MasterBatters, Kensington Slo-Pitch Div II Champs!

In what can only be called one of the most exciting finishes in Slo-Pitch Softball history, the MasterBatters overcame numerous hurdles, unruly opponents, sketchy rosters, and worst of all – blazing heat to win six out of seven games en route to the team’s second Championship in two years, this time taking a step up and winning the B Division!

With only barely being able to field a team, the MBs were matched up against A Division’s Beer Factor who finished outside the top 8 and were relegated to the B Division playoffs.  Without shade and without subs, the MBs played great defense behind Heather’s pitching and consistent batting from the entire team getting out to a 5-0 lead and never looking back.  The second game would see more of the same as Beer Factor would strand a number of players on base with big plays being made in the field by the MBs.  The series would be clinched with a catch made by Dave sprinting in from left field, right by Trevor roving, and making a 2-inch off the ground catch to close the series and send the MBs to Championship Sunday in a semi-final match-up against the Coyotes.

Heat would be a factor once again as record highs in the city would drain teams the longer they played into the day.  The Coyotes and MBs have had numerous battles this year splitting games and their squad sounded pretty confident once they found out they were playing us.  Add the subtle injuries players were starting to feel and it looked to be an uproad battle to the finals.  The teams would split the first two games with MBs winning the first with consistent fielding including a nice play from Byron-Quinto-Trevor-Dave to get an out at third, while the MB bats continued to roll with Dan finding the base numerous times when we needed support the most.  With a change in the 2^nd game moving Ollie into center, the Coyotes took advantage of a blazing sun and a capless CFer to get some big runs and taking game two.  A pitching change in the third would turn the tables back to the MBs as the Coyotes would have a hard time getting their bats on the Quinto-sidespin falling behind 9-0 and possibly getting mercy-ruled out of out of the playoffs.  Unfortunately, some hits and an poor throws on bunts on my part put them on the board and extended the game.  I would battle throws to first most of the day, though big thanks to Jenn for digging a couple out of the dirt.  On the flip side, huge props go out to our ladies who consistently found first on clutch hits and key bunts out-running throws or pushing our runners along into scoring positions.  The game wasn’t without more stellar defense including a belly-flop diving catch from Trev now on third to end an inning with runners on base while old-man Colin continuously found life to make catch after catch from the rover position.  In SS, Dave would secure the win with plays to first where Jenn consistently made outs whether throws were coming from him or Sheri on 2^nd who also was as cool as a cucumber given her counterpart on the other team was a complete douchebag with a mouth like a NYC trucker.  The team would need a break and re-fueling before taking on the surprising Canadian Flyers in the Championship Finals.

Before the finals even began, there were questions about the CF roster.  Players that were unfamiliar to many made up a pretty strong squad that defeated the Relics in their opening series before coming back and beating BullsHit in their semi-finals.  Though their coach was unable to produce lineups proving their players played enough games, we would take their word, focus on our game and play the finals out without question.  Add the fact that they also had a few players from the Fireballs joining them on their sideline, and it was a series that had the makings of potential fireworks.  Once again, no shade and little rest as the first game started.  The teams would exchange runs early before the MBs slowly crept away late taking the first game after key outs from Byron/Colin/Dave in the field.  Game two would see a pitching change on their side which would make a difference as the CF’s went out to an early lead after a muffed throw to first (again) and big hits on their side.  It would be the only 3 runs they would get all game.

