I
don’t expect this to become a regular feature, but there are
several things that I wanted to mention that wouldn’t have worked
out to 1,000 words each, but that if I stretch ‘em out a little (A
LOT) I might be able to combine them into a post.
CAUTION:
There may be some rambling.
But
first – some Rumbling!
That’s
right, Phantomaniacs – the Royal Rumble is Sunday night and I am
super-pissed about it because I just started watching WWE again and
it seems to be pretty good right now and I AM WORKING SUNDAY NIGHT.
So for the first time in several years I am not going to be able to
watch the Rumble or, more importantly, play the Rumble Game.
I
first learned of the glorious Rumble Game from Online Onslaught’s Rick
Scaia. If you don’t know, Scaia ran that site for many years
throughout the rise and fall of pro wrestling and was one of the most
entertaining voices on the internet. I didn’t always agree with
him, but he had a great writing style and put together very
entertaining and insightful recaps and essays about wrestling. I
spent hours and hours on that site.
In
addition to writing about wrestling, Scaia also fostered a thriving
online community through the
OO Message Boards.
I rarely participated in the conversations, but a large number of
thoughtful and sometimes just crazy people kept me coming back to
check in.
I
adapted Scaia’s original version of the Rumble Game (which he
adapted from somewhere else) because I couldn’t find the original
post one year and had to sort of make up the rules. Over the last
several years I have fine-tuned things to the point where I think it
works really well for differently-sized groups of people, but that’s
not to say that you couldn’t adjust things as you found necessary.
Even though I won’t be
able to play the Rumble game on Sunday, I’d like for all of you to
be able to. So here’s the rules:
- Determine how many entrants are in the Rumble.
- Come up with a system to draw numbers (I use a bowl with ping pong balls in it) and number accordingly. You can get ping pong balls from your local Dollar Tree for – wait for it – a dollar. I think six come in a pack, so it should cost about five bucks to have enough. If you need me to tell you where to get a bowl then you might not be equipped to handle the rest of the Rumble Game. Go watch Uncle Grandpa and eat some ‘Nilla Wafers.
- Each person in your group will draw numbers until there are none left. If anyone ends up with fewer numbers, they may select one of their drawn numbers to count double.
- When the Rumble begins, each person must keep track of their number as the competitor enters the ring. Points are awarded thusly:
- 1 point for each elimination – if multiple contestants participate in a single elimination, each is awarded a point
- 2 points for each competitor that makes it to the Final Four
- 5 points for the winner of the Rumble
- Whoever has the most points when the Rumble ends is the winner and has their dinner paid for or wins fabulous cash and prizes or whatever.
This game is the best
game ever because it takes a wrestling match that is a lot of fun but
that can often get tedious in the middle and makes it the most
exciting, cut-throat experience ever. You will cheer for people that
you hate or don’t give one shit about because you happen to have
their number. You may think that Randy Orton is the worst wrestler of
all time, but when you have his number and he ends up in the Final
Four, you’re going to pop HUGE.
This is the magic of the
Rumble Game, and I gladly bestow upon you this knowledge. Now go
forth and yell at your friends.
ITEM #2 – The
200th
Episode of Earth Station One
Two hundred
episodes.
That means that right now there are one hundred and ninety-nine
episodes of Director Faber, “Howdy” Mike Gordon, Award-Winning
Bobby Nash, and tons of other nerd luminaries talking about nerdy
stuff. Some of the most insightful and entertaining people I have
ever met have visited the Station over the years and you can get all
of these episodes for
free.
So go to
And start listening now.
The theme for the big
200th
episode is “What Inspires Your Geek?”. We have a massive roster
of ESO talent and ESO-keteers lined up to get on the air and talk
about what makes their dork clocks tick. The good news is that this
podcast will be recorded in front of a LIVE audience at Odin’s
Comics on Saturday, February 1st
at 2 PM.
I will be there along
with every single person that has ever appeared on an ESO broadcast.
Ha! Just kidding. That
would be impossible. But we will have tons of guests and fans on
site, so you should definitely plan to be there. Any and everybody
with a little geek in their hearts will be invited to get on the live
mic to talk about their inspiration. Also cake.
Item #3 – Days of
the Dead Atlanta
Days of the Dead was
pretty much spoiled by the fascists that run the Sheraton last year
and me and the missus swore we would not be returning this year.
But after many promises
and assurances from the guy that runs DoTD that the Sheraton now
understands that it’s a horror convention and that it is actually
supposed to be fun and that the con-goers are paying customers of the
hotel, we decided to give it a shot. Worst case scenario we have to
stealth drink like we did last year, only this time we’ll be
prepared.
We’re only going down
there Saturday and staying that night because I just don’t want to
encourage a con that let what happened last year happen. But it is a
fun con with wacky guests, so I don’t want to miss it.
Side
Note: I was rejected for a press pass for this year, which is a step
up from not getting any answer at all last year. It’s probably my
fault, as I waited until last week to inquire. But I wasn’t even
sure we’d be going until then. I’ll still write about the con a
bit (obviously), but I won’t be doing any features unless it just
blows me away this year. I’ve got too much other stuff to write
about.
The guest list this year
is fucking weird. Here are some of the highlights:
Dee
Snider
Tara
Reid
Lita
Ford
Sid
Haig
Bill
Moseley
Damien
Echols
“Rowdy”
Roddy Piper
Jason
Mewes
Linda
Blair
Meg
Foster
Keith
David
Twizted
Chris
Sarandon
Tony
Todd
Dee
Wallace
Stephen
Pearcy
Ken
Foree
Twiggy
Ramirez
Roy
Wooley
Ron
Simmons
So if you want to hang
out with ol’ Phantom and his crew, head on down to the Atlanta
Sheraton on February 8th.
We’ll be there all night. If you can’t find us wandering around,
it’s because the Sheraton are being dicks again and we’re holed
up in our room doing shots of Fireball.
Item #4 –
Monstrosity Championship Wrestling on 2/21
I will be back hosting Monstrosity Championship Wrestling LIVE from Club Famous on Friday, February 21st. All I can tell you about the show is that it will feature the same wild action we always provide. Monsters, demons, maniacs, and the best professional wrestlers the Southeast has to offer will compete in the strangest squared circle you've ever seen.I don't know who the musical act is yet, but they will, beyond a shadow of a doubt, be there to shred and rock socks off.
-Phantom
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