Madden 08: I got OWN3D, but I made it respectable

Right off the bat - please, please don't believe the hype by Mr. Phil Parker saying he now owns a home on the West Mesa. That was just one of his delusions of grandeur. He beat me twice in "Madden 08" on my 360. That's it. He isn't going to make me move out - he won't make my 3-year-old son pay rent.

After getting a copy of "Madden 08" to review from EA Sports (thanks, Ms. Turner), I was planning to just write a review (that's upcoming, and believe you me, the game rocks), Mr. Parker issued a challenge to me, taunting me about whipping my tail in Madden. Apparently, he was a Madden beta tester in his former life.

So, I reluctantly accepted his challenge. I prefer driving games, FPS and RPGs. I used to be good at Madden went it was on the SNES and Sega Genesis. I had "Madden 06" on the 360, as well as "Madden 07 Special Edition," but I spent more time playing "Gears of War" and "Test Drive Unlimited." Football is sweet, but college basketball is my sport.

The place: My 'Man Space.' The result: The best 2 out of 3.

To make the playing field level, I suspend my typical 'Man Space' rules for Mr. Parker (I still have a perfect 40-0 record in the space), and I didn't play the game until he arrived. He hadn't touched the game either, so it would be a fresh spanking.

The first game was downright brutal. My Ravens, led by fellow Alcorn State alum Steve "Air II" McNair, was misused by the Saints. He was picked off more times than a 400-lb base runner 3 feet from first base. The score? 42-0. Ouch. My defense did come alive later and Ray Lewis did bring the pain, sending his QB home for some jambalaya.

The second game was much closer. I stuck with the Ravens, and Phil chose the Titans. My defense contained him at the beginning, but he scored twice and buried me by 14 points. All of a sudden, my running game got its groove back and marched down the field. Sweet! We scored twice and tied the game.

McNair was clicking and with less than a minute left, hit his tight-end with a short pass. I accidentally paused it, trying to call a timeout, when Phil started screaming. My player FUMBLED!!!!! It was over. I dropped the controller and listening to Phil's rants.

The final score? 28-21, Titans.

I lost. But rest assured, it's only the preseason. He better get his game on for the Man Space Superbowl in 2008.

See you then!