Best new holiday treat recipe I have discovered: Alton Brown's White Trash. Three different kinds of cereal, pretzels, mixed nuts, and M&Ms all drenched in white chocolate. I've never tried crack, but I doubt it is this addictive and evil.
My three favorite entries for Christmas music: Trans Siberian Orchesta, The Muppets with John Denver, and the Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack. Although I did pick up an 80s rock Christmas CD recently and it is pretty cheesetastic too.
Most underrated reindeer: Blitzen.
Random wrapping observation: I can wrap the heck out of anything relatively flat, like a DVD or a book. But if it gets wide, forget about it. Pretty soon I'll just start blaming those terrible wrapping jobs on A.J.
I think I like multicolored lights more now than I used to.
If I'm putting booze in egg nog, it's either bourbon or spiced rum.
When I was a kid, I could not possibly imagine how my dad, or anyone else, would not want to get up at the crack of dawn on Christmas day. I get it now. It's been a fun transition so far, and it will only get even cooler every year as A.J. gets older.
Friday, December 19, 2008
Awesomeness of the Week
12 Days of Hair Metal is a series of low-fi video recordings of solo covers of 80s hair band classics, performed by Terra Naomi, shot by James Gunn. Even if you don't like hair metal, you owe it to yourself to check these out. They are fantastic. There will be a new one every day through Christmas.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
An upcoming weekend of rock
I'm getting old enough that I start to wonder what my future of listening to music is going to be like. In the 80s and early 90s I liked tons of stuff. There were plenty of mediocre to downright crappy bands that I thoroughly enjoyed, and it seems like all of that just stopped around 1992. Essentially, I blame Nirvana. So I'm stuck wondering if the songs that I listened to then are the only songs that I am really going to love for the rest of my music-appreciating life. Occasionally, there are new bands that demonstrate a flash of brilliance, but I sometimes wonder if I'm only perceiving certain songs that way compared to most of what is out there. I love The Donnas, but mainly because they often sound like they are trying to be an all-girl version of Ratt. The Killers and Fall Out Boy have each recorded songs that I think are really, really awesome but I have never bought an album from either of them. And don't even get me started on trying to listen to rock on FM radio. I mean honestly, rock radio has become a barren wasteland at this point. Hinder. Linkin Park. Buckcherry.
And Nickelback. Holy fucking shit, don't forget about Nickelback. Go to iTunes right now, and click on the top 100 rock songs, and here is what you'll see:
#1. I'd Come For You - Nickelback
#2. Gotta Be Somebody - Nickelback
#3. Never Gonna Be Alone - Nickelback
#4. If Today Was Your Last Day - Nickelback
Wow. Really?
So, this makes me retroactively understand why some people downright loathed the music that I loved in the 80s. People who didn't dig hair bands looked at the charts or the MTV countdown and saw Warrant and Whitesnake and Winger and White Lion and felt just like I felt now. I get it.
Which brings me to this weekend. Most of the time, I'm left to wonder if I'll ever enjoy any new bands as much as I still love what are now, invariably, old bands. But this weekend is different. On Saturday night, I'm seeing Metallica live. Floor seats. General admission. Anarchy. Then the following morning, Guns 'N' Roses have a new album out.
Seriously. They do. And Chuck Klosterman really likes it.
This means that, for at least one weekend, two bands that I love more than almost any others in the history of music will matter more than anything else. And for a metalhead like me, that's pretty awesome.
And Nickelback. Holy fucking shit, don't forget about Nickelback. Go to iTunes right now, and click on the top 100 rock songs, and here is what you'll see:
#1. I'd Come For You - Nickelback
#2. Gotta Be Somebody - Nickelback
#3. Never Gonna Be Alone - Nickelback
#4. If Today Was Your Last Day - Nickelback
Wow. Really?
So, this makes me retroactively understand why some people downright loathed the music that I loved in the 80s. People who didn't dig hair bands looked at the charts or the MTV countdown and saw Warrant and Whitesnake and Winger and White Lion and felt just like I felt now. I get it.
Which brings me to this weekend. Most of the time, I'm left to wonder if I'll ever enjoy any new bands as much as I still love what are now, invariably, old bands. But this weekend is different. On Saturday night, I'm seeing Metallica live. Floor seats. General admission. Anarchy. Then the following morning, Guns 'N' Roses have a new album out.
Seriously. They do. And Chuck Klosterman really likes it.
This means that, for at least one weekend, two bands that I love more than almost any others in the history of music will matter more than anything else. And for a metalhead like me, that's pretty awesome.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Monday, October 13, 2008
Tough run
Saturday: Sun Devils get shut out by USC.
Saturday night: The Red Sox lose in extra innings, partially due to at least three horrible calls that all went Tampa's way.
Sunday night: The Patriots get crushed in San Diego.
Monday: The Red Sox get blown out at home with their best pitcher on the hill.
Oh, and my money league fantasy team just lost by one point on a meaningless carry on Monday night and my starting QB that has been my best player is out for a month.
This was a particularly brutal stretch. I haven't had many bad runs like this lately and I almost forgot how much it sucks.
Saturday night: The Red Sox lose in extra innings, partially due to at least three horrible calls that all went Tampa's way.
Sunday night: The Patriots get crushed in San Diego.
Monday: The Red Sox get blown out at home with their best pitcher on the hill.
Oh, and my money league fantasy team just lost by one point on a meaningless carry on Monday night and my starting QB that has been my best player is out for a month.
This was a particularly brutal stretch. I haven't had many bad runs like this lately and I almost forgot how much it sucks.
Thursday, October 09, 2008
Community service? Really?
A friend of mine got an e-mail chain started discussing how happy he was that the Red Sox selected Tim Wakefield to start game four of the ALCS. His e-mail included this line:
<<...but no one has given more to the team, community and fans.>>
I had to jump in. I should have just kept my mouth shut, but I honestly could not help it. Here is my full reply:
<<Okay, I'm sorry, but I have to chime in on one part of this--the bit about giving to the community and the fans. Now, don't get me wrong, I love Wake too. We all do. But how exactly does anything he has done for the community or the fans factor into this decision AT ALL? If Paul Byrd signed more autographs or gave millions to charity does that mean he should get the start? By your logic we should probably start Johnny Pesky.
Absurd. Come on. Give me a break.
Wake has been left off Red Sox post season rosters multiple times before, and it's because pitching him is so dangerous. The only thing that matters is who gives us a better chance to win. We both agree that it is probably Wakefield. I don't like Paul Byrd, I think he is basically the very definition of mediocre, but I was just making a case for why he would be, in some ways, a safer choice. Since you are busting on him, I'll play devil's advocate and make a case for him. He made eights starts for the Sox, and went at least five innings every time. He allowed between two and five runs every time, aside from one start in Texas when he gave up none. His career numbers are solidly consistent, and he is what he is: a guy who is probably going to give up one run every two innings. The debate isn't whether Paul Byrd is better or worse than that, it's just if getting that from him is enough to win game four. I don't know if it is. His career OPS against current Rays is a very solid .710, and a couple of their important hitters, including Evan Longoria, have never faced him. That is part of his upside.
So let's talk about Wake. He had two starts in September when he couldn't make it out of the third inning. He's also had three starts since August when he surrendered no runs. In other words, he's exactly what we think he is. The Rays stole two bases off him each time they faced him this year, whereas Byrd surrendered only five the entire season. We all like Wake because he throws a goofy pitch and he has been here since 1995. Neither of these are reasons for him to start an ALCS game. We also will tolerate a Wake blow-up a lot more readily than a Byrd one, because if Timmeh doesn't have it, then that is just Wake being Wake. But if Byrd were to get shelled, then he would get cursed by some for not being "a true Red Sock" or some such ridiculous thing, which veers perilously close to Yankee territory for me.
We're facing Andy Sonnanstine in game four, who shut us down in two huge back-to-back starts against us in September (13 IP, 7 hits, 0 earned runs, two wins), and that is a big part of why I think Wake is the way to go. We might need a shutout, and that is something you can never count on from Paul Fricking Byrd.
I guess the bottom line is that I agree with you but for completely different reasons.>>
Now I am clearly the bad guy of this thread, as a friend's girlfriend quickly chimed in with the following:
<<"But how exactly does anything he has done for the community or the fans factor into this decision AT ALL?"
Um, isn't it the income from the community and the fans that ultimately pays Wake's salary? And the salaries of everyone in the club for that matter? Aren't they inextricably linked as a result?
I lend one of the few distaff voices on this little email chain and so perhaps it will be viewed as overly romantic (and, admittedly, it is overly romantic) but, I don't see anything wrong with the motive for starting Wake being his efforts on and off the field. Kevin, I like your thinking. Especially when it seems that Byrd or Wake is six or one half dozen, so to speak, why not make it about who he is as a pitcher AND as a person to the fans and the club. Isn't that part of the reason we all love this club? The romance of the team? Did we not all eat up "Cowboy Up" and "Lovable idiots?" and, my personal favorite, a billboard in Fenway that read (before '04) "86 years and no ring but still happily married. Red Sox, a different breed of fan." Isn't it exactly this kind of connection and nostalgia that discerns us as a team and as fans from that other, hated, pinstripe army to the south (lately a fallen army, but whatever, they're still dicks)?
Remind yourself why you've been a fan all your life. Yes, most of us were born there so maybe it was incidental at the outset. And, yes, the strategy discussion to which much of this email chain has been devoted is, of course, paramount in choosing postseason pitching rotation. However, there is some of what Kevin is talking about in the decision making process (or at least the club lets the fans believe that and that's part of our pride). So, I address only that portion of the email exchange.>>
Once again, I cannot let this go unanswered. So I replied:
<<"Um, isn't it the income from the community and the fans that ultimately pays Wake's salary? And the salaries of everyone in the club for that matter? Aren't they inextricably linked as a result?">>
Well, the Red Sox home attendance was over 100% of Fenway's capacity this year, just as it has been every year dating back to 2003. Byrd's starts sell just as many tickets as Wake's, so I really see no connection there at all. Wakefield should pitch because fans like him more? If anything, this regime has shown that they are more than willing to make unpopular decisions that benefit the team on the field. Trading Nomar was generally a wildly unpopular move at the time and all it did was win us the World Series. Many people were in an uproar over the Manny trade this year and so far that one is working out too. And last season Wake himself was left off the World Series roster and all we did was sweep our way to another title. I feel bad because somehow it seems like I'm coming off anti-Wake in all of this, and I'm not at all. But if you think Tito and Theo and John Farrell sat down to discuss the ALCS rotation and Wake's popularity, service to the community, or anything like that factored into the decision then, well...I don't even know what to tell you. It's beyond ludicrous. Look, I hope Wake goes out and the knuckle is dancing and he throws eight innings of shutout ball. I understand the appeal of that as a great story, and I would love it, but ultimately I don't care if we win 1-0 behind a Wakefield gem or 9-8 in a Paul Byrd slugfest. I just want the Red Sox to win. Baseball is overly romanticized and the Red Sox get that treatment more than anyone. I love the Red Sox because I was born and raised in Massachusetts and that is all I know. If I was born in Pittsburgh then I'd probably be pining for the beloved Pirates to get back to the playoffs. I like this Red Sox team, and I like a lot of the players, but I most certainly root for the uniform. David Wells was one of my all-time most hated players, and it took less than one inning of him pitching for us for me to yell "yeah, Boomer!" at the TV and to mean it. Manny Ramirez provided some of the most enjoyable baseball viewing experiences I have ever had and now I cannot wait to boo him like a convicted felon. Obviously if Wake wins game four that is a great story, and better than anything Paul Byrd could do. I understand all of that. But as for the spot in the rotation, to quote one of (the topic starter's) favorites, Clint Eastwood in "Unforgiven," "deserve's got nothing to do with it."
