Obama campaign conducts damage control after debate, as jobs report looms

President Obama launched into damage-control mode Thursday, as he tried to smooth over his rocky debate performance from the night before while bracing for the next potential game-changer – the monthly unemployment report.

The Labor Department on Friday is set to release the September jobs numbers, which include an update to the unemployment rate. The rate has slowly edged down to 8.1 percent, but the reports all summer have reflected weak hiring month after month.

Obama, trying to back up his onstage claim Wednesday night that the economy is on the rebound, needs to show some positive stats on the board, and Friday’s report is the last of two monthly snapshots before the November election.

Mitt Romney, at their first debate in Denver, had hammered the president over the state of the economy and declared: “The status quo is not going to cut it."

Coming out of the debate, the Obama campaign said it would "make adjustments" going forward and tried to get back on the offensive.

At a Denver rally Thursday afternoon complete with teleprompters, Obama ripped into Romney as he tried to brush himself off and reassure supporters.

"When I got onto the stage I met this very spirited fellow who claimed to be Mitt Romney," Obama said. "But it couldn't have been Mitt Romney, because the real Mitt Romney has been running around the country for the last year promising $5 trillion in tax cuts that favor the wealthy. The fellow on stage last night said he didn't know anything about that." 

The president ticked off a string of complaints about Romney's on-stage claims before adding: "The man on stage last night, he does not want to be held accountable to the real Mitt Romney's decisions." 

Obama's campaign complemented the rally with a conference call in which adviser David Axelrod said Romney was "completely untethered from the truth." 

But the Romney campaign quickly fired back, accusing Obama of doubling down on "false attacks." 

"In full damage-control mode, President Obama today offered no defense of his record and no vision for the future," spokesman Ryan Williams said. "Rather than a plan to fix our economy, President Obama simply offered more false attacks and renewed his call for job-killing tax hikes." 

The explanations from the Obama campaign about what went wrong came as observers from both sides of the political spectrum roundly judged Romney the winner. 

The Republican nominee was quick on his feet, polished and feisty as he repeatedly cut off the moderator and challenged his opponent on the facts. 

Axelrod suggested on the conference call that Obama wasn't doing enough fact-checking on Romney's statements. 

"Obviously moving forward, we're going to take a hard look at this and we're going to have to make some judgments as to where to draw the lines in these debates and how to use our time," he said, claiming Obama did not view the debate as a performance as Romney did. 

Romney was heading next to the battleground of Virginia on Thursday, while Obama headed to Wisconsin following his rally in Colorado. It's unclear whether Romney's performance will move the polls, but he was clearly looking for a race-shaking performance having slipped in recent weeks in several swing-state surveys. The race could be given a jolt again on Friday with the release of the Labor Department's monthly unemployment numbers. On Thursday, the Commerce Department reported that factory orders dropped in August by the most in three years. 

Each candidate strived throughout the 90-minute debate to appeal to the middle-class voters who likely will decide the election five weeks from now. While Romney accused Obama of pushing "trickle-down government," Obama accused Romney of wanting to "double down on the top-down policies" that led to the financial crisis. 

The debate, which focused exclusively on domestic matters, was one of three presidential debates set for October and marked Romney's first opportunity to go toe to toe with the president. 

The debate was tense at times, with the candidates standing just feet from each other and often cutting off the moderator, PBS' Jim Lehrer. Romney appeared to take a consistently more aggressive tone on stage, though the overall tenor of the debate marked a step back from what has become a bitter and nasty campaign in the closing weeks. 

Each candidate came armed with studies and stats to bolster his respective position -- but the central goal was to broaden their appeal before a national audience hurting for jobs and make the case for why their plans would boost growth. 

Obama argued that the issue to consider is not "where we've been" but "where we're going." 

"We've begun to fight our way back," Obama said. He accused Romney of wanting to roll back regulations and implement tax cuts skewed toward the wealthy and reverse those gains. 

But Romney, citing the millions who have gone on food stamps and hit the unemployment lines in the last four years, argued that "the status quo is not going to cut it." 

"We know that the path we're taking is not working. It's time for a new path," Romney said. 

He said Obama's push to raise taxes on top earners amounts to a tax on the very small businesses needed for a robust economic recovery. 

