I say "ideal field goal range" because those aren't always guaranteed shots. Billy Cundiff and Baltimore Ravens fans know this first-hand, as Cundiff missed a 32-yard field goal - one yard longer than Tynes' kick - that would have tied their game with the New England Patriots and almost certainly put the AFC Championship game into overtime. Cundiff doesn't use Twitter (to our knowledge) so he at least doesn't get to see the threats from people who talk without fear of repercussion, hiding behind an alias behind a computer keyboard or smartphone.

Or worse, maybe they're not showing false bravado. Maybe they would physically attack Williams or Cundiff because of those plays. "Fan" is short for "fanatic" for a reason.

Both mistakes are excusable - Cundiff's kick was rushed despite the Ravens having a time out to allow the kicker to set up. Cundiff and the kicking team were running onto the field as seconds ticked away, and the ball was snapped with barely a second left on the play clock.. Williams had the ball stripped from him, carrying the ball during a rainstorm. This wasn't a muffed punt or his running and dropping the ball; Williams was hit, and a slick football popped out as a result. Had it happened midway through the third quarter, it gets forgotten. Since it happened at the end of the game, it suddenly becomes THE PLAY that ended the season for the 49ers, when in reality it's not; it's just the last play of the game for the 49ers offense.

Think Williams and Cundiff feel like crap? Of course they do. Think their teammates are blaming them for losing the game? Probably not, and if they are, they're wrong.

A story: back in ancient times when I was maybe 11 or 12 years old, I was a pretty good bowler. I was on a very good bowling team, and we would win league trophies and all that kind of thing. I started bowling when I was eight, partly because it looked like fun, and partly because the bowling alley was the only thing that resembled an arcade within 15 miles of my house.

One year, while we were putting together a pretty good bowling season, my teammate's mom signed us up for some bigger tournaments. We would do this every so often - bowl at a nicer alley with gobs of other people, eat lunch at the Ground Round, and see what kind of video games the other alleys (and the Ground Round for that matter) had. But this season she signed us up for a team event, and we did pretty good. In fact, before we left, we were told that we had the best score in the tournament. This was a major score for us - it meant a trip upstate and staying in a hotel and all that kind of stuff that seems really cool when you're 12.

Later on we learned that another team had tied our score, and that we would have to travel back to the same alley we had bowled at before (no trip upstate, no hotel) to have a tiebreaker. From there, the magic disappeared, and we had our butts handed to us. No trip, no hotel - just a cheesy plaque that read "co-champions" that may or may not be in my mom's attic.

My point is that after we lost, I thought about the tie and how close we were to going upstate. We were five-person teams, so you're talking about five people, three games a piece, 150 frames of bowling.

One pin.

Have you ever been bowling? Have you ever thrown a perfect ball and had one pin just not go down, or come this || close to picking up a spare, or slip a little bit and miss the 7 or 10 pin? Of course. That's bowling. Crap like that happens every game (except the perfect ones).

But there we were, the five of us, thinking of not how we should have made a bunch more strikes, but how we should have gotten an eight instead of a seven in the sixth frame in the second game.

Because if we got that eight instead of a seven, or if we had picked up at least one of the pins in the 4-10 split in the second frame in the third game, or any other random stuff like that, we'd be going upstate, and we never would have seen a tiebreaker.

But the thing is, we didn't turn on each other, despite the fact that I'm sure every one of us could have pointed out errors the other four of us made. No one bowled a 300 game, so we all missed something. Instead, we sat there and picked apart the most minute details of those three games, something I'm sure the Ravens and 49ers are doing right now. One play where they could have played better, where if they hadn't done some mistake or made some minor misstep, something else might have happened and the Ravens wouldn't have had to turn to Cundiff to tie the game, or the 49ers wouldn't have been in overtime in the first place. Football is great for the butterfly effect; one play - one denied first down, or an extra five years, changes the approach to the game and causes different things to happen. If a defensive player makes a better tackle, the team doesn't get closer to making a first down. Someone gets called for a holding penalty and allows a drive to continue which doesn't directly result in a score, but causes a punt that puts the other team deeper into their own territory.

Yet it will be Billy Cundiff and Kyle Williams that will forever be linked to the Raven and 49er losses, just as I might have if I had thrown a gutter ball in the last frame of the final game. Well, and if millions of people had a fanatical interest in preteen regional team bowling.

It's not fair to Cundiff or Williams or Scott Norwood or Gary Anderson or Earnest Byner or countless others, but it's part of being a professional athlete, a part that isn't often thought of when discussing giant salaries and other luxuries that are part of a pro athlete's life.

[photo courtesy BayArea.com]

I turn the clock back to June 1989. (It is my flashback, and I can do what I want.) Glen Rice is available in the draft. Glen Rice has been drilling jump shots for the University of Michigan and, depending on what book authors you believe, is possibly a future Republican vice presidential nominee, as well.

