“The quote is classic Greinke — honest, surprising, funny — and probably as good a way as any for him to mark a day on a national stage,” writes The Kansas City Star. It’ll also boost his nerd appeal — already stratospheric, since he toils for a small-market franchise where statistical analysis is the only thing keeping a fan interested as the team approaches its inevitable mathematical elimination.

Unfortunately, the Star goes no further in sourcing out Greinke’s online life. What class? What level? Has he done nothing but grind since season’s end? Actually, considering who is his girlfriend, I hope the answer to that is yes.

Greinke Proves He’s the Best in the Game [Kansas City Star, thanks mrlogical]

Image via Beyond the Box Score

In that image you can see the four different designs survey takers were asked to consider. All have the 2K Sports 10th Anniversary branding which has graced the boxes of NHL 2K10 and NBA 2K10. This tipster sent us other screenshots – including one of the NDA (which of course the tipster broke by sending this) so I’m inclined to believe this is real.

It is not, however, confirmation of the official cover athlete or the box’s final design. However, asking survey takers how the box cover makes them feel about purchasing the game is a strong indication 2K Sports has settled on its man.

Longoria is a two-time all star in as many seasons in the league and was the 2008 rookie of the year on a Devil Rays team that won the American League pennant. He just picked up his first Gold Glove.

Well. This is edgy as all get-out. Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels comes to Modern Warfare 2 to tell us that mindlessly hucking grenades is a dickbag cop-out. And then there’s “Fight Against Grenade Spam,” which makes a cheerful acronym.

It looks like this video (NSFW language), posted by Infinity Ward, just went up. I’m not sure if Hamels is one of the celeb voices in the game or if they’re just being timely with his appearance in the World Series (pitching Game Three tomorrow, no less). That is his voice however. And he tosses in a “what the fuck” for good measure, I guess because Chase Utley wasn’t available.

Fighting Against Grenade Spam PSA [YouTube]

Pasta Padre, on the ball as ever, speculates “no.” Even though we’re about four months away from the game’s typical release date, “from a public relations standpoint 2K cannot feature Phillips in the game,” he says, and I agree. Phillips is a recidivist philanderer, and the latest ESPN scandal is top-of-mind for baseball fans. If his only television appearance in 2010 is on a gaming console, it makes his dismissal more conspicuous by half, and it’s 2K’s problem to manage, not ESPN’s.

Problem is, what can 2K do about it? It’s one thing to not give Phillips any extra work. But his dialogue library is already in the game. To remove him entirely at this stage? Wow. Especially – as Padre correctly notes – Phillips’ contribution was one of the few positives in last year’s poorly received title.

Right now it is 11:30 U.S. Mountain time, so I don’t expect this to be answered, but I have emailed 2K Sports to see if they want to swing at this. If they answer, it’ll likely be updated in a new post tomorrow.

It’s almost impossible to imagine that hanky panky in Bristol, Conn.. could actually send a game in Novato, Calif., down the toilet. But this is not a welcome development for them, either.

Steve Phillips News Affects MLB 2K10 [Pasta Padre]

The Mariners right fielder said, “Oh, I’ve been indebted to Dragon Quest — especially when I got injured. That was true as well when I played in Japan. The last time I got hurt in Japan, that’s all I did, play Dragon Quest.”

Wonder if Ichiro suddenly gets injured when new Dragon Quest games come out. Probably not, but still!

Ichiro Interview [YouTube] [Pic]

San Diego Padres pitcher Heath Bell bought Wii Fit for his 11-year-old daughter, originally, but hijacked the game for himself as part of his off-season training routine. Bell tells the Journal that the game makes him a better ballplayer with its balance-focused exercises.

I’m just happy to have an alternative to senior citizens and the Wii Fit girl as motivation to play the game. Also, Bell’s story inspires me to keep an eye out for a “pro training” mode in Wii Fit Plus.

Go watch Bell shake his butt (sorta):

A Pitcher’s New Core Routine: A Videogame and a ‘Hula Hoop’ [Wall Street Journal]

Hell, yes it is. I’ve seen unranked and untelevised N.C. State and North Carolina squads get into a helmet-swinging brawl in 1993. Clemson and South Carolina’s fourth quarter throwdown 11 years later—including cops on the field—left both schools sitting at home instead of going to bowl games. And we’ll all be dead a long time before there is ever again anything like the unforgettably amazing Miami-Florida International gong show of 2006, which showcased state troopers, 13 ejections, a kickoff from the 10-yard line, and running back A’Mod Ned on crutches, striding forth into the maw of disaster.

