Could the bye week have come at a better time for the Bengals? Sitting at 5-2, first place in the AFC North, coming off a 45-10 thrashing of the Bears, and having the Ravens and Steelers on the horizon; perfect time for a week off. Remember back in 2005 when everyone (well, everyone in Cincinnati) wondered what the team would look like if they only had a defense to match their offense? Well, we found out on Sunday. Anyone thought the Bengals would be 5-2 after Week 7? I certain didn't; I had them down for 6 wins total after the Week 1 loss to the Broncos. But after the bye, they've got Baltimore, at Pittsburgh, at Oakland, Cleveland. Going to Pittsburgh's going to be tough, but I don't think going 3-1 in the stretch is out of the question (although it might be now that I've mentioned it). After that, they finish up Detroit, at Minnesota, at San Diego, Kansas City, at New York Jets; 4-1, 3-2 at the worst. I'd live with 12-4 or 11-5 and an AFC North title, wouldn't you?
I'm torn about the current success UC football is having. On one hand, I love seeing college football excitement in Cincinnati. On the other hand, its making UC fans (of which I know plenty) as insufferable as OSU fans (of which I also know plenty). The reality is that UC won't get the national recognition it thinks it deserves (whether it actually does or not) because they're still relatively new to being a winning program, and history matters a great deal in college football (one of the sport's major drawbacks). UC die-hards all want to see the Bearcats in the BCS Championship game, but I just don't see it happening. An absolutely ridiculous set of circumstances would have to happen for that to occur. In no particular order, the following would have to happen:
-Between Florida and Alabama, one has to not make the SEC Championship game (Alabama being the most likely candidate, since Florida looks pretty safe in the East), and the other has to lose in the SEC Championship game. Of course, the catch here is that the team most likely to cause this scenario to play out is LSU, who's currently ranked #9 in the BCS. If the Tigers were to win out, which would require them going on the road at Alabama and at Mississippi, and avenge an their only loss to Florida in the SEC Championship game, there's no doubt in my mind that they'd make the BCS title game. And if either Florida or Alabama win the SEC, they'd pretty much be guaranteed a shot at the BCS title, even with a loss. What I'm getting at is that the SEC Championship winner (unless everyone loses from here on out and someone completely random wins the title) has a lock one of the top 2 BCS spots.
-After the SEC mess, Texas has to not win the Big 12. Given the BCS's history, it wouldn't surprise me if a 1-loss Texas team made the championship game if they still won the Big 12 title. So losing this week to Oklahoma State wouldn't eliminate them; losing to a junk team from the Big 12 North would.
-Iowa has to lose. Yeah, I know Big Ten + BCS bowl game = FAIL, but Iowa's ranked above UC right now, everyone loves them, and if they won out, they'd have wins at Penn State, at Wisconsin, and at Ohio State. That's pretty good.
-USC has to lose again. A one-loss USC would trump an undefeated UC, TCU, Boise State. and probably Iowa simply because they're USC (history, remember?). This week at Oregon is the best chance of this happening, but recent history suggests that it won't since they've already lost to a Pac-10 team this year.
-TCU and Boise State have to lose. Boise State's been there and done that before in BCS bowl games, and they don't have another hard game on their schedule. TCU still has to play Utah, but that game's at home, and they just crushed BYU in Provo, so I don't think it'll be a problem for them (sidenote: how much is TCU loving the fact that Virginia, while still terrible, has salvaged some semblance of a potentially respectable season? While its still not a great win, it looks a lot better now than it did in September.). I truly think that one of these teams would get a shot at the BCS title this year over UC because the BCS brass would want to see them get crushed by an SEC team so they could say, "See? Told ya so!"
If all those things happen, you could see UC play for the BCS title. But I'm not holding my breath.
Moving away from football, the World Series starts tonight, Phillies vs. Yankees. Hmm. Either the Yankees win their 27th championship or the Phillies go back-to-back. Neither outcome is desirable. Going back to football.
Virginia is currently a 7 point favorite over Duke this weekend. That line is complete joke. Duke's having their best season in, like, forever, and they can put up a ton of points. Duke's 4-3 and looking to make a bowl game, and they have 3 winnable games left (at Virginia, at North Carolina, and Wake Forest). Virginia is 3-4 and this is the only winnable game left. Duke's playing for something, Virginia isn't. Virginia loses to Duke in back-to-back season, and Al Groh will somehow manage to keep his job. Astounding.
Current random sports obsession- college volleyball. Can't get enough of it. I mentioned it last year during the Olympics, and I'm still watching it (the women's game is on now, the men play in the spring). If you're bailing on the World Series like me, I suggest you check out Ohio State at Penn State tonight on the Big Ten Network. Penn State's the #1 team in the country, the 2-time defending National Champion, and riding an 80+ game win streak. Needless to say, they're good.
Okay, I've wasted enough time. In the words of President Bartlett, "Break's over."
Showing posts with label baseball. Show all posts
Showing posts with label baseball. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
O Captain, My Captain
Caught the last half of Dead Poet's Society yesterday evening (on VH1 Classic, of all channels). A great movie, one of my favorites. Then later in the night, it was referenced in How I Met Your Mother. Clearly, its a sign. For what, I don't know, but a sign none the less.
Had a solid weekend for beating rival teams. St. X beat Elder on Friday, Virginia (shockingly) beat North Carolina on Saturday, and the Bengals beat the Browns on Sunday. Is it sad that I thought the biggest win of the three was St. X? Elder is clearly X's biggest football rival right now, but it wasn't always that way. In fact, when I was in school, Elder probably ranked 3rd in terms of GCL rivalries, behind Moeller and LaSalle. Moeller was the powerhouse back in the day, LaSalle was the "King of the Road" game, and Elder was just Elder. But now, Elder's the #1 rival, dwarfing both Moeller and LaSalle. Funny how it is.
Speaking of funny, how the hell did Virginia pull off a victory? Is Carolina just that bad? As much as I would have loved to see Groh go 0-12, its always nice to beat Carolina, especially when its a year where they were supposed to be good and the Hoos are so bad.
Note to the Bengals- have a game won or lost before the final minute of regulation/overtime. Please.
Apparently, the baseball regular season ended on Sunday. I can't remember ever being less enthused about a baseball postseason than this one. I read a stat yesterday that said since August 23 (ie- the last 6 weeks of the season), the Reds were 27-13, the best in baseball. They finished 78-84, 4th place in the NL Central, 13 games out. Does this mean we (Reds fans) should be excited for next year? Does one's finish to the previous season have any real bearing on one's performance next? Some say "yes." Look at the Bengals; they were miserable last season, but they managed to finish strong and win their last 3 games. Now, they're 3-1 and tied for first place in the AFC North. Sure, its a tenuous 3-1 (they could be 4-0 as easily as they could be 1-3), but 3-1 is 3-1 at the quarter pole. So maybe there's some reason to hope next spring.
All signs point to Ken Griffey, Jr. retiring from baseball. He got a huge standing ovation from the Seattle fans on Sunday was even carried off the field by his teammates at the end of the game. Its tough to come back from getting carried off the field. I've made my thoughts known on Ken Griffey, Jr. He was the best player I ever saw (and will ever see). If this was his last year, he'll be headlining the Hall of Fame class in 2014, the first year of his eligibility.
I'm incredibly stoked for ESPN's 30 for 30 series that starts tonight. Hands down, this looks like the coolest thing ESPN's ever done. 30 documentaries by 30 filmmakers covering topics from the past 30 years (since this is ESPN's 30th anniversary). Its a complete 360 from the"me, me, me" 25th anniversary celebration, which is a good thing. The subject list for 30 for 30 just looks incredible. Tonight's doc is about the trade of Wayne Gretzky from Edmonton to Los Angeles, done by Peter Berg (director/producer of Friday Night Lights, both the movie and the TV show). I plan to watch all 30 films, but I'm particularly interested in the ones on Allen Iverson, Reggie Miller and the Knicks, fantasy sports, Terry Fox, and June 17, 1994. Again, this just looks so cool.
In other TV recommendation news, you should be watching Modern Family, Glee, and FlashForward. All good, in completely different ways.
Final thought- I read from a friend that the ideal frequency for chest compressions during CPR is 100 bpm, which happens to be the same tempo for both Stayin' Alive and Another One Bites The Dust. Now THAT'S a sign.
Had a solid weekend for beating rival teams. St. X beat Elder on Friday, Virginia (shockingly) beat North Carolina on Saturday, and the Bengals beat the Browns on Sunday. Is it sad that I thought the biggest win of the three was St. X? Elder is clearly X's biggest football rival right now, but it wasn't always that way. In fact, when I was in school, Elder probably ranked 3rd in terms of GCL rivalries, behind Moeller and LaSalle. Moeller was the powerhouse back in the day, LaSalle was the "King of the Road" game, and Elder was just Elder. But now, Elder's the #1 rival, dwarfing both Moeller and LaSalle. Funny how it is.
Speaking of funny, how the hell did Virginia pull off a victory? Is Carolina just that bad? As much as I would have loved to see Groh go 0-12, its always nice to beat Carolina, especially when its a year where they were supposed to be good and the Hoos are so bad.
Note to the Bengals- have a game won or lost before the final minute of regulation/overtime. Please.
Apparently, the baseball regular season ended on Sunday. I can't remember ever being less enthused about a baseball postseason than this one. I read a stat yesterday that said since August 23 (ie- the last 6 weeks of the season), the Reds were 27-13, the best in baseball. They finished 78-84, 4th place in the NL Central, 13 games out. Does this mean we (Reds fans) should be excited for next year? Does one's finish to the previous season have any real bearing on one's performance next? Some say "yes." Look at the Bengals; they were miserable last season, but they managed to finish strong and win their last 3 games. Now, they're 3-1 and tied for first place in the AFC North. Sure, its a tenuous 3-1 (they could be 4-0 as easily as they could be 1-3), but 3-1 is 3-1 at the quarter pole. So maybe there's some reason to hope next spring.
All signs point to Ken Griffey, Jr. retiring from baseball. He got a huge standing ovation from the Seattle fans on Sunday was even carried off the field by his teammates at the end of the game. Its tough to come back from getting carried off the field. I've made my thoughts known on Ken Griffey, Jr. He was the best player I ever saw (and will ever see). If this was his last year, he'll be headlining the Hall of Fame class in 2014, the first year of his eligibility.
I'm incredibly stoked for ESPN's 30 for 30 series that starts tonight. Hands down, this looks like the coolest thing ESPN's ever done. 30 documentaries by 30 filmmakers covering topics from the past 30 years (since this is ESPN's 30th anniversary). Its a complete 360 from the"me, me, me" 25th anniversary celebration, which is a good thing. The subject list for 30 for 30 just looks incredible. Tonight's doc is about the trade of Wayne Gretzky from Edmonton to Los Angeles, done by Peter Berg (director/producer of Friday Night Lights, both the movie and the TV show). I plan to watch all 30 films, but I'm particularly interested in the ones on Allen Iverson, Reggie Miller and the Knicks, fantasy sports, Terry Fox, and June 17, 1994. Again, this just looks so cool.
In other TV recommendation news, you should be watching Modern Family, Glee, and FlashForward. All good, in completely different ways.