Now, I'm no editor, but I KNOW that's not what Mike Downey wrote. This is what Mike Downey wrote:

 I turn the clock back to June 1989. (It is my flashback, and I can do what I want.) Glen Rice is available in the draft. Glen Rice has been drilling jump shots for the University of Michigan and, depending on what book authors you believe, is possibly a future Republican vice presidential nominee, as well.

See, Mike Downey's dropping a reference to a report that Rice hooked up with Sarah Palin back in 1987 while she was a sports reporter in Alaska and he was a junior at the University of Michigan. The Wolverines went to Alaska to be part of the Great Alaska Shootout and... yeah, you get the idea.

While the implication wouldn't be that bad in the story, the wording is a bit "PG-13" for the Worldwide Leader and their Mickey Mouse overseers, so the editor kicked in a little extra wording to take the focus away from Rice and Palin's love connection without having to throw away a paragraph of content, and at the same time have us eagerly awaiting Mitt Romney naming the former Heat, Hornets, and Lakers star as a running mate.

So I'm standing in line to pick up a game I ordered through Best Buy's website (at 50% off - again, Best Buy can be good if you know what to use them for) when I see this at the customer service/pick up desk:

[click for larger image, and excuse the blurriness]

The ad was offering a "package deal", where you could get Apple's Smart Cover (a nifty device), a ZAGG Invisible Shield, and "Geek Squad ZAGG Invisible Shield Installation" FOR ONLY $84.97. Sure, doing the math, this was a good deal for the package: $39.99 for the Smart Cover, $24.99 for the SHIELD, and $39.99 for the install is $104.97, so Best Buy is helping you save $20. Isn't that SWELL of them?

OK, here's the thing. An Apple Smart Cover (made by Apple) retails through them for $39, so there's a 99 cent markup there. That's normal. The ZAGG Invisible Shield is $29.99 on their website, so Best Buy's retail price there is actually $5 cheaper. It's the INSTALL that blows my mind, mainly because the Smart Cover is held on by magnets. Hell, Apple's major selling point to the thing is how mind-numbingly easy it is to put on and take off. No really, watch the video on their site.

As for the Invisible Shield? IT'S A STICKER. Granted, a very protective sticker that does well protecting your iPad from scratches, but it's still A STICKER. For what amounts to $20 ($40 if you don't do the package deal), a Geek Squad tech will put down his sandwich for a second, stick a magnet and sticker on your iPad, then go through your pictures, watch porn on it, and play Angry Birds for a few days before you can come pick it back up.

If Best Buy actually wanted to look a little better in peoples' eyes, they might try a more customer-oriented approach to their sales tactics. Apparently, the Apple Store will put the Invisible Shield on your iPad if you buy it there - no charge. But that's the kind of thing you expect from an Apple Store, and sadly what I described earlier is what you'd expect from Best Buy.

So one of the big gifts we're getting this year as a family is an XBox 360 (with Kinect). I say "as a family" because everyone who knows me just assumes it's for me, but I'm still trying to argue that it's for the whole family. That's where the Kinect comes in, along with the games I've bought for it. We already have a Wii (which I bought years ago, back when having a Wii was cool and groundbreaking and other superlatives) but it's starting to show its age. Plus, my kids tend to be complete dorks when it comes to the Wii, not seeming to understand that you're supposed to aim the remote at the screen. So they jump, they contort their bodies in various directions, and get none of the desired outcome. My kids aren't dumb by any means - they just become dumb when the Wii control gets in their hands.

With the Kinect, we hope to use this idiocy for good instead of evil. The Kinect doesn't use a remote - it works off of your entire body movement, so when my three-year-old hops around like an idiot, his video game counterpart will hop around like an idiot, which is what he wants in the first place. Bowling in Wii Sports is a lot of fun once you understand the concept of "push A to start, hold down B, pull your arm back WHILE STILL HOLDING DOWN B, then swing forward and let go of the B button WITHOUT LETTING GO OF THE CONTROL. While you may read that and think "that's easy", explain that to a three-year-old. We've never had a thrown control, but I've considered it several times while trying to get the kids to follow every step. On the Kinect, swing back and forward, and you threw the bowling ball. That's it - no buttons, no 13 tries to get the ball down the alley, no projectiles shooting towards the plasma screen.

