2009-11-03
2009-10-23
If Adventure Has A Name...
A friend at work and I were discussing the Indiana Jones trilogy [no, not the Crystal Skull] today on our evening break and I was still thinking about it when I got home.
When's the last time you've seen this trailer? And now, compare it to the last trailer you've seen. Some difference, huh?
FYI, 69 days - and no, that wasn't intentional.
When's the last time you've seen this trailer? And now, compare it to the last trailer you've seen. Some difference, huh?
FYI, 69 days - and no, that wasn't intentional.
2009-10-09
Is The Golfer's Name Chubbs?
83 days.
From ESPN...
From ESPN...
BEAUFORT, S.C. -- Officials say an alligator bit off part of a golfer's arm as he leaned over to pick up his ball at a private South Carolina course.
The man, who is in his 70s, was retrieving his ball from a pond when the 10-foot alligator bit him at Ocean Creek Golf Course in Beaufort County. The gator pulled the golfer into the pond and ripped off his arm in the struggle. His golf partners were able to free him.
Wildlife workers killed the alligator and retrieved the arm in the hopes it might be reattached.
The man has not been identified. He was being treated at the Medical University of South Carolina, but officials there would not release any information about him.
A call to the golf course was not immediately returned.
2009-10-08
2009-10-07
NLDS Preview: Dodgers vs Cardinals
85 days.
Oh boy.
If you had asked me a few days ago - hell, a few weeks ago - which team I did not want to play in the playoffs, it would have been the Cardinals. It just seems wrong that you finish with the best record in the National League and that's your reward. But alas, that's the situation we're in.
If I'm Joe Torre, I give the Lou Brown Major League speech before game time.
"All right people, we got 10 minutes 'till game time, let's all gather 'round. I'm not much for giving inspirational addresses, but I'd just like to point out that every newspaper in the country has picked us to finish last. The local press seems to think that we'd save everyone the time and trouble if we just went out and shot ourselves. Me, I'm for wasting sportswriters' time. So I figured we ought to hang around for a while and see if we can give 'em all a nice big shitburger to eat!"
Amen, Lou. And I'll take a set of whitewalls.
The starting pitching disparity is obvious. The Cards have two pitchers who would be considered aces on most teams. The Dodgers... not so much... not yet at least. But the Dodgers managed to pull out of the season with the best starting rotation ERA in the league. Not too shabby.
The offense isn't as bad as it sounds. Sure, the Cards are sporting the best player in the game, Albert Pujols, and Matt Holliday - also known as "this year's Manny Ramirez" in their lineup... but if the Dodgers' lineup wakes up and plays like they did earlier in the year, they have a better 1-8, IMO.
The bullpen is an all Dodger advantage.
So, the gameplan should be obvious.
Work the counts as best as you can. Try to wear down those Cardinal starters and get into their bullpen early. At the same time, these guys aren't going to miss much so if you get the chance, you need to jump on it. Be aggressive... but be cautiously aggressive. That make sense?
They also need to go back to what brought them to the dance. Don't sit around waiting for a 3-run homer. This needs to be a good ol' fashioned National League small ball series for the Dodgers. Work for walks, steal bases, hit and runs... gotta move men station to station and drive them home. These guys are too good to get burned by big homeruns, IMO.
Don't discount the home field advantage. The Dodgers have played very well at home this year. That could always be the difference maker as well.
I know, I know - I sound very hopeful when by all appearances from the last few weeks of the season, there's no reason to.
But that season is over. The second season starts tonight.
Now, do they serve Shitburgers with extra cheese?
Oh boy.
If you had asked me a few days ago - hell, a few weeks ago - which team I did not want to play in the playoffs, it would have been the Cardinals. It just seems wrong that you finish with the best record in the National League and that's your reward. But alas, that's the situation we're in.
If I'm Joe Torre, I give the Lou Brown Major League speech before game time.
"All right people, we got 10 minutes 'till game time, let's all gather 'round. I'm not much for giving inspirational addresses, but I'd just like to point out that every newspaper in the country has picked us to finish last. The local press seems to think that we'd save everyone the time and trouble if we just went out and shot ourselves. Me, I'm for wasting sportswriters' time. So I figured we ought to hang around for a while and see if we can give 'em all a nice big shitburger to eat!"
Amen, Lou. And I'll take a set of whitewalls.
The starting pitching disparity is obvious. The Cards have two pitchers who would be considered aces on most teams. The Dodgers... not so much... not yet at least. But the Dodgers managed to pull out of the season with the best starting rotation ERA in the league. Not too shabby.
The offense isn't as bad as it sounds. Sure, the Cards are sporting the best player in the game, Albert Pujols, and Matt Holliday - also known as "this year's Manny Ramirez" in their lineup... but if the Dodgers' lineup wakes up and plays like they did earlier in the year, they have a better 1-8, IMO.
The bullpen is an all Dodger advantage.
So, the gameplan should be obvious.
Work the counts as best as you can. Try to wear down those Cardinal starters and get into their bullpen early. At the same time, these guys aren't going to miss much so if you get the chance, you need to jump on it. Be aggressive... but be cautiously aggressive. That make sense?
They also need to go back to what brought them to the dance. Don't sit around waiting for a 3-run homer. This needs to be a good ol' fashioned National League small ball series for the Dodgers. Work for walks, steal bases, hit and runs... gotta move men station to station and drive them home. These guys are too good to get burned by big homeruns, IMO.
Don't discount the home field advantage. The Dodgers have played very well at home this year. That could always be the difference maker as well.
I know, I know - I sound very hopeful when by all appearances from the last few weeks of the season, there's no reason to.
But that season is over. The second season starts tonight.
Now, do they serve Shitburgers with extra cheese?
2009-10-06
Internet Addictions
86 days.
One of the nutty things about the utter explosion of the Internet that has taken place over the past fifteen years or so (amazing it's only been that long) is Internet Addictions - and you know exactly what I'm talking about. The little time-wasters that at one point seem like harmless fun that soon enough eat hours and hours of your time.
See: Farmville.
Farmville has made me absolutely dread going on Facebook because I really don't give a damn if your watermelons are ready for harvest.
Or how about Twitter? 100 word statements on the world. That's what we've digressed to because that's all our attention span can hold at any given time. I'm sure there's quite the research paper to be written about the decline of blogs in favor of Facebook and Twitter. Something about, "The less I have to hear from you, the better."
But that's not what this is about. This is about my latest Internet Addiction.
Flickchart
At first glance, it seems harmless enough - just like they all do. You make an account and suddenly, there's two movie posters on the screen. Your job is to click on the movie that you like best. If you've seen neither, click that you've seen neither. The website then proceeds to use that clickage to determine your favorite movies ever. Simple stuff, right?
Tell that to the hours that have gone by the next time you look up and realize how much time you've spent clicking. Luckily, I've avoided doing this as a daily thing... for now. But the few times I've done it, it's very easy to get into a, "Oh, just a few more. I'll just wait til I get 100 rankings... okay, 200... holy crap, what time is it?"
As of this writing, I've rated 557 movies at a total of 2628 rankings.
And yes, the fact that I've seen at least 557 movies is quite another topic for discussion.
Regardless, I highly recommend stopping by Flickchart. You won't regret it... well, you will... but not at first!
Oh, and according to the machine (this is how Skynet starts), here is my current Top 20. It's got a few flaws but on the whole, it's difficult to argue with.
20. Clerks
19. Rocky
18. Casino
17. The Usual Suspects
16. Rain Man
15. Back To The Future
14. Gladiator
13. The Fugitive
12. The Silence Of The Lambs
11. Die Hard
10. The WIzard Of Oz
9. Jerry Maguire
8. Braveheart
7. Fight Club
6. Pulp Fiction
5. Jurassic Park
4. The Empire Strikes Back
3. The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers
2. The Shawshank Redemption
1. Star Wars
Like I said, hard to argue with most of that.
One of the nutty things about the utter explosion of the Internet that has taken place over the past fifteen years or so (amazing it's only been that long) is Internet Addictions - and you know exactly what I'm talking about. The little time-wasters that at one point seem like harmless fun that soon enough eat hours and hours of your time.
See: Farmville.
Farmville has made me absolutely dread going on Facebook because I really don't give a damn if your watermelons are ready for harvest.
Or how about Twitter? 100 word statements on the world. That's what we've digressed to because that's all our attention span can hold at any given time. I'm sure there's quite the research paper to be written about the decline of blogs in favor of Facebook and Twitter. Something about, "The less I have to hear from you, the better."
But that's not what this is about. This is about my latest Internet Addiction.
Flickchart
At first glance, it seems harmless enough - just like they all do. You make an account and suddenly, there's two movie posters on the screen. Your job is to click on the movie that you like best. If you've seen neither, click that you've seen neither. The website then proceeds to use that clickage to determine your favorite movies ever. Simple stuff, right?
Tell that to the hours that have gone by the next time you look up and realize how much time you've spent clicking. Luckily, I've avoided doing this as a daily thing... for now. But the few times I've done it, it's very easy to get into a, "Oh, just a few more. I'll just wait til I get 100 rankings... okay, 200... holy crap, what time is it?"
As of this writing, I've rated 557 movies at a total of 2628 rankings.
And yes, the fact that I've seen at least 557 movies is quite another topic for discussion.
Regardless, I highly recommend stopping by Flickchart. You won't regret it... well, you will... but not at first!
Oh, and according to the machine (this is how Skynet starts), here is my current Top 20. It's got a few flaws but on the whole, it's difficult to argue with.
20. Clerks
19. Rocky
18. Casino
17. The Usual Suspects
16. Rain Man
15. Back To The Future
14. Gladiator
13. The Fugitive
12. The Silence Of The Lambs
11. Die Hard
10. The WIzard Of Oz
9. Jerry Maguire
8. Braveheart
7. Fight Club
6. Pulp Fiction
5. Jurassic Park
4. The Empire Strikes Back
3. The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers
2. The Shawshank Redemption
1. Star Wars
Like I said, hard to argue with most of that.
2009-10-04
One Season Ends, The Next Begins
88 days.
And no, my title isn't about the end of summer - although it was quite a cool air about town today that made me think of the holidays.
I'm talkin' baseball.
The regular season ended today and with the possible exception of a fairly crappy last month or so, I don't think the Dodgers could have asked for a better regular season. Sure, it's always nice to have guys leading the league in certain categories or competing for various awards but the only award I'm interested in is 11 victories away.
The regular season ended poorly but the second season begins anew in a few days.
And everything starts fresh.
11 wins. The Dodgers ran off a streak to start the season that was something like that.
11 wins. That's all you need.
11 wins to a World Championship 21 years in the making.
11.
Yeah. Let's do this thing.
