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LotR Steins

And Mugs and Tankards

Published: 11/19/2009 02:00am

Fans of Lord of the Rings will soon be able to quaff their favorite beverages in collectible steins, tankards, and mugs from Taverncraft, which recently acquired a license to produce the drinkware from Middle Earth Enterprises. 

The first Lord of the Rings release will be a series of steins based on The Hobbit, beginning with a 10” fine-grain stoneware stein with art by fantasy artist Matthew Stawicki.  Each stein will feature bas-relief sculpting and a solid pewter lid. 

Taverncraft has recently begun distributing its World of Warcraft steins to the hobby, and plans to do the same with its Lord of the Rings line. 

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EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Michigan State's winning streak at home against nonconference teams was in jeopardy.

The second-ranked Spartans -- and their fans -- refused to let it end against Gonzaga.

Durrell Summers hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with a few minutes left, made two at the line in the final seconds and finished with 21 points and a career-high 11 rebounds to help Michigan State rally for a 75-71 win over the Bulldogs on Tuesday night.

Fast Facts

• Michigan State rebounded from a five-point halftime deficit to beat Gonzaga and claim its 41st consecutive home victory against nonconference opponents.

• Durrell Summers led the way for MSU with a team-high 21 points -- 17 of them in the second half.

• Four players reached double figures for Gonzaga, including Robert Sacre tying a career high with 17 points.

-- ESPN Stats & Information

"It was the kind of game we needed, especially this early in the year," Summers said.

The Spartans (2-0) won their 41st straight game at home against a nonconference team, extending a streak that started after a loss to Duke on Dec. 3, 2003.

"There's no question the crowd won that game for us," Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said. "If you were down there, you could hear it."

Robert Sacre matched a career high with 17 points for the Bulldogs (1-1) despite playing just 19 minutes.

"He was really making a difference in there, then his minutes got limited because of the fouls," Gonzaga coach Mark Few said. "That hurt us."

Gonzaga freshman Elias Harris scored 17, Matt Bouldin had 15 points and Steven Gray added 13.

Kalin Lucas made a layup with 39 seconds left to give Michigan State a three-point lead and finished with 19 points.

Raymar Morgan scored 16 off the bench despite playing on a sprained left ankle and injuring his right ankle in the first half.

"I am really proud of Ray," Izzo said.

Michigan State scored first, then trailed Gonzaga for much of the game.

The Bulldogs led by 13 midway through the first half and were ahead 35-30 at halftime.

They built another double-digit lead early in the second half, but were hurt by the 7-foot Sacre getting called for a third foul and 7-5 reserve Will Foster getting a fourth foul shortly after halftime.

Michigan State freshman Derrick Nix made a putback with 11:52 left in the game to put the home team ahead for the first time since the opening minute.

The Bulldogs, though, refused to wilt in the raucous Breslin Center despite having one of their youngest teams since becoming one of the nation's stronger programs.

"It's a terrific college basketball atmosphere," Few said. "Before Thanksgiving, it felt like a game that would clinch a championship game in a league with the energy.

"We played here [in 1997] when I was an assistant with Dan [Monson] and this place has really grown."

Sacre made a shot midway through the second half to put Gonzaga ahead by seven and a fadeaway with 4:42 to go for a 65-61 lead.

The Spartans made enough shots and stops in the final minutes in a game that will get them ready to play Florida, North Carolina and Texas before the Big Ten season.

"It's a big win for us because we didn't play real well," Izzo said. "Gonzaga took it to us for at least 30 minutes. I have a lot of respect for Mark and their program.

"They punched us in the mouth, picked us off the ground and punched us again early -- and I thought we were ready to play," Izzo added.

Gonzaga, hoping to reload instead of rebuild, also faces a tough schedule with games against Wake Forest, Arizona or Wisconsin, Duke, Oklahoma and Illinois before starting West Coast Conference play.

Few said he had mixed emotions about Tuesday's game because the Bulldogs had a shot at pulling off an upset -- which would've perhaps been one of the school's biggest wins in the regular season -- but he went home proud.

"There's a lot of positives we can take out of this, certainly how we competed," Few said.

