How I think my Sunday will go:
Sleep in.
Get up, put on lucky Red Sox shorts. Itch playoff beard but refuse to do anything about it until after game 7.
Play with A.J.
Eat a bowl of cereal, probably Special K Chocolately Delight.
Catch a little bit of football pre-game shows.
Proceed to watch the Pats crush the Dolphins, normal problems in Miami be damned.
Eat leftovers or a sandwich for lunch, probably at halftime, when the Pats will already have a 21 point lead.
Pace around like a crazy person from roughly 4-7 PM after the Pats have won by 30.
7ish: make a Captain and Diet Coke to take the edge off of having to listen to Buck and McCarver.
7:23: Watch the Red Sox begin to deliver the coup de grace to the Tribe.
This is going to be a defining game for Dice-K. I'm seeing six strong innings, maybe even six scoreless. He could go more but Tito will turn it over to the pen and that's that. Papelbon wraps it up and dances on the field to the delight of the Fenway crowd.
Pretty nice little Sunday schedule.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Game 6
Back at Fenway.
Schilling on the hill.
Bullpen rested and ready.
Lineup dialed in.
Cleveland knowing that they have already pissed away their best shot to finish us.
An ever-so-slight chance that we might see Ellsbury in the lineup.
Did I mention that Curt Schilling is pitching? Because the last time he pitched for us in game 6 of the ALCS it went a little something like this:
He gutted out seven innings that day, surrendered one run on four hits, and the Red Sox won 4-2. The next day they won again and went on to the World Series, where they blew the doors off an inferior National League team.
Sometimes it's cool when history repeats itself.
Schilling on the hill.
Bullpen rested and ready.
Lineup dialed in.
Cleveland knowing that they have already pissed away their best shot to finish us.
An ever-so-slight chance that we might see Ellsbury in the lineup.
Did I mention that Curt Schilling is pitching? Because the last time he pitched for us in game 6 of the ALCS it went a little something like this:
He gutted out seven innings that day, surrendered one run on four hits, and the Red Sox won 4-2. The next day they won again and went on to the World Series, where they blew the doors off an inferior National League team.
Sometimes it's cool when history repeats itself.
Friday, October 19, 2007
How I would run a college football playoff
I'm very happy that South Florida lost to Rutgers last night since it knocks them out of that ridiculous #2 ranking and effectively ends any ludicrous National Championship talk. This year may shake out perfectly for the BCS if the season ends with two unbeaten big conference teams. But if that doesn't happen, we're looking at another huge college football nightmare, with at least a couple of teams left wondering why they are on the outside looking in. How does every other major team sporting event solve this type of situation? They have a playoff tournament...what a novel idea!
People say that having a college football playoff is too complicated or would add too many games to the schedule, and that's wrong on both counts. Division IAA manages to have a playoff every year, and having our beloved "student-athletes" play three straight weeks of college basketball in March doesn't seem to bother anybody. So, without further ado, I propose an eight team division one college football playoff tournament to be conducted like this:
Eight teams get in. The conference champs from the ACC, Big East, Big 10, Big XII, Pac 10, and SEC receive automatic berths. Right now half of those leagues hold a conference championship game and half don't, though I'd like to see them all hold one. If we enacted a playoff and made a conference championship game a requirement you'd see the other member conferences get it done with lightning speed. BYU and UNLV would be in the Pac-10, Notre Dame would jump to the Big 10, etc. That leaves two remaining at-large spots to be determined by the BCS rankings. Yes, there will definitely be complaining from the at-large teams that end up around #9 and #10 in the rankings, but those teams will have a lot less to be angry about than, say, a #3 team in the current format.
My plan requires five locations for games so I'm keeping the current four BCS spots: Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Fiesta Bowl in Phoenix, and Orange Bowl in Miami. I'm also adding the Cotton Bowl, partially for history's sake but also because I assume the new Texas Stadium they're building will be pretty amazing. If (when?) Las Vegas ever builds a state-of-the-art domed football stadium, I might have that in the mix instead of Dallas.
Like the BCS, the hosts of the various games rotate on an annual basis. The first round goes as follows, just like you'd figure it would: #1 vs. #8, #2 vs. #7, #3 vs. #6, and #4 vs. #5. Four of the five locations each host one first round game on their regular bowl game day, on or around January 1. They can even call each of these games the Sugar Bowl, Rose Bowl, etc., as this seems to be one aspect of a playoff that gets some people worked up.
