Hard to believe commencement is in less than a month. That means these are the final few shows, including this week’s episode, with two guests. One was NBA veteran Scot Pollard, which included a question on his famous “hey kids, do drugs” moment. The other was Rich Grisham of OOTP Developments, who discussed the company’s recent releases: Out of the Park Baseball 18 and MLB Manager 2017. Listen below and subscribe to Big Red Sports Talk podcasts on iTunes, Stitcher, and Google Play!
Author Archives: Alex Kaufman
Q1 2017 Post Roundup
Has it really been four months since I last wrote a post roundup? I promise, I have not gone dormant. Between job applications, schoolwork piling on, and the sentimental emotions that come with graduating college, my life is kind of all over the place. At this point, I have submitted more than 200 job applications in sports media, along with a handful of graduate school applications, which means I’m mostly playing a waiting game, greatly hoping to hear back from…well, anywhere.
In the meantime, I’ve kept writing for the Denisonian, Awful Announcing, The Comeback, and even added a new temporary gig with Bites Media. Aside from the Denisonian, which has not posted any sports articles from 2017 on their website, links to everything will be below, ordered chronologically.
1/3 – Should I Listen To This? – Behind The Bets (Awful Announcing)
The best part of this podcast review is that hosts Chad Millman and Bob Scucci talked about it on the next episode they released. It was tough managing three different shows in the review, but I think I was successful in both giving three separate mini-reviews along with a feed review, as a whole. I’m always appreciative when hosts give their thoughts on my reviews during their shows.
1/6 – Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee Recap – Kristen Wiig (The Comeback)
I liked this episode, but didn’t love it. Hard to believe I complained about it for being too short. Also, as someone who was born in Ohio and who has lived in this state my entire life, I loved seeing Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams featured toward the end.
1/13 – Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee Recap – Norm MacDonald (The Comeback)
I am a Norm MacDonald fan, and he’s an extremely dark comedian. Side note: I think he would be a fantastic golf analyst. In fact, I would pay a couple dollars a month to watch golf overlaid with his commentary.
1/16 – Should I Listen To This? – Unmuted (Awful Announcing)
Nope. This show might have been good in 2007, but it’s 2017. It was a new show back in January, and I listened to the episode the day after my review went up, when Mariotti more or less “embraced” the hate. Honestly, I feel bad Woody Paige has to deal with such an awful co-host on a daily basis.
1/27 – Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee Recap – Cedric the Entertainer (The Comeback)
This was a really good episode. I hope to be successful enough to be able to wear a bathrobe on top of my outfit and have no concerns of people judging me.
2/1 – Should I Listen To This? – Know Them From Adam (Awful Announcing)
It’s a fine show, but nothing special. Schefter is a news breaker, not a podcaster. I just felt like it was too structured for a podcast interview and I didn’t care for Schefty interrupting his guests. At least for me, whenever I do interviews for my radio show, I let the guests speak, no matter what direction they go in…and some of them have gone in some weird directions. I have a list of questions, but it doesn’t mean I’m going to strictly follow them, especially if I want to ask a follow-up based on what a guest says.
2/3 – Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee Recap – Christoph Waltz (The Comeback)
This one didn’t feature a funny guest, though there were a couple of funny moments. Plus it was a shorter episode. I’m usually of the philosophy that, no matter the expected page length, extra filler is usually unnecessary. For example, I had a 10-15 page paper due for my Spanish linguistics class earlier this week and I turned it in as a completed nine pages. It’s a rough draft, so I might get some feedback and tips for what to add, but I didn’t want to just ramble for another page or two just to fit the expected length.
2/10 – Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee Recap – Bob Einstein (The Comeback)
The first repeat guest in show history knew how to make the format fit his jokes. If only Seinfeld gave Einstein the free car he promised his guest!
2/15 – Comedians in Cars at a Crossroads (The Comeback)
Unlike my podcast reviews, where I answer questions for other people, I answered questions for myself in this post. Until I wrote this, I had never considered the future of Crackle, or the future of Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee. Now I have.
2/15 – Should I Listen To This? – Road Trippin’ (Awful Announcing)
Every so often, a new podcast comes along that is completely unlike anything else you’ve ever listened to before. This show is that. Never have NBA players had a medium to directly share stories and opinions to fans. Yes, it bypasses the media, but it isn’t meant to replace game stories, interviews, or feature articles. It can live alongside those stories.