Oh, and go Sox. Tee hee.
And no, my title isn't about the end of summer - although it was quite a cool air about town today that made me think of the holidays.
I'm talkin' baseball.
The regular season ended today and with the possible exception of a fairly crappy last month or so, I don't think the Dodgers could have asked for a better regular season. Sure, it's always nice to have guys leading the league in certain categories or competing for various awards but the only award I'm interested in is 11 victories away.
The regular season ended poorly but the second season begins anew in a few days.
And everything starts fresh.
11 wins. The Dodgers ran off a streak to start the season that was something like that.
11 wins. That's all you need.
11 wins to a World Championship 21 years in the making.
11.
Yeah. Let's do this thing.
Oh, and go Sox. Tee hee.
2009-10-03
Trip Report: Dodgers vs Rockies (October 2)
It was a rough week to be a Dodger fan but for me, it was rough for a different reason. Ever since I realized that we'd be going to the game on Friday night, I had an eye on the schedule for the Dodgers as well as the Rockies to try and judge if it was at all possible for Friday night to be a potential clinch night.
In all honesty, it didn't look likely. It seemed almost a lock they'd clinch while faced with series with the Nationals, the Pirates, and the Padres. I mean... come on. It almost had to happen, right?
Throughout the week, I felt a little bit of split loyalties. On one hand, I really wanted them to clinch and get it over with but with each loss and Rockies win, I can't say I was horribly disappointed. When the stage was set for Friday night, I thought it was too good to be true.
Turns out that it was.
The Dodgers lost. Duh. If they hadn't, I probably wouldn't even bother focusing on anything else in this. I was encouraged by some things last night's game and they really did have a legit shot to win that game. A couple breaks in their favor and it definitely could have happened.
Could have, would have, should have. It didn't. They lost. We get up tonight and do it all again.
But that's not what this post is about. Okay, it partially is but I've got smaller fish to fry in this one.
In almost all events I go to - whether it's sports, music, theater, whatever - one of the first things I do is analyze the surrounding fans and determine if I think it's a bad crowd. Not dangerous necessarily... but just whether or not they'll be annoying. This one seemed okay. Middle aged people behind us... Dodger fans... they seemed fairly well behaved.
And then the game started.
OH. MY. GOD.
I shall preface by saying I'm a loyal Dodger fan no matter what. I do not boo members of our team under any circumstances. I didn't boo Jeff Kent when he insulted Vin Scully (as much as I would have liked to.) If I'm not going to boo Jeff Kent, then you'd basically have to kill someone on the field to get me to boo you, I think. And there is absolutely no chance in hell that I'm going to boo a member of our team based on his performance on the field. What good does that do? Do you think that's a motivational tool? It just makes them feel worse and press harder next time and likely have similar results. Trust me, Manny feels bad enough about striking out four times in a game and doesn't need to be reminded of that by the fans.
Let's start by saying that if you legitimately seem to hate every player on your team and have nothing but negative things to say about all of them, you should probably go be a fan in Philly. That's kinda right up their alley.
These people were just horrible. Of all the events I've ever been to (and that's a lot), I legitimately can not think of another group of fans sitting near me that I despised more than this group. Well, the guy who puked next to us at Acoustic Christmas was a little annoying. And the guy who licked me at Guns N Roses was pretty bad. But these people? Hands down, they provided the worst atmosphere for watching a game ever.
I mean... they seriously complained about everything. And I do mean EVERYTHING. Their negative attitude was just a complete downer and they almost seemed to relish in the Dodgers' problems. I couldn't bring myself to a full-on confrontation about it but by the end of the night, their snarkiness had my snarkiness BLOWN UP to the nth degree and I was commenting very loudly on their comments. Maybe a subconscious desire for a confrontation?
So, what were they saying? Let's look at some of the prize winners...
"That Russell Martin is worthless. Just worthless. They should send him down to the minors. Not Triple A either. Single A! Straight down to Single A!" - just moments before Martin hit a home run.
"Martin's only hit 2 home runs all year! 2! That's it!" - with the scoreboard saying Martin has 7 HRs nice and big. To his credit, a friend of this gem of a human being pointed out that he had 7.
One of them apparently decided that pitch location and the inability to "hit 'em where they ain't" is directly proportional to a player's intelligence as he decided it was a good idea to yell, "STUPID IDIOT!" in some horrific gravelly voice after any failed play.
Lots of steroids comments directed at Manny. Of course.
They decided it was a good idea to insult other fans amongst themselves. Mostly an overweight girl with poor choice in clothing. Oh, and a kid who caught a ball tossed by an ump got a, "That fat kid sure is glad he brought his glove." Ugh. They also thought they should question if an elderly peanut man is capable of doing his job and wondering what would happen to the Dodgers if he had a heart attack and died on the job. Real nice.
With the score at 2-0 in the second, the woman (who rivals Wanda Sykes and Fran Drescher for the most annoying voice EVER) decides to proclaim, "Well, I guess this isn't happening tonight!" Even when the Rockies had a one-run lead, apparently the game was over to these folks.
The same woman showed her on-field managing brilliance by proclaiming that Manny was worthless and that they should bench him in favor of Juan Pierre because he "knows how to motivate a team." Really? Juan Pierre? I know he's had a good season and all but let's not fool ourselves. Has JP ever motivated a team to do anything but search for ways to unload his contract? (Low blow, I know... but I'm still not booing him!) This one got a little more comical as he pinch-hit to her delight at one point. She actually bellowed, "SHOW 'EM HOW IT'S DONE! WOOOO!" and then went silent as he struck out on three pitches.
Every pitcher was mocked relentlessly before they'd thrown a single pitch. I don't know who they wanted to come in from the 'pen because they hated every reliever that got brought into the game. Even relievers who didn't get into the game like Jeff Weaver earned their ire.
Oh! Oh! And apparently Arizona is the greatest stadium on Earth because it seemed like every other sentence out of her mouth started with, "In Arizona..." followed by some great thing they do there like not let people walk down the aisle during an inning. Really? That seems kinda annoying to me. It's almost like the theater. It seems like pretentious bullshit, IMO. Also in Arizona, they have a section where people can make posters. I'm sorry. Is this fucking kindergarten? Has this woman ever been to a WWE event? If she has, she'd know this is, in fact, THE WORST FUCKING IDEA EVER!
Gravelly voice guy also said, "These guys are getting paid a billion dollars! They shouldn't ever make an out!" But yet they complained about how long the game was. Make up your mind!
They were mad that no foul balls were hit into our area.
They were mad that people were walking down to the field for the fireworks.
What else? I don't know. I could write for hours about this probably. But here's the final statement on the matter.
Those are the kind of fans that give Dodger fans a bad name.
Those are the kind of fans who do not deserve to be at the stadium when they win. They do not deserve the privilege of celebrating with people who actually support the team no matter what.
And at the end of the day, they are not truly fans. They're wishy-washy STUPID IDIOTS who couldn't motivate me to piss on them if they were on fire.
Is that too harsh?
In all honesty, it didn't look likely. It seemed almost a lock they'd clinch while faced with series with the Nationals, the Pirates, and the Padres. I mean... come on. It almost had to happen, right?
Throughout the week, I felt a little bit of split loyalties. On one hand, I really wanted them to clinch and get it over with but with each loss and Rockies win, I can't say I was horribly disappointed. When the stage was set for Friday night, I thought it was too good to be true.
Turns out that it was.
The Dodgers lost. Duh. If they hadn't, I probably wouldn't even bother focusing on anything else in this. I was encouraged by some things last night's game and they really did have a legit shot to win that game. A couple breaks in their favor and it definitely could have happened.
Could have, would have, should have. It didn't. They lost. We get up tonight and do it all again.
But that's not what this post is about. Okay, it partially is but I've got smaller fish to fry in this one.
In almost all events I go to - whether it's sports, music, theater, whatever - one of the first things I do is analyze the surrounding fans and determine if I think it's a bad crowd. Not dangerous necessarily... but just whether or not they'll be annoying. This one seemed okay. Middle aged people behind us... Dodger fans... they seemed fairly well behaved.
And then the game started.
OH. MY. GOD.
I shall preface by saying I'm a loyal Dodger fan no matter what. I do not boo members of our team under any circumstances. I didn't boo Jeff Kent when he insulted Vin Scully (as much as I would have liked to.) If I'm not going to boo Jeff Kent, then you'd basically have to kill someone on the field to get me to boo you, I think. And there is absolutely no chance in hell that I'm going to boo a member of our team based on his performance on the field. What good does that do? Do you think that's a motivational tool? It just makes them feel worse and press harder next time and likely have similar results. Trust me, Manny feels bad enough about striking out four times in a game and doesn't need to be reminded of that by the fans.
Let's start by saying that if you legitimately seem to hate every player on your team and have nothing but negative things to say about all of them, you should probably go be a fan in Philly. That's kinda right up their alley.
These people were just horrible. Of all the events I've ever been to (and that's a lot), I legitimately can not think of another group of fans sitting near me that I despised more than this group. Well, the guy who puked next to us at Acoustic Christmas was a little annoying. And the guy who licked me at Guns N Roses was pretty bad. But these people? Hands down, they provided the worst atmosphere for watching a game ever.
I mean... they seriously complained about everything. And I do mean EVERYTHING. Their negative attitude was just a complete downer and they almost seemed to relish in the Dodgers' problems. I couldn't bring myself to a full-on confrontation about it but by the end of the night, their snarkiness had my snarkiness BLOWN UP to the nth degree and I was commenting very loudly on their comments. Maybe a subconscious desire for a confrontation?
So, what were they saying? Let's look at some of the prize winners...
"That Russell Martin is worthless. Just worthless. They should send him down to the minors. Not Triple A either. Single A! Straight down to Single A!" - just moments before Martin hit a home run.
"Martin's only hit 2 home runs all year! 2! That's it!" - with the scoreboard saying Martin has 7 HRs nice and big. To his credit, a friend of this gem of a human being pointed out that he had 7.
One of them apparently decided that pitch location and the inability to "hit 'em where they ain't" is directly proportional to a player's intelligence as he decided it was a good idea to yell, "STUPID IDIOT!" in some horrific gravelly voice after any failed play.
Lots of steroids comments directed at Manny. Of course.
They decided it was a good idea to insult other fans amongst themselves. Mostly an overweight girl with poor choice in clothing. Oh, and a kid who caught a ball tossed by an ump got a, "That fat kid sure is glad he brought his glove." Ugh. They also thought they should question if an elderly peanut man is capable of doing his job and wondering what would happen to the Dodgers if he had a heart attack and died on the job. Real nice.
