Let's just get this out of the way: No, not the computer classic "Diablo." I speak, in fact, about the Playstation port of said game.

By any stretch of the imagination, especially in comparison to its much-revered older brother, "Diablo" on Playstation was not a good game.

Here, in no particular order, is a list or problems generated by the movement from a more powerful platform (the home computer) to the Playstation.

• The game play was S-L-O-W. Slow like the plot of the "English Patient." In other words, it took far too long to meander across town, let alone charge through nine levels of dungeon.
• The graphics could be described, charitably, as fugly. The original game was not a study in diversity of scenery, but the Playstation version tended to devolve into muddy darkness; often leading to scenarios such as this. "Is that a door in that wall or is it just happy to see me?"
• The save-game system was esoteric to the point that it reminded me of when a gamer had to keep notebooks of "level codes" to continue Mega Man's descent into reploid-busting mayhem.
  The hoops this game went through, and subsequently made the player go through, to duplicate the PC's save-anywhere capabilities with a memory card were absurd.

All that being said, I still enjoyed the heck out of the experience.

Why? I think it speaks to the addictive qualities of the underlying "Diablo" game play. I'm a sucker for loot 'n' levels.

Also, never having been much of a PC gamer, it was the first opportunity I'd ever had to play cooperatively in "Diablo." This also was addictive.

So, yes, it was a bad game on paper, but a fun experience in pixels.

Next time: The worst movie I ever played ...

Today, I'm going to take a stab at some of the Saturday races in the Breeders' Cup championships.
One thing to remember, and I mentioned it Wednesday, is that these could change based on track bias and other factors. So, watch the races carefully. Click here for the schedule.
Keep in mind that there are several inter-race options, including a $500,000 guaranteed pool for the Pick 4 Friday and $1 million and $1.5 million Pick 4s on Saturday. The Pick 6 has a $2 million guaranteed pool Saturday.
So, get to work handicapping.

Juvenile Turf: I won't bet this one.
* Turf Sprint: Doubtful, too. I do like Silver Timber, though.
* Sprint: It's hard not to like Gayego and Zensational. I'll add Fleeting Spirit in the mix.
* Juvenile: Noble Promise and Lookin At Lucky. Radiohead will get play.
* Mile: Won't play.
* Dirt mile: Tough race. Midshipman on a hunch.
* Turf: I like Dar Re Mi and Conduit. Spanish Moon will get play, too.
* Classic: Question is how will Zenyatta do against the boys? I say 1st or 2nd. Gio Ponti and Summer Bird will be bet, too.

Stakes:
* Aqueduct: Three events slated for Saturday.
* Churchill Downs: One each today and Saturday.
* Delta Downs: Six scheduled for tonight.
* Meadowlands: Pegasus set for tonight.
* Woodbine: Maple Leaf set for Saturday.
* Bluffs Run: Finals of the Iowa Breeders' Classic is Saturday evening.
* Derby: Third round of the Fall Juvenile is Saturday.
* Wheeling: Seminfinals of the Invitational is Sunday.

Carryovers:
* Derby's tri-super is $21,561.
* Jacksonville's tri-super is $15,942.
* Palm Beach's twin-tri is $10,806.
* Woodbine's Pick 6 is $13,619.
* Aqueduct's Pick 6 is $17,633.
* Churchill Down's Super High 5 is $25,914.

Today, I'm going to take a stab at some of the Saturday races in the Breeders' Cup championships.
One thing to remember, and I mentioned it Wednesday, is that these could change based on track bias and other factors. So, watch the races carefully. Click here for the schedule.
Keep in mind that there are several inter-race options, including a $500,000 guaranteed pool for the Pick 4 Friday and $1 million and $1.5 million Pick 4s on Saturday. The Pick 6 has a $2 million guaranteed pool Saturday.
So, get to work handicapping.

Juvenile Turf: I won't bet this one.
* Turf Sprint: Doubtful, too. I do like Silver Timber, though.
* Sprint: It's hard not to like Gayego and Zensational. I'll add Fleeting Spirit in the mix.
* Juvenile: Noble Promise and Lookin At Lucky. Radiohead will get play.
* Mile: Won't play.
* Dirt mile: Tough race. Midshipman on a hunch.
* Turf: I like Dar Re Mi and Conduit. Spanish Moon will get play, too.
* Classic: Question is how will Zenyatta do against the boys? I say 1st or 2nd. Gio Ponti and Summer Bird will be bet, too.

