11:45 For Crying Out Loud, Matt, Bring Back the Scrub Brush!

I need to take pictures, and that no-good Canadian has run off with the brush!  Well . . . at any rate, it’s missing, and I know he took it. If anyone sees Matt Bishop, tell him to return the brush!

 

 

11:20 Matt Bishop Asks the Question We All Want to Know

Matt decided to find out if the Convention Center staff have heard of Emon Ghanenian.

Security Guard #1 responded with “I don’t concern myself with you types of people.” Oh, that’s cold . . . Matt was undaunted. He went to find another security guard. “Do you know Emon Ghaninan?” he asked. She looked confused, and said “What?” Matt described Emon to her carefully. She looked at him and responded, “I don’t concern myself with you types of people.”

 

It must be a standard response for security guards.

 

 

10:35 Who’s at the Top Table — Round 9

Oh, we are so close to the end now!

Table 1 – Eric Blum (8 wins) vs. Shane Scurry (8 wins)

Table 2 –Kyle Duncan (8 wins) vs. Nareg Torossian (7 wins)

Table 3 – Anthony Alvarado (7 wins) [SBC Competitor] vs. Cesar Gonzales (7 wins) – This round’s feature match!

Table 4 – Brandon Colburn (7 wins) vs. Juan Zapato (7 wins)

Table 5 – Cole Dumond (7 wins) vs. Jeremy Smith (7 wins)

Table 6 – Keith Gibson (7 wins) vs. Jack Hoffe (7 wins)

Table 7 – Roberto Martinez (7 wins) vs.Tony Mera (7 wins)

Table 8 – Robert Ackeromon (7 wins) vs. Stephan Vazquez

We’ve finally got one of our SBC competitors in the Top 8 — about time! Let’s go Anthony!

 

 

 

9:50 I Can’t Believe They Turned Off the Escalators . . .

It looks like they’re starting to shut the building down. It’s a long way up the escalator to where the internet is, let me tell you. I hope they don’t turn the internet off, because it’s pouring rain and really dark out and I have no intention of walking to Kinko’s.

 

 

9:20 Who’s at the Top Table — Round 8!

Oh, we’re getting there . . . slowly, but surely . . .

Table 1 – Eric Blum (7 wins) vs. Roberto Martinez (7 wins)

Table 2 – Cesar Gonzalez (7 wins) vs. Shane Scurry (7 wins)

Table 3 – Kyle Duncan (7 wins) vs. David Everett (7 wins)

Table 4 – Kris Perovic (6 wins) vs. Juan Zapato (6 wins)

Table 5 – Jack Hoffe (6 wins) vs. Tej Trivedi (6 wins)

Table 6 – Michael Kohanim (6 wins) vs. Quan Lewis (6 wins)

Table 7 – Brendan Hubster (6 wins) vs. Anthony Ling (6 wins)

Table 8 – Paul Levitin (6 wins) vs. Brett Shane (6 wins)

Well, no SBC competitors here, but plenty of well-known names. There are 2 rounds yet to go . . . who’s going to manage to hang on to a top spot?

8:45 John Williams: The Man, The Myth, The Legend

Let’s hear it for today’s head judge — he’s in charge of the biggest Shonen Jump ever, and he’s doing just fine. Give him a bottle of Mountain Dew each round and he’s good to go. No matter what the day throws at him, John is cool and in control. Sure, the box of donuts arrived without a chocolate one for him. But did he complain? Did he pick up the box and hit Kent over the head with it? Sure he did, because there should have been a donut in there for John Williams. …  Actually he didn’t. But he could have, if he wanted to, because he’s John Williams. Props to John for the overall cheery mood of the event, late though it may be!

 

8:30 Who’s at the Top Tables — Round 7

Well, there’s some new faces and some familiar ones, but, alas, no SBC competitors . . . things are not looking good for today’s challenge.

Table 1 – Christopher Foster (6 wins) vs. Shane Scurry (6 wins)

Table 2 – David Everett (6 wins) vs. Tony Mera (6 wins)

Table 3 – Kyle Duncan (6 wins) vs. Brendan Hubster (6 wins)

Table 4 – Eric Blum (6 wins) vs. Kris Perovic (6 wins)

Table 5 – Roberto Martinez (6 wins) vs. Robert Morgan (6 wins)

Table 6 – Cesar Gonzales (6 wins) vs. Michael Kohanim (6 wins)

Table 7 – Daniel Hoang (5 wins) vs. Anthony Ling (5 wins)

Table 8 – Nick Arroyo (5 wins) vs. Lucky Heang (5 wins)

It’s not often you see that many undefeated players in round 7 – that’s what a pool of 800+ will do for you.

7:45  Paul Levitin is no longer Undefeated, but Kris Perovic is!

Kris says it’s a bug bite. Is it really a bug bite? Or is it really some kind of secret implant designed to improve his dueling skills? Whatever it is, it seems to be working.

