A YEAR IN PREVIEW (Analysis of the 2008 E3)

First off, let me apologize for not getting this posted sooner. Work and my personal life have prevented me from sitting down and devoting time to another article. This one has been sitting on my desk for about a week and now, finally, here is my report on the annual Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3).

For those who do not know, the annual E3 is the largest video game conference on American shores. This year the big three came out swinging and here is the report on the winners, losers, surprises, and predictions for the year to come.

We begin by looking at Microsoft since they held the first press conference of this year’s E3. Not to anyone’s surprise, Microsoft announced an avatar system similar to Nintendo’s Miis and PS3’s Home system. The difference is Microsoft’s avatars actually look like a decent representation of people due to a new camera hookup, unlike Nintendo’s Miis, and the arena through which you could meet and greet people and play X-Box Live makes the Home system of the PS3 pale in comparison. Microsoft did exactly what it had to do to compete in the next year, take the competitions ideas and improve on them in ways that the X-Box 360 could handle. If only we could get rid of the damn red rings of death now…

On the software front, Microsoft looks strong with a slew of sequels to big hits. Fable 2 looks amazing in every way and the revelation that Resident Evil 5 will be on the X-Box 360 as well as the PS3 is a huge boon for the system. Gears of War 2, Far Cry 2, and Fallout 3 are also on the slate to be released, rounding out the bombardment of true sequels from Microsoft. Halo Wars will grab hold of Halo fans, but I do not know if the Real-Time Strategy format will be enough to win over a larger audience like Microsoft predicts it will. RTS games have never transitioned well to consoles and I think Microsoft is banking on the Halo brand name a bit too much with this one. After signing a deal several years ago to bring their characters away from Nintendo, Rare has finally produced a Banjo-Kazooie game for the X-Box 360 that was on display at E3, but I think it will fail miserably because most of the fans of that franchise are playing Wii. If Rare was going to wait this long for a new game, they should never have left Nintendo.

Moving onto the 2nd day of E3, we look at the Nintendo press conference. Expectations were high for Nintendo to continue applying the pressure to the other two after their domination in the next gen wars with the Wii. It started off as expected, with typical numbers and graphs that lulled the audience into a light coma. Then the typical Nintendo big reveal was going to happen. Except it never did. They showed the skateboarding and snowboarding game that was expected for the balance board. That was nice, but where were the franchises? Where were the big reveals?

Nintendo’s big move was…Wii Sports 2 and Wii Music?! For the biggest video game conference of the year in the U.S.A. and a chance to possibly put Sony away, who is near bankrupt at 3.3 billion dollars in the hole in their video game division, and distance themselves from that system with the red rings, Nintendo left the window wide open for the other two to get back into the video game wars. Wii Music is a blatant rip off of Guitar Hero with the only thing worth buying about it is that you can compose your own music and play Nintendo theme songs. Wii Sports 2 will be popular because it includes some great new mini-games and will be packaged with the Wii Motion Plus, a controller accessory that makes the movement of the Wiimote pick up on screen in a 1:1 ratio. In other words, every movement you make will be read flawlessly by the Wii Sensor Bar now. That alone will push this product, but when will Nintendo stop packaging two decent products together and just come out again with jaw droppers. Where is Zelda? Where is Mario? Come on!

Speaking of packaging things together, the other reveal for Nintendo was Animal Crossing: Big City for the Wii. Again, a so-so game, but it will sell well because it is being packaged with a microphone. That’s right! Similar to Microsoft’s microphone, Nintendo is including a microphone with Animal Crossing for the Wii that will sit right on top of your Wii system. No headset. The microphone can pick up all sound in the room so that your parents can hear who you are talking to on the other side for when this hopefully becomes compatible with future fighting and sports games. Nintendo found a way to make the headset into a family friendly feature once again and that microphone will push the product.