Final thought- I read from a friend that the ideal frequency for chest compressions during CPR is 100 bpm, which happens to be the same tempo for both Stayin' Alive and Another One Bites The Dust. Now THAT'S a sign.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Greatest Prediction Ever
This just has to be heard to be believed.
Second at-bat, 3-1 count, fastball, home run, left-center, 2nd deck. That's just awesome.
This is now my favorite sports play prediction of all time, replacing Snoop Dogg. I wish I could find the video, but it went something like this: USC was down in the red zone and Snoop, a big USC fan, was being interviewed on camera behind the end zone the Trojans were driving toward. The interviewer asked Snoop, who coaches (or at least, coached at the time) his son's peewee football team, what play he would call next. Snoop responded with something to the effect of, "hand it off to my boy LenDale White for the touchdown and then flip the ball to Coach Snoop." On the next play, USC handed it off to LenDale White, who scored, then flipped the ball to Snoop, still standing next to the interviewer and cameraman. They immediately cut back to Snoop, who proceeded to strike the Heisman pose. It was pretty cool. But calling a guy's first career homerun down to the when (second at-bat), how (fastball on 3-1), and where (left-center, 2nd deck) is just crazy (okay, so it just missed the 2nd deck; its still incredible).
Second at-bat, 3-1 count, fastball, home run, left-center, 2nd deck. That's just awesome.
This is now my favorite sports play prediction of all time, replacing Snoop Dogg. I wish I could find the video, but it went something like this: USC was down in the red zone and Snoop, a big USC fan, was being interviewed on camera behind the end zone the Trojans were driving toward. The interviewer asked Snoop, who coaches (or at least, coached at the time) his son's peewee football team, what play he would call next. Snoop responded with something to the effect of, "hand it off to my boy LenDale White for the touchdown and then flip the ball to Coach Snoop." On the next play, USC handed it off to LenDale White, who scored, then flipped the ball to Snoop, still standing next to the interviewer and cameraman. They immediately cut back to Snoop, who proceeded to strike the Heisman pose. It was pretty cool. But calling a guy's first career homerun down to the when (second at-bat), how (fastball on 3-1), and where (left-center, 2nd deck) is just crazy (okay, so it just missed the 2nd deck; its still incredible).
Monday, September 14, 2009
Just Call Me Brett Favre
I just couldn't stay away. There's too much stuff going on and I have too much time on my hands. So I'm back from retirement for a second time (which leaves me, what, 3 short of Mr. Favre?), and this time, I mean it. You know, that is, until I don't.
After 20 years of futility, the Bengals found a new way to lose:
Ladies and gentlemen, the longest game-winning play from scrimmage in the final minute of the fourth quarter in NFL history. I guess its fitting that the Bengals would be on the wrong side of a dubious record such as that. I mean, who knows who had the record was before Sunday, but everyone's going to remember that the Bengals have it now. Doesn't hurt that Gus Johnson was on the call. This might be a top 5 all-time "Gus Johnson loses his mind on the mic" moment, and if you're a fan of Gus Johnson (which I am), you know that's saying something.
I don't see anymore than 6 wins for the Bengals this year. Which, considering we're talking about the Bengals, isn't half bad. And its 6 more wins than I think my Virginia Cavaliers will win this year:
The ACC's bad, and Virginia's the worst team in the ACC. If this were the English Premier League, they'd be demoted to CAA (where they'd struggle against in-state rival Richmond, James Madison, and William and Mary, who's already beaten the Hoos this year). Its just pathetic. Shocking how having a marching band and making the students wear orange doesn't automatically translate into having a winning program. I know going 0-12 (or, by some miracle, 1-11) won't be cause for ditching the marching band (though we can always hope), but at the very least I hope all the students burn their "Sea of Orange" shirts and return to wearing ties and sun dresses on game day. I don't think Virginia's in the business of firing coaches mid-season, regardless of how bad it gets, so the impending winless season will be all Al Groh's to bear. Couldn't happen to a more deserving guy.
Been to a couple of local amateur MMA fights (ICF events) with PreView and Puddin' recently. Interesting, to say the least. The 7-sided octagon (which, I guess, is technically a heptagon, but that's not as fun to say as "7-sided octagon") threw me a bit at first, but the events are fun and the people watching is outstanding (both in a good way and a bad way). Quick shout out to the guys at Fight Ribbon; good people with a great product.
Apparently, Kanye West did something outrageous at the VMAs last night. My first thought? "They still hold the VMAs?" Who knew? I wasn't watching. I was busy watching Jay Cutler rack up points for the Green Bay defense by consistently hitting the open Packer defender. Good for my fantasy team. One of them, at least. What wasn't good for my fantasy teams? Orton's BS touchdown (see above), Drew Brees throwing against a high school defense, Joe Flacco sitting on my bench, and the lack of scoring by Matt Forte, Roddy White, and Donald Driver. Not a good start of the fantasy football season. But hey, I'm currently winning my baseball league!
Speaking of baseball, are the Reds still playing? Can't recall the last game where I watched more than two innings. 82-80, huh? Might be a little off on that prediction. Thank God they're in the same division as the Pirates or else there'd be a lot more last place finishes.
The new TV season is about to start up. This, plus football, is why fall is the best time of the year. Already hooked on Glee- cheesy and hokey on the outside, subversive and sardonic on the inside. Will be definitely be checking out Flash Forward (read the book, and I think the show has a chance to be better) and will probably check out V and Community. Can't wait to see how Fringe comes back from their season finale. Wondering if Heroes can come back and just be better than "suck." And there are probably a half dozen more shows (at least) that I'll be watching as well.
So much television, so little time. Its a wonder I that I ever get anything done (which is probably why I never do).
After 20 years of futility, the Bengals found a new way to lose:
Ladies and gentlemen, the longest game-winning play from scrimmage in the final minute of the fourth quarter in NFL history. I guess its fitting that the Bengals would be on the wrong side of a dubious record such as that. I mean, who knows who had the record was before Sunday, but everyone's going to remember that the Bengals have it now. Doesn't hurt that Gus Johnson was on the call. This might be a top 5 all-time "Gus Johnson loses his mind on the mic" moment, and if you're a fan of Gus Johnson (which I am), you know that's saying something.
I don't see anymore than 6 wins for the Bengals this year. Which, considering we're talking about the Bengals, isn't half bad. And its 6 more wins than I think my Virginia Cavaliers will win this year:
The ACC's bad, and Virginia's the worst team in the ACC. If this were the English Premier League, they'd be demoted to CAA (where they'd struggle against in-state rival Richmond, James Madison, and William and Mary, who's already beaten the Hoos this year). Its just pathetic. Shocking how having a marching band and making the students wear orange doesn't automatically translate into having a winning program. I know going 0-12 (or, by some miracle, 1-11) won't be cause for ditching the marching band (though we can always hope), but at the very least I hope all the students burn their "Sea of Orange" shirts and return to wearing ties and sun dresses on game day. I don't think Virginia's in the business of firing coaches mid-season, regardless of how bad it gets, so the impending winless season will be all Al Groh's to bear. Couldn't happen to a more deserving guy.
Been to a couple of local amateur MMA fights (ICF events) with PreView and Puddin' recently. Interesting, to say the least. The 7-sided octagon (which, I guess, is technically a heptagon, but that's not as fun to say as "7-sided octagon") threw me a bit at first, but the events are fun and the people watching is outstanding (both in a good way and a bad way). Quick shout out to the guys at Fight Ribbon; good people with a great product.
Apparently, Kanye West did something outrageous at the VMAs last night. My first thought? "They still hold the VMAs?" Who knew? I wasn't watching. I was busy watching Jay Cutler rack up points for the Green Bay defense by consistently hitting the open Packer defender. Good for my fantasy team. One of them, at least. What wasn't good for my fantasy teams? Orton's BS touchdown (see above), Drew Brees throwing against a high school defense, Joe Flacco sitting on my bench, and the lack of scoring by Matt Forte, Roddy White, and Donald Driver. Not a good start of the fantasy football season. But hey, I'm currently winning my baseball league!
Speaking of baseball, are the Reds still playing? Can't recall the last game where I watched more than two innings. 82-80, huh? Might be a little off on that prediction. Thank God they're in the same division as the Pirates or else there'd be a lot more last place finishes.
The new TV season is about to start up. This, plus football, is why fall is the best time of the year. Already hooked on Glee- cheesy and hokey on the outside, subversive and sardonic on the inside. Will be definitely be checking out Flash Forward (read the book, and I think the show has a chance to be better) and will probably check out V and Community. Can't wait to see how Fringe comes back from their season finale. Wondering if Heroes can come back and just be better than "suck." And there are probably a half dozen more shows (at least) that I'll be watching as well.
So much television, so little time. Its a wonder I that I ever get anything done (which is probably why I never do).
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Halfway Home
Which I guess means you're standing on second. While the All-Star Game is the celebrated halfway point of the baseball season, last night's Reds-Phillies game was the 81st game on the Reds schedule, making it the actual halfway point. And what a way to end the first half.
22-1.
Damn.
22-1. 10 runs in the first, Cueto records a total of 2 outs, and Paul Janish comes in to pitch the top of the eighth. Paul Janish, of the backup shortstop variety, came into pitch. That's how well things went last night. You can't even make the "its an Eagles-Bengals" score joke because you can't score "1" in football (although if anyone could figure out a way, I'd put my money on the Bengals).
I can't say it was all bad, though. Cole Hamels, Jimmy Rollins, and Shane Victorino are all on fantasy teams I manage, so it helped me have a good night. Now, reality always trumps fantasy for me, but if the Reds are going to lose, they might as well lose big to guys that are on my fantasy team. And from what I've read, I think athletes would rather lose 1-22 than 0-1. The latter is a tight game where one hit here or a different bounce there could decide the game. When you're down 0-10 at the end of the first, about 38.5 things have to all go your way just to make it close. Some nights its not your night, and last night was definitely one of those nights.
So where does that leave the Reds at the midpoint of the season? They're 40-41, in fourth place in the NL Central, and 3.5 games out of first. Yeah for mediocrity. Back in January, I predicted that the Reds would finish the year just over .500, and I think they're right on track for that. When Votto went on the DL, the offense suffered mightly, and its still struggling to get back on track. The starters have been hit or miss with the addition of some injuries. And the bullpen has been statisitically the best in the majors so far, but there's no way they continue to pitch at that level through September. So they're pretty much right where I thought they'd be. I expect the starting pitching to get better (Volquez will get healthy, and Homer Bailey pitched brilliantly his last time out before Albert Pujols made the case for getting walked with the bases loaded), and once Votto gets back into the groove, the offense should even out. They're a .500 team, and I don't expect them to make a major move before the trade deadline, so I don't expect them to get any better. I do still think they can finish the year with a winning record, which would be good for morale, but I don't see them contending for anything. But given how the team's been the past few years, I'll take the moral victory this year.
22-1.
Damn.
22-1. 10 runs in the first, Cueto records a total of 2 outs, and Paul Janish comes in to pitch the top of the eighth. Paul Janish, of the backup shortstop variety, came into pitch. That's how well things went last night. You can't even make the "its an Eagles-Bengals" score joke because you can't score "1" in football (although if anyone could figure out a way, I'd put my money on the Bengals).