With the score at 2-0 in the second, the woman (who rivals Wanda Sykes and Fran Drescher for the most annoying voice EVER) decides to proclaim, "Well, I guess this isn't happening tonight!" Even when the Rockies had a one-run lead, apparently the game was over to these folks.
The same woman showed her on-field managing brilliance by proclaiming that Manny was worthless and that they should bench him in favor of Juan Pierre because he "knows how to motivate a team." Really? Juan Pierre? I know he's had a good season and all but let's not fool ourselves. Has JP ever motivated a team to do anything but search for ways to unload his contract? (Low blow, I know... but I'm still not booing him!) This one got a little more comical as he pinch-hit to her delight at one point. She actually bellowed, "SHOW 'EM HOW IT'S DONE! WOOOO!" and then went silent as he struck out on three pitches.
Every pitcher was mocked relentlessly before they'd thrown a single pitch. I don't know who they wanted to come in from the 'pen because they hated every reliever that got brought into the game. Even relievers who didn't get into the game like Jeff Weaver earned their ire.
Oh! Oh! And apparently Arizona is the greatest stadium on Earth because it seemed like every other sentence out of her mouth started with, "In Arizona..." followed by some great thing they do there like not let people walk down the aisle during an inning. Really? That seems kinda annoying to me. It's almost like the theater. It seems like pretentious bullshit, IMO. Also in Arizona, they have a section where people can make posters. I'm sorry. Is this fucking kindergarten? Has this woman ever been to a WWE event? If she has, she'd know this is, in fact, THE WORST FUCKING IDEA EVER!
Gravelly voice guy also said, "These guys are getting paid a billion dollars! They shouldn't ever make an out!" But yet they complained about how long the game was. Make up your mind!
They were mad that no foul balls were hit into our area.
They were mad that people were walking down to the field for the fireworks.
What else? I don't know. I could write for hours about this probably. But here's the final statement on the matter.
Those are the kind of fans that give Dodger fans a bad name.
Those are the kind of fans who do not deserve to be at the stadium when they win. They do not deserve the privilege of celebrating with people who actually support the team no matter what.
And at the end of the day, they are not truly fans. They're wishy-washy STUPID IDIOTS who couldn't motivate me to piss on them if they were on fire.
Is that too harsh?
2009-10-02
Keep On Movin'
90 days.
Just got home from the game where I was annoyed on multiple fronts but I'll go into more detail tomorrow.
For now?
To quote one of the songs from the Rudolph animated special...
There's Always Tomorrow.
Just got home from the game where I was annoyed on multiple fronts but I'll go into more detail tomorrow.
For now?
To quote one of the songs from the Rudolph animated special...
There's Always Tomorrow.
2009-10-01
Don't Call It A Comeback
Call it the start of something new.
Firstly, my apologies to those of you who frequent this site on a regular basis and suddenly found it abandoned. I suppose, in hindsight, the least I could have done was drop a note in that it'd be a little while before I posted again but alas, didn't happen. So, I'm sorry to those of you who actually visited this place a lot and no longer got anything out of it. Hopefully I can make up for that down the road.
Also, I want to apologize to the handful of you who actually have been asking me why I haven't been posting and getting no response. It wasn't me being a dick, it was me not being quite ready to explain what I was working on.
The truth behind this is that (hopehopehopefully) on January 1st, I'll be launching a new website. I'm not quite ready to give full details about it yet but suffice to say, it's going to be a pretty major undertaking and I wanted a chance to take a break before jumping into it.
So, what'll happen to this place? Not sure yet. It may continue to exist in some form. It may fade away into the night. We'll see. But for now and for the next 91ish days, I'll still be here.
Firstly, my apologies to those of you who frequent this site on a regular basis and suddenly found it abandoned. I suppose, in hindsight, the least I could have done was drop a note in that it'd be a little while before I posted again but alas, didn't happen. So, I'm sorry to those of you who actually visited this place a lot and no longer got anything out of it. Hopefully I can make up for that down the road.
Also, I want to apologize to the handful of you who actually have been asking me why I haven't been posting and getting no response. It wasn't me being a dick, it was me not being quite ready to explain what I was working on.
The truth behind this is that (hopehopehopefully) on January 1st, I'll be launching a new website. I'm not quite ready to give full details about it yet but suffice to say, it's going to be a pretty major undertaking and I wanted a chance to take a break before jumping into it.
So, what'll happen to this place? Not sure yet. It may continue to exist in some form. It may fade away into the night. We'll see. But for now and for the next 91ish days, I'll still be here.
2009-08-25
Jack F'n Clark
I know, I know. It's been a while.
But this is a good one! I promise!
I'm watching the Dodgers/Rockies game right now and Vin Scully just said that the Dodgers haven't been "INSERT CURRENT RECORD HERE!" since 1985. Vinny then says, "Of course, none of these players would remember but when you say 1985, all you can remember is Jack Clark, the St. Louis Cardinals, Ozzie Smith, Tom Niedenfuer, and of course, Tommy Lasorda."
I REMEMBER, VINNY! I REMEMBER!
In fact, if I was a tattoo man... and of course I'm not... but if I was, I'd have a tattoo of a Dodger blue heart broken in half tattooed on my chest with the words "1985 - Jack Clark - Never Forget"
DOUBLE IN FACT... while I shall never have said tattoo on my chest, if any of my loyal readers have some Photoshop skillz, I would think you're the absolute bestest if you Photoshopped up a copy of said tattoo above.
Oh, and major thanks to the person who sent in the comment telling me that the Dave Matthews Band won't be available for Bridge School. In the not-so-original-yet-paraphrased words of Jeff Buckley, "HALLE-F'N-LUJAH!"
But this is a good one! I promise!
I'm watching the Dodgers/Rockies game right now and Vin Scully just said that the Dodgers haven't been "INSERT CURRENT RECORD HERE!" since 1985. Vinny then says, "Of course, none of these players would remember but when you say 1985, all you can remember is Jack Clark, the St. Louis Cardinals, Ozzie Smith, Tom Niedenfuer, and of course, Tommy Lasorda."
I REMEMBER, VINNY! I REMEMBER!
In fact, if I was a tattoo man... and of course I'm not... but if I was, I'd have a tattoo of a Dodger blue heart broken in half tattooed on my chest with the words "1985 - Jack Clark - Never Forget"
DOUBLE IN FACT... while I shall never have said tattoo on my chest, if any of my loyal readers have some Photoshop skillz, I would think you're the absolute bestest if you Photoshopped up a copy of said tattoo above.
Oh, and major thanks to the person who sent in the comment telling me that the Dave Matthews Band won't be available for Bridge School. In the not-so-original-yet-paraphrased words of Jeff Buckley, "HALLE-F'N-LUJAH!"
2009-08-20
Game Thoughts
Big win tonight. I can feel the near-beer breath of the Rockies on our necks and the... well, that joke is too obvious... breath of Giants right there as well. It was good to see the team relaxed a little bit though because it looked like they've been pressing a lot lately. A lot of swings early in the count. A lot of tense faces.
The slam by Martin has to make you smile as he's had an absolutely shitty year. I don't know if the extra letter on his uniform is weighing him down or the model girlfriend is making him do too much yoga or what but he's had a horrible year so any signs of life from him makes me happy right now.
Glad Broxton gets a night off. I'm worried about him.
Keep your fingers crossed that Padilla works out because we need a boost in the rotation. Weaver's been busting ass though - I'll give him that.
It's nervous time because not only are the Rockies and Giants right behind us but every other potential playoff team has seemingly gotten rock solid lately. The Phillies look lights out. The Cards looked great as well and are adding Smoltz to the mix now.
Keep your eyes on the prize, boys.
The slam by Martin has to make you smile as he's had an absolutely shitty year. I don't know if the extra letter on his uniform is weighing him down or the model girlfriend is making him do too much yoga or what but he's had a horrible year so any signs of life from him makes me happy right now.
Glad Broxton gets a night off. I'm worried about him.
Keep your fingers crossed that Padilla works out because we need a boost in the rotation. Weaver's been busting ass though - I'll give him that.
It's nervous time because not only are the Rockies and Giants right behind us but every other potential playoff team has seemingly gotten rock solid lately. The Phillies look lights out. The Cards looked great as well and are adding Smoltz to the mix now.
Keep your eyes on the prize, boys.
2009-08-18
Cursed Schedule Makers
I'll keep this short. Real short.
Who the hell made this schedule so that we're playing the Cards and Cubs while the Giants play Cincinnati and the Rockies play the Nationals?
I call shenanigans!
Who the hell made this schedule so that we're playing the Cards and Cubs while the Giants play Cincinnati and the Rockies play the Nationals?
I call shenanigans!
2009-08-17
Quick Thoughts
Just a series of quick thoughts on the shared items from my Google Reader.
* UFC megastar official for Dancing with the Stars
Chuck Liddell was announced as one of the contestants on ABC's Dancing With The Stars. Before they announced it, I wondered if there was anyone they could announce that would make me watch it. After they announced it, I thought, "Huh. Well, that's probably another one that Chuck will lose."
* David Anders Joins Jack Bauer in Season Eight of 24
Too awesome. I'm hopeful he's a villain because there are few actors on television that play a better villain than David Anders. And I'm not even counting his stint on Heroes for that analysis. That's purely based off his work on Alias.
* Warner Bros To Remake Brewster’s Millions
Most analysis of this news has focused on how many times the original has been remade. Mine is more concerned with how much I love the Richard Pryor version of this and I've yet been able to wrap my mind over any potential actors that could live up to Pryor and John Candy. Prove me wrong, WB. Prove me wrong.
* Radiohead: We're Not Making Any More Albums
And several million people who like to cry during their music weep tonight. Apparently the album making process is too draining on these delicate geniuses so they're opting to just release singles and EPs for the rest of their lives. My reaction? "Hey, didn't these guys do that Creep song?"
* UFC stunner: "The New York Bad Ass" Phil Baroni announces...
UFC fires a shot in the now fully-on war against Strike Force by signing Phil Baroni who apparently can't fight worth a damn anymore but can still talk a good game and promote the hell out of a fight. Prevailing wisdom says this was just to take away someone with name value from Strike Force. There's more Vince McMahon in Dana White than he'd like to admit.
* McQuarrie to Write Wolverine Sequel!
The writer for the Usual Suspects is going to write the Wolvie sequel. It's hard for me to get excited about this as I still haven't seen the first Wolvie movie and really have no strong desire to do so. By this point, I would expect it to enjoy Fantastic Four status and surpass my sub-basement level expectations for it but I'm not sure that merits a sequel.
* Harry Potter Movies To Get Extended Edition Re-Releases?
Now THIS is exciting news. Except that no one really believes they've shot a ton of extra footage that they didn't use. Maybe somewhere around 7 minutes for Sorcerer's Stone? That does not merit an EE title. If they're really sitting on somewhere north of 15-20 minutes per movie of quality deleted scenes, then count me in.
