MLB 2K9

[Kermit, B.]

I still hadn't won a game on All-Star difficulty, so I cheated and moved down one level to Pro.  I think I'm going to have to move back up.  Pro is sort of a hit parade, although the amount of scoring isn't too bad.  I'll probably move back up to All-Star and just continue losing games 5-3, 3-2, 6-0, etc.

Has anyone tried the Home Run Derby?  It's silly, but I thought it was sort of cool that they added energy (I assume it's energy, since the instruction book doesn't say shit).  When you're going through a round, your guy tires, making it damn near impossible to get any power at the end of the round.  You get a slight energy boost for hitting HRs, but you also lose energy with each swing.

They had that same thing last year (or maybe in 2k7) where the hitter tires.  If you take pitches, his energy comes back.  It's fun, but only if you're playing against someone else.

I don't think you can take pitches this year.  Or maybe you can.  I don't know.  I'll try.

So it swings for you? Shit, that'd be awesome if it did that in the games for me.

I should clarify.  No swing = out.  The CPU took a pitch, and I think it registered as an out.

That doesn't seem right.  I know the last time I played it I was able to take as many pitches as I wanted.  Only swings count as outs.

I don't think it seems right, either.  I haven't tested it, but I swear the CPU was on 9 outs, took a pitch, and the game was over.

[Weebs]

I actually had a pretty fun game of this earlier.  I started up a franchise with the Cubs, and made a few trades.  I was able to send Heilman and Theriot to the Padres to finally complete that Peavy deal.  Then I sent Fukudome and Cotts (why the fuck would anyone want him?) to the Royals for Mike Aviles.  And finally, I cheated a little bit and signed Ben Sheets, then traded him along with Aaron Miles to the Orioles for Brian Roberts and Jamie Walker.  After moving players around a bit, I had a nice lineup going against Oswalt:

Roberts
Lee
Soriano
Ramirez
Bradley
Soto
Gathright
Aviles
Zambrano

The game started off pretty bad, as Zambrano left after the 2nd inning with a concussion and is out for 19 days.  The Astros got 3 runs off Marshall in the 4th, but my offense got things going in the 5th as Lee, Soriano and Aramis all got base hits.  Aramis drove in two with a double off the Crawford boxes, and then Soriano tied it up in the 7th with an opposite field HR.  The game stayed tied up until the bottom of the 9th when Chad Cordero (signed him from the FA list) relieved Samardzija and gave up a few base hits and the eventual game-winner to Tejada. 

Overall, the game was pretty smooth.  My main complaint is the fielding is just really unresponsive.  I don't get my throws timed right because the meter doesn't come up right as I hit the analog stick.  And the infielders move so slow, it's really hard to turn a double play.  I used some custom sliders that Kerm found, but I don't think I was able to tell a big difference.  The CPU was still swinging at everything.  We'll see how things go, but I'm thinking I need to get a PS3.

[Quality Start Machine]

I actually had a pretty fun game of this earlier.  I started up a franchise with the Cubs, and made a few trades.  I was able to send Heilman and Theriot to the Padres to finally complete that Peavy deal.  Then I sent Fukudome and Cotts (why the fuck would anyone want him?) to the Royals for Mike Aviles.  And finally, I cheated a little bit and signed Ben Sheets, then traded him along with Aaron Miles to the Orioles for Brian Roberts and Jamie Walker.  After moving players around a bit, I had a nice lineup going against Oswalt:

Roberts
Lee
Soriano
Ramirez
Bradley
Soto
Gathright
Aviles
Zambrano

The game started off pretty bad, as Zambrano left after the 2nd inning with a concussion and is out for 19 days.  The Astros got 3 runs off Marshall in the 4th, but my offense got things going in the 5th as Lee, Soriano and Aramis all got base hits.  Aramis drove in two with a double off the Crawford boxes, and then Soriano tied it up in the 7th with an opposite field HR.  The game stayed tied up until the bottom of the 9th when Chad Cordero (signed him from the FA list) relieved Samardzija and gave up a few base hits and the eventual game-winner to Tejada. 

Overall, the game was pretty smooth.  My main complaint is the fielding is just really unresponsive.  I don't get my throws timed right because the meter doesn't come up right as I hit the analog stick.  And the infielders move so slow, it's really hard to turn a double play.  I used some custom sliders that Kerm found, but I don't think I was able to tell a big difference.  The CPU was still swinging at everything.  We'll see how things go, but I'm thinking I need to get a PS3.

Are Dwight and Angela getting back together?