The remaining location that doesn't get a first round game would then host both the semi-finals and the National Championship (so this goes to each city once every five years). The semis would take place on the Friday and Saturday (one on each day) in the week following the first round games (January 11 and 12 in 2008, for example). Savvy TV networks would ensure scheduling that did not conflict with any NFL playoff action--not a concern at all on Friday, and easily handled on Saturday. The National Championship game would then be held on the Friday night the next week.
The upside? Practically everything. We get a playoff tournament, which is what most fans want and what the game deserves. We keep the bowl traditions intact. We keep some of the structure of the BCS--the part that works. We minimize scheduling and travel problems, and having the semis and final at the same spot is a big part of that, much like basketball's Final Four. Handling tickets would be a breeze because some diehard fans and tons of corporate fat cats would scoop up packages for both semi games and the championship, while tickets for fans that just want to see their team in the championship would become available after the semis (from fans of teams that just lost). Sure, this is a small factor, but an important one to consider.
The bowl games could all keep their corporate sponsorship and a smart corporate entity could find a way to work in an all-new deal. I certainly wouldn't be surprised to see "The Nike College Football Championship tournament, featuring Arizona State and Boston College meeting in the Apple Computers Championship Game in the Tostito's Fiesta Bowl!" Whatever. It's a small price to pay to actually see this happen. The whole plan adds a grand total of two new televised game opportunities with guaranteed blockbuster ratings that would have the network execs killing each other for the broadcast rights.
Or, you know, we could keep letting computers and writers that don't even watch all the games decide. Because that seems almost perfect.
People say that having a college football playoff is too complicated or would add too many games to the schedule, and that's wrong on both counts. Division IAA manages to have a playoff every year, and having our beloved "student-athletes" play three straight weeks of college basketball in March doesn't seem to bother anybody. So, without further ado, I propose an eight team division one college football playoff tournament to be conducted like this:
Eight teams get in. The conference champs from the ACC, Big East, Big 10, Big XII, Pac 10, and SEC receive automatic berths. Right now half of those leagues hold a conference championship game and half don't, though I'd like to see them all hold one. If we enacted a playoff and made a conference championship game a requirement you'd see the other member conferences get it done with lightning speed. BYU and UNLV would be in the Pac-10, Notre Dame would jump to the Big 10, etc. That leaves two remaining at-large spots to be determined by the BCS rankings. Yes, there will definitely be complaining from the at-large teams that end up around #9 and #10 in the rankings, but those teams will have a lot less to be angry about than, say, a #3 team in the current format.
My plan requires five locations for games so I'm keeping the current four BCS spots: Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Fiesta Bowl in Phoenix, and Orange Bowl in Miami. I'm also adding the Cotton Bowl, partially for history's sake but also because I assume the new Texas Stadium they're building will be pretty amazing. If (when?) Las Vegas ever builds a state-of-the-art domed football stadium, I might have that in the mix instead of Dallas.
Like the BCS, the hosts of the various games rotate on an annual basis. The first round goes as follows, just like you'd figure it would: #1 vs. #8, #2 vs. #7, #3 vs. #6, and #4 vs. #5. Four of the five locations each host one first round game on their regular bowl game day, on or around January 1. They can even call each of these games the Sugar Bowl, Rose Bowl, etc., as this seems to be one aspect of a playoff that gets some people worked up.
The remaining location that doesn't get a first round game would then host both the semi-finals and the National Championship (so this goes to each city once every five years). The semis would take place on the Friday and Saturday (one on each day) in the week following the first round games (January 11 and 12 in 2008, for example). Savvy TV networks would ensure scheduling that did not conflict with any NFL playoff action--not a concern at all on Friday, and easily handled on Saturday. The National Championship game would then be held on the Friday night the next week.
The upside? Practically everything. We get a playoff tournament, which is what most fans want and what the game deserves. We keep the bowl traditions intact. We keep some of the structure of the BCS--the part that works. We minimize scheduling and travel problems, and having the semis and final at the same spot is a big part of that, much like basketball's Final Four. Handling tickets would be a breeze because some diehard fans and tons of corporate fat cats would scoop up packages for both semi games and the championship, while tickets for fans that just want to see their team in the championship would become available after the semis (from fans of teams that just lost). Sure, this is a small factor, but an important one to consider.