* Three Studios in the Running for Kick-Ass
This is old news by this point as Liongate locked down the right to distribute this today. The funny thing about Kick-Ass is that it has quickly become the darling of the Internet movie critic community as well as the "hope story" for aspiring filmmakers. Make the movie you want to make, ignore that no one wants to buy it, finish the movie, show it off to your target audience which loses its collective minds, and then be the subject of a bidding war. It may replace Clerks forever as the goal for those looking for their big break.
* Louis Leterrier Dreams Of Epic Avengers Quadrilogy,...
You witty, witty man. In this interview, he talks about an Avengers Quadrilogy where he makes one movie, Favreau makes one, Branagh makes one... and someone else whose name escapes me. He also wants the movies to be released one per month for an entire summer. This kind of out of the box thinking is what could "save" Hollywood but it'll never happen.
* The First Avenger: Captain America Described As “Raiders...
The rest of the quote says the Cap movie is Raiders meets the Rocketeer and Saving Private Ryan. Sounds... good? The worst part of that story though is the news that Leterrier doesn't think he'll be doing a Hulk sequel and the writer speculating that it's unlikely that Marvel is doing a Hulk sequel which I think is a damn shame. I've caught most of the Hulk recently on HBO and was stricken with how awesome it really was. It got swallowed in the Iron Man/Dark Knight hype but it definitely deserves better than it got.
* UFC megastar official for Dancing with the Stars
Chuck Liddell was announced as one of the contestants on ABC's Dancing With The Stars. Before they announced it, I wondered if there was anyone they could announce that would make me watch it. After they announced it, I thought, "Huh. Well, that's probably another one that Chuck will lose."
* David Anders Joins Jack Bauer in Season Eight of 24
Too awesome. I'm hopeful he's a villain because there are few actors on television that play a better villain than David Anders. And I'm not even counting his stint on Heroes for that analysis. That's purely based off his work on Alias.
* Warner Bros To Remake Brewster’s Millions
Most analysis of this news has focused on how many times the original has been remade. Mine is more concerned with how much I love the Richard Pryor version of this and I've yet been able to wrap my mind over any potential actors that could live up to Pryor and John Candy. Prove me wrong, WB. Prove me wrong.
* Radiohead: We're Not Making Any More Albums
And several million people who like to cry during their music weep tonight. Apparently the album making process is too draining on these delicate geniuses so they're opting to just release singles and EPs for the rest of their lives. My reaction? "Hey, didn't these guys do that Creep song?"
* UFC stunner: "The New York Bad Ass" Phil Baroni announces...
UFC fires a shot in the now fully-on war against Strike Force by signing Phil Baroni who apparently can't fight worth a damn anymore but can still talk a good game and promote the hell out of a fight. Prevailing wisdom says this was just to take away someone with name value from Strike Force. There's more Vince McMahon in Dana White than he'd like to admit.
* McQuarrie to Write Wolverine Sequel!
The writer for the Usual Suspects is going to write the Wolvie sequel. It's hard for me to get excited about this as I still haven't seen the first Wolvie movie and really have no strong desire to do so. By this point, I would expect it to enjoy Fantastic Four status and surpass my sub-basement level expectations for it but I'm not sure that merits a sequel.
* Harry Potter Movies To Get Extended Edition Re-Releases?
Now THIS is exciting news. Except that no one really believes they've shot a ton of extra footage that they didn't use. Maybe somewhere around 7 minutes for Sorcerer's Stone? That does not merit an EE title. If they're really sitting on somewhere north of 15-20 minutes per movie of quality deleted scenes, then count me in.
* Three Studios in the Running for Kick-Ass
This is old news by this point as Liongate locked down the right to distribute this today. The funny thing about Kick-Ass is that it has quickly become the darling of the Internet movie critic community as well as the "hope story" for aspiring filmmakers. Make the movie you want to make, ignore that no one wants to buy it, finish the movie, show it off to your target audience which loses its collective minds, and then be the subject of a bidding war. It may replace Clerks forever as the goal for those looking for their big break.
* Louis Leterrier Dreams Of Epic Avengers Quadrilogy,...
You witty, witty man. In this interview, he talks about an Avengers Quadrilogy where he makes one movie, Favreau makes one, Branagh makes one... and someone else whose name escapes me. He also wants the movies to be released one per month for an entire summer. This kind of out of the box thinking is what could "save" Hollywood but it'll never happen.
* The First Avenger: Captain America Described As “Raiders...
The rest of the quote says the Cap movie is Raiders meets the Rocketeer and Saving Private Ryan. Sounds... good? The worst part of that story though is the news that Leterrier doesn't think he'll be doing a Hulk sequel and the writer speculating that it's unlikely that Marvel is doing a Hulk sequel which I think is a damn shame. I've caught most of the Hulk recently on HBO and was stricken with how awesome it really was. It got swallowed in the Iron Man/Dark Knight hype but it definitely deserves better than it got.
2009-08-16
TNA's Moral Responsibility
Morality and ethics in the world of pro wrestling are a bit... shady... at best. It's a world filled with sleazy stories of questionable believability. If you actually buy into what you read, you would learn that Vince McMahon has helped cover up at least one murder, that Randy Savage is banned from the WWE for having sex with an underage Stephanie McMahon, that Pat Patterson has kept many a man employed in hopes of becoming a little more friendly with them, and countless others.
But this one is front and center in the headlines.
On Friday night, Kurt Angle had some type of altercation with his girlfriend who plays Rhaka Khan on TNA television. One look at Rhaka Khan will give you a world of other jokes to make about this one but apparently she called the police on Angle who was removed from the residence.
She also had a protection order put in place against him, saying that she believed he was deleting her text messages and pictures detailing a history of abuse at his hands. And there's where the problem erupts.
On Saturday, she called police again, this time as Angle apparently circled a Starbucks where she was at in his car. When detained by police, they discovered he was driving with a suspended license, in violation of the protection order, and just to throw more gasoline on the fire, had a syringe and HGH in his car. Angle and his attorney claim he has a prescription for the HGH but who knows.
And after a day of speculation about whether or not Angle would appear (or be allowed to appear) on TNA's PPV last night, he did. When the show ended, Kurt Angle remained the TNA World Champion.
Now, I'm all for the innocent until proven guilty thing but... well, I would think for the sake of Public Relations alone, TNA would at least take the title off him and suspend him until the allegations were further investigated. I'm not suggesting that's the legal and appropriate thing to do here but for PR alone, it would have to be. Obviously, there have been other superstar athletes who did not take a suspension while facing criming charges - Kobe Bryant coming immediately to mind but... and I hate saying this... in a post-Benoit world in this industry, they really can't afford to turn a blind eye to allegations of abuse and potentially worse.
Kurt Angle scares me. He really does. He has seemed unstable and dangerously so ever since his WWE release. And I suppose it's quite the indictment on the industry that they need a superstar so badly, they're willing to overlook all that.
It's a tough business to be a fan of at times... a lot of times sadly.
But this one is front and center in the headlines.
On Friday night, Kurt Angle had some type of altercation with his girlfriend who plays Rhaka Khan on TNA television. One look at Rhaka Khan will give you a world of other jokes to make about this one but apparently she called the police on Angle who was removed from the residence.
She also had a protection order put in place against him, saying that she believed he was deleting her text messages and pictures detailing a history of abuse at his hands. And there's where the problem erupts.On Saturday, she called police again, this time as Angle apparently circled a Starbucks where she was at in his car. When detained by police, they discovered he was driving with a suspended license, in violation of the protection order, and just to throw more gasoline on the fire, had a syringe and HGH in his car. Angle and his attorney claim he has a prescription for the HGH but who knows.
And after a day of speculation about whether or not Angle would appear (or be allowed to appear) on TNA's PPV last night, he did. When the show ended, Kurt Angle remained the TNA World Champion.
Now, I'm all for the innocent until proven guilty thing but... well, I would think for the sake of Public Relations alone, TNA would at least take the title off him and suspend him until the allegations were further investigated. I'm not suggesting that's the legal and appropriate thing to do here but for PR alone, it would have to be. Obviously, there have been other superstar athletes who did not take a suspension while facing criming charges - Kobe Bryant coming immediately to mind but... and I hate saying this... in a post-Benoit world in this industry, they really can't afford to turn a blind eye to allegations of abuse and potentially worse.
Kurt Angle scares me. He really does. He has seemed unstable and dangerously so ever since his WWE release. And I suppose it's quite the indictment on the industry that they need a superstar so badly, they're willing to overlook all that.
It's a tough business to be a fan of at times... a lot of times sadly.
2009-08-15
Broxton Blows Another One
It's hard to give the team much shit for losing a game where they had to watch a teammate be carted off the field on a stretcher after taking a line drive in the head...
BUT!
SON. OF. A. BITCH!!!!!
This team is falling apart before our very eyes and taking this awesome season with them. They've got the Giants AND the Rockies nipping at their heels now with just a handful of games back and the Dodgers are looking the worst they have all season.
The starting pitching is spotty with Bills injured, Kuroda potentially out for no telling how long, and STILL no answer for the #5 slot which is a revolving door of mediocrity.
The bullpen is scary. Just scary. Broxton's been a completely different pitcher since his toe injury and I have less and less confidence with him every time he goes out there. He needs to be shut down to get healthy and let Sherrill close until then. It's not the ideal situation but neither is THIS Broxton in October.
The offense is eh. One day it's amazing, the next they can't produce for shit.
So, what's next?
I predict a desperation trade for a starting pitcher depending on the Kuroda diagnosis in the next week. But I don't know if that salvages anything.
Every team has a losing streak or six and theirs has arrived. Unfortunately, it's also arrived right when the teams chasing them have gotten hot. They need to get their shit together and make things happen.
And yeah, it's a hell of a lot easier said than done but it's the time of year where you've got to man up if you're going to win.
So, man up, damn it. My blood pressure can't handle shit like this.
BUT!
SON. OF. A. BITCH!!!!!
This team is falling apart before our very eyes and taking this awesome season with them. They've got the Giants AND the Rockies nipping at their heels now with just a handful of games back and the Dodgers are looking the worst they have all season.
The starting pitching is spotty with Bills injured, Kuroda potentially out for no telling how long, and STILL no answer for the #5 slot which is a revolving door of mediocrity.
The bullpen is scary. Just scary. Broxton's been a completely different pitcher since his toe injury and I have less and less confidence with him every time he goes out there. He needs to be shut down to get healthy and let Sherrill close until then. It's not the ideal situation but neither is THIS Broxton in October.