Their bench began to gain confidence as the MBs, looking a little weary from long games and scorching heat started popping up balls and having a hard time getting on base.  Comments about a no-hitter and shutout began ringing on the other side, however the MBs defence still held their own with key two-handed catches from Dan in right and some big throws from the outfield to first to catch a couple of their slower runners (Great rule change, btw!).  In the sixth is when the tides would turn as a two-out pop deep to center by Byron was uncharacteristically played just short and dropped.  Dan would fly into home as would Byron beating the relay to put the MBs on the board down by only one run.  In the bottom of the sixth, the CFs would rally themselves getting runners on base.  With one out, the key play saw a hit into the field where Dave came up throwing to third where Ollie put his foot down in front of the bag and put the tag on their runner for the 2^nd out.  The third out would be a pop-up short to left which would have been a sure score from their runner from 2^nd, but Byron would make a diving catch to end the inning.  In the last inning, the comeback would be complete when Ollie would take his momentum from the out and turn it into a big hit himself.  Patience would be a virtue as I chased a bad pitch high for a second strike and after not finding a base all game, it didn’t look good.  Holding back on the next few pitches would put the count to full and I’d find a gift of a pitch that I swung on that zinged right past the pitcher’s head into center field for a double with Ollie representing the tying run at 3^rd.  Cue more drama as Trevor would swing at the 2^nd pitch and push the ball into the field scoring Ollie for the tie and moving me to third.  Jenn would find a bunt and on the throw to first for the out, we’d take the lead as I crossed the plate moving Trevor to 2^nd.  Dave would pop up to deep right and as their players celebrated the catch, Trevor sprinted around 3^rd and made it into home for a two-run lead.  It would be all the runs the MBs would need to close things out.

In the bottom of the 7^th, we’d get the first out with a hit straight back to me…an easy underhand to first.  They would get a hit into short right putting the tying run at the plate and a runner on 1^st.  Pop up to right where Dan’s two-handed magic would make the play.  Two outs, female at the plate…everyone knew the bunt was coming to advance the runner.  Then the pitch…and the bunt…and everyone behind me gasping for a breath.  Heather behind the plate, let up and I grabbed the ball, stuck it into my glove with a step and drilled a throw to first praying to God that it would hit Jenn’s outstretched glove.  The smack of the ball hitting the glove a step before the runner’s foot planted was sweeter than angels singing as the celebration began and comments of disbelief over the throw echoed amongst us.  It’ll be a finish I’m sure those who were present will never forget…especially to those Fireball players present to watch the game including our favorite 3^rd baseman who Heather over-heard sayin’ “Man, I hate these guys.”  I have a feeling he hates us even more J

A huge thanks to everyone on this team that made this year’s season so much fun to play in.  Though there were ups and downs, it couldn’t have ended any better.  But is it the end?

Quick Pics from E3

E3 is just about in the books and these past three days have been nothing short of a video gamers dream come true!  I know we've got more videos on the way but in the meantime I thought I'd throw up some pics from my walk through the EA SPORTS floor today.  Great job by all the EA SPORTS demo staff on hand as it's no doubt there are plenty of tired feet and lost voices among them.

But enough from me...click on the thumbs to see larger versions and thanks to all the fans at home for their replies and comments on my twitter this past week.

Changing Times

When I first started working at EA close to about five and a half years ago I remember one day I when I was working as a QA tester on Def Jam Fight for New York and I saw a forum post about the possibility of future iterations. Now I knew at the time it was important that I didn't divulge any top secret information and even then I didn't know that we would end up making Def Jam Icon a couple of years after that. I jumped on the post and mentioned that if people really enjoyed DJFFNY, why wouldn't a third one be made? That was it. A few words. A day later, that post was deleted.

I didn't know why it was that way and I only speculated it was because back then we weren't allowed to be on the forums and, in fact, were discouraged from participating and discussing company information with the public. In my past year now as a Community Manager, I'm proud to say that things have definitely changed.

I'm not sure where and when it started in the company, but for me I noticed the change working with @stephensonmc who was the CM before me while I was working in product marketing on NHL08. A pure community guy who ran his own Madden site, he pushed the envelope bringing in gamers from all over who had strong opinions and feedback on our games, and he set up community days where influential gamers would meet with producers who were totally open to their feedback. He did that for NHL08 and I was amazed at the interaction and what the devs were able to gain from their feedback and participation. Since that time other CM's and I at EA have carried that torch with many of our titles and have changed the way we interact with our fans.

With the growth of numerous social media channels, now more than ever it has become very important to involve the community voice along with giving our game developers a platform to communicate directly with fans (and detractors) of their games. From developer blogs to podcasts to videos, our goals have been to open the doors that have been held locked for so long and allow our users to be a part of the development process. Sometimes getting producers to get out into the open can bring about small fears for some folks especially leaving themselves in the line of fire to an ever-fickle sports gaming fan. But I honestly feel that the more we provide an opportunity for our fans to be a part of the process, the better our games will become. At the end of the day, everyone wants to see the best game come out of the process.