Really, though, the answer here is so obvious as to be not worth asking: There’s no way in hell the NCAA would licence a product that featured fighting, no matter how awesome. And you can forget about it in Madden, too. Football is the most institutionally conservative and image-conscious of the major team sports, and clearly prefers to keep its violence well regulated and between the lines. Anything else is left for games like Blitz: The League.

Two licensed sports games, however, do acknowledge illegal or semi-legal aggression in some way: baseball has its beanings, and hockey, well, need anyone say more. In fact, the physicality is going into new realms in this year’s NHL 10, says producer David Littman, himself a former professional hockey goalie who had brief appearances in the NHL.

But the violence isn’t a gratuitous minigame, Littman said. It’s intended to function as hockey fighting does in the real world: A means of policing opposing players’ conduct, responding to intimidating tactics and relentless checking, or to fire up the home crowd and inspire solidarity on your team.

“For me, fighting has a place in hockey because it does have a calming influence,” Littman says, making a case that many have – without fighting in hockey, massive guys with sticks would seek dirtier, and more injurious, means to dissipate aggression. “We have that authenticity in this game. If you’re being checked all over the ice by the other team, and being run out of your own building, you can bring out your fourth line, start a fight, win it, get the crowd back into the game, and it takes away the effects of that intimidation.”

Is the NHL cool with this? Absolutely, Littman says. “We work very closely with them [and the NHL players' union] throughout the development process, on what goes in the game,” he said. “It’s their names on the box with us, too. And we go through yearlong approval processes with them. They’re very happy because of our sales and quality, but at the same time they have to protect their names. We worked with them all year, particularly on fighting this year, and no doubt, fighting is a hot topic. There’s always controversy, but that was something we worked with them all year on.”

In fact, the eminent Edmonton enforcer Zack Stortni was brought in to consult with NHL 10’s developers on how to build a first-person fighting engine. His guidance is what tied the fighting to in-game performance boosts, Littman said.

“When you fight in our game, the lines get their energy back, you hear the commentators talking about that, you see the crowd on its feet, banging on the glass,” Littman said. “That comes from Zack. He said that there’s nothing like being at home, and you’ve showed the other team that your team’s not gonna take it on your home ice.”

NHL 10’s openness about aggression is authentic to something else: The league’s posture on fighting. It’s always a prickly subject, because the lessons of hockey’s fisticuffs are much more subtle than the beating one sees on a screen. It’s also not tolerated in any league other than the North American professionals; in all other ranks, fighting players are ejected, not sent to the penalty box for five minutes.

But the league has repeatedly refused to crack down on fighting with the intent of its elimination, tacitly acknowledging its fundamental relevance to the game. Officially, the league considers the issue from the standpoint of player safety. And if that’s its only concern, the fighting in NHL 10 is no problem, because no one is ever injured at the end of a brawl.

“It’s a safe way to fight,” Littman said. “You can punch people and get punched and you’re still sitting on your couch, no bruises. I played professional hockey and was in a lot of fights. To be honest, fighting isn’t really where you see the injuries happen.”

If bench-clearing brawls are authentic to baseball, MLB has clearly said no thank you to the idea. Then again, it’s a league that fines and suspends nearly all of its combatants. Drill a guy in the back in MLB 09 The Show and he’ll glare at the pitcher, mouth some unpleasantries and argue with the catcher. You can put a fastball right in his earflap and the reaction is similarly sanitised—he trots down to first no problems. Do this repeatedly and someone might charge the mound. But the animation ends just as the batter breaks out of the catcher’s restraint and, it is implied, goes for the pitcher.

This is similar to how beanings have been handled in other licensed MLB games, meaning that league has probably drawn a clear line to developers. (On Tuesday I emailed the game’s publicity representatives to talk about beanings and fighting; unfortunately, no one could be made available for comment by the time this was published.)

Interestingly, the NHL games carry a slightly higher age-rating than their colleagues. NHL 10 and NHL 2K10 are both rated E10+, whereas Madden, MLB 09 The Show and others are all E. And there’s only one reason: the fighting.

“We have to weigh the pros and cons of that,” Littlman said. “Really, I don’t think too many eight-year-olds are buying $US60 video games. Their parents can for them, sure. Have we ever thought about taking fighting out? The answer is no, because we are striving to be authentic to hockey.” Also, fans would desert the game.

And anyway, Littman points out, a concerned parent worried about video game athletes setting a bad example for their youth hockey players can just deactivate the fighting in the game’s options.

Stick Jockey is Kotaku’s column on sports video games. It appears on Saturdays.

