Sports Illustrated‘s Gary Smith has a moving story on how fan Tom Mackie helped to carry the Hall of Fame candidacy of Broncos great Floyd Little.

I was saddened to read this morning that legendary UCLA (and South Bend Central) coach John Wooden had died. He was 99 years old, so his passing was perhaps little surprise. But it reminded me of all the stories I’ve read about him over the years, and how his great character asserted itself  in every one.

This Rick Reilly column was my introduction to Wooden, and Sports Illustrated continued to offer some great coverage on him over the years. I’ve always intended to read his book, “They Call Me Coach.” The great thing about books is that I can still hear from him there, even after he’s gone.

I can’t claim to be much of a gamer anymore, but I enjoyed David Wong’s Cracked piece, “5 Reasons It’s Still Not Cool to Admit You’re a Gamer.” He touches upon the format’s misogyny, immaturity and repetition. I would agree and add the sheer cost–in dollars and time–of keeping up with the hobby. Many games leave you repeating the same gameplay experience for three levels beyond the point it’s novel. (Hello unbeaten copy of Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind!)

I think the anecdotal surge in casual gaming highlights how many fun, quick and free browser-based games are out there. Plants Vs. Zombies, Bejeweled and Mushroom Madness 2 are some recent ones I’ve clicked through and then happily abandoned. The AV Club’s Sawbuck Gamer feature is a great guide to more.

Anyone looking for a few days of browser-based mayhem should check out Mushroom Madness 2, a free, frantic Flash game designed by Silen Games. The quick-clicking gameplay has you use a variety of weapons–from baseball bat to rocket gun–to defend your mushroom patch from rampaging rabbits, hedgehogs, bears and birds. The action is fast and fun, and it’s easy to become immersed as you fend off waves of attackers.

Gameplay extends to survival and tower defense modes. The control can be a little frustrating at times–it’s hard to nail the slippery spiders, and it’s frustrating when your grove falls because you accidentally picked up a weaker weapon that you can’t drop until its out of ammo. But plentiful power-ups and short-burst chapters make this a great game to snack on.

Thanks to the AV Club’s Sawbuck Gamer feature for pointing this one out.

In today’s Chicago Sun-Times, columnist Mark Brown reveals that the Cubs are letting fans buy tickets before this Friday’s official sale date…if they pay a 20 percent premium on their sale. This is in addition to the team owning their own ticket-scalping service.

As Brown concludes:

This is the conundrum in which the Cubs always find themselves: Their tickets are worth more than they can get away with charging for them from a public relations standpoint, a fact proved out by the prices those tickets fetch on the secondary market.

And so the Cubs keep looking for wrinkles to charge their fans more without coming right out and admitting that’s what they’re doing.

The danger is that just because some people are willing to pay the extra money doesn’t mean the team isn’t alienating a part of its fan base that already believes it’s being priced out of the historic ballpark.

The Cubs can charge what they want for tickets (and I plan on buying some this Friday). But fandom is an irrational act, and I wonder how much people are willing to pay before deciding they can do without–especially when there are 81 home games, times are tough, and your team is known for being “lovable losers.”