that the person with “none” gets to take $2 out). Again, have fun and be creative.
I highly recommend that you give these games a chance. You can substitute anything for the dollars (gummy bears, quarters, chores, whatever). They have provided a lot of fun for my friends and family. I hope they do the same for you.
Necessary Changes to Save MLB Baseball
April 16, 2010
Welcome to the Fat Man’s (Almost) Daily Baseball Ramblings
This has to be the strangest time ever faced by the Grand Old Game. It truly is at the proverbial “crossroads.” In many ways, the game is stronger than ever. Attendance and revenues are at or near record levels. On average more than 19 million viewers tuned into each World Series game last October. Over the last six years, the league has successfully launched dedicated radio (SiriusXM) and television (MLB Network) networks. Fantasy baseball and internet streaming of both audio and video from every game have also helped to increase interest. At the same time, there are some potentially life-threatening issues hiding around the corner. Youth involvement in the game is down in America. There is greater disparity than ever between the haves and the have-nots. Finally, the overall quality of play (pitching in particular) has diminished greatly over the past 20 years. The time to seriously consider contraction and to define the exact uses of revenue sharing dollars is official here.
“Nice rug, buddy!”
Baseball is a lot like its Commissioner. At the nuts and bolts level, it gives the viewer what they want. They can tune in on any given night and see an entertaining version of its product on display. The problem is that the game is hiding its baldness under the toupee of revenue. Unlike Bud’s, this toupee is gorgeous. It’s Larry Hagman from Dallas‘esque. The amount of revenue currently being generated is astronomical. Even in the face of a horrible economic recession, more than 73.4 million fans chose to throw down an average of $26.74 for entry into the game’s cathedrals. Another 41.6 million tickets were sold at the various minor league levels. Between ticket sales, the freshly launched MLB Network, merchandise, etc., the league boasted its greatest revenue total ever in 2009 ($6.6 billion - only trailing King Football by 1 b). It’s easy to understand why Commissioner Selig would point to these numbers when asked about the health of the game. MLB.TV (the mlb.com service that streams both audio and video of every MLB game live) has also proven to be a cash cow. With the explosion of fantasy sports, more people are hungry to follow every pitch of every game than ever before.
Too Little Little Leaguers
Still, there are issues festering below the surface that, if unaddressed, could spell potential disaster for the league in 10-15 years. At the forefront is the declining percentage of youths who are participating in baseball/softball at all, but especially into their teen years. Little League has seen its enrollment drop by 16% over the past twelve years. These are world-wide numbers and include the massive growth of the game/league in both Asia/Oceania and Latin America. This would point to massive losses in the heartland. Much has been made of the lack of young African-Americans choosing baseball, but little focus has been given to the fact that less boys of ALL RACES are choosing to pursue the game and, instead, are turning to basketball, football, lacrosse, etc. This may prove to be a serious issue several years from now when today’s fifteen year-olds are the heads of 4 person households trying to decide between taking in a movie or takin’ ‘em out to the ballgame. At any given MLB game, a clear majority of the fans in attendance played the game at some point. The bond with, love of, and appreciation for the game is most often formed standing in the infield dirt or outfield bare spot of the neighborhood Little League field. People who have never taken batting practice tend to be less interested in or appreciative of the difficulty of hitting a round ball with a round bat. Many MLB clubs are sending huge chunks of cash south to scout and develop talent in Latin America. The league would be better served to spend some of that money domestically and insure the stability of the game for years to come.
Haves, Have-Nots, and Won’ts
Why do people choose to own professional sports franchises? Obviously it is for the same reason people choose to make any sort of investment - profit. Sure, occasionally you will find a Mark Cuban-type fan/owner (the Maloofs in Sacramento come to mind). Most times, though, the goal of the owner is to see a return on her investment. There are several ways to reach this goal. The hardest way is the Steinbrenner method: start from a place of immense personal wealth; secure a team in a big market; pump a ton of said personal wealth into the management, scouting department, and player payroll; then put a quality product on the field that people will pay money to watch both in person and on TV. There are really only five markets where this is even possible to do: New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, and Los Angeles. Any team outside of those cities will have to follow a different schematic.