Also, this review went up right before the Kyrie Irving/flat Earth episode, which was good timing.
3/1 – Should I Listen To This? – Cal Cast (Awful Announcing)
With March Madness around this time, I decided to review a college basketball show. Again, Calipari is a slimeball of a coach, but he’s not a half bad podcaster. Turns out, this wasn’t the last time I had mixed feelings about the ethics of a podcast I reviewed.
3/9 – Senior Recital!
I had a few weeks of less writing because, along with classes and such, I had my senior recital! It was so much fun, but I was spending the beginning of March freaking out about it. It was almost an hour of just me (and my fantastic accompanist, Kevin Wines) on stage performing songs in three different languages, all from memory.
Other people have taken video from the event, which I do not want to see anytime soon. I got a CD of my performance, which I have not listened to much of but still decided to upload here. Yes, you can hear me sing (and read some speeches full of bad jokes) in a playlist that is embedded below.
3/15 – Should I Listen To This? – The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz (Awful Announcing)
Luckily, with no classes, I spent most of my spring break listening to a sports talk show I didn’t necessarily want to listen to.
Apparently, I didn’t get the show, which is because my review wasn’t a glowing portrait of the show. I’ll disagree with the show’s die-hards; I think I got it pretty well and that my complaints are valid. Doesn’t necessarily make the show a bad one, but it gives it a certain niche.
3/28 – NCAA Amateurism Continues (Bites Media)
I wrote a handful of posts for a new website, Bites. It is aimed at providing college students with unbiased and simplified news stories. I found these really difficult to write, mostly because of format. It’s almost structured like an outline, with bullet points and tons of hyperlinks in each post. Plus, there is a 500-word limit, which means cutting any and all filler, sidebars, and tangents. I enjoyed the challenge of writing these posts, but they are definitely more time consuming than my typical Denisonian story.
4/3 – Should I Listen To This? – Missing Richard Simmons (Awful Announcing)
In some aspects, I really loved this show. In others, I was sickened by what I considered an invasion of privacy. I just listened to what I think Missing Richard Simmons could have been through a podcast called Making Oprah. Both shows dive into a television phenomenon that went dormant a few years ago, but unlike the show I reviewed, Making Oprah got approval from its subject, who recorded interviews for the series. She’s also still in the public eye, even if she doesn’t have a talk show anymore.
4/4 – Equal Pay on Ice (Bites Media)
I love how quickly sports stories change. When I started working on this article, it looked like Team USA would boycott the world championships. By the time this post is published, the team got a new deal and won the tournament, an impressive feat when considering how little time between when a deal was reached and when the tournament started.
The Future…
I’ll have a new podcast review out next week on Awful Announcing. I’m going to take a stab at The Ringer MLB Show, which is my first time reviewing a show from Bill Simmons’ empire. I really enjoy a lot of their content and have considered reviewing The Bill Simmons Podcast, though I think it might be too popular to fairly critique.
There won’t be as much other writing in the near future, though, as I finish tying up loose ends at Denison and (hopefully) figure out my post-graduation plans. Also, because of a Spanish class field trip, there will not be a new Big Red Sports Talk on Friday. That said, I’m trying to record some interviews for a podcast-only show. If that happens, I’ll be sure to post about it on Friday/Saturday.
Here’s to a job in sports media when I graduate!
Senior Recital Audio!
My senior recital took place on March 9, 2017 in Burke Recital Hall at Denison University in Granville, Ohio. Audio from the performance, which includes tracks of speeches I gave between sets, is embedded below. Enjoy!
Podcast: Big Red Sports Talk – 4/7/17
After four guests last week, this week’s show was a somewhat toned down affair. Steven returned to the Doobie to host with me one final time, and we reminisced about the show we used to host together. I also debuted an interview with Yahoo Sports MLB Columnist Jeff Passan, who came on the show for his final time. Hard to believe there are only a handful of shows left before graduation!
Listen below and be sure to subscribe to Big Red Sports Talk podcasts on iTunes, Stitcher, and Google Play!
Podcast: Big Red Sports Talk – 3/31/17
This week’s show made for an extremely enjoyable close to the month of March. I interviewed four (yes, FOUR!) guests for this week’s show, making sure to hit all of the different major sports, and then some. Sports Illustrated’s Ben Golliver talked NBA, ESPN’s Dan Szymborski talked MLB, and NFL.com’s Nick Shook talked NFL and semi-pro football AKA the Cleveland Browns. Wait, that’s only three guests. The fourth interview, which opened the show live, was with TSN’s Jay Onrait. Formerly of FS1, Onrait talked about his past and his future during the interview. Listen to all four interviews below and subscribe to full show podcasts on iTunes, Stitcher, and Google Play!
