comment catchup

Nathan: If MaddenChallenge has a feedback box, they keep it hidden pretty well. They have message boards, but I don’t expect they actually read them. I haven’t thought about checking the auto-response registration e-mails they sent me to complain till just now, so maybe that’s my only out.

All in all, I think I probably would’ve been happier using an extra $10 to go the IWA show instead of wasting my day at Navy Pier. (This is the segment of the show where I pretend I’ll drive to Highland for either day of the TPI.)

Donald: Did you really respond to eight different blog entries in like fifteen minutes? How many RJ names are you going to drop? Are you insane?

No women? Does that mean The Anti-Christ is finally sick of boob jobs?

Nah, I think they just want to get someone likely able to go right away instead of being a manager, and it’s to balance only women in the Diva Search.

There’s always room for more boob jobs.

I’m sure The Lizard will write HAVE October 16th OFF on his wristband.

Uh, good for the Lizard.

(People on AIM gave me the “why do you care, the Cubs will be long done by then” taunt, in case non-AIM people were wondering how that slipped by.”)

I think if you look up oopensecrets.org you’d find Linda McMahon is a VERY interested contributor to politics.

For those who didn’t check that out, the search result is here. As a business owner(/homemaker? Huh? I don’t think Stone Cold was CEO at the time), you shouldn’t be surprised she’s a fan of the elephants.

If Kris Benson doesn’t come back, then it was a stupid trade. Until then, I’ll laugh at the Stankees choking.

Benson one may be salvajable, but he seemed more like a media creation this year, based on the void of people to talk about. (The new Jeff Weaver!) The Zambrano/Kazamir one….

I’m 8-1 in the 2004 season of the DAL franchise, with the loss in OT. Running seems to be a bad idea with M05, so unless you have a passel of skilled WRs, you’re gonna last as long as Mrs. Scott Erickson on MNF.

Playing Pro? All-Pro? I finally got around to starting a franchise this week with other people, and had no problems on All-Pro vs the Patriots even before they started pulling guys. I guess it was the ol’ training at 100x normal gravity trick.

The one great thing about having done the Madden Challenge is I learned how to scramble for positive yards with a QB, since I was actually using a non-pocket guy for once. I was able to run traditionally a little bit (but in the second half, against the second line) but I’m thinking most of my ground gains are going to be on McNabb this year.

I was supposed to go broke this hand, but I didn’t like the way he raised the pot-Phil Hellmuth

The worst part of this year’s main event is the sheer numbers cause 90% of the interesting people to disappear. Even the really annoying ones.

Kevin – wait, who’s Kevin?: I was wondering what you thought about Team Midget in TAR5…

Liked them for seeming to actually enjoy the trip, disliked them when it seemed to be a camera catching act, annoyed at their “she’s a midget! we’re going to prove people wrong about being a midget!” single mindlessness, looked as bad as Colin/Christie until Colin lost his mind this week, expected them to get oddity fame (which they did), engaged in a never ending debate whether non-midget was Hot or Not (I took Not), surprised they didn’t rig the show to keep them on at least one week more. I think that covers it.

Nathan: Leaving *all* eliminations up to fan voting for a contract worth up to $1,000,000? I think we might see some people “drop out” that the fans like but the company thinks are worthless clods.

I’d think that, but I’m watching the company hate on Carmella (or it’s quite a work to create a new heel valet) and not finding some way

Maybe they’ll learn lessons from Diva Search in order to control the puppet strings better, but who knows. I’d hope there’d be 8 people out there the WWE would be happy to have win no matter, but it’s up to casting to find them.

I don’t think I hit this hard enough before: It’s very strange they’d completely avoid the New York/Philadelphia region for casting. They haven’t said “no indy wrestlers” and I’d think this kinda position would require indy guys who’d be able to perform in the ring ASAP, but they’re shying away from the locations they’re usually found. There’s no high profile groups based in New Orleans, there’s some in Florida and I suspect a lot of guys will show up in LA.

Regardless of what happens during, whoever wins has to be having matches the week after it’s over, and has to look good doing for this to work. Taping SmackDown! can only help so much. They’ll get a honeymoon with the bookers (I already forsee the winner dropkicking Maven out), but the glow of being the fans choice will wear off awful quick if they suck.

Choosing untrained guys and trying to turn them into wrestlers people don’t turn away from in eight weeks is near impossible. Maybe Al didn’t win. Maybe the need to start the casting now and give some room for training before they get to TV.