DS and PSP at last, the NHL, my sports fanaticism

As an avid video gamer, this year's E3 meant two things: new handheld systems from Nintendo and Sony. The Nintendo DS looks cool, but you have to admit that Sony's PlayStation Portable [PSP] looks quite a bit cooler. I just hope that both systems can live up to the hype because let's face it, I'll more than likely end up owning both. Though I have to say, the prospect of playing multiplayer Mario 64 on a portable with BlueTooth is white hot. Mario 64 was one of the best games ever (best in the Mario franchise, with Super Mario World as a distant 2nd) and an added twist like this could really be fun. The DS and the 2nd 'touchscreen' could really be cool additions, but that PSP looks damned sexy. I wonder if it will actually be small enough to keep in my pockets though - one of the definite advantages of the geek-chic GBA SP.

Pedro Martinez had a typical performance tonight, shaky first inning then utter dominance. 11 Indians got fanned, and the Sox got back in the win column. Now that's what I like to see.

I often get blasted by some of my friends for being such an avid hockey fan. I don't mind it, they honestly don't understand the game at all or any of the inherent strategy, so it's boring to them. A lot of people nowadays feel the same way about Major League Baseball, but come on. Hockey is the fastest of the four major sports, and if you can't understand what's going on, just say so. Bashing it is your prerogative, but don't expect me to bother listening to your rationale. So go Thrashers.

In case you haven't noticed, I'm what people call an "avid sports fan" - being labelled as fairweather is something I don't tolerate. Changing allegiances of sports teams, to me, is a very difficult thing to do. When the San Jose Sharks were established in the early 90s, I jumped on their bandwagon and was a very avid Sharks fan until early 2002, when I decided to become an Atlanta Thrashers fan. Why? I couldn't identify with the Sharks, the players I grew up liking all got traded or retired, and I was living in Atlanta at the time and after watching Heatley and the boys play on Turner South on a daily basis, I really couldn't help but to root for the youngsters. The shift from Seminole to Yellow Jacket wasn't as tough as I thought it would be, and it's remarkable now to look back and see that in the past 5 years, I've changed my attitude completely towards FSU. I no longer bleed Garnet and Gold, but White and Gold. I'm a die-hard Yellow Jacket, and I love it. I think the last 5 years as a GT boy have felt better than the previous 18 felt as a Criminole. So go Buccaneers, Yellow Jackets, Red Sox, and Thrashers. I'll root for you in good times and bad, because where's the fun in only rooting for winners all the time? Don't you need to suffer some losses to make those victories even more worthwhile and special?