MLB Manager 2017 Releases TODAY on iOS and Android
If you have followed my work long enough, you know that I spend a lot of time on my phone. When I’m not checking Twitter or e-mail, I’m usually playing MLB Manager. Every year, I download the newest iteration of OOTP Developments’ mobile game and I play the hell out of it, no matter how badly it might drain my iPhone’s battery. If you’re interested in taking the Out of the Park Baseball on the go, read all about MLB Manager 2017 below. The game releases TODAY on both iOS and Android!
MLB Manager 2017 Available Now For Android and iOS
Official Licensee of MLB.com and MLBPA, Featuring 2017 Opening Day Rosters
Out of the Park Developments, an official licensee of MLB.com, MiLB.com, and the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA), today announced that MLB Manager 2017 is available now for Android and iOS at Google Play and the Apple App Store, respectively. This exciting mobile game allows players to take control of any MLB team, past or present, and guide it through unlimited seasons of championship chasing. An option to create fictional leagues is also included.
Like Out of the Park Baseball 18, which was released on March 24, 2017, MLB Manager 2017 features the official Major League Baseball logo, as well as official logos for all 30 MLB teams, historical MLB logos, and the World Series trophy. The MLBPA license allows MLB Manager 2017 to include real player names and stats too.
Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ootpdevelopments.mlbm2017
iOS App Store: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mlb-manager-2017/id1142642733?mt=8
MLB Manager 2017 also features 2017 Opening Day rosters, with the projected 40-man roster for each team. It sells for US$4.99, with historical seasons available as in-app purchases.
“Guide your team through unlimited seasons of championship chasing while on the go, any time, anywhere. You don’t even need an Internet connection,” said lead developer Sebastian Palkowski.
New features in MLB Manager 2017:
– 2017 Opening Day MLB rosters, including top prospects
– Beautiful new interface
– Improved AI for trading, roster building, contract negotiations and in-game management
– Improved league news and play-by-play text
MLB Manager 2017’s core features include:
Three game modes:
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Major League: Mobile managers guide their favorite Major League Baseball teams through the 2017 season and beyond
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Fictional: A fresh customizable world full of fictional players, providing a unique challenge each time
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Historical Major League: Three exciting past seasons to recreate — 1927, 1948, or 1997 — with the ability to buy more through in-app. (Historical seasons are $0.99 each, 10 for $4.99, or all seasons dating back to 1901 for $19.99.)
In Historical Major League mode, real players show up in the draft when they made their actual major league debuts, assuming the user owns those seasons.
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Managerial options that enable players to set lineups, pitching rotations, and depth charts before taking the field to make in-game calls, including when to issue hit-and-run and steal signs, how to configure the defense, when to pull pitchers and put in pinch-hitters, and more.
Players can also let the computer handle those decisions and set a series of sliders that dictate overall strategies, such as aggressiveness on the base paths, how often to pitch around batters, and more. They can simulate the season a day or a week at a time, jumping back in to manage games whenever they want. A Simulate to Date X function allows players to simulate to a specific date, with a Don’t Disturb option that enables uninterrupted long-term sims.
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A play-by-play text stream that describes what’s happening on the field during the game, making it feel like a radio broadcast.
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An in-depth financial system that allows players to unleash their inner GMs. Are they looking for undervalued players who might help the team win while keeping payroll low, or are they free-wheeling spenders seeking high-profile free agents for the big win?
Players oversee trades, negotiate contract extensions, sign free agents, draft players, cultivate minor league prospects, move players between the active roster, minor league roster and disabled list, and more. A Shop a Player function lets them field offers from other teams, while shortlists let armchair GMs easily keep track of certain players.
Podcast: Big Red Sports Talk – 3/24/17
Yesterday was Zach’s birthday and he and I had a show that talked about the World Baseball Classic’s popularity, March Madness, LaVar Ball, and more. There was also an interview with Bleacher Report’s Erik Malinowski. Listen below and subscribe to Big Red Sports Talk podcasts on iTunes, Stitcher, and Google Play!