"You raise taxes and you kill jobs," Romney said. "I don't want to kill jobs in this environment." 

On taxes, though, Romney sought to wipe away the caricature that the Obama campaign has been drawing these last two years -- of Romney as an out-of-touch millionaire who's looking to make the rich richer with his tax cut plan. 

Obama again argued Wednesday night that the Republican nominee is pushing a $5 trillion tax cut plan that would skew toward the wealthy. 

To offset that, Obama claimed, Romney would have to either add to the deficit or raise the burden on the middle class. 

"It's math, it's arithmetic," Obama said 

Romney, though, insisted the 20 percent across-the-board rate cut he's pushing is not nearly as sweeping as the president describes. 

"I don't have a $5 trillion tax cut," Romney said. Further, he pledged to hold to his promise that it would be deficit-neutral and not hurt the middle class. 

"There'll be no tax cut that adds to the deficit. I want to underline that -- no tax cut that adds to the deficit," Romney said. He added: "I will not under any circumstance raise taxes on middle-income families." 

Romney addressed his tax plan after saying in an interview that one way to offset the rate cut would be to cap deductions at perhaps $17,000 -- and have taxpayers choose what deductions they want to take. The details may have been meant to undercut the Obama campaign's claims that he has not been specific. 

The two candidates debate next on Oct. 16 and for the last time on Oct. 22. The only vice presidential debate is set for Oct. 11.

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Gore blames Denver altitude for Obama's debate performance

It was the altitude. Yeah, that's it. 

As liberal pundits cringed Wednesday night over President Obama's debate performance, Al Gore leapt to his defense with a curious explanation. 

If Obama seemed like he had his head in the clouds, the former VP reasoned, perhaps it was because he was having trouble adjusting to the Mile-High City. 

"I'm going to say something controversial here," Gore said on Current TV, the channel he helped found. "Obama arrived in Denver at 2 p.m. today, just a few hours before the debate started. Romney did his debate prep in Denver. When you go to 5,000 feet, and you only have a few hours to adjust, I don't know ..." 

Gore trailed off with a chuckle, but his fellow co-hosts chimed in with agreement. 

"Exactly," one of them said off-screen. 

Co-host Cenk Uygur noted how when he came from Los Angeles, "You know what I did? I drank two cups of coffee before coming out here." 

Another guest added: "It's really different. The first time I ever did stand up in Denver I had the same exact effect. I flew in that day and when your lungs aren't acclimated to that kind of air, yeah it makes you drawn. It makes you off. The president had an off-night." 

Other Obama supporters weren't quite so willing to give the president a pass. 

"I can't believe i'm saying this, but Obama looks like he DOES need a teleprompter," comedian and Obama supporter Bill Maher tweeted.

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Campaigns launch into expectations game ahead of vital presidential debate

With the first presidential debate set for Wednesday, the campaigns are hard at work trying to jockey for advantage -- as the Obama campaign girds for a potentially aggressive performance by Mitt Romney. 

The three October debates could be Romney's best chance to overtake President Obama in the polls and build lasting momentum into Election Day. To date, he has trailed Obama by single digits for months in most national polls while the president recently has watched his lead grow in key swing states. 

The debate stage, for Romney, represents an opportunity to win over the wishy-washy. And Obama's team wants to make sure his opponent is not so convincing. In the run-up to Wednesday, each campaign is now engaged in a delicate political dance, trying to manage expectations and shoot down potential talking points while generally psyching out the other side. 

Dueling campaign memos released Thursday and Friday contained practically the same message: The other guy is a skilled debater, the other guy has the advantage, but our guy has the truth on his side and debates aren't the only factor. 

"Just as he was in the primaries, we expect Mitt Romney to be a prepared, disciplined and aggressive debater," Obama adviser David Axelrod wrote in a memo Friday, adding that debates "generally favor challengers." 

Axelrod went on to list several other advantages Romney supposedly has -- the Republican nominee got plenty of debate practice during the primaries, and he's "unencumbered" by the responsibility of being president. 

"Maybe this is why the Romney campaign has so confidently predicted for months that he will turn in a campaign-changing performance such as Ronald Reagan's in 1980," Axelrod wrote. 

He was referring to Reagan's late surge past then-President Jimmy Carter in the polls following a strong debate performance. 