The bowl games could all keep their corporate sponsorship and a smart corporate entity could find a way to work in an all-new deal. I certainly wouldn't be surprised to see "The Nike College Football Championship tournament, featuring Arizona State and Boston College meeting in the Apple Computers Championship Game in the Tostito's Fiesta Bowl!" Whatever. It's a small price to pay to actually see this happen. The whole plan adds a grand total of two new televised game opportunities with guaranteed blockbuster ratings that would have the network execs killing each other for the broadcast rights.
Or, you know, we could keep letting computers and writers that don't even watch all the games decide. Because that seems almost perfect.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Go Devils!
I'm almost positive I've never had a blog topic request before so just for Sully, let's talk about Arizona State football. In case you haven't noticed, our beloved Sun Devils are sitting undefeated at 7-0 in their first season under new head coach Dennis Erickson. They are #12 in the polls and #8 in the first BCS rankings. This is all fantastic news. Now, on to the flip side.
The Devils recently lost starting running back Ryan Torain for the season to a toe injury. This hurts, but ASU is positioned better than most teams would be to deal with such a situation. In fact, they have not one, but two capable back ups that are both averaging more yards per carry in the explosive Keegan Herring and promising sophomore Dimitri Nance.
Despite their unblemished record, the Sun Devils have demonstrated two traits that could really hurt them down the stretch. First, they have shown an uncanny knack for digging huge first half deficits for themselves. Last week they trailed in the third quarter before blowing the Washington Huskies away in the second half, 31-3. They needed similar comebacks against Washington State, Oregon State, and Colorado. Clearly they pulled it out every time when they needed to but this is not something they can continue to do.
My other concern is excessive penalties. Erickson seems to have brought a Miami Hurricanes type swagger to the team, and that's great. But the Devils cannot continue to commit stupid penalties, because, unlike some of Erickson's old Miami teams, ASU just isn't talented or experienced enough to overcome them. No team in the Pac-10 has racked up more penalty yardage (491 yards through seven games). This pace must slow down.
To say that the remaining ASU schedule is rather daunting doesn't even begin to cover things. They have a bye this week, and it couldn't come at a better time, as after that they have to run the following ridiculous conference gauntlet:
October 27: #10 Cal
November 3: at #7 Oregon
November 10: at UCLA, the only other team undefeated in Pac-10 play
November 22: vs. #13 (and former #1) USC
Wow.
At the start of the year, I looked at that four game block and decided that realistically, I should be ecstatic if we could split. But with the way things have gone, 3-1 looks like at least a remote possibility.
And if we go 4-0 we should be no worse than #2 in the nation heading into a December 1 tilt with the hated Arizona Wildcats with a BCS championship game bid on the line for us. People are already talking about whether the upstart South Florida Bulls deserve a shot at the championship game if they win out, and that that is worthy of discussion. What should not be is this simple fact: if any team in thee Pac-10 goes undefeated, then they should be a lock for #1 or #2 in the country. Right now, ASU's chances to fit the bill are still quite alive.
That would kick a whole lot of ass.
The Devils recently lost starting running back Ryan Torain for the season to a toe injury. This hurts, but ASU is positioned better than most teams would be to deal with such a situation. In fact, they have not one, but two capable back ups that are both averaging more yards per carry in the explosive Keegan Herring and promising sophomore Dimitri Nance.
Despite their unblemished record, the Sun Devils have demonstrated two traits that could really hurt them down the stretch. First, they have shown an uncanny knack for digging huge first half deficits for themselves. Last week they trailed in the third quarter before blowing the Washington Huskies away in the second half, 31-3. They needed similar comebacks against Washington State, Oregon State, and Colorado. Clearly they pulled it out every time when they needed to but this is not something they can continue to do.
My other concern is excessive penalties. Erickson seems to have brought a Miami Hurricanes type swagger to the team, and that's great. But the Devils cannot continue to commit stupid penalties, because, unlike some of Erickson's old Miami teams, ASU just isn't talented or experienced enough to overcome them. No team in the Pac-10 has racked up more penalty yardage (491 yards through seven games). This pace must slow down.