[TDubbs]

I actually had a pretty fun game of this earlier.  I started up a franchise with the Cubs, and made a few trades.  I was able to send Heilman and Theriot to the Padres to finally complete that Peavy deal.  Then I sent Fukudome and Cotts (why the fuck would anyone want him?) to the Royals for Mike Aviles.  And finally, I cheated a little bit and signed Ben Sheets, then traded him along with Aaron Miles to the Orioles for Brian Roberts and Jamie Walker.  After moving players around a bit, I had a nice lineup going against Oswalt:

Roberts
Lee
Soriano
Ramirez
Bradley
Soto
Gathright
Aviles
Zambrano

The game started off pretty bad, as Zambrano left after the 2nd inning with a concussion and is out for 19 days.  The Astros got 3 runs off Marshall in the 4th, but my offense got things going in the 5th as Lee, Soriano and Aramis all got base hits.  Aramis drove in two with a double off the Crawford boxes, and then Soriano tied it up in the 7th with an opposite field HR.  The game stayed tied up until the bottom of the 9th when Chad Cordero (signed him from the FA list) relieved Samardzija and gave up a few base hits and the eventual game-winner to Tejada. 

Overall, the game was pretty smooth.  My main complaint is the fielding is just really unresponsive.  I don't get my throws timed right because the meter doesn't come up right as I hit the analog stick.  And the infielders move so slow, it's really hard to turn a double play.  I used some custom sliders that Kerm found, but I don't think I was able to tell a big difference.  The CPU was still swinging at everything.  We'll see how things go, but I'm thinking I need to get a PS3.

You're a real special person.

[Kermit, B.]

I actually had a pretty fun game of this earlier.  I started up a franchise with the Cubs, and made a few trades.  I was able to send Heilman and Theriot to the Padres to finally complete that Peavy deal.  Then I sent Fukudome and Cotts (why the fuck would anyone want him?) to the Royals for Mike Aviles.  And finally, I cheated a little bit and signed Ben Sheets, then traded him along with Aaron Miles to the Orioles for Brian Roberts and Jamie Walker.  After moving players around a bit, I had a nice lineup going against Oswalt:

Roberts
Lee
Soriano
Ramirez
Bradley
Soto
Gathright
Aviles
Zambrano

The game started off pretty bad, as Zambrano left after the 2nd inning with a concussion and is out for 19 days.  The Astros got 3 runs off Marshall in the 4th, but my offense got things going in the 5th as Lee, Soriano and Aramis all got base hits.  Aramis drove in two with a double off the Crawford boxes, and then Soriano tied it up in the 7th with an opposite field HR.  The game stayed tied up until the bottom of the 9th when Chad Cordero (signed him from the FA list) relieved Samardzija and gave up a few base hits and the eventual game-winner to Tejada. 

Overall, the game was pretty smooth.  My main complaint is the fielding is just really unresponsive.  I don't get my throws timed right because the meter doesn't come up right as I hit the analog stick.  And the infielders move so slow, it's really hard to turn a double play.  I used some custom sliders that Kerm found, but I don't think I was able to tell a big difference.  The CPU was still swinging at everything.  We'll see how things go, but I'm thinking I need to get a PS3.

Did you make sure the sliders were loaded?  I thought I was playing a game with the new sliders, but it turns out I was playing on Legend (and it was actually a pretty damn good game).  You have to download them and then load them.  But, yeah, the computer still swings at pretty much everything.  I've gotten slightly better at pitching, and I find if the better you nibble at the corners, the more you're going to get called strikes.  I struck out Jody Gerut on three straight pitches last night by nibbling.  Also, I tried a couple of games where I pitched exactly where my catcher was calling for the ball, even if he's calling the game like a Barrett.  If he called fastball down the middle on 2-0 or a foot out of the zone on 3-1, I threw it.  I actually got pretty good results.

Is anyone else having a really hard time avoiding giving up hits?  I played as the Pirates against the Padres last night.  I know Ian Snell blows, but there was absolutely nothing I could do to prevent Brian Giles and Adrian Gonzalez from doing whatever they wanted at the plate.  I won 6-2, but I think I gave up 10 or 11 hits.

One thing that's annoying the shit out of me that was prevalent in previous 2K games is that one specific inning where no matter what you do, you can't get a damn out.  I got the first two guys in an inning, didn't change my pitching style at all, and proceeded to give up seven straight singles, even though I was making my pitches.  That's just stupid and unrealistic.

[Philberto]

I actually had a pretty fun game of this earlier.  I started up a franchise with the Cubs, and made a few trades.  I was able to send Heilman and Theriot to the Padres to finally complete that Peavy deal.  Then I sent Fukudome and Cotts (why the fuck would anyone want him?) to the Royals for Mike Aviles.  And finally, I cheated a little bit and signed Ben Sheets, then traded him along with Aaron Miles to the Orioles for Brian Roberts and Jamie Walker.  After moving players around a bit, I had a nice lineup going against Oswalt:

Roberts
Lee
Soriano
Ramirez
Bradley
Soto
Gathright
Aviles
Zambrano

The game started off pretty bad, as Zambrano left after the 2nd inning with a concussion and is out for 19 days.  The Astros got 3 runs off Marshall in the 4th, but my offense got things going in the 5th as Lee, Soriano and Aramis all got base hits.  Aramis drove in two with a double off the Crawford boxes, and then Soriano tied it up in the 7th with an opposite field HR.  The game stayed tied up until the bottom of the 9th when Chad Cordero (signed him from the FA list) relieved Samardzija and gave up a few base hits and the eventual game-winner to Tejada. 