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NEW YORK -- When the phone rang, Zack Greinke let it go -- he didn't recognize the number. Only after listening to the voice mail did he call back and find out he'd won the American League Cy Young Award.

The Kansas City Royals ace easily beat out Felix Hernandez for the honor Tuesday after a spectacular season short on wins but long on domination. Winning left the extremely shy Greinke with mixed emotions.

"Back in Orlando, I haven't really got a whole lot of attention from people, which has been nice," he said. "So I hope it doesn't get that way, where everyone is like, 'Oh, hey, Zack, hi.'"

He'd prefer to remain anonymous when he's not on the mound. He's not looking forward to being introduced at banquets as "Cy Young Award winner Zack Greinke" for the rest of his life.

AL Cy Young Voting

"In that way, it's kind of like a negative for me," he said.

It's been quite a turnaround for Greinke, who led the AL in losses in 2005 and quit baseball for six weeks the following year after being diagnosed with a social anxiety disorder.

Greinke went 16-8 with a major league-low 2.16 ERA this season and received 25 of 28 first-place votes and three seconds for 134 points in balloting by the Baseball Writers' Association of America.

Hernandez, 19-5 with a 2.49 ERA for the Seattle Mariners, drew two firsts, 23 seconds and one third for 80 points.

"I thought it was going to be real close between the two of us," Greinke said.

Detroit's Justin Verlander was third with the remaining first-place vote and 14 points, followed by the Yankees' CC Sabathia (13) and Toronto's Roy Halladay (11).

"Greinke deserved it. Before the season was over, I said my vote was for him," Hernandez said in Venezuela.

"This has taught me that I need to be perfect, I will prepare myself to be stronger next season. I will need a superb year because just a good one, it's not enough," he said.

The NL winner will be announced Thursday.

Despite what he's overcome, Greinke doesn't view himself as a role model.

"I really don't like having a bunch of attention, so even if I did see myself in that light, I don't do anything about it," he said. "I'm real uncomfortable doing stuff like that, to be around people and doing stuff like that," he said.

Cy Young Winners On Non-Winning Teams

The Royals went 65-97 last season, by far the worst winning percentage of an AL team that had a Cy Young winner.

He fidgeted a bit and spoke softly during a series of telephone conference calls and a video linkup from a studio in Orlando, Fla.

Even before winning, this was sure to be a big week for Greinke. He is getting married on Saturday to high school girlfriend Emily Kuchar, a former Dallas Cowboys cheerleader, and then is heading to Hawaii for a three-week honeymoon.

The 26-year-old right-hander was the sixth overall pick in the 2002 amateur draft. He made his major league debut in 2004 and got hit hard the next year. After leaving spring training in February 2006 to combat his anxiety, he worked his way back to the majors by late September.

Greinke was 7-7 the following year and 13-10 in 2008 before his breakout season. Greinke's ERA was the lowest in the AL since Pedro Martinez's 1.74 ERA in 2000 and his 242 strikeouts were second in the league behind Verlander.

After speaking with a pair of pitchers on opposing teams -- he wouldn't identify them -- he credited an improved mental approach in which he put all his focus on each individual pitch he was throwing.

But he did think he had the best season. He said he had spoken with teammate Brian Bannister about his FIP -- a new-age statistic called Fielding Independent Pitching, which is supposed to factor out defensive differences.

He allowed just 11 home runs this year -- nine solo and two with one man on, according to STATS LLC. His victory total matched that of Arizona's Brandon Webb three years ago for the fewest by a starting pitcher to win a Cy Young Award in a non-shortened season and was the fewest by an AL starter to win in a full-length season.

Steve Carlton was the only Cy Young Award winner who pitched for a club that was worse. The Hall of Fame lefty was 27-10 with a 1.97 ERA for the 1972 Philadelphia Phillies, who went 59-97.

Kansas City, which tied for last place in the AL Central at 65-97, scored just 13 runs in his eight losses and 21 runs in his nine no-decisions. He failed to get a victory in six starts in which he allowed one run or none.

Greinke, who agreed to a $38 million, four-year contract last winter, received a $100,000 bonus for winning.