(Topic starter) mentioned the notion of being offended earlier (if Byrd were considered). Well, I would be outraged if sentimentality played any part in making a decision this important. I'm a Red Sox fan. I want the Red Sox to win. Every time I watch, I want them to win that game, and every year I want them to win the World Series. All of my rooting interests come solely from that.
I'm flabbergasted that anyone that is a real fan could think even remotely differently.
<<...but no one has given more to the team, community and fans.>>
I had to jump in. I should have just kept my mouth shut, but I honestly could not help it. Here is my full reply:
<<Okay, I'm sorry, but I have to chime in on one part of this--the bit about giving to the community and the fans. Now, don't get me wrong, I love Wake too. We all do. But how exactly does anything he has done for the community or the fans factor into this decision AT ALL? If Paul Byrd signed more autographs or gave millions to charity does that mean he should get the start? By your logic we should probably start Johnny Pesky.
Absurd. Come on. Give me a break.
Wake has been left off Red Sox post season rosters multiple times before, and it's because pitching him is so dangerous. The only thing that matters is who gives us a better chance to win. We both agree that it is probably Wakefield. I don't like Paul Byrd, I think he is basically the very definition of mediocre, but I was just making a case for why he would be, in some ways, a safer choice. Since you are busting on him, I'll play devil's advocate and make a case for him. He made eights starts for the Sox, and went at least five innings every time. He allowed between two and five runs every time, aside from one start in Texas when he gave up none. His career numbers are solidly consistent, and he is what he is: a guy who is probably going to give up one run every two innings. The debate isn't whether Paul Byrd is better or worse than that, it's just if getting that from him is enough to win game four. I don't know if it is. His career OPS against current Rays is a very solid .710, and a couple of their important hitters, including Evan Longoria, have never faced him. That is part of his upside.
So let's talk about Wake. He had two starts in September when he couldn't make it out of the third inning. He's also had three starts since August when he surrendered no runs. In other words, he's exactly what we think he is. The Rays stole two bases off him each time they faced him this year, whereas Byrd surrendered only five the entire season. We all like Wake because he throws a goofy pitch and he has been here since 1995. Neither of these are reasons for him to start an ALCS game. We also will tolerate a Wake blow-up a lot more readily than a Byrd one, because if Timmeh doesn't have it, then that is just Wake being Wake. But if Byrd were to get shelled, then he would get cursed by some for not being "a true Red Sock" or some such ridiculous thing, which veers perilously close to Yankee territory for me.
We're facing Andy Sonnanstine in game four, who shut us down in two huge back-to-back starts against us in September (13 IP, 7 hits, 0 earned runs, two wins), and that is a big part of why I think Wake is the way to go. We might need a shutout, and that is something you can never count on from Paul Fricking Byrd.
I guess the bottom line is that I agree with you but for completely different reasons.>>
Now I am clearly the bad guy of this thread, as a friend's girlfriend quickly chimed in with the following:
<<"But how exactly does anything he has done for the community or the fans factor into this decision AT ALL?"
Um, isn't it the income from the community and the fans that ultimately pays Wake's salary? And the salaries of everyone in the club for that matter? Aren't they inextricably linked as a result?
I lend one of the few distaff voices on this little email chain and so perhaps it will be viewed as overly romantic (and, admittedly, it is overly romantic) but, I don't see anything wrong with the motive for starting Wake being his efforts on and off the field. Kevin, I like your thinking. Especially when it seems that Byrd or Wake is six or one half dozen, so to speak, why not make it about who he is as a pitcher AND as a person to the fans and the club. Isn't that part of the reason we all love this club? The romance of the team? Did we not all eat up "Cowboy Up" and "Lovable idiots?" and, my personal favorite, a billboard in Fenway that read (before '04) "86 years and no ring but still happily married. Red Sox, a different breed of fan." Isn't it exactly this kind of connection and nostalgia that discerns us as a team and as fans from that other, hated, pinstripe army to the south (lately a fallen army, but whatever, they're still dicks)?
Remind yourself why you've been a fan all your life. Yes, most of us were born there so maybe it was incidental at the outset. And, yes, the strategy discussion to which much of this email chain has been devoted is, of course, paramount in choosing postseason pitching rotation. However, there is some of what Kevin is talking about in the decision making process (or at least the club lets the fans believe that and that's part of our pride). So, I address only that portion of the email exchange.>>
Once again, I cannot let this go unanswered. So I replied:
<<"Um, isn't it the income from the community and the fans that ultimately pays Wake's salary? And the salaries of everyone in the club for that matter? Aren't they inextricably linked as a result?">>
Well, the Red Sox home attendance was over 100% of Fenway's capacity this year, just as it has been every year dating back to 2003. Byrd's starts sell just as many tickets as Wake's, so I really see no connection there at all. Wakefield should pitch because fans like him more? If anything, this regime has shown that they are more than willing to make unpopular decisions that benefit the team on the field. Trading Nomar was generally a wildly unpopular move at the time and all it did was win us the World Series. Many people were in an uproar over the Manny trade this year and so far that one is working out too. And last season Wake himself was left off the World Series roster and all we did was sweep our way to another title. I feel bad because somehow it seems like I'm coming off anti-Wake in all of this, and I'm not at all. But if you think Tito and Theo and John Farrell sat down to discuss the ALCS rotation and Wake's popularity, service to the community, or anything like that factored into the decision then, well...I don't even know what to tell you. It's beyond ludicrous. Look, I hope Wake goes out and the knuckle is dancing and he throws eight innings of shutout ball. I understand the appeal of that as a great story, and I would love it, but ultimately I don't care if we win 1-0 behind a Wakefield gem or 9-8 in a Paul Byrd slugfest. I just want the Red Sox to win. Baseball is overly romanticized and the Red Sox get that treatment more than anyone. I love the Red Sox because I was born and raised in Massachusetts and that is all I know. If I was born in Pittsburgh then I'd probably be pining for the beloved Pirates to get back to the playoffs. I like this Red Sox team, and I like a lot of the players, but I most certainly root for the uniform. David Wells was one of my all-time most hated players, and it took less than one inning of him pitching for us for me to yell "yeah, Boomer!" at the TV and to mean it. Manny Ramirez provided some of the most enjoyable baseball viewing experiences I have ever had and now I cannot wait to boo him like a convicted felon. Obviously if Wake wins game four that is a great story, and better than anything Paul Byrd could do. I understand all of that. But as for the spot in the rotation, to quote one of (the topic starter's) favorites, Clint Eastwood in "Unforgiven," "deserve's got nothing to do with it."
(Topic starter) mentioned the notion of being offended earlier (if Byrd were considered). Well, I would be outraged if sentimentality played any part in making a decision this important. I'm a Red Sox fan. I want the Red Sox to win. Every time I watch, I want them to win that game, and every year I want them to win the World Series. All of my rooting interests come solely from that.
I'm flabbergasted that anyone that is a real fan could think even remotely differently.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Pats wrap
Nice win for the Patriots on Sunday. So how did they do on the points I stressed?
* Turnover battle: A 1-0 win. I'll take that every week. Cassel did a pretty good job making smart decisions. He took a couple of sacks that looked a little iffy but he took care of the football, which is now job one for him the rest of the way.
* Running game: 33 carries for a tough 104 yards, but because so many came in the crucial second half it felt like more. Lamont Jordan really brought the hammer when he came in: 11 carries for 62 yards, a 5.6 average. I don't know if they plan to continue using him as a late game closer but he really looked explosive and strong.
* Third down defense: once again, they allowed a 50% conversion rate. Favre made a couple of great, vintage Brett Favre plays on third and long. It happens, and overall I was happy with the effort on third down aside from a few plays with missed tackles.
All in all, this was a really great win. We beat a solid football team on the road and our quarterback who hadn't started since 1999 at Chatsworth High did what we asked him to do. Matt Cassel's final line: 16-23, 165dyards, 69.6% completion rate. There will be weeks when we need him to throw downfielf more often, but I think that efforts like this will get the job done a lot this year. Nice work.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
The Cassel Pats, week one
I'm now genuinely excited to watch Matt Cassel lead the Patriots today. I hate the Jets with a passion and there's not much in life more fun that watching a team from Boston beat one from New York in anything. Here's what needs to happen today to make that happen once again:
* The Pats must win the turnover battle. Luckily, the opposing quarterback has thrown more interceptions than any player in football history. Cassel just needs to make good decisions today, and I think he can do that. I also look for him to make a couple of plays scrambling--which is something we never actively hope or root for with Tom Brady.
* The Pats need to do a better job on the ground. Last week they rushed for just over 120 yards against the Chiefs, with Laurence Maroney and Sammy Morris splitting carries and yards equally. Look for more of the same today, with slightly better results.
* The Pats defense needs to get off the field on third down. This was a huge problem last week against the Chiefs, who converted half of their 16 third down plays. That can't happen on the road against Brett Favre.
This will probably be a pretty tight game, and I'm not looking forward to the wild media overreaction no matter what happens. Either it will be "The Pats are done, end of an era, pass the torch to the Jets!" or "Cassel takes over, it's 2001 all over again!" It's neither. We just need Matt Cassel to play well enough for us to win. I think he'll do it.
* The Pats must win the turnover battle. Luckily, the opposing quarterback has thrown more interceptions than any player in football history. Cassel just needs to make good decisions today, and I think he can do that. I also look for him to make a couple of plays scrambling--which is something we never actively hope or root for with Tom Brady.
* The Pats need to do a better job on the ground. Last week they rushed for just over 120 yards against the Chiefs, with Laurence Maroney and Sammy Morris splitting carries and yards equally. Look for more of the same today, with slightly better results.
* The Pats defense needs to get off the field on third down. This was a huge problem last week against the Chiefs, who converted half of their 16 third down plays. That can't happen on the road against Brett Favre.
This will probably be a pretty tight game, and I'm not looking forward to the wild media overreaction no matter what happens. Either it will be "The Pats are done, end of an era, pass the torch to the Jets!" or "Cassel takes over, it's 2001 all over again!" It's neither. We just need Matt Cassel to play well enough for us to win. I think he'll do it.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Faces you want to punch
Do you occasionally see someone's face and it just makes you want to punch them? Yeah, me too. Here are some.
PETE WENTZ. Highly punchable face, and I even like some of his band's songs.
SPENCER PRATT. It just annoys me to no end that I even know who this douchebag is. Clearly one of the most punchable people on this planet or any other.
CHRISTIAN SOMEBODYOROTHER. I have never watched whatever fashion reality show this punk was on, but just seeing him get parodied on Saturday Night Live was so annoying I wished I could reach through the screen of my TV to punch him in the face.
MIKE BIBBY. It was amazing how badly I wanted to cold-cock this guy during the Celts-Hawks series. And it has nothing to do with his game, which is insubstantial. He just has one of those mugs that screams "Please hit me right in the nose."
JUNIOR STEINBRENNER. Too obvious, sure. But is there any ownership figure in sports more deserving of a busted lip than this blowhard? You know what else blows hard? The 4th place New York Yankees!
FIREMAN ED THE JET FAN. J! E! R! K! JERK!JERK!JERK!
ALL THREE JONAS BROTHERS...with one big, continuous haymaker. PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH. Like something you'd see in a cartoon or a Three Stooges episode.
BILL MAHER. What a smarmy little prick this guy is. KABOOM, right in his self-important mouth.
THAT FRENCH SWIMMER FROM THE OLYMPICS. Zut alors!
PETE WENTZ. Highly punchable face, and I even like some of his band's songs.
SPENCER PRATT. It just annoys me to no end that I even know who this douchebag is. Clearly one of the most punchable people on this planet or any other.
CHRISTIAN SOMEBODYOROTHER. I have never watched whatever fashion reality show this punk was on, but just seeing him get parodied on Saturday Night Live was so annoying I wished I could reach through the screen of my TV to punch him in the face.
