tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-163731792024-03-07T08:03:17.297-06:00The Village TavernTaking 'Quality over quantity' to a whole new level since 2005.Ekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15506916366899265732noreply@blogger.comBlogger68125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16373179.post-6529291291769674132013-04-09T20:30:00.000-05:002013-04-09T20:30:00.127-05:00Biased Season Preview: The 2013 Chicago White Sox
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Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05551422359074601613noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16373179.post-73377787163624040062013-01-22T21:17:00.001-06:002013-01-22T21:18:50.200-06:00An intentionally overwrought homage to Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time seriesThe following spoiler-free piece on The Wheel of Time series is directed at fellow blogger Mac and any other potential reader who refused to begin the series until it had an end.
(Note: please refrain from any comments that might spoil any volume of the series for the uninitiated)
Unsuspecting provincial finds himself swept up by an epic struggle between the forces of good and evil, which (Nohohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09032392498535071946noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16373179.post-31174119455659101782012-12-15T18:24:00.001-06:002012-12-16T10:50:12.994-06:00So Long, Nintendo Power; Let's Pick Apart Your Top 25 ListWell it has been awhile, but I had to comment on Nintendo Power's list of the top twenty-five video games of all time (actually, I already did in response to an email, making this an easy post to write...). Also, you just watch - blogging is going to become cool again as social media sites chase people away with increasing ads and constantly changing privacy settings, only now people are Ekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15506916366899265732noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16373179.post-44679769417363746972010-05-10T21:30:00.003-05:002010-05-13T18:19:36.205-05:00Ek's Top 100 Albums of the '10s: #50-26Well, it is time to move a little further down the list of my favorite albums this decade. We're through the bottom half of the top 100, but now we're going to slow down a bit to give the top half the attention it deserves.I've realized, however, that the worst part of lists like these are all of the glaring omissions, so before I go any further, I'm going to give a bonus mini-list of the Top 5 Ekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15506916366899265732noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16373179.post-2459481543893228862010-05-02T19:18:00.003-05:002010-05-02T21:50:28.226-05:00Ek's Top 100 Albums of the '10s: #51-100Since the Sports Guy is the spiritual father of this blog, I'll let him introduce the concept: "It's a gimmick that needs no introduction. It's a gimmick that says'I couldn't come up with a real column that has a beginning, middle and end,' as well as 'You're hopefully going to be entertained anyway.' It's a gimmick that insinuates the rankings reflect a nationwide consensus, even though it's theEkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15506916366899265732noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16373179.post-45865749218474870052010-04-25T21:48:00.003-05:002010-04-25T22:32:50.399-05:00Rock 'n JockAfter watching the Bulls collapse earlier today, I came to realize that a basketball team isn't that different from a rock band - there's about the same number of people on stage/the court at the same time, and you need the right mix of talent, chemistry, and knowledge/acceptance of roles in order to be successful. So here's my take on how the comparison breaks down.Scorers = Guitar Players: InEkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15506916366899265732noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16373179.post-32972430845932567962008-04-21T23:42:00.007-05:002008-04-22T08:24:56.514-05:00Is Anyone Still There?Does anyone else realize that we have 3 straight posts about video games? I know that the last entry was dated in October, which means it only took me 6 months to figure that out, but that is still unacceptable. I may have to announce my 2nd comeback again (a la MJ with the Wizards) so we can get back to our first love of sports. If we can get 3 legit comments to this post, I'll write about myLewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05538815399154088909noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16373179.post-53847749751792536072007-10-07T17:17:00.000-05:002007-10-08T00:56:07.952-05:00A "Master"ful Performance?In an effort to bring something new to the Village Tavern, we're actually going to make an attempt at reviewing something that came out recently. Anyway, here's my review of Halo 3.Story: C-Despite some rumors to the contrary, Halo 3 picks up pretty closely to where Halo 2's (drastically disappointing) ending left off. The game begins with the Master Chief bailing out of the forerunner ship Ekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15506916366899265732noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16373179.post-50933721097111231082007-08-22T23:00:00.000-05:002007-08-22T23:38:07.512-05:0016 Brothers I'd Like to SmashSince the VT is on the subject of video games for the moment, I figured now would be the time to write an article about one of my favorite games from the last line of consoles – specifically, Super Smash Brothers Melee. What made this game so great was that it finally provided an opportunity to prove, once and for all, who amongst your friends really was the best at the old-school, Ekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15506916366899265732noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16373179.post-67919629099176669722007-08-08T17:27:00.000-05:002007-08-14T13:39:43.840-05:00The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess [A Review]After a long absence from contributing to the VT, I figured I needed to tackle something I’m very passionate about to make an effective return. Anyone who knows me, knows ‘The Legend of Zelda’ series is one of my passions. What follows is the first videogame review for the VT, a review of ‘The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess’ for the Nintendo Wii.Story: 7.5 At first ‘Twilight Princess’ starts Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05551422359074601613noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16373179.post-68098588821750227782007-03-26T23:56:00.000-05:002007-03-27T00:28:09.236-05:00Quite Possibly the Dumbest Thing I Have Ever ReadI wasn’t planning to write an article tonight. After all, it hasn’t even been two months yet since our last post. But I saw this article on ESPN.com, and had to respond immediately. Now, it is a commonly held opinion around here that ESPN tends to emphasize coastal-area teams above those in the Midwest and the South. And I can take it when they assert that the AL East is still the best Ekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15506916366899265732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16373179.post-71774668678554440942007-03-22T01:00:00.000-05:002007-03-22T01:24:39.764-05:00Through the Eyes of MadnessLast weekend, I got a chance to check out the first round games at the United Center. While I’ve always been more of an NBA fan, that’s definitely not something I’m going to pass up. Here’s what I observed:UNLV-GtechThe first thing I noticed, even before the game had started, was how numerous and loud UNLV’s fan section was. Although it makes since as the Rebs are the only game in town there (Ekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15506916366899265732noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16373179.post-69536591933168619242007-02-03T16:39:00.000-06:002007-02-03T17:20:38.296-06:00Who We Thought They Were“I don’t like to live in the past; I think the past is for cowards. If you live in the past, you die in the past.”- Mike DitkaIt’s hard to explain what it’s like being in Chicago with the Super Bowl approaching. It’s a bigger deal than the White Sox being in the World Series in 2005, or any of the Bulls appearances in the Finals, even though pretty much all of those teams were more dominant Ekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15506916366899265732noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16373179.post-6854341275091302212007-01-28T21:24:00.000-06:002007-01-28T23:49:26.118-06:00Bring On The CommercialsNote: This article was originally drafted over a year ago. So, why bring it out now? Well, the 2nd best thing about the Super Bowl (and it is a DISTANT second) are the commercials that air during the game. Companies spend millions of dollars for a few seconds of air time, and there is always a big competition to have the best Super Bowl commercial. So, in light of all the great commercials that Lewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05538815399154088909noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16373179.post-84036307249722090112007-01-20T11:00:00.000-06:002007-01-20T11:13:42.190-06:00The Next Elway?When Peyton Manning entered the NFL draft, I was quick to anoint him the ‘next Elway’. People who heard me say this were quick to point out that we’d just have to wait and see. Maybe I was biased because of my love for the Tennessee Volunteers, but I knew then that Peyton was special. Not just special because he had the class and desire to come back to school for his senior year for a chance at aMachttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05551422359074601613noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16373179.post-16365312049191440162007-01-19T15:20:00.000-06:002007-01-19T15:42:14.841-06:00Champion WeekendA few more thoughts with the Conference Championships coming up this Sunday, and the Bears about to assume their role as “bad guys in a sports movie” (yeah, I know, it’s another article almost exactly like the last one, but it’s at least two in two weeks…):First off, I need to explain the reason behind Rex Grossman’s up-and-down regular season that has everyone so confused: LA Bias. No, it Ekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15506916366899265732noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16373179.post-1168113630228410352007-01-06T13:55:00.000-06:002007-01-07T14:09:03.076-06:00A half order of Nacho-Rama, with playoffs.Before the NFL playoffs start, I have the following random thoughts.