The New York Times reports that Sabathia spent part of an almost three-hour rain delay at Yankee Stadium yesterday playing RBI Baseball. That would be the classic NES Game, though there was no word as to which platform he played it on.

Sabathia pitched as 1980s Minnesota Twins curveball specialist Bert Blyleven.

While it’s not rare to hear about an athlete playing a video game, it’s not as common to hear that the rich and famous are enjoying the classics. Another sign that a generation that grew up with games is sticking with them.

It’s also a sign that baseball players like playing baseball games while waiting out a delay to play more real baseball. Keeps them in the right mindset?

Yankees Beat Athletics for Seventh Straight Win [NY Times] [PIC]

The Milwaukee Brewer’s All-Star first baseman Prince Fielder has been tapped to represent the nation of baseball as the cover athelete for 2K Sports’ The BIGS 2.

Having broken Willie Mays’ record for the youngest player to hit 50 home runs in a single season, I can’t think of anyone more appropriate to represent 2K Games’ arcade-style baseball sequel than Prince Fielder. And by that, I mean I can’t actually think of anyone else. As far as Major League Baseball is concerned, I’m still a couple of seasons behind. They need to release those DVD box sets faster. Fielder certainly seems happy though.

“I’ve been playing baseball video games for as long as I can remember. All of my idols have appeared on a video game cover, and now to have that same opportunity is truly an unbelievable feeling,” said Fielder. “I can’t wait to see myself in The BIGS 2. I’ll be the guy crushing mammoth home runs into the stands.”

Until 2K Sports announces Sitting On Your Arse Yelling At Cats 2K10, I will remain sadly unaware of just how much of a thrill it is to appear on a video game cover. Here’s a video.

“We are excited to partner with GamesCampus in offering fans this interactive baseball gaming experience,” said Alex Pigeon, VP of international at MLBAM. “The ability to utilise current or historical teams and ballparks along with simulated on-the-field management will be an engaging way for players to interact with the game.”

The press release speaks of a casual online baseball experience with 3D, cartoon-rendered graphic style that allows you to create your own team and play against the computer or other players from around the country. Exciting news for baseball fans and people who just like hitting things with bats alike. I wonder how much they’ll charge for hot dogs?

GAMESCAMPUS.COM AND MLB ADVANCED MEDIA SIGN LICENSING AGREEMENT FOR A FREE ONLINE BASEBALL GAME

MLB Dugout Heroes will include MLB Licensing with All Major League Clubs and Ballparks

San Jose, Calif. (November 18, 2008) – San Jose-based online game publisher, GamesCampus (www.gamescampus.com, run by OnNet USA), announced today that it has signed an online interactive licensing agreement with MLB Advanced Media, LP (MLBAM), the interactive media and Internet company of Major League Baseball, granting it the right to incorporate official Major League Baseball league and club marks and logos, MLB ballpark images and more in its upcoming micro-transaction based online baseball game, MLB Dugout Heroes. It will be a free PC-based baseball game, expected to be available in North America for the 2009 baseball season. Interested parties can visit http://MLBDugoutHeroes.gamescampus.com for more information and to register to receive updates as they become available.

“It is an honour to be working with MLBAM to bring baseball fans a fully licensed online baseball experience,” said David Chang, Executive Vice President of Marketing and Business Development, GamesCampus.
“Baseball fans are so passionate about the teams they enjoy following, and now they will have the opportunity to play as their favourite team in a high-quality online game experience.

The multi-year agreement gives GamesCampus the rights to all current and historical Major League teams, ballparks, All-Star teams and jewel events such as the home run derby. GamesCampus will also have rights to the official 2009 Major League Baseball regular season game schedule, enabling fans to simulate real seasons through actual game and series matchups.

Fans can expect a casual online baseball experience with a three-dimensional, cartoon-rendered graphic style and easy to pick up and play mouse-only controls. The game will offer four different modes of play for fans to choose from: tutorial, practice, single player and multi-player. Fans will be able to experience the fun of strategically managing a Major League Baseball club by forming a team, fostering its players and making all of the base-running, batting and pitching decisions – providing true interaction with on-the-field baseball play. With realistic character motions and unique verbal exchanges occurring between pitchers, batters, and colour commentary, MLB Dugout Heroes will offer a truly unique and engrossing baseball game play experience – free of charge.

“We are excited to partner with GamesCampus in offering fans this interactive baseball gaming experience,” said Alex Pigeon, VP of international at MLBAM. “The ability to utilise current or historical teams and ballparks along with simulated on-the-field management will be an engaging way for players to interact with the game.”

For more information about GamesCampus or the upcoming baseball game, please visit www.gamescampus.com.

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