Overall, the game was pretty smooth.  My main complaint is the fielding is just really unresponsive.  I don't get my throws timed right because the meter doesn't come up right as I hit the analog stick.  And the infielders move so slow, it's really hard to turn a double play.  I used some custom sliders that Kerm found, but I don't think I was able to tell a big difference.  The CPU was still swinging at everything.  We'll see how things go, but I'm thinking I need to get a PS3.

Did you make sure the sliders were loaded?  I thought I was playing a game with the new sliders, but it turns out I was playing on Legend (and it was actually a pretty damn good game).  You have to download them and then load them.  But, yeah, the computer still swings at pretty much everything.  I've gotten slightly better at pitching, and I find if the better you nibble at the corners, the more you're going to get called strikes.  I struck out Jody Gerut on three straight pitches last night by nibbling.  Also, I tried a couple of games where I pitched exactly where my catcher was calling for the ball, even if he's calling the game like a Barrett.  If he called fastball down the middle on 2-0 or a foot out of the zone on 3-1, I threw it.  I actually got pretty good results.

Is anyone else having a really hard time avoiding giving up hits?  I played as the Pirates against the Padres last night.  I know Ian Snell blows, but there was absolutely nothing I could do to prevent Brian Giles and Adrian Gonzalez from doing whatever they wanted at the plate.  I won 6-2, but I think I gave up 10 or 11 hits.

One thing that's annoying the shit out of me that was prevalent in previous 2K games is that one specific inning where no matter what you do, you can't get a damn out.  I got the first two guys in an inning, didn't change my pitching style at all, and proceeded to give up seven straight singles, even though I was making my pitches.  That's just stupid and unrealistic.

I had this problem with the Show last night. Except I gave up a total of 13 runs in 3 innings. Led me to a lot of "Fuck You" rants directed at the PS3. Even though, I really should direct them to myself but I'm convinced it's all the games fault.

[TDubbs]

I actually had a pretty fun game of this earlier.  I started up a franchise with the Cubs, and made a few trades.  I was able to send Heilman and Theriot to the Padres to finally complete that Peavy deal.  Then I sent Fukudome and Cotts (why the fuck would anyone want him?) to the Royals for Mike Aviles.  And finally, I cheated a little bit and signed Ben Sheets, then traded him along with Aaron Miles to the Orioles for Brian Roberts and Jamie Walker.  After moving players around a bit, I had a nice lineup going against Oswalt:

Roberts
Lee
Soriano
Ramirez
Bradley
Soto
Gathright
Aviles
Zambrano

The game started off pretty bad, as Zambrano left after the 2nd inning with a concussion and is out for 19 days.  The Astros got 3 runs off Marshall in the 4th, but my offense got things going in the 5th as Lee, Soriano and Aramis all got base hits.  Aramis drove in two with a double off the Crawford boxes, and then Soriano tied it up in the 7th with an opposite field HR.  The game stayed tied up until the bottom of the 9th when Chad Cordero (signed him from the FA list) relieved Samardzija and gave up a few base hits and the eventual game-winner to Tejada. 

Overall, the game was pretty smooth.  My main complaint is the fielding is just really unresponsive.  I don't get my throws timed right because the meter doesn't come up right as I hit the analog stick.  And the infielders move so slow, it's really hard to turn a double play.  I used some custom sliders that Kerm found, but I don't think I was able to tell a big difference.  The CPU was still swinging at everything.  We'll see how things go, but I'm thinking I need to get a PS3.

Did you make sure the sliders were loaded?  I thought I was playing a game with the new sliders, but it turns out I was playing on Legend (and it was actually a pretty damn good game).  You have to download them and then load them.  But, yeah, the computer still swings at pretty much everything.  I've gotten slightly better at pitching, and I find if the better you nibble at the corners, the more you're going to get called strikes.  I struck out Jody Gerut on three straight pitches last night by nibbling.  Also, I tried a couple of games where I pitched exactly where my catcher was calling for the ball, even if he's calling the game like a Barrett.  If he called fastball down the middle on 2-0 or a foot out of the zone on 3-1, I threw it.  I actually got pretty good results.