The fact that a team is not in a major market does not mean that it is doomed to mediocrity. In fact, almost half of the teams to reach the World Series in the last ten years have come from mid-level markets. The keys to running these teams successfully are to have an extremely strong scouting department, talented coaches at the developmental level, and the foresight to maximize the potential gains as the developed talent reaches either its physical peak or the limits at which the team can afford to keep them. The teams capable of handling this juggling act will consistently have a quality product for their fans to support and, thus, end up turning a decent profit year after year. Occasionally, all of the necessary factors will align and they can even make a run at a World Championship. Models of this approach would be the St. Louis Cardinals, Atlanta Braves, Minnesota Twins, and the Florida Marlins.
The problem, the perceived disparity, between the “haves” and the “have-nots” is not found by comparing these two groups. The problem lies with the “wont‘s.” These are the owners that simply will not invest enough money in their ball club to make them competitive. They take their piece of the revenue sharing pie being generated by the MLB network, the other television contracts, and the proceeds coming from the more successful teams and simply line their pockets. These teams come in three flavors.
The first are the “Developers.” These teams claim to put a premium on scouting and development. They show little to no interest in acquiring free agents, instead opting to let players who are not major league ready fill their openings. Occasionally they are successful at developing some outstanding talent, but often just rush over-hyped players to the majors prematurely effectually snuffing whatever potential they actually did have. The Oakland Athletics come to mind here (the confusing Ben Sheets signing aside).
The “Snyders” are the next group (named after famed over-reaching owner of the Redskins). These teams make no effort to develop their own talent or are simply horrible at doing so. Instead, they reach for one or two middle to high level free agents in an effort to spark fan interest. The problem here is that these owners typically are unwilling or unable to spend enough money to surround their one or two stars with any other talent. Their minor league rosters are perpetually devoid of talent as well. This means another inferior product on the field. The Tampa Bay Devil Rays were the poster boys for this early in their existence, but have since decided to follow the Marlins blue-print. Today, the Houston Astros and Washington Nationals jump out (in fairness, the Nationals had a huge draft in 2009).
The final group are the “Dead Beats.” These are the teams that are just horribly managed. These owners seem to say, “Hey, I can finish in last place with a 70 million dollar payroll or a 40 million dollar payroll. I think I’ll keep the change.” It’s like they look at the team as a tax write-off. Little is truly done in the way of scouting and development. Less is done to bring in true talent off of the waiver-wire. They are the doormats and their product is sometimes worse than a good AAA team. One needs to look no further than the Kansas City Royals and the Pittsburgh Pirates. These franchises have been an embarrassment for the better part of fifteen years with no end in sight.
So where does that leave baseball? What are the consequences of this system? It all adds up to an inferior product being put on display. The league has become completely watered down. The quality of play is down at every position, but no where is it more evident than with the relief pitching. One needs to look no further than the opening night game this season between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees. These two teams combine for a payroll of over $368 million dollars, and yet even they can’t develop a decent bullpen. Sure, they both have gifted closers, but not enough surrounding talent to even get to them. It has gotten to the point where not only are the bullpens completely devoid of quality, but teams are struggling to find competent starters for their fifth man spots. Do people really want to pay money to see a battle between Craig Stammen and Aaron Cook? Really? Infields are littered with not-ready-for-prime-time players. How many unseasoned, ill-prepared receivers have been rushed to the majors over the past five years? Enough that guys like 39 year old Gregg Zaun (Happy Birthday by the way) sill have jobs. The Brewers continue to stick with Zaun and his .148 BA because he is actually capable of managing a game behind the plate. That skill has become a true rarity these days.
“What is the point, Pee Wee?”
Baseball (like myself currently) is suffering from some stress fractures. The pains may only be slight at this point, but if left unaddressed, a clean break will undoubtedly occur. So what can be done? What is the baseball version of the cam walker? The solution is three-fold. First, the league needs to contract by no less than 4 teams. Next, the AL and NL need to be realigned by market size Finally, monies acquired through revenue sharing need to be given clearly defined purposes.
The league needs to contract by no less than four teams. In theory, this would put 20 more starters, 8 more quality relief arms, and at least 2 quality players per position back in the MLB player pool. This would go a long way towards improving the overall quality of the game by simply improving the talent on the field. This should also work to quicken the game. The old adage is that good pitching beats good hitting. If the level of both the hitting and pitching improves equally, one would assume the advantage would go to the guys on the mound. Managers may not be forced to pitch to the match-up so often late in the game as their relievers would be of higher quality. This, combined with a no-exit rule once a hitter steps into the box, could go a long way towards getting the game times closer to 2.5 rather than three hours.
(Aside: The concern over the length of the games is bit ridiculous. I personally have never heard someone say, “I’m not going to that baseball game because it is just too long.” Most casual fans go to the game for the experience alone. When they have seen enough, they leave. College football games run between 3 and 3.5 hours. No one but ESPN complains.)