I can't say it was all bad, though. Cole Hamels, Jimmy Rollins, and Shane Victorino are all on fantasy teams I manage, so it helped me have a good night. Now, reality always trumps fantasy for me, but if the Reds are going to lose, they might as well lose big to guys that are on my fantasy team. And from what I've read, I think athletes would rather lose 1-22 than 0-1. The latter is a tight game where one hit here or a different bounce there could decide the game. When you're down 0-10 at the end of the first, about 38.5 things have to all go your way just to make it close. Some nights its not your night, and last night was definitely one of those nights.
So where does that leave the Reds at the midpoint of the season? They're 40-41, in fourth place in the NL Central, and 3.5 games out of first. Yeah for mediocrity. Back in January, I predicted that the Reds would finish the year just over .500, and I think they're right on track for that. When Votto went on the DL, the offense suffered mightly, and its still struggling to get back on track. The starters have been hit or miss with the addition of some injuries. And the bullpen has been statisitically the best in the majors so far, but there's no way they continue to pitch at that level through September. So they're pretty much right where I thought they'd be. I expect the starting pitching to get better (Volquez will get healthy, and Homer Bailey pitched brilliantly his last time out before Albert Pujols made the case for getting walked with the bases loaded), and once Votto gets back into the groove, the offense should even out. They're a .500 team, and I don't expect them to make a major move before the trade deadline, so I don't expect them to get any better. I do still think they can finish the year with a winning record, which would be good for morale, but I don't see them contending for anything. But given how the team's been the past few years, I'll take the moral victory this year.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Weekly TV THoughts: 04/12 - 04/18
Good TV week this week, which is to be expected as shows head toward their season finales.
-Chuck, Monday: I think I said is last week, but this show is just REALLY good right now. They found a plausible way to bring Jill back into the fold, which was cool, and with Chuck letting her go at the end, I wonder if this wasn't the last time we'll see her. I really love how they've sent Chuck and Sarah rogue for the time being, pitting them against Casey and the US Government. What happens when Casey eventually meets up with them on the trail of Chuck's dad, Stephen/Orion? As much as Casey is beholden to his orders, I think its clear that he'll end up helping Chuck and Sarah when it comes down to it. And while the mirror B-story at the Buy More wasn't anything great, it was saved by the Godfather II reference between Big Mike and Morgan. I can not wait to see where the story goes to finish out the season, and it better come back for Season 3.
-Heroes, Monday: Ask any fan of this show and they're bound to tell you that Company Man is one of, if not the, best Heroes episode ever. Clearly, this episode was meant to channel that awesomeness (even using the black-and-white) flashback scenes, and I think it succeeded, for the most part. This episode was essentially one big therapy session for the characters, with everyone present at Coyote Sands becoming alarmingly self aware. It was an fairly deft way to reset all the characters back to where they were in Season 1 (or, at least close to that) after a couple of seasons of messing them up. There wasn't much to the story this week, I thought, other than to bring the Patrellis and the Bennetts together. The story about Angela's sister was nice to know (especially since they dropped that line about why she steals socks, making a call back to the pilot), and it was kind of cool to see the origins of the Company (or the origin of the idea of the Company), but neither really advanced the current storyline. Its was all set up to get the characters pointed in the right direction, which is what this show needs. I think its clear that they'll be wrapping up the Danko storyline this season, and then spring board into next season by creating the new Company they talked about in the diner. Hopefully, they can bring everyone back into the story to finish out the season in a satisfying manner.
-24, Monday: Okay, I have to admit that I didn't see Tony's betrayal coming. Not because I didn't think it was possible (because anyone can be a mole on this show), but because I just didn't think the writers would go that route. I thought that it would seem forced to have him switch sides AGAIN, and you what, I think it felt forced. So after Tony "died," he was a bad guy. Then hooked up with Bill again, and he was good guy posing as a bad guy. Then he joined up with Jack and he was just a good guy again. But no, because he's actually been a bad guy this whole time. It calls into question everything we've seen him do this season, though I guess we now know where Tony was getting his insider information about Starkwood; he had a guy on the inside. And he HAS to be a bad guy because he up and killed Larry Moss, who was just starting to get interesting. At least, I think he's dead; he didn't get a silent clock, but he did get a long, drawn out suffocation scene at the hands of Tony. So let's say he's dead. I really hope that Tony isn't revealed to be the ultimate head bad guy when its all said and done (since clearly Jonas Hodges wasn't it). I can stand him being a bad guy this whole time, but not the mastermind. That would just be stupid. Oh, and finally, Kim's back and it wasn't completely contrived. It was very natural (with her already being in D.C., trying to reach Jack since he was supposed to be testifying before the Senate), and now they have a way to save Jack's life (becasue c'mon, you know that they experimental treatment's going to work). And we got a tender scene between Jack and Kim that we don't often get on this show, which was a nice change of pace. I wonder how Jack will react to Tony's latest betrayal. I'm guessing he's going to kill him.
-Lost, Wednesday: I'm a big fan of Miles, and I'm glad he got his own flashback episode this week. He, along with Hurley and Lapidus, get the best lines on the show, and the pairing of Miles and Hurley is just comedy gold. We got some good backstory on Miles, like confirming he is Dr. Chang's son and was born on the island, why he was on the freighter to begin with, and why he asked Ben for $3.2 million. None of that is all that shocking, but the bigger news about about Miles's confrontation with Bram and the people who ask "why lies in the shadow of the statue?". Clearly they're not Widmore's people (so there goes that theory); so who are they then? Are they Ben's people? Eloise Hawking's? The remants of the Dharma Initiative? Some other group we haven't learned about yet? Don't know, but I'm banking on them being a part of Dharma, or at least what's left of it. Maybe they formed from the people that were on the mainland, back in Ann Arbor. And speaking of Ann Arbor, welcome back to the show, Daniel Faraday. There was a moment there where I wasn't sure if Daniel was going to recognize Miles there on the pier, but sure enough, he did. So he got off the island, joined up with Dharma in Ann Arbor, and is now back on the island to join in what looks like the construction of the Swan station. What's he been up to in the past three years? We'll have to wait two weeks to find out, since there's a clip show coming up this week. Oh well, I can handle the week's off because I know there's an end on the horizon.
-Kings, Saturday: So Kings got dumped to Saturdays to finish out its run (since its never a good sign for a pickup when you're airing on Saturday nights). Oh well, at least they'll get to finish out their story, which I hope has some semblence of an end to it. I was getting a little sick of everyone in the royal family trying to get between David and Michelle, first it was the King, then the Queen, and this week it was her brother Jack, so I'm glad they finally came forth and had Michelle explain her situation; as expected, she is already promised to someone else. Wonder who. And Macaulay Culkin debuted this episode as the King's nephew, Andrew, who's been in exlie for some reason. Not much was revealed about Andrew other than that his time in exile has seemed to make him a little off (he stared at a fork as if he had no idea what it was for). Clearly he'll be used more in episodes to come, but I thought they'd do a little more in his first episode, especially since it seems like he came back from exile out of the blue. I was a little surprised they didn't even mention the mutiny storyline this week; it was almost like it didn't happen. But the one scene between Silas and Reverend Samuels was tense, so maybe its still there, just not on the surface.
No Dollhouse this past week, but its back this week, and there's no Lost this week. Maybe I can find some time to watch some more baseball (that is, as long as FSN Ohio doesn't decide to cut away from anymore games).
-Chuck, Monday: I think I said is last week, but this show is just REALLY good right now. They found a plausible way to bring Jill back into the fold, which was cool, and with Chuck letting her go at the end, I wonder if this wasn't the last time we'll see her. I really love how they've sent Chuck and Sarah rogue for the time being, pitting them against Casey and the US Government. What happens when Casey eventually meets up with them on the trail of Chuck's dad, Stephen/Orion? As much as Casey is beholden to his orders, I think its clear that he'll end up helping Chuck and Sarah when it comes down to it. And while the mirror B-story at the Buy More wasn't anything great, it was saved by the Godfather II reference between Big Mike and Morgan. I can not wait to see where the story goes to finish out the season, and it better come back for Season 3.
-Heroes, Monday: Ask any fan of this show and they're bound to tell you that Company Man is one of, if not the, best Heroes episode ever. Clearly, this episode was meant to channel that awesomeness (even using the black-and-white) flashback scenes, and I think it succeeded, for the most part. This episode was essentially one big therapy session for the characters, with everyone present at Coyote Sands becoming alarmingly self aware. It was an fairly deft way to reset all the characters back to where they were in Season 1 (or, at least close to that) after a couple of seasons of messing them up. There wasn't much to the story this week, I thought, other than to bring the Patrellis and the Bennetts together. The story about Angela's sister was nice to know (especially since they dropped that line about why she steals socks, making a call back to the pilot), and it was kind of cool to see the origins of the Company (or the origin of the idea of the Company), but neither really advanced the current storyline. Its was all set up to get the characters pointed in the right direction, which is what this show needs. I think its clear that they'll be wrapping up the Danko storyline this season, and then spring board into next season by creating the new Company they talked about in the diner. Hopefully, they can bring everyone back into the story to finish out the season in a satisfying manner.
-24, Monday: Okay, I have to admit that I didn't see Tony's betrayal coming. Not because I didn't think it was possible (because anyone can be a mole on this show), but because I just didn't think the writers would go that route. I thought that it would seem forced to have him switch sides AGAIN, and you what, I think it felt forced. So after Tony "died," he was a bad guy. Then hooked up with Bill again, and he was good guy posing as a bad guy. Then he joined up with Jack and he was just a good guy again. But no, because he's actually been a bad guy this whole time. It calls into question everything we've seen him do this season, though I guess we now know where Tony was getting his insider information about Starkwood; he had a guy on the inside. And he HAS to be a bad guy because he up and killed Larry Moss, who was just starting to get interesting. At least, I think he's dead; he didn't get a silent clock, but he did get a long, drawn out suffocation scene at the hands of Tony. So let's say he's dead. I really hope that Tony isn't revealed to be the ultimate head bad guy when its all said and done (since clearly Jonas Hodges wasn't it). I can stand him being a bad guy this whole time, but not the mastermind. That would just be stupid. Oh, and finally, Kim's back and it wasn't completely contrived. It was very natural (with her already being in D.C., trying to reach Jack since he was supposed to be testifying before the Senate), and now they have a way to save Jack's life (becasue c'mon, you know that they experimental treatment's going to work). And we got a tender scene between Jack and Kim that we don't often get on this show, which was a nice change of pace. I wonder how Jack will react to Tony's latest betrayal. I'm guessing he's going to kill him.