Is anyone else having a really hard time avoiding giving up hits?  I played as the Pirates against the Padres last night.  I know Ian Snell blows, but there was absolutely nothing I could do to prevent Brian Giles and Adrian Gonzalez from doing whatever they wanted at the plate.  I won 6-2, but I think I gave up 10 or 11 hits.

One thing that's annoying the shit out of me that was prevalent in previous 2K games is that one specific inning where no matter what you do, you can't get a damn out.  I got the first two guys in an inning, didn't change my pitching style at all, and proceeded to give up seven straight singles, even though I was making my pitches.  That's just stupid and unrealistic.

Which is it?  Huh?  Huh?  Maybe you need to mix things up?  You know, stand up one time when you're pitching, then lay down on your left side the next time?  Maybe, I don't know, use your left hand on the right side of the remote?  SOMETHING has to make that video be more like real life!

[Weebs]

I actually had a pretty fun game of this earlier.  I started up a franchise with the Cubs, and made a few trades.  I was able to send Heilman and Theriot to the Padres to finally complete that Peavy deal.  Then I sent Fukudome and Cotts (why the fuck would anyone want him?) to the Royals for Mike Aviles.  And finally, I cheated a little bit and signed Ben Sheets, then traded him along with Aaron Miles to the Orioles for Brian Roberts and Jamie Walker.  After moving players around a bit, I had a nice lineup going against Oswalt:

Roberts
Lee
Soriano
Ramirez
Bradley
Soto
Gathright
Aviles
Zambrano

The game started off pretty bad, as Zambrano left after the 2nd inning with a concussion and is out for 19 days.  The Astros got 3 runs off Marshall in the 4th, but my offense got things going in the 5th as Lee, Soriano and Aramis all got base hits.  Aramis drove in two with a double off the Crawford boxes, and then Soriano tied it up in the 7th with an opposite field HR.  The game stayed tied up until the bottom of the 9th when Chad Cordero (signed him from the FA list) relieved Samardzija and gave up a few base hits and the eventual game-winner to Tejada. 

Overall, the game was pretty smooth.  My main complaint is the fielding is just really unresponsive.  I don't get my throws timed right because the meter doesn't come up right as I hit the analog stick.  And the infielders move so slow, it's really hard to turn a double play.  I used some custom sliders that Kerm found, but I don't think I was able to tell a big difference.  The CPU was still swinging at everything.  We'll see how things go, but I'm thinking I need to get a PS3.

Did you make sure the sliders were loaded?  I thought I was playing a game with the new sliders, but it turns out I was playing on Legend (and it was actually a pretty damn good game).  You have to download them and then load them.  But, yeah, the computer still swings at pretty much everything.  I've gotten slightly better at pitching, and I find if the better you nibble at the corners, the more you're going to get called strikes.  I struck out Jody Gerut on three straight pitches last night by nibbling.  Also, I tried a couple of games where I pitched exactly where my catcher was calling for the ball, even if he's calling the game like a Barrett.  If he called fastball down the middle on 2-0 or a foot out of the zone on 3-1, I threw it.  I actually got pretty good results.

Is anyone else having a really hard time avoiding giving up hits?  I played as the Pirates against the Padres last night.  I know Ian Snell blows, but there was absolutely nothing I could do to prevent Brian Giles and Adrian Gonzalez from doing whatever they wanted at the plate.  I won 6-2, but I think I gave up 10 or 11 hits.

One thing that's annoying the shit out of me that was prevalent in previous 2K games is that one specific inning where no matter what you do, you can't get a damn out.  I got the first two guys in an inning, didn't change my pitching style at all, and proceeded to give up seven straight singles, even though I was making my pitches.  That's just stupid and unrealistic.

Which is it?  Huh?  Huh?  Maybe you need to mix things up?  You know, stand up one time when you're pitching, then lay down on your left side the next time?  Maybe, I don't know, use your left hand on the right side of the remote?  SOMETHING has to make that video be more like real life!

Your dad never played any games with you growing up, did he?

[TDubbs]

I actually had a pretty fun game of this earlier.  I started up a franchise with the Cubs, and made a few trades.  I was able to send Heilman and Theriot to the Padres to finally complete that Peavy deal.  Then I sent Fukudome and Cotts (why the fuck would anyone want him?) to the Royals for Mike Aviles.  And finally, I cheated a little bit and signed Ben Sheets, then traded him along with Aaron Miles to the Orioles for Brian Roberts and Jamie Walker.  After moving players around a bit, I had a nice lineup going against Oswalt:

Roberts
Lee
Soriano
Ramirez
Bradley
Soto
Gathright
Aviles
Zambrano

The game started off pretty bad, as Zambrano left after the 2nd inning with a concussion and is out for 19 days.  The Astros got 3 runs off Marshall in the 4th, but my offense got things going in the 5th as Lee, Soriano and Aramis all got base hits.  Aramis drove in two with a double off the Crawford boxes, and then Soriano tied it up in the 7th with an opposite field HR.  The game stayed tied up until the bottom of the 9th when Chad Cordero (signed him from the FA list) relieved Samardzija and gave up a few base hits and the eventual game-winner to Tejada. 