I had almost picked up the XBox 360 w/Kinect package from Walmart on Black Friday when the thing was $199 + $50 gift card (the thing retails for $299), but decided against it because we really didn't have the money and I still saw it as a present more for myself than for the kids. (I'm told I probably didn't want to be at Walmart that evening anyway). A few weeks later, my mom sent us some money to buy presents for the kids and when Target offered an $80 giftcard with purchase we jumped - not as good as the Black Friday deal, but in-hand and acquired. It came with one game - Kinect Adventures - which from reviews seemed like what you'd expect from an included game - something that shows off the technology, but not good enough to buy on your own. More games would have to be purchased, but what they'd be, we weren't sure. I decided that if I were to pick up games, I'd probably pick up a dance game (the kids love to dance in general and loved Just Dance for the Wii) and a sports game (since they dig Wii Sports). Two of the best-selling games for the Kinect fit that requirement and were well received - Dance Central and Kinect Sports. The problem was that both games had recently come out with sequels - and while I figured I would aim towards Dance Central 2 (I could identify many of the songs in the game as ones that not only I knew but the kids knew and liked), but the Kinect Sports games were a toss-up; the original had bowling (our favorite Wii Sports game) and boxing, while the other was newer and featured baseball and football. I figured I'd wait and see what sales came up - money would make my decision for me.

As it turned out, my first game wasn't any of those. Amazon's "Lightning Deals" had a day of deals just for video games. When a deal is coming up, sometimes they give a clue as to what the product is going to be, but not the price. By the description, the game was going to be Kinect Disneyland Adventures - a game that my five-year-old gushed about seeing the commercials. I had my wife confirm whether he still thought it was cool (he did), so I watched to see what price it was going to go for. I had a price in mind - Kinect games retail for around $50 each, and while I know HT liked the game, I wouldn't jump for $40. I would for $30. $35? maybe. When it came up for $22, I jumped quickly. Good thing too, because Amazon sold out of the deal in five minutes. Now we had two games, and I'd still keep an eye on the Kinect Sports and Dance Central games.

The following day, Best Buy put some of their Kinect games on sale. For half off. The Disneyland game was in the list (too late - already got it through Amazon cheaper), but so were the Dance Central and Kinect Sports games - all of them. Many were showing unavailable online, so I hopped over to the local Best Buy near work (maybe 5 minutes away) and went to see what I could find. I found both Dance Central and Kinect Sports games, and justified all of their purchased by seeing it as a "buy one, get one free" scenario. I was going to buy two of them anyway (Probably. Maybe.) so this way I'm getting the other ones for free. That makes sense, right? RIGHT?

So I came back from Best Buy with four games in hand and the fifth one (the Disneyland one I got from Amazon) waiting on my desk. [Side note - holy crap with turnaround time on the Amazon Lightning Deal. I bought the game at 5PM and had it in my hands before noon the next day. I've got Prime so I get second-day shipping, but I was expecting it a day or two later. Wow - go Amazon.] I was pretty proud of myself:

• Kinect Disneyland Adventures, retail $49.99, purchased for $21.99
• Dance Central, retail $49.99, purchased for $26.68 ($24.99 + tax)
• Dance Central 2, retail $49.99, purchased for $26.68 ($24.99 + tax)
• Kinect Sports, retail $49.99, purchased for $26.68 ($24.99 + tax)
• Kinect Sports Season 2, retail $49.99, purchased for $26.67 ($24.99 + tax)
• Total: Retail $249.95, purchased for $128.70 (total savings of $121.25)

But as it turns out, I wasn't done yet.

While learning about the Dance Central franchise, I learned that those that already owned the original Dance Central didn't have to switch games back and forth to use the original songs in Dance Central 2. All they needed to do was to start up Dance Central 2, enter a code on the back of the Dance Central manual and spend 400 Microsoft Points ($5) and they could import all the songs from the original game into the new game, eliminating the need for the new game.

So, I checked Amazon again - this time, to check and see how much trade-in value Dance Central had. $17.55 it turns out. So I realized what I could do would be to open the game, copy the code from the manual, and sell it back to Amazon. Even better - Dance Central (and Dance Central 2) both came with codes good for 240 Microsoft Points (the price of a downloadable song), so the $5 I'd have to pay to move the songs over would be covered by those codes. Savings update:

• Kinect Disneyland Adventures, retail $49.99, purchased for $21.99
• Dance Central, retail $49.99, purchased for $26.68 ($24.99 + tax), sold back for $17.55, net cost of $9.13
• Dance Central 2, retail $49.99, purchased for $26.68 ($24.99 + tax)
• Kinect Sports, retail $49.99, purchased for $26.68 ($24.99 + tax)
• Kinect Sports Season 2, retail $49.99, purchased for $26.67 ($24.99 + tax)
• Total: Retail $249.95, purchased for $111.15 (total savings of $138.80)

Now most recently Best Buy again has a sale going, but this time a "buy two, get one free" sale on their Kinect games. Having already bought four of them, I swung over to Best Buy again today wondering if there would be a hassle to get them to "price match", since one of the terms of the sale was "excludes prior purchases". I figured as a backup, I'd grab three (or more, depending on what other games were available) of the games so that if they didn't give me the credit, I could just re-buy the games and return them using the other receipt. As it turned out, by now the selection of Kinect games at Best Buy was getting kind of bare, so I was only able to find two of the four games I bought on the shelves. Resigned, I grabbed another Kinect game thinking that if they didn't get me the credit, I could at least get another game at a discounted rate. But when I went to the customer service counter where a lone, cute girl was working (and I immediately felt bad, because I know retail), she had no problem giving me the credit. That is, if I could take a hint:

ME [with just a receipt]: Hi, I bought these games a little while back and now you've got this "buy two, get one free" deal and I was just wondering if I can get credit for a free game since I already bought three.