To say that the remaining ASU schedule is rather daunting doesn't even begin to cover things. They have a bye this week, and it couldn't come at a better time, as after that they have to run the following ridiculous conference gauntlet:
October 27: #10 Cal
November 3: at #7 Oregon
November 10: at UCLA, the only other team undefeated in Pac-10 play
November 22: vs. #13 (and former #1) USC
Wow.
At the start of the year, I looked at that four game block and decided that realistically, I should be ecstatic if we could split. But with the way things have gone, 3-1 looks like at least a remote possibility.
And if we go 4-0 we should be no worse than #2 in the nation heading into a December 1 tilt with the hated Arizona Wildcats with a BCS championship game bid on the line for us. People are already talking about whether the upstart South Florida Bulls deserve a shot at the championship game if they win out, and that that is worthy of discussion. What should not be is this simple fact: if any team in thee Pac-10 goes undefeated, then they should be a lock for #1 or #2 in the country. Right now, ASU's chances to fit the bill are still quite alive.
That would kick a whole lot of ass.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
An early look at the fall TV season
Enough time has passed with the new fall TV schedule in place that I can get a feel for what's going on. All are, of course, just my humble opinions.
Best new show: CHUCK, NBC, Monday 8/7: After a few episodes I am happy to report that this show is essentially perfect. It's ridiculously fun, incredibly well-cast, intelligently written, and it is a joy to look at every week in HD. It's a perfect blend of action and comedy, and every week I look forward to it more than the week before. I've never seen either of the leads in anything else but Zachary Levi and Yvonne Strahovski are two people to watch because they are both going to be really famous really soon. If you aren't watching this then I don't know what to do for you. It means that "Wienerlicious" is probably not a part of your lexicon yet and that's just your loss.
Best return of a show that could have been killed: FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS, NBC, Friday 9/8: I've already slurped NBC enough for bringing this show back, but they deserve it. However, I reserve the right to start ripping them if they feel the need to 90210ize FNL too much. In the season premiere alone we saw Tyra walking in slow motion sucking suggestively on a popsicle (come on) shortly before Landry murdered a guy in a fashion that would have made any of the Soprano crew proud. The show is still great, and aside from the glossy five minute introduction it has still maintained its distinctive documentary visual style, which I love. The writing and the acting are still top notch. My only possible qualms are with some of the story choices: Lyla as Jesus Freak? Jason Street thinks he'll be walking soon? Buddy Garrity the angry drunk? I have no idea where these arcs all might be headed, and that's part of the beauty of the show. Let's hope they get a complete second season so we can find out.
Show that is venturing into annoying "Lost" type territory far too quickly: HEROES, NBC, Monday 9/8. I'm not digging Samurai-era Hiro, despite the inspired casting of David Anders as Hiro's hero. I'm not loving Peter Petrelli needing a frigging box with his life in it to know what is going on. Alienated Claire with a high school friend/stalker...meh. I'll give this show time, but part of the appeal has always been that they give the viewers what they want to see in a timely fashion. They should stick to that M.O.
Worst big hit show: GREY'S ANATOMY, ABC, Thursday 9/8. Grey's is a conundrum for me. I've seen every single episode and yet I don't even really know if I am a fan of the show. I like some of the acting (hello, Katherine Heigl), the writing can occasionally be pretty clever, and my wife loves it so it's getting TiVoed in my house every week. However, the writing in the season premiere was an absolute disaster. It wasn't just bad, it was an affront to good story telling in any way, shape, or form. There were a lot of big story lines going on at the end of last season, so creator/writer/big shot Shonda Rhimes felt the need to have each and every main character verbalize in one form or another exactly what had been going on and/or what they had been up to since we last saw them. They might as well have had Basil Exposition from Austin Powers come on for a guest spot and do the job for them. It was utterly ridiculous.
Just as a comparison, FNL had at least as much information to communicate to their viewers, probably more, and they did it in the same one hour time period without having their characters practically break the fourth wall in the name of plot summary. Instead, throughout the hour we learned every thing new we needed to know without a single character lecturing about it. Hey, look, Landry's on the team now. And Coach Taylor is living out of town for his new college gig. And Julie is being a complete bitch. And Tyra and Landry are now an item. And Lyla's life has fallen apart to the point that she has blindly placed her faith in Jesus. They all just did these things. They didn't tell anyone that they did them. Maybe the Grey's team fears that their viewers aren't smart enough to keep up, but that's pretty insulting as well as downright painful to watch.
