BEST SPORTS VIDEO GAMES FROM OUR CHILDHOOD

“Stop Looking at My Controller!”

By Cody Phillips

When first considering this topic, I felt I was going to struggle in determining my two favorite sports video games growing up.  It literally took me all of two minutes.  Without a shadow of a doubt, it was Tecmo Bowl and R.B.I. Baseball for the Nintendo Entertainment System.

The original Tecmo Bowl was released on the Nintendo in 1989 and shortly thereafter become a love of mine.  It was really the first video game to feature real NFL teams and players.  Tecmo Bowl contained twelve teams, each equipped with four offensive plays. Most teams have two running plays and two passing plays. The exceptions were San Francisco and Miami, who have three passing plays and one running play.  

Tecmo Bowl had its quirks. For instance, almost any pass thrown to a covered receiver resulted in an interception, and it was unrealistically easy for some teams to block field goals and extra points. Lawrence Taylor of New York and Dexter Manley of Washington could block any field goal or extra point simply by selecting them and running down the line and through the long snapper.  On offense Walter Payton, Marcus Allen, Neal Anderson, and Bo Jackson were nearly unstoppable running the football.  Montana, Elway, and Marino deadly through the air.  On defense, the aforementioned L.T., Mike Singletary, Ronnie Lott, and Howie Long were menacing.  

Playing against a friend could be extremely frustrating seeming how the gamer controlling the defense had a 1 (Ozzie Smith) in 4 (Bobby Orr) chance of guessing the offensive play, which resulted in almost assuredly a loss on the play.  Also, it seemed extremely easy to sneak a peek at your friends controller and see which play they were choosing! (Of course, I never did such a thing)  The phrase, “stop looking at my controller” was screamed thousands of times at a bloody murder pitch from an upstairs bedroom at the Phillips abode. 

The second coming of the franchise, Tecmo Super Bowl, was almost my top choice because it was the first game to have every NFL team, expanded rosters, expanded playbooks, and statistics tracking over the entire season (my favorite facet of the game.)  I also loved that you could edit playbooks and substitute offensive players.  This really ignited my passion for “x’s and o’s” in the game of football.  Both Tecmo Bowl and Tecmo Super Bowl were fantastic, but the original garnered my top nod. 

R.B.I. Baseball comes in a very close second when thinking back to my most fond video game memories as a youngster.  It contained 8 teams listed only by city name.  Boston, California, Detroit, Houston, Minnesota, and San Francisco.

The real fun came when you controlled either the American League or the National League All Star teams.  These squads had the real studs.  The two teams featured established veterans such as George Brett, Dale Murphy, and Andre “The Hawk” Dawson —none of whom appeared on the other eight teams—as well as up-and-coming stars like Mark McGwire, Andres Galarraga, and Jose Canseco.  I wish I could make this screen talk, because the sounds in this game are particularly cemented into my brain.  I can still hear the specific sound associated with a homerun that flew OUT OF THE STADIUM, a missed swing, an error made in the field, a pitch with a lot of movement, a batter being hit by a pitch, and many other gameplay features.  I also remember every player on the field being “shaped” exactly the same...looking very much like Penguins.  Crazy what you remember from your childhood.  

This game resulted in many head-to-head heated battles with friends as well.  Less likely than Tecmo to sneak a peak and cheat on this game...much more likely to set a “fastball’s only” designation prior to starting and get super pi**ed when your friend decides in the most crucial part of the game that he’s gonna either A.) disregard the rule that was agreed on prior to the start regarding "fastballs only" or B.) have an erroneous hand slip that results in your hitter swinging 10 seconds before the pitch gets to the plate.  Talk about “fighting mad”...that’ll get me fighting mad!  

I absolutely love both of these games and will forever cherish that time in my life.  We all like to reminisce about our childhood and both Tecmo Bowl and R.B.I. Baseball stick out as bright spots in a childhood filled with many stars.  

*A Special Thanks to my Uncle Terry & Aunt Shari for buying me that Nintendo as a Christmas Gift all those years ago...*

Real Players Have Muddy Uniforms

By Eric Brookes 

I would like to open by saying that this topic has me a little flustered. It has been a tough, arduous decision trying to determine which two sports games to choose as my favorites from my childhood. Probably the toughest decision of my day to this point. (Take that last statement however you choose.) 

After thinking about it for a short time, my first selection actually came quite simple and didn't require much thinking.  It is the one and only John Madden Football. I remember being at my friend Michael Jebbia’s house for a birthday party when he received the original John Madden game. It was the most realistic football game I had ever seen to this point and I remember thinking I had to have it. The first major problem I had was the fact that I didn't have a Sega at the time.  The console which the original John Madden Football was played on.  I was still stuck with the original  Nintendo.  After a lot of begging and agitation, I received my Sega and Madden game for my next birthday.  