The four teams that should be disbanded are the Kansas City Royals, Pittsburgh Pirates, San Diego Padres, and Washington Nationals. These four teams refuse to compete for one reason or another. KC, PIT, and WAS seem to be incapable of taking the steps necessary to improve their ball clubs from the ground roots up. OAK and SD currently will only spend enough money to get their talent AAA ready. In the rare case that they do develop someone with true MLB talent, they look to immediately off-load them. All five organizations have proven to be a drain on the league, unable to break through and truly compete over the last decade. That said, Oakland has been strong enough over that time to be considered the fifth team in these talks. The Padres had two nice season in ‘05 and ‘06 but have finished in last or next to last every year since. SD, KC, WAS, and PIT have managed to finish last 20 times and next to last another 12 during that time. It’s time to trim the fat. Pay the owners what Forbes says their franchises are worth and put their players (/w contracts) out there as free agents.
The Realignment
Now down to 26 teams, the National and American Leagues should be realigned by market size. Large market teams should go in the American League where they can more easily absorb the cost of the designated hitter. Purists will scream bloody murder over this, but it is not unprecedented for teams to switch leagues. Not only would such a change even out the playing field for all involved, it would undoubtedly provide some compelling matchups as cross-town rivals go from playing a home-and-home to becoming full-out division arch-enemies. I would propose the following divisions:
American League East: New York Yankees, New York Mets, Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia Phillies, Atlanta Braves, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Cubs
American League West: Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Angels, San Francisco Giants, Oakland Athletics, Houston Astros, Texas Rangers
National League East: Baltimore Orioles, Florida Marlins, Toronto Blue Jays, Tampa Bay Rays, Cleveland Indians, Detroit Tigers, Cincinnati Reds
National League West: Arizona Diamondbacks, Colorado Rockies, Seattle Mariners, Milwaukee Brewers, St. Louis Cardinals, Minnesota Twins
Teams would play a balanced schedule, facing each team in their league a total of twelve times as well as playing nine three game interleague series. Division winners would receive a bye in the first round of the playoffs. There would by four wild-card teams in each league as well. 3rd would face 6th and 4th would face 5th in a one game play-in. The top division champion would host the lowest remaining seed in a best of 3 while the other division winner would host the highest remaining wild-card team. The winners would face off in a seven game championship series. This would only add 1 day to the current playoff format, but would keep untold teams and their fan bases in the hunt for the final playoff spots well into September.
Domestic Development
Finally, changes need to be made to the current revenue sharing system. If the above proposal is adopted, there would no longer need to be a “penalty cap” for over-spending on payroll (the realignment would handle that naturally). The focus of the change should be in two areas. First, a certain percentage of the money must be ear-tagged for payroll (whether that be players or management). There would be any number of ways to get around this, so it may be necessary to institute a salary floor to guarantee at least an effort at competiveness. This floor could be different between the two leagues. Second, a certain portion of the money must go towards development of domestic talent. This could be done by MLB simply withholding the money and constructing baseball programs all across the country. The other option would be for the major league clubs themselves to open these baseball academies. Some sort of incentive for the clubs would have to be offered to ensure their maximum effort. Teams could be given the right to sign up to three amateur players a year outside of and before the draft if those players have spent a minimum of three years in their academy.. This would guarantee a greater presence by MLB clubs not just in their own home communities but in areas without big league teams. It would do nothing but help the game grow. One would think that many more young people would continue to look at baseball seriously if the prospect of a contract was being dangled in front of them at the age of fourteen.
The writing is on the wall. Despite the illusion of health, baseball has some serious issues that must be addressed sooner rather than later. Luckily, the powers that be seem to understand. Commissioner Selig recently developed a panel including current players, past greats, management and agents to look at ways to ensure the games growth and future well-being. Cal Ripken, Jr. and others have been outspoken in favor of many of the ideas laid out in this article. Time will tell, but the future of baseball will be directly tied to how successful the MLB is at getting today’s youth reacquainted with the game and its ability to find the sweet spot of competitive balance.