Worst new show/worst spinoff: PRIVATE PRACTICE, ABC, Wednesday 9/8. Speaking of teledisasters, I give you this putrid spin-off that apparently never should have spun. They took Addison Montgomery, who was an intelligent, strong willed, completely compelling and interesting character, moved her to southern California, and turned her into a "dance naked by an open window" bimbo. It's inexplicable. It's as if she's an entirely different character. After a few episodes, this show is "total eclipse" bad for me--I can't even watch it directly. I can barely be in the room with it while it's on, and I can only manage that if I divert most of my attention elsewhere. I know I'm not the target demo, etc. etc. But awful is awful, and Kate Walsh deserves better. I predict this show is canceled and she's back at Seattle Grace by 2008, doing everyone involved a huge favor.
Most enjoyable ridiculous show that almost nobody else is probably watching: CALIFORNICATION, Showtime, Monday 10:30/9:30. David Duchovny stars as a self-obsessed novelist (is there any other kind?) in L.A. in this insanely entertaining show with copious amounts of witty banter and gratuitous nudity. This one is probably a "love it or hate it," deal, and I think it's great. Duchovny is wildly charismatic playing the anti-hero trying to woo back the engaged-to-someone-else mother of his daughter, and the supporting cast is stellar from top to bottom, most notably with versatile "that guy" Evan Handler as Duchovny's lecherous, douchebag agent. The inaugural season run is almost over and I'll be sad to see it go.
Most enjoyable series ever with a serial killer as protagonist: DEXTER, Showtime, Sunday 10/9. I've been riveted by this show from the first episode and I was a little cautious about season two just because the first run was so brilliant. However, it's back and it's still phenomenal. The repercussions from the end of season one (which I won't spoil in case you haven't seen it, and if you haven't, rent it) are quite intriguing so far. This show is yet another example of the quality that cable can produce that the networks simply cannot match. This would never work on a network and I'm glad they don't even try. And everything from the Miami beaches to the sticky blood spatter just jumps off the screen in HD. It's a gorgeous show.
Shows I thought about watching but never did:
CANE. TiVoed it but couldn't commit. Feels like it will get canned.
REAPER. Still have the pilot on my office TiVo, but just because Kevin Smith directed it.
BIONIC WOMAN. It looks like it takes itself just a little too seriously. Plus all those on-screen NBC banner promos with the bionic woman turning and doing nothing as the wind swept back her hair made me want to bash my own skull in.
PUSHING DAISIES. It seems a little clever for its own good. Probably has a handful of diehard fans that will be distraught when it is canceled before New Year's.
K-VILLE. I watched the pilot and wanted to like it, if only because they actually shoot some scenes in New Orleans. But this one has no chance of sticking around so I won't get invested in it. Thanks for making me extra wary of every show you put on the air, Fox! I still wish I knew how "Drive" ended. Bastards.
BIG SHOTS. TiVoed the premiere and never watched it after I saw a promo in which one of the leads gloated "Men...we're the new women!" No straight man would ever, ever say this. I instantly deleted it.
DIRTY SEXY MONEY. TiVoed it and never watched it. I like some of the cast but...I don't know. I just got a bad feeling about it. Any show with "sexy" in the title is just trying a little too hard.
JOURNEYMAN. The pilot was decent but not enough to hook me.
MOONLIGHT. I considered it, but a show about vampires relegated to Friday night will probably be gone before Christmas, especially when I hear that CBS has an especially itchy trigger finger this year because they already have a complete season of "The Amazing Race" in the can and ready to go on at the first site of something faltering. And when I say itchy trigger finger, I mean that they might make a move after a couple of months, not a couple of weeks. Let's not go crazy. We're not talking about Fox, after all.
GOSSIP GIRL. Sometimes you just have to draw a line and say no.
Best new show: CHUCK, NBC, Monday 8/7: After a few episodes I am happy to report that this show is essentially perfect. It's ridiculously fun, incredibly well-cast, intelligently written, and it is a joy to look at every week in HD. It's a perfect blend of action and comedy, and every week I look forward to it more than the week before. I've never seen either of the leads in anything else but Zachary Levi and Yvonne Strahovski are two people to watch because they are both going to be really famous really soon. If you aren't watching this then I don't know what to do for you. It means that "Wienerlicious" is probably not a part of your lexicon yet and that's just your loss.