GIRL: Sure - no problem. We'll just ring up the games first, then we'll return them.

ME: Uh... OK. Because I don't have them with me.

GIRL: OK.

[Awkward pause.]

ME: You're going to ring them up?

GIRL: Yeah, I have to do that first, then I can process the return.

ME: OK. Because, um, I don't think you have all the games here.

GIRL [using the receipt, wondering how dumb I am]: I'm ringing them up now, just scan your card, then I can process the return.

ME: OOOOOOH. Right.

Despite looking like an idiot in front of a cute saleschick, our savings looks like this now:

• Kinect Disneyland Adventures, retail $49.99, purchased for $21.99
• Dance Central, retail $49.99, purchased for $26.68 ($24.99 + tax), sold back for $17.55, net cost of $9.13
• Dance Central 2, retail $49.99, purchased for $26.68 ($24.99 + tax)NOTHING
• Kinect Sports, retail $49.99, purchased for $26.68 ($24.99 + tax)
• Kinect Sports Season 2, retail $49.99, purchased for $26.67 ($24.99 + tax)
• Total: Retail $249.95, purchased for $84.47 (total savings of $165.48 - over 66%!)

So uh, yay me or something.

SPOILERS: there will be some for the current episode, so if you haven't seen it yet, watch it, then read my actual recap over at Pop Bunker, then read this gibberish.

OK - here's what I had. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Episode 2.7 - Pretty Much Dead Already

LAST TIME: Glenn sees THEB BNARN, MY WIFE IS IN THERE they're not people did more for her, you're vague, otis was a hero, i'm pregnant, shane and I, I know

THE BARN

Cooking eggs - Andrea's sharpening her knife and being badass. Rick's looking a little distant. Maggie got that OH NO YOU DIDN'T LOOK towards the group/Glenn, but Dale give him the OH YES YOU SHOULD. Glenn's got to say something. The barn's full of walkers. Uh oh.

Shane looks in ther, because Glenn's a liar. ZOMBIE EYE. Shane - we have to make things right, or we have to go. My daughters still there. We found a doll. YOU FOUND A DOLL. Shane notes that if Sophia saw Daryl and his ears she'd run. Hershel sees those zombies as people. His daughter is in there (Dale says). Shane's pissed no one told him. 

Shane's scoping THE BARN. Seeing how strong it is. 

Maggie's pissed at Glenn, not talking to him. Give me your hat. Puts an egg in the hat and smashes it on Glenn's head. "Why would you waste an egg like that. I think it was rotten.

Carl's doing homework. Carl's not leaving until they find sopia, and he doesn't want to leave after that. Lori says they're not leaving. She's going to like it here - it can be a home. Lori with a hug - oh you poor poor boy.

Daryl's got a saddle. Sophia's mom says he can't go searching. mom says no - he's got a heal. Daryl doesn't care. We don't know if we're gonna find her. I don't. "can't lose you too". Mom's got some feelings for Daryl. Daryl's pissed - throws off saddle and hurts himself. Stupid bitch.

Glenn's hatless. Any chance you've got an extra hat? Dale took it off! Andrea's going off with Shane. I don't know what's goin on with you and him. You may not really know him. We don't need to do this. You don't like him. It's not that. Is that how you want to be - like him? You don't know him. You want to beat me up any time I show concern. You want to get me soem water? Dale's in thought - zipps up gun bag.

Hershel is EATING. Rick comes a callin'. Hershel's reading the bible. We can help you with work - It's my field to tend. Rick says he found the barn. Leave it be. I'd like to talk about it. Leave it be. I need you and your group gone by the end of the week. I talked to Dale - we have our differences. the way we look at the walkers. they may be dead or alive - we are alive. my conscience is clear i gave you safe harbor. This farm is special you've been shielded. It's been a long time. It is much worse than what you've seen on TV. It makes you a worse person. Please don't send us out there again. My wife is pregnant. That's either a give here or a death sentence out there. We would be able to stay and help. I thought about it - you can't stay. THINK ABOUT IT. Maggie hears - she's not happy. Another person not to talk it.

THE BARN - Shane's having a staring contest with THE BARN. Rick comes. What's it going to be. We're negiociating. Clock's ticking. Barn is secure. We know about it now though. Why do you want to stay here if it's not safe? Lori's pregnant. Shane's OMG. We need our guns. We need to stay. You good? Yeah. Shane says *gulp* congrats. Back to barn-starin'.