Meeting Lone Wolf
Memories were Stirred
I enjoyed the above linked piece, Rezhood Redemption. Rez politics aside, it is hard to truly appreciate that which is the small-town professional wrestling spectacle without taking it in first-hand.While playing small time college football, in-season Friday nights were reserved for "family fun night." At St. Joseph's College, this normally included watching the 240 lbs. "Hammer" lead our volleyball team to the cusp of victory before losing "her" ability to elevate late in the last match. This would be followed by the screening of some 80's testosterone-fueled "classic" such as Highlander, Red Dawn, or Vision Quest. Friday's at Hanover College meant Mr. Gatti's Pizza (think Chuck E Cheese without the pedophile in a rat suit or animatronics) and the type of horrible high school football only southern Indiana can produce.
One week late in the '97 season, Coach Perry (HC) informed us that he had arranged for a very special treat. We were to leave our Friday night walkthrough and report directly to Shawe Memorial High School. I didn't know much about Shawe aside from it was a Catholic school in Madison that didn't play football. That meant first and foremost that they couldn't be trusted and also that I had no idea why we were going there (a Catholic school with no football is like a fat vegetarian - something's amiss). My fears were quelled upon walking into the gym and finding before me the fabled "squared circle."
I would imagine that the scene in Shawe's gym was very similar to the one described in the link above. There could not have been more than 450 folks in attendance. Some examples from the demographics of the crowd would have included the following: 98% male, 80% possessing a prior, 40% viewed the event as a possible job interview, 25% high school educated, 25% playing in a football game the next day, etc. It was an interesting group to say the least surpassed only by the star-power found on the card. There were not one, not two, but three World Championships on the line that evening (Heavyweight, Midget, and Tag-Team - that's right we got the full midget treatment on the first visit). Unfortunately, the quality of the "entertainment" wasn't exactly up to Vince McMahon's standards. It was a little bit worse than the fight scenes between Clubber Lang and Rocky Balboa (and no where close to anything resembling Thunderlips). Don't get me wrong; it was still highly entertaining. We cheered and jeered as the non-descript jobber got worked over by the Villian in the heavyweight match. We howled as the Evil Midgets came into the crowd to accost and intimidated several of the middle-school aged patrons. We rose to our feet to engage in some doctorate level banter with the Evil Tag Team's manager. However, nothing could prepare us for what was to come. The Good-Guy Tag-Team (the challengers) came out not as a team but one at a time. First the Golden Eagle entered the ring. He came out with his face fully painted in a tribute to the Ultimate Warrior and donning a wing/headdress outfit that closely resembled the Bald Eagle from the old Muppets TV Show. It was easily the most ridiculous thing I had ever seen. Then the lights went out and the opening guitar lick of the greatest Bocephus song ever recorded echoed through the gym's PA. He was really here, The Lone Wolf. He emerged from the hallway, deeply tanned, his curly mullet freshly greased, wearing a pink and black spandex singlet on. Strolling deliberately to the ring, this guitar-weilding Kenny Powers look-a-like had the crowd at fever pitch. The climax came as he perfectly timed his entrance between the ropes with Hank Jr's wolf howl. It was sheer pandemonium. Twenty minutes later, after sacrificing two metal chairs, a pint of blood each, and more than a few tears, our heroes emerged victorious!!
The whole night was great, but the fact that The Lone Wolf was there pushed it over the top. He was perfect in every way, finally ending our many arguments over which was in fact the quintessential Bocephus song. How could you argue against a song that had produced such a champion? Well, I suppose you could concentrate on the fact that the Lone Wolf needed a tag-team partner, thus cheapening the entire message/spirit of the song. At that point, I'd just punch you in the face repeatedly until either the cops pulled me off or I passed out from exhaustion.
I can't remember a night where I laughed so much, so hard, or so long. Rezhood Redemption helped bring back a lot of my own great memories. Thanks for your time.
Firefighter Hiring Process
The Hiring Process
Ahhh, the hiring process!! Many know you oh so well. The long, drawn-out, intimidating gauntlet a person must run througb to secure the title “career firefighter” can be an absolutely brutal grind. This process can take anywhere from four weeks to six months to complete. They vary from place to place but normally have four different components. There will definitely be some sort of physical component, some series of fire ground-similar activities that must be completed within a time limit (along with an aerial climb). There will also be a written test ranging anywhere from 1-3 hours. Then comes the dreaded panel interview session(s). Finally, most departments will have some sort of fail-safe in place, normally a meeting with the Chief of the department. In the end, it is a time-consuming, mentally-draining process built around the Army credo of “Hurry up and wait!” but is totally worth it when that call with a job offer finally comes.
Personally speaking, I’ve been through two hiring processes (one for a part-time job and one for a career position). From everything I’ve read and come across, my experiences seem to be the norm. Over the next few paragraphs, I will walk you through these experiences.