Aside from the microphone and the Motion Plus accessory, there wasn’t a lot to be excited about for Nintendo. They did announce a GTA game for the Nintendo DS, and that should be great, but will still be a long way before we actually see it. Games that are coming out in the fall are games that are being released for all systems so there is not much other software to be excited about. I am tired of gimmicks from Nintendo and that they’re not giving the fans what they want. Someone start gearing a few games to the older audience. Knowing Nintendo it’ll probably be Wii Sex or something though because Nintendo is losing its focus on games. Imagine THAT lifelike experience. You could get a glove for solo action or something with a hole in it for multiplayer over the internet and with microphone they could talk dirty. For the ladies, a brand new, ribbed vibrating feature for the Wiimote, which now will come in neon pink and black of course. Okay so maybe that is a little extreme, but for a company that is all about taking risks, they sure get comfortable after one of them pans out like the Wii has. Overall, Nintendo dropped the ball at this year’s E3.

Finally, we look at the PS3. As mentioned earlier, Sony’s video game division is 3.3 billion dollars in debt. With Sony losing $400-$600 per system sold, they really had to stress software this E3 in order to have any hope of overcoming that debt before they have to declare bankruptcy. Oh boy! Did they deliver! First off: they announced at least another 120 titles to be released for the PS2 before the system is discontinued. A puzzling announcement to say the least, but considering anything sold for PS2 at this point is pure profit, it looks to be a move to try and cut back on that horrendous deficit. Especially since Sony announced that they are cutting the 80 GB PS3 to $400 in October so they will lose even more money on each of those units, Sony is really putting all their eggs into the software basket in the next year.

What a basket it is though! With the blockbuster titles coming out in the next year for PS3, I am very tempted, as a lifelong, diehard Nintendo fan, to go out and buy that $400 80 GB PS3 in October. Ghostbusters the Game, a video-game geek wet dream, it looks amazing and it looks best on the PS3 system. Resistance 2 will come out with an eight player co-op mode and I will declare right now that it will be the shooter of the year. Little Big Planet is getting a lot of hype, but I do not think it will be as revolutionary as everyone declares, but it will find its niche. The two games I am most excited about though are DCU Online and MAG. PS3 is the only console to have the DCU Online Universe and it looks amazing. The chance to create your own DC Character is a dream come true for millions of fanboys out there. And MAG means one thing: Massive Action Game. And it will live up to its title as it pushes the PS3 to its limits to allow 256 players to fight simultaneously on one map over the internet with minimal lag. These games could revolutionize online play beyond anything we have ever seen before on a console. You add games like DCU vs. Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter 4, Soul Caliber 4, Infamous, Prince of Persia 4, Resident Evil 5, Tomb Raider: Underworld, and Deadspace to the list and PS3 could have several games reach the million unit mark by the next E3 (Hooray for the return of the “Greatest Hits” line). Sony needed to drop some software bombs to gain some ground back in the video game wars and it looks like it has. The question is not whether or not they will get out of debt now, but when.

Overall, here are the grades for the game companies.

Microsoft: C+ : Nothing spectacular from Microsoft. They came out with a bunch of sequels to their powerhouse franchises and some upgrades to X-Box Live, such as the use of avatars, an advanced arena system, and a deal with Netflix to download movies onto the system. All are strong, but average, moves to remain constant in the video game wars and they get a plus for reacting quickly to their competitors’ moves.

Nintendo: D- : Nothing major from the main franchises. Just more gimmicks. They didn’t show off Star Wars or Ghostbusters like the other consoles did or even their up and coming projects like The Conduit (prediction for shooter of the year for 2010), or Mad World, which could be the next big sleeper hit right next to Killer 7 and No More Heroes. Dead Rising, a game that came out 2 years ago for X-Box, being ported over is not a big deal folks. Nintendo only keeps their head above water with the possibilities for the microphone and Motion Plus, but let’s stay away from the gimmicks next year, okay?