The first-place votes for Hernandez came from Chris Assenheimer of The Chronicle-Telegram in Elyria, Ohio, and Mark Feinsand of the Daily News in New York. Verlander's first-place vote was cast by Steve Kornacki of Booth Newspapers in Michigan.

For all the recognition, Greinke could have done without it.

"A lot of stuff going on today," he said, "when I usually just like doing nothing. But just part of life."

Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press

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The Buffalo Bills fired head coach Dick Jauron on Tuesday after a 3-6 start in which the offense has been one of the worst in the NFL.

AFC East blog

• Blog network: NFL Nation

Jauron was 24-33 since being hired by former general manager Marv Levy in 2006 to be head coach. He has two years remaining on his contract that will pay him a total of $6 million in 2009 and 2010.

"I really don't have anything to say," was all Jauron would say when reached on his cell phone by The Associated Press.

Defensive coordinator Perry Fewell was named interim head coach on Tuesday afternoon, becoming the team's first black head coach. Fewell, who's never been a head coach at any level, will make his debut on Sunday when the Bills travel to play Jacksonville.

"I am announcing today that I am relieving Dick Jauron from his duties as our head coach, effective immediately," Bills owner Ralph Wilson said. "I have tremendous respect for Dick and thank him for all of his efforts during these past four years. While this was a very difficult decision, I felt that it is one that needed to be made at this time for the best interest of our team. We will now focus on moving forward and preparing for our game this week in Jacksonville."

Jauron was blindsided by the firing, an NFL source told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter.

Jauron traveled to Detroit on Monday to meet with Wilson; the last time he traveled to Detroit was last summer, when the team fired offensive coordinator Turk Schonert. Jauron and Wilson met Monday and again Tuesday.

The former head coach of the Chicago Bears, Jauron finishes with a 60-82 record as a head coach in the NFL. He was also an interim coach in Detroit in 2005.

Buffalo, which has not made the playoffs since 1999, has now gone through four coaches since the end of the 2000 season, when Wade Phillips was dismissed. Gregg Williams was not rehired after his three-year contract expired, while Mike Mularkey abruptly resigned after a front-office shakeup following the 2005 season.

Fewell shared a simple but blunt philosophy in taking over as the interim head coach.

"Play like hell and win," Fewell said.

That's the plan and also the challenge for Fewell, following the defensive coordinator's promotion. He has seven games left in the season to prove that he's capable of turning around a struggling team and a franchise that's now on its fifth coach in nine years and in jeopardy of missing the playoffs for a 10th straight season.

Fewell showed he's smart enough to not make any guarantees, when asked to assess how much he can do to fix an offense that's sputtered for most of the season despite the presence of Terrell Owens.

"We are who we are," Fewell said, adding he'll wait until Wednesday to announce whether quarterback Trent Edwards or backup Ryan Fitzpatrick will start this weekend. "We have that identity. We're going to try to give a little spark, but we are who we are."

Under Jauron, the Bills couldn't get over the 7-9 mark. The team was 7-9 during his first three years. During the offseason, the Bills entered minicamps with optimism they could improve on offense. They signed Owens to take away coverage from Lee Evans, the team's No. 1 receiver.

Jauron and Schonert decided to go to a no-huddle offense. The team didn't huddle during the offseason or training camp. Before the season started, the Bills fired Schonert and handed the offensive coordinator job to Alex Van Pelt, who had been the quarterbacks coach.

The Bills are averaging 15.6 points a game this season. They haven't generated 300 yards of offense in eight of nine games this season, including their past seven. They also haven't had a quarterback generate 200 yards passing since Edwards had 230 yards in a 33-20 win over Tampa Bay in Week 2.

Defensive end Chris Kelsay was shocked to learn of the move happening this late in the season, but not entirely surprised. Kelsay was well aware before the start of the season that changes were in store if the Bills faltered.

"I think everybody understood this was a big year and there was lots at stake," Kelsay told the AP, adding he maintains his respect for Jauron. "I feel a little responsible for it, and most players do. I feel like I let him down because we, as players, are the ones to blame."

Jauron becomes the first NFL coach to be fired this season and first Bills coach to be fired midseason since Hank Bullough was fired nine games into the 1986 season and replaced by Levy.

Fewell has been the Bills' defensive coordinator since 2006.