Overall, the game was pretty smooth.  My main complaint is the fielding is just really unresponsive.  I don't get my throws timed right because the meter doesn't come up right as I hit the analog stick.  And the infielders move so slow, it's really hard to turn a double play.  I used some custom sliders that Kerm found, but I don't think I was able to tell a big difference.  The CPU was still swinging at everything.  We'll see how things go, but I'm thinking I need to get a PS3.

Did you make sure the sliders were loaded?  I thought I was playing a game with the new sliders, but it turns out I was playing on Legend (and it was actually a pretty damn good game).  You have to download them and then load them.  But, yeah, the computer still swings at pretty much everything.  I've gotten slightly better at pitching, and I find if the better you nibble at the corners, the more you're going to get called strikes.  I struck out Jody Gerut on three straight pitches last night by nibbling.  Also, I tried a couple of games where I pitched exactly where my catcher was calling for the ball, even if he's calling the game like a Barrett.  If he called fastball down the middle on 2-0 or a foot out of the zone on 3-1, I threw it.  I actually got pretty good results.

Is anyone else having a really hard time avoiding giving up hits?  I played as the Pirates against the Padres last night.  I know Ian Snell blows, but there was absolutely nothing I could do to prevent Brian Giles and Adrian Gonzalez from doing whatever they wanted at the plate.  I won 6-2, but I think I gave up 10 or 11 hits.

One thing that's annoying the shit out of me that was prevalent in previous 2K games is that one specific inning where no matter what you do, you can't get a damn out.  I got the first two guys in an inning, didn't change my pitching style at all, and proceeded to give up seven straight singles, even though I was making my pitches.  That's just stupid and unrealistic.

Which is it?  Huh?  Huh?  Maybe you need to mix things up?  You know, stand up one time when you're pitching, then lay down on your left side the next time?  Maybe, I don't know, use your left hand on the right side of the remote?  SOMETHING has to make that video be more like real life!

Your dad never played any games with you growing up, did he?

My dad died when I was 2, so no.  Fucker.

[Kermit, B.]

I actually had a pretty fun game of this earlier.  I started up a franchise with the Cubs, and made a few trades.  I was able to send Heilman and Theriot to the Padres to finally complete that Peavy deal.  Then I sent Fukudome and Cotts (why the fuck would anyone want him?) to the Royals for Mike Aviles.  And finally, I cheated a little bit and signed Ben Sheets, then traded him along with Aaron Miles to the Orioles for Brian Roberts and Jamie Walker.  After moving players around a bit, I had a nice lineup going against Oswalt:

Roberts
Lee
Soriano
Ramirez
Bradley
Soto
Gathright
Aviles
Zambrano

The game started off pretty bad, as Zambrano left after the 2nd inning with a concussion and is out for 19 days.  The Astros got 3 runs off Marshall in the 4th, but my offense got things going in the 5th as Lee, Soriano and Aramis all got base hits.  Aramis drove in two with a double off the Crawford boxes, and then Soriano tied it up in the 7th with an opposite field HR.  The game stayed tied up until the bottom of the 9th when Chad Cordero (signed him from the FA list) relieved Samardzija and gave up a few base hits and the eventual game-winner to Tejada. 

Overall, the game was pretty smooth.  My main complaint is the fielding is just really unresponsive.  I don't get my throws timed right because the meter doesn't come up right as I hit the analog stick.  And the infielders move so slow, it's really hard to turn a double play.  I used some custom sliders that Kerm found, but I don't think I was able to tell a big difference.  The CPU was still swinging at everything.  We'll see how things go, but I'm thinking I need to get a PS3.

Did you make sure the sliders were loaded?  I thought I was playing a game with the new sliders, but it turns out I was playing on Legend (and it was actually a pretty damn good game).  You have to download them and then load them.  But, yeah, the computer still swings at pretty much everything.  I've gotten slightly better at pitching, and I find if the better you nibble at the corners, the more you're going to get called strikes.  I struck out Jody Gerut on three straight pitches last night by nibbling.  Also, I tried a couple of games where I pitched exactly where my catcher was calling for the ball, even if he's calling the game like a Barrett.  If he called fastball down the middle on 2-0 or a foot out of the zone on 3-1, I threw it.  I actually got pretty good results.

Is anyone else having a really hard time avoiding giving up hits?  I played as the Pirates against the Padres last night.  I know Ian Snell blows, but there was absolutely nothing I could do to prevent Brian Giles and Adrian Gonzalez from doing whatever they wanted at the plate.  I won 6-2, but I think I gave up 10 or 11 hits.