-Lost, Wednesday: I'm a big fan of Miles, and I'm glad he got his own flashback episode this week. He, along with Hurley and Lapidus, get the best lines on the show, and the pairing of Miles and Hurley is just comedy gold. We got some good backstory on Miles, like confirming he is Dr. Chang's son and was born on the island, why he was on the freighter to begin with, and why he asked Ben for $3.2 million. None of that is all that shocking, but the bigger news about about Miles's confrontation with Bram and the people who ask "why lies in the shadow of the statue?". Clearly they're not Widmore's people (so there goes that theory); so who are they then? Are they Ben's people? Eloise Hawking's? The remants of the Dharma Initiative? Some other group we haven't learned about yet? Don't know, but I'm banking on them being a part of Dharma, or at least what's left of it. Maybe they formed from the people that were on the mainland, back in Ann Arbor. And speaking of Ann Arbor, welcome back to the show, Daniel Faraday. There was a moment there where I wasn't sure if Daniel was going to recognize Miles there on the pier, but sure enough, he did. So he got off the island, joined up with Dharma in Ann Arbor, and is now back on the island to join in what looks like the construction of the Swan station. What's he been up to in the past three years? We'll have to wait two weeks to find out, since there's a clip show coming up this week. Oh well, I can handle the week's off because I know there's an end on the horizon.
-Kings, Saturday: So Kings got dumped to Saturdays to finish out its run (since its never a good sign for a pickup when you're airing on Saturday nights). Oh well, at least they'll get to finish out their story, which I hope has some semblence of an end to it. I was getting a little sick of everyone in the royal family trying to get between David and Michelle, first it was the King, then the Queen, and this week it was her brother Jack, so I'm glad they finally came forth and had Michelle explain her situation; as expected, she is already promised to someone else. Wonder who. And Macaulay Culkin debuted this episode as the King's nephew, Andrew, who's been in exlie for some reason. Not much was revealed about Andrew other than that his time in exile has seemed to make him a little off (he stared at a fork as if he had no idea what it was for). Clearly he'll be used more in episodes to come, but I thought they'd do a little more in his first episode, especially since it seems like he came back from exile out of the blue. I was a little surprised they didn't even mention the mutiny storyline this week; it was almost like it didn't happen. But the one scene between Silas and Reverend Samuels was tense, so maybe its still there, just not on the surface.
No Dollhouse this past week, but its back this week, and there's no Lost this week. Maybe I can find some time to watch some more baseball (that is, as long as FSN Ohio doesn't decide to cut away from anymore games).
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Terminator: The Albert Pujols Chronicles
News is that FOX is going to cancel Terminator: The Sarah Conner Chronicles. Not to worry. You can get your Terminator fix by watching the St. Louis Cardinals play.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Because Clearly It Wasn't Important
A bit of advice for Fox Sports Net Ohio, in the style of Burn Notice's "Spy Tips":
"When you're airing a live baseball game, its probably not a good idea to cut to an episode of The Best Damn Sports Show when there's two outs left in the bottom of the ninth of a one-run game. People might get pissed."
Unfortunately, this advice comes one day late, as FSN Ohio did exactly that last night. Seriously. Bottom of the ninth, one out, Reds up on the Brewers 7-6, with Reds closer (and former Brewer) Francisco Cordero on the mound, and then as we crossed the bottom of the hour, BAM, right into the middle of Best Damn. And it wasn't even a cut to the beginning of the episode; it was the middle, where they were discussing the greatest relief pitchers of all time with special guest Rollie Fingers. Exciting, I know. Given the choice between watching that and watching my hometown team try and close a game out a one-run game on the road against a division opponent, I know I'd take Best Damn every time. Right.
So what happened in the game? Oh nothing. Cordero walked the next batter, then gave up a fly ball to Taveras in center, who tried to double off the runner at first, only to make a wild throw that was backed up by Cordero, who then tried to get the runner going to second, but hit him in the back. Two outs, tying run on second, base hit sends the game to extras. But Cordero gets a ground ball to first to end the game. So yeah, nothing exciting.
I had no idea what was going on last night. By the time I figured out that they weren't going to be going back to the game and scrambled to a radio, the game was over. Stupid FSN Ohio.
[Edit: FSN Ohio has issued an apology. Seems a similar incident happened back in December with UC basketball. Silver lining- the hometown team won in both cases. But it still sucked.]
"When you're airing a live baseball game, its probably not a good idea to cut to an episode of The Best Damn Sports Show when there's two outs left in the bottom of the ninth of a one-run game. People might get pissed."
Unfortunately, this advice comes one day late, as FSN Ohio did exactly that last night. Seriously. Bottom of the ninth, one out, Reds up on the Brewers 7-6, with Reds closer (and former Brewer) Francisco Cordero on the mound, and then as we crossed the bottom of the hour, BAM, right into the middle of Best Damn. And it wasn't even a cut to the beginning of the episode; it was the middle, where they were discussing the greatest relief pitchers of all time with special guest Rollie Fingers. Exciting, I know. Given the choice between watching that and watching my hometown team try and close a game out a one-run game on the road against a division opponent, I know I'd take Best Damn every time. Right.
So what happened in the game? Oh nothing. Cordero walked the next batter, then gave up a fly ball to Taveras in center, who tried to double off the runner at first, only to make a wild throw that was backed up by Cordero, who then tried to get the runner going to second, but hit him in the back. Two outs, tying run on second, base hit sends the game to extras. But Cordero gets a ground ball to first to end the game. So yeah, nothing exciting.
I had no idea what was going on last night. By the time I figured out that they weren't going to be going back to the game and scrambled to a radio, the game was over. Stupid FSN Ohio.
[Edit: FSN Ohio has issued an apology. Seems a similar incident happened back in December with UC basketball. Silver lining- the hometown team won in both cases. But it still sucked.]
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Weekly TV Thoughts: 04/05 - 04/11
Best thing that happened for the Reds this week? Getting rained out Friday night so they could end the week 1-3 instead of 1-4. How's that "pitching and defense" approach working out for everyone? Yeah, not so much right now. The team's young, and that's great for projecting what they could do in the future, but it means nothing if it never materializes. Gonna watch them again this afternoon, though, because its what I do. Gonna catch some golf, too, because there's not a whole lot better than Sunday at a major, especially at the Masters. Tiger's not in the lead, so he's not going to win (that fact's so money in the bank that it even survived the curse of this blog), but he is paired with Phil, which should make for some good theater, even if they're not in contention.
-Kings, Sunday: So even the King's top general is positioning to overthrow him. We knew that the King's brother-in-law wanted Silas out, but now, the opposition is building fast. I am still curious about Reverend Samuel, though. How does he fit into all of this. He knows that Silas's time is coming to an end, but he not all that willing to join the coup. Will he start to push David to the foreground? Or will he just bide his time and wait? Clearly they're setting up Jack to oppose his father, but Silas just gave him a ministry position and it looks like Jack's swung back to the side of supporting Silas (or, at the very least, not opposing him). Again, the political drama of the show (dealing with the uprising in David's hometown) wasn't all that interesting to me, but the characters again draw me in. Kings is getting dumped to Saturday nights starting April 18, I believe, which means all signs point to it not coming back next year. They'll get to finish out the season, which is good, but I hope they can manage so sort of an ending instead of leaving on a cliffhanger that'll never get resolved.
-Chuck, Monday: This show REALLY needs to be renewed for next season. Of all the shows I watch that are on the bubble for pick up, Chuck is my #1 choice to save. I've said before how much I enjoy this show, and I still think it's consistently the most entertaining show on the TV. But after this week's episode, I think the show's hit a whole new level. As they barrel toward the season finale, they've set things in motion (with Chuck's dad being Orion and the creator of the Intersect, and having him being captured by Ted Roark and Fulcrum) that look to send the show into an awesome new direction. Season 3 of Chuck needs to happen!
-Heroes, Monday: As I said last week, it only matter of time before Bennett found out the truth about Sylar. I didn't quite expect it to happen this week, but now that I look at it, I'm glad that it wasn't drawn out. The best thing they could have done with Bennett was to burn him and get him out from under the guise of working with Danko. He's now on his own and by him showing up at Coyote Sands, we now know exactly where his allegiances lie. And speaking of Coyote Sands, it was only a matter of time before this comic-staple ret-con showed up in Heroes. "Remember that time when I told you about where all this started, when I told you about the beginning? Well, that wasn't really the beginning because this here is the beginning, That other beginning, not the beginning; this is the real one." Cliche, yes, but not totally unexpected. Giving the show a new origin story wouldn't even crack the top 10 of crazy things Heroes has done, so I can live with it.
-24, Monday: So the FBI raid on Starkwood didn't quite go as planned, but don't worry, Tony's still there and will have to neutralize the threat on his own. Funny how it always seems to come down to just one man on this show. Of course, that man is usually Jack, but he's currently infected with a deadly pathogen that quickly ending his life. And while there's no cure, there is, amazingly enough, an experimental procedure that uses stem cells from a biologically compatible donor (like, say, a direct family member) that could do the trick. And this is how they wrangle Kim back into the show. Although Jack's not to keen on calling her, prefering rather to die than talk to his daughter, so I'm thinking that it'll be Renee who contacts Kim, going behind Jack's back. Because Jack can't die; they've still got to shoot Season 8! We finally get a converstation between President Taylor and Jonas Hodges, and while Hodges doesn't reveal what his demands are, he does imply that the impetus for all this was the fact that he felt that the US Government betrayed Starkwood by asking them to "get the job done" without asking any questions only to put them on trial in front of Congress for doing just that. So he's a little disgruntled. It happens. I am curious to see how the face-to-face meeting in the White House goes next episode.
-Lost, Wednesday: Once again, Ben proves that we can't trust a single thing that comes out of his mouth. Take Locke being alive again. First, he tells Locke to his face that he thought the island might resurrect him, but he wasn't certain until he saw it actually happen. Then, he tells Caesar that he thinks Locke might have never been on the plane in the first place (this one's the obvious lie, but a lie none the less) and that maybe he's been on the island this whole time. And then, he tells Sun that "dead is dead" and that he has no idea what John Locke is now. So which is it? Did he know what the island would resurrect Locke or was that complete shock to him (you know, since Ben murdered him and all)? You never know with Ben, and we as the audience may never know. And then there's this whole business about whether or not Ben remembers being shot and then saved by the Others. We get a scene where Young Ben wakes up in the Other's camp and he seems to have no idea why he's there or how he was injured. But then Ben says later that the temple where he, Locke, and Sun are going to is where he was taken as a child and healed. How does he remember the fact that he was healed at the temple, but not the facts surrounding why he needed to be healed in the first place? Unlike the previous query, I think we will get an answer to this question. It should be really interesting to see how Ben handles having to follow Locke's lead now; from the look on his face after his encounter with the Smoke Monster, it looks like he might be a changed man. Who knows if his reason for coming back was the be judged (again, can't ever trust what Ben says), but that fact is he was judged, and the island let him live, contingient on him following Locke and not trying to kill him. Again. Now its time for Locke, Ben, and Sun to figure out a what to meet up with the rest of the O6 back in 1977. Locke's in the lead, wonder how he's going to handle it. I was really bummed out when Lapidus left to go back to the plane because I really wanted to see him invovled in the story. And then they dropped the "what lies in the shadow of the statue?" bombshell when he got back. So some of the passengers, including bounty hunter Ilana, have another agenda, and they knew they were going to land on the island. Questions abound- how did they know, who sent them, what's in the box? Can we assume that maybe it was these people who were shooting at Sawyer, Juliet and Co. in the boat while they flashed into the future for a bit? I think so. Finally, a quick note about Desmond and Penny- very glad that neither one of them is dead. Guess if Ben has one soft spot, its not killing mothers. He never got to know his, and he apparently can't inflict that sort of pain on someone.