"Perry has done a great job with our defense and has demonstrated excellent leadership skills as defensive coordinator," Wilson said in a statement. "Our players and staff have a lot of confidence in him and that is important as we look forward to these next seven games."

John Clayton is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com. Information from ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter and The Associated Press was used in this report.

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IDW Launches Storefronts

For Digital Comics

Published: 11/18/2009 01:29am

IDW has announced that it is launching storefront apps that will allow it to sell its digital comics in dedicated storefronts, one for all IDW titles and others for Transformers, Star Trek, and G.I. Joe comics.  Each app is free, and comes with different free comics.  Consumers can then buy other IDW titles from within the apps.

The new apps were developed by iVerse, which also creates individual title apps for its publisher clients. 

IDW is the first comic publisher to offer in-app purchases (although several third party companies, including Comixology, Panelfly, and iVerse, all offer in-app purchases of the titles they offer). 

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Hawkman Appears in 'Smallville' Special

In February

Published: 11/17/2009 06:12pm

Michael Shanks will appear as Hawkman in a two-hour Smallville movie event featuring the Justice Society, according to TV Guide.  The special will air on February 5. 

Shanks brings some geek fans with him; he’s Dr. Daniel Jackson in episodes of multiple Stargate series. 

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Confessions of a Comic Book Guy--Tomorrow Never Knows

Column by Steve Bennett

Published: 11/18/2009 12:00am

Confessions of a Comic Book Guy is a weekly column by Steve Bennett of Super-Fly Comics and Games in Yellow Springs, Ohio.  This week, Bennett looks at the digital future for comics, the importance of customer service, a new direction for Archie, and the recent comment flow.

One problem when you plan for the future is sometimes you don't know what future you'll be facing.  Twenty years from now we may snack on cotton that's been genetically engineered to be nontoxic (as well as being high in protein the seeds supposedly taste like chickpeas) and complain about how Wal-Mart keeps putting up the decorations for Diwali (the Hindu festival of light) and Eid ul-fitr (the Muslim holiday celebrating the end of Ramadan) earlier and earlier.

When it comes to comics going digital we automatically assume the worst case scenario, that our customers will abandon us the way people migrated from radio to television in the 1950's.  But it's just as likely instead of stealing away our base the easy availability of comics online will instead create whole lot of new readers, and potential customers for us.

It's what I think, it's certainly what I hope but I don't know.

I know I've written repeatedly on the subject but the importance of customer service really can't be stressed enough, certainly not in a recession when people can get our product for free in the comfort of their own homes.  I place into evidence this excerpt from "The Sad Illusion of Harry Customers," a piece by David Lazarus that appeared in the Nov. 11th edition of the LA Times:

Customer satisfaction has become such a scarce commodity in the business world, it's now a selling point at a time when companies are increasingly desperate for shoppers' dollars.

"Customer satisfaction has always been a major concern for most companies," said Lars Perner, an assistant professor of marketing at USC's Marshall School of Business. "But it's fairly difficult to implement. It's pretty labor intensive."

He said that as long as low-low-low prices remain consumers' main priority, and as long as turnover remains relatively high among workers at service-oriented businesses, most companies just can't afford to keep sufficient numbers of well-trained staff on hand to meet customers' needs.

"So they make do with what they have," Perner said.

We've come to accept not just bad customer service but no customer service.  It's the price we pay for the discount prices at the super stores, but I continue to be amazed at the places that seem to have a strict "no repeat business" policy.  I've been driving for roughly thirty years and spent at least a week of it waiting for my cars to be fixed; it's never been what you'd call "fun" but a couple of weeks ago I had my worst experience ever.

Almost as bad, knowing that it could have been at least a little less horrible if anyone associated with the business had the slightest idea of how to communicate with customers.  Nobody told me when they had to send out for a part or that it was taking longer than expected because they didn't have the right tools for the job.  And of course at no point did anyone say anything like "I'm sorry."  And to hang a lampshade on it (as they say over at the Television Tropes & Idioms website) the next day when I called the company's 800 number a representative told me that complaints should be sent via email.