One thing that's annoying the shit out of me that was prevalent in previous 2K games is that one specific inning where no matter what you do, you can't get a damn out.  I got the first two guys in an inning, didn't change my pitching style at all, and proceeded to give up seven straight singles, even though I was making my pitches.  That's just stupid and unrealistic.

Which is it?  Huh?  Huh?  Maybe you need to mix things up?  You know, stand up one time when you're pitching, then lay down on your left side the next time?  Maybe, I don't know, use your left hand on the right side of the remote?  SOMETHING has to make that video be more like real life!

[Slaky]

I actually had a pretty fun game of this earlier.  I started up a franchise with the Cubs, and made a few trades.  I was able to send Heilman and Theriot to the Padres to finally complete that Peavy deal.  Then I sent Fukudome and Cotts (why the fuck would anyone want him?) to the Royals for Mike Aviles.  And finally, I cheated a little bit and signed Ben Sheets, then traded him along with Aaron Miles to the Orioles for Brian Roberts and Jamie Walker.  After moving players around a bit, I had a nice lineup going against Oswalt:

Roberts
Lee
Soriano
Ramirez
Bradley
Soto
Gathright
Aviles
Zambrano

The game started off pretty bad, as Zambrano left after the 2nd inning with a concussion and is out for 19 days.  The Astros got 3 runs off Marshall in the 4th, but my offense got things going in the 5th as Lee, Soriano and Aramis all got base hits.  Aramis drove in two with a double off the Crawford boxes, and then Soriano tied it up in the 7th with an opposite field HR.  The game stayed tied up until the bottom of the 9th when Chad Cordero (signed him from the FA list) relieved Samardzija and gave up a few base hits and the eventual game-winner to Tejada. 

Overall, the game was pretty smooth.  My main complaint is the fielding is just really unresponsive.  I don't get my throws timed right because the meter doesn't come up right as I hit the analog stick.  And the infielders move so slow, it's really hard to turn a double play.  I used some custom sliders that Kerm found, but I don't think I was able to tell a big difference.  The CPU was still swinging at everything.  We'll see how things go, but I'm thinking I need to get a PS3.

Did you make sure the sliders were loaded?  I thought I was playing a game with the new sliders, but it turns out I was playing on Legend (and it was actually a pretty damn good game).  You have to download them and then load them.  But, yeah, the computer still swings at pretty much everything.  I've gotten slightly better at pitching, and I find if the better you nibble at the corners, the more you're going to get called strikes.  I struck out Jody Gerut on three straight pitches last night by nibbling.  Also, I tried a couple of games where I pitched exactly where my catcher was calling for the ball, even if he's calling the game like a Barrett.  If he called fastball down the middle on 2-0 or a foot out of the zone on 3-1, I threw it.  I actually got pretty good results.

Is anyone else having a really hard time avoiding giving up hits?  I played as the Pirates against the Padres last night.  I know Ian Snell blows, but there was absolutely nothing I could do to prevent Brian Giles and Adrian Gonzalez from doing whatever they wanted at the plate.  I won 6-2, but I think I gave up 10 or 11 hits.

One thing that's annoying the shit out of me that was prevalent in previous 2K games is that one specific inning where no matter what you do, you can't get a damn out.  I got the first two guys in an inning, didn't change my pitching style at all, and proceeded to give up seven straight singles, even though I was making my pitches.  That's just stupid and unrealistic.

Which is it?  Huh?  Huh?  Maybe you need to mix things up?  You know, stand up one time when you're pitching, then lay down on your left side the next time?  Maybe, I don't know, use your left hand on the right side of the remote?  SOMETHING has to make that video be more like real life!

Your dad never played any games with you growing up, did he?

My dad died when I was 2, so no.  Fucker.

Was he killed by a video game console?

[TDubbs]

I actually had a pretty fun game of this earlier.  I started up a franchise with the Cubs, and made a few trades.  I was able to send Heilman and Theriot to the Padres to finally complete that Peavy deal.  Then I sent Fukudome and Cotts (why the fuck would anyone want him?) to the Royals for Mike Aviles.  And finally, I cheated a little bit and signed Ben Sheets, then traded him along with Aaron Miles to the Orioles for Brian Roberts and Jamie Walker.  After moving players around a bit, I had a nice lineup going against Oswalt:

Roberts
Lee
Soriano
Ramirez
Bradley
Soto
Gathright
Aviles
Zambrano

The game started off pretty bad, as Zambrano left after the 2nd inning with a concussion and is out for 19 days.  The Astros got 3 runs off Marshall in the 4th, but my offense got things going in the 5th as Lee, Soriano and Aramis all got base hits.  Aramis drove in two with a double off the Crawford boxes, and then Soriano tied it up in the 7th with an opposite field HR.  The game stayed tied up until the bottom of the 9th when Chad Cordero (signed him from the FA list) relieved Samardzija and gave up a few base hits and the eventual game-winner to Tejada. 