Best return of a show that could have been killed: FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS, NBC, Friday 9/8: I've already slurped NBC enough for bringing this show back, but they deserve it. However, I reserve the right to start ripping them if they feel the need to 90210ize FNL too much. In the season premiere alone we saw Tyra walking in slow motion sucking suggestively on a popsicle (come on) shortly before Landry murdered a guy in a fashion that would have made any of the Soprano crew proud. The show is still great, and aside from the glossy five minute introduction it has still maintained its distinctive documentary visual style, which I love. The writing and the acting are still top notch. My only possible qualms are with some of the story choices: Lyla as Jesus Freak? Jason Street thinks he'll be walking soon? Buddy Garrity the angry drunk? I have no idea where these arcs all might be headed, and that's part of the beauty of the show. Let's hope they get a complete second season so we can find out.
Show that is venturing into annoying "Lost" type territory far too quickly: HEROES, NBC, Monday 9/8. I'm not digging Samurai-era Hiro, despite the inspired casting of David Anders as Hiro's hero. I'm not loving Peter Petrelli needing a frigging box with his life in it to know what is going on. Alienated Claire with a high school friend/stalker...meh. I'll give this show time, but part of the appeal has always been that they give the viewers what they want to see in a timely fashion. They should stick to that M.O.
Worst big hit show: GREY'S ANATOMY, ABC, Thursday 9/8. Grey's is a conundrum for me. I've seen every single episode and yet I don't even really know if I am a fan of the show. I like some of the acting (hello, Katherine Heigl), the writing can occasionally be pretty clever, and my wife loves it so it's getting TiVoed in my house every week. However, the writing in the season premiere was an absolute disaster. It wasn't just bad, it was an affront to good story telling in any way, shape, or form. There were a lot of big story lines going on at the end of last season, so creator/writer/big shot Shonda Rhimes felt the need to have each and every main character verbalize in one form or another exactly what had been going on and/or what they had been up to since we last saw them. They might as well have had Basil Exposition from Austin Powers come on for a guest spot and do the job for them. It was utterly ridiculous.
Just as a comparison, FNL had at least as much information to communicate to their viewers, probably more, and they did it in the same one hour time period without having their characters practically break the fourth wall in the name of plot summary. Instead, throughout the hour we learned every thing new we needed to know without a single character lecturing about it. Hey, look, Landry's on the team now. And Coach Taylor is living out of town for his new college gig. And Julie is being a complete bitch. And Tyra and Landry are now an item. And Lyla's life has fallen apart to the point that she has blindly placed her faith in Jesus. They all just did these things. They didn't tell anyone that they did them. Maybe the Grey's team fears that their viewers aren't smart enough to keep up, but that's pretty insulting as well as downright painful to watch.
Worst new show/worst spinoff: PRIVATE PRACTICE, ABC, Wednesday 9/8. Speaking of teledisasters, I give you this putrid spin-off that apparently never should have spun. They took Addison Montgomery, who was an intelligent, strong willed, completely compelling and interesting character, moved her to southern California, and turned her into a "dance naked by an open window" bimbo. It's inexplicable. It's as if she's an entirely different character. After a few episodes, this show is "total eclipse" bad for me--I can't even watch it directly. I can barely be in the room with it while it's on, and I can only manage that if I divert most of my attention elsewhere. I know I'm not the target demo, etc. etc. But awful is awful, and Kate Walsh deserves better. I predict this show is canceled and she's back at Seattle Grace by 2008, doing everyone involved a huge favor.
Most enjoyable ridiculous show that almost nobody else is probably watching: CALIFORNICATION, Showtime, Monday 10:30/9:30. David Duchovny stars as a self-obsessed novelist (is there any other kind?) in L.A. in this insanely entertaining show with copious amounts of witty banter and gratuitous nudity. This one is probably a "love it or hate it," deal, and I think it's great. Duchovny is wildly charismatic playing the anti-hero trying to woo back the engaged-to-someone-else mother of his daughter, and the supporting cast is stellar from top to bottom, most notably with versatile "that guy" Evan Handler as Duchovny's lecherous, douchebag agent. The inaugural season run is almost over and I'll be sad to see it go.