To this day, much of what sticks with me from that game were the subtleties that appeared overwhelming for that day and age.  One that I remember is that when it rained, the field and the players uniforms got muddy. Although the rain drops appeared to be less than authentic, the fact the field and uniform conditions changed throughout the game was a big deal!  Weather conditions, time of quarters, fatigue, were all adjustable by the gamer. This was by far the most realistic football game that I’d ever seen.  

Twenty years later, the Madden Football series of video games is still going strong and has become one of the highest selling video games of all time (worth $4 Billion dollars). It is scary to see how far this game has come since its original version first hit the Sega Genesis and my heart. Free Agency, salary caps, even the ability to import draft classes from the EA Franchise of College football games are all now a part of the John Madden Football 2012. 

Looking into my fuzzy 31 (Reggie Miller) year old memory, I don't think you could even play an entire season in the inaugural version of this game and it only had 17(Dave Krieg) of the NFL Teams, but the thought of seeing those muddy, grass stained uniforms during those rainy games takes me back to some great childhood memories.

I was close to choosing several other games for my second pick, but after much thought, the one and only Baseball Stars is my selection.  This game had eight teams that came created on the game with six slots where you could create your own team.  It was one of the first sports games to have data memory, therefore gamers could create a team, configure a league and play a season, and the game's memory chip stored cumulative statistics. Baseball Stars was also the first sports game for the NES to have a create a player feature; giving gamers the power to name their players, as well as their teams.  

For all of you Nintendo gamers throughout the world...I know you remember the “blow” technique we ALL used to clean the dust out of our games in an attempt to get them to work properly.  (This was followed swiftly by a hard/open hand slap to the side, front, rear, and top of the console if it was not cooperating)  Anyway, Baseball Stars was the one game that was the quintessential “blow in” adversary...literally every time I played it, it had to be beaten into submission before it would work.  Like they say, “The harder you have to work, the more rewarding the result is...” Maybe that’s another reason why I loved this game.

The one feature I will never forget from this game was as a defender you had the ability to climb the outfield wall in an attempt to rob the hitter of a Homerun.  I’m almost positive this was the first game that you could do that on.

Both games are near and dear to my heart and looking back spark some great memories of being a kid.   

Left On The Cutting Room Floor:      

There were so many great games to choose from when we put our head’s together for this blog topic.  Our final list consisted of Mike Tyson’s Punch Out, Double Dribble, Blades of Steel, NHL Hockey, Lakers vs. Celtics, NBA Jam, and the one and only Bases Loaded.  I know we’re forgetting some... 

...Let us know what some of your favorites were and hopefully we can spark some cool memories of your youth.  

NFL Draft 2011-From a Fan's Perspective

Cowboys Earn a B- From Their #1 FAN

By Eric Brookes (with Cody Phillips)

Tyron Smith-Cowboy's 1st Rd. Pick

As a Cowboys fan, the NFL draft can be confusing, surprising, and sometimes downright scary. The main reason for my trepidation every April can be directly attributed to a man by the name of Jerry Jones. Since becoming owner of the Cowboys,  Jerry has rarely done anything in a conventional manner and that includes the NFL draft. The best example of Jerry’s unconventional methods could be witnessed in the blockbuster trade involving then Cowboy’s running back Hershel Walker in 1989.  The Cowboys received five players and six assorted draft picks from the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for Walker, who at the time was one of the better runners in the league. The conditional picks from Minnesota became a 1st and 2nd round pick in 1990, a 1st and 2nd round pick in 1991, and 1st and 3rd round picks in 1992. Wow!!!! Are you kidding me? And to think I was getting ready to start bashing Jerry Jones. Who in their right mind would not make that trade? Or put it this way, is there any current player in the NFL that you wouldn't give up for all of that? I doubt it.  For that trade, Jerry has always earned a “pass” from me, but after looking closely at his draft resume, the free pass has officially worn out its welcome!

             Jerry has always moved around in the draft.  I find it fascinating how he will consistently trade in and out of rounds, moving up and down the draft order, looking for any edge to make his team better. I sometimes think he does it to make sure people haven't forgotten who runs Americas Team. The Hershel Walker deal was the first step in the Cowboys becoming the team of the 90's and winning 3 (Dale Murphy) Super Bowls in four years.  In making that great trade, I think it instilled in Jerry's mind that he was smarter than the system...a draft genius perhaps.  