Sony: A- : Sony did exactly what it had to do to save itself. It showcased nothing but bombshells for games, many original titles, and just a few sequels sprinkled in to keep the faithful happy. The announcement that it won’t discontinue the PS2 yet caused a few groans amongst the audience because it means that Sony still isn’t fully geared into the PS3, but if these new games are a sign of things to come, Sony will be in great shape. They just have to keep their heads above water a little longer. It also means that more resources are being taken away from getting Home online, which is promised to launch in the next year, but still hasn’t been given a hard date. And a nice maneuver to counter the Microsoft/Netflix deal was that Sony has made deals with several picture companies themselves to have their movies downloadable for rent or purchase in both standard and Blu-Ray format. PS3 is still the cheapest Blu-Ray player on the market and when you add that hardware to this new software, Nintendo should be shaking, that’s for sure.

-Ray Carsillo

WHY SO SERIOUS? (My review of the movie THE DARK KNIGHT)

Alright, so it wasn’t my most original title, but it was too perfect to pass up. Just like this movie. I have seen it twice already and will most likely see it a few more times before it leaves theatres. It is on pace to set every box office record and it is well deserved as it is the GREATEST COMIC BOOK MOVIE OF ALL TIME!!!! I know. That is quite a bold statement, but it is accurate. I did not believe it could surpass the hype, but it did.

Let’s start by looking at the acting. Everyone involved should get an Oscar, never mind just Heath Ledger (who WILL win Best Actor, you heard it here first). Christian Bale did a stellar job reprising the role of Bruce Wayne/Batman. He has an air about him in this movie that shows that the character has evolved and become more comfortable with his dual life, while still struggling with it at times over his love of childhood sweetheart Rachel Dawes. Speaking of Rachel, a superb job done by Maggie Gyllenhaal; she made you completely forget about…umm…what’s her face. Aaron Eckhart was amazing as Two-Face and I hope he comes back for the third movie as the main villain since we saw so little of his villainous side develop in this one. And, as I said above, Heath Ledger deserves the Oscar. He made you believe that he was the Joker. He showed no remorse. He was cold, calculating, and hysterical. It was the perfect blend of actors playing an amazing assortment of characters.

Part of the credit for Heath Ledger’s performance should go to Christopher Dolan, though, for writing an amazing script. It was a scheme worthy of the Joker and bringing to the forefront his relationship with Batman very early was brilliant. Kudos goes to Dolan for not beating around the bush. I do not want to spoil the movie, but every move the characters made was both realistic, which Dolan harps on, and true to the form of what the characters should be. And if you have seen the movie and doubt this, all I have to say to you is that we should start with a magic trick. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

Sorry. I’m good. I’ve calmed down. I promise. There is really very little to criticize in this movie. It might have been a little long for people with weak bladders. That’s about it.

Before I wrap up, I would like to say that I hope that we see more of Two-Face in the third movie since the rise and fall of Harvey Dent was wonderful, but Batman has always been driven by his Rouge’s Gallery so to only have Two-Face in action for a short portion of the movie was like giving a starving man the T-Bone, but not the actual steak. You get a taste to whet your appetite, but you need MORE. And just like the tease at the end of the first movie, hopefully they will flesh it out beautifully in the next one. After all, this movie really was driven more by the Joker than anything else, but Two-Face as the main villain for the third would be a great follow up. Although Dolan might want to explain how his left eye works without tear ducts and an eye lid. For someone who strives on realism like Dolan, that detail did bother me a little.

Overall, there was nothing bad about this movie. Everyone gave a great performance and the story was something ripped straight from the comics. Loose ends from the first movie were wrapped up beautifully and the door is wide open for the third movie. Only another three years before Batman 3. The Dark Knight gets 5 out of 5.

-Ray Carsillo

THE DEATH OF A LEGEND? (My Review of the DC Universe’s Final Crisis: Requiem)

It has been a while since I’ve written anything about a single comic book issue, but I felt an event as significant as this is enough to be noteworthy. Months ago, while the Countdown series was in full stride, DC began printing two two-page spreads of an apocalyptic Earth with the heroes defeated on one spread and the villains looking triumphant on the other. Then the catch phrase “All heroes must die, but legends will live forever,” began being attached to these images. It was evident rather early that a major player in the DCU was going to be killed in the Final Crisis. Many rumored it was going to be Batman at the end of Batman R.I.P. with some sort of tie-in to Crisis. Warner Bros. nixed that rumor early since they feared it would be bad for business if one of the greatest characters in comic book history were to be killed before the new Warner Bros. movie based on this character came out. So instead of the Dark Knight finally being swallowed by the shadows he fought for so long, DC killed the Martian Manhunter.