The Process Begins
The very first piece of business is to find out when the department you wish to get on is hiring. All of the ways you would expect do apply. You can check their website for hiring or employment information. You can call their Human Resources or Public Relations Director. You can even stop by their headquarters, though I would not recommend going to the individual firehouses. Most places will have a two-four week window at the beginning of their process during which prospective hires must come in, request a hiring packet, and return said packet completed with all of the necessary documentation. You can plan on spending at least one day and possibly as many as three satisfying the needs of this packet. This will require you to provide your birth certificate, a criminal history report, a background check, and any other paperwork your department deems necessary. Aside from that, the application is normally fairly similar to any other job app. You will need to list all of your past employers and have their contact numbers as well.
At this point, I need to emphasize being on time. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of people applying for these positions. The quickest and most basic way to be eliminated is to be late. It is an automatic dismissal from most processes regardless of reason. Get your packet in on time, and show up for your tests on time. Be properly dressed and on time for your interviews. It is not an option. Do whatever it takes to be early. Be an hour early if that is what it takes to guarantee your promptness
Kaiser Sled
The Physical Test
The next phase of the process will vary from department to department. For me, the physical test was the first component. Warren Township had a series of tasks that had to be completed under six and a half minutes while wearing a helmet and breathing apparatus (though not on air). The course started by picking up a 75 pound hose pack and carrying it roughly 75 feet to the base of the training tower. You would then proceed to the fourth floor via the stairs. Once there, you would drop the hose pack on the ground and crawl into the training room. There would be a hose line stretched in a right-hand search pattern around the room. You would follow that line until it brought you to a four-foot wall which you would then climb over. Next, you were tasked with crawling or shooting yourself through the equivalent of a large air return duct. This would deposit you back outside of the door you came in. From there, you would pick up the hose and proceed downstairs. At the bottom, you would drop the hose on the ground and report to the backside of the tower. There you would find the equivalent of a 24’ extension ladder mounted on the building. The prospective hire would have to simulate raising it to its full length. The next task was back in front of the tower where you would find a “Kaiser sled.” This was basically a 6’ foot long metal stand shaped like a U with a 40 lbs block sitting in its valley. The firefighter would stand with his feet on the lips and use a sledgehammer to pound the block back three feet. Once the block cleared the halfway line, you would proceed over to the “engine.” There, you would find a ladder that you would be tasked with carrying 20 yards or so, properly pitching against the side of the tower, bringing out to a safe angle, then taking it back down, and remounting it on the “engine.” At this point you would take two chainsaws off of a table and walk them approximately 30 feet around a cone and back. followed by the dummy drag. A 185 lbs dummy would be dragged 15 yards out, around a barrel, and back by any means necessary (picking it up, straps on the shoulders, or a strap wrapped through the dummy’s armpits). Finally, you would walk across the parking lot back to where you started. There would be two 50’ sections of hose laid out on the ground. The firefighter would pick up the nozzle and advance the line 90 feet (75 feet then another 15 around a barrel). At that point, you would take a knee and pull the hose until the first section’s coupling made it to you. If you completed these tasks within the time limit, you would proceed to the aerial climb. Wearing a safety line, you would simply climb to the top of the 120 ft aerial, pause for a moment, and the climb back down (with no time restrictions).
Up You Go
If you have prior fire fighting experience, this test should prove very easy. The good news for those that do not is that the times are designed to give you a chance as well. Most departments will allow you to set up a practice time for the course. You will normally be given a time slot where you can either simulate the whole course, work on specific stations, or some hybrid of the two. Take advantage of this opportunity whether you need it or not. First, it helps. I shaved over ninety seconds off of my practice time when it came time for the real deal (6:15 down to 4:45). Second, it gives you another opportunity to meet the people that you will be working with. These sessions are typically manned by detailed firefighters and/or the people that will be sitting on your interview panel. Show them that you are serious about getting hired and that you have what it takes.
