Category: Sports

PlayStation 3 Getting NFL Sunday Ticket for $339.95

Sony Computer Entertainment America and DirecTV have announced that the popular NFL Sunday Ticket subscription package will be available on the PlayStation 3 for $339.95. The subscription will let gamers view every out-of-market NFL game. Considering that NFL football is the most popular sport in America, this is an enormous deal. Here’s more from Sony Computer Entertainment America senior vice president Philip Rosenberg:

At the start of the season, viewers who do not currently have access to DirecTV will be able to subscribe to NFL Sunday Ticket at the season price of $339.95. Existing DirecTV customers can access the service on their PS3 for an additional $50 and use the PS3 as an additional receiver for your home.

NFL Sunday Ticket is a DirecTV-exclusive sports package that offers:

  • Up to 14 NFL games every Sunday
  • Full HD for every football game
  • DirecTV’s Red Zone Channel

Like I said, this is a huge deal for the American market. With this announcement and the recent PlayStation 3 price cut, I wonder if any American consumers will use the PS3 as a way to compensate for DirecTV unavailability. $340 is a lot of money, but if you can’t get DirecTV then this is a reasonable option. Hell, if you can get DirecTV but don’t care about its programming packages then this can save you money in the long run.

Are any of you tempted by this deal? Imagine if the PS3 launched with this partnership? The console wars would have played out so differently in America. Also, where’s my Manchester City subscription package for real football?!? (Half-joke)

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[I wanted to post this story yesterday, but my crap web host decided to take the day off. Never use AnHosting.]

What Do You Think of Balrog: Behind the Glory?

I strongly suggest watching the Balrog: Behind the Glory faux documentary. It’s an incredibly well done look at Street Fighter’s Balrog (Mike Bison in Japan) that aired during this year’s Evo Championship Series. It’s a little over 12 minutes, but definitely worth watching. I’d love to hear your thoughts on it! Kindly check it out and let me know what you think.

Kenny Powers: K-Swiss MFCEO!!!

I first watched it while I was still in Hawaii, but this K-Swiss viral marketing video starring Eastbound and Down’s Kenny Powers (Danny McBride) is too good not to discuss with y’all. This star-studded commercial features cameos by Michael Bay, Matt Cassel, Jillian Michaels, Jon Bones Jones, Rey Mysterio, Josh Cox, Mark Cuban, and Patrick Willis.

As a former tennis junkie, I’ve loved K-Swiss products since I was a teenager. However, the company always had this uppity Euro vibe. Using a character like Kenny Powers to make it cool and edgy is just awesome. What do you think of the video? What’s your favorite clip?

Ricky “Wild Thing” Vaughn Admits to Steroid Use

Controversial actor Charlie Sheen told Sports Illustrated that he used steroids while playing pitcher Ricky “Wild Thing” Vaughn in the movie Major League. Known for his love of controlled substances, expensive call girls, and nonsensical statements, Sheen’s admission shouldn’t come as a surprise. Here’s a clip from the SI interview:

I was already bitchy because — let’s just say that I was enhancing my performance a little bit. It was the only time I ever did steroids. I did it for like six or eight weeks. You can print this, I don’t give a f—. My fastball went from 79 to like 85.

I wasn’t doing enough to be completely insane — just a little bitchier than normal.

I think it led to my arm problems because it doesn’t enhance the strength of the tendons and ligaments, it just makes the muscles bigger.

Of course it’s not enough that several professional baseball players used performance-enhancing drugs. Naturally, make believe baseball players used them too. What a silly world we live in.

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Moneyball Trailer is…

…awesome! Hear me out on this one. I loved the Moneyball book. I loved that Billy Beane (portrayed by Brad Pitt in the movie!) modernized baseball’s archaic scouting system. I loved that a lot of baseball people misunderstood and dismissed what Beane was doing with the Oakland A’s; they thought he was all about buying on-base percentage when he was actually all about buying whatever was undervalued at the time. I lost respect for the legendary Joe Morgan for flipping off Moneyball without even reading it. Billy Beane truly revolutionized the way baseball teams are made, the way players are scouted, and how stats are used acquire players.

I’m so ready to love this movie. While I don’t think it will be as big as The Social Network, I think it will be The Social Network movie for sports fans. Anyone with me on this one?