Maggie's preparing food. Hershel says Carl doesn't need any more of my help. He was being dramatic - they need to find their own farm. No - they're full of walkers. How are they my responsibility? Maggie starts quoting the bible. Love one another she says - that's what mom told her. Hershel remarried. Is this about you and the asian boy? His name is Glenn and he saved me from someone that's "siock" it's not about me and glenn, it's about you. Redshirt says it happened again.

Hershel's meeting with Rick - Rick's going to go search with Andrea. Hershel needs Rick. Andrea wants to help. NO THANK YOU WOMANFOLK.

Lori's chopping food - Shane goes to see her. I thought he was dead. When he came back, I wished he was. Not because I wanted you, because I knew he'd be dead. Rick's not built for this world. How many times have I saved you? 4. Rick showed up late. Rick went to save a drug dealer and we lost Amy. Shane says the baby is his. Even if it's yours its not going to be yours and nothing going to change that. Shane says he doesn't need to.

Shane walks away in Stone Cold mode. Carl stops him. Expression changes. I don't think Sophia's dead. Carl's laying down the law. I know that's what we should do. He says it's bullshit. Lori calls over Carl. Shane says he doesn't want o hear that kind of language out of him .

Shane's in the RV, looking for stuff - tearing it apart. He's pissed. Som of a bitch. You see where he went? Dale? Why';d he bail? Shane says he wouldn't get it.

Hershel brings redshirt and Rick to a swamp area. Two walkers - Hershel knows them. He says that if he wants to stay on his farm, it's his rules, and apparently it means picking up walkers like they were dog catchers.

Daryl shows mom the flowers - remember my vague reference a few episodes ago? Daryl apologizes. Why? Because I think she's still out there. Whatelse I got to do?

Hershel and Rick have the walkers. 

Glenn calls out for Maggie. You told dale - fine. My dad's going to kick them out - I had to tell them. I wanted to. I forgot - I let them lower me into that well like it was fun, like it was Portal. I forgot they were dangerous. I'd wather have you pissed and alive then dead. Hey, Walker Bait - don't call me taht. Glenn - kiss and make up.

Shane finds Dale. Give me the bag. No. You going to shoot me like you did otis, tell abother story. Man, you pretty much dead already -0 just give me the guns. you think this ois going to keep us safe? Just give me the guns. Dale's going to have to shoot you. Dale's ready to shoot - gun is leaded. Glenn keep walking. Shane keeps walking gun to his chest. Dale puts the gun down. This is where you belong. I may not have what it takes to last for long. When this world turned to shit it didn't take m along with it. Dale gives him back the guns.

49 minutes in T-DOG IS WALKING but everyone else meets up. You with me? Shane's pssing out the guns. We need to find sophia, right? He's ready to give Carl a gun. OH SHIT says T-Dog - here come rick and Hershel and redhsirts with the walkers. Shane's going nuts. This is what they're talking about. Shane plugs away at one walker in the chest -w ould someone living come back from that? PLUG PLUG finally a shot to the head. Shane's lost it. He's opening up the BARN. And here comes the walkers - Shane's in loine, Andrea, too, and they're all gunning down the barn. Hershel's on his knees watching it. The whole group - even Glenn (who asked maggie) blowing away the barn. Not all headshots, shocking enough. Dale's here finally - WTF is going on. Oops, there's one left. A young one. It's... well, we've found Sophia.Mom's down, and Daryl's trying to comfort her. Carl's hysterical. Rick walks up - rest are just looking. Rick draws... and pulls the trigger.

Credits.

Shortly after I moved down, 96Rock mentioned that they were trying something for the Hurricanes Stanley Cup run. They'd be doing "everything that rocks", meaning that they wouldn't restrict music to a certain era, as long as it "rocked". This meant that they'd still play the music that I liked, but that the BAB playlist would sneak in there - Hendrix, Zeppelin, etc. It also meant they could play the Scorpions' "Rock You Like A Hurricane" whenever the hell they wanted to, since they were probably getting tons of requests for it during the playoff run. After the team won the Cup, 96Rock announced that "due to popular demand", they'd be keeping the "everything that rocks" format, which disappointed me but I could live with - just don't forget about the stuff that I liked in the first place.

As time passed and 96Rock stayed with their "everything that rocks" format, I got to know the jocks - as anyone would if you listen to a station enough. Salt & D on my morning drive, Alli Morgan around lunch, Foster in the afternoon, and Adam-12 (who would bounce around coverage and finally settled into the evening "sweathog shift") finishing up my drive home. It worked - jocks that weren't trying to be bigger than the station, but being likable. Salt & D were funny but weren't obnoxious or cringe-worthy like other morning shows can be. When Bob "The Blade" Robinson was brought in to big fanfare it didn't do anything for me - Bob's got a history in Raleigh, which is great for him, but I didn't think it was anything to be that excited about. Bob got paired with Foster - I guess to get something more "dynamic" because Foster didn't really have a gimmick and this was drive-time - and the result was mediocre at best. To me, the station started to be skewing "older".