Written Exam
Next up for me was the written exam. Again, different departments will handle this process differently. Here is my experience. Warren Twp. contracted an outside company to come in and administer the test. We were asked to show up at the test site by 8 am. Again, be on time. Once there, we were given a packet of information to study. Inside were pictures of various pieces of firefighting equipment as well as some basic firefighting strategies and tactics. There was a small refresher on some very basic math skills. There were also basic floor plans to houses and apartments. Finally, there were hand drawn scenes with brief descriptions of runs. After three hours, these study guides were collected, and we were dismissed for an hour lunch break. Once back from lunch, we began the test. There was a three hour limit to answer somewhere around 250 multiple choice questions. In the first two sections, the questions ranged from identifying a piece of equipment to some very rudimentary math problems. The next section covered the blue-print pictures from the study guide. Some would ask how many doors or windows were there in a room/building. Others would feature a close facsimile of a room from the study packet and ask you what was missing. Finally, the last section dealt with the scenarios from the pictures at the back of the study guide. They asked about the addresses, times, and other details from the write-ups of the runs. They also asked you to use clues found in the picture to make assumptions about the fireground.
The #1 Ladder getting it done on the Canal Fire, IFD 2009
Some Suggested Study Materials
 | Norman Hall's Firefighter Exam Preparation Book Price: $6.99 List Price: $15.95 |
 | Firefighter Written Exam Price: $17.95 List Price: $19.95 |
 | Study Guide for the Firefighter Interview Price: $43.57 List Price: $66.95 |
 | Firefighter Oral Exam Study Guide Price: $13.63 List Price: $15.95 |
Chief Nicoson in Class A Formal Attire - This is the standard dress for the interview board
The Formal Interview
If your score was high enough to proceed, you received a letter from the Chief containing an appointment to be interviewed by the formal committee. These committee are typical constructed of members of varying rank from the fire department but, in the cases of some large cities, may also includes a civilian oversight board. This is the make or break part of the process. Many people find it very intimidating and/or do not understand how to best respond to the questions. The panel firefighters will typically be in full Class A uniforms (formal attire). They may or may not make eye contact with you and typically offer no feedback after responses are given. There is also normally a camera recoding the entire event. Be dressed appropriately, maintain good posture, limit unnecessary body movements, and when possible look into the eyes of the person you are addressing. Do not over think your answers. You will be fielding questions about why you would like to be a firefighter, what are the most important characteristics a firefighter needs to possess, and what would you do if… This is the key: hit the “anchors.” In an effort to be as objective as possible, most departments will use questions from a national database. These questions come complete with a list of key (or “anchor”) words that the interviewers are listening for. The more of these you hit, the better your score will be. Do not get caught up in explaining one particular aspect of your answer. They do not care. They want you to hit the anchors and move on so they an go home. Be articulate, but be concise. There are several study guides available to help you prepare for this interview and to provide clues as to what key words should be used. A $40 investment on your part will make itself up the first off-day you have on the job.
It is worth noting that the process to this point has been as objective as possible. Years ago, fire departments all too often operated under the “Good Ole Boys” code of conduct. They tended to be closed clubs, open only to legacies and those other white men handpicked to join. Thankfully, this has changed over the past fifty years. Today, anyone who is capable of performing well in the process can get hired. In order to guarantee that their hiring processes are transparent and above board, most departments have gone to using third party, nationally standard tests for both the written and oral examinations. A big part of this was to allow people without a firefighting background to be able to compete with those who have done the job before.
Chief Brain Sanford - Chief of Indianapolis Fire Department
Final Interview
If your combined scores from the written test and the formal interview put you near the top, you will be given an audience with the Chief. This is a last second chance for the department to weed out any potential bad apples that may have made it through the process. It is also the only subjective part of the process. This interview still requires business formal attire for the prospective hire, but is typically much more laid back than the panel experience. You can expect to be asked why you want the job, what are your career aspirations, and why should they hire you. This is NOT the place for keywords. This is a time to be open and frank. What you say and how you say it will matter. It is very difficult to move up the hiring list at this point, but very easy to move down it. Do not say things like, “I want the job for the insurance,” or “Man, you just can’t beat that schedule.” If those are the reasons why you want the job, move over and let someone who is more serious take the position (this is about saving peoples lives). Be honest, but concentrate on what you can/want to do for the community and the department. Be respectful and look the Chief in the eye.
If all goes well, you should be looking at a job offer. Worst case scenario is that you are placed on a hiring list. Always take advantage of this opportunity. I realize that it is less than ideal, but you can continue to apply at other departments while you are waiting to hear. The key is to get on the job.
For me, this process took about six months. Warren Twp. opened their process in August. I performed the physical test in September, followed by the written test in October. The formal interview occurred in December, and my final interview was in January. I was very lucky to get hired in February. The process for the part-time job was similar but much more condensed. There was still a physical and short written test. The written test was over basic firefighting and EMS principals and included no study guide. The interview process was much shorter and less formal, but it still included a second interview with the Chief. The whole process took less than a month.
