“The Show” is the Real Deal

Trophy news from BSSComment.com…

“The Show” is the Real Deal

baseball trophies

Two days ago, I bought the PS3 exclusive “MLB ‘09: The Show” and it has lived up to the hype. Granted, I never really paid attention to the competition, MLB 2K9, and for good reason. I haven’t played “The Show” since 2007 and the game has seen dramatic improvements in graphics, presentation, and even gameplay.

Some new improvements have been mainly towards the franchise mode where you now have unprecedented control over your team. A full 40-man roster is available and you also need to check the waiver wires along with dealing with salary arbitrations.

“Road to the Show” is what I’m most excited about. No other baseball game let’s you play in the 3rd person view. Training this year is better than previous years. Now you can take live batting practice along with fielding and base running practice. Everything is so detailed in just about every aspect of the game.

Online play has shown a huge upgrade this year too. We now have 30-team leagues with flexible scheduling and you can even upload the team you’re playing with and destroy some “noobs” with it. Now, supposedly, the lag online is horrendous, but I haven’t encountered that yet so I’m okay with it.

One thing I don’t really like about it is how insane the trophies are for the game. 50 game hitting streak on All-star difficulty or higher? Throw a perfect game on All-star? Give me a break. Most of them are reasonable, like getting called up to the majors in “Road to the Show” and others trophies are fun to go after, but some are flat out ridiculous.

If you see “2K9″ compared to “The Show” you can see everything wrong with “2K9.” The player animations are stiff and unrealistic and even worse, their faces look like last generation player models. One strong point about “2K9″ is the announcing. Gary Thorne and Steve Phillips do a great job replacing John Miller and Joe Morgan.

Please, if you like baseball and have a PS3 go out and spend money on this game, you won’t regret it.

Originally posted by Derek Resendes.

Feeling brotherly love in G-burg

Trophy news from Gettysburg Times.com…

Feeling brotherly love in G-burg

The two of us were adorned in green; mine a buttoned-down shirt, while his was permanently attached. The slap of my human hand to the thick fur of his made a loud and wondrous thud. We each faced the camera behind the shining cylindrical beauty. My face formed a wide grin, while he basically maintained the crazy bug-eyed look that has entertained millions over the last 32 years.

For 18 of those years, I’ve been attending Philadelphia Phillies games, cheering them on and hoping the Phillie Phanatic would bounce his way into my section. In this moment, I forgot I was a 26-year-old reporter. Instead, I was a kid, overjoyed by the success of my team.

Hundreds of fellow Phillies fans shared in my experience during Monday’s magical World Series trophy display at the Gettysburg Hotel ballroom.

The long line of red and white, young and old, male and female extended most of the length of the ballroom, back out the doors, around a turn and down a hallway to the back entrance of the hotel. And every person was smiling.

Like the Obama supporters on Inauguration Day, these fans would probably have slept outside the hotel overnight to see the trophy with their own eyes. That’s the dedication and support we show for our team.

Sure, none of us can claim ownership, but from the grandparents who never missed the games on the radio to the grandchildren who catch every team update online, the kinship is undeniable. From March to September – and recently  October – following the Phillies is a natural part of daily life.

Younger fans like myself cannot understand or appreciate the glory of 1980, nor the heartache leading up to it for a franchise that had never claimed a world championship.

“As a Phillie fan, you’ve got to take advantage of these things when they come around,” said Bill Parr, 56, of Caledonia. “The last game I was at, Mike Schmidt was still playing, so I don’t get to Philly much. But I watch them on TV and listen to them on the radio.”

Philadelphia fans make up a minority of the Adams County population, but that made the trophy’s stop in Gettysburg so much sweeter. They welcomed the dual surprise; not only did the Phillies win the World Series, but their championship trophy’s appearance in town was believed to be the first ever from a professional sports team out of the City of Brotherly Love.

“We are just ecstatic,” said 24-year-old Fairfield resident Jess Bowling after getting her picture taken with the trophy.

