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Who would you want pitching with a million dollars on the line?

If you had a million dollars riding on the outcome of a baseball game, would you trust the arm of Kenshin Kawakami? That's exactly what 23-year-old Wade McGilberry did in playing the "MLB 2K10" Million Dollar Challenge, becoming the first player in the world to throw a perfect virtual game, then reaping the very real rewards of a cool mil.

McGilberry, a 401K records keeper from Semmes, Alabama, threw the perfect game on the first day of competition playing as Kawakami and the Braves against the Mets.

"I was the bad influence who told him not to go to work that day," Wade's wife Katie tells me. "But he didn't listen to me, he did the responsible thing, but that meant he didn't finish his game until that night after he got off work. When he called to tell me that he did it, all I could think was he should've listened to me and stayed home and tried to do it in the morning. If he did it that easy, I was sure someone must've done it sooner."

But luckily for the newlyweds, Wade was first, even if the self-proclaimed White Sox fan had never even tried the "MLB 2K" series before hearing about the contest.

"I saw an advertisement on Xbox Live about the prize money, so I decided to give it a try," he says. "I tried the demo, but I couldn't hit the ball very well, so that was almost a deal breaker. I knew if I couldn't score, I couldn't win. But as I got better at the game, I decided to go for it. The million dollars was a good reason to go out and buy it."

Then it happened. Wade was throwing a perfect game heading into the ninth inning, leading by a score of 1-0. "All I could think was, if I get the first two outs, the pitcher is up third in the inning."

He had it made, right?

"But I forgot about the pinch hitter."

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John Harrelson/Getty ImagesJoey Logano has become the face of gaming for NASCAR.

If NASCAR driver Joey Logano isn't living the dream, I don't know who is.

The 19-year-old hotshot nicknamed "Sliced Bread" (as in greatest thing since) isn't only the youngest driver turning left with the big boys, but the avid gamer is also being sponsored by GameStop. (That's like Gilbert Arenas walking around with the Smith & Wesson logo on his shorts.)

But the question is, does Logano just walk into a GameStop wherever he is on the road and the clerks instantly return from some back room with bags and boxes of free games and gear?

"Something like that," Logano tells me with a laugh. "Let me just say this: GameStop knows how to take care of me. It's not a bad deal for a 19-year-old kid to get hooked up with some games."

And Logano and crew bring their stash of titles with them on the road wherever they race, playing games in Logano's bus during downtime. "If it's raining like it has been a lot lately, we get plenty of video game time in there," he says. And surprisingly, even though he spends all day racing cars for real, his first choice on the Xbox 360 or PS3 is more racing. "My life is racing, so it's basically all racing for me, even in video games," Logano says.

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EA SportsWill "NCAA Football 11" turn out to be a classic?

Looking at early code of video games can be trickier than one might think. Games crash, graphics glitch, sound stutters, and all the while the producer of the game is sitting there trying to convince you that in the end, this is going to be the definitive game of its genre. Doesn't matter what game it is, it's always going to be the best.

I remember sitting in a demo of "FaceBreaker" and trying not to laugh at how absurd/abysmal the game looked, while at the same time listening to the game's designer tell me how it was going to revolutionize boxing video games. An EA rep asked me immediately what I thought of the game, and I think my exact words were something like: "This game is going to fail on epic proportions." No one at EA seemed to believe me, but I think the game went on to sell about a hundred copies (not exact total, but you get the point).

On the flip side of "FaceBreaker" is "NCAA Football 11." Here is a game that doesn't ship until July, and when the EA producer turned on the game, there was no need for explanation, no convincing necessary. Refreshingly, he just put on the game and let "NCAA Football 11" speak for itself.

First time I saw the way the graphics popped, the realistic way the players moved around the field, all I could say was one thing: "Wow."

No joke, "NCAA Football 11" has that wow factor, maybe for the first time since it hit this generation of consoles. I'm not saying the game is already perfect or that I'd score it 10 out of 10 if I was reviewing it right now ... the game still has a lot of work to do. But at the same time, what I've had the chance to play made me sit up and take notice. With the new lighting, new presentation, and most importantly, new locomotion, the game has a completely fresh vibe to it this year and the results for this early in the cycle simply blew me away.

If EA Sports keeps on track from what I just played, we could be talking about a classic.

Then again, that's the danger of looking at early code. You never know how the game will turn out in the end (I've seen plenty of games go terribly wrong down the stretch), but man, did I ever walk out of that demo impressed by what I played.

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EA Sports

When I tell Tim Tebow he's going to have the highest trucking ability of any quarterback in "Madden NFL 11," he smiles so wide it's like I'm about to hand him another Heisman.

"When I first heard that, I was so excited because that means my 'Madden' character will play like me," Tebow told me as we scarfed down sliders at the EA Sports Draft Premiere party in New York. In other words, forget sliding feet first with Tebow in "Madden," the Broncos new quarterback wants to lower his polygonal shoulder and run fools over.

"No matter what my overall rating will be, at least I know I can put myself in the game and run the ball," Tebow said. "I can't wait."

