Like you said the BG is a bit dark but I don't mind it. The text needs to be redone and I'm not particularly fond of the coloring. Maybe a blue/gold gradient map? The render effect is nice. The sig has potential but still needs to be tweaked a little.
Hal·la·day, n. 1. every fifth day in Philadelphia. 2. a day of rest for the bullpen. 3. innings eater. 4. doc. 5. ace.
Changed the blending mode of the background so it's a little lighter and redid the text. I was going to do the text in blue and gold, but every time I did it, it reminded me too much of University of Michigan. So I just gave it a golden glow.