Out of the Park Baseball 18 Releases TODAY
When asked “Is it baseball season yet?” I can finally answer with a resounding “YES!” because Out of the Park Baseball 18 releases TODAY. OOTP 18 features a bunch of new features and improvements to what was already Metacritic’s 2016 PC Game of the Year. You can see a trailer for the game here. The full press release announcing OOTP 18’s launch, along with screenshots, can be found below.
Out of the Park Baseball 18, an Official Licensee of MLB.com, MLBPA, and MiLB.com,
Now Available Worldwide
Follow-up to Metacritic’s 2016 PC Game of the Year features a new Challenge Mode, Online Profiles and Leaderboards, real 2017 major and minor league rosters, historic Negro League teams, improved 3D mode, new tournaments, and much more
Out of the Park Developments, an official licensee of MLB.com, the MLBPA, and MiLB.com, today announced that Out of the Park Baseball 18 is now available worldwide. The follow-up to the acclaimed Metacritic 2016 PC Game of the Year includes several exciting new features and a treasure trove of deep improvements to its award-winning gameplay.
Out of the Park Baseball 18 sells for $39.99 and is available on Steam and through the company’s website at these links:
http://store.steampowered.com/app/465650/
http://www.ootpdevelopments.com/out-of-the-park-baseball/
For the first time, Out of the Park Baseball 18 introduces an all-new Challenge Mode. This allows series newcomers to enjoy a powerful way to learn the intricacies of this deep strategy title, while driving community engagement for all users via the creation of online profiles to share accomplishments on new leaderboards. The Challenge Mode is just the beginning of an all-new, long-term expansion of OOTP’s online platform — more will be unveiled during the course of the 2017 baseball season.
Out of the Park Baseball 18 also includes:
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2017 roster sets with all Opening Day MLB rosters, as well as the complete minor league system from Triple-A down to rookie leagues and the Arizona Fall League. All major league (and over a thousand minor league) player ratings are based on the popular ZiPS player projection system. The 8 international leagues, as well as independent minor leagues in the US, also return this year with accurate rosters.
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Historical Negro League clubs, thanks to a partnership with OOTP’s acclaimed historical database experts and Seamheads.com. This feature allows baseball fans to explore the rich history of a bygone era, create compelling what-if scenarios, pit major league clubs against their Negro League counterparts, and much more.
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Improvements to 3D mode, including: Even more ballpark detail; better on-field player models and enhanced on-field decisions; and the ability to save all 3D highlights and watch a highlight reel, whether the game was played out or simulated.
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Custom and real world tournaments for all the teams included in the game. National and international tournaments are a breeze to create, as is the ability to import historical teams.
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Extensive AI improvements, including roster management, trades, and in-game decision-making.
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A redesigned injury system that features detailed injury histories for all players, little nagging long-term injuries, and more.
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Many more improvements, including:
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A beautiful new interface
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Improved game recaps
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An upgraded player morale/team chemistry system
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Enhanced play-by-play text and league news
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A sophisticated system for team relegation and promotion between leagues
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The ability to retain player salaries in trades
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The incorporation of many 2017 CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement) rule changes
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Faster import speeds of historical minor league seasons
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OOTP 18 runs on PC/Mac/Linux and, like last year, it features the American League and National League logos, the World Series trophy, official logos and jerseys for all 30 MLB teams, over 150 Minor League Baseball league and team logos, and historical MLB logos.
“Fans have been overwhelmingly positive about Out of the Park Baseball 18 since it was announced in January,” said lead developer, lifelong baseball fan, and Out of the Park Developments CEO Markus Heinsohn. “We’re thrilled to deliver a game that will allow us to dramatically expand our online community and delight a new generation of fans.”
“Out of the Park Baseball has been setting the bar high for sports management games over the past 18 years, and this year’s edition is no different,” said Out of the Park Developments CMO Richard Grisham. “Every time I think they can’t top last year’s version, they do it again. I tip my cap to the hardest-working development team in video games.”
Podcast: Big Red Sports Talk – 3/3/17
In the final show before spring break, Zach Dobbins and Benson Anderson argued with me about the Nintendo Switch, Kevin Durant’s injury, Joel Embiid’s Rookie of the Year chances, and plenty more. Listen below and subscribe to Big Red Sports Talk podcasts on iTunes, Stitcher, and Google Play!
Podcast: Big Red Sports Talk – 2/24/17
This week’s show was an abbreviated one that focused on the NBA trade deadline and the turnover at FS1. You can listen to it below and subscribe to Big Red Sports Talk podcasts on iTunes, Stitcher, and Google Play!