Corradocardoso.info - Official website of Nationals IV : News : Swam's Nationals V Recap

Another Nationals In The Books

Nationals V is now in the books, and I feel good about saying that it was by far the best Nationals we have had. For me however, it was probably the least enjoyable. The fact that the 2003 version of the game is hands down the worst PS2 version to be released made the tourney very stressful for me. In addition, behind the scenes, I was not nearly as organized as I would have like to have been. However, the saving grace for me was hearing that the ballers were having the time of their lives in Miami.

If this was the best Nationals we have had, it probably had more to do with the extra curricular Nationals activities more so than the tournament itself. For, the nuts and bolts of the tournament were basically the same as they have been the past five years. We were fortunate enough to have the the games start on time, and end rather early. And with the exception of the championship game starting late, most of the tournament ran on schedule.

But with the tournament being held on the same weekend of Alonzo Mourning's "Zo's Summer Groove," and the Nationals V host hotel being the same as Zo's headquarters, there was a spice to Nationals that we have not enjoyed in the past. The eye candy was exceptional, and the South Beach nightlife was electric. Add all of that together with some of the best Madden talent in the nation competing for the National Championship, and that made the fifth annual Madden Games one to be remembered.

One thing that makes a Nationals memorable are the stories that come out of it. And Nationals V was no exceptions, as the weekend was filled with twist and turns, plots and subplots. Think about it.... You have The Realist taking home the title over tournament favorite Young Gunz. Or how about the 16 year old sensation Hogan defeating PFL Online Champ John B, and advancing to the elite 8? You have D.C. playing his best tournament ever, advancing to the final four with an upset win over H.O.V.A. Sandman losing in the sweet 16 was a story to me. Kambo, going 1-2 in his round robin then coming from behind after trailing 20-0, to defeat Nationals II champion Candyman to advance to the sweet 16.

I'm sure the ballers have stories to tell about South Beach, or the Intercontinental Hotel lobby, so I won't go into to those. Maybe one day soon, we will be able to take a peek at Bacardi Rico's private diaries to get a glimpse of some of the wild and crazy happenings from the ballers perspective. Speaking of Rico, he became a story himself. Rico almost made history earning the dubious distinction of being the first baller threatened to be thrown out of Nationals. Although we all know Rico to be a fun loving guy, it was clear his style of fun, and D.K.'s regard for rules and regulations were like oil and water. They were not mixing. Much props to Rico for toning it down a bit towards the end so I didn't have to make history.

When it was all said and done, The Realist was the last man standing earning the crown, and taking home his first National Championship. Some personal observations and things I found interesting:

"I still think Young Gunz is the best player in the nation....he just doesn't match up well against The Realist," - quote from The Champ fellow EBC member and final four participant. I think that is an interesting statement The Champ made. And I think it has some merit as well. The Gunner is truly a phenomenal talent that in one year became a Madden superstar. If he has a great 2004 season, the Gunner could very well reach legendary status.
The Ment - The Controllerment really added a new twist to the tournament. We were fortunate to have the world premiere of the Ment unveiled at Nationals V. You can look for the Ment to be around for a while. And you can also look for The Ment to change the way we think about competing on video games.
The EBC is for real - They are criticized because their concept is not in the spirit of a traditional league, but these guys are every bit as supportive and close as a home based league that competes against each other on a regular basis.
Going to 128 in the single elimination allowed some quality 1-2 ballers to make it on Sunday and upset some 3-0 or 2-1 ballers. The round robins were so stacked, you knew someone 1-2 could be a strong baller caught in a thick round robin.
Interesting Sweet 16 Stats: West (2) MoNutt, Cwebb - East (7) Cocky Lou, Tuff Tim, Young Gunz, HOVA, Sandman, Champ, Realist - South (7) D.C., L.T. , Wayne Walton, QBoy, Kambo, Hogan, On The Grind.......Maybe the west should be considered anything west of the Mississippi.
How bout it for the Florida ballers: HOVA, MoWash, Hogan, On The Grind, Kambo, Dread (what happened to the PFL?...aif)
After the EBC, the BMB maybe pound for pound the next deepest league on the planet....Cocky Lou, Tuff Tim, Big Game James.. and......Baller Brown? (scratching our heads)
Each year Baller Brown will always beat someone you don't expect him to, and lose to someone that you don't expect him to. i.e., Winky White, Lou Tillery, and and at Nationals V a 1-2 Baller Brown defeated the 3-0 Chuck Dogg in theng round of the 128.
Please stop disrespecting the KOTC. Wayne Walton, MoWash, Qboy, Candyman, Chuggy, Big Pudding...are all solid.
This was the year of the young baller. Newcomers like Realist, Young Gunz, Sandman, and others dominated the a circuit that was used to hearing names like L.T. Trapjaw, and Candyman.
Has anyone over 21 (besides Cocky Lou) won or split a tournament championship this season?

Swam's 2004 Wish List

With Nationals V in the books, I can now start thinking about next year. What can we expect? I don't know about you, but I've put my wish list together for next year.....

I wish that 2004 brings us a more stable game next season. Throwing a tournament with such an unstable game is very stressful, which is part of the reason why this tourney was not enjoyable for me.
I wish that we can have a season where we are not arguing about what's real, and what rules need to be implemented to prevent cheese play.
I'm also wishing that we can hold better tournaments as a community in 2004. Carefully scheduling our tournaments this season can alleviate the late season tourney congestion we experienced last season.
Tournament Winnings capped at $3000. Besides the Mega Bowl and the Nationals, do we need other huge jackpot tourneys? I think if we keep our prize offerings lower, that helps keep the entry fees down, thus the ballers can afford to attend and participate in more tourneys. Let the Mega Bowl be our top prize offering for the year, and Nationals stay close to where it is. Then maybe the tournament directors can be compensated for their hard work. Without the Storms, Baller Browns and Mario/FT of the world, we may not have tourneys to go to in the future. We should show our appreciation.

I look forward to reviewing this file at the end of Nationals VI to see how many of my wishes will come true. For now....excuse me as I go down to the local fountain with my .04 cents.

See Ya Next Year