The offense is eh. One day it's amazing, the next they can't produce for shit.
So, what's next?
I predict a desperation trade for a starting pitcher depending on the Kuroda diagnosis in the next week. But I don't know if that salvages anything.
Every team has a losing streak or six and theirs has arrived. Unfortunately, it's also arrived right when the teams chasing them have gotten hot. They need to get their shit together and make things happen.
And yeah, it's a hell of a lot easier said than done but it's the time of year where you've got to man up if you're going to win.
So, man up, damn it. My blood pressure can't handle shit like this.
2009-08-13
Bridge School Benefit Rumors 2009
Well, I wouldn't really call them rumors, I guess. I have absolutely no evidence of anything I'm about to claim.
But, in all honesty, if you Google "Bridge School Benefit Rumors" you still get my post from last year so... well, I'm a whore for a post that'll get me quite a few page views! So sue me!
Actually, it's a little odd to not have much in the way of rumors at this point in the game. We're only a few weeks away from the lineup officially being announced. Is there that little interest this time around or is it just "too early?" My original post last year was actually August 14th which is totally coincidental, I assure you.
FYI, I successfully selected two bands last year not counting Neil Young himself. And although it wasn't in my post, I had talked about how I thought the Pumpkins were a strong possibility. So, let's say I called three of them! Wooo hoo me!
Let's take a crack at this...
First off... the "buzz" on the Internet that I was able to find had these as possibles.
Both of these are listed as "rumors" by someone on the Coachella board:
Pearl Jam (as of now, they have the dates cleared but who knows? I was surprised they didn't play last year considering it was an election year and all so I'd be doubly surprised if they don't make it back this year)
Dave Matthews Band (possible according to tour schedule but PLEASE GOD NO! I thought I was going to need to slit my wrists when they played Bridge a few years ago and I don't know if I can handle the thought of sitting through them again)
Another blog, Spinning Platters, picked a six band "educated guess" kinda like I'm shooting for. They went with Weezer, Neko Case, Rufus Wainwright, Stone Temple Pilots, Monsters of Folk, and Jason Mraz.
Yeah, I could live with that. Let's hope they're right!
My turn...
The show will, of course, start with some stuff from Pegi and Neil. That leaves 6 or 7 spots.
I'll go with the easy one first. I'm fairly sure Pearl Jam will make their BSB return this year.
And while the Neko Case argument from Spinning Platters makes sense, I'm going to say that it'll be Regina Spektor instead who will be in Los Angeles on 10/28. There's a chance there could be both - which would be awesome - but I don't expect it.
Josh Radin is playing with The Watson Twins supporting in Los Angeles on 10/28 so I'm gonna pick them to join the bill. Potentially, I might go with a Jenny Lewis or Rilo Kiley appearance here as well to work with the Watsons.
That probably only leaves 2 spots. Snow Patrol looks like they're ending their tour in Los Angeles on 10/20 and the Decemberists will be in SF the week before BSB. I'm going with my hope on this one that the Decemberists hang around for a set.
And my final pick is that Bob Dylan will be there as well. He's finishing a run of shows in LA on 10/15 so it wouldn't be too big of a stretch.
So, there it is...
Pegi kicks off the show.
The Watsons get the early day death slot.
Josh Radin goes on next.
The Decemberists are on as night starts to fall.
Regina Spektor is next.
Pearl Jam blows everyone away as usual.
Bob Dylan takes the lengthy pre-Neil slot.
Neil wraps it all up.
Oh, and I'll call the PJ/Dylan pairing on "Masters Of War" that will rock my pants.
2009-08-12
What Have You Done For Me Lately?
I read earlier tonight that Bryan Singer is growing close to signing on to produce and possibly direct a Battlestar Galactica feature film. Ordinarily, in a post-Superman Returns world, I'm not sure I'd know how to feel about that.
Luckily, Universal has managed to make my feelings very strong about this one.
Despite the fact that they're rolling over a super-popular, critically acclaimed BSG series helmed by Ron Moore, they've decided that they don't need Moore involved with this project. And yeah, I guess that's true since they've decided to ignore the recent TV series and make this movie a throwback to the original series.
If I had the emoticon for shaking my head nearby, I'd use it here.
I mean... fuck.
Seriously?
I'm not sure where this ranks on the stupidity scale but I have to imagine it may be just a little bit lower than Fox deciding to base a Buffy movie remake on the original film and not the wildly-popular Joss Whedon TV series.
So, two amazingly talented writer/directors give you two amazingly fantastic TV series that revive your property that was basically dead and buried before they came along and their reward for their hard work and talent?
"Well, we'll just do this next one without you."
What have you done for me lately?
2009-08-11
We're Talkin' Baseball
So, it's been a couple of days. I decided that I wasn't doing anyone [least of all myself] any favors by forcing myself to post every day when I felt like I didn't have any desire to write anything. The YouTube clips are fun but after a while, I'm sure they get annoying to everyone - even to me.
I saw this article today at work and thought it'd make an interesting post. A writer at Fox Sports decided to pick 10 ways that the 2009 baseball season could get even better before it ends. A couple of these hit home so here are my thoughts on their thoughts...
A Triple Crown For Albert Pujols
My immediate reaction was, "Holy shit - is he really that close to make that a discussion point?" Apparently, he has a shot... not a great shot... but a shot. He leads the NL in homers and RBIs and is fourth in batting average trailing the leader by 17 points. The HR and RBI lead is superslight so it'd be incredibly tough for him to win the Crown. It'll be a hell of a time if he's even close to it in September though.
A Dodgers/Yankees World Series
Awwww shit! As much as Southern California is all a-giddy at the thought of a Dodgers/Angels World Series, who wouldn't love to see the crosscountry Series just a little bit more? Well, the Angels fans, of course, but since when did their opinions count? Give me any reason for talk about Mr. October and the Bobby Welch strikeout and all those other cool Dodgers/Yankees stories.
Wild Wild Card Finishes
It's interesting because I was one of the people completely irate when the baseball divisions got split into three and the Wild Card was added and while I often think I was completely right, especially when divisional races turn out pointless because of the Wild Card, I have to admit that it's provided some damn fun races for that playoff spot in the past.
300 Strikeouts For Tim Lincecum
Agggh. I REFUSE to root for any Giant setting any kind of record but god damn, it's a cool one for him to snag. If he hits that mark, he'll be the first pitcher to do so since 2001. He'll also be the youngest pitcher to do it since Vida Blue [the first person I ever heard of it with my name] back in 1971. In fact, he'd be the youngest NL pitcher since 1900 to pull it off. Good grief. But he's a Giant so fuck that noise.
A Dodgers/Giants NLCS
God damn that would be fun. But I really have no desire to meet a rotation in the playoffs that contains Randy Johnson, Tim Lincecum, and Matt Cain. Nope. No desire. Not at all. And yeah, that may make me a coward but I'm a smart coward, damn it. Keep the Giants out of my way and things will be just fine.
Another 200 Hits For Ichiro
Wow. I didn't realize that he was one more 200 hit season from the record. Can you imagine what this guy would have managed if his entire career was spent here instead of just part of it? The funny thing is that Ichiro's continued awesomeness is the reason that every single Japanese player that gets posted gets snatched up lightning quick. Signing a Japanese player is like a box of chocolates - you just never know what the hell you might get.
A Cubs/Cardinals Photo Finish
Eh, I guess that's cool. I don't know that I really care. I've always had a soft spot for the Cubbies but it's not like I'm going to root for them unless the Dodgers don't get there so it's really a wash to me. The teams only have 3 games left against each other [who wrote that horrid schedule?] so it won't be much of a fun race, in my opinion.
The Tigers Go All The Way
Um, fuck no. Okay, fine... I rooted for New York to win the World Series after 9/11 but I'll be damned if I'm rooting for the Tigers no matter how bad of shape the auto industry is in!
A Pedro Renaissance
Um, FUCK no. I am not cheering for this - especially after being slapped around by Philly in the NLCS last year.
The Pirates Finish On A Hot Streak
Really? The Pirates managing NOT to break the record for most consecutive losing seasons (17 seasons?! My god! I'd stab my eyes out if I had to watch this team) is going to make MLB 2009 a better season? I'm not sure about that. Now if they could set that record and then become scorching hot in 2010 to shock everyone by winning their division - THAT I could get behind. The ultimate in worst to first.
Not a bad list, huh? I could dig seeing a few of those go down. It's been such a fun season to watch...
...and I STILL haven't been to a game. FUUUUUUUUCK!
I saw this article today at work and thought it'd make an interesting post. A writer at Fox Sports decided to pick 10 ways that the 2009 baseball season could get even better before it ends. A couple of these hit home so here are my thoughts on their thoughts...
A Triple Crown For Albert Pujols
My immediate reaction was, "Holy shit - is he really that close to make that a discussion point?" Apparently, he has a shot... not a great shot... but a shot. He leads the NL in homers and RBIs and is fourth in batting average trailing the leader by 17 points. The HR and RBI lead is superslight so it'd be incredibly tough for him to win the Crown. It'll be a hell of a time if he's even close to it in September though.
A Dodgers/Yankees World Series
Awwww shit! As much as Southern California is all a-giddy at the thought of a Dodgers/Angels World Series, who wouldn't love to see the crosscountry Series just a little bit more? Well, the Angels fans, of course, but since when did their opinions count? Give me any reason for talk about Mr. October and the Bobby Welch strikeout and all those other cool Dodgers/Yankees stories.
Wild Wild Card Finishes
It's interesting because I was one of the people completely irate when the baseball divisions got split into three and the Wild Card was added and while I often think I was completely right, especially when divisional races turn out pointless because of the Wild Card, I have to admit that it's provided some damn fun races for that playoff spot in the past.
300 Strikeouts For Tim Lincecum
Agggh. I REFUSE to root for any Giant setting any kind of record but god damn, it's a cool one for him to snag. If he hits that mark, he'll be the first pitcher to do so since 2001. He'll also be the youngest pitcher to do it since Vida Blue [the first person I ever heard of it with my name] back in 1971. In fact, he'd be the youngest NL pitcher since 1900 to pull it off. Good grief. But he's a Giant so fuck that noise.
A Dodgers/Giants NLCS
God damn that would be fun. But I really have no desire to meet a rotation in the playoffs that contains Randy Johnson, Tim Lincecum, and Matt Cain. Nope. No desire. Not at all. And yeah, that may make me a coward but I'm a smart coward, damn it. Keep the Giants out of my way and things will be just fine.
Another 200 Hits For Ichiro
Wow. I didn't realize that he was one more 200 hit season from the record. Can you imagine what this guy would have managed if his entire career was spent here instead of just part of it? The funny thing is that Ichiro's continued awesomeness is the reason that every single Japanese player that gets posted gets snatched up lightning quick. Signing a Japanese player is like a box of chocolates - you just never know what the hell you might get.