So it turns out that my "strictly no repeat business" comment wasn't just a snide turn of phrase but their actual official corporate policy.  If any of us ran our businesses that way we'd be out of business quick but then repeat business is our bread and butter and while we don't have most of the advantages of the big chain retail outlets we've definitely got them beat when it comes to customer service.  And not to disagree with Lars Perner but it's not particularly 'labor intensive'; it's just a matter of talking to customers and, just as importantly, listening to what they have to say.

On a completely unrelated note, Archie & Friends #137 features "A Night At The Comic Shop", first of a two-part story by Fernando Ruiz where a meteor lands in Riverdale's Pep Comic Shop which somehow unleashes the company's backlist of characters.  We're not just talking Pat the Brat, Cosmo the Merry Martian and Super Duck, and since the Red Circle heroes are currently otherwise engaged there are special appearances by Kardak the Mystic, Sergeant Boyle, Sam Hill (even I didn't know that Archie had published a hardboiled detective comic back in the 1950's) and of course Rang-A-Tang the Wonder Dog.*

Back in June when Archie Comics gained a new co-CEO in Jon Goldwater he expressed interest in creating projects featuring some of these characters; hopefully this comic is only the opening salvo of Archie doing just that.

And, finally, it's ok if Jay Bardyla of Happy Harbor Comics finds these columns "tiring and frustrating" (because, frankly, sometimes I do too) but I am sorry if I have given the impression I believe "the good old days were so much better than now" because I don't.  Just because a man has an unjustifiable affection for Rang-A-Tang doesn't mean he's not interesting in what's next; if I was living in the past I wouldn't be here to enjoy Marvel's new breakout character Hitman Monkey.

I also seem to have become connected to Buddy Saunders most recent comments.  While I certainly agree the bulk of the mainline Marvel/DC superhero titles have material in them I wouldn't want small children exposed to these comics aren't intended for small children and haven't been for a long time.  And while I'd always like to see more all-ages titles (like Pat the Brat, Super Duck, Cosmo the Merry Martian, etc.) I'm afraid the number we have now is probably as many as the current direct sales market can bear.

* I had always assumed that Rang-A-Tang's name was supposed to make people think of Rin-Tin-Tin but it suddenly occurred to me his name is also how most people pronounce "Orangutan."  But why you'd name a dog after an ape is an entirely different matter.

The opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial staff of ICv2.com.

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Warriors Three Cast

For Thor Movie

Published: 11/17/2009, Last Updated: 11/18/2009 02:42am

Marvel has announced that actors have been chosen to play the Warriors Three (Fandral, Hogun and Volstagg) in the upcoming Thor movie.  Stuart Townsend will play Fandral; Tadanobu Asano will play Hogun; and Ray Stevenson will play Volstagg. 

Anthony Hopkins also recently joined the cast as Odin (see “Anthony Hopkins Is Odin” for the rest of the cast).  The Kenneth Branagh film will premiere on May 20, 2011.

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Another 500 Blockbuster Stores?

Sales Plunge 21%

Published: 11/18/2009 01:03am

Blockbuster reported Q3 sales down 21% last Friday, and now one analyst is suggesting that the chain will have to close another 525 to 600 stores beyond the 950 previously announced ( see “Blockbuster Closing Nearly 1,000 Stores”).  The company lost $114 million in the quarter. 

Blockbuster is losing market share on all fronts.  Same store revenues from product sales were down over 35% vs. a market decline of only 14% (see “DVD Sales Dropping”); and rental revenues were down 14.5% vs. an increase in the rental market of around 10%.  In the sell-through business, Blockbuster is getting pounded by mass merchants, who have now decided to make DVDs loss leaders to bring traffic into their stores this holiday season (see “Best Buy Fires Back”).  And in the rental business, kiosks and Netflix are gaining market share at blinding speed.

The analyst, Michael Pachter of Wedbush Morgan Securities, believes the additional store closings will be necessary to offset the declines in revenues, according to Home Media Magazine. 

With Movie Gallery also shedding stores rapidly (see “Movie Gallery Closing 400+ Stores”) it seems clear that the world of home video is going to be dramatically different in only a few years.  It may even be that for niche titles, independent retailers may once again have a shot at what’s left of the packaged media business.

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