Then came the "classic" debacle.

Last year, the 96Rock jocks started using the word "classic" in connection with "rock". While it seemed innocent enough, it just served as a warning for another format change, albeit a subtler one. By the beginning of this year, 96Rock had gone full-blown classic rock, becoming the WBAB that I had left on Long Island. Maybe a Nirvana song here or there, but current rock wasn't going to be heard unless Rush was coming out with a new album. Those of us who wanted to listen to local radio and wanted to hear rock from the last 20 years were out of luck, something I vented about in this very blog at the time.

Then the station did something I thought was very clever in hindsight. It worked like slight-of-hand, and I think they did a good job of it. In June, already neck deep into their classic rock mistake, they fired Salt & Demetri, their morning drive-time jocks, replacing them with Bob "The Blade" Robinson, who had been doing the evening drive-time shift with Foster. With that generating buzz, they announced a week later that they were dropping the "classic" format and going back to "everything that rocks", bringing back the 90s, 00s (there needs to be a better term for that), and current rock into the fold. So for those of you planning on running your own radio station, this is how you do the radio slight-of-hand:

• Make unpopular controversial decision
• Make second controversial decision to take focus off of original controversial decision
• Introduce popular decision to undo original controversial decision and take focus off of second controversial decision

The slight-of-hand was clever, but the execution was curious. The firing of Salt & D for Blade seemed wise for a station that was aiming for an older audience, but to go back to catering for a younger audience by bringing back the more current music seemed like the plan wasn't greatly thought out. Salt & D weren't at the end of their contracts, nor were they let go for any kind of disciplinary action, so this was purely a management decision. But not to have anyone ready to take over a morning show - Blade never seemed comfortable in a morning role - seemed incredibly short-sighted.

And now we have this - the end of 96Rock. On Monday, 96Rock became Radio 96.1 FM. The response online has been overwhelmingly negative, mainly due to another format change (straight rock giving way to a larger mix of mainstream music) and the loss of all of the jocks, replaced by automated radio. The stations new catchphrase - "More music. Less blah, blah, blah." - comes off as insulting to the jocks that were the human side of the station. As for the reasoning for the change:

You also said you wanted to hear A LOT more music, without a whole bunch of useless talk.  And that's why Radio 96.1 will always deliver "More Music" and "Less Blah Blah Blah."  Our goal is to make Radio 96.1 the best reflection of your musical tastes and preferences.

That was taken from an email the 96Rock mailing list received on Monday. "Useless Talk" apparently consists of studio promotions and interaction with listeners. 96Rock wasn't an overly talkative station, which is what made it refreshing. But people did talk on it, and those people were the ones who made listeners stick around and not go to satellite radio or Spotify or making mix CDs for their cars.

Here's the thing that Curtis Media doesn't seem to get - it's not as black & white as "talk". People aren't switching their radios because of jocks (well, some are, but not the majority of them). People go to satellite radio because they don't want to listen to commercials and they want to hear music that they like. It's not the people at 96Rock - it's the music they play. People will tolerate commercials and a few minutes of a boring jock if they know the music is good. And that's the key - play good music, and the people will listen. They'll come back. Changing things every few months will never get you the results that you want. Instead, you'll get a quick false boost from the change, and then it'll take months to figure out if it actually worked in the first place.

What some radio station needs to do - whether it be WBBB or another station ripe for a format change - is to pick a rock genre and stick with it. Don't cross your generations. Covering all of rock, from the 60s to today, is too much. Crossing those boundaries is easy with adult contemporary because that style generally doesn't change. But rock constantly changes - you don't listen to your dad's rock n' roll, and your kids don't want to hear yours. Focus it on more current (say the 90s to now) or classic (the 80s and earlier), but pick a group of listeners and go after them. You'll never please everyone, but it's a hell of a lot easier to please the ones that you want if you aim for them.

Anyway, if you like the TV show, check out my latest recap here. It's in my usual recap style, so there are spoilers-a-plenty, and lots of random nicknames for characters.

UNRELATED NOTE: I know I haven't been updating frequently but work has taken over a decent amount of free time and I've been battling a cold for the last week or so. I'll try to update more frequently though in the future, especially with the baseball offseason coming up.

When Apple announced that Steve Jobs had passed away this evening, I felt some sadness. Sadness mainly for his family and those who knew him closely. Steve Jobs was not a hero of mine, nor a role model. I don't use those types of terms lightly. But Jobs was symbolic of advancing technology and innovation, of not just taking something that already existed and making it better, but creating things about three levels past that. People think of the iPhone and iPad as the next generation of devices after Blackberries and laptops. They're not - the Blackberry Curve and iPhone 3G were released within a year of each other, while the iPad essentially destroyed a "netbook" trend that was in its infancy and switched the focus to tablets. It would have been like Sega rolling out the Genesis and Sony introducing the Playstation six months later.