Axelrod's counterpart on the Romney campaign, adviser Beth Myers, made a similar case. 

"While Governor Romney has the issues and the facts on his side, President Obama enters these contests with a significant advantage on a number of fronts," she wrote in a strategy memo. "Voters already believe -- by a 25-point margin -- that President Obama is likely to do a better job in these debates. Given President Obama's natural gifts and extensive seasoning under the bright lights of the debate stage, this is unsurprising. President Obama is a uniquely gifted speaker, and is widely regarded as one of the most talented political communicators in modern history." 

Myers stressed that this will be Romney's first "one-on-one" presidential debate, and argued that Obama was judged the winner every time he faced John McCain in 2008. "The takeaway? Not only has President Obama gained valuable experience in these debates, he also won them comfortably." 

The first debate will be held this coming Wednesday in Denver, Colo., and will focus on domestic policy. 

It will be followed by the lone vice presidential debate on Oct. 11 between Republican running mate Paul Ryan and Vice President Biden. 

The second presidential debate is set for Oct. 16 in Hempstead, N.Y., and is expected to be a town hall format covering a range of issues. 

The final debate is set for Oct. 22 in Boca Raton, Fla., and will focus on foreign policy. 

While each candidate is trumpeting the other's debating prowess in order to lower expectations -- and hopefully pull off what would then be perceived as a surprisingly strong night -- each campaign is also hammering the other on the issues. 

"But what must President Obama overcome?" Myers asked. "His record." 

She argued his "ample rhetorical gifts" will be used to try and mask the failures in that record, warning the president will go "negative" to divert attention. 

Axelrod argued the same, and went on to try and rebut any potential argument. Citing a recent comment in which Romney predicted Obama would "say a lot of things that aren't accurate," the campaign also released a web video Friday challenging several of Romney's recent claims of mischaracterization. 

It showed one clip of Romney saying he's not in favor of lowering taxes on wealthy people, followed by a debate clip of Romney saying he wants to cut taxes for everyone by 20 percent, "including the top 1 percent." 

"Facts will matter," Axelrod wrote.

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Tommy John surgery: The next student steroid?

When it comes to high school and college sports, young athletes often yearn for bigger muscles to enhance their performance.  But for student baseball pitchers, strength isn’t so much the goal as it is speed – throwing speed, that is.

Now, student athletes looking for a way to get an extra boost in their pitching arm have been putting their hopes in an elective surgery called ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) reconstruction – more famously known as Tommy John surgery.

However, according to one doctor, misconceptions surround Tommy John surgery, cautioning it isn’t necessarily the miraculous savior that student athletes think it is.

“They believe the surgery can allow you to throw more effectively,” Dr. Christopher Ahmad, an associate professor of orthopedic surgery at Columbia University and head team physician for the New York Yankees, told FoxNews.com.  “It’s not much different than thinking performance enhancing drugs can make you throw harder.”

Surgery risks, recovery

Named after former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Tommy John, the reconstructive elbow surgery became famous in 1974 when John damaged his UCL in the middle of a great 13 - 3 season.  With no options available and desperate to keep playing baseball, John approached Dr. Frank Jobe – an orthopedic surgeon and special advisor to the Dodgers – begging him to come up with a surgery to save his pitching arm.

Jobe eventually figured out a way to replace John’s injured UCL with a tendon graft from his forearm.  Once John underwent the surgery and fully recovered, he returned to baseball in 1976, ultimately winning more games after his surgery than before.

According to Ahmad, because of John and others like him who have had successful careers post-UCL reconstruction, student athletes are starting to get the wrong idea about Tommy John surgery.  In a recent study published by Ahmad in The Physician and Sportsmedicine, 50 percent of student athletes believed the surgery should be performed in absence of injury in order to improve performance – a mindset, he said, that could prove to be dangerous.

“I may see 20 kids a week with elbow pain; sometimes they have real pain, or they say, ‘I’m sore and my performance is down,’” Ahmad said.  “Then they’ll say something like, ‘Can you do an MRI scan for me? I may need Tommy John surgery.’  It’s dissatisfaction with performance and a rationale that Tommy John surgery will make them better.”