What Will You Remember About the 2011 NBA Finals?

There were so many great storylines in the 2011 NBA Finals — LeBron James’ The Decision leading to Miami Thrice, Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry trying to kill the ghosts of 2006, Jason Kidd trying to get his first championship ring at 37, the ridiculous hotness of JJ Barea’s girlfriend, and more. What will you remember from this year’s finals?

For me, it was refreshing seeing a true team win the championship. So much attention has been paid to the Miami Heat’s 2.5 superstars. The New York Knicks have been getting a ton of press for pairing Amar’e Stoudemire with Carmelo Anthony. A lot of fans were thinking that it’s a two-star minimum to be successful in the NBA. The Dallas Mavericks proved that theory to be incorrect. The team rode one superstar, played fantastic team defense, and used excellent ball movement to win it all.

Also, it was funny watching Dirk dash to the lockers to cry instead of immediately celebrating with his teammates. Ha!

Shaquille O’Neal Uses Tout + Twitter to Announce Retirement

In what must be labelled Retirement 2.0, Shaquille O’Neal announced his retirement using social media services Tout and Twitter. It was a very cool and very modern way to make such a big announcement. It used to be that athletes would contact an important journalist or an established news outlet to leak this kind of information. These days a lot of athletes — and their marketing teams — are taking advantage of social media services for a new kind of buzz that connects them with their fans more directly.

As for the player himself, Shaq was the most dominant center I’ve seen live. At his prime, his combination of speed and power were ridiculous. I’d rank him as the fourth-best center of all time behind Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

What do you boys and girls think of Shaq’s use of social media to announce his retirement? How will you remember him as a player? Where do you think he ranks among the all-time greats?

NBA Finals Hotness: Zuleyka Rivera (JJ Barea’s Girlfriend)

Dallas Mavericks guard JJ Barea is an impressive basketball player. It’s impressive that a man that’s 5’9″ consistently drives to the hoop while getting pounded by players that are taller than him by a foot or more. His speed is impressive. His shot making and crazy passes are impressive. All that aside, the most impressive thing about JJ Barea is that he’s dating Zuleyka Rivera, Miss Universe 2006. Let us honor JJ’s amazing accomplishment by looking at photos of Zuleyka Rivera.

Coffee Talk #357: Your NBA 2011 Finals Prediction

The 2011 NBA finals are set! It’ll be the Dallas Mavericks vs. the Miami Heat. Who do you think will win? Who are you rooting for?!? As for me…

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, Klatch’s Costa Rica Helsar de Zarcero, Amazon’s Mac download store, or anticipation for Italian beef sandiches, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

The 2011 NBA finals are set! It’ll be the Dallas Mavericks vs. the Miami Heat. Who do you think will win? Who are you rooting for?!? As for me, I think Miami will take it in six…but I’m hoping that they lose. Yeah, I feel bad for not backing Pinoy coach Erik Spoelstra, but I’d love to see Dirk Nowitzki get a ring. I’m also dying to see David Stern hand Mark Cuban the Larry O’Brien Trophy. In my head Cuban accepts, waits for Stern to turn around, and smashes the trophy over his head. Cuban, Nowitzki, and Kidd put the boots on him for a few minutes and spray paint “NWO” on his back. That would be awesome.

Now it’s your turn! Please let me know what you think will happen and what you want to happen in this year’s NBA finals.

Who’s Your Favorite ESPN SportsCenter Duo?

I’ve watched more episodes of SportsCenter than any other show in the history of television. Hell, there was one summer in college when my roommate and I would watch it thrice a day. Earlier this week, my friend and I were chatting about the best SportsCenter announcing duo of all time. Who’s your favorite pair?

There are so many greats to choose from. Old-school fans can pull out Chris Berman and Charley Steiner. Keith Olbermann and Dan Patrick are arguably the most famous duo, though some people feel that Patrick had a better vibe with Kenny Mayne. As for me, I’m going with Rich Eisen and Stuart Scott. These guys had a perfect blend of professionalism, approachability, and humor. Watching them on SportsCenter felt like getting sports news from two hilarious guys hanging out in my favorite Irish pub.

Now it’s your turn! Who’s your favorite SportsCenter duo of all time?