-Dollhouse, Friday: Good episode, with a great storytelling device; I love the jumping back and forth through the story, so that you get the whole story from everyone's veiwpoint. I don't quite know what the think about Mr. Dominic being the mole; he said somethings in the episode, specifically to Ms. DeWitt, that would seem to contradict his actions as a mole. But if you assume that he was lying to DeWitt in a final effort to save his life, then things seem to fit together nicely. He was trying to bring down the Dollhouse and he was setting up Echo and Agent Ballard to do so. He knows that Echo will eventually take down the Dollhouse, so he did things specifically to trigger her towards that path. I like how Echo became somewhat self aware and understood, on the most basic level, what Topher does in the chair; he makes people different. And she understood enough to volunteer for an engagement. This sets up Echo to be used more by the Dollhouse, which in turn, we are to assume, will lead to her having an "Alpha" moment and become complete self aware and destroy the Dollhouse. And speaking of Ballard, how shitty is his life right now? He's suspended from the FBI, he's gone completely paranoid and become totally obsessed with the Dollhouse (more so than before), and he's just found out that his neighbor/girlfriend in actually an Active. But he still has to pretend that he doesn't know Mellie's a Doll. Without a mole inside the Dollhouse, where will Ballard's investigation go? Again, he was told to focus less on where the Dollhouse is and more on the Dollhouse's true purpose. "Follow the money," I guess. He figures out the why, and that will lead him to the where (and possibly a whole lot more).
-Kings, Sunday: So even the King's top general is positioning to overthrow him. We knew that the King's brother-in-law wanted Silas out, but now, the opposition is building fast. I am still curious about Reverend Samuel, though. How does he fit into all of this. He knows that Silas's time is coming to an end, but he not all that willing to join the coup. Will he start to push David to the foreground? Or will he just bide his time and wait? Clearly they're setting up Jack to oppose his father, but Silas just gave him a ministry position and it looks like Jack's swung back to the side of supporting Silas (or, at the very least, not opposing him). Again, the political drama of the show (dealing with the uprising in David's hometown) wasn't all that interesting to me, but the characters again draw me in. Kings is getting dumped to Saturday nights starting April 18, I believe, which means all signs point to it not coming back next year. They'll get to finish out the season, which is good, but I hope they can manage so sort of an ending instead of leaving on a cliffhanger that'll never get resolved.
-Chuck, Monday: This show REALLY needs to be renewed for next season. Of all the shows I watch that are on the bubble for pick up, Chuck is my #1 choice to save. I've said before how much I enjoy this show, and I still think it's consistently the most entertaining show on the TV. But after this week's episode, I think the show's hit a whole new level. As they barrel toward the season finale, they've set things in motion (with Chuck's dad being Orion and the creator of the Intersect, and having him being captured by Ted Roark and Fulcrum) that look to send the show into an awesome new direction. Season 3 of Chuck needs to happen!
-Heroes, Monday: As I said last week, it only matter of time before Bennett found out the truth about Sylar. I didn't quite expect it to happen this week, but now that I look at it, I'm glad that it wasn't drawn out. The best thing they could have done with Bennett was to burn him and get him out from under the guise of working with Danko. He's now on his own and by him showing up at Coyote Sands, we now know exactly where his allegiances lie. And speaking of Coyote Sands, it was only a matter of time before this comic-staple ret-con showed up in Heroes. "Remember that time when I told you about where all this started, when I told you about the beginning? Well, that wasn't really the beginning because this here is the beginning, That other beginning, not the beginning; this is the real one." Cliche, yes, but not totally unexpected. Giving the show a new origin story wouldn't even crack the top 10 of crazy things Heroes has done, so I can live with it.
-24, Monday: So the FBI raid on Starkwood didn't quite go as planned, but don't worry, Tony's still there and will have to neutralize the threat on his own. Funny how it always seems to come down to just one man on this show. Of course, that man is usually Jack, but he's currently infected with a deadly pathogen that quickly ending his life. And while there's no cure, there is, amazingly enough, an experimental procedure that uses stem cells from a biologically compatible donor (like, say, a direct family member) that could do the trick. And this is how they wrangle Kim back into the show. Although Jack's not to keen on calling her, prefering rather to die than talk to his daughter, so I'm thinking that it'll be Renee who contacts Kim, going behind Jack's back. Because Jack can't die; they've still got to shoot Season 8! We finally get a converstation between President Taylor and Jonas Hodges, and while Hodges doesn't reveal what his demands are, he does imply that the impetus for all this was the fact that he felt that the US Government betrayed Starkwood by asking them to "get the job done" without asking any questions only to put them on trial in front of Congress for doing just that. So he's a little disgruntled. It happens. I am curious to see how the face-to-face meeting in the White House goes next episode.
-Lost, Wednesday: Once again, Ben proves that we can't trust a single thing that comes out of his mouth. Take Locke being alive again. First, he tells Locke to his face that he thought the island might resurrect him, but he wasn't certain until he saw it actually happen. Then, he tells Caesar that he thinks Locke might have never been on the plane in the first place (this one's the obvious lie, but a lie none the less) and that maybe he's been on the island this whole time. And then, he tells Sun that "dead is dead" and that he has no idea what John Locke is now. So which is it? Did he know what the island would resurrect Locke or was that complete shock to him (you know, since Ben murdered him and all)? You never know with Ben, and we as the audience may never know. And then there's this whole business about whether or not Ben remembers being shot and then saved by the Others. We get a scene where Young Ben wakes up in the Other's camp and he seems to have no idea why he's there or how he was injured. But then Ben says later that the temple where he, Locke, and Sun are going to is where he was taken as a child and healed. How does he remember the fact that he was healed at the temple, but not the facts surrounding why he needed to be healed in the first place? Unlike the previous query, I think we will get an answer to this question. It should be really interesting to see how Ben handles having to follow Locke's lead now; from the look on his face after his encounter with the Smoke Monster, it looks like he might be a changed man. Who knows if his reason for coming back was the be judged (again, can't ever trust what Ben says), but that fact is he was judged, and the island let him live, contingient on him following Locke and not trying to kill him. Again. Now its time for Locke, Ben, and Sun to figure out a what to meet up with the rest of the O6 back in 1977. Locke's in the lead, wonder how he's going to handle it. I was really bummed out when Lapidus left to go back to the plane because I really wanted to see him invovled in the story. And then they dropped the "what lies in the shadow of the statue?" bombshell when he got back. So some of the passengers, including bounty hunter Ilana, have another agenda, and they knew they were going to land on the island. Questions abound- how did they know, who sent them, what's in the box? Can we assume that maybe it was these people who were shooting at Sawyer, Juliet and Co. in the boat while they flashed into the future for a bit? I think so. Finally, a quick note about Desmond and Penny- very glad that neither one of them is dead. Guess if Ben has one soft spot, its not killing mothers. He never got to know his, and he apparently can't inflict that sort of pain on someone.
-Dollhouse, Friday: Good episode, with a great storytelling device; I love the jumping back and forth through the story, so that you get the whole story from everyone's veiwpoint. I don't quite know what the think about Mr. Dominic being the mole; he said somethings in the episode, specifically to Ms. DeWitt, that would seem to contradict his actions as a mole. But if you assume that he was lying to DeWitt in a final effort to save his life, then things seem to fit together nicely. He was trying to bring down the Dollhouse and he was setting up Echo and Agent Ballard to do so. He knows that Echo will eventually take down the Dollhouse, so he did things specifically to trigger her towards that path. I like how Echo became somewhat self aware and understood, on the most basic level, what Topher does in the chair; he makes people different. And she understood enough to volunteer for an engagement. This sets up Echo to be used more by the Dollhouse, which in turn, we are to assume, will lead to her having an "Alpha" moment and become complete self aware and destroy the Dollhouse. And speaking of Ballard, how shitty is his life right now? He's suspended from the FBI, he's gone completely paranoid and become totally obsessed with the Dollhouse (more so than before), and he's just found out that his neighbor/girlfriend in actually an Active. But he still has to pretend that he doesn't know Mellie's a Doll. Without a mole inside the Dollhouse, where will Ballard's investigation go? Again, he was told to focus less on where the Dollhouse is and more on the Dollhouse's true purpose. "Follow the money," I guess. He figures out the why, and that will lead him to the where (and possibly a whole lot more).
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Weekly TV Thoughts: 03/29 - 04/04
I think I've made it clear that I believe in sports karma; there's this and this, and the fact that I believe that this blog is cursed. So it makes me very glad that Michigan State defeated UConn yesterday to knock Calhoun out of the tournament. Between the tirade about his salary to the (alleged) NCAA infractions, there's no way he deserved to win this year. And there is absolutely EVERY reason why Michigan State should. I don't think I could bear it if the first two major sports championships of the year went to the Steelers and North Carolina.
-Arnold Palmer Invitational, Sunday: My prediction of Tiger Woods winning 2 majors this year is looking a whole lot better now. Was there any doubt that he'd make that putt? Is there ever any doubt? Everyone knows its going in and yet, there I was, literally on the edge of my seat, waiting to see. The Masters is this week; anyone taking the field over Tiger? I'm not.
-Kings, Sunday: Another solid episode. Up until now, the Queen, Rose, had been the weakest character of them all. Everyone else, Silas, David, Jack, Michelle, Reverend Samuels, and even the Queen's brother had some intrigue attached to them, but Rose just seemed ditached and kind of aloof. Not anymore. Here, we found out that she was responsible for shaping the entire structure and image of the royal family; she "designed" the monarchy. As she said after the ballet performance, they, meaning the royal family, was the show, not the dancers. She is keenly aware of the people's opinion and perceptions of her family, and she showed that she's just as capable as Silas in manipulating the people around her to get her desired end. The characters in this show just keep getting more and more interesting. The political aspects of the show are starting to wane on me, but the characters are still going strong.
-Heroes, Monday: I thought this was a halfway decent episode. Claire and Nathan in Mexico? Couldn't care less about it. Peter and Angela in church? Meh. I don't really care too much for Peter at this point, and Angela is hit or miss. Clearly their stories this week were to simply to set the four of them up for coming together next episode. But Bennett, Danko, and Sylar? That was the redeeming part of the episode. I have to admit, I didn't see Danko's fake out with the shape shifter coming. Sylar can now change his physical apperance, as if he needed to be more powerful. And you know that Bennett isn't just going to let "Sylar's" capture sit like that; its just a matter of time. Until then, it should be cool to see Sylar wreak havoc as disguised as other people.