MIKE BIBBY. It was amazing how badly I wanted to cold-cock this guy during the Celts-Hawks series. And it has nothing to do with his game, which is insubstantial. He just has one of those mugs that screams "Please hit me right in the nose."
JUNIOR STEINBRENNER. Too obvious, sure. But is there any ownership figure in sports more deserving of a busted lip than this blowhard? You know what else blows hard? The 4th place New York Yankees!
FIREMAN ED THE JET FAN. J! E! R! K! JERK!JERK!JERK!
ALL THREE JONAS BROTHERS...with one big, continuous haymaker. PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH. Like something you'd see in a cartoon or a Three Stooges episode.
BILL MAHER. What a smarmy little prick this guy is. KABOOM, right in his self-important mouth.
THAT FRENCH SWIMMER FROM THE OLYMPICS. Zut alors!
Friday, September 12, 2008
Random photo of the day
So not too long ago I was making dinner and opted for some Uncle Ben's microwaveable rice. It's actually really good, it's a nice change of pace from what I usually make, and it is ready in 90 seconds. Or, apparently, a little bit less. Here's what happened about 80 seconds in.
Now, I know that microwaves have different strengths, and sometimes things take different amounts of time to cook. But I had already made this EXACT rice in this microwave before without incident. So yeah...it's about as funny as things get when making your basic dinner side dish. It sounded like a frickin' gun went off in the kitchen, by the way. I think I might write a letter to Mr. Ben and attach the photo. Do you think he might give me some free rice?
Now, I know that microwaves have different strengths, and sometimes things take different amounts of time to cook. But I had already made this EXACT rice in this microwave before without incident. So yeah...it's about as funny as things get when making your basic dinner side dish. It sounded like a frickin' gun went off in the kitchen, by the way. I think I might write a letter to Mr. Ben and attach the photo. Do you think he might give me some free rice?
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Pop Culture Calendar
Fall is a great time of year for new pop culture stuff from every medium. Here's a Top 25 list of what I'm looking forward to:
(25. The Matt Cassel era in Foxboro. Okay, this doesn't really count but I wanted 25 items on the list. And I am genuinely excited about it in a weird way.)
24. The return of "good" reality shows like Survivor, The Amazing Race, and The Biggest Loser. Yes, I know the term might seem like an oxymoron, but the summer network TV schedule was downright depressing. America's Top Dog? People jumping on giant rubber balls? Japanese game shows? Really, this is the best we could do in the wake of the strike? I'm telling you, I really should be in network TV programming because I promise I could do better than this.
23. 30 Rock (season 2) on DVD. This show is brilliant. They catch some flak for the crazy number of guest stars, but it really works within the context of the show. Season two had some legendary moments that I'm really looking forward to watching again. Werewolf bar mitzvah, anyone?
22. Rough Weather, a novel by Robert B. Parker. His novels have been hit or miss lately, but I still pick up every Spenser book as soon as it comes out. This will be no exception.
21. Spore PC videogame. This comes from the makers of "The Sims" and could have been titled "SimEverything." You create your own life forms and guide them through various stages of evolution, from the birth of their existence through intergalactic space travel. Yeah, super geeky. Whatever, I'm in.
20. Chuck (season 1) on DVD. This is one of the most enjoyable shows on television. I was hooked right from the pilot and I cannot wait to watch the incredible first season again. The nearly no-name cast is one of the best on TV.
19. Entourage season 5 on HBO. I have an irrational love for this show, and it will be interesting to see the course it takes this year after lead character Vincent Chase suffered a box office bomb to wrap up season four.
18. Just After Sunset, a short story collection from Stephen King. This one is a must for me. Some of his past short stories are classics.
17. Fringe, on FOX. It's Sci-Fi, it's J.J. Abrams, and it's got Pacey from Dawson's Creek. That is not the order of things that makes me interested in this show but I'll be giving it a shot.
16. Lost season four on Blu-Ray (December). It looks absolutely gorgeous in Hi Def and some of last year's plot points practically demand a second viewing. The Constant? The (spoiler alert?) island-moving frozen donkey wheel? Jin going kablooie? Yeah, I need to see everything again.
15. Heroes season three on NBC. I like the fact that the producers outright admitted that they made some major mistakes last year. The writers' strike killed any momentum that they could have generated at the end of the year, so I think shutting it down and starting up this fall was the right call. Everything I've seen and read so far looks promising.
14. and 13. (tie) How I Met Your Mother, seasons three (DVD) and four (CBS). I was a latecomer to this show, which is kind of a problem...because it is absolutely AWESOME. Everything about it is great. The concept is as fresh as could be for a multi-cam sitcom. The cast is incredibly appealing. The writing is sharp and hilarious. I just love this show! Here's my only problem: I'm still catching up via DVD, so I'm a full season behind, and the new season starts over a month earlier than last season's DVD comes out. Who scheduled that?!? Terrible call. But I'll DVR it until I get caught up in October. It will be legen...wait for it...DARY!
12. 30 Rock season three on NBC. This show might be going down but they're going down swinging. Bring on more stunt guest star casting. Whatever it takes to keep it alive!
11. The Brass Verdict, a novel by Michael Connelly. I think he has supplanted Parker as my favorite crime fiction writer going today. Everything he writes is thoroughly enjoyable and engaging, and this new one looks like a crossover title involving his main guy, Harry Bosch, and recently introduced lawyer Mickey Haller. I'm in. If you have never read him and enjoy a good cop/P.I. yarn, just start at the beginning. You'll love them.
10. Forgetting Sarah Marshall on Blu-Ray. This was really clever, funny, and cute. I'm not sure how they are coming up with enough extras to fill up three regular DVDs but I can't wait to find out. Russell Brand was hilarious in this, unlike his trainwreck of a showing hosting the MTV awards on Sunday.
9. The Office season five on NBC. I adore this show. The Supersizing episodes last fall may not have been the best idea, but as a whole they had a great year. I cannot wait to see where and how things pick up this fall.
8. The Force Unleashed videogame on PS3. Kicking ass and using the full array of Force powers as Darth Vader's secret apprentice between episodes three and four? Hell yeah! The video clips look phenomenal. I apologize in advance for all the poor Wookiees I'm going to slaughter playing this game. I still love you, Wookiees. Nothing personal.
7. Iron Man on Blu-Ray. The Dark Knight might be a better film, but Iron Man was probably the most enjoyable movie of the summer. I can't to pop this one in again and watch it in glorious HD.
6. Chuck season two on NBC. I watched a six minute trailer of the upcoming season that they showed at ComiCon and...wow. It looks incredible. Kudos to NBC for giving this show the support it deserves.
5. Quantum of Solace, in theatres in November. Casino Royale rocked and the whole James Bond reboot idea was long overdue. I hear this one picks up ten minutes after the end of the last movie. Cool idea. I'm so there.
4. Downtown Owl, a novel by Chuck Klosterman. Klosterman has become my favorite writer. His pop culture books are instant classics, whether I completely agree with what he is saying or almost laugh out loud at some ridiculous positions he takes. This is his first novel and I'm in, sight unseen. I don't know what it's about, and I don't care. He might be the only author that I can say that about right now: that I will immediately buy whatever he writes without knowing a thing about it: fiction, non-fiction, whatever. He's that entertaining. Okay, the same goes for Bill Simmons, my long lost twin brother. But that's a blog for another day.
3. Zack and Miri Make a Porno, in theatres October 31. Kevin Smith. Seth Rogen. Elizabeth Banks. Justin Long. Amateurs making a porno spoofing Star Wars. Yes, I'll be seeing this one. Also, I guarantee that this is Smith's biggest box office success to date, and it won't even be close.
2. Rock Band 2 videogame for PS3. Rock Band was one of the biggest breakthroughs in the history of videogames, and it is so fun it's ridiculous. From all accounts they've taken everything great and improved it for round two. This cannot come out soon enough for me.
1. DEATH MAGNETIC, a CD by Metallica, available Friday. I've heard a few snippets of several of the songs and it sounds far and away like the best stuff they have done since The Black Album. One review I read said it's like a missing album bridging that and "...And Justice For All." St. Anger was almost impossible to listen to, so my hopes are high for a rebound. So far it sounds amazing.
So that's what I'll be consuming this fall.
(25. The Matt Cassel era in Foxboro. Okay, this doesn't really count but I wanted 25 items on the list. And I am genuinely excited about it in a weird way.)
24. The return of "good" reality shows like Survivor, The Amazing Race, and The Biggest Loser. Yes, I know the term might seem like an oxymoron, but the summer network TV schedule was downright depressing. America's Top Dog? People jumping on giant rubber balls? Japanese game shows? Really, this is the best we could do in the wake of the strike? I'm telling you, I really should be in network TV programming because I promise I could do better than this.
23. 30 Rock (season 2) on DVD. This show is brilliant. They catch some flak for the crazy number of guest stars, but it really works within the context of the show. Season two had some legendary moments that I'm really looking forward to watching again. Werewolf bar mitzvah, anyone?
22. Rough Weather, a novel by Robert B. Parker. His novels have been hit or miss lately, but I still pick up every Spenser book as soon as it comes out. This will be no exception.
21. Spore PC videogame. This comes from the makers of "The Sims" and could have been titled "SimEverything." You create your own life forms and guide them through various stages of evolution, from the birth of their existence through intergalactic space travel. Yeah, super geeky. Whatever, I'm in.
20. Chuck (season 1) on DVD. This is one of the most enjoyable shows on television. I was hooked right from the pilot and I cannot wait to watch the incredible first season again. The nearly no-name cast is one of the best on TV.
19. Entourage season 5 on HBO. I have an irrational love for this show, and it will be interesting to see the course it takes this year after lead character Vincent Chase suffered a box office bomb to wrap up season four.
18. Just After Sunset, a short story collection from Stephen King. This one is a must for me. Some of his past short stories are classics.
17. Fringe, on FOX. It's Sci-Fi, it's J.J. Abrams, and it's got Pacey from Dawson's Creek. That is not the order of things that makes me interested in this show but I'll be giving it a shot.
16. Lost season four on Blu-Ray (December). It looks absolutely gorgeous in Hi Def and some of last year's plot points practically demand a second viewing. The Constant? The (spoiler alert?) island-moving frozen donkey wheel? Jin going kablooie? Yeah, I need to see everything again.
15. Heroes season three on NBC. I like the fact that the producers outright admitted that they made some major mistakes last year. The writers' strike killed any momentum that they could have generated at the end of the year, so I think shutting it down and starting up this fall was the right call. Everything I've seen and read so far looks promising.
14. and 13. (tie) How I Met Your Mother, seasons three (DVD) and four (CBS). I was a latecomer to this show, which is kind of a problem...because it is absolutely AWESOME. Everything about it is great. The concept is as fresh as could be for a multi-cam sitcom. The cast is incredibly appealing. The writing is sharp and hilarious. I just love this show! Here's my only problem: I'm still catching up via DVD, so I'm a full season behind, and the new season starts over a month earlier than last season's DVD comes out. Who scheduled that?!? Terrible call. But I'll DVR it until I get caught up in October. It will be legen...wait for it...DARY!
12. 30 Rock season three on NBC. This show might be going down but they're going down swinging. Bring on more stunt guest star casting. Whatever it takes to keep it alive!
11. The Brass Verdict, a novel by Michael Connelly. I think he has supplanted Parker as my favorite crime fiction writer going today. Everything he writes is thoroughly enjoyable and engaging, and this new one looks like a crossover title involving his main guy, Harry Bosch, and recently introduced lawyer Mickey Haller. I'm in. If you have never read him and enjoy a good cop/P.I. yarn, just start at the beginning. You'll love them.
10. Forgetting Sarah Marshall on Blu-Ray. This was really clever, funny, and cute. I'm not sure how they are coming up with enough extras to fill up three regular DVDs but I can't wait to find out. Russell Brand was hilarious in this, unlike his trainwreck of a showing hosting the MTV awards on Sunday.