In subsequent drafts he has negatively effected the Cowboys roster by continually trying to hit a grand slam when all the Cowboy’s needed was a single up the middle. Since that trade, it is my contention that the draft hasn't been Mr. Jones' strong suit. I’m not here to critique every pick from every draft because I openly acknowledge he has had some good picks, like moving up in last years 1st round to get Dez Bryant who appears to be the real deal (although he also appears to be an extreme knucklehead off the field).  And I will never forget or lose sight of the fact that he drafted Hall of Famer's, Troy Aikman and Emmitt Smith in back to back years in 1989 and 1990. The pick used to  select Smith was courtesy of the Minnesota Vikings, a direct result of the aforementioned Hershel Walker trade. But if you take away the years when Bill Parcells was “buying the groceries” and the first two drafts Jerry ran (where they had so many picks that they were bound to land a couple stars), his drafts have been somewhat pedestrian...I’ll say average at best!

The late nineties drafts led the Cowboys to three straight 5-11 (George Brett & Mark Messier) seasons from 2000-2002. I wasn't going to do it, but I simply can’t write this piece without mentioning the horrendous Quincy Carter pick.  Enamored with finding the Next Troy Aikman, Jones clearly reached for Carter in the 2nd round of the 2001 draft even though most draft gurus had Carter as a 4th round pick at best. After a few years in the league and a couple of arrests, Carter recently retired from the Arena Football League. I could go on and on with missed picks over the past 15 (Bart Starr) years, but here is the ultimate point I am trying to make. In fact, it's a very encouraging point for Cowboy’s fans.

Bruce Carter-Cowboy's 2nd Rd. Pick

           This 2011 draft was the first in Jerry's 23 (Ryne Sandberg) years as Owner of the Dallas Cowboys that he did not complete a draft day trade. What does this tell me?  It tells me he has a remarkable trust in Head Coach, Jason Garrett. In the months leading up to this year’s draft, Garrett consistently stated he wanted to stick to their plan.  It appears from the outside looking in, that that is exactly what they did.  They drafted the best player available on their board and not necessarily by need. That’s not Jerry's style at all.  No big splashes.  Just solid, straight to the point, uneventful selections.  To drive the point home, he drafted an Offensive Lineman in the 1st round for the first time as owner of the Cowboys. Did you see HBO’s critically acclaimed reality series, Hard Knocks in 2008, when camera’s showed Jerry and the Head Coach, Wade Phillips sitting by the phone, getting ready to make their decision on who to select with their 1st round pick.  Jerry looked over to then second year offensive coordinator Jason Garrett and asked, “Jason who do you think?”  Garrett responded by saying he liked Felix Jones, a running back out of Arkansas.  Jerry promptly replied, "Let’s go with Felix!"  I don’t think I fully realized it at the time, but it showed a glimpse of Jerry’s strong belief in Garett’s opinion as a football evaluator.  That belief and trust between the two obviously hasn’t wavered here in 2011.  

           As always, they made some picks in this draft that made me scratch my head, but I am ok with that.  I don’t claim to be Mel Kiper Jr.'s Jr.  The draft by no means is an exact science.  If you’re 50% right in any given draft, you’ve done a helluva job.  We must also remember Free Agency has yet to begin, (thanks to the lovely work stoppage) so some of these choices may make a little more sense three or four months from now. The Cowboys got the the guy they wanted with their 1st round pick in Tyron Smith, the big Left Tackle out of USC.  He’s a kid with great feet and loves (not likes) the game of football.  I have a firm belief that whoever you draft in the 1st round must LOVE the game, because it’s awful easy to be paid $25,000,000 in Guaranteed Cash and lose the desire it takes to be great!  As for the rest of the draft...I’m not sure they drafted anyone who will make a major impact, but that is the beauty of the draft, you simply never know. 

Two of the Cowboys biggest stars, quarterback, Tony Romo, & wide receiver, Miles Austin, were signed as Undrafted Free Agents. If it weren't for Quincy Carter carrying a little Marijuana around with him and Bill Parcells strong belief in the little known QB’s abilities, Tony Romo probably would have been released in 2004. Instead Carter got released and Romo stayed on as the 3rd string QB. Funny how the world works. 

To an outsider the Cowboys draft probably came across as somewhat uneventful, but as a huge fan I am looking at that as a plus. I have grown tired over the years watching Jerry Jones flop around from pick to pick and in the end feeling like these players never live up to their potential or expectations. I’ve grown weary of watching him draft a player simply because he is a big name. Let me also clarify this piece by saying, I think it’s absolutely ridiculous to give a team a grade on their draft when we’re yet to see any of the picks play a single down in The League!  In my opinion, a team’s draft shouldn’t be graded until 3 (Dale Earnhardt) years down the road.  Based purely on speculation and the love of a fan, I give the 2011 Cowboys draft a B-.  Here’s to hoping I’m right and that my crystal ball can accurately predict how these players will perform at an entirely different level than they’ve ever played on!  

Ultimately, the 2011 NFL Draft provided me with a sense of happiness and ease as a fan.  To see Jerry settling down, trusting others within the organization, and keeping the Cowboys hovering in the background for the moment was encouraging to witness.  Now we'll see once the ball is kicked in the air if any of these boys can play?