 

7:10  Paul Levitin is Undefeated!!

This just in! Paul Levitin is undefeated! He didn’t tell us what he was playing, But whatever it is, no one has beaten it yet!



6:50 Waiting for Round 6

Round 5 is over, and can you believe there are still 630 people registered in the event?  That’s more than ever sign up for most Shonen Jumps! Actually, I think there have been SJC’s with fewer entrants than they’ve had drop so far from this one. We’re halfway through the day, and it’s nearly 7:00 pm . . . tonight will be a long, long night.

6:50 The Perils of Scorekeeping

Entering in the results for an 800 person event eventually takes its toll. They have to keep rotating in new scorekeepers, because the old ones keep exploding. Here’s a look at Kent Chin’s last moments on earth . . .

6:45 Please Stop Asking Me Questions . . . I Still Don’t Work for the Event!

I’ve rotated signs three times . . . nothing seems to be working! When the players aren’t asking me if their deck box has been turned in, or if I can drop them from the event, attempting to give me their match slips, or wondering when their side events start then Matt Bishop is up here asking for a team profile, a deck profile, or various other questions. I tried to trick him into writing his name on the “Drop from Event” list by telling him it was the “I Want a Present!” list, but he didn’t buy it. Ah well.

 

6:30 Prizes Announced – For Top 128!!

That’s a pretty decent payout . . . product prizes will be given to the top 128 players in today’s event. Take heart, even if you’ve lost more than 2 rounds – with luck and good tiebreakers, at least you’ll get some packs.

6:15 Who’s at the Top Tables – Round 5!

Well, we’re finally at the halfway point. Let’s see who’s duking it out at the top . . .

Table 1 – James Neumann (4 wins) vs. Cullen Rush (4 wins)

Table 2 – Cesar Gonzales (4 wins) vs. Matt Watters (4 wins)

Table 3 – Brendan Hubster (4 wins) vs. Chris Winkler (4 wins)

Table 4 – Shane Scurry (4 wins) vs. Jerry Wang (4 wins) — this round’s feature match!

Table 5 – Leon Knight III (4 wins) vs. Tommy Tsolis (4 wins)

Table 6 – Keith Gibson (4 wins) vs. Ken Smith (4 wins)

Table 7 – Tony Mera (4 wins) vs. Jason Zigander (4 wins)

Table 8 – Nick Arroyo (4 wins) vs. Adonis Fuller (4 wins)

Aww . . . no SBC competitors at all! 

5:00 Who’s at the Top Tables – Round 4

Table 1 – Dale Arroyo (3 wins) vs. Quan Lewis (3 wins)

Table 2 – James McTague (3 wins) vs. Eligio Morales Jr. (3 wins)

Table 3 – Michael Haynh (3 wins) vs. Henry Martinez (3 wins)

Table 4 – Henry Rodriguez Jr. (3 wins) vs. John Schiavone (3 wins)

Table 5 – Bryan Pope (3 wins) vs. Jason Zigander (3 wins)

Table 6 – Eric Herdzik (3 wins) vs. Tony Mera (3 wins)

Table 7 – Robert Hicks vs. Hector Rodriguez (3 wins)

Table 8 – Rich Chu (3 wins) vs. Allen Lin (3 wins)

We’re almost halfway there…

 

4:36 The Side Events Are Starting!

That safest of havens for players when the main event is just not going their way – the side events, source of redemption and tickets for the second Shrink. Although space is certainly at a premium and the judge staff has its hands full, side events are starting.

3:45 An Improved Internet Solution, in the Nick of Time

Well, there’s a part of the Convention Center that we aren’t in that has wireless. This is good to know . . . it’s a bit of a shorter walk than Kinko’s was. And it’s a good thing we found it, too – right as I headed out to send in the last batch of coverage, the sky just opened up in a deluge of a thunderstorm. That wouldn’t have been pleasant.

3:20 Who’s At the Top Tables – Round 3

We’ve still got a long while to go, but here’s a look at who was up there Round 3:

Table 1 – Frazier Smith (2 wins) vs. Matthew Weiner (2 wins)

Table 2 – Eric Blum (2 wins) vs. Chris Haspiliare (2 wins)

Table 3 – Brian Barkwill (2 wins) vs. Dan Gibson (2 wins)

Table 4 – Michael Alund (2 wins) vs. Roberto Martinez (2 wins)

Table 5 – Robert Morgan (2 wins) vs. Antonio Navarro (2 wins)

Table 6 Christopner (Ivan) Flores (2 wins) vs. Andrew Hayton – this round’s feature match!

Table 7 – Evan Colon (2 wins) vs. Kyle Duncan (2 wins)

Table 8 – Dale Bellido [SBC Competitor] (2 wins) vs. Tim Saskiewicz (2 wins)

Hey, about time we got a SBC Competitor up there!

2:10 Who’s at the Top Tables – Round 2!