-24, Monday: First off, I was partially right about Olivia becoming the new CoS. Clearly, naming a new CoS a mere minutes after the old one resigned is impractical, so being provisional CoS is as close as its going to get. I'm calling that a win. Interesting fake out with Jack's condition- he's infected but its not contagious. I thought the scene between Jack and Larry, where Larry tells Jack that he can't go on the Starkwood raid because he's infection makes him a liability, was awesome. A tough realization for a man like Jack, but its no surprise that he was able to accept it; as he said, he always knew that there'd be a day where he wasn't the best man for the job. And geting infected with a bio-weapon is that day. Now, clearly, Jack's not going to die, so the question is how will he be saved. As currently, there is no cure for the infection; could this be how Kim is brought back into the story? I sensing yes. Now onto the raid on Starkwood. I really thought that Tony was being played by Seaton when he came to break Tony out of his cell. Then, when they contacted the FBI and they were able to see and hear Seaton, I began to think that maybe this might be for real. Then, given Jonas's reaction, I futher thought that Seaton was being truthful. So of course, Seaton played the FBI and had Larry not been there, Tony would've killed him. I'm guessing that Starkwood takes Tony, Larry, and the FBI team hostage and Jack will go in and break them out. 'Cause that's something Jack would do, infected with a bio-weapon or not.
-Lost, Wednesday: Another great character episode. That's two weeks in a row where we've gotten Season 1 type episodes, complete with flashbacks and the like. This week, we got some answers to what Kate was up to off island. We found out what Sawyer whispered to her before jumping out of the helicopter (to take care of his daughter). We found out what happened to Aaron (she gave him to Claire's mom). And we found out what her motivation was to return to the island (she wants to find Claire). Some great scenes for Kate this episode, especially her saying goodbye to Aaron. Back on the island, Yonng Ben is dying and needs a real surgeon to save him. Cue Jack opting not to help. I love the complete reversal of character for Jack now; this was the first example of him letting go and letting whatever is supposed to happen, happen. He's completely embraced that he has some sort of destiny, and is convinced that when its his time, the island will make it apparant to him what that is. Clearly, this is going to come back and bite him in the ass. But anyway, Kate and Juliet (and eventually Sawyer) come to the conclusion that Young Ben can only be saved if they take him to the Others and Richard Alpert. Richard explains to them that if they take him, Young Ben will never be the same. He won't remember this happening and will lose his innocence; he'd be "one of them" from now on. The question I have is why did Juliet even suggest taking Young Ben to the Others? They're currently living off in the woods somwhere; how did she know that Richard would be able to help Young Ben? Now we know (or, at least we think we know) how Young Ben became the Ben we're accustomed to; I would love to see Young Ben one more time, after he has been saved and changed, to see him act more like Old Ben around the survivors. I like the idea that the survivors, while in the past, were responsible for turning Ben into the very person that would terrorize them in the future. And speaking of moving through time, I could have watched an entire episode of Hurley and Miles discuss time travel. It was awesome that the writers had enough foresight to know the exact questions the fans would be asking at this point and having Hurley ask them to Miles. It gives me faith that we'll be getting the answers when and how they want to give them.
-Dollhouse, Friday: So letting some of the Actives escape and remember parts of their personality was all just a ploy by Ms. DeWitt to give them closure. The actives fell asleep when the reached their desired closure, but it was still a nice fake out. We learned that Sierra was brought to the Dollhouse against her will, and that Millie/November had a daughter that died. But the REAL twist was that Echo managed to call Agent Ballard and leave him a message before she fell asleep and sent back to being an Active. I really hope they start ramping up the Agent Ballard storyline, because I find that part of the show the most interesting.
Big week this week, with Opening Day tomorrow afternoon. Weather in Cincinnati forecasted for tomorrow afternoon? Low 40's with a 60% chance of rain and snow. Note that its been near 70 the past two days. Of coure, this wouldn't be the first for Cincinnati. I may or may not get around to writing my bold predictions for the Reds this season before Opening Day; maybe I'll wait a few days. I do stick by my original prediction, though, of the Reds finishing 82-80. Play ball.
-Arnold Palmer Invitational, Sunday: My prediction of Tiger Woods winning 2 majors this year is looking a whole lot better now. Was there any doubt that he'd make that putt? Is there ever any doubt? Everyone knows its going in and yet, there I was, literally on the edge of my seat, waiting to see. The Masters is this week; anyone taking the field over Tiger? I'm not.
-Kings, Sunday: Another solid episode. Up until now, the Queen, Rose, had been the weakest character of them all. Everyone else, Silas, David, Jack, Michelle, Reverend Samuels, and even the Queen's brother had some intrigue attached to them, but Rose just seemed ditached and kind of aloof. Not anymore. Here, we found out that she was responsible for shaping the entire structure and image of the royal family; she "designed" the monarchy. As she said after the ballet performance, they, meaning the royal family, was the show, not the dancers. She is keenly aware of the people's opinion and perceptions of her family, and she showed that she's just as capable as Silas in manipulating the people around her to get her desired end. The characters in this show just keep getting more and more interesting. The political aspects of the show are starting to wane on me, but the characters are still going strong.
-Heroes, Monday: I thought this was a halfway decent episode. Claire and Nathan in Mexico? Couldn't care less about it. Peter and Angela in church? Meh. I don't really care too much for Peter at this point, and Angela is hit or miss. Clearly their stories this week were to simply to set the four of them up for coming together next episode. But Bennett, Danko, and Sylar? That was the redeeming part of the episode. I have to admit, I didn't see Danko's fake out with the shape shifter coming. Sylar can now change his physical apperance, as if he needed to be more powerful. And you know that Bennett isn't just going to let "Sylar's" capture sit like that; its just a matter of time. Until then, it should be cool to see Sylar wreak havoc as disguised as other people.
-24, Monday: First off, I was partially right about Olivia becoming the new CoS. Clearly, naming a new CoS a mere minutes after the old one resigned is impractical, so being provisional CoS is as close as its going to get. I'm calling that a win. Interesting fake out with Jack's condition- he's infected but its not contagious. I thought the scene between Jack and Larry, where Larry tells Jack that he can't go on the Starkwood raid because he's infection makes him a liability, was awesome. A tough realization for a man like Jack, but its no surprise that he was able to accept it; as he said, he always knew that there'd be a day where he wasn't the best man for the job. And geting infected with a bio-weapon is that day. Now, clearly, Jack's not going to die, so the question is how will he be saved. As currently, there is no cure for the infection; could this be how Kim is brought back into the story? I sensing yes. Now onto the raid on Starkwood. I really thought that Tony was being played by Seaton when he came to break Tony out of his cell. Then, when they contacted the FBI and they were able to see and hear Seaton, I began to think that maybe this might be for real. Then, given Jonas's reaction, I futher thought that Seaton was being truthful. So of course, Seaton played the FBI and had Larry not been there, Tony would've killed him. I'm guessing that Starkwood takes Tony, Larry, and the FBI team hostage and Jack will go in and break them out. 'Cause that's something Jack would do, infected with a bio-weapon or not.
-Lost, Wednesday: Another great character episode. That's two weeks in a row where we've gotten Season 1 type episodes, complete with flashbacks and the like. This week, we got some answers to what Kate was up to off island. We found out what Sawyer whispered to her before jumping out of the helicopter (to take care of his daughter). We found out what happened to Aaron (she gave him to Claire's mom). And we found out what her motivation was to return to the island (she wants to find Claire). Some great scenes for Kate this episode, especially her saying goodbye to Aaron. Back on the island, Yonng Ben is dying and needs a real surgeon to save him. Cue Jack opting not to help. I love the complete reversal of character for Jack now; this was the first example of him letting go and letting whatever is supposed to happen, happen. He's completely embraced that he has some sort of destiny, and is convinced that when its his time, the island will make it apparant to him what that is. Clearly, this is going to come back and bite him in the ass. But anyway, Kate and Juliet (and eventually Sawyer) come to the conclusion that Young Ben can only be saved if they take him to the Others and Richard Alpert. Richard explains to them that if they take him, Young Ben will never be the same. He won't remember this happening and will lose his innocence; he'd be "one of them" from now on. The question I have is why did Juliet even suggest taking Young Ben to the Others? They're currently living off in the woods somwhere; how did she know that Richard would be able to help Young Ben? Now we know (or, at least we think we know) how Young Ben became the Ben we're accustomed to; I would love to see Young Ben one more time, after he has been saved and changed, to see him act more like Old Ben around the survivors. I like the idea that the survivors, while in the past, were responsible for turning Ben into the very person that would terrorize them in the future. And speaking of moving through time, I could have watched an entire episode of Hurley and Miles discuss time travel. It was awesome that the writers had enough foresight to know the exact questions the fans would be asking at this point and having Hurley ask them to Miles. It gives me faith that we'll be getting the answers when and how they want to give them.
-Dollhouse, Friday: So letting some of the Actives escape and remember parts of their personality was all just a ploy by Ms. DeWitt to give them closure. The actives fell asleep when the reached their desired closure, but it was still a nice fake out. We learned that Sierra was brought to the Dollhouse against her will, and that Millie/November had a daughter that died. But the REAL twist was that Echo managed to call Agent Ballard and leave him a message before she fell asleep and sent back to being an Active. I really hope they start ramping up the Agent Ballard storyline, because I find that part of the show the most interesting.
Big week this week, with Opening Day tomorrow afternoon. Weather in Cincinnati forecasted for tomorrow afternoon? Low 40's with a 60% chance of rain and snow. Note that its been near 70 the past two days. Of coure, this wouldn't be the first for Cincinnati. I may or may not get around to writing my bold predictions for the Reds this season before Opening Day; maybe I'll wait a few days. I do stick by my original prediction, though, of the Reds finishing 82-80. Play ball.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
A Ray Of Hope In These Tough Economic Times
The Reds have brought back $5 seats to Great American Ballpark!
This is great. Sure, its limited to the sections in the corners of the upper deck and not the "top 6 rows" like back in the day, but its better than nothing. And its a baseball game, so unless there's a giant pillar right in front of you, there really isn't a bad seat. This makes games (more) affordable for people, and getting families to the ballgame without breaking the bank is always a good thing.
A mere 4 days until Opening Day, and no, I don't count the ESPN Sunday night game; the baseball season doesn't start until the Reds play their first game (its baseball history regardless of what the television schedule says). Upcoming, an in depth look (well, not so much) at the Reds 2009 season with predictions that are most assuredly to be completely wrong.
Baseball's back (almost). Anyone want to catch a game next weekend?
This is great. Sure, its limited to the sections in the corners of the upper deck and not the "top 6 rows" like back in the day, but its better than nothing. And its a baseball game, so unless there's a giant pillar right in front of you, there really isn't a bad seat. This makes games (more) affordable for people, and getting families to the ballgame without breaking the bank is always a good thing.
A mere 4 days until Opening Day, and no, I don't count the ESPN Sunday night game; the baseball season doesn't start until the Reds play their first game (its baseball history regardless of what the television schedule says). Upcoming, an in depth look (well, not so much) at the Reds 2009 season with predictions that are most assuredly to be completely wrong.
Baseball's back (almost). Anyone want to catch a game next weekend?
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Weekly TV Thoughts: 03/22 - 03/28
Well, my bracket's pretty much shot. Memphis and Pittsburgh are both out, which means half of my Final Four is already wrong. At this point, I wouldn't be surprised to see Louisville and Oklahoma both go down today to make me a perfect 0-4.