Overall, the game was pretty smooth.  My main complaint is the fielding is just really unresponsive.  I don't get my throws timed right because the meter doesn't come up right as I hit the analog stick.  And the infielders move so slow, it's really hard to turn a double play.  I used some custom sliders that Kerm found, but I don't think I was able to tell a big difference.  The CPU was still swinging at everything.  We'll see how things go, but I'm thinking I need to get a PS3.

Did you make sure the sliders were loaded?  I thought I was playing a game with the new sliders, but it turns out I was playing on Legend (and it was actually a pretty damn good game).  You have to download them and then load them.  But, yeah, the computer still swings at pretty much everything.  I've gotten slightly better at pitching, and I find if the better you nibble at the corners, the more you're going to get called strikes.  I struck out Jody Gerut on three straight pitches last night by nibbling.  Also, I tried a couple of games where I pitched exactly where my catcher was calling for the ball, even if he's calling the game like a Barrett.  If he called fastball down the middle on 2-0 or a foot out of the zone on 3-1, I threw it.  I actually got pretty good results.

Is anyone else having a really hard time avoiding giving up hits?  I played as the Pirates against the Padres last night.  I know Ian Snell blows, but there was absolutely nothing I could do to prevent Brian Giles and Adrian Gonzalez from doing whatever they wanted at the plate.  I won 6-2, but I think I gave up 10 or 11 hits.

One thing that's annoying the shit out of me that was prevalent in previous 2K games is that one specific inning where no matter what you do, you can't get a damn out.  I got the first two guys in an inning, didn't change my pitching style at all, and proceeded to give up seven straight singles, even though I was making my pitches.  That's just stupid and unrealistic.

Which is it?  Huh?  Huh?  Maybe you need to mix things up?  You know, stand up one time when you're pitching, then lay down on your left side the next time?  Maybe, I don't know, use your left hand on the right side of the remote?  SOMETHING has to make that video be more like real life!

Is that a new slider?

[Weebs]

I actually had a pretty fun game of this earlier.  I started up a franchise with the Cubs, and made a few trades.  I was able to send Heilman and Theriot to the Padres to finally complete that Peavy deal.  Then I sent Fukudome and Cotts (why the fuck would anyone want him?) to the Royals for Mike Aviles.  And finally, I cheated a little bit and signed Ben Sheets, then traded him along with Aaron Miles to the Orioles for Brian Roberts and Jamie Walker.  After moving players around a bit, I had a nice lineup going against Oswalt:

Roberts
Lee
Soriano
Ramirez
Bradley
Soto
Gathright
Aviles
Zambrano

The game started off pretty bad, as Zambrano left after the 2nd inning with a concussion and is out for 19 days.  The Astros got 3 runs off Marshall in the 4th, but my offense got things going in the 5th as Lee, Soriano and Aramis all got base hits.  Aramis drove in two with a double off the Crawford boxes, and then Soriano tied it up in the 7th with an opposite field HR.  The game stayed tied up until the bottom of the 9th when Chad Cordero (signed him from the FA list) relieved Samardzija and gave up a few base hits and the eventual game-winner to Tejada. 

Overall, the game was pretty smooth.  My main complaint is the fielding is just really unresponsive.  I don't get my throws timed right because the meter doesn't come up right as I hit the analog stick.  And the infielders move so slow, it's really hard to turn a double play.  I used some custom sliders that Kerm found, but I don't think I was able to tell a big difference.  The CPU was still swinging at everything.  We'll see how things go, but I'm thinking I need to get a PS3.

Did you make sure the sliders were loaded?  I thought I was playing a game with the new sliders, but it turns out I was playing on Legend (and it was actually a pretty damn good game).  You have to download them and then load them.  But, yeah, the computer still swings at pretty much everything.  I've gotten slightly better at pitching, and I find if the better you nibble at the corners, the more you're going to get called strikes.  I struck out Jody Gerut on three straight pitches last night by nibbling.  Also, I tried a couple of games where I pitched exactly where my catcher was calling for the ball, even if he's calling the game like a Barrett.  If he called fastball down the middle on 2-0 or a foot out of the zone on 3-1, I threw it.  I actually got pretty good results.

Is anyone else having a really hard time avoiding giving up hits?  I played as the Pirates against the Padres last night.  I know Ian Snell blows, but there was absolutely nothing I could do to prevent Brian Giles and Adrian Gonzalez from doing whatever they wanted at the plate.  I won 6-2, but I think I gave up 10 or 11 hits.

