Here's my approach...
I must have a very strong sense of the side or total being a correct opinion. I must believe in it with little if any doubt. I must feel it in a subtle way that moves me on its own without any fanfare whatsoever. That's a selection and I give it one star. Only about 6% or 7% of the board meets this qualification.
Sometimes a selection "FEELS" more compelling than being a very likely outcome. In my gut and in my head, something about it tells me, THIS IS HOW IT WILL HAPPEN. Probability of it not happening seems remote. My gut and my head line up in agreement with each other, beyond just being moved, more like being driven without any will of my own involved. And my reasoning is sound. 2 stars. One game per week -- not always. Rarely 2 in the same week.
Three stars happens when there's an aspect of the game that I just can't find a counter aspect for and it's the sort of thing that defines game flow. but it can't be a popularly known aspect because popular opinions stink. What I want to see is something that will dictate the game flow beyond reasonable doubt... several of these compelling disparities on the field exist together at the same time in one game and their impact is complementary. 3 stars almost NEVER happens, maybe once or twice per season.
I just set the bar very high for myself just for a game to even be considered. I can have tons of opinions about lots of games, which is good because it provides a canvas for just 4 or 5 to stand out among 50. That means I said no 45 times.
All of this is very subjective but the more facts at my disposal that I have read and the longer I sat there with my "impressions" until I can express them, the better I understand my own reasoning. The more I do that, the louder and clearer my gut speaks. The more the gut feels it, the more stars.
BOL to you this year Ted. I will be a junior codger in the not too distant future. I only hope to codge as well as you do when I get there. The secret to having a long and happy life is to moderate in moderation.
