yendi

Dec. 11th, 2008

The Video Game Deal of the Day is Disgaea 2: Cursed Memories for the PS2 for $19.98 (60% off, although you can usually find it for $29.99, so call it 33% off if you prefer). I adore the first Disgaea (so much so that it rivals Katamari as my favorite PS2 game, and is unquestionably my favorite strategy game of the last few years), as does Elayna. (in fact, it's on her wishlist, and if this deal had hit next Monday (payday, when we'll have money), she'd be getting an extra holiday gift from us as a result). The Disgaea games reward folks who like to power level -- you can level every character to 9999, you can reincarnate characters in ways that allow them to level faster, and you can even level your equipment by entering the Item World and hacking through various randomly-generated dungeons. The plots of the games tend to be anime-esque (the first game even launched an anime and manga), but in a very self-aware manner. Incidentally, Disgaea DS (which adapts the first PS2 game) is also discounted to $19.98 (33% off). If you've got a DS, I highly recommend it.

The 15 Days, 15 Video Games Deal offers huge discounts on a bunch of next-gen games, including Far Cry 2, Alone in the Dark (down to under $10 on the Wii, under $12 on the Xbox 360), The Last Remnant, and Tom Clancy's EndWar.

The TV Holi-Daily Deal offers The Complete Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman for $89.99 (61% off). That's a lot of Jane Seymour.

The MP3 Deal of the Day is The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus for $3.99.

If you're the sort of person who stocks up on cheap items in the off-season, the Hunter 90021 Oscillating Fan is down to $29.99 ($20 off). Note that this url will sometimes display the more expensive option offered by another Amazon partner, with the Amazon price listed on the side under "more buying choices."

Amazon's got a new deal offering bundles of the first two seasons of Heroes (DVD or Blu-Ray) and Battlestar Galactica (seasons 1, 2, 2.5, 3.0, and Razor) for 45-50% off.

Finally, there's yet another mega-sale on DVDs, with $3 off a bunch of movies, and $10 off a bunch of box sets, using the codes HITFILMS and BOXFILMS respectively. Items in the sale include the latest Indiana Jones, Iron Man, Tropic Thunder, Spiderwick Chronicles, and others (most on both Blu-Ray and DVD, and most already at 40% off or more before the extra discount). Box sets include just the Indiana Jones trilogy (DVD only) and the Godfather trilogy (DVD or Blu-Ray).

Wow. I honestly didn't think the Mets would pull off the trade for Putz. And yes, I know that his name isn't pronounced like the Yiddish word I've called George W. Bush any number of times over the years, but it's still fun to write.

If Putz is half as good as he was two years ago, this'll be a great trade. Heilman had worn out his welcome in NYC (although I do expect him to bounce back), and although I love Endy (who made the second-greatest postseason catch ever a few years ago), there's just not a ton of room for defensive specialists in the outfield (especially on a team that already has a power-hitting Gold Glove player in center).

I'll be sad to lose Joe Smith, but you can't get someone of Putz's caliber without giving up someone good in return.

Not sure, after giving up all of that, if Mike Carp was also someone we needed to part with, and Cleto supposedly has some potential long-term, so this might bite us in the butt eventually.

As far as the other players go, Jeremy Reed can handle some of the defensive slack that Endy used to, and Sean Green (not to be confused with ex-Met Shawn Green) will be handy in the 'pen at times, especially if he bounces back to form and is used properly.

Still, the core of the deal is about Putz, and I still think he'll pay off for us this year, at least. And, of course, if K-Rod falters, it'll be nice to have another true reliever there, just in case.