February's first

I want to apologize (yet again) for the lack of posting as of late. We've been in the middle of Work Week (the biannual house clean-a-thon), and I've had little time to write, yet alone take in the happenings around the world. The house looks fresh at new at the moment; I even got the permission to complete another painting on one of the walls. But enough about that.

Two nights ago, Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton held their best debate to date. Instead of spending the first one-on-one match bickering, they politely stated their policies, their ideological differences, and were unified on the point that they need to come together to beat the Republicans. As if it wasn't clear before, Obama proved that he does indeed have specific thoughts on and plans for tackling the major issues of our time (immigration and the economy, to name a few); all of those who continue to claim that he's all charm and no substance are clearly closing their ears. I was happy with the performances from both candidates, but I (obviously) hope that Obama's display of competence will boost his standings in the polls for Super Tuesday.

The Republican Maine caucuses are going on right now, and it seems as if no major news outlet cares. Am I missing something?

Super Smash Brothers Brawl is officially out...in Japan. For those of you who think that this means it's coming to the States soon, don't forget that there are many Japan-only games out there. But seriously--another delay wouldn't surprise me at all (my, am I a pessimist). But since it's actually being sold somewhere, the SSBB Dojo now contains updates with spoilers, and by "spoilers" I mean facts that more or less have been known for a week or so, thanks to Internet leaks. Can spoilers even exist for a fighting game?

I have to say that I'm a little underwhelmed with Brawl, though. Yes, I'll buy it, and yes, I'll fail my classes and won't graduate because of it, but I still feel like it's being overhyped. The roster is the same as that of Melee's (minus Mewtwo), and the new characters are few in number and all somewhat quirky. The fighting style seems to be retained from its predecessor, making it come off as more of an upgrade than a new game. I suppose the major additions are with respect to the extra features (Subspace Emissary, stickers, etc), but you know what they say about too many cooks...

Eh. Perhaps I'm just setting my hopes low so I'll be more surprised when I finally do get it (in 10 years).

After today's physical, Johan Santana officially became a New York Met. The new staff ace will be working under a 6-year, $137.5M contract, giving him the largest deal for a pitcher in major-league history. I can't say he doesn't deserve it, but what are the implications for the rest of baseball? The Indians have to be uneasy now; they clearly want to keep C.C. Sabathia in Cleavland, but will they be willing to fork over the newly-established market price? And although this is vastly premature, will this trend be worse by the time Philip Hughes and Joba Chamberlain hit free agency? I still blame Scott Boras for what he did with Barry Zito.

And last but not least, the migration of (former) Astros has continued with the Yankees' signing of Morgan Ensberg to a minor league deal with a Spring Training invite. His purpose? To vie for that revolving door of Bronx first baseman. We need a permanent solution for this quickly. Ha...How long until Pujols is a free agent?

Pitchers and catchers in just over 11 days!