Caesar Martinez
“DC vs Marvel” is this generation’s version of “Sony vs Nintendo”, a perhaps pointless debate that has probably ruined countless friendships and taken unknown numbers of precious hours away from people’s time. Each side has swaths of supporters, equipped with knowledge of the subject and ready to defend their viewpoint to the bitter end (an end no person can see).
Caesar “CEEZ” Martinez, one of the best rookies in the 2K League, has been a superhero of sorts for the Hawks Talon Gaming Club, averaging over 26 PPG and over 7 assists a game for his club. But the superb rookie and superhero aficionado has no interest in partaking in the partisan arguments that plague the fandom.
“I’m a huge superhero geek and the Flash is fastest man alive,” Martinez said. “I think of myself as the fastest person in my family and I always ran track, so Flash was always my favorite person.”
But while he will always rep the DC icon, Barry Allen’s series on the CW is far from Martinez’s favorite TV show. Instead, he turns to a grittier offering about one of Marvel’s most unique characters.
“The only reason I watch “The Flash” is because Flash is my favorite superhero,” Martinez said. “The show is alright, but in terms of entertainment, Daredevil has caught my attention in terms of how it’s laid out and the different plotlines.”
Now based in Atlanta, Martinez might have a chance to live out a dream in the future. Many of Marvel’s movies are filmed in Georgia and around Atlanta, and the high-scoring rookie said he would love to play a small part in Marvel’s cinematic universe.
“I would love to be an extra in a Marvel movie, even if it was just me walking in the back of the crowd on a street,” Martinez said. “I’d do that any day! I just love superheroes, whether it’s Spiderman, Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, I don’t care. Marvel, DC, I don’t care. I just would want to be a part of a movie.”
For now, he’ll have to settle for putting up gaudy point totals as the most explosive scorer on the squad. Martinez isn’t lacking for confidence, and for good reason. He has had success at nearly every level of the 2K community for the last few years.
“I told myself I’d make the league and I’d go crazy in pre-draft and show the players why I belong,” Martinez said. “I pretty much just won all of the pre-draft tournaments.”
Even though the rookie puts up great statistics, his Hawks Talon GC have been in the dregs of the 2K League. Not even Superman would be able to single-handedly take the team to contention, and as great as Martinez is, he is not a demigod from Krypton. Learning to run patterned offense and to involve his teammates has been a season-long process for Martinez.
“I score the ball at will, but in the league it’s more than just scoring,” Martinez said. “At some point, people are going to start double-teaming you so you have to get your teammates involved.”
“Caesar is a bucket and we knew that when we brought him in,” coach Wesley Acuff said. “He can score the ball and just watching him grow into a role where he can control the pace of the game is exciting. We’ve seen him grow from just scoring to knowing how to manage the game.”
While Martinez likes cooking defenders on the virtual court, it’s rare to find him doing anything other than the basic culinary skills off it. He will cook simple foods like eggs and rice, but said “you won’t see me cooking things like a fancy lasagna or anything like that.”
But the rookie of the year contender and Manhattan native certainly enjoys good food. Martinez said he had to deal with some culture shock when he moved down south, and he got “higher-ups” involved in helping him find his favorite kind of food.
“I’m a big Spanish food eater, and when I moved down here, I couldn’t find any Spanish food for like three months,” Martinez said. “I remember coach telling me that he’d find me a spot, and he did! The food is amazing and I’ve went there at least 20 times.”
The Spanish food enthusiast and comic book hero expert is honed in on guiding the Talon GC to a playoff spot. While it will be a difficult task, the rookie believes he is the right man to lead the team where they hope to go.
“I knew I was going to be one of the best players in the league, and I think I am,” Martinez said, a statement that will likely be debated almost as fiercely as “Marvel vs DC.”
You can reach the author at Joseph.A.Dycus@gmail.com or on twitter at @joseph_dycus .