- Look at the teams that have won the Super Bowl this decade. You can win with any kind of quarterback – an unproven rookie/first year starter (’05 Steelers, ’01 Pats…and frankly I’m not sure that Big Ben is even that good), a very mediocre veteran (’00 Ravens, ’02 Bucs), or a star QB in their prime (’03-04 Pats). If you go Ekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15506916366899265732noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16373179.post-1167550292263379052006-12-31T00:47:00.000-06:002006-12-31T01:31:32.330-06:00Choosing Up SidesI’ve always been of the opinion that the NFL, and most other professional sporting leagues, is far superior to college football. In fact, one of the first articles I ever wrote for the Village Tavern was about this very subject. And I stand by this – as the Sports Guy pointed out a couple of weeks ago, 90% of the talk about college football involves some form of complaining about the system, Ekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15506916366899265732noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16373179.post-1165814478457102612006-12-10T22:59:00.000-06:002006-12-10T23:21:18.476-06:00Losing Touch With RealityLike most things that can be done for free on the internet, fantasy leagues, especially football, have seen a massive boom in popularity in the last five years or so. It’s gotten to the point where I’m a little bit hesitant to trust a male between 20 and 35 who doesn’t play fantasy sports, much like any guy under 30 who doesn’t play video games at all. For the most part, this has helped to Ekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15506916366899265732noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16373179.post-1161979984851287742006-10-27T15:04:00.000-05:002006-10-27T17:29:28.666-05:00An Un-Inspired Re-MixYou would think that someone whom enjoys blogging and writing (especially about sports) would have plenty to say after a five months of silence. You might also think that the given all that is currently going on in the world of sports (World Series, end of the PGA Tour season, the NFL season in full-swing, and the NBA season tipping off in less than a week), it would be easy to think of many Lewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05538815399154088909noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16373179.post-1161560089067023672006-10-22T18:30:00.000-05:002006-10-22T18:34:49.083-05:00What Went WrongContrary to popular opinion, I have actually decided not to leave my day job at AIU and quit writing for the VT in order to begin a career of picking baseball playoff games. In fact, as you may have noticed, I followed up my 0-4 record in the Division Series by not picking the LCS, or mentioning the World Series before it had actually started. And I’d defend this by saying that if you were Ekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15506916366899265732noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16373179.post-1160157543809736702006-10-06T12:51:00.000-05:002006-10-06T12:59:03.836-05:00The playoffs are in action, baseball is as popular as it ever was pre-strike, and this summer I finally got to the point where I could stand watching the occasional baseball game (thank you fantasy sports, thank you): sounds like the perfect time to write another baseball article for the rejuvenated Village Tavern!Last year at about this time, I wrote about how baseball had it all wrong when it Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05551422359074601613noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16373179.post-1159859221669251002006-10-03T01:58:00.000-05:002006-10-03T02:07:01.683-05:00Breaking Out the DSThe other day we had some cheesecake with cherries at work (sometimes having a job rocks, although it’s rare). One of my co-workers is pregnant, and she mentioned that, while the cherries were good, it would be better topped with strawberries…or chicken. The lesson here is that pregnant women are nuts.You know what’s equally nuts though? The Village Tavern’s been running as a sports site for aEkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15506916366899265732noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16373179.post-1159419972021308912006-09-27T23:44:00.000-05:002006-09-28T00:10:09.866-05:00Rapid Hope Loss“Think of one moment you can callthe happiest moment of your life.It’s gone.” -MoneenIt was never supposed to end like this.It may have been awhile since I honestly and objectively thought this team would win a World Series – it hasn’t felt like that kind of team since June – but it also didn’t feel like a team that would spend the last week of September playing out the string and looking like Ekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15506916366899265732noreply@blogger.com7