9. The Office season five on NBC. I adore this show. The Supersizing episodes last fall may not have been the best idea, but as a whole they had a great year. I cannot wait to see where and how things pick up this fall.
8. The Force Unleashed videogame on PS3. Kicking ass and using the full array of Force powers as Darth Vader's secret apprentice between episodes three and four? Hell yeah! The video clips look phenomenal. I apologize in advance for all the poor Wookiees I'm going to slaughter playing this game. I still love you, Wookiees. Nothing personal.
7. Iron Man on Blu-Ray. The Dark Knight might be a better film, but Iron Man was probably the most enjoyable movie of the summer. I can't to pop this one in again and watch it in glorious HD.
6. Chuck season two on NBC. I watched a six minute trailer of the upcoming season that they showed at ComiCon and...wow. It looks incredible. Kudos to NBC for giving this show the support it deserves.
5. Quantum of Solace, in theatres in November. Casino Royale rocked and the whole James Bond reboot idea was long overdue. I hear this one picks up ten minutes after the end of the last movie. Cool idea. I'm so there.
4. Downtown Owl, a novel by Chuck Klosterman. Klosterman has become my favorite writer. His pop culture books are instant classics, whether I completely agree with what he is saying or almost laugh out loud at some ridiculous positions he takes. This is his first novel and I'm in, sight unseen. I don't know what it's about, and I don't care. He might be the only author that I can say that about right now: that I will immediately buy whatever he writes without knowing a thing about it: fiction, non-fiction, whatever. He's that entertaining. Okay, the same goes for Bill Simmons, my long lost twin brother. But that's a blog for another day.
3. Zack and Miri Make a Porno, in theatres October 31. Kevin Smith. Seth Rogen. Elizabeth Banks. Justin Long. Amateurs making a porno spoofing Star Wars. Yes, I'll be seeing this one. Also, I guarantee that this is Smith's biggest box office success to date, and it won't even be close.
2. Rock Band 2 videogame for PS3. Rock Band was one of the biggest breakthroughs in the history of videogames, and it is so fun it's ridiculous. From all accounts they've taken everything great and improved it for round two. This cannot come out soon enough for me.
1. DEATH MAGNETIC, a CD by Metallica, available Friday. I've heard a few snippets of several of the songs and it sounds far and away like the best stuff they have done since The Black Album. One review I read said it's like a missing album bridging that and "...And Justice For All." St. Anger was almost impossible to listen to, so my hopes are high for a rebound. So far it sounds amazing.
So that's what I'll be consuming this fall.
Monday, September 08, 2008
The Silver Lining
Tom Brady is out for the season, in case you haven’t heard.
I would have to brush up on my five stages of grief from freshman psych, but suffice it to say that I have already moved on to “acceptance.” He’s out, he’s down for the season, and there is nothing we can do about that part. I have to stop reading message boards about it, because the anti-Patriot schadenfreude is off the charts. People hate us. I get it. But the sheer glee, the celebration at a man’s debilitating injury is sickening. Look, I hate Peyton Manning with a passion, but I would absolutely not dance a celebratory jig if he blew out his knee. Shawne Merriman is quite possibly my least favorite current NFL player and he almost certainly IS going to (stupidly, by his own choice) blow out his knee at some point this year, and while the Chargers are at least a tangential rival of the Pats, I will take no joy from it. So, to sum up, the internet trolls who spout garbage like “karma is a bitch” or “it couldn’t happen to a better guy/team” can just go die.
Now…on to the rest of the season. Or, as I shall now call it:
LOOKING FOR THE SILVER LINING WHEN THE BEST QB OF ALL-TIME GOES DOWN
First, Matt Cassel actually looked pretty good on Sunday. His pre-season performance was so uninspired that I actively hoped we would cut him loose. But obviously Bill Belichick, as usual, is smarter than everyone else. Cassel knows this system, and the coaches know what he can and cannot do. The people instantly writing this team off are simply misguided. We still have the best receiving tandem in the league, and that’s worth a lot—case in point, the 50 yard gain on a great adjustment by Randy Moss yesterday. There will be plenty more of those, by him, by Wes Welker, and by the rest of our talented pass-catchers. Losing one guy, even an All-World quarterback, is by no means a death sentence for the 2008 season.
We also happen to have four running backs that are pretty good. The offensive line has been pretty suspect since the end of last season, and they clearly need to step it up. We’re not going to be chucking it around the field 40-50 times a game any more. We’re just not. There’s some talent on the line. Enough to win some games by just grinding it out? We’ll see. The schedule is soft enough that we should be able to do exactly that at times.
But the biggest upside of this whole situation is the instant readjustment of expectations. Last year obviously ended on a horrible note, and it’s because that team was so ridiculously good, but all they’ll be remembered for is the final inability to seal the deal. Simply put, that sucks. We re-wrote the record books and had the best 18 game stretch of any team in the history of the sport, and in the end it counted for nothing. The Pats even hung an ill-advised banner to commemorate the regular season—a huge mistake. But really, the days of having a league-wide bullseye on our backs should be over, at least for the remainder of the season.
And that’s actually kind of cool.
What it means is that we don’t have to hang on every single game, with any loss being sickening. Because we had become that good. Don’t get me wrong—I had so much fun with that last season that it was insane, and I really hope to return to that level of dominance as soon as next season. But the Matt Cassel era gives us a different rooting opportunity. Now we can live week to week with dampened hopes. We can be happy with every single win. We can dream about possibly still winning the division. We can aim for the playoffs, with the memory that anything can happen then. We can root for a quarterback that has not started a game since he was in high school. And we can rub it in everyone’s faces when the Patriots continue to play like the Patriots.
Mark my words: this is far from over. The Patriots will make the playoffs. In fact, they will still win the AFC East. They get to truly play the underdog role that they have relished, and get to legitimately flaunt the “no respect” card that they love to play. We’ll see what happens, but I think it’s going to be a fun ride. And for the first time in a long time, it’s okay to view something that ends with less than a Super Bowl victory as a successful season.
I already can't wait for the Jets game Sunday.
I would have to brush up on my five stages of grief from freshman psych, but suffice it to say that I have already moved on to “acceptance.” He’s out, he’s down for the season, and there is nothing we can do about that part. I have to stop reading message boards about it, because the anti-Patriot schadenfreude is off the charts. People hate us. I get it. But the sheer glee, the celebration at a man’s debilitating injury is sickening. Look, I hate Peyton Manning with a passion, but I would absolutely not dance a celebratory jig if he blew out his knee. Shawne Merriman is quite possibly my least favorite current NFL player and he almost certainly IS going to (stupidly, by his own choice) blow out his knee at some point this year, and while the Chargers are at least a tangential rival of the Pats, I will take no joy from it. So, to sum up, the internet trolls who spout garbage like “karma is a bitch” or “it couldn’t happen to a better guy/team” can just go die.
Now…on to the rest of the season. Or, as I shall now call it:
LOOKING FOR THE SILVER LINING WHEN THE BEST QB OF ALL-TIME GOES DOWN
First, Matt Cassel actually looked pretty good on Sunday. His pre-season performance was so uninspired that I actively hoped we would cut him loose. But obviously Bill Belichick, as usual, is smarter than everyone else. Cassel knows this system, and the coaches know what he can and cannot do. The people instantly writing this team off are simply misguided. We still have the best receiving tandem in the league, and that’s worth a lot—case in point, the 50 yard gain on a great adjustment by Randy Moss yesterday. There will be plenty more of those, by him, by Wes Welker, and by the rest of our talented pass-catchers. Losing one guy, even an All-World quarterback, is by no means a death sentence for the 2008 season.
We also happen to have four running backs that are pretty good. The offensive line has been pretty suspect since the end of last season, and they clearly need to step it up. We’re not going to be chucking it around the field 40-50 times a game any more. We’re just not. There’s some talent on the line. Enough to win some games by just grinding it out? We’ll see. The schedule is soft enough that we should be able to do exactly that at times.
But the biggest upside of this whole situation is the instant readjustment of expectations. Last year obviously ended on a horrible note, and it’s because that team was so ridiculously good, but all they’ll be remembered for is the final inability to seal the deal. Simply put, that sucks. We re-wrote the record books and had the best 18 game stretch of any team in the history of the sport, and in the end it counted for nothing. The Pats even hung an ill-advised banner to commemorate the regular season—a huge mistake. But really, the days of having a league-wide bullseye on our backs should be over, at least for the remainder of the season.
And that’s actually kind of cool.
What it means is that we don’t have to hang on every single game, with any loss being sickening. Because we had become that good. Don’t get me wrong—I had so much fun with that last season that it was insane, and I really hope to return to that level of dominance as soon as next season. But the Matt Cassel era gives us a different rooting opportunity. Now we can live week to week with dampened hopes. We can be happy with every single win. We can dream about possibly still winning the division. We can aim for the playoffs, with the memory that anything can happen then. We can root for a quarterback that has not started a game since he was in high school. And we can rub it in everyone’s faces when the Patriots continue to play like the Patriots.
Mark my words: this is far from over. The Patriots will make the playoffs. In fact, they will still win the AFC East. They get to truly play the underdog role that they have relished, and get to legitimately flaunt the “no respect” card that they love to play. We’ll see what happens, but I think it’s going to be a fun ride. And for the first time in a long time, it’s okay to view something that ends with less than a Super Bowl victory as a successful season.
I already can't wait for the Jets game Sunday.
Wednesday, September 03, 2008
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
Sports occurences that are "wrong"
There are some things wrong in sports that have just been done for so long that people rarely question them. These are basically little things, but it still bugs me. Here are a few:
Defensive indifference in baseball. I hate this rule, which refers to a runner not getting credit for a stolen base simply because the catcher chose not to throw the ball. It is really only ever ruled this way in the 9th inning, and it’s just a stupid rule. The guy went from first to second. He stole the bag. Give him a steal.
The timing on coaches not going for two points in football. Say that a team is down by 15 points and they score a touchdown. Clearly, they need to score one touchdown, one extra point, another touchdown, and a two point conversion to tie the game up. Coaches, almost universally, will always kick the extra point the first time they score. All this does is defer the two point try to a later possession, thus denying the coach of the knowledge of whether that try is successful earlier in the game. This is seemingly conventional wisdom, and yet it makes absolutely no sense. If that second TD comes very late in the game, and the subsequent two point try fails, the game is basically over. But if the coach just went for two the first time, even if the attempt fails, at least the coach now knows that he needs nine points and can change the game plan accordingly.
Going for it on fourth down. Football coaches, NFL head coaches in particular, are far too conservative about this. They need to take a page from the poker world and simply analyze the probability. Let’s look at a hypothetical “fourth and inches” scenario. If this comes up, say, with a team on their own 30 yard line in the first quarter, the team will punt every single time. This is just stupid. How often does a team actually get stopped on fourth and a foot? 10% of the time? Less? In other words, if this were poker, this is like folding when your hand is a 90% favorite just because you might lose the pot once every ten times, and no reasonable poker player would do this in any normal situation. And in poker, at least the one time it does happen it is a clear loss. In football, there is still the possibility that the opponent will give the ball right back without even scoring, even if they are at the 30 or the 20. At least once or twice a year, you will hear commentators praising a coach for his “aggressiveness” or his “riverboat gambler mentality” when they go for it on fourth down near midfield. It’s not. It’s what they should be doing, almost every time, and certainly far more frequently than they are now.
Defensive indifference in baseball. I hate this rule, which refers to a runner not getting credit for a stolen base simply because the catcher chose not to throw the ball. It is really only ever ruled this way in the 9th inning, and it’s just a stupid rule. The guy went from first to second. He stole the bag. Give him a steal.