The way things are being done are definitely changing and I've seen a lot of that this past year. Mind you, as open and as transparent as we try to be, we can't give away all the inside stuff and with more voices on the inside speaking out we still gotta be mindful of the complete organization and working together with all our teams within all our games. I say this in response to a little leak I put out earlier this week about overhearing some execs at work talking about announcing a new game next month. I had no idea that one tweet would get picked up so quickly and when I saw my name on German sites, I was like, oh man. To say it had a few people at work scrambling would be an understatement. And no, I can't confirm or deny the many guesses that people have said; I'm already being watched close enough for another slip! ;) I'm glad however that they didn't ask me to take it down and that all that was requested is that I keep things on the dl until the announcement in January.

Anyhow, I'm looking forward to that and until then I enjoy reading what the community has to say about what they would love to see. I think our fans will be buzzin' a lot over the next year and I'm gonna do my best to keep pushing the envelope as your guy on the inside. I'm planning to update this personal blog a little more often with my thoughts and perspective, so I welcome your comments and questions and will do my best to let u know what I know.

Keep gamin'!

~sk88z

FIGHT NIGHT Round 4 Producer Chat

FTW - Hockey Time

September is one of my favourite months of the year, not only because I get a year older (or despite it, that is) but the presents I receive are usually in the form of one of my all-time favorite games, NHL 10. This year NHL 10 hits the streets next week on Tuesday the 15th and for the first time we will be hosting a couple of midnight releases at Future Shops in Toronto and Vancouver. With President Obama welcoming the Pens to the White House today and team prospects hitting the ice this week, it's officially time to think hockey.

Growing up in Vancouver I've been a fan of the Canucks since I was allowed as a kid to stay up late in '82 to watch their magical first run into the Stanley Cup Finals against the New York Islanders. The series didn't go the way Canucks fans wanted it to, but it was a great run and a great year for the guys who wore the Flying V's. At seven years old I was hooked on the game and the team, and over the years as the jerseys and the team changed, I longed for them to return to the finals for another chance at their first Cup.

Then came '94 and that chance against the other New York team, the Rangers. In a battle where players on both teams left it all on the ice, the series would go seven games and the Rangers would win the Cup by a goal. One of the most memorable pictures is of the team's captain Trevor Linden leaning his head on goaltender Kirk McLean's mask after the loss. It signified all the sweat and tears and eventual heartache that came with coming so close to capturing the holy grail of hockey.

Back then while at UBC, my buddies and I relived the series looking for different outcomes on the SNES with NHL 95 and spent more hours playing the video game than I should have. We'd set up tournaments and battle throughout the school year and I even remembered playing games to simulate what we thought would happen in games to come. We didn't care that the game wasn't as authentic as it is today, we only cared that we could be play as our favorite team and feel the rush of scoring the game winner (most of the time with the dreaded one-timer goals). We always wondered, "Could it get any better than this???"

Your damn right it could and next week the series that has received the Sports Game of the Year nod for the past two years isn't holding back with NHL 10. The team followed up '09 with 3-on-3 NHL Arcade and still managed to put in over 200 gameplay improvements to kick it up a notch for this year's game. The producers have been providing the community with regular blogs and videos and screenshots to whet gamers' appetites. Even the demo was one like none other giving NHL fans new and old to the series a taste of the new Battle for the Cup and Be a Pro modes.

And so with Linden retired, there's time for him to take up gaming and what better game to do so than with NHL 10 where he can don the '94 uni's or, better yet, go old skool with the Flying V's in this year's game. Recreate those Stanley Cup Finals and hope for a different outcome in the new Battle for the Cup mode which has been implemented into the game very nicely. Or just jump into Season Mode and play with Luongo fresh off one of the most lucrative contracts ever for a Canuck (is Gillis a genius or what?). A whole other blog there in itself but something that I may look into with some of my own players with the new Be a GM mode.

Like most hockey fans, I'm excited at this time of year as the release of the game next week means that the season is right around the corner. Can this be the year my 'nucks go FTW and finally put it together? Again, another blog for another time.