One thing that's annoying the shit out of me that was prevalent in previous 2K games is that one specific inning where no matter what you do, you can't get a damn out.  I got the first two guys in an inning, didn't change my pitching style at all, and proceeded to give up seven straight singles, even though I was making my pitches.  That's just stupid and unrealistic.

Which is it?  Huh?  Huh?  Maybe you need to mix things up?  You know, stand up one time when you're pitching, then lay down on your left side the next time?  Maybe, I don't know, use your left hand on the right side of the remote?  SOMETHING has to make that video be more like real life!

Your dad never played any games with you growing up, did he?

My dad died when I was 2, so no.  Fucker.

He's one of the lucky ones.

[TDubbs]

I actually had a pretty fun game of this earlier.  I started up a franchise with the Cubs, and made a few trades.  I was able to send Heilman and Theriot to the Padres to finally complete that Peavy deal.  Then I sent Fukudome and Cotts (why the fuck would anyone want him?) to the Royals for Mike Aviles.  And finally, I cheated a little bit and signed Ben Sheets, then traded him along with Aaron Miles to the Orioles for Brian Roberts and Jamie Walker.  After moving players around a bit, I had a nice lineup going against Oswalt:

Roberts
Lee
Soriano
Ramirez
Bradley
Soto
Gathright
Aviles
Zambrano

The game started off pretty bad, as Zambrano left after the 2nd inning with a concussion and is out for 19 days.  The Astros got 3 runs off Marshall in the 4th, but my offense got things going in the 5th as Lee, Soriano and Aramis all got base hits.  Aramis drove in two with a double off the Crawford boxes, and then Soriano tied it up in the 7th with an opposite field HR.  The game stayed tied up until the bottom of the 9th when Chad Cordero (signed him from the FA list) relieved Samardzija and gave up a few base hits and the eventual game-winner to Tejada. 

Overall, the game was pretty smooth.  My main complaint is the fielding is just really unresponsive.  I don't get my throws timed right because the meter doesn't come up right as I hit the analog stick.  And the infielders move so slow, it's really hard to turn a double play.  I used some custom sliders that Kerm found, but I don't think I was able to tell a big difference.  The CPU was still swinging at everything.  We'll see how things go, but I'm thinking I need to get a PS3.

Did you make sure the sliders were loaded?  I thought I was playing a game with the new sliders, but it turns out I was playing on Legend (and it was actually a pretty damn good game).  You have to download them and then load them.  But, yeah, the computer still swings at pretty much everything.  I've gotten slightly better at pitching, and I find if the better you nibble at the corners, the more you're going to get called strikes.  I struck out Jody Gerut on three straight pitches last night by nibbling.  Also, I tried a couple of games where I pitched exactly where my catcher was calling for the ball, even if he's calling the game like a Barrett.  If he called fastball down the middle on 2-0 or a foot out of the zone on 3-1, I threw it.  I actually got pretty good results.

Is anyone else having a really hard time avoiding giving up hits?  I played as the Pirates against the Padres last night.  I know Ian Snell blows, but there was absolutely nothing I could do to prevent Brian Giles and Adrian Gonzalez from doing whatever they wanted at the plate.  I won 6-2, but I think I gave up 10 or 11 hits.

One thing that's annoying the shit out of me that was prevalent in previous 2K games is that one specific inning where no matter what you do, you can't get a damn out.  I got the first two guys in an inning, didn't change my pitching style at all, and proceeded to give up seven straight singles, even though I was making my pitches.  That's just stupid and unrealistic.
[/quote]

Which is it?  Huh?  Huh?  Maybe you need to mix things up?  You know, stand up one time when you're pitching, then lay down on your left side the next time?  Maybe, I don't know, use your left hand on the right side of the remote?  SOMETHING has to make that video be more like real life!
[/quote]

Your dad never played any games with you growing up, did he?
[/quote]

My dad died when I was 2, so no.  Fucker.
[/quote]

He's one of the lucky ones.
[/quote]

If my dad were alive when I was growing up and still today, he would have played games with me.  He would have played games like baseball, basketball, and football.  Outside.  In reality.  And he would probably have told me, "Get off your fat ass and stop playing video games."  and I would have said, "But dad, it's raining outside.  And I'm only 12 years old.".  And he would have said, "Once it stops raining, or you get to be old enough to drive yourself to the store to buy your own video game, then you should think about going outside and doing some activities.  Whichever comes first.  And whichever comes second, you should stop playing video games all together."  I would have listened.  And if he were still alive when I was in college, he probably would have said "Hey pal.  How about you get off your fat ass and stop playing video games and try to have intercourse with that girl that is thrownig herself at your and not leaving your place for an extended period of time."

Man I wish he wouldn't have been killed by that smoke monster.

[Andy]

Is he running around an island in a suit and some white running shoes?