Ahmad said it’s important for students to focus on the third word: surgery.  With every operation, no matter where in the body, there are always risks.  For those who wind up having UCL reconstructive surgery, they run the risk of their elbow becoming permanently stiff, their muscles tearing or having iatrogenic (physician-induced) problems in their elbow.

Also, those who have UCL reconstruction won’t be playing ball anytime soon after the procedure.

“It takes a full year to recover,” Ahmad said. “It’s an obligation and responsibility you have to do rehabilitation for a full year.  They don’t understand what the time frame is to get back.  They think next week they’ll be throwing 90 miles per hour… In reality, the success rate of having Tommy John surgery is between 70 and 80 percent to full level of throwing.”

As for why this misconception exists, Ahmad believes those who receive Tommy John surgery may play better afterward simply because their injury is no longer ailing them.  Also, the ‘success rate’ of Tommy John surgery may be a bit skewed.

“The people who come back and play better – they’re the ones who get highlighted,” Ahmad said.  “The public doesn’t hear about the athlete who did not come back.  He falls off the media’s radar, so all the failures that are out there, [students] don’t hear about it.  There’s no research that says if you have surgery, you come back and throw faster and harder.”

Disturbing trends

In lieu of this false belief, Ahmad said he’s seen a disturbing trend in which students believe if they blow out their elbow ligaments, they can qualify for Tommy John surgery and become better players.  Pitchers and coaches alike have become more reckless during practice and play, Ahmad said, because they wrongly believe that injuries can easily be fixed with surgery.  According to his research, 30 percent of coaches did not believe that throwing too much would lead to injury.

Because of these alarming patterns, Ahmad said it’s important for sports physicians to reach out to both students and coaches about the dangers of overthrowing.  It’s recommended that students take two to three months off a year in order for their tissue to recover and avoid rupture.  It’s important to remember that an athlete’s muscles and tissues are constantly growing – and need to be cared for.

“If you are a developing athlete at 16, you’re going to get better and be a better athlete at 19,” Ahmad said.  “If you have Tommy John surgery during that development, you’re going to develop as a pitcher, but the surgery itself doesn’t allow you to throw at higher velocities.”

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Ubisoft Opens New Performance Capture Studio

Ubisoft has opened a new “world-class performance capture studio” in Toronto that will work on future projects, including Splinter Cell: Blacklist. The facility is state-of-the-art and aims to “create deeper characters, more immersive storytelling and more filmic, actor-driven games” through voice, facial and body performance capture. All actors will be captured at the same time, allowing performances to feel more like film.

The studio includes a 2,000 square foot performance space to allow multiple actors to perform at once, as well as 80 high-resolution Vicon T160 motion capture cameras. The facility will also use wireless helmet cameras for accurate facial capture, with footage synched in real time to voice and body capture. A sound stage and rigging beams that allow for stunt performances are also available to capture “dynamic, physical scenes for games.”

“We are extremely proud to unveil a performance capture studio in Toronto after just two years of operation in the city,” said Ubisoft Toronto and Montreal CEO Yannis Mallat. “This is about more than just the creation of a cutting-edge facility. It’s about Ubisoft transforming our approach to storytelling with a focus on acting talent and the delivery of the highest-quality performance output for our cinematics and animation teams. The studio also is a testament to our confidence in the talent in Ontario to deliver some of the best performance capture in the industry for games.”

In addition to Blacklist, the studio will contribute to capture for future Ubisoft projects from all 26 of its worldwide studios. Ubisoft Toronto will also partner with Screen Industries and Research Training Center of Sheridan College “to identify, define and pursue research projects in the field of virtual production to reach new levels of excellence.”

Ubisoft originally announced plans to expand to Toronto in July 2009. Original Assassin’s Creed producer Jade Raymond was later chosen to head the studio. Raymond said in 2010 that Toronto was working on a Splinter Cell game (later revealed to be Blacklist) in addition to an unannounced title.

Splinter Cell: Blacklist was announced at E3 and blends the fast-paced style of 2010’s Splinter Cell Conviction with classic Splinter Cell gameplay, including the return of Spies vs. Mercs. For more, read our impressions from E3.

Andrew Goldfarb is IGN’s associate news editor. Keep up with pictures of the latest food he’s been eating by following him on Twitter or IGN.

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