Most enjoyable series ever with a serial killer as protagonist: DEXTER, Showtime, Sunday 10/9. I've been riveted by this show from the first episode and I was a little cautious about season two just because the first run was so brilliant. However, it's back and it's still phenomenal. The repercussions from the end of season one (which I won't spoil in case you haven't seen it, and if you haven't, rent it) are quite intriguing so far. This show is yet another example of the quality that cable can produce that the networks simply cannot match. This would never work on a network and I'm glad they don't even try. And everything from the Miami beaches to the sticky blood spatter just jumps off the screen in HD. It's a gorgeous show.
Shows I thought about watching but never did:
CANE. TiVoed it but couldn't commit. Feels like it will get canned.
REAPER. Still have the pilot on my office TiVo, but just because Kevin Smith directed it.
BIONIC WOMAN. It looks like it takes itself just a little too seriously. Plus all those on-screen NBC banner promos with the bionic woman turning and doing nothing as the wind swept back her hair made me want to bash my own skull in.
PUSHING DAISIES. It seems a little clever for its own good. Probably has a handful of diehard fans that will be distraught when it is canceled before New Year's.
K-VILLE. I watched the pilot and wanted to like it, if only because they actually shoot some scenes in New Orleans. But this one has no chance of sticking around so I won't get invested in it. Thanks for making me extra wary of every show you put on the air, Fox! I still wish I knew how "Drive" ended. Bastards.
BIG SHOTS. TiVoed the premiere and never watched it after I saw a promo in which one of the leads gloated "Men...we're the new women!" No straight man would ever, ever say this. I instantly deleted it.
DIRTY SEXY MONEY. TiVoed it and never watched it. I like some of the cast but...I don't know. I just got a bad feeling about it. Any show with "sexy" in the title is just trying a little too hard.
JOURNEYMAN. The pilot was decent but not enough to hook me.
MOONLIGHT. I considered it, but a show about vampires relegated to Friday night will probably be gone before Christmas, especially when I hear that CBS has an especially itchy trigger finger this year because they already have a complete season of "The Amazing Race" in the can and ready to go on at the first site of something faltering. And when I say itchy trigger finger, I mean that they might make a move after a couple of months, not a couple of weeks. Let's not go crazy. We're not talking about Fox, after all.
GOSSIP GIRL. Sometimes you just have to draw a line and say no.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
If I ran the show
If I were the manager of the Boston Red Sox, here is how things would go tonight:
* Start Josh Beckett. I know that historically pitchers going on three days rest in the post season have not fared well. FOX even flashed the stats last night in anticipation of this very issue. However, there are two things that sway me. First, Josh Beckett is literally the exception to the rule. Case in point, his World Series clinching complete game shutout of the Yankees in the Bronx in 2003. Would I expect another complete game from him under the circumstances? No. Simply put, that would vault him from "proven post season stud" to "October God." However, he is stronger now than he has ever been before, and there's a very good chance that he could give us a shut down performance of six innings or more, which is something we desperately need since no Sox starter has come close to doing that since he did in game one.
The other issue is Tim Wakefield. I love Wake. We all do. If you are a Sox fan from New England, you must treat Tim Wakefield like a regional treasure. However, that doesn't change the facts:
A. He is 41 years old.
B. He missed the first round with a bad back and hasn't pitched a real game since September 29.
C. He was brutal down the stretch, winning just once in his last five starts and allowing at least four runs in every September start.
Like I said, I love Wake, and he has every chance to come up huge tonight. But if the strike zone is anything like last night's fiasco, we could be in for a long night, and with the way our bullpen has been taxed that's the last thing we need. This is a complete crap shoot.
* Shake up the order. Dustin Pedroia looks a little uneasy and very impatient at the top of the order. You can't fault him. The kid's a rookie and he has been a star since April, but that is not what we need at the top of the order right now. Meanwhile, the bottom of the order has essentially been a black hole, Varitek's dinger last night being the exception. If I got to fill out the lineup card, here is what it would look like tonight:
1. Jacoby Ellsbury, CF...give the kid a chance.
2. Kevin Youkilis, 1B
3. David Ortiz, DH
4. Manny Ramirez, LF
5. Mike Lowell, 3B
6. JD Drew, RF (ugh)
7. Dustin Pedroia, 2B
8. Jason Varitek, C (Tek because Beckett would be pitching for me)
9. Julio Lugo, SS
I'm really worried tonight. However, if we can win this one we're in great shape for the rest of the series.