Who? The green guy? Green Lantern? No? The one with super-strength and flight? Superman?! No? He was the last of his kind from an alien planet with super-strength and super-flight and not Superman? Instead of heat vision and ice breath though, he was a shape-shifter and telepathic. Oh! The rip-off dude!

Martian Manhunter was not a legend, and I believe that DC thought the same thing since they changed the promotional catch phrase from “All heroes must die, but legends will live forever,” to “Where were you when the Martian Manhunter died?” It has a more regal feel to it and does not imply as much as the other phrase did. It seems most people did not consider the Manhunter a legend by any means. And after all the buildup, with other DC Comics referencing the death of the Martian, they finally released the issue showing how it was done. This issue showed that until the end, just like all great heroes, the Martian fought till his last breath. The fight itself was not what made this comic so interesting though. It was that with his last breath, the Martian Manhunter telepathically imprinted his memory/history into the brains of several key Justice League members to be written in both English and his native Martian language to insure his people will not be forgotten.

I thought it was a fitting tribute to the Martian Manhunter. However, he was not a legend: he was a green Superman and although will be missed by some, will be forgotten by many.

Before I wrap this up, I just want to answer DC’s question as to where I was when the Manhunter died. I was taking a crap on my toilet; the same place I read all my comics. It was a fine crap that day. And, thanks to the the Martian Manhunter, it was a crap I’ll never forget.

-Ray Carsillo

I AM THE KNIGHT (My review of Batman: Gotham Knight)

I AM THE NIGHT.

I AM VENGENCE.

I AM BATMAN!

These words were uttered in one of the more memorable scenes of Batman: The Animated Series (Episode 4: Nothing to Fear) way back in 1992 when I was but a wee lad. For a generation of Batman fans, only one voice was the voice of the Dark Knight when it came to animated features and cartoons and that was Kevin Conroy. He would reprise this role over the years even after the series long ended, but continued with full-length animated features. It was a revolutionary series in terms of animation style and the graphic nature of the program was unheard of for a Saturday morning cartoon at the time.

Now the genii behind that series have come out with another full-length animated feature that is supposed to connect Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. When I first heard of the release of another Batman cartoon, I admit that I almost wept with joy. Unfortunately, my joy was misplaced.

Trying to continue their revolutionary ways, the producers of Gotham Knight decided to go with almost an Animatrix style of many different stories that relate to the main subject, all done by a different director/animator. The Gotham Knight crew created six stories, each animated and directed by a different person, but the difference between this and the Animatrix is that these stories all directly interlock in some way with each other as well as the story subject and help tie up those pesky loose end questions that don’t always get referenced.

Voice acting was solid, but not as good as expected. When I first heard Kevin Conroy coming back to play Batman, I was ecstatic. With the drawings of Batman making him look more like Christian Bale and his real-life Batman though, for the first time in 15 years, I thought Conroy’s voice did not suit Gotham’s Guardian. I appreciate the loyalty from the producers and animators since they used many voice actors from the original Batman: The Animated Series and the newer The Batman, but for anyone who has seen these series and has a decent ear, you are thrown back to the voice actors’ other characters and have difficulty hearing them in this new setting.

In terms of animation, I felt that each progressive story was better and better. The first story was a more revolutionary style that allows for more emphasis on the backgrounds and less on the characters, which I do not like because the driving force behind Batman is the characters. The last story was the most conventional anime style and much more to my liking because it combined both a well painted Gotham City with very well detailed characters.

