The top ten

(A list of things, in no particular order)

1. The Wire. "The Sopranos" is overrated. "The Wire" is simply great. Real people, with real problems. Wonderful dialogue and plot.

2. Sirius satellite radio. This should be standard in every new car. It will be in every car I buy from now on, certainly. If only it had MLB broadcast rights, it would be perfect. Can I trade Howard Stern for Jon Miller and Mike Krukow? Or at least the Brennaman family? Seriously.

3. Fantasy baseball. This year I'd like to give a shout-out to Prince and Vlad. You're invited to my end-of-season party, along with Frankie and B.J.. (Make sure you bring your cameras, because I'm definitely not inviting this guy.)

4. Shadow of the Colossus, for PS2. It's a very unique game--maybe somewhat reminiscient of Myst, except with some actual fighting. Your character comes to a deserted, beautiful temple at the end of the earth and sets out on a quest. Not much is known about how you got there, or exactly what happened to the dead girl you brought with you, or how large a price you'll have to pay for bringing her back to life (sigh...always with the "price is too steep"--why can't humans just cheat death without any hidden snags for once?). That's part of what makes the game so great--the story, even the weird ending, is fragmented and open-ended (although there are well-documented connections to Hebrew myths, e.g.: the godlike figure urging you on is called "Dormin," which is "Nimrod" spelled backwards).

But what sets the game apart is its beauty. It cannot be emphasized enough how stunning the game is visually. Luckily, it's fun to play, too. And fun to watch. It's no more than a series of sixteen battles against gigantic monsters, some of whom actually seem relatively benign until you're stabbing them in the vitals. (But after that, it's on.) Each battle is an epic event, and a few, especially the last one, will leave you utterly drained. After you play this game, you start to wonder why more games aren't this good.

5. Portal, for PC. First-person platform game, with one great gimmick--shortly after beginning the game, you're given a gun with the ability to essentially make a Pac-man tunnel in the wall/ceiling/floor: go in one portal, come out the other portal. The ramifications are endless, although the game, sadly, isn't. The game manages to be funny as well--the standard insane computer that watches you everywhere you go happens to have an excellent twisted sense of humor (and an odd affinity for cake).

6. Homestar Runner. Still consistently funny. Try the random cartoon generator.

7. Milne's website. An invaluable reference. His course notes are well-written and down-to-earth. Whenever I encounter something basic that I should know but don't, that's the first place I look.

8. Super Mario Galaxy, Wii. Let's get one thing straight. Super Mario 64 is one of the top five console video games ever. The makers of Super Mario Galaxy know this well, which is why much of the new game pays scrupulous homage to the old one. The updates are nice; in particular, the Wii controller starts to feel more natural than the old two-handed model that I know like the back of my hand. But this game is essentially Super Mario 64 2. And there's nothing wrong with that.

9. Futurama. In particular, "The Farnsworth Parabox" and the series finale, "The Devil's Hands are Idle Playthings," rank among the best TV shows I've ever seen. Plus I just got the first two seasons on DVD for my birthday. Which is great.

10. Bridge Squeezes for Everyone, David Bird. This is the book that everyone should learn squeezes from. Plain and simple.