Next week however, join Trevor Linden along with me and the game producers at Future Shop on Granville & Robson Monday night for the Midnight Release event. Be first to pick up a copy and see if you have the stick skills to bring home the Cup yourself. And for those of you in Toronto (boooo! Lol), you can join other NHL producers along with former captain Wendel Clark and current Leaf Ian White at the Toronto Life Square Future Shop. It's time to go FTW with one of the Best Titles of The Year!

Monday FTW - Weekend of Champions

It was a weekend of winners as the NBA and NHL crowned new champions over the weekend while at the same time EA SPORTS looks at crowning some gaming winners over the next few weeks as well.

Congratulations go out to Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins as they overcame a 3-2 series deficit to go FTW in the final two games and earn the right to hoist Lord Stanley’s Cup in Detroit, winning only their second game in Hockeytown in the last two years.

After being chased out of game 5, Marc-Andre Fleury came up with two career games and received a little help from the crossbar near the end of game seven letting in only two goals in game six and seven to backstop the Pens to the Cup. With Sid injuring his knee in the first period of game seven, the team rallied behind their captain as Maxime Talbot scored two of his biggest goals to give the Pens the scoring needed to win.

It was quite the moment for Sid the Kid as he shared the ice with owner Mario Lemiuex who hadn’t hoisted the cup since ’92 when he won his second in a row as a player. Sid was so much into the moment that he almost forgot about shaking the hands of last year’s champions leaving some of the Red Wings to patiently wait for him to shake his hand. Did he snub the team or was he just into the moment? I’ll say that patience is a virtue and even for the Wings, though it had to be bitter watching the Kid celebrate, those are the breaks when it comes to winning a championship.

Kobe can now remove the kryptonite from his shorts as he shook a monkey off his back (or a gorilla named “Shaq”) winning his fourth Larry O’Brien Trophy and confidently leading the LA Lakers to the NBA Championship over NBA LIVE 10 cover athlete Dwight “Superman” Howard and the Orlando Magic.

The Black Mamba was double-teamed throughout game five which left other Lakers shooters open. The team delivered hitting 50% of their shots from the arc and hitting 75% from the line to disappoint the home side looking to extend the series to a sixth game. It was a big 16-0 run following a confrontation between Trevor Ariza and Hedo Turkoglu that was the difference in the game.

The championship was also head coach Phil Jackson’s tenth and there was no shortage of celebration as he remains undefeated when his teams win the first game of a championship series.

With these championships in the book, EA SPORTS looks to crown its own champions as we kick off the NHL 09 EASHL Invitational in a couple of weeks. For months, the EASHL has been running strong and hundreds of teams have played thousands of games and have climbed the leaderboards to earn the right to be invited to our first post-season tournament.

Congratulations go out to the two regular season console champions: Shammers United who finished the season playing 3235 games and amassing 8234 points on the Xbox 360 while the No CryBabys played 1278 games and earned 7135 points to clinch first place on the PlayStation 3. These are the first teams that have received invites to the tournament and we will announce the other seven teams per console this Wednesday.

If you haven’t checked it out yet, you have to see the EA SPORTS ‘Joy’ commercial that aired at the NBA Finals last week. Coinciding with the commercial is our Welcome to the Win webpage from EA SPORTS Beta highlighting athletes’ wins in their respective sports. We will also be sharing our gamers’ wins as well so stay tuned to the site and look for new areas to unlock in the near future.

To close, congrats go to local swimmer Brent Hayden of Vancouver who went FTW and defeated Olympic Gold Champion Michel Phelps during the Santa Clara International Grand Prix swim meet over the weekend. Hayden swam a personal best of 48.44 seconds in the 100-metre freestyle to edge Phelps who clocked in at the finish at 48.87 seconds.

Ask these guys if every second counts, and you’ll appreciate what it takes to be a champion.

will ea sports go ftw at e3?

After weeks of preparing to show off their studio’s best, developers from around the world descent on Los Angeles for this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo, where gaming press will be ready to share with the public the latest news at a moment’s notice. Teams at EA SPORTS have put together videos, gamed hours on demos, and are ready for the massive questions that are bound to come from the hungry appetites of those lucky enough to get an invite to the expo.