-Kings, Sunday: I’m starting to really like this show. I like all the depth and history they are giving the characters. Like what’s up with the King’s daughter, Michelle? What vow did she make years ago that would keep her from being with David? Has she been betrothed to someone else? Or is it something entirely different? And what about the King’s son, Jack? King Silas implied that Jack’s got some secrets that could be a hindrance to him someday being king;l what cold that be? And the Kng himself, with a mistress and bastard son; will that information ever come to light (I'm sure it will at some point)? I REALLY liked Brian Cox’s turn as the displaced king that Silas overthrew and who everyone thinks is dead. I hope they bring him back for more, and that he wasn’t just a way for Silas to replenish the treasury after his brother-in-law pulled all the gold. And speaking of the King’s brother-in-law, what’s the back story to his son being banished from court? Is that the reason why he hold a grudge against Silas? Or does the hatred run deeper? I really hope the show lasts long enough to explore all these stories because its setting up to be a real good character drama.
-Heroes, Monday: Look at that, a not-sucky episode of Heroes. Welcome back to the show, Bryan Fuller. So Micah's Rebel; not a major revelation, since everyone watching the show called it from the start, but its good to have him back in the fold. One major question- why is Danko keeping his prisoners sedated? He's no longer under Nathan's watch, so why doesn't he just kill them all? He clearly has no conscience about doing so, and has suggested more than once that would be his preference, so it doesn't make any sense from a character perspective why he's keeping them alive (obviously, from a storytelling perspective, you want your character's alive). And as to killing characters, I don't think we've seen the last of Ali Larter on the show. Either they bring back Tracey by having her reform herself T2 style or she comes back as Barbara, the as-yet-to-be-seen third sister. As much as I wanted to hate the Hiro-Ando-baby storyline, it actually redeemed itself in this episode. One, we learned the baby's power (he can turn things on and off with his touch, from electronics to latent superpowers), and it gave Hiro partial use of his power again. Much like they did with Peter, I think the scaled down version is much better because they were just too powerful. Teleportation and time-travel is really just too much; leaving Hiro with just freezing time (when he's holding Baby Parkman) is a good thing. Secondly, we saw Ando shoot the red Force lightning, which doesn't make a whole lot sense except for the fact than we saw him do it in the future. Clearly, it incapacitates people without powers, but what if he hit someone with powers with his Force lightning? Would it knock them out, too, or would it supercharge their powers to the point they lost control of them? And finally, Parkman and Daphne. So they bring Daphne back just to let her die. I admit, it was faked out Parkman's projection at first, but the flying as a bit of a give away. Although, they already inexplicably gave him the ability to draw the future, so what's another for him? Anyway, I wonder what this will do to Matt; I'd like to see this send him on a psychic rampage, but with him inevitably meeting up with Hiro and Ando (and his son), I don't think that's going to happen. Which is too bad, because Parkman could do some serious damage.
-24, Monday: This week, we got to see the growth of Jack Bauer. Old Jack would have left that dock guard to get shot and not thought anymore of it. But New Jack stepped in and saved him, and potential risked securing the bio-weapon. Of course, he gets it anyway, but Tony is taken hostage in the process. And of course, the bad guys take the bio-weapon back, but not before Jack enters the container to shut off the container which is spewing toxic gas into the air. Think Jack makes it? Well, Keifer Sutherland's signed on for Season 8 next year, so, spoiler alert. Back at the White House, Ethan as decided to resign, which brings a smile to Olivia's face. Naturally, she was the leak the whole time, and waited a full 8 seconds after Ethan left his office to call her TV producer friend and throw Ethan under the bus. My prediction for Olivia- she replaces Ethan as her mother's Chief of Staff, does something wildly illegal that she justifies as being for the good mother's presidency, gets fired by the President, and is replaced by Ethan. All in the final nine hours of the day. We also got some more Jonas Hodge backstory this episode, but we still don't know what his motivation is for these attacks. We know that Starkwood is under investigation and that he's at odds with the Starkwood board of directors as to how to handle the situation. Is he planning these attacks to that Starkwood can swoop in and save the day, thus proving their neccessity to America's security and ending the investigations? I think that's possible, but not likely. I think his motivation is far more sinister than that.
-Lost, Wednesday: Another solid episode. I liked the flashbacks filling in the gaps in Sayid's timeline off island. Nothing Earth-shatteringly new was revealed, but the story's more complete. And now its a certainity (in my mind, anyway) that we'll soon get Kate and Hurley flashback episodes, filling in the gaps in their story and completing the O6 story arc. I really thought that the Dharma folks would actually torture Sayid, but then I remembered that they're just a bunch of hippies, and a drug-induced interrogation is much more their style. I also love how they believe everything Sayid says, even the stuff that he couldn't possibly know, like the details of the Swan station, but as soon as he says he's from the future, they thinks he's nuts. You can believe that he has intimate knowledge of your operation on a island filled with mystical and unexplained properties, but you can't believe he came from the future; seriously, how far of a leap is that? Anyway, I liked the scene with Sayid, Young Ben, and Roger. You know who and what Ben grows up to be, and yet you feel sympathy for him as you see his father knock him around. And given what they showed about Sayid's father at the start of the episode, I really thought he might reach through the bars and step in on Young Ben's behalf. Which brings up to the last scene, where Young Ben distracts the camp with a burning Dharma bus so he can spring Sayid from his cell and run off with him to join the Hostiles. Too bad Sayid's plan is to kill Young Ben when gets the chance. Luckly for Sayid, Jin shows up to give him just that chance. Clearly, Young Ben isn't dead. I think Jin wakes up and rushes Young Ben back to camp to be saved. What I think will be interesting will be who step up to save him. I can see Jack saying no and being content to letting him die (afterall, he's already done it once). I think Juliet ends up saving him, which is the origin of Ben's obsession with her, which we saw in the future. I also like the idea that Ben was complicit in his own attempted murder; Ben knows that Sayid is supposed to shot him in 1977, so when he encounters Sayid in the future, he cultivates his killer instinct so when Sayid goes back in time, he shoots Ben for making him a killer, just like he was supposed to. As Faraday said, whatever happened, happened, and I think Ben is keenly aware of this, more so than anyone else on the island.
-Dollhouse, Friday: Okay, now this show is getting really good. I am officially excited to see where they take this series, especially after the promo for next week. But first, this episode. Great scenes with everyone effected by the drug, especially betten Topher and Ms. DeWitt. I really liked the dichotomy of how the drug made regular people giddy and silly, but it made the Actives remember parts from their pasts, which weren't all that pleseant, which is why they became Actives in the place. I also liked the mirror between Echo/Caroline's recruitment and this Sam guy's recruitment. I think it'd be cool we just see him in the background somewhere down the line, just walking around the Dollhouse, but I don't that'll happen. But next week, The Awakening! They're having the Actives remember who they are (or at least just Echo, Victor, and Sierra). It doesn't look like everyone in the Dollhouse will be "awoken", so I wonder if they're going to tie these three "waking up" to the drug they came in contact with in this episode. It sure seems that way, unless they have some other ingenius way explaining why only some of the Actives become self-aware and some don't. Can't wait to see where this show goes next.
-College Lacrosse, Virginia vs. Maryland, Saturday: One word- EPIC. Just a phenomenal game, possibly in the top 10 all-time games I've ever seen. A defensive battle in the first half, Maryland dominates the 3rd quarter, then Virginia rallies back in the 4th to send the game into overtime tied at 9. Then right off the bat, Maryland's potential game winning goal is erased by an "inadvertent whistle." The refs thought Maryland coach Dave Cottle had called timeout, but he denied ever doing so (my thought- someone on Maryland's sideline not Cottle did call timeout, and then didn't own up to it after the goal was taken off the board). Play resumed and Maryland promptly pinged the iron with a shot. At least a dozen shots either hit the post or went just wide, and the ones that didn't were stopped dead by the goalies. Even Virginia's backup goalie, who had to come into the game cold after our starter took a necessary foul to prevent Maryland from scoring the game winner (in lacrosse, goalies serve they penalties), made a great save to preserve the game for the 'Hoos and send it into another overtime. And in the longest game in NCAA lacrosse history, about a minute into the 7th overtime, UVA scored and sent those God-damn Terrapins back to College Park loser. The Terps rank #2 on my list of most hated schools (top 5- VT, Maryland, UNC, Duke, West Virginia, in that order), so its always great to beat them. And its even sweeter when its in a game as great as this one was. Fuck the Terrapins. Go Hoos!
-Kings, Sunday: I’m starting to really like this show. I like all the depth and history they are giving the characters. Like what’s up with the King’s daughter, Michelle? What vow did she make years ago that would keep her from being with David? Has she been betrothed to someone else? Or is it something entirely different? And what about the King’s son, Jack? King Silas implied that Jack’s got some secrets that could be a hindrance to him someday being king;l what cold that be? And the Kng himself, with a mistress and bastard son; will that information ever come to light (I'm sure it will at some point)? I REALLY liked Brian Cox’s turn as the displaced king that Silas overthrew and who everyone thinks is dead. I hope they bring him back for more, and that he wasn’t just a way for Silas to replenish the treasury after his brother-in-law pulled all the gold. And speaking of the King’s brother-in-law, what’s the back story to his son being banished from court? Is that the reason why he hold a grudge against Silas? Or does the hatred run deeper? I really hope the show lasts long enough to explore all these stories because its setting up to be a real good character drama.
-Heroes, Monday: Look at that, a not-sucky episode of Heroes. Welcome back to the show, Bryan Fuller. So Micah's Rebel; not a major revelation, since everyone watching the show called it from the start, but its good to have him back in the fold. One major question- why is Danko keeping his prisoners sedated? He's no longer under Nathan's watch, so why doesn't he just kill them all? He clearly has no conscience about doing so, and has suggested more than once that would be his preference, so it doesn't make any sense from a character perspective why he's keeping them alive (obviously, from a storytelling perspective, you want your character's alive). And as to killing characters, I don't think we've seen the last of Ali Larter on the show. Either they bring back Tracey by having her reform herself T2 style or she comes back as Barbara, the as-yet-to-be-seen third sister. As much as I wanted to hate the Hiro-Ando-baby storyline, it actually redeemed itself in this episode. One, we learned the baby's power (he can turn things on and off with his touch, from electronics to latent superpowers), and it gave Hiro partial use of his power again. Much like they did with Peter, I think the scaled down version is much better because they were just too powerful. Teleportation and time-travel is really just too much; leaving Hiro with just freezing time (when he's holding Baby Parkman) is a good thing. Secondly, we saw Ando shoot the red Force lightning, which doesn't make a whole lot sense except for the fact than we saw him do it in the future. Clearly, it incapacitates people without powers, but what if he hit someone with powers with his Force lightning? Would it knock them out, too, or would it supercharge their powers to the point they lost control of them? And finally, Parkman and Daphne. So they bring Daphne back just to let her die. I admit, it was faked out Parkman's projection at first, but the flying as a bit of a give away. Although, they already inexplicably gave him the ability to draw the future, so what's another for him? Anyway, I wonder what this will do to Matt; I'd like to see this send him on a psychic rampage, but with him inevitably meeting up with Hiro and Ando (and his son), I don't think that's going to happen. Which is too bad, because Parkman could do some serious damage.