The timing on coaches not going for two points in football. Say that a team is down by 15 points and they score a touchdown. Clearly, they need to score one touchdown, one extra point, another touchdown, and a two point conversion to tie the game up. Coaches, almost universally, will always kick the extra point the first time they score. All this does is defer the two point try to a later possession, thus denying the coach of the knowledge of whether that try is successful earlier in the game. This is seemingly conventional wisdom, and yet it makes absolutely no sense. If that second TD comes very late in the game, and the subsequent two point try fails, the game is basically over. But if the coach just went for two the first time, even if the attempt fails, at least the coach now knows that he needs nine points and can change the game plan accordingly.
Going for it on fourth down. Football coaches, NFL head coaches in particular, are far too conservative about this. They need to take a page from the poker world and simply analyze the probability. Let’s look at a hypothetical “fourth and inches” scenario. If this comes up, say, with a team on their own 30 yard line in the first quarter, the team will punt every single time. This is just stupid. How often does a team actually get stopped on fourth and a foot? 10% of the time? Less? In other words, if this were poker, this is like folding when your hand is a 90% favorite just because you might lose the pot once every ten times, and no reasonable poker player would do this in any normal situation. And in poker, at least the one time it does happen it is a clear loss. In football, there is still the possibility that the opponent will give the ball right back without even scoring, even if they are at the 30 or the 20. At least once or twice a year, you will hear commentators praising a coach for his “aggressiveness” or his “riverboat gambler mentality” when they go for it on fourth down near midfield. It’s not. It’s what they should be doing, almost every time, and certainly far more frequently than they are now.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
The greatest moment in Yankee Stadium history is...
...a convincing win by the Boston Red Sox!
Farewell and good riddance to this place. Obviously it was a house of horrors for Red Sox fans essentially until 2004. I've only been there once and I was blown away at how little I felt about the place, though. I went in expecting to feel like Luke Skywalker entering the bowels of the Death Star. Instead, it just felt like another ballpark--sure, one with more obnoxious fans, but there was no mystique, no aura, and really nothing magical about the place at all. And I'm not just saying that as a Sox fan. I just didn't feel anything...that is, until I heard Pedro start warming up in the bullpen after a two hour rain delay. He was pounding the mitt so loud that it was crystal-clear from our seats in the bleachers. We won.
But I really love the fact that the final signature moment in that old park is the Sox winning the pennant there, and that in the stadium's swansong the Yankees won't even be going to the postseason. It's a great time to be a baseball fan.
Farewell and good riddance to this place. Obviously it was a house of horrors for Red Sox fans essentially until 2004. I've only been there once and I was blown away at how little I felt about the place, though. I went in expecting to feel like Luke Skywalker entering the bowels of the Death Star. Instead, it just felt like another ballpark--sure, one with more obnoxious fans, but there was no mystique, no aura, and really nothing magical about the place at all. And I'm not just saying that as a Sox fan. I just didn't feel anything...that is, until I heard Pedro start warming up in the bullpen after a two hour rain delay. He was pounding the mitt so loud that it was crystal-clear from our seats in the bleachers. We won.
But I really love the fact that the final signature moment in that old park is the Sox winning the pennant there, and that in the stadium's swansong the Yankees won't even be going to the postseason. It's a great time to be a baseball fan.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Red Sox First Half Report Card
The Red Sox played game #81 Wednesday night, meaning the regular season is officially halfway done, which is a great time to evaluate how things have gone so far and give out letter grades based on performance and expectations. Let's start with the hitters.
JASON VARITEK has been streaky as always, including a brutal stretch at the plate lately until his big eighth inning hit a couple of nights ago. His line is certainly below what we expect from him, even for a well-worn 36 year old catcher: a .231 AVG, .306 OBP, and .392 SLG should all rise in the second half. He continues to be a great receiver and as always, he's worth a lot more than just his offensive numbers. Grade: C.
KEVIN YOUKILIS: This has essentially been a breakout offensive year for Youk. He always starts hot but the power numbers are off the charts for him: 13 HRs are just three shy of his career high and a .539 slugging percentage tops his career total by almost 90 points. He continues to play Gold Glove first base and I'm really not bothered that he throws a tantrum every time he strikes out. And that shiner he's currently rocking is just magnificent. There's nothing not to love about Youk. Grade: A.
DUSTIN PEDROIA has posted a perfectly serviceable line of .289-.334-.422 with seven bombs and eight steals, but I think he is in for an even bigger second half. Grade: B+.
MIKE LOWELL spent some time on the DL and his OBP is still a little lower than I'd like (.353) but the World Series MVP has warmed up a bit since his return. He's still playing very solid D and is a fixture in the middle of the order. Grade: B.
JULIO LUGO: Not to get all Belichicky, but at this point, he is what he is. The .366 OBP is pleasantly surprising, while the 16 errors and .935 fielding percentage are atrocious. He has swiped ten bags but his power numbers have become outright anemic: 1 HR and a .347 SLG. This guy has tallied double-digit homer numbers six times in his career but he shows absolutely no indication that he will ever approach that with us, for whatever reason. Grade: C.
MANNY RAMIREZ: 15 bombs, 49 ribbies, career homer #500, and a steadying presence in the heart of the lineup with Papi on the shelf. Cooperstown beckons, but I hope the Sox pick up his two option years and he retires (or leaves) with a couple more Sox World Series rings to his credit. Grade: B.
JACOBY ELLSBURY: Everyone loves Jacoby. Everyone. He's on pace to break the franchise single-season stolen base record in a couple of months and he's still just scratching the surface of what he will ultimately be capable of, but 34-for-38 on SB attempts is sickeningly good. I'd be ill if we had dealt him in the off-season. Grade: B.
J.D. DREW: Now, this is clearly what Theo had in mind: .308-.414-.573. That is an eye-popping line for JD. He also has transitioned seamlessly to the #3 hole in the order for the time being. Simply put, Drew carried us for about a month. Grade: A.
DAVID ORTIZ: Get well soon, Papi. He still managed 13 dingers in just 210 ABs with that horrific start. Grade: incomplete, trending toward a B-/C+.
COCO CRISP: Not dealing Coco for a bag of balls this off-season sure turned out nicely given the injuries. He still hasn't approached some of his Cleveland offensive numbers (15 and 16 HRs in 2004-05?!?) but he plays Gold Glove-caliber defense in center and he's playing every day for the foreseeable future, and along with the occasional base theft (12 so far), that's enough for me. Grade: B-.
SEAN CASEY is doing essentially exactly what you want him to do. He seems to fit in incredibly well and he's a tough out every time he steps to the dish. A .365-.416-.462 line as a backup is basically unsustainable but it's a great start to his time here. Grade: A-.
KEVIN CASH had quite a night on Wednesday. He gunned down a runner attempting to steal, was curiously intentionally walked, and hit a gargantuan Monster shot over everything in the 8th inning. He started the year en fuego then cooled noticeably since, but he's delivering all we can expect of him: great work catching the knuckleball once every five days, an occasional extra day off here and there for the Captain, and the ability to, once in a blue moon, put his bat on the ball (six of his 19 hits are for extra bases). He's also a Chatham Bluefish. Grade: B-.
BRANDON MOSS got pressed into emergency 1B duty the last couple of days and has become a handy little piece in the bench puzzle. It's been nice for him to get a little extra playing time lately during the rash of injuries. I still don't know if his ceiling is any higher than 4th OF, but that might be a great role for him. It seems like ages ago that he knocked that big homer in Japan. Grade: C.
ALEX CORA only has 50 ABs, and that's fine by me. So is a .280-.368-.360 line from a solid, veteran backup infielder. Grade: C+.
JED LOWRIE made his major league debut and quickly became a fan favorite. Red Sox Nation loves our gritty, homegrown prospects and Lowrie certainly fits the bill. He's back in the minors but posted an impressive line of .310-.340-.476 during his cup of coffee. If Lugo keeps firing balls into the dugout it's going to become more difficult to keep Jed down. Grade: A.
JOE THURSTON, JEFF BAILEY, CHRIS CARTER, and JONATHAN VAN EVERY all had cameos as well...a combined 17 ABs worth.
JON LESTER leads the team in starts and innings pitched...and there was also that insane no-hitter against the Royals. Obviously his seemingly complete recovery is as good a story as there is, but purely from a baseball standpoint, his emergence as a reliable member of the rotation has been key. He's only 24, which brings up the lovely idea of picturing what the future could hold. For now, I'll take the 100+ innings with the 3.13 ERA. Grade: A-
TIM WAKEFIELD just keeps on plugging. He remains exactly the same guy that he's always been: unhittable some nights, maddeningly inconsistent on others, and sometime he'll simply lose it within the span of a single hitter. The line so far is certainly more than respectable: 16 starts, over 100 innings, and a 3.88 ERA. Throw in his age and his cheap, never-ending contract and you get one of the biggest bargains in baseball. Grade: B+.
JOSH BECKETT spent some time on the DL and has not looked like the untouchable ace he was for all of last October, but neither point worries me. His ERA (3.73) is deceptively high due to sheer bad luck, but the real numbers are looking great. The K-to-walk ratio is stellar (97-19) and he is going to anchor our rotation for years. Grade: B.
DAISUKE MATSUZAKA also was shelved and that's probably a good thing in the long run. The transition to the five man rotation (as opposed to pitching once a week in Japan) has been a pretty big issue, so anything the team does to limit his innings during the regular season is fine by me. It also warrants mentioning that he got out of the gate with an 8-0 start. The DL stint and his sub-two inning shellacking last time out probably nixed his chances to start the All-Star game, but that's fine. We don't need him logging more work. We just need him at 100% for the second half and, more importantly, for the playoffs. 8-1, with a 3.46 ERA and nearly a strikeout per inning means that $100 million we invested was worth it. Grade: A-.
CLAY BUCHHOLZ is down in Pawtucket, honing his stuff. That ridiculous no-no last September blew the roof off of what were already pretty ridiculous expectations for this kid. He's going to be a stud. Luckily, thanks to our savvy front office, he doesn't need to be one now, and we don't need to just throw him to the wolves when he isn't ready. I still think he could factor into the 2008 version of this club in a big way. Grade: incomplete, with a C- for just his big-league work.
JUSTIN MASTERSON is yet another young stud dividend from the Theo Epstein minor league retooling effort. His early success is unsustainable but his stuff is the real deal. So far he has given us seven starts that we really needed, but it's unfair to expect the 3.43 ERA to last as a rookie in the AL East. Long term, he needs to cut down on the walks (21 in 42 innings), but I already love watching him pitch. Grade: A.
BARTOLO COLON is on the Red Sox, which is kind of weird in and of itself. He gave us six more-than-serviceable starts before returning to the buffet line...err, I mean the DL. This guy is still just a few years removed from a Cy Young season and the stuff is still there. He could matter the rest of the way before departing in the off-season for a horribly inflated contract somewhere else. Grade: B.
CURT SCHILLING is cashing eight million dollars' worth of Red Sox checks this year and he won't pitch a single inning...maybe ever again. He earned every cent. I hope this isn't the end of the line in Boston for the big guy.
JONATHAN PAPELBON has already blown more saves (four) than he did all of last season, and the 2.08 ERA is actually high for him. That is literally all the negativity I can find about him. I love this guy. He slams the door shut, he's a joy to watch, he lip-synched to Milli Vanilli for a rain-delay video...what more can we ask for? He's the best closer in baseball. And if you don't believe me, take a look at the K-to-walk ratio...46-6. Scary good. He's also not being treated like a piece of crystal regarding his usage anymore, which makes him a more dangerous weapon than ever. Grade: A-.
HIDEKI OKAJIMA scares me, between the arm fatigue issues, the nagging fear that he might be a one-hit wonder, and the concern that sooner or later hitters will figure him out. We need him to be great, and so far he has been very good. But I'm still concerned. Grade: B.
MANNY DELCARMEN seems to be evolving right in front of my eyes. The other night he looked completely untouchable, just painting the black with a heater in the high 90s. If he can do just that we're in good shape. The ERA (3.38) and the strikeout rates (31 in 32 IP vs. only 10 walks) both look good and are getting better. He's on the upswing, which bodes very well. Grade: B+.