Stakes:
* Aqueduct: Three events slated for Saturday.
* Churchill Downs: One each today and Saturday.
* Delta Downs: Six scheduled for tonight.
* Meadowlands: Pegasus set for tonight.
* Woodbine: Maple Leaf set for Saturday.
* Bluffs Run: Finals of the Iowa Breeders' Classic is Saturday evening.
* Derby: Third round of the Fall Juvenile is Saturday.
* Wheeling: Seminfinals of the Invitational is Sunday.

Carryovers:
* Derby's tri-super is $21,561.
* Jacksonville's tri-super is $15,942.
* Palm Beach's twin-tri is $10,806.
* Woodbine's Pick 6 is $13,619.
* Aqueduct's Pick 6 is $17,633.
* Churchill Down's Super High 5 is $25,914.

As has been widely reported, former Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad is seriously considering running for his old job, which he held for 16 years before leaving office a decade ago.

He is following a deliberate process toward making candidacy official - forming a committee, contacting potential supporters and donors, retiring from his job as president of Des Moines University, etc.

On Thursday, the first day of a two-day meeting of the Iowa Newspaper Foundation and its affiliated boards in Des Moines, that he felt it necessary to resign from the foundation board (of which I am a "lame duck" member). Yet, the former governor maintained his commitment to the foundation and stuck around for a full day of meetings.

During a lull in proceedings, he did take time out to look through an article in Cityview, an alternative newspaper in Des Moines, concerning his potential candidacy and what it means for the Republican race for the nomination to face off against Democratic incumbent Chet Culver. As the longest-serving governor in Iowa history, Branstad is depicted on the cover as a king. He seemed to find that sort of amusing.

Apparently the warmer temperatures brought out the fish today.

My Bass-Fishing Friend reported that he and a buddy boated 19 bass during a three-hour cruise this morning. The impressive part was that 10 of them were keepers, forcing them to call it a day a little ahead of schedule. Several of the fish were in the 15-to-16-inch range. All but one were caught on crankbaits while fishing Mississippi River Pool 11.

Hearing that the fish were biting, I headed down to the river this afternoon. I pitched twister tails and a crankbait for about 20 minutes but wasn’t as successful as the guy fishing nearby. He was using minnows and landed a white bass just as I arrived, and a largemouth (pictured) just before I left.

The forecast for the next three days calls for highs in the 60s. Get in your last casts before the snow flies.

Mike has been the TH editorial artist for 22 years, and a fisherman for about twice that long. He invites you to share your angling tales, tips and musings in the comments section of this blog, or e-mail him at mday@wcinet.com. However, he can only vouch for the truthfulness of his own stories!

We've all been subject to the shenanigans revolving around "Dante's Inferno," either personally or through Internet reports, by this time.

Yes, it's a game that, apparently without regard, shamelessly destroys a great work of epic poetry.

Yes, there was the whole "booth babe" incident at Comic-Con: Encouraging males whose sole experience with women probably comes down to watching WWE Divas in evening gown matches and late-night "infomercials" advertising the benefits of "Girls Gone Wild" to perform "acts of lust" with women at the convention.

Not to mention, there was the E3 fake protest "scandal."

Now, we find out that there will be an achievement/trophy in the final game awarded for killing a million babies ... or something. I always thought it would be a cold day in heck when I would agree with Jack Thompson on anything.

The amazing level of tastelessness that the developers behind this game are showcasing makes me wonder: Are we seeing the digital equivalent of reality television? The shameless shock pandering these people are pushing reminds me more of B-List reality fare like "I Love Money" or "Daisy of Love" than "Doom" or "Grand Theft Auto."

Also, the more the shock envelope is pushed, the more I wonder about the quality of game play.

Years ago, I got the chance to play a nearly completed copy of "Thrill Kill," a game that was known for two things: being the first four-player fighter on the Playstation and being canceled due to "shocking" graphic content. In fact, the content was grisly. In fact, it was four-player. In fact, the game was incredibly boring to play.

It's also slightly ironic that EA canceled "Thrill Kill" because it felt that the game's violence didn't parse well with the company's image. My how times have changed.

There's nothing like a little publicity to make a terrible game sell as if it's "The Sims."