Feel free to contact me with any questions you may have or information that would help improve this article!! Next, we will take a look at Recruit School and the Probationary Year. Thanks for your
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- So You Want To Be a Firefighter? Part Three - The Most Important Questions
Part Three in series of articles designed to give some insight into the career of a firefighter. This article focuses on the pros and cons of pursuing this line of work. It asks the tough questions a perspective firefighter might not even realize the
Important Questions for Firefighters to Think About
DISCLAIMER: My motivation behind this article is to bring to light some of the less discussed aspects of firefighting. It is a fairly lengthy piece. At times, it is rather graphic. It is written for the prospective firefighter or those interested in learning more about the profession.
I wish I had a dollar for every young man that I have met over the past 6 years expressing an interest in becoming a fireman (obviously there are a large number of young women that aspire to be firefighters as well, but none have ever asked me personally about it). I suppose there are several reasons for this. It’s a great job for young men because it rewards them for being at their physical peak. The work is exciting and the fraternal aspect of the firehouse is very appealing (and let’s be honest, it doesn’t hurt with the ladies either). For the men in their thirties, it provides a stable job with great benefits and a nice retirement package. Many are also interested in finding a job that allows them to give back to the community. On top of all of this, everyone loves the schedule. All of these reasons have their merit, and I doubt that any career firefighter could deny that one of these thoughts have run through his/her mind at some point. However, before someone seriously begins a hiring process, there is a darker side of the job that they need to examine. In this article, I want to take a very hard look at the real pros and cons of this profession.
Pros
There are few better feelings than when you play a role in saving someone’s life. What greater thing can you possibly do? In this profession, I can guarantee you that you will get this opportunity. In six short years, I have already personally been in on multiple saves (heart attacks, car wrecks, fires). That’s as good as it gets.
Fighting fire is exhilarating. The rush of running into a building that everyone else is running out of is hard to describe. When you are with a good crew and you get a knock on a fire, holy cow, you know you are alive. This feeling is multiplied seven fold when someone’s life is saved.
The firehouse is a great place to make lifelong friends. Not only are you putting your lives in each other’s hands, but you are living together for 24 hours at a time. I spend more quality time with the guys I work with than my family. We share all aspects of each other’s lives both at home and at work.
Honoring IFD's first African-American Officer
The job has an awesome amount of variety. No two days will ever be exactly a like. There is so much to learn on the suppression side that one could go his whole career and never truly master it. Chances for advancement are abundant. That’s without even looking at the special operations teams. One can get involved in auto-extrication, building collapse teams, and dive squads just to name a few. A firefighter should never claim to be bored or lacking a challenge.
Firefighters are members of a special fratenity. Local bravado aside, all firefighters are a part of one, international family. They are welcomed at stations all around the world. They will always unite in a time of need to help each other out. It is an honor to join this group.
The schedule is a beautiful thing. For one, it is easy to pursue a secondary income. You can start your own business or work part-time for someone else. Construction, security, retail, and lawn care are just a few ideas. If you have small children at home, you will get to see them more than anyone else you know. It can get a little tricky when they get older, but you can’t put a price on being the one that actually raises your children on a day-to-day basis. The ability to “trade” days is also huge. Many departments will allow you to swap work days with another firefighter for the purpose of getting specific time off. This means that you can normally get that time off you need to go see a recital or the big ball game.
Depending on where you are at in the country, the pay is very respectable. There are few jobs were a 24 year old with no college education can easily clear 50k. Between overtime and secondary employment, it is entirely possible to make six figures. This is on top of having above average benefits and a great retirement package. Again, this may vary from place to place, but these departments are out there (I work for one).
There are several fringe benefits that come along with the job. Getting to ride in or drive the emergency apparatus is pretty cool. People love firefighters. Perhaps no other profession is as appreciated by the public, Firefighters get all sorts of discounts while on duty. To that end, you have a huge social network. A firefighter that pays full price for anything is a fool or a sourpuss. Finally, it’s always a good time to shoot the breeze after dinner, watch the big game, or take in a good movie with your buddies. Nothing beats getting paid to watch the Super Bowl.
The Number 1 Ladder
Cons
The first question you have to ask yourself is, “Will I go in?” It’s one thing to go through training. It’s completely another to go into a building you are unfamiliar with in close to zero visibility and intense heat. Obviously, everyone who pursues this line of work has to ask themselves this at some point. This question takes on a different tone when you look at it from a 9/11 perspective. If you are called to a situation like that, where you are facing a high probability of death, but you may be able to save a large number of people first, ARE YOU GOING IN? Well, are you? You’re not a coward if the answer is no, but you should also look into a different line of work.