A rain out would also be lovely.
* Start Josh Beckett. I know that historically pitchers going on three days rest in the post season have not fared well. FOX even flashed the stats last night in anticipation of this very issue. However, there are two things that sway me. First, Josh Beckett is literally the exception to the rule. Case in point, his World Series clinching complete game shutout of the Yankees in the Bronx in 2003. Would I expect another complete game from him under the circumstances? No. Simply put, that would vault him from "proven post season stud" to "October God." However, he is stronger now than he has ever been before, and there's a very good chance that he could give us a shut down performance of six innings or more, which is something we desperately need since no Sox starter has come close to doing that since he did in game one.
The other issue is Tim Wakefield. I love Wake. We all do. If you are a Sox fan from New England, you must treat Tim Wakefield like a regional treasure. However, that doesn't change the facts:
A. He is 41 years old.
B. He missed the first round with a bad back and hasn't pitched a real game since September 29.
C. He was brutal down the stretch, winning just once in his last five starts and allowing at least four runs in every September start.
Like I said, I love Wake, and he has every chance to come up huge tonight. But if the strike zone is anything like last night's fiasco, we could be in for a long night, and with the way our bullpen has been taxed that's the last thing we need. This is a complete crap shoot.
* Shake up the order. Dustin Pedroia looks a little uneasy and very impatient at the top of the order. You can't fault him. The kid's a rookie and he has been a star since April, but that is not what we need at the top of the order right now. Meanwhile, the bottom of the order has essentially been a black hole, Varitek's dinger last night being the exception. If I got to fill out the lineup card, here is what it would look like tonight:
1. Jacoby Ellsbury, CF...give the kid a chance.
2. Kevin Youkilis, 1B
3. David Ortiz, DH
4. Manny Ramirez, LF
5. Mike Lowell, 3B
6. JD Drew, RF (ugh)
7. Dustin Pedroia, 2B
8. Jason Varitek, C (Tek because Beckett would be pitching for me)
9. Julio Lugo, SS
I'm really worried tonight. However, if we can win this one we're in great shape for the rest of the series.
A rain out would also be lovely.
Monday, October 15, 2007
Blog week, day one
I'm going to try to write a blog entry every day this week. I make no guarantees that they will be long, interesting, or good.
Here is what I ate on Saturday at the Arkansas State Fair:
One gyro
One corndog--regular size, not jumbo
Half a Diet Coke. Yeah, that's right. A Diet Coke with my corn dog.
A few bites of Beth's funnel cake.
A few sips of Beth's lemonade, which was really good and lemony.
A giant smoked turkey leg. A few bites at the fair, the rest at home. And then I took a nap.
Good stuff!
Here is what I ate on Saturday at the Arkansas State Fair:
One gyro
One corndog--regular size, not jumbo
Half a Diet Coke. Yeah, that's right. A Diet Coke with my corn dog.
A few bites of Beth's funnel cake.
A few sips of Beth's lemonade, which was really good and lemony.
A giant smoked turkey leg. A few bites at the fair, the rest at home. And then I took a nap.
Good stuff!
Friday, October 12, 2007
Haven't been feeling bloggy
I haven't been feeling too bloggy lately because I've been consumed with editing Whiffleball, planning for a Vegas trip, and watching the Sox and Pats dominate. I plan to write long blogs on each of those topics in the near future, but here are some quick hits until then:
ALCS: Sox will win, and win a lot more easily than most people think.
Pats-Cowboys: I don't know if this is a Super Bowl preview, but I do know that watching Tony Romo toss five picks against Buffalo makes me feel pretty good. Pats by double digits.
Vegas was great. Shocking. I'm still catching up on sleep and piecing together some questionable decision making--thankfully, not by me--but, wow...what a great town.
And last but certainly not least, here is a recent shot of AJ modeling something from his fall collection.
ALCS: Sox will win, and win a lot more easily than most people think.
Pats-Cowboys: I don't know if this is a Super Bowl preview, but I do know that watching Tony Romo toss five picks against Buffalo makes me feel pretty good. Pats by double digits.
Vegas was great. Shocking. I'm still catching up on sleep and piecing together some questionable decision making--thankfully, not by me--but, wow...what a great town.
And last but certainly not least, here is a recent shot of AJ modeling something from his fall collection.
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