Well, we’re 2 rounds into a long, long day – here’s who’s sitting up top for now!

Table 1 – Aldrene Butulan (1 win) vs. Mike Powers  (1 win)

Table 2 – Cole Dumond (1 win) vs. Tim Saskiewicz (1 win)

Table 3 – William Muzzi Jr. (1 win) vs. Frank Reyes (1 win)

Table 4 – Ron Barfield (1 win) vs. John Lyon (1 win)

Table 5 – Ray O’Keefe (1 win) vs. Jason Speller (1 win)

Table 6 – Columbus Brown (1 win) vs. Henry Rodriguez Jr. (1 win)

Table 7 – Mike McCartney (1 win) vs. Antonio Navarro (1 win)

Table 8 – Jonathan Sturick (1 win) vs Alfonzo Yamakawa (1 win)

1:45 First Kinko’s Run Successful! Internet Subsequently Located in Convention Center!

However, since the Philadelphia Convention Center covers several blocks, the one spot we located with it, it’s really not that much closer than Kinko’s. Sigh. 

At any rate, coverage has been successfully turned in! Go read it!

12:30 How Metagame Works – A Brief History Of Posting

Now then, before I trot off to Kinko’s to try and get this all uploaded, I want to take a moment to explain how the uploading process works. First, Jason and I write the content. I also take the pictures, then process them in Photoshop to make them the correct size for the site. That takes longer than you might think. Then, on a usual weekend we just email them to the editor – but since today we have no internet due to a freak series of . . . internet tragedies, I’ll have to go to Kinko’s. Since it’s a bit of a haul to Kinko’s (hopefully we can get the Convention Center to help us out on the wireless) I’m not going there after every single piece of coverage, so uploading runs will not be as frequent as they are when we are actually connected.

So, first, we write and take pictures, and collect some content. Second, I walk all the way to Kinko’s with my high heels on in this hot and humid weather, carrying the content.

Then, I email it to the editor. The editor gets the content, reviews and edits it, and puts it all in HTML. Then, the editor uploads it to the site.

Metagame is not Myspace or a forum – we don’t type in our stuff and have it magically appear. It’s actually a time-consuming process, and throw in the internet outage, and it’s really going to be a challenge today.

So! This weekend, we appreciate your patience as we rise to the challenge and get the content up as quickly and consistently as we can. It looks like it’s going to be quite an event, so, regardless of any technical issues we have to overcome, it’ll be well worth the read.

12:20 Waiting For Round 1 – The Trees Are Already Dying.

Well, we should be starting soon . . . the players are being seated, and the results slips and pairings are being printed. The result slips alone fill 101 pages, and they’ll need 5 copies of the pairings. Will 3 reams of paper be enough??

12:00 Please Stop Asking Me Questions

Usually the sign doesn’t go up until round 3 . . . but we had to put up the “We are here from Metagame, we are reporting on the event and we cannot answer questions about the event.” It’s still not doing much good. We must look like we know what’s going on, because every 30 seconds someone walks up to ask us to do something. That makes it very difficult to get our work done.

11:30 They’re Still Registering Players

Player meeting was scheduled for 10 a.m., but there’s still a ways to go here. They’ve been rotating people to do data entry, as their fingers give out. You can see that there’s quite an intimidating stack of paperwork to go through . . . and since I’m sitting between the scorekeeping computer and the “looking up UDE numbers” computer, I’m doing a lot of handing registration slips back and forth. They appear on one side of me, and I take them and hand them to the other side. “Here, Julia!” “Thanks Julia!”  Look at all those registration slips!

Since this room would only hold 600 people, the TO had to open up an additional room. That’ll present some real challenges for the judge staff, but they seem to be adaptable.

10:30 The Good and The Bad About the Venue

The good things about this venue – nice air conditioning, plenty of space, and it’s right next to the Reading Market in Philadelphia. I had a fantastic breakfast consisting of a pretzel wrap stuffed with turkey ham and cheese, fresh orange lemonade, and some sticky buns I haven’t actually dared to open yet. No $8 hot dogs, dried out pretzels, and “not-chos” at this event!!

The bad thing about the venue . . . there is no internet connection. At all. It’s not working. We can get on the LAN – that’s no good. Oh, and the hotel room? The Wayport isn’t working this weekend, sorry for the inconvenience! Guess who gets to run down the block to Kinko’s once the opening coverage is ready to go?

9:15 Wow, What A  Long Line

Well, when I walked into the venue today, I was greeted with the longest line I’ve seen in . . . I don’t know how long. Registration had opened some time ago, too!

Take a look at this line!

Now then, you’d think “Ok, everyone must still be out here on line. They haven’t moved many people through registration yet.”

Wrong! 

Take a look at the inside of the room!

That is a lot of players! They’re going to have over 800 players if it keeps going at this rate, and break the old record set at Columbus in 2005. I heard there were about 30 people waiting at the venue by 7 am.