The EA SPORTS stable will be in full force at E3 this year but not every game there will be fully accessible to those in attendance. EA Canada’s NHL 09, the winner of no less than twelve Sports Game of the Year Awards, will be inviting an even luckier few press inside closed doors with Producer David Littman and the upcoming NHL 10 game. For the rest of us, we’ll have to keep our eyes peeled for an upcoming blog on physical play from Producer Sean Ramjagsingh and new news about the upcoming EA SPORTS Hockey League Invitational Tournament to that will start later in June. Follow @NHL10 and myself, @sk88z, for when the latest news drops.

There will be many channels for our community to follow us at E3. I’ll be working with fellow EA SPORTS Community Managers @easports @raczilla, @dochowser, @dewiel, and @EARom relaying video, pics, and stories from our team of @The_Eric_Gray and @CLOSPHOTO on the ground at the LA Convention Center. I just hope the two Magic fans aren’t going to get themselves into any trouble running around downtown LA with their Orlando jerseys on. Also down there from our team will be @Active_Girl who will be busy getting people Active and started on the 30-Day Challenge that many are starting today.

I’m not going to let anything out of the bag before Peter Moore gets on stage Monday, though I will let you know that if you’re a Fight Night Round 4 fan, you’re going to want to tune in to http://ea.com/e3 at 2PM PST. Along with some news about one of the most anticipated games of the year, there will also be a few surprises and special guests.

We will also be posting video from press conferences and surrounding mayhem on http://insideblog.easports.com and don’t forget to tune in everyday at 12PM PST to EA SPORTS Live with the Thompson Brothers @PrimeTimeSA and @mamboking to get the latest sports gaming news from E3.

On the heels of this year’s biggest upset in the French Open as Rafael Nadal loses his first sets since 2007 and first match ever in Roland Garros, EA SPORTS will be hitting some hard baseline shots of its own with the launch of EA SPORTS Grand Slam Tennis later this week. Check out a recent blog and video from Producer Thomas Singleton talking about all four Grand Slam venues including the French Open’s Roland Garros and the historic Wimbledon, making its first ever appearance in a tennis video game.

Not to be outdone, EA Tiburon will be rolling out the red carpet putting the driver in the hands of the press in Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 10. Along with Grand Slam Tennis, the Wii version will be compatible with the new Wii Motion Plus and will be really taking the game to the next level. On the PC side, check out Peter Moore’s most recent blog on Tiger Woods PGA Tour Online that will allow gamers to pick up and play anytime they’ve got to get their swing on.

With football season right around the corner, mainstays Madden NFL 10 and NCAA Football 10 will be put through the paces in the hands of the press. Check out one of the latest NCAA Football 10 videos with Producer Ben Haumiller and Game Designer Russ Kiniry on the game’s Season Showdown feature. For you looking to see more on the senior title, watch and listen to Producer Phil Frazier and other devs talk about Online Co-Op, new to the game and something the community has been craving for years, in this installment of the Developer Series.

So you’ve noticed those videos on the new EA SPORTS Beta site? Just this past week, the online web teams from both studios have launched a new look for EA SPORTS fans which now incorporates a freshly skinned EA SPORTS World to match into the new EA SPORTS Beta site. Check out the EA SPORTS Beta FAQ here and feel free to leave your feedback on the site in our forums.

Over the past six months as an EA SPORTS Community Manager here at EA Canada, it’s been a pleasure to bring our fans behind the scenes action from producer blogs and Q&A’s to athlete interviews to the ultimate in community participation hosting game fans at our Community Events. We’ve made some huge strides not only listening to the EA SPORTS community but bringing you into the mix and having you all take part in the design and creation of our titles. Check out last week’s FIFA 10 Community Day hosted by Rom Broad and our other FIFA Community Managers from around the world.

I recall a time when I started at EA Canada over five years ago as QA Tester and I made a comment on the forums that was taken down because it came from someone within the company and wasn’t an ‘official comment’ on the game. I am glad to say, those days are no longer as we continue to thin the veil between our fans and the developers. Over the next months we’ll continue to try new things and continue to break down the barriers with hopes of involving our community, and of improving and making better titles year in and year out.

Here’s hoping EA SPORTS goes FTW at E3 this week!