But the keys to making the iDevices successful were three things - make it innovative, make it simple to use, and make it very hard to screw up. Innovation draws them in, simplicity gets them to use it, and making it hard to screw up keeps them from abandoning it. People who couldn't program VCRs could now use a computer, search the Internet, or watch a movie with the enjoyment that a little six-year-old had in 1980 with a Commodore PET. My Galaxian is their Angry Birds, and Apple's vision is the reason for it.

People are rolling their eyes upon hearing that fans are putting flowers outside of Apple Stores and holding memorials like when John Lennon was shot. Jobs and Lennon were similar in that both had a vision that was tremendously influential - and in ways genre-changing - in their field. But as with Lennon, Jobs' vision and influence will live on long after his body and soul have left us.

I've read several people say it's the "end of an era," but it's unlikely Steve Jobs' impact is going to end any time soon, both through Apple and through other companies, current and yet on the horizon.

Steve Jobs may have passed, but he will live on for many years to come. Rest in peace.

Who would win in a fight - Bobby Knight or Woody Hayes?

Bobby Knight, because Woody Hayes is dead.

Assuming the two were alive though (and ignoring the age difference), I'm still going with Knight. I think Hayes would start well early, but then Knight would turn the tables with a low blow then start to dominate, busting Hayes open. Hayes would eventually charge back, appear to have the match won, but then Brutus Buckeye (at ringside to support Hayes) would jump on the apron (distracting the referee), allowing Bo Schembechler to run to ringside, throw Knight a chair, which Knight would use to clock Hayes and get the three count. Knight, Schembechler, and Brutus would celebrate over the fallen Hayes, with Brutus removing his head to reveal - ART SCHLICHTER.

At least that's how I'd book it.

What would you have done with Joe Mauer if you had run the Twins back when they drafted him? Would you have kept him at catcher, or moved him to another position?

I'm touchy on the catching subject since catcher was the position I played through most of my childhood through high school. The feeling is that if you have a very good player who catches, a team might be willing to convert him to another position in order to lengthen his career, due to the higher injury risk for catchers than at any other position.

I think if I were Minnesota, I would have probably done the same exact thing. I think catcher can be a throwaway position offensively as long as the catcher fields his position well and can call a good game. Catchers are often a second manager on the field, and it helps the team more to have a catcher who knows the game and makes the rest of his team better than to have a player who hits well but brings nothing else to the table catching just because is capable of doing it and has done it in the past. That said, I think taking Mauer out from behind the plate depreciates his value as a player; he plays the position well, calls a good game, and is a team leader, AND manages to be one of the best hitters in baseball. Putting him at first base or right field might extend his career a few more seasons, but injuries happen there too, and you take away part of what makes him a total package player by moving him.

Would the Carolinas be a better home for the Rays or A's if new stadium deals can't be reached?

Right now I think just about anywhere would be a better home for the Rays, including Tampa (instead of St. Pete where they are now, locked into their lease until forever). While I could potentially see the Rays moving to Charlotte (although it appears Charlotte doesn't actually want a major league team - the minor league Charlotte Knights don't even play in Charlotte), I wouldn't want to see the team move to the Raleigh/Durham area. It's not really a baseball area (sports radio focus is on college sports first, Hurricanes hockey second, all other crap third), and I think they have a great thing going in Durham with the Bulls.

As for Oakland, I don't know if Raleigh or Charlotte is the answer for them. Tampa I think would do well because the fanbase is already somewhat established with their Triple-A team being a Tampa affiliate for the last 10+ years. The A's I think would be best suited to stay on the West Coast if they can't get something in the Oakland area, say to Portland or Sacramento.

Is He-Man the most homoerotic cartoon from the 80s?

Despite the episode of G.I. Joe where Snake Eyes & Shipwreck the sailor dance in a kickline and have to wear dresses, I'm going to have to say yes. VERY MUCH YES.

Best video game out there right now?

Fire Pro Wrestling S: 6 Men Scramble, followed by Baseball Stars and NHL '95. What? I'm sure you could get a modded Sega Saturn around somewhere.

On a scale from 1 (rips tags off of mattresses) to 10 (rips facial hair off of prison guards), where does Ozzie Guillen rank?

3.87. But hearing that he was looking forward to joining the Marlins increases that number greatly.

Should I buy a Mac or a Windows machine?

If you are cheap, afraid of change, work with them for a living, or a masochist, go with a Windows machine.

If you have money to blow, have never used a computer before, are scared of technology, or like feeling self important, go with a Mac.

If you want to surf the net, check your email, and play games, buy an iPad.

In reality, 80% of people who feel they need one of the first two things only need the third thing. But that doesn't stop people from buying Corvettes and massive pickup trucks to drive 6 miles to work (at 35mph) each day, does it?

Runners are on first and third. First pitch, runner on first breaks for second. What should the catcher do?