JAVIER LOPEZ has a 2.45 ERA, which seems impossible to me. The peripherals don't support that kind of number, and it could rise by two runs before the season is out and it wouldn't shock me. Thankfully, Tito has stopped using him as a LOOGY, because he just isn't one. Grade: ???...B+?
DAVID AARDSMA is looking like a nice, cheap little bullpen piece. He's gotten better as the season has gone on, which is nice, and seems to be slotting quite comfortably into a 7th inning role. 2.52 ERA and 38 Ks in less than 36 innings? Yes, please! Grade: A.
CRAIG HANSEN continues to be maddeningly inconsistent. Scratch that, he's very consistent, as he usually gives up one run every other time out, as his 4.91 ERA will attest. But sooner or later he has to put it all together, right? That slider is just too nasty. I'm baffled. I figured he'd be Robb Nen by now. Grade: C-.
MIKE TIMLIN is probably done, but Tito loves his grizzled old veterans, so Tim won't be gone until there is a fork literally sticking out of his back. Plus, every time we think he's cooked he Rasputins a nice little stretch to get his numbers back in order. He's on the shelf now, but there is every possibility that he'll be pitching important 6th and 7th innings for us in September and, gulp, October. Grade: D-.
CHRIS SMITH picked up his first major league win the other night. Kudos! KYLE SNYDER and DAVID PAULEY will hopefully not see too much action on the Boston-Pawtucket ferry due to injuries. Meanwhile, thanks for the memories JULIAN "BATSHIT" TAVAREZ and BRYAN COREY.
So, we have a team that had to overcome an unforgivably harsh opening schedule coupled with some inconsistent performances and a rash of injuries to important players. I hope we're still within striking distance of...wait, what's that? Oh yeah, we're in first place, on pace for 98 wins. It's mind boggling, really. What will happen if we show any semblance of a healthy roster in the second half? 100 wins? 105? Theo and Co. really deserve praise for the way they have constructed the system, because we've been able to deal with every single scenario that has presented itself. Someone gets hurt and we dip right down and grab an adequate sub, be it a kid like Masterson or Lowrie or a reclamation project like Shrek Colon.
This team is really fun to watch, nearly unbeatable at home, and hasn't even played their best ball yet. See you in October, boys. Here's to three more rounds of Papelbon dancing on the infield. Team grade: A.
JASON VARITEK has been streaky as always, including a brutal stretch at the plate lately until his big eighth inning hit a couple of nights ago. His line is certainly below what we expect from him, even for a well-worn 36 year old catcher: a .231 AVG, .306 OBP, and .392 SLG should all rise in the second half. He continues to be a great receiver and as always, he's worth a lot more than just his offensive numbers. Grade: C.
KEVIN YOUKILIS: This has essentially been a breakout offensive year for Youk. He always starts hot but the power numbers are off the charts for him: 13 HRs are just three shy of his career high and a .539 slugging percentage tops his career total by almost 90 points. He continues to play Gold Glove first base and I'm really not bothered that he throws a tantrum every time he strikes out. And that shiner he's currently rocking is just magnificent. There's nothing not to love about Youk. Grade: A.
DUSTIN PEDROIA has posted a perfectly serviceable line of .289-.334-.422 with seven bombs and eight steals, but I think he is in for an even bigger second half. Grade: B+.
MIKE LOWELL spent some time on the DL and his OBP is still a little lower than I'd like (.353) but the World Series MVP has warmed up a bit since his return. He's still playing very solid D and is a fixture in the middle of the order. Grade: B.
JULIO LUGO: Not to get all Belichicky, but at this point, he is what he is. The .366 OBP is pleasantly surprising, while the 16 errors and .935 fielding percentage are atrocious. He has swiped ten bags but his power numbers have become outright anemic: 1 HR and a .347 SLG. This guy has tallied double-digit homer numbers six times in his career but he shows absolutely no indication that he will ever approach that with us, for whatever reason. Grade: C.
MANNY RAMIREZ: 15 bombs, 49 ribbies, career homer #500, and a steadying presence in the heart of the lineup with Papi on the shelf. Cooperstown beckons, but I hope the Sox pick up his two option years and he retires (or leaves) with a couple more Sox World Series rings to his credit. Grade: B.
JACOBY ELLSBURY: Everyone loves Jacoby. Everyone. He's on pace to break the franchise single-season stolen base record in a couple of months and he's still just scratching the surface of what he will ultimately be capable of, but 34-for-38 on SB attempts is sickeningly good. I'd be ill if we had dealt him in the off-season. Grade: B.
J.D. DREW: Now, this is clearly what Theo had in mind: .308-.414-.573. That is an eye-popping line for JD. He also has transitioned seamlessly to the #3 hole in the order for the time being. Simply put, Drew carried us for about a month. Grade: A.
DAVID ORTIZ: Get well soon, Papi. He still managed 13 dingers in just 210 ABs with that horrific start. Grade: incomplete, trending toward a B-/C+.
COCO CRISP: Not dealing Coco for a bag of balls this off-season sure turned out nicely given the injuries. He still hasn't approached some of his Cleveland offensive numbers (15 and 16 HRs in 2004-05?!?) but he plays Gold Glove-caliber defense in center and he's playing every day for the foreseeable future, and along with the occasional base theft (12 so far), that's enough for me. Grade: B-.
SEAN CASEY is doing essentially exactly what you want him to do. He seems to fit in incredibly well and he's a tough out every time he steps to the dish. A .365-.416-.462 line as a backup is basically unsustainable but it's a great start to his time here. Grade: A-.
KEVIN CASH had quite a night on Wednesday. He gunned down a runner attempting to steal, was curiously intentionally walked, and hit a gargantuan Monster shot over everything in the 8th inning. He started the year en fuego then cooled noticeably since, but he's delivering all we can expect of him: great work catching the knuckleball once every five days, an occasional extra day off here and there for the Captain, and the ability to, once in a blue moon, put his bat on the ball (six of his 19 hits are for extra bases). He's also a Chatham Bluefish. Grade: B-.
BRANDON MOSS got pressed into emergency 1B duty the last couple of days and has become a handy little piece in the bench puzzle. It's been nice for him to get a little extra playing time lately during the rash of injuries. I still don't know if his ceiling is any higher than 4th OF, but that might be a great role for him. It seems like ages ago that he knocked that big homer in Japan. Grade: C.
ALEX CORA only has 50 ABs, and that's fine by me. So is a .280-.368-.360 line from a solid, veteran backup infielder. Grade: C+.
JED LOWRIE made his major league debut and quickly became a fan favorite. Red Sox Nation loves our gritty, homegrown prospects and Lowrie certainly fits the bill. He's back in the minors but posted an impressive line of .310-.340-.476 during his cup of coffee. If Lugo keeps firing balls into the dugout it's going to become more difficult to keep Jed down. Grade: A.
JOE THURSTON, JEFF BAILEY, CHRIS CARTER, and JONATHAN VAN EVERY all had cameos as well...a combined 17 ABs worth.
JON LESTER leads the team in starts and innings pitched...and there was also that insane no-hitter against the Royals. Obviously his seemingly complete recovery is as good a story as there is, but purely from a baseball standpoint, his emergence as a reliable member of the rotation has been key. He's only 24, which brings up the lovely idea of picturing what the future could hold. For now, I'll take the 100+ innings with the 3.13 ERA. Grade: A-
TIM WAKEFIELD just keeps on plugging. He remains exactly the same guy that he's always been: unhittable some nights, maddeningly inconsistent on others, and sometime he'll simply lose it within the span of a single hitter. The line so far is certainly more than respectable: 16 starts, over 100 innings, and a 3.88 ERA. Throw in his age and his cheap, never-ending contract and you get one of the biggest bargains in baseball. Grade: B+.
JOSH BECKETT spent some time on the DL and has not looked like the untouchable ace he was for all of last October, but neither point worries me. His ERA (3.73) is deceptively high due to sheer bad luck, but the real numbers are looking great. The K-to-walk ratio is stellar (97-19) and he is going to anchor our rotation for years. Grade: B.
DAISUKE MATSUZAKA also was shelved and that's probably a good thing in the long run. The transition to the five man rotation (as opposed to pitching once a week in Japan) has been a pretty big issue, so anything the team does to limit his innings during the regular season is fine by me. It also warrants mentioning that he got out of the gate with an 8-0 start. The DL stint and his sub-two inning shellacking last time out probably nixed his chances to start the All-Star game, but that's fine. We don't need him logging more work. We just need him at 100% for the second half and, more importantly, for the playoffs. 8-1, with a 3.46 ERA and nearly a strikeout per inning means that $100 million we invested was worth it. Grade: A-.
CLAY BUCHHOLZ is down in Pawtucket, honing his stuff. That ridiculous no-no last September blew the roof off of what were already pretty ridiculous expectations for this kid. He's going to be a stud. Luckily, thanks to our savvy front office, he doesn't need to be one now, and we don't need to just throw him to the wolves when he isn't ready. I still think he could factor into the 2008 version of this club in a big way. Grade: incomplete, with a C- for just his big-league work.
JUSTIN MASTERSON is yet another young stud dividend from the Theo Epstein minor league retooling effort. His early success is unsustainable but his stuff is the real deal. So far he has given us seven starts that we really needed, but it's unfair to expect the 3.43 ERA to last as a rookie in the AL East. Long term, he needs to cut down on the walks (21 in 42 innings), but I already love watching him pitch. Grade: A.
BARTOLO COLON is on the Red Sox, which is kind of weird in and of itself. He gave us six more-than-serviceable starts before returning to the buffet line...err, I mean the DL. This guy is still just a few years removed from a Cy Young season and the stuff is still there. He could matter the rest of the way before departing in the off-season for a horribly inflated contract somewhere else. Grade: B.
CURT SCHILLING is cashing eight million dollars' worth of Red Sox checks this year and he won't pitch a single inning...maybe ever again. He earned every cent. I hope this isn't the end of the line in Boston for the big guy.
JONATHAN PAPELBON has already blown more saves (four) than he did all of last season, and the 2.08 ERA is actually high for him. That is literally all the negativity I can find about him. I love this guy. He slams the door shut, he's a joy to watch, he lip-synched to Milli Vanilli for a rain-delay video...what more can we ask for? He's the best closer in baseball. And if you don't believe me, take a look at the K-to-walk ratio...46-6. Scary good. He's also not being treated like a piece of crystal regarding his usage anymore, which makes him a more dangerous weapon than ever. Grade: A-.
HIDEKI OKAJIMA scares me, between the arm fatigue issues, the nagging fear that he might be a one-hit wonder, and the concern that sooner or later hitters will figure him out. We need him to be great, and so far he has been very good. But I'm still concerned. Grade: B.
MANNY DELCARMEN seems to be evolving right in front of my eyes. The other night he looked completely untouchable, just painting the black with a heater in the high 90s. If he can do just that we're in good shape. The ERA (3.38) and the strikeout rates (31 in 32 IP vs. only 10 walks) both look good and are getting better. He's on the upswing, which bodes very well. Grade: B+.
JAVIER LOPEZ has a 2.45 ERA, which seems impossible to me. The peripherals don't support that kind of number, and it could rise by two runs before the season is out and it wouldn't shock me. Thankfully, Tito has stopped using him as a LOOGY, because he just isn't one. Grade: ???...B+?
DAVID AARDSMA is looking like a nice, cheap little bullpen piece. He's gotten better as the season has gone on, which is nice, and seems to be slotting quite comfortably into a 7th inning role. 2.52 ERA and 38 Ks in less than 36 innings? Yes, please! Grade: A.
CRAIG HANSEN continues to be maddeningly inconsistent. Scratch that, he's very consistent, as he usually gives up one run every other time out, as his 4.91 ERA will attest. But sooner or later he has to put it all together, right? That slider is just too nasty. I'm baffled. I figured he'd be Robb Nen by now. Grade: C-.