Phillies fans catch glimpse of trophy

Trophy news from The Evening Sun…

Phillies fans catch glimpse of trophy

baseball trophy

The thrill of victory was relived all over again Monday.Philadelphia Phillies fans lined up at the Gettysburg Hotel to get a chance to have their picture taken with baseball’s ultimate prize.

Fans, some old enough to remember the last win in 1980 and not even born in the 1980s or 90s, lined up for their chance to glimpse the World Series trophy.

Around 1 p.m., the room at the hotel opened for the public viewing, and there were only about 40 fans lined up, but by 2 p.m., there was a line out the door and into the lobby area.

Philadelphia defeated the Tampa Bay Rays in five games in October to claim its first championship in 28 years. The final outs were recorded on Oct. 29, two days after Game 5 was put on hold because of the weather.

For most, it was a long time coming.

“You see it on TV, and you never think you’ll be able to see it up close,” Norman Owingo, of Hanover, said about the World Series trophy.

For each person, being at the Gettysburg Hotel meant something different Monday.

Chris Costello, one of the first through the line Monday, brought his 6-year-old son Colin with him to have their moment with the trophy.

The Littlestown resident brought his son to have a father-son moment, as he did when he was growing up.

Costello’s father, Thomas, took him to his first Phillies game in the 1960s. Chris repaid the act by taking his father to Game 4 of the World Series this year, a 10-2 win for the Phillies.

He ended up watching the deciding Game 5 on TV and got lucky when the game was called because of the weather.”I watched Game 5 and got so disappointed. I had to go to bed and couldn’t watch the rainout game,” Costello said. “The next night I knew they were going to win. The whole family, when they won, ran outside and screamed. It was awesome.”

Vt. finally sees Red Sox 2004 trophy

Trophy News from RutlandHerald.com…….

Vt. finally sees Red Sox 2004 Trophy

trophies and awards

The 2004 World Series trophy that celebrates the first Boston Red Sox championship in 86 years is more than four years old, but based on the pennant-crowned trophy’s reception at the Diamond Run Mall on Monday, the cathartic victory could have taken place this year.

Fans dressed in jerseys and sox-stitched ball caps began lining up hours before the trophy, on a rare tour of Vermont, was due to arrive at the mall concourse at 4 p.m.

By the time the clock struck 4 o’clock, close to 100 people stood in a line that curved down promenade roughly 200 feet.

World Series trophy coming to the area

Trophy News from Egg Harbor Township….

World Series Trophy Coming to the Area

trophies and awards

EGG HARBOR TWP. — Still can’t get enough of the Phillies?

There is a way to keep those World Series memories alive other than watching highlight DVDs.

The World Series Trophy, a player, a broadcaster and the Phillie Phanatic will be at Chickie’s and Pete’s 1-2:30 p.m. on Thursday in Egg Harbor Township.

“We are getting phone calls asking who is coming and when,” said Chickie’s and Pete’s manager Chris Sheldon. “It’s like the World Series is starting all over again.”

The World Series Trophy Tour, presented by Teva Pharmaceuticals and Comcast Sportsnet, is making stops throughout the Delaware Valley this month.

“The passion of our fans throughout last season and the postseason was phenomenal,” said Phillies Marketing and Sales Senior Vice President David Buck in a press release. “Now, we want to take the trophy to them.”

Thursday’s stop is the best chance for fans in Atlantic County to get up close to the trophy. The player and broadcaster scheduled to appear will be announced today.

“We expect a very big crowd,” said Sheldon.

He added: “Trust me it feels like the Phillies are back in the World Series again. (The staff) can’t wait to take a picture with the trophy. You just don’t know when the next time to do it will be. Everyone is really excited.”

The excitement from October has carried on through the NFL playoffs with the Eagles back in the NFC title game this Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals.

“It has been off the charts,” said Sheldon. “It really has been exciting. The enthusiasm that both teams have brought to Chickie’s and Pete’s is something we have never experienced before.”

Originally posted by Guiseppe Ungaro.