Assuming the runner doesn't have a tremendous jump, he guns it to second. The pitcher needs to be aware of the guy on third though and be prepared to snag the throw as it's coming past him. If the guy on third isn't paying attention, he can get nailed in a rundown. If the runner is paying attention, that extra half second of hesitation he makes making sure it doesn't get cut off may give him a bad jump and cause him to get nailed at the plate.

How old is Andruw Jones anyway?

Andruw Jones had come out of retirement to fight Rocky Marciano the minute he was 76 years old. Andruw Jones was always lying about his age. He lied about his age all the time. One time Bobby Cox came in here and sat in this chair. I said Bobby 'you hang out with Andruw Jones, just between me and you, how old is Andruw Jones?' You know what Bobby told me, he said "Hey, Andruw Jones is 137 years old." A hundred and thirty-seven years old!

Did Girardi handcuff himself by seemingly not mapping his rotation leading up to the playoffs?

(I got this before the playoffs started) He didn't really handcuff himself, because he was shooting darts like the rest of us were coming into the final week. Outside of CC, it was a crapshoot as to who the #2 or #3 really should have been. I don't think Girardi wanted to lean on Nova, but he's been the most consistent (well, the most consistently "not bad") starter he's had this season outside of Sabathia. I think he would have liked to go with Colon, but Colon looks like he's out of gas. Girardi had to play the hot hand, and the only way to do that was to put those guys out there and see who earned the spot. I think if Dellin Betances hadn't done his best Nuke LaLoosh impersonation in his debut, Girardi would have seriously considered going the Matt Moore route (not that Betances is anywhere near as ready as Moore is.)

Is Rex Ryan's ego too big for the Jets own good?

The Jets should be 1-3 right now, Dallas collapse aside. I don't watch enough Jets games (or football in general) to criticize Ryan's playcalling or coaching style, but he seems like a perfect fit for the Jets, at least from a marketing standpoint. Ryan fits in wonderfully with New York, who know Rex will provide them with quotes and brash predictions and be back page material. From someone trying to sell the team where the #1 team in town has always been the Giants, he's a godsend, and in the years that he's been there he's managed to make the Jets the #1 team in town, bumping the Giants off the back page.

The key problem with this is that while it may be an "image" and not necessarily reflect Ryan in reality, the combination of love from the media (at least going into this season) and his recent success may end up being his (and the team's) downfall. He was given a pretty loaded team that should have made the playoffs the season before he took over, fell into the playoffs his first season (thanks to wins against against the Colts and Bengals who had both benched their starters), then had a good season last year - albeit one that was expected due to a loaded roster. It'll be interesting to see what happens when Ryan faces some real challenges (and criticism from the local media).

Did DC Comics sell out to 13-year-old boys instead of their regular audience?

I didn't read Red Hood & The Outlaws #1, which is the main issue of the "New 52" that triggers this "DC hates women" argument, but I know the controversy, especially when someone lets a seven-year-old read it. In short, they made her 95% naked and 125% horny.

The issue I have with the "repackaging" of Starfire (and Amanda Waller, and to a lesser extent Harley Quinn) is not necessarily her outfit or the image that's "portraying", but more that it almost seems - from what we've seen of the first issue - that Kori/Starfire has lost any character depth she's developed in the 30+ years the character has existed. The fact is that she's never been a conservative dresser by any stretch of the imagination, and always this kind of character that treated sex and relationships differently than humans. But instead of being different and forcing us to look at love and relationships and sex from a different perspective, Kori comes off like an emotionless Barney Stinson, which makes her character come off like it was written by a fanfic hack instead of a paid professional.

Sure, it might be all an "angle" where we learn that that's not really how Starfire is (whether it was planned that way or we get a quick rewrite based on reaction), but when it comes back to the reasoning for the "reboot" in the first place - which is to bring in new readers and introduce them to a product without necessarily knowing any backstory - you have one chance to make a first impression, and that's a hell of an impression you're making with Starfire, and that comic in general.

--

That's it for this week - hopefully I'll get some more feedback and questions and I'll try to knock out another one of these next week.

Since then, I've picked up Hot Springs Story, Pocket Academy, and now Grand Prix Story. The games are similar (run a spa/school/racing team) and my enjoyment of them has varied, with Grand Prix being my current favorite (also the most recent one I've picked up). They also have Mega Mall Story, but at $4 it'll have to wait until it goes on sale - and they often do.

The games are translated from Japanese (Kairosoft being a Japanese company without much of a English website - click here if you know kanji, or here for their tiny English site) so they have that weird Japanese feel to them with characters having auras and culture things like that. But for 8-bit gamers who were into some of the less mainstream Nintendo titles like I was, this won't be a major thing.

As for more games on the horizon, Kairosoft has a ton of them waiting in the wings, just waiting to be translated. Pocketgamer has a peek at their wishlist of games they'd like to see next, and some look quite interesting.

I'll get back to baseball stuff later. I just wanted to share what else was sucking my time away.