The plot was jumpy, but that is what this style calls for. The little details that interconnect each segment were wonderful if you caught onto them; they show everything the Batman does or doesn’t do has an effect on his Gotham in some way or another. Whether it is the policemen that do not trust him, the Mafioso that fear him, or the super-villains that plot against him, the Batman is always an influencing force.

If you were a fan of Batman Begins then you will enjoy this more in-depth look into that world and the loose ends this ties up, such as what happens to the Scarecrow or what happened to the Narrows after being flooded with fear gas. If you are a purist, then you might not enjoy the liberties that were taken in this animated feature, much like the ones taken in the first movie. Still though, this was a solid romp into the new Batman mythos that successfully connects Batman Begins and The Dark Knight without directly referencing either one. Not as strong as expected, Batman: Gotham Knight still gets 3 Bat Signals out of 5.

-Ray Carsillo

SUPERHEROES SAVE MORE THAN DAMSELS. THEY SAVE THE ECONOMY.

What the f***?! That was the first thought that popped into my head after reading an article last week by Beth Fitzgerald, business writer for the Star-Ledger, New Jersey’s main newspaper. Ms. Fitzgerald’s article takes a look at the booming comic book industry and how the movies are not only helping box office numbers, but helping comic book sales as well. The article attempts to link recent profit increases in local comic book stores to the release of comic book movies in the theatres. The problem with this article, though, is that it credits the movies too much and the comics too little.

The reason why there has been a recent increase in comic book sales is not because the major two (Marvel and DC) have been releasing new movies this summer, but because they have launched some of the largest comic book story arcs in comic book history. There may be a small increase in foot traffic due to the movies, but according to Ms. Fitzgerald’s article, some comic book store owners are citing a 5-10% increase in sales, but only seeing maybe 10-15 new faces consistently. Now, just because they may not recognize new faces does not mean they aren’t there, but since most comic store owners are at their store during all hours of operation, it is hard to put someone new past them or their profits were pretty poor to begin with.

No. The reason for the increase in comic sales is not solely because of the movies, but largely because of the comics themselves. As someone who buys comics on a weekly basis, I purchase them according to what titles interest me and how they are written. If a title starts to lack quality, I will stop picking it up. Black Panther, Fantastic Four, Punisher, Flash, and Amazing Spider-Man are no longer part of my weekly routine because they lack the punch that initially drew me to their pages. Alternatively, the Final Crisis, Secret Invasion, and Batman R.I.P. story arcs have drawn me into other titles that I would not normally pick up. These new story arcs have stepped up my weekly comic total once again and I have reason to believe I am not alone. If you compare the timing of the beginning of these story arcs with when the comics’ sales spike began, then you would see they nearly coincide. Therefore, the recent spike in sales cannot be fully attributed to the movies, but attributed to what draws most of us to the comics in the first place: fantastic artwork and stellar writing.

I commend Ms. Fitzgerald for her attempt at trying to shed light on an interesting subject, but because of her lack of familiarity with it, she was reaching for straws and I call her out on it. Shenanigans! Shenanigans, I say! You can see her unfamiliarity with the subject when she relies on quotes from men like Steve Conte, the owner of Funnybooks in Lake Hiawatha, NJ. “Comics are doing well because they are awesome…” That was the best person you could find to get a quote from? Ms. Fitzgerald seems lost in her own article. She quotes the cheesy one-liners from The Incredible Hulk that gives it away as a comic book movie. It was billed as a comic book movie! No more explanation needed! Even if you have no clue what the Hulk is, if I tell you a movie is based on a comic book, then it is based on a comic book! There is no need to look any further into that statement! I would leave comic critiquing to us professionals. Pathetic! Shenanigans! What the f***?!

-Ray Carsillo

DOES MR. FOURTH OF JULY DELIEVER AGAIN? (My review of HANCOCK)

I started my Fourth of July weekend a little early by going to see Will Smith’s new movie, Hancock, the day it came out. It had been a pretty good day as I headed for the theatre. I had an early lunch with a good friend of mine and I hit the comic store just as it opened so I know I didn’t miss any titles that week. It was a pretty full day up to that point and when I got to the theatre, I forgot that I was early enough for the matinee price (still $8 though, what a rip off) and there was even a free credit on one of the arcade machines. Things were definitely going my way. Unfortunately, the universe has a way of balancing things out. Hancock sucked; plain and simple.