A Cubs/Cardinals Photo Finish
Eh, I guess that's cool. I don't know that I really care. I've always had a soft spot for the Cubbies but it's not like I'm going to root for them unless the Dodgers don't get there so it's really a wash to me. The teams only have 3 games left against each other [who wrote that horrid schedule?] so it won't be much of a fun race, in my opinion.
The Tigers Go All The Way
Um, fuck no. Okay, fine... I rooted for New York to win the World Series after 9/11 but I'll be damned if I'm rooting for the Tigers no matter how bad of shape the auto industry is in!
A Pedro Renaissance
Um, FUCK no. I am not cheering for this - especially after being slapped around by Philly in the NLCS last year.
The Pirates Finish On A Hot Streak
Really? The Pirates managing NOT to break the record for most consecutive losing seasons (17 seasons?! My god! I'd stab my eyes out if I had to watch this team) is going to make MLB 2009 a better season? I'm not sure about that. Now if they could set that record and then become scorching hot in 2010 to shock everyone by winning their division - THAT I could get behind. The ultimate in worst to first.
Not a bad list, huh? I could dig seeing a few of those go down. It's been such a fun season to watch...
...and I STILL haven't been to a game. FUUUUUUUUCK!
2009-08-08
The Coolest Thing I've Seen All Day
Oh. My. God.
Make sure you watch both parts because this is one of the most awesome things ever... EVER!
2009-08-07
Dodgers Lose. EPIC FAIL.
The bullpen continues to freak me out every time they're used (and even more when they're overused.)
I'm too tired to look it up right now but the number of Broxton blown saves sure has to be piling up in a hurry.
I'm too tired to look it up right now but the number of Broxton blown saves sure has to be piling up in a hurry.
2009-08-06
(500) Days Of Summer
Go see this. Please. I beg. I implore. I plead. It was awesome and must be seen by all of you thinking, "Hey, maybe I'll go see Funny People this weekend" or other such crap.
Please.
PLEASE!
Please.
PLEASE!
2009-08-05
2009-08-04
2009-08-03
2009-08-02
2009-08-01
2009-07-31
2009-07-30
We're Talkin' Baseball...
With the trade deadline coming up tomorrow, it seemed like a good time to run down some of the happenings on and off the diamond.
Dodgers beat Cards! I knew this four game set was going to be a nightmare when I saw it on the schedule but I had no idea it'd be this bad. Blown saves, extended rain delays, extra innings, shutouts. Good grief, Charlie Brown. Thankfully they managed to scrape out one win tonight but the pitching staff and offense have both managed to fall asleep at the same time.
Speaking of the pitching staff - the Dodgers made a deal today, sending out two minor leaguers for Orioles closer George Sherrill who is a pitcher I've seen described today as "death on left handed hitters." The bullpen looks to be gaining some strength back with the return of Kuo and the addition of Sherrill. It doesn't mean that Torre won't manage to overwork them in the two months left and make them useless but let's hope for the best. I wouldn't be opposed to seeing another 'pen arm picked up if the price is right.
Still no starter added though which makes me nervous. I'm fine with Bills, Kershaw, Kuroda, and Wolf. I truly am. Sure, I'd love a Cliff Lee or Halladay to lead the pack but I'm really fine without them. I know, I know. Everyone wants the Dodgers to have an "ace" but honestly, how many teams have a legit ace starter leading the way? Besides if Bills is half of an ace and Kershaw is half of an ace... ? Both of those guys have ace stuff and the potential to be an ace on any given night. I think both are showing signs of fatigue though which worries me. What I'd like to see though is one more back of the rotation guys. Schmidt doesn't appear to be the answer. Neither does Weaver [although he looks good every once in a while.] James McDonald? Scott Elbert? Maybe. But neither of them can get settled in that spot before they get yanked out of it. Who is out there? No clue.
In addition to all the trade deadline madness, of course there was the Manny story today. I think I've lost the ability to care. I officially have PED story fatigue. I'm just going to assume that everyone from pre-2003 was probably taking something and deal with it. I'm not sure there are any names left that could come out on that list that would surprise me. Let's just deal with the people testing positive now and not worry about who tested positive six years ago.
I'll be home some of the day tomorrow so if the Dodgers manage to make any more moves, I might drop in with some comments.
In the meantime... go Blue!
Dodgers beat Cards! I knew this four game set was going to be a nightmare when I saw it on the schedule but I had no idea it'd be this bad. Blown saves, extended rain delays, extra innings, shutouts. Good grief, Charlie Brown. Thankfully they managed to scrape out one win tonight but the pitching staff and offense have both managed to fall asleep at the same time.
Speaking of the pitching staff - the Dodgers made a deal today, sending out two minor leaguers for Orioles closer George Sherrill who is a pitcher I've seen described today as "death on left handed hitters." The bullpen looks to be gaining some strength back with the return of Kuo and the addition of Sherrill. It doesn't mean that Torre won't manage to overwork them in the two months left and make them useless but let's hope for the best. I wouldn't be opposed to seeing another 'pen arm picked up if the price is right.
Still no starter added though which makes me nervous. I'm fine with Bills, Kershaw, Kuroda, and Wolf. I truly am. Sure, I'd love a Cliff Lee or Halladay to lead the pack but I'm really fine without them. I know, I know. Everyone wants the Dodgers to have an "ace" but honestly, how many teams have a legit ace starter leading the way? Besides if Bills is half of an ace and Kershaw is half of an ace... ? Both of those guys have ace stuff and the potential to be an ace on any given night. I think both are showing signs of fatigue though which worries me. What I'd like to see though is one more back of the rotation guys. Schmidt doesn't appear to be the answer. Neither does Weaver [although he looks good every once in a while.] James McDonald? Scott Elbert? Maybe. But neither of them can get settled in that spot before they get yanked out of it. Who is out there? No clue.
In addition to all the trade deadline madness, of course there was the Manny story today. I think I've lost the ability to care. I officially have PED story fatigue. I'm just going to assume that everyone from pre-2003 was probably taking something and deal with it. I'm not sure there are any names left that could come out on that list that would surprise me. Let's just deal with the people testing positive now and not worry about who tested positive six years ago.
I'll be home some of the day tomorrow so if the Dodgers manage to make any more moves, I might drop in with some comments.
In the meantime... go Blue!
2009-07-29
2009-07-28
The End Of An Era Is Upon Us
If the Dodgers first 3-game losing streak of the season wasn't enough to be bummed about, the news broke today that legendary Hall of Fame announcer Vin Scully plans to announce in 2010 and then hang 'em up.
Part of me is glad to have that date out there because the man deserves the rest.
Part of me is terrified because the Dodgers have yet to find anyone who comes close to lacing Vinny's proverbial boots in the booth.
And part of me is sad because I just can't imagine a historic Dodger moment going down without Vinny's voice there to call it.
It's the end of an era upon us, folks... just about fifteen months away.
Part of me is glad to have that date out there because the man deserves the rest.
Part of me is terrified because the Dodgers have yet to find anyone who comes close to lacing Vinny's proverbial boots in the booth.
And part of me is sad because I just can't imagine a historic Dodger moment going down without Vinny's voice there to call it.
It's the end of an era upon us, folks... just about fifteen months away.
2009-07-27
Hot And Cold
I still can't decide if I'm going to like it or not but with just a week or so to go until the G.I. Joe movie finally hits the big screen, they've done a pretty good job lately of getting my interest back up. A couple of decent reviews from the boys at AICN have me leaning towards wanting to see it after months of bad news had me leaning the other way.
They released this video to further hype. Not sure it succeeded but...
2009-07-26
OC Fair 2009: A Day In Photos
Finally got my photos from yesterday on the computer so I thought I'd share a batch of them. Enjoy!
This is the first thing I saw when I got out of the car. I'd never ride the damn thing [I hate Ferris Wheels!] but it's a pretty imposing sight when you first walk in.
"And they called it... puppy looooooove"
The sheep seemed absolutely terrified when someone got in their pen, all herding up in a pile like this. That or someone lost their keys and everyone was pitching in. One or the other.
"By day, I'm just your normal everyday farm animal. But by night..."
"I AM EL DANDY! FAMED LUCHADOR!"
Poor guy. I never really thought sheep and goats and the like were personable animals but these guys really seemed like they were almost like pets.
"What?! The Dodgers are letting Jason Schmidt pitch again?!"
All together now... "Awwwwww!"
The rabbits had it the worst of any animals I saw all day. Some of those cages weren't any bigger than a shoebox.
This was the cutest little guy. He kept sniffing the bars when I moved the camera closer so I got some really cool closeups. Damn bars get in the way though.
A moment before this shot, the little guy tried to stand on the other one to reach the feed bag but fell flat. I guess this was good enough for him though.
I swear, for the first few seconds, I thought this pig was dead (swine flu!). All the pigs just looked exhausted, sprawled out and sleeping. Don't worry - I didn't lay on the ground next to the pig for this one but the camera did get lowered quite a bit for it.
A Dodger pig! AY! Save the Lasorda jokes, jackass!
Speaking of pigs... here's the pulled pork sandwich I had for lunch. I didn't even realize I ate pulled pork after looking at pigs until I just wrote that. Egads, that's awkward. Oh, and large beer = $9. Painful but oh-so-nice on a warm day.
Giant sand sculpture of Weird Al's head. No, we didn't go the 3-D showing of Al's Brain and yes, this is a very close second for most disturbing photo I've seen this week. First place of course goes to the Twilight Moms.
I thought this was a cool shot. I need to play with the coloring a little bit when I get some time. Oh, and those gondolas look like the most potentially deadly things I've seen in ages.
Ah yes. Fair food. The quickest way to a stomachache. I successfully avoided the plethora of fried foods that sabotage all fair trips. Last year, we ate corn dogs and some horrific Australian ranch fries thing where they cut big slabs of potato, deep fry them, and serve them with ranch and liquid cheese. The mere sight of those this year made me feel sick all over again. My mom thought the Deep Fried Avocados might not be bad. I couldn't bear the thought of eating anything from this "menu."
Of course, since I had a photo on exhibit in the Visual Arts area, that was the main reason we were attending this year. I knew I hadn't won anything but I still wanted to see it on display and check out some of the others. I felt weird taking photos of other people's photos - although there were some fantastic pictures and anyone who goes to the Fair should spend plenty of time checking them out - so I snapped a few of pieces of artwork that I liked.
And of course, I had no qualms about taking a photo of my photo. I'm still pretty proud of it even though there were no less than 3 peacock photos within a fifteen foot radius of each other including one that looked almost identical.