While at the party, Tebow challenged his brother Robby to a game of "NCAA Football 11" and was getting the better of his older sibling before being called away from the controllers to do more interviews. "I was playing as Virginia Tech and picked off two passes in the first quarter. I ran one back for a touchdown," Tim said while Robby stood next to him shaking his head. "7-0, about to be 14-0," he added, rubbing it in a little bit to his brother. "I love how they incorporated the acceleration into the game this year. I was running around with Tyrod Taylor. It was awesome."

505 GamesClick here to check out ESPN's exclusive "Backbreaker" image gallery.

505 Games sent over nine new 'Backbreaker' screens to help get fans excited for the hard-hitting virtual season. Check out the gallery, then head over to the Producer Q&A; to find out everything 'Backbreaker' before the game hits stores in June.

Producer Interview | Photo gallery »

505 Games"Backbreaker" promises hits like you've never seen before.

Depending who you ask, "Backbreaker" is either a "Madden" killer or just another unlicensed football video game destined to be crushed by the EA juggernaut. And while the truth probably lies somewhere in between, there's no denying the fact that "Backbreakers" groundbreaking physics engine showcases tackles that will leave gamers as breathless as the poor polygonal ball carrier who was just crushed on screen.

I recently had the chance to catch up with "Backbreaker's" associate producer, Rob Donald, to get his thoughts on the upcoming game, the impending battle against "Madden," and why he's introducing relegation to American football.

Jon Robinson: What differentiates "Backbreaker" from a game like "Madden?"

Rob Donald: We're really confident in saying that we're doing everything different. Not just from a structural point of view, like our different league setups and customization which I will get into later on, but just the fact that we've managed to produce a game that is completely live and completely emergent and is built fundamentally from not just any other football game, but any other sports game before. It's our Euphoria engine that is powering all of these live moments. Every tackle that you see is going to be completely different. You're not going to see the same tackle because it's totally random and every tackle is based on bone structure, the muscle structure, and the intelligence of the players who are performing those actions. It really goes a lot deeper than that, but Euphoria gives all of our players a level of awareness that is simply not there in any other sports title. The fact that you see players lifting their arms if they feel a threat coming in from the side so they can cushion blows, it really means that when you're running around the corner and defenders are rushing towards you, your player will start animating himself to deal with the threat. This just gives you the feeling of not only being in total control, but being right there and completely involved in the moment.

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EA SportsMark Sanchez doesn't like the calls coming in from the Jets coaches.

EA Sports just released eight new images of "Madden NFL 11" detailing everything from the new GameFlow play-calling system to the improved kicking meter. They also threw in some shots of how you will be able to game plan specific situations as well as Chris Johnson putting the moves on the Texans. Click on the link to check out the new screens.

"Madden NFL 11" Gallery »

EA SportsPhilip Rivers looks so good in "Madden," he's almost expected to start talking trash.

The average game of "Madden NFL 10" took over an hour to complete.

"With 'Madden NFL 11,' we're cutting that time in half," says "Madden's" executive producer Jeremy Strauser. "We're playing games now in about 30 minutes."

The difference? Try one of the biggest gambles in EA Sports history as "Madden" designers have completely changed the play-calling system to incorporate offensive and defensive coordinators actually telling you what plays to run over the headset, then it's up to you to execute.

That's right, if you use the new GameFlow feature, you're leaving the play-calling in the hands of the A.I., cutting game-time in half by simply eliminating the back and forth decision making and sorting of menus to find the right formation.

Smartest thing they did, though, was leave a one button out of GameFlow, so at any time, you can simply hit X and call your own play like the old days. So if you want, you can follow the computer's advice on offense all the way down the field, but if you're in a tough spot or have an idea of a call you'd rather make, you can hit a button, call your own play, and jump right back into the action without having to pause the game and find the correct screen. Next play, you're right back to GameFlow, or if you wish, you can hit X again and take control for a second straight play.

"We talk about 'Madden 11' being simpler, quicker, and deeper, and GameFlow is a big feature that is driving this," explains Strauser. "This is a play-calling system that really unlocks the depth, complexity, and authenticity of being a play-caller in the NFL and lets you have success with it whether you're a novice to the league or a 'Madden' expert."

According to Strauser, while "Madden NFL 10" featured close to 350 plays per team playbook, EA Sports' research showed that the average user was only calling about 13 different plays per game. "It's kind of a hint that something is going wrong," admits Strauser. "And that means the hardcore guys are bringing that number up to 13. Those weren't the minimum numbers. So when we started talking to players and coaches from around the league, we realized that this new method was a lot more authentic to how plays are called in the NFL."

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Mary Schwalm/Getty ImagesRandy Moss is making moves in the video game industry.

Has Randy Moss gone corporate?

Not only has the star receiver signed on to appear in the free online coaching game "Quick Hit Football" (Moss' character will appear as a starting player next month), but as part of the deal to land him in the game, Moss has also been made a member of Quick Hit's Board of Advisors.

I tried reaching Randy for comment to see just what this Board of Advisors business was all about, but was told he was out of the country (maybe he's also on the board of some European bank we don't know about).

Quick Hit did issue the following quote from Moss, though, via press release: "Quick Hit is a unique opportunity for me to engage with football fans. I'm excited to be one of the first starters for 2010 and look forward to working with the Quick Hit team in my advisory role with the company."

Let's just hope his first ruling isn't to add virtual mooning of the crowd.