The premise of the movie is that John Hancock (Will Smith) is the only one of his kind. He is a living, breathing superhero. He can fly. He has super strength. He is bulletproof. He is everything we want to be and yet he is the most miserable man in the world. In a constant drunken stupor, Hancock does what he wants, when he wants, and does not care what people think or how much destruction his “good deeds” cost the city of Los Angeles. Time moves on when average public relations “guru” Ray Embrey (Jason Bateman) gets stuck on railroad tracks due to one of L.A.’s famous traffic jams. Enter the oncoming freight train. Ray tries to run from his car, but is too slow and his screams attract Hancock, who promptly throws the car out of the way as the train smashes into him, destroying the train, but saving Ray. Ray wishes to repay Hancock by changing his image. He wants to make Hancock into someone people will love. The story continues as Hancock begins his rehab, thanks to Ray and his hot wife Mary (Charlize Theron), and Hancock finds out that there is more to himself, and Ray’s wife Mary, than meets the eye.

This was such an awful experience overall. The first half hour was great. Will Smith was great as the drunken anti-hero the previews portrayed him as. Jason Bateman was great in the role he seems type-cast in nowadays (curse you Arrested Development!), the bumbling suit with a heart of gold. Charlize Theron was hot. You would think they had something going here, but the last hour of the movie was absolute rubbish. There was no super villain. There was no amazing over the top fight scene (there were a couple of decent fight scenes, but nothing spectacular). The twist in the plot line was such an overused comic book cliché that I almost was able to recite the last 30 minutes of the movie just from my years of comic book reading. This was the movie studio executives thinking they could give the people what they want with once again having no idea what we want.

One of those executives was… (Insert suspenseful comic book music here) Will Smith! That’s right; Will was one of the producers of this movie. Therefore, in the end it came down to Will Smith wanting to play a superhero, however, the problem with that glorious plan is we already saw this six months ago with I am Legend so it was really more like Will Smith wanted to play a superhero, again. And, again, said superhero character ends up being a messiah figure that sacrifices himself to save the world, but in this movie Will takes it a few steps further as he magically rises after what (for the movie-goer) feels like three days. We get it Will. You think you are a god. Newsflash: YOU DO NOT HAVE SUPERPOWERS. YOU ARE NOT A SUPERHERO. YOU PLAY ONE IN THE MOVIES. YOU ARE RICH AND YOU ARE FAMOUS, BE SATISFIED!

Overall there was not much to salvage from this movie. The special effects they used were solid, but nothing spectacular and they were nothing we haven’t seen in previous comic book movies. The acting was alright, but, then again, you had a high quality of actors and actresses. You tell Charlize Theron to cry and she is going to cry. The plot was weak, at best. It started off strong, and the premise of the anti-hero is still a great one, but it makes you wonder how much better it could have been if they had stayed with the original R-rated cut instead of feeding us this watered down PG-13 version. The only real positive I could take from this was that a regular dude named Ray ended up with super hot Charlize Theron and that gives this real-life Ray a little bit of hope. Then again, it is only a movie and a pretty bad one at that. Hancock gets an uninspired, watered down, 1 out of 5.

-Ray Carsillo

P.S.: Listen to the show “Metro Line” on 1050 AM, ESPN Radio in NY at 5 AM on Sunday, July 6th, 2008, to hear me talk about comics, movies, and other stuff I talk about in my blog. If not, I will try to get it up on the page at some point. Thanks!

I HOPE YOU LIKE BASEBALL… (A look back on the past month in sports)

With the NBA Championship decided last week and another month before football begins to pick up, July is a full month when baseball is the only major sport to reign. We will take a look back now, though, at how this past month has gone in the sports world and ask the question, “How is baseball going to be enough?”