MIKE TIMLIN is probably done, but Tito loves his grizzled old veterans, so Tim won't be gone until there is a fork literally sticking out of his back. Plus, every time we think he's cooked he Rasputins a nice little stretch to get his numbers back in order. He's on the shelf now, but there is every possibility that he'll be pitching important 6th and 7th innings for us in September and, gulp, October. Grade: D-.
CHRIS SMITH picked up his first major league win the other night. Kudos! KYLE SNYDER and DAVID PAULEY will hopefully not see too much action on the Boston-Pawtucket ferry due to injuries. Meanwhile, thanks for the memories JULIAN "BATSHIT" TAVAREZ and BRYAN COREY.
So, we have a team that had to overcome an unforgivably harsh opening schedule coupled with some inconsistent performances and a rash of injuries to important players. I hope we're still within striking distance of...wait, what's that? Oh yeah, we're in first place, on pace for 98 wins. It's mind boggling, really. What will happen if we show any semblance of a healthy roster in the second half? 100 wins? 105? Theo and Co. really deserve praise for the way they have constructed the system, because we've been able to deal with every single scenario that has presented itself. Someone gets hurt and we dip right down and grab an adequate sub, be it a kid like Masterson or Lowrie or a reclamation project like Shrek Colon.
This team is really fun to watch, nearly unbeatable at home, and hasn't even played their best ball yet. See you in October, boys. Here's to three more rounds of Papelbon dancing on the infield. Team grade: A.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Crash
On my way to the post office today I saw a car in front of me drive entirely up on the curb in the right lane, then over-correct and cross the line when rebounding back the other way. Unsure if the driver was drunk or just an idiot, I sped up to pass the car before we hit the next red light, where I could potentially be stuck next to it. As I passed, the situation became clear: 60ish woman yapping away on a cell phone. Nice.
Then on the way back, I really narrowly averted disaster. Just as I was heading toward a red light with a three-way stop, a car from the perpendicular street slammed head-on into a car in front of them, sending that car spinning out into the street, where it bumped into a third car...not far from me. Yikes. When did people forget how to drive?
Then on the way back, I really narrowly averted disaster. Just as I was heading toward a red light with a three-way stop, a car from the perpendicular street slammed head-on into a car in front of them, sending that car spinning out into the street, where it bumped into a third car...not far from me. Yikes. When did people forget how to drive?
Saturday, May 31, 2008
New digs!
This is our new house! We haven't moved in yet, but we have begun the painful and laborious process of getting ready to do so. It's in a great neighborhood, it's only about five minutes away, and it has a lot more room for AJ to have fun and cause trouble. We love it.
Friday, April 11, 2008
Thursday, February 28, 2008
The Diablo Cody Backlash
Latest 'It' Talent Feeling Backlash
Boo hoo.
It's an odd situation. Screenwriters almost never get any recognition, so I should be fundamentally happy for her to begin with. And yet I'm not, for a couple of reasons.
#1. I haven't even seen "Juno" yet and I'm already kind of sick of it. It's wonderful that this little movie has made $125 million, but I'm already tired of the dialogue just from the snippets, clips, commercials, and promos that I've seen, and that's absurd. If I have to hear poor Rainn Wilson say "this is one diddle that can't be undid, home skillet," one more time I think I'm going to snap.
#2. It might be a fantastic screenplay. At least on some level, I'm pretty sure it is. And that's great, for the movie, for her, and for independent film in general. Did she deserve the Oscar? Maybe. Probably, even? Who knows. But the sheer amount of attention she's getting is absurd, and I just want to know if she'd be getting it all, or anything close to it, if A) she didn't look like she does B) she didn't have "former stripper" on her resume, and C) she hadn't changed her name to the ridiculous moniker Diablo Cody.
Maybe I should change my name. Lucifer Laramie, perhaps?
Anyway, I've already got Juno in the Netflix queue. But I'll be perfectly happy if I don't see her name again until the movie's credits roll.
Boo hoo.
It's an odd situation. Screenwriters almost never get any recognition, so I should be fundamentally happy for her to begin with. And yet I'm not, for a couple of reasons.
#1. I haven't even seen "Juno" yet and I'm already kind of sick of it. It's wonderful that this little movie has made $125 million, but I'm already tired of the dialogue just from the snippets, clips, commercials, and promos that I've seen, and that's absurd. If I have to hear poor Rainn Wilson say "this is one diddle that can't be undid, home skillet," one more time I think I'm going to snap.
#2. It might be a fantastic screenplay. At least on some level, I'm pretty sure it is. And that's great, for the movie, for her, and for independent film in general. Did she deserve the Oscar? Maybe. Probably, even? Who knows. But the sheer amount of attention she's getting is absurd, and I just want to know if she'd be getting it all, or anything close to it, if A) she didn't look like she does B) she didn't have "former stripper" on her resume, and C) she hadn't changed her name to the ridiculous moniker Diablo Cody.
Maybe I should change my name. Lucifer Laramie, perhaps?
Anyway, I've already got Juno in the Netflix queue. But I'll be perfectly happy if I don't see her name again until the movie's credits roll.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Ratt
I heard Ratt four times today. Ratt. Without intentionally trying.
Four times.
Three in a row, in the car. I am now old enough that when I hear three songs in a row by a band that has been around that long I wonder if somebody in the group died.
Then I got home and found this little nugget on MySpace: The Donnas playing live with Stephen Pearcy (the quality isn't too hot but it still rocks). Okay, so technically maybe that doesn't count as Ratt but I'm still putting it in there.
What's my point? I don't really have one, except to say that I simply enjoy the fact that in 2008 there is still at least a mathematic possibility of hearing a band like Ratt four times in one day without even trying.
Four times.
Three in a row, in the car. I am now old enough that when I hear three songs in a row by a band that has been around that long I wonder if somebody in the group died.
Then I got home and found this little nugget on MySpace: The Donnas playing live with Stephen Pearcy (the quality isn't too hot but it still rocks). Okay, so technically maybe that doesn't count as Ratt but I'm still putting it in there.
What's my point? I don't really have one, except to say that I simply enjoy the fact that in 2008 there is still at least a mathematic possibility of hearing a band like Ratt four times in one day without even trying.
Thursday, January 03, 2008
2007 Lists
The end of the year seems to prompt everyone to write all sorts of different "best of" and "worst of" lists. I figured I'd do the same thing. However, for many of these, I prefer to use the term "my favorite," since that is really all anyone's list is. Who is to say a movie is "better" than another movie? Anyway...
MY FIVE FAVORITE MOVIES OF 2007
I need to preface this by saying that since the little addition to our family came along in March, my movie attendance rate has plummeted a staggering amount. I almost never get to the theatre anymore, which means that I have not seen most of the late-year awards bait flicks that will grace most other "best of" lists. Netflix is now my dear friend. So...
5. Ratatouille. It's smart, it's cute, it's fun, and, as all Pixar movies do, it looks phenomenal. I've only watched it once so far and my only quibble is that it feels about 10-15 minutes too long. However, it's already in the collection and I eagerly look forward to watching this with A.J. in the not-too-distant future.
4. Live Free or Die Hard. Maybe it's because I was able to keep my expectations low, but this flick totally delivered on every level. If you're going to see a Diehard movie in 2007, this is exactly what you're looking for. Sure, some of the action set pieces go ridiculously over the top in the third act (*cough* JET *cough*) but it didn't detract from my enjoyment at all. Thank you, John McClane.
3. Superbad. And this actually might be #1, but I need to see it a few more times and see how its rewatchability compares to the top choice on my list. But this is a hilarious movie. Absolutely genius. I'm just happy that we live in a world where a movie like this can make $100 million. There's not enough good I can say about Judd Apatow and the movies he is involved with right now. He is making the world a better, funnier, more enjoyable place.
2. The Bourne Ultimatum. This is potentially the only trilogy in which each subsequent movie is better than the last one. Despite not getting to see it in the theatre, my expectations were really high and it came through on all levels. The story is compelling, the direction and editing is flawless, and Matt Damon is just so great it's ridiculous. His Jason Bourne is truly one of the great characters of the new millennium. Bourne would kick Jack Bauer's ass before that CTU flunky had a chance to whip out his uber-PDA and text for help. Bourne would pummel James Bond, to answer a question that apparently was posed to Damon frequently on the press junket circuit. Hell, Bourne could even take Batman. I see him ripping off the Dark Knight's cowl and beating him senseless before he knew what hit him. This is a guy who kicks ass with a rolled-up magazine, for god's sake, and completely makes you buy it. Long live Jason Bourne.
1. Knocked Up. Apatow again, naturally. I love this movie. I love that Seth Rogen can be the leading man in a huge box office success. I love Apatow's entire stable of go-to guys, including Paul Rudd and Jonah Hill. I love Katherine Heigl, although I love her a little bit less after her ridiculous negative comments about her experience on this blockbuster smash movie. I give this one the #1 slot because I think it will hold up and remain a movie that I revisit again and again.
NOT IN MY FIVE FAVORITE MOVIES:
300. Yeah, it looks cool. That's it. Tepid script, cardboard characters, and terrible acting-slash-horrible direction choices. Thoroughly underwhelming.
Ocean's 13. They're killing me with these sequels. It's not as atrocious as 12, thank god, but it comes nowhere near the perfection of the original. I had high hopes for this--Julia Roberts thankfully gone, Pacino as a baddie, a screenplay by the "Rounders" guys...and yet it falls painfully flat. Either this franchise is done, or 14 will have to be something incredible. I don't know which I want at this point.
Ghost Rider. AWFUL. Yes, I am complaining about the quality of a movie in which Nic Cage plays a comic book character who rides a motorcycle while his head bursts into a flaming skull. Somehow, they managed to cock this up enough to make it boring. This was a Netflix rental and I almost couldn't get through it. I think I watched an "extended" edition, and that only made matters worse. This was my worst movie watching experience of 2007.
MY FIVE FAVORITE HOUR LONG SCRIPTED TV SHOWS OF 2007
5. Lost. Season three was a vast improvement over the maddening season two. I just re-watched season three again (thanks, Netflix) and I really enjoyed it the second time around...maybe even more than through the first run. I picked up little bits and pieces I may have missed and it also looks absolutely gorgeous on Blu-Ray. The big twist in the season finale is brilliant and I really can't wait to see what they have in store for season four.
4. The Sopranos. I loved the ending. I also think that Tony survived. I think I'm in the minority on both counts.
3. Chuck. I raved about this show pretty early on and I'm sticking with that call, as it is easily my favorite new show. I love everything about it, actually. I really hope that the strike doesn't do anything to mess this up, as NBC really needs to keep this one around.
2. Dexter. I had my concerns about season two, but the show completely delivered, taking the story in unpredictable directions and making the lead character even more interesting in the process. If you have never watched the show, start with the season one DVD. I hear that CBS is going to run an edited version of season one and I just cannot see how this show has any chance to succeed under those circumstances, on network TV. Clearly the strike is making people desperate, but I see no good coming of this. Don't watch that version, and don't let anyone else do it either. Hold out for the real thing.
1. Studio 60 (RIP). It's still hard for me to come to grips with the fact that this got canned after one season. Look around at some of the stuff that's on right now. And I don't even mean the reality shows, although those are getting more ridiculous than ever, and we're seemingly just weeks away from seeing some of the stuff in "The Running Man" come true. Climbing for Dollars, anyone? But honestly, this show was just too good. It got better in the spring, and ended on a beautiful roll...and NBC still bagged it. Smart writing, an amazing cast, great acting, compelling characters, engrossing stories...I just don't get it. How did this "fail?" I'm pained.