Thank you, thank you. Hold your applause. No, no, really. Okay, fine. Anyone who wants to buy a print of it, let me know! I'm a not-so-starving, non-college student who could really use the money!
When rides collide! Well, not literally but at a Fair, would you be surprised? God damn carnies!
And lastly, the award for Worst Sounding Fair Food goes to...
Ugh.
We had a fun time in our few hours there but we were very glad to be heading home as the crowds got larger as the day went on.
Besides, we got in a game of the BSG board game last night to boot so that's well worth cutting a Fair day short, you know?
2009-07-25
Affliction DOWN!
I was planning to do a photo blog tonight about my day at the Orange County Fair alas I haven't had the chance to upload my photos to the computer yet.
Instead, we'll talk about one of the happiest days in Dana White's life.
Affliction as a fight promoting company is dead. Not a big shock. I think we all saw it coming at one point or another but I think we also all thought they'd manage to get one more show out before the end. Josh Barnett and his love of being muscly ruined that one, didn't it?
So, with Barnett out, apparently Affliction decided they had no marketable Main Event available to save their show - a fair estimation in my point of view as they had presented no potential opponents that I'd pay to see Fedor against. Now, granted, I wasn't going to pay to see Barnett against Fedor either but...
Once again, there's a vacuum in MMA as Dream, Strike Force, and the UFC will scamper to pick up the pieces - not that there's a lot of pieces worth picking up. Anyone not named Fedor could pretty much have been had at any time.
One more obstacle is out of the way for that Fedor vs Brock match.
But will it be enough?
Oh, and don't get me started on the Tito Ortiz stuff!
2009-07-24
2009-07-23
Sweet, Sweet Vinyl
After a pair of technological challenges tonight that had me ready to throw my TV off the balcony, there was one shining light that illuminated the path to happiness on this summer evening.
Vinyl.
At long last, I bought a turntable on Saturday at the local Guitar Center. And yes, I returned that one and got a different one on Monday. But nonetheless, I finally had a turntable to play all the old vinyl I had brought home from one of my most recent visits to my Mom's house as well as a batch of newer stuff the Missus and I have slowly been gathering on trips to Amoeba.
Tonight, the turntable was hooked up to the new sound system and nirvana was achieved [ooh, make note to buy Nevermind and Unplugged on vinyl.]
The test record was something old and damaged that I didn't care if I fucked up. There was sound! Audible sound! This was immediately better than the one I bought Saturday that didn't have a pre-amp like the guy told me [or at least, I think he told me.]
We moved on to another. Another old one but this one was something I knew at least - "Soul & Inspiration" by the Righteous Brothers. Ahh, the long-lost pop and crack and hiss of vinyl was alive once more. The record was in pretty bad shape and although it was just fun to hear music off of vinyl again, I started digging for some newer stuff that might sound better.
A Black Kids EP I picked up at Amoeba after Record Store Day was next... just so we could hear "I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You." It was fantastic to hear on vinyl although it sounded pretty much like I'd expect it to on CD or MP3.
Vampire Weekend was next - a full-length I'd bought months ago since it also contained digital copies of the album.
One word: GLORIOUS!
The sound was alive and was beautiful. I could hear subtle things that I had never picked up on digital copies before. The pop and hiss was just enough to make me smile while the music itself took flight. We listened to the entire album - a rarity in these times of 99 cent singles and artists who couldn't make a full album worth buying if their lives depended on it. It's an era where the single is king but for one record, I was back in a time when I knew songs by their name and not by a track number... where I knew the next song coming up and the one after that and the one after that... and even if I needed to wait 10 minutes at the end of the album for a hidden song. An entire album in one sitting? Like I said... glorious.
The Missus took over DJ duties at that point, putting on a copy of the Go-Go's "Beauty And The Beach" that we had picked up at Amoeba a few months ago. The second song that came up sparked a, "I've never heard this before - what is it?" from me - a sure sign that we may be embarking on a new era of DEEP CUTS!
We called it a night after that but immediately started making a list of vinyl to buy in the near future - perhaps as soon as Monday as my eyes are looking west towards Amoeba and a first-time trip to Origami. The pile of vinyl on the floor that we need to work through is staggering but just as much as I can't wait to hear albums I've heard time and time again, I'm equally as excited to dust off my Grandma's old Johnny Cash albums [mostly gospel but fuck it, it's Cash] for the very first time.
Vinyl.
At long last, I bought a turntable on Saturday at the local Guitar Center. And yes, I returned that one and got a different one on Monday. But nonetheless, I finally had a turntable to play all the old vinyl I had brought home from one of my most recent visits to my Mom's house as well as a batch of newer stuff the Missus and I have slowly been gathering on trips to Amoeba.
Tonight, the turntable was hooked up to the new sound system and nirvana was achieved [ooh, make note to buy Nevermind and Unplugged on vinyl.]
The test record was something old and damaged that I didn't care if I fucked up. There was sound! Audible sound! This was immediately better than the one I bought Saturday that didn't have a pre-amp like the guy told me [or at least, I think he told me.]
We moved on to another. Another old one but this one was something I knew at least - "Soul & Inspiration" by the Righteous Brothers. Ahh, the long-lost pop and crack and hiss of vinyl was alive once more. The record was in pretty bad shape and although it was just fun to hear music off of vinyl again, I started digging for some newer stuff that might sound better.
A Black Kids EP I picked up at Amoeba after Record Store Day was next... just so we could hear "I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You." It was fantastic to hear on vinyl although it sounded pretty much like I'd expect it to on CD or MP3.
Vampire Weekend was next - a full-length I'd bought months ago since it also contained digital copies of the album.
One word: GLORIOUS!
The sound was alive and was beautiful. I could hear subtle things that I had never picked up on digital copies before. The pop and hiss was just enough to make me smile while the music itself took flight. We listened to the entire album - a rarity in these times of 99 cent singles and artists who couldn't make a full album worth buying if their lives depended on it. It's an era where the single is king but for one record, I was back in a time when I knew songs by their name and not by a track number... where I knew the next song coming up and the one after that and the one after that... and even if I needed to wait 10 minutes at the end of the album for a hidden song. An entire album in one sitting? Like I said... glorious.
The Missus took over DJ duties at that point, putting on a copy of the Go-Go's "Beauty And The Beach" that we had picked up at Amoeba a few months ago. The second song that came up sparked a, "I've never heard this before - what is it?" from me - a sure sign that we may be embarking on a new era of DEEP CUTS!
We called it a night after that but immediately started making a list of vinyl to buy in the near future - perhaps as soon as Monday as my eyes are looking west towards Amoeba and a first-time trip to Origami. The pile of vinyl on the floor that we need to work through is staggering but just as much as I can't wait to hear albums I've heard time and time again, I'm equally as excited to dust off my Grandma's old Johnny Cash albums [mostly gospel but fuck it, it's Cash] for the very first time.
2009-07-22
A Sign Of The Apocalypse
At several points throughout the past few days, I've lamented the fact that I'll be missing my second Comic-Con in a row. However, I just read something that makes me quite glad I'm not there...
Hatred. Sweet, sweet hatred.
The "New Moon" panel at San Diego Comic-Con might not start for another 18 hours, but "Twilight" fans aren't taking a chance on missing it!
The most dedicated fans started lining up two days early just to make sure they could get a front row seat to see Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, Taylor Lautner and other stars of the movie. As the final
night before the big panel begins now, there are already more than 500 people camping out to attend the most anticipated panel at Comic-Con.
Hatred. Sweet, sweet hatred.
2009-07-21
As The World Turns
Sometimes the best soap operas are in real life. And I say that as someone who has watched soap operas for my entire life.
I kinda didn't want to write about this but it's getting more interesting all the time. While Raw is struggling to try to make me come back after my 30 days off, ECW is slightly entertaining, and Smackdown is flat out great... well, the real excitement in competitor TNA is off-camera.
Here's the story...
Jeff Jarrett has been the creative force behind TNA for almost the entire time since he created it. Kurt Angle has been with TNA for a few years now - a move that many thought could possibly edge TNA at least past ECW in the pecking order of pro wrestling. Jarrett returned to TV a few months ago in what seemed to be a pretty decent comeback.
And then the news broke...
A TNA "insider" called the Bubba The Love Sponge radio show with his voice disguised to give a big piece of breaking news. Kurt's divorced wife, Karen, had taken her kids and moved in with Jeff Jarrett, himself a widower.
Then it gets a little more interesting as Jarrett is suddenly removed from television by Dixie Carter, who essentially bankrolls TNA in what many are considering a "suspension." Angle is telling everyone that he'll soon have Jarrett's job in creative because if he doesn't, there's no chance he'll stick with TNA when his contract is up.
Fun stuff, no?
So, if Angle gets control of TNA creative, does anyone really think they'd be worse off?
Is it possible that Jeff Jarrett deciding to fuck Karen Angle may be the best thing to ever happen to TNA?
That'd be one of the greatest stories in wrestling history.
I kinda didn't want to write about this but it's getting more interesting all the time. While Raw is struggling to try to make me come back after my 30 days off, ECW is slightly entertaining, and Smackdown is flat out great... well, the real excitement in competitor TNA is off-camera.
Here's the story...
Jeff Jarrett has been the creative force behind TNA for almost the entire time since he created it. Kurt Angle has been with TNA for a few years now - a move that many thought could possibly edge TNA at least past ECW in the pecking order of pro wrestling. Jarrett returned to TV a few months ago in what seemed to be a pretty decent comeback.
And then the news broke...
A TNA "insider" called the Bubba The Love Sponge radio show with his voice disguised to give a big piece of breaking news. Kurt's divorced wife, Karen, had taken her kids and moved in with Jeff Jarrett, himself a widower.
Then it gets a little more interesting as Jarrett is suddenly removed from television by Dixie Carter, who essentially bankrolls TNA in what many are considering a "suspension." Angle is telling everyone that he'll soon have Jarrett's job in creative because if he doesn't, there's no chance he'll stick with TNA when his contract is up.
Fun stuff, no?
So, if Angle gets control of TNA creative, does anyone really think they'd be worse off?
Is it possible that Jeff Jarrett deciding to fuck Karen Angle may be the best thing to ever happen to TNA?
That'd be one of the greatest stories in wrestling history.
2009-07-20
A Barrage Of Digg News
The good, the bad, and the crazy brought to you by the fine folks at Digg this morning...
*** Speaking of crazy, how 'bout that Catholic Church? I'm sure I'll take some heat for that comment from my church-going wife but this time, I've got proof in this story that tells the tale of a 9-year old girl in Brazil who was raped and impregnated by her stepfather. She got an abortion from a sympathetic doctor and the all-too-powerful Catholic Church responded by ex-communicating the girl and the doctor and anyone else who assisted with her getting the procedure done. Awesome. You've gotta love the theory that the Church's policies are more important than the physical and mental well-being of its followers. But hey, everything happens for a reason, right?