We’ll begin with the more obscure sports in America. Horse racing saw another failed attempt at the Triple Crown at the beginning of June. Big Brown and his busted horseshoe showed us that sometimes it is better to be lucky than good, and he was neither at the Belmont Stakes. With this loss, the drama slowly begins to build again towards next year as horse aficionados everywhere stare at black and white photos of Affirmed, the last horse to win the elusive Triple Crown 30 years ago in 1978.

Moving across the Pond, much to the chagrin of many of my fellow countrymen, we look at the 2008 Euro Cup. Soccer is still an ugly duckling in this country even with surging numbers (surging for soccer anyways) watching as evidence it should be taken more seriously. Even though I hear the masses booing at their computer screens, I have to push on and look at the 2008 Euro Cup since Spain, a country that has not won a major tournament in 44 years, upset the heavily favored Germans. It was a thrilling 1-0 victory as Spain narrowly escaped several attempted German scoring blitzkriegs. Sorry, I had to work a WWII reference in there somehow. Kudos to the Spaniards and I wish, more than anything else, I could have been in Barcelona or Madrid on that day. Paaaarty!!

From the other side of the Pond, we move on to something so stereotypically favored in the deep south of these United States: NASCAR. Nothing really special happened in NASCAR this month. There was no amazing race or impressive comeback. There was one man, though, who did a whole lot more driving than ever before. Kyle Busch became the first man ever to compete in a Trucks Series race (on Friday), a Sprint Series race (on Saturday), and a NASCAR race (on Sunday) over the course of one weekend. He did progressively worse in each race, so maybe he will think twice before trying that again.

In hockey, the Detroit Red Wings won their fourth Stanley Cup in the past 11 years and their 11th Cup overall. They defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins in six games and the sixth game came down to the last second, literally. I had never seen a delayed reaction like that of the Red Wings’ bench in Game 6 due to Marion Hossa coming within an inch of tying the game and forcing Chris Osgood to make his best save of the night. As the seconds ticked away on the Penguins season, down by one goal, they made one last desperate outlet pass to Hossa. The puck was just off the end of Hossa’s stick so he could not fully control it, just flick it on net where an unsuspecting Osgood had dropped his guard in the final seconds, thinking the victory was in the bag. The puck hit the post and Hossa’s rebound attempt was futile as he was too far past the net to shoot at any conceivable angle. It was the best-ranked Stanley Cup Finals in 14 years and that signified that the prodigal sport has returned and is ready to fight the NBA for third place among the four main US sports.

Speaking of the NBA, the Boston Celtics completed their return to glory this past month. One of the greatest storylines ever played out came to a close. Last off-season saw the dreadful Celtics make key trades to obtain Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett and usher in a new era of “The Big Three”. The new “Big Three” would lead the greatest single season turnaround in NBA history and cap it off with Boston’s 17th NBA Title. With Tim Donaghy looming over the head of the entire series, though, and claiming that the playoffs had been fixed several years back, how could you not expect the best possible outcome for this season for the NBA? As David Stern foolishly fails to sweep Donaghy and the gambling scandal away, the NBA’s secured spot as the third major sport in this country is in serious jeopardy should any of Donaghy’s claims be found true. Congrats to the Celtics, though I suppose.

And of course, now to give you a taste of what you will hear about for the next month and, remember, this is ALL you will be hearing about for the next month. Unless, of course, you are a NASCAR fan, but for the human beings out there, here is what happened in the past month of the mile-a-minute world of Major League Baseball. Willie Randolph, the head coach of the New York Mets, got fired after having it dragged out for a month and a half. The Yankees ace, Chien-Ming Wang, will miss the rest of the season, all but dooming their playoff hopes. And Ken Griffey Jr. hit his 600th home run and no one even batted an eyelash because he plays in Cincinnati and he should have done it years ago if he could stay healthy for one full season.

That is what we have to look forward to? God! July is going to suck! I can’t wait for football season…

-Ray Carsillo