In my first matchup, I took the reins of the vaunted Yankees, ranked 3rd overall, behind the two league All-Star teams. My buddy Craig H. grabbed hold of the Red Sox (4th) for a showdown in the Bronx. For some reason, the game shipped without Alex Rodriguez in pinstripes and with Alfonso Soriano and Aaron Boone still in the Yankees' active lineup. That's correctable manually, but I was too eager to play to mess around with rosters right away. And it's a good thing I didn't. Aaron Boone was the star of the game, going 4-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs in a 7-3 victory nailed down by Mariano Rivera. Sound familiar?

In the second game, Craig played his beloved Padres in their beautiful new park, in which I scored five first-inning runs with the Rockies against none other than David Wells, who was pulled with a 45.00 ERA before Craig quit in a huff. If this isn't the most realistic game ever produced, I don't know what is.

Other fun stuff included beaning Manny Ramirez with the bases loaded, which gave Craig the option of charging the mound against Mike Mussina. He did, and it got Manny tossed, along with Derek Jeter. I hope DJ smashed his face up pretty good in the unshown scuffle.

Finally, MVP Baseball 2004 remains true to the long-standing baseball video game tradition that your opponent will probably swing at every single pitch outside of the strike zone.

Game Features Include:

• Pure Swing System: Aim with the left, swing with the right. Sounds kinky, but it helped me launch a 500-foot bomb.

• Big Play Control: Climb fences to rob home runs, run over catchers (not me) and execute hook slides. I guess EA Sports is saving the ability to scratch your balls for 2005.

• Cooperstown Collection and the Minors: Fifty legends players (sorry, no Dan Pasqua), 60 retro uniforms and eight classic stadiums mean you should never, ever play the 2004 Devil Rays in whatever tuna can they play their games in. Sixty real-life minor league teams, not including the Mets, are in the game, too.

• 120-Season Dynasty Mode: Build your teams just like the pros — by paying an ass-load of money for players developed by crappier teams. And just think, in 120 seasons the Red Sox might actually win something. Probably not, though.

• Online Play: Gee, I can't wait to get bitch-slapped in this one by whatever pukes spend 24 hours a day figuring out the nuances of diving and double-steals.

MVP Baseball 2004 Links:

• MetaCritic.com Reviews — Five reviewers give it an average score of 88 out of 100. Users give it an 8.5 out of 10.

• IGN.com's Message Board — The forum is already jumping with new owners talking strategy and bitching about suppliers being out of stock.

• GameZone.com Interviews EA Sports' Producers — Find out what goes into making such a complex game.