As exhilarating as saving someone’s life is, it can be equally painful when you fail. Can you handle the fact that sometimes your best isn’t going to be good enough? How will you respond the first time a mother hands you her dead baby and demands that you bring it back to life? There’s not a lot that you can do to prepare for that moment emotionally. You may find yourself responding on someone you know, or God forbid, a family member. Do you have what it takes to keep it together and be your best on that run?
The Fightin' Two Sixes
Firefighters and police officers get called when people and events are at their worst. Every firefighter is going to experience a high volume of traumatic sights. Personally, I’ve seen men shot up by automatic weapons, heads literally split open like a PEZ dispenser, bodies that have been dead for weeks, and wounds where the skin, muscle, and bone are splayed open to the core (and that’s not getting into dead prostitutes, overdoses, and severed limbs). If there is a way for someone to die, firefighters are going to deal with it. Perhaps worse, you are going to have situations where the person is going to die, but they don’t realize it yet. What are you going to say to that person? Can you just file those types of images and experiences away and move on? Some people can; some can’t.
Firefighters develop cancer at an unbelievable rate. A study by the University of Cincinnati found the following to be true:
“Researchers found firefighters have a 100-percent higher risk of developing testicular cancer, a 50-percent higher risk for multiple myeloma and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and for prostate cancer it's a 28-percent increased risk, compared with nonfirefighters.”
There is very little that can be done about this. Due to the nature of the job, firefighters are constantly breathing carcinogens (not just on the fire ground but also in their apparatus bays). One has to be diligent in his/her wearing of protective breathing apparatus on all fire scenes. Far too many times we do not “pack-up” for car fires (and they are probably the worst culprits). The retirement package is great, but only if you get to use it.
IFD Station 44 - The Taj Mahal
The firehouse can be a marriage killer. It is widely accepted that roughly three out of every four firemen have been or are getting a divorce. This is true for a lot of reasons. Your spouse will not have any idea of what you are going through (unless he/she is in the same line of work or military). They may or may not offer you any support. Being gone for 24 or more hours can put a strain on a relationship as well, especially if there are kids involved. This schedule makes it easy for infidelity to occur with either party. If a firehouse is split between married and single folks, the wild and fun life of the unattached can seem very appealing to those feeling underappreciated or frustrated at home. The job has also been known to lead to drinking. In fact, the two have been tied together forever. In the old days, it was on duty. Nowadays, it is more likely that people are partying with their peers or self-medicating to deal with the stress. This never helps a marriage. It takes a special person to be a firefighter’s spouse.
TAC 1 - Part of the Building Collapse, Trench Rescue, and Confined Space Rescue Team
There’s a ton of ego in the fire department. The job attracts (and needs) the best Type A personalities available. Just as iron sharpens iron, men sharpen men. This means that confrontation and tension are common place. These can quickly drain the joy out of going to work. Many times these arguments just come down to two grown people acting like kids. If they go unaddressed, they will be a serious stressor, not just on the two in the dispute, but for everyone in the house (and sometimes beyond).
It’s a strange kind of satisfaction. As mentioned above, helping those in need is the best part about the job. Many times, you will find yourself getting emotionally involved with the patient. It becomes personal that they reach the best possible outcome. Sadly, you may never find out what happened after you turned over their care to a physician. It is rare that any contact is made by a patient or their family after an event. In the end, you are most often left with the simple knowledge that you did your best.
The schedule can play hell on your nerves. First, especially early in your career, you will be on constant edge in the firehouse. I remember hurrying as fast as I could every time I went to the bathroom or took a shower for fear that the tones would go off, and I would be caught with my pants down so to speak. It takes a while before you can calm down and get any real sleep at the firehouse, not to mention the fact that you may be out all night on a fire or EMS calls. Hopefully you can come home and get some rest. The issue then becomes how much and when. Sleeping until noon after an all-nighter will make it that much harder to go to bed at a normal hour later that night. If you are not careful, you can find yourself 8, 12, 40 hours of sleep behind. Don’t laugh; it’s easier have happen than you think.
Conclusion
I hope this article gave you some things to think about. I have been on the job for just over six years now and firmly believe that it is the best job in the world. There are many things that I truly love about it. At the same time, there are things that I wish I could change. That’s going to be the case with any job that you pursue. With this job, you just need to make sure you can handle it at its worst.
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