*** As someone who was among the first people booted off of Napster thanks to Metallica, I took special interest in this story with Lars taking great pride in their part in bringing what was once [and my opinion, all time] the best file-sharing platform ever. When asked about the downfall of Napster, Lars says, "You have to give props to the other side because they did run a brilliant campaign, and they did portray me and Metallica as being greedy rock pigs and luddites who were completely behind what was happening technologically. But I am proud of what we did, and what we stood up for." Good grief, Charlie Brown. Talk about delusional.
*** THIS is how Walter Cronkite should be remembered. For the legacy he leaves that today's media couldn't dare dream to live up to. If you only read one of these articles posted today, read this one because my words couldn't do it justice.
*** Speaking of crazy, how 'bout that Catholic Church? I'm sure I'll take some heat for that comment from my church-going wife but this time, I've got proof in this story that tells the tale of a 9-year old girl in Brazil who was raped and impregnated by her stepfather. She got an abortion from a sympathetic doctor and the all-too-powerful Catholic Church responded by ex-communicating the girl and the doctor and anyone else who assisted with her getting the procedure done. Awesome. You've gotta love the theory that the Church's policies are more important than the physical and mental well-being of its followers. But hey, everything happens for a reason, right?
*** As someone who was among the first people booted off of Napster thanks to Metallica, I took special interest in this story with Lars taking great pride in their part in bringing what was once [and my opinion, all time] the best file-sharing platform ever. When asked about the downfall of Napster, Lars says, "You have to give props to the other side because they did run a brilliant campaign, and they did portray me and Metallica as being greedy rock pigs and luddites who were completely behind what was happening technologically. But I am proud of what we did, and what we stood up for." Good grief, Charlie Brown. Talk about delusional.
*** THIS is how Walter Cronkite should be remembered. For the legacy he leaves that today's media couldn't dare dream to live up to. If you only read one of these articles posted today, read this one because my words couldn't do it justice.
2009-07-19
EPIC FAIL!
Damn.
After over a year - WELL over a year - of posting each and every day on this blog come rain or come shine, I have failed you - the loyal readers of YMB,B!
I got so caught up in my own shit yesterday, I completely forgot about all y'all.
And it's not like I had some huge event going on yesterday to take my mind elsewhere but between leaving here early for the Farmers Market and spending most of the day trying to reroute and re-run every wire to every piece of electronic equipment in our living room including a new Home Theater System and turntable... well, I got a little pre-occupied.
Alas, I failed you all and totally didn't even realize it until I was on my way home from work tonight around 8. That's how badly I forgot!
Please forgive me, my loyal fanbase. Pretty please with sugar on top!
After over a year - WELL over a year - of posting each and every day on this blog come rain or come shine, I have failed you - the loyal readers of YMB,B!
I got so caught up in my own shit yesterday, I completely forgot about all y'all.
And it's not like I had some huge event going on yesterday to take my mind elsewhere but between leaving here early for the Farmers Market and spending most of the day trying to reroute and re-run every wire to every piece of electronic equipment in our living room including a new Home Theater System and turntable... well, I got a little pre-occupied.
Alas, I failed you all and totally didn't even realize it until I was on my way home from work tonight around 8. That's how badly I forgot!
Please forgive me, my loyal fanbase. Pretty please with sugar on top!
2009-07-17
Here Comes The Pain
After a week of Brock Lesnar being vilified by almost every sportswriter in the country, anyone actually get some perspective on it yet?
No?
I'm guessing not since I'm still seeing people complaining about his "post-fight antics" and the like.
Pro wrestling/MMA journalist Dave Meltzer had this to say - the best column I've seen so far on the situation...
There have been 61 fighters in Ultimate Fighting Championship history who were pro wrestlers at one point or another. There are nine on the current UFC roster. Of the six fighters in the UFC Hall of Fame, three – Ken Shamrock, Dan Severn and Mark Coleman – dabbled in wrestling.
But UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar is the only one vilified for it.
...
This is not a defense of anything he did after the fight. But the reaction to Lesnar’s postfight comments and his flipping the bird at fans is just the latest example of a double standard Lesnar has faced in his MMA career.
What if the Lesnar and Dan Henderson fights and postfights on Saturday night were transposed? If Lesnar had thrown that totally legal but devastating second blow on an already knocked-out foe – and remarked in his interview that he was doing it to shut Mir’s mouth – people would have spent the past week demanding that he be banned from the sport. And would Henderson have gotten nearly Lesnar’s heat if he had pulled the same postfight antics as Lesnar?
You want to deny there’s a double standard here?
...
Of all the pro wrestlers who have come into the sport, only two – Lesnar and non-UFC fighter Bobby Lashley – have ever been disrespected by fellow fighters for being a pro wrestler. In Lesnar’s four UFC fights, only one opponent didn’t throw some kind of variation on “It’s not the WWE,” at him before the fight. In hyping the match, Mir implied Lesnar was strong but clueless when it came to fighting. Heath Herring and his camp had complained behind the scenes to company officials that it was a joke he was even put in the ring with a fake pro wrestler, and made public comments about how the punches were going to be real.
The only opponent who didn’t disrespect Lesnar before the fight was Randy Couture. The only opponent Lesnar didn’t trash talk afterward was Couture. Coincidence?
And Mir probably won’t be the last, given the fact that his potential next opponent, Shane Carwin, already has played the pro-wrestling card in starting the hype.
“We have no scripts in this port, no predetermined earning amount and no predetermined outcomes,” Carwin said.
...
Lesnar never asked to become the biggest villain the sport has ever seen, but he’s also smart enough and experienced enough at it that he knows it’s not all a bad thing. While running down Bud Light – UFC’s leading sponsor – was not the best of judgment, he’s turned out to be one of the greatest things for building the popularity of the sport.
Just as tennis had John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors, and boxing had Muhammad Ali, and football has Terrell Owens, it is good for the sport to have a great villain. You don’t want a sport where everyone is like him; but when push comes to shove, Lesnar is great for the sport, just as St. Pierre is in a very different way.
...
The history of fights which have garnered the most interest and drawn the most money in UFC history, matches built by inflammatory interviews fashioned out of pro wrestling, are what made the sport and saved the sport. The examples are endless – from Tito Ortiz’s grudge with Ken Shamrock, to Couture spanking Ortiz at the end of their match, to Quinton Jackson and Rashad Evans nearly coming to blows in the crowd. It’s a lesson very much worth examining for anyone arguing about what is good or bad for the future of the sport.
That’s not even a bad thing. But it’s simply accepting the truth of what all of this is, as opposed to living in a world of pretend – and then complaining about somebody because he used to be a pro wrestler.
2009-07-16
Emmy Snubs
I want to be happy for my favorite shows - I really do.
I want to be happy for 30 Rock and The Office for gaining well-deserved Best Comedy noms. I even smiled a bit at seeing Weeds, Entourage, and Flight Of The Conchords on the list even though all three were probably at the worst last season and don't deserve the praise this time around. And yeah, I smirked a little bit at seeing Family Guy nominated. I don't watch Family Guy and don't plan to start but I think it's awesome that at least one of the major nominating bodies isn't afraid to treat a piece of animation on the same playing field. And most of all, I want to be jump up and down thrilled for How I Met Your Mother for FINALLY feeling the love even though it too probably wasn't at its best last season compared to others.
I want to be happy for Big Love and Lost for their Best Drama nods. I don't watch the rest of the shows on that list so I'm sure my chances of being happy on Emmy night is pretty pathetic but both of these shows deserve the love.
I want to be happy for Steve Martin and Alan Alda for their guest spot nods. For Tina Fey for the appreciation for her Palin impression AND her weekly awesomness on 30 Rock. For Alec Baldwin, Jemaine Clement, and Steve Carrell. For the hotness of Mary Louise Parker even though she doesn't deserve the acting nod this year. For Dr. Horrible and the Springsteen Super Bowl show. For Jane Krakowski and Kristin Chenoweth. For Tracy Morgan, Jack McBrayer, Kevin Dillon, Rainn Wilson, and the incredible Neil Patrick Harris in potentially my favorite Emmy nom lineup EVER! And for the incomparable Michael Emerson at long last feeling the love.
I'd love to be happy for all of those shows and amazing actors and actresses...
But I can't.
FUCK YOU, EMMY VOTERS!
WHERE'S THE SHIELD?!?!
WHERE'S BATTLESTAR?!?!?!?!?
You fuckoffs have one final chance to pay tribute to two of the greatest shows to ever grace a television screen and you piss it away again.
Arrrrrgh!
I don't have the words to appropriately express my hatred for you all right now.
2009-07-15
Half-Blood Thoughts
Just a few quick notes on Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince which we just got back from seeing...
-- I dug it! I was pleasantly surprised after months of dreading it. The batch of decent reviews over the past few days made me enthused and then seeing the finished product, I was pleased.
-- One of my favorite parts was the look and tone of the movie. So different and distinct from the others and if you happen to watch any of the first three before this one... man, are you in for a night and day difference.
-- I even was okay with the ending which was my biggest fear of all after hearing they changed it from the book.
In closing, I'll probably go into greater detail in a few days after it sinks in a bit but for now, I'd say you should go check it out if you're a HP fan.
2009-07-14
2009-07-13
One Step Closer
I know there's been a surplus of MMA stuff on here this week but honestly, what else am I going to talk about? The Home Run Derby? (didn't see it!)
But I did see this article that made me think I am one step closer to my MMA dream come true of Mirko Cro Cop vs Brock Lesnar in Japan! The linked article above basically has Dana White saying that "they" will have to kill him to keep the UFC out of Japan. Who are "they" in this instance?
The "dirty, sneaky, bad guys in Japan" trying to keep the UFC out of the country.
Dana White - How To Win Friends And Influence People
So, this week, Dana's been pissed at Brock, Dan Henderson, Electronic Arts, and now... basically, the Yakuza. And yes, one of those things are not like the others in a very big way... unless you think EA Sports might conspire to have Dana murdered on the streets.
It's in the game, you know?
Usually, I'm a big fan of Dana's big talking attitude but on this one... well, I just might keep my mouth shut and not try to antagonize the Yakuza before trying to break into the Japanese fight market.
Just a suggestion!
2009-07-12
Late night
Had a wonky 12-9 Sunday shift today for a meeting... which, of course, ran long and I didn't get home til almost 10:30. Had dinner and now it's time for sleep.
But I can't forget you loyal YMB,B! readers, can I?
In honor of Brock's awesomeness last night at UFC 100, check this out...
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