MY FIVE FAVORITE SCRIPTED HALF HOUR TV SHOWS OF 2007
5. Curb Your Enthusiasm. All told, this was probably Curb's weakest season and it still ranks as one of the funniest shows on TV. Larry hosted a family of hurricane survivors (named the Black family, of course) and while I wasn't sure if this was a device that could last a whole season, it worked very well. The season finale was especially solid.
4. Entourage. Once again, not its best season. But still thoroughly entertaining. The premiere was shot like a behind-the-scenes documentary during the making of Medellin and I really thought that was a cool idea done well. However, there were way too many side plots about Ari's family. Nobody tuning in wants a B story about his kids' private school, sorry.
3. Californication. Wildly entertaining. Duchovny really goes for it and he is incredibly fun to watch. I have no idea what they have planned for a second season, but I'm just happy that there is going to be one.
2. The Office. In hindsight, starting off this fall with a series of super-sized episodes was a terrible choice. First, they could have done regular half hours and had more fresh shows ready with the strike looming. Secondly, and more importantly, the hour-longs were just bloated and not as funny. It's still a brilliant show, but a couple of missteps knock it down to #2.
1. 30 Rock. I didn't watch this from the start, but once I picked up season one on DVD I was absolutely hooked. Tina Fey is great and Alec Baldwin is ridiculously funny. This show is great and it keeps getting better.
MY FIVE FAVORITE UNSCRIPTED SHOWS OF 2007
5. Survivor
4. The Biggest Loser
3. Rock of Love With Bret Michaels (maybe the most ridiculous show on TV)
2. Dinner: Impossible
1. The Amazing Race
honorable mention, since it is a game show: Duel. Loved it.
MY FAVORITE POKER ACHIEVEMENTS OF 2007
I didn't really play a lot of serious poker in 2007, so I only have two even worth mentioning: I won a 90 man No Limit tournament on Full Tilt early in the year, and I made the final table and cashed in the only live tourney I played all year, at the Gold Strike in Tunica.
MY FIVE FAVORITE SPORTS MOMENTS OF 2007
5. The Chatham Bluefish win the SWBA. Okay, you probably missed this one, since the team and the league aren't actually real. So here's the story (geek alert): it is a computer simulation baseball league that I'm in using software called Diamond Mind, which is an incredibly realistic baseball sim program. I joined the league five years ago, taking over a mediocre team and rebuilding it entirely. This is a hardcore league, with tough rules for bad teams since every team gets to keep their entire roster from one year to the next. So for five years, I have been building this team through the draft, selecting rookies such as Kevin Youkilis and Jonathan Papelbon. This year it all came to fruition, as my hand-crafted club stormed through the regular season with 110 wins, and then fought through three epic postseason series to claim the crown. It was awesome.
4. ASU football wins ten games under new coach Dennis Erickson. I really think he can take us to the next level, and this was a great first step.
3. The Boston Celtics become relevant again and roar out to the best start in the league.
2. The Red Sox win the World Series. Wow. How can this possibly only be number two?
1. The New England Patriots have the greatest season and the best football team OF ALL TIME. 16 down, three to go.
MY THREE FAVORITE ROAD TRIPS OF 2007
3. Arizona in September for ASU-CU. I was there for about 36 hours but I had a blast.
2. Las Vegas in October for Kev's surprise wedding. A great time with great friends.
1. The Whiffleball shoot in Chatham, May-June. One of the best months of my life.
That's probably enough lists. 2007 was quite a year.
MY FIVE FAVORITE MOVIES OF 2007
I need to preface this by saying that since the little addition to our family came along in March, my movie attendance rate has plummeted a staggering amount. I almost never get to the theatre anymore, which means that I have not seen most of the late-year awards bait flicks that will grace most other "best of" lists. Netflix is now my dear friend. So...
5. Ratatouille. It's smart, it's cute, it's fun, and, as all Pixar movies do, it looks phenomenal. I've only watched it once so far and my only quibble is that it feels about 10-15 minutes too long. However, it's already in the collection and I eagerly look forward to watching this with A.J. in the not-too-distant future.
4. Live Free or Die Hard. Maybe it's because I was able to keep my expectations low, but this flick totally delivered on every level. If you're going to see a Diehard movie in 2007, this is exactly what you're looking for. Sure, some of the action set pieces go ridiculously over the top in the third act (*cough* JET *cough*) but it didn't detract from my enjoyment at all. Thank you, John McClane.
3. Superbad. And this actually might be #1, but I need to see it a few more times and see how its rewatchability compares to the top choice on my list. But this is a hilarious movie. Absolutely genius. I'm just happy that we live in a world where a movie like this can make $100 million. There's not enough good I can say about Judd Apatow and the movies he is involved with right now. He is making the world a better, funnier, more enjoyable place.
2. The Bourne Ultimatum. This is potentially the only trilogy in which each subsequent movie is better than the last one. Despite not getting to see it in the theatre, my expectations were really high and it came through on all levels. The story is compelling, the direction and editing is flawless, and Matt Damon is just so great it's ridiculous. His Jason Bourne is truly one of the great characters of the new millennium. Bourne would kick Jack Bauer's ass before that CTU flunky had a chance to whip out his uber-PDA and text for help. Bourne would pummel James Bond, to answer a question that apparently was posed to Damon frequently on the press junket circuit. Hell, Bourne could even take Batman. I see him ripping off the Dark Knight's cowl and beating him senseless before he knew what hit him. This is a guy who kicks ass with a rolled-up magazine, for god's sake, and completely makes you buy it. Long live Jason Bourne.
1. Knocked Up. Apatow again, naturally. I love this movie. I love that Seth Rogen can be the leading man in a huge box office success. I love Apatow's entire stable of go-to guys, including Paul Rudd and Jonah Hill. I love Katherine Heigl, although I love her a little bit less after her ridiculous negative comments about her experience on this blockbuster smash movie. I give this one the #1 slot because I think it will hold up and remain a movie that I revisit again and again.
NOT IN MY FIVE FAVORITE MOVIES:
300. Yeah, it looks cool. That's it. Tepid script, cardboard characters, and terrible acting-slash-horrible direction choices. Thoroughly underwhelming.
Ocean's 13. They're killing me with these sequels. It's not as atrocious as 12, thank god, but it comes nowhere near the perfection of the original. I had high hopes for this--Julia Roberts thankfully gone, Pacino as a baddie, a screenplay by the "Rounders" guys...and yet it falls painfully flat. Either this franchise is done, or 14 will have to be something incredible. I don't know which I want at this point.
Ghost Rider. AWFUL. Yes, I am complaining about the quality of a movie in which Nic Cage plays a comic book character who rides a motorcycle while his head bursts into a flaming skull. Somehow, they managed to cock this up enough to make it boring. This was a Netflix rental and I almost couldn't get through it. I think I watched an "extended" edition, and that only made matters worse. This was my worst movie watching experience of 2007.
MY FIVE FAVORITE HOUR LONG SCRIPTED TV SHOWS OF 2007
5. Lost. Season three was a vast improvement over the maddening season two. I just re-watched season three again (thanks, Netflix) and I really enjoyed it the second time around...maybe even more than through the first run. I picked up little bits and pieces I may have missed and it also looks absolutely gorgeous on Blu-Ray. The big twist in the season finale is brilliant and I really can't wait to see what they have in store for season four.
4. The Sopranos. I loved the ending. I also think that Tony survived. I think I'm in the minority on both counts.
3. Chuck. I raved about this show pretty early on and I'm sticking with that call, as it is easily my favorite new show. I love everything about it, actually. I really hope that the strike doesn't do anything to mess this up, as NBC really needs to keep this one around.
2. Dexter. I had my concerns about season two, but the show completely delivered, taking the story in unpredictable directions and making the lead character even more interesting in the process. If you have never watched the show, start with the season one DVD. I hear that CBS is going to run an edited version of season one and I just cannot see how this show has any chance to succeed under those circumstances, on network TV. Clearly the strike is making people desperate, but I see no good coming of this. Don't watch that version, and don't let anyone else do it either. Hold out for the real thing.
1. Studio 60 (RIP). It's still hard for me to come to grips with the fact that this got canned after one season. Look around at some of the stuff that's on right now. And I don't even mean the reality shows, although those are getting more ridiculous than ever, and we're seemingly just weeks away from seeing some of the stuff in "The Running Man" come true. Climbing for Dollars, anyone? But honestly, this show was just too good. It got better in the spring, and ended on a beautiful roll...and NBC still bagged it. Smart writing, an amazing cast, great acting, compelling characters, engrossing stories...I just don't get it. How did this "fail?" I'm pained.
MY FIVE FAVORITE SCRIPTED HALF HOUR TV SHOWS OF 2007
5. Curb Your Enthusiasm. All told, this was probably Curb's weakest season and it still ranks as one of the funniest shows on TV. Larry hosted a family of hurricane survivors (named the Black family, of course) and while I wasn't sure if this was a device that could last a whole season, it worked very well. The season finale was especially solid.
4. Entourage. Once again, not its best season. But still thoroughly entertaining. The premiere was shot like a behind-the-scenes documentary during the making of Medellin and I really thought that was a cool idea done well. However, there were way too many side plots about Ari's family. Nobody tuning in wants a B story about his kids' private school, sorry.
3. Californication. Wildly entertaining. Duchovny really goes for it and he is incredibly fun to watch. I have no idea what they have planned for a second season, but I'm just happy that there is going to be one.
2. The Office. In hindsight, starting off this fall with a series of super-sized episodes was a terrible choice. First, they could have done regular half hours and had more fresh shows ready with the strike looming. Secondly, and more importantly, the hour-longs were just bloated and not as funny. It's still a brilliant show, but a couple of missteps knock it down to #2.
1. 30 Rock. I didn't watch this from the start, but once I picked up season one on DVD I was absolutely hooked. Tina Fey is great and Alec Baldwin is ridiculously funny. This show is great and it keeps getting better.
MY FIVE FAVORITE UNSCRIPTED SHOWS OF 2007
5. Survivor
4. The Biggest Loser
3. Rock of Love With Bret Michaels (maybe the most ridiculous show on TV)
2. Dinner: Impossible
1. The Amazing Race
honorable mention, since it is a game show: Duel. Loved it.
MY FAVORITE POKER ACHIEVEMENTS OF 2007
I didn't really play a lot of serious poker in 2007, so I only have two even worth mentioning: I won a 90 man No Limit tournament on Full Tilt early in the year, and I made the final table and cashed in the only live tourney I played all year, at the Gold Strike in Tunica.
MY FIVE FAVORITE SPORTS MOMENTS OF 2007
5. The Chatham Bluefish win the SWBA. Okay, you probably missed this one, since the team and the league aren't actually real. So here's the story (geek alert): it is a computer simulation baseball league that I'm in using software called Diamond Mind, which is an incredibly realistic baseball sim program. I joined the league five years ago, taking over a mediocre team and rebuilding it entirely. This is a hardcore league, with tough rules for bad teams since every team gets to keep their entire roster from one year to the next. So for five years, I have been building this team through the draft, selecting rookies such as Kevin Youkilis and Jonathan Papelbon. This year it all came to fruition, as my hand-crafted club stormed through the regular season with 110 wins, and then fought through three epic postseason series to claim the crown. It was awesome.
4. ASU football wins ten games under new coach Dennis Erickson. I really think he can take us to the next level, and this was a great first step.
3. The Boston Celtics become relevant again and roar out to the best start in the league.
2. The Red Sox win the World Series. Wow. How can this possibly only be number two?
1. The New England Patriots have the greatest season and the best football team OF ALL TIME. 16 down, three to go.
MY THREE FAVORITE ROAD TRIPS OF 2007
3. Arizona in September for ASU-CU. I was there for about 36 hours but I had a blast.
2. Las Vegas in October for Kev's surprise wedding. A great time with great friends.
1. The Whiffleball shoot in Chatham, May-June. One of the best months of my life.
That's probably enough lists. 2007 was quite a year.
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