-24, Monday: This week, we got to see the growth of Jack Bauer. Old Jack would have left that dock guard to get shot and not thought anymore of it. But New Jack stepped in and saved him, and potential risked securing the bio-weapon. Of course, he gets it anyway, but Tony is taken hostage in the process. And of course, the bad guys take the bio-weapon back, but not before Jack enters the container to shut off the container which is spewing toxic gas into the air. Think Jack makes it? Well, Keifer Sutherland's signed on for Season 8 next year, so, spoiler alert. Back at the White House, Ethan as decided to resign, which brings a smile to Olivia's face. Naturally, she was the leak the whole time, and waited a full 8 seconds after Ethan left his office to call her TV producer friend and throw Ethan under the bus. My prediction for Olivia- she replaces Ethan as her mother's Chief of Staff, does something wildly illegal that she justifies as being for the good mother's presidency, gets fired by the President, and is replaced by Ethan. All in the final nine hours of the day. We also got some more Jonas Hodge backstory this episode, but we still don't know what his motivation is for these attacks. We know that Starkwood is under investigation and that he's at odds with the Starkwood board of directors as to how to handle the situation. Is he planning these attacks to that Starkwood can swoop in and save the day, thus proving their neccessity to America's security and ending the investigations? I think that's possible, but not likely. I think his motivation is far more sinister than that.
-Lost, Wednesday: Another solid episode. I liked the flashbacks filling in the gaps in Sayid's timeline off island. Nothing Earth-shatteringly new was revealed, but the story's more complete. And now its a certainity (in my mind, anyway) that we'll soon get Kate and Hurley flashback episodes, filling in the gaps in their story and completing the O6 story arc. I really thought that the Dharma folks would actually torture Sayid, but then I remembered that they're just a bunch of hippies, and a drug-induced interrogation is much more their style. I also love how they believe everything Sayid says, even the stuff that he couldn't possibly know, like the details of the Swan station, but as soon as he says he's from the future, they thinks he's nuts. You can believe that he has intimate knowledge of your operation on a island filled with mystical and unexplained properties, but you can't believe he came from the future; seriously, how far of a leap is that? Anyway, I liked the scene with Sayid, Young Ben, and Roger. You know who and what Ben grows up to be, and yet you feel sympathy for him as you see his father knock him around. And given what they showed about Sayid's father at the start of the episode, I really thought he might reach through the bars and step in on Young Ben's behalf. Which brings up to the last scene, where Young Ben distracts the camp with a burning Dharma bus so he can spring Sayid from his cell and run off with him to join the Hostiles. Too bad Sayid's plan is to kill Young Ben when gets the chance. Luckly for Sayid, Jin shows up to give him just that chance. Clearly, Young Ben isn't dead. I think Jin wakes up and rushes Young Ben back to camp to be saved. What I think will be interesting will be who step up to save him. I can see Jack saying no and being content to letting him die (afterall, he's already done it once). I think Juliet ends up saving him, which is the origin of Ben's obsession with her, which we saw in the future. I also like the idea that Ben was complicit in his own attempted murder; Ben knows that Sayid is supposed to shot him in 1977, so when he encounters Sayid in the future, he cultivates his killer instinct so when Sayid goes back in time, he shoots Ben for making him a killer, just like he was supposed to. As Faraday said, whatever happened, happened, and I think Ben is keenly aware of this, more so than anyone else on the island.
-Dollhouse, Friday: Okay, now this show is getting really good. I am officially excited to see where they take this series, especially after the promo for next week. But first, this episode. Great scenes with everyone effected by the drug, especially betten Topher and Ms. DeWitt. I really liked the dichotomy of how the drug made regular people giddy and silly, but it made the Actives remember parts from their pasts, which weren't all that pleseant, which is why they became Actives in the place. I also liked the mirror between Echo/Caroline's recruitment and this Sam guy's recruitment. I think it'd be cool we just see him in the background somewhere down the line, just walking around the Dollhouse, but I don't that'll happen. But next week, The Awakening! They're having the Actives remember who they are (or at least just Echo, Victor, and Sierra). It doesn't look like everyone in the Dollhouse will be "awoken", so I wonder if they're going to tie these three "waking up" to the drug they came in contact with in this episode. It sure seems that way, unless they have some other ingenius way explaining why only some of the Actives become self-aware and some don't. Can't wait to see where this show goes next.
-College Lacrosse, Virginia vs. Maryland, Saturday: One word- EPIC. Just a phenomenal game, possibly in the top 10 all-time games I've ever seen. A defensive battle in the first half, Maryland dominates the 3rd quarter, then Virginia rallies back in the 4th to send the game into overtime tied at 9. Then right off the bat, Maryland's potential game winning goal is erased by an "inadvertent whistle." The refs thought Maryland coach Dave Cottle had called timeout, but he denied ever doing so (my thought- someone on Maryland's sideline not Cottle did call timeout, and then didn't own up to it after the goal was taken off the board). Play resumed and Maryland promptly pinged the iron with a shot. At least a dozen shots either hit the post or went just wide, and the ones that didn't were stopped dead by the goalies. Even Virginia's backup goalie, who had to come into the game cold after our starter took a necessary foul to prevent Maryland from scoring the game winner (in lacrosse, goalies serve they penalties), made a great save to preserve the game for the 'Hoos and send it into another overtime. And in the longest game in NCAA lacrosse history, about a minute into the 7th overtime, UVA scored and sent those God-damn Terrapins back to College Park loser. The Terps rank #2 on my list of most hated schools (top 5- VT, Maryland, UNC, Duke, West Virginia, in that order), so its always great to beat them. And its even sweeter when its in a game as great as this one was. Fuck the Terrapins. Go Hoos!
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Weekly TV Thoughts: 03/08 - 03/14
No Lost this past week, which made for a lighter television week. Thankfully, Championship Week was in full swing. Usually I avoid the major conference championships and just focus on the one-bid leagues, but all the tournaments have been incredible this year. Six overtimes for Syracuse and UConn? Then Syracuse plays another overtime the next night against West Virginia? Amazing. And I love seeing all these top potential top seeds lose early going into the Big Dance (except for Lousiville, who's looking tough to beat). I'll have more thoughts on college basketball later tonight, once the brackets are announced (Selection Sunday, one of the best days of the year). Who knows, it might go down as a live blog.
And on top of all the college basketball that's been on, the World Baseball Classic's been playing as well. I know a lot of people are down on the WBC, but I think for the most part, its alright. The USA-Canada game was phenomenal, and the Dutch coming out of nowhere to upset the Dominican Republic twice? No one saw that coming. And as to how this effects players come the regular season, I'm thinking it'll effect pitchers more than position players. Which is why I'm glad the Dominican team has been eliminated, so Edinson Volquez and Johnny Cueto are done and back at Spring Training.
Okay, now the scripted shows of the week:
-Heroes, Monday: I don't know what the hell is going on with this show. The Sylar's dad storyline was just stupid. He spent part of the episode STUFFING A FUCKING RABBIT. And what did he learn? That he'll he never be fullfilled just collecting powers, so he should direct his murderous nature toward something more meaningful; didn't he already come to this once before? The only redeeming part of that scene was Sylar going back and taking the rabbit when he left his dad's and placed in in Denko's apartment. Sylar vs. Denko so should be good, so I'm at least glad for that. Adding to the ricidulousness is Hiro and Ando, who have been charged with protecting Matt Parkman's son, Matt Parkman. We haven't heard from Parkman's family since Season 1 (I think), and now they just suddenly reappear? Please. This story better last less time than the stupid India trip. So what was good about this episode? Denko finally learning the Nathan can fly. Denko's meeting with Angela. Any time Denko and HRG face off. Now that Sylar's been reintroduced and Nathan's been outed, I really think this storyline gets interesting. Hopefully the Rebel storyline continues to advance this story, and not the other ones. Speaking of Rebel, what was the point of sending Claire to help Doyle when it was Rebel that did all the work of getting him a new ID? Was it just to shoot the scene of her in the comic shop? And if Rebel can penetrate Denko's computer system and take over, why doesn't he just shut the whole thing down? Oh well. According to Greg Grunberg's Twitter feed, the entire cast is together in the same scene later in the season (Episode 20, perhaps, which Grunberg says is awesome). We'll have to see. Heroes if off next week, and when it comes back, it'll the first episode with Bryan Fuller back on staff, so hopefully the series starts getting better.
-24, Monday: I have to admit, I didn't expect Bill to be the one to die (I read a lot spoiler sites, so I knew a death was coming). And I didn't expect it to happen right at the top of the episode, though when I think about it, its passe to end an episode with a tragic death, so mixing it up and doing right away was a nice change of pace. Its kind of amazing how much a dick Larry Moss is. I mean, on one hand, he's fully capable of defying the Vice President and storming to take back the White House, and on the other, he's 100% resitant to everything Jack says. So maybe its just Jack that he hates. He didn't bat an eye at suspending Renee for going over his head and talking to Ethan, so I guess this frees up Renee to join Jack on the rogue agent trail. And speaking of Ethan, I'm glad we got some backstory between him and Olivia. He bit the bullet and asked Olivia to join the administration (at the behest of the President) after being fired from the campaign, and she just bites his head off. I'm starting to think she's not a traitor, but that she will still be a problem because she's going to go digging to find out who in her mother's administration was responsible for all this and that's not going to go well for her. And that brings me to Jon Voight's villian, Jonas Hodges. He seems completely crazy, and that's awesome, and we also got a little insight into this master plan. He's got a cache of weapons on the way toward the States and a list of cities as targets. We don't know what he wants, but he did indicate that he didn't want to go through with the attacks if he didn't have to. I wonder what his end game is.
-Castle,Monday: A new series that debuted on Monday staring Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic. Its a character-driven procedural cop drama/comedy with a Moonlighting twist. Basically, its Bones with a little more silliness (thanks to Nathan Fillion). I'm bit fan of Bones, and Nathan Fillion, so I'll be watching this show, even if its not very good. Fillion should be a big(ger) star, and the fact that he's not is a crime, so I hope this show does well.
-Battlestar Galactica, Friday: And the end is closing in fast. Part I of the series finale, and I thought the episode was great. I liked the flashbacks, showing life on the colonies well before the Cylon attack. You have to think that these flashbacks will become more important/will be explained in the second part of the episode airing this Friday. Funny parts- Baltar telling Caprica Six that he'd forgetten her name (nice little nod to the fan there, myself included, who constantly wonder why she doesn't have a name), and finding out that Anders was the Dan Marino of Pyramid players. Highly talented, no championships, constantly rebuilding team. Back on Galactica, I really liked the scene between Lee and Baltar, setting up Baltar to have one last chance at redemption down the line. And it was a foregone conclusion that Adama would be leading one last charge to save Hera and destroy the evil Cylon faction. I like how he literally drew a line that you had to cross AND made everyone declare their intentions in person, leaving no doubt in their minds about the slim possibility of survival. Did we see Athena in that scene? Helo was there, but last we saw Athena, she was a wreak, seemingly unable to leave her bunk. And although we didn't see Baltar cross the line in this episode, I'm positive he'll be with Adama before its all said and done. And it all sets up the final, suicide mission against the baseship this week. So who lives and who dies? I think Lee's going make it. Starbuck, too. Roslin will obviously die. Tigh, I'm a little uncertain. But whatever happens to him, live or die, the same will happen to Ellen. Hera lives, because you can't kill kids, even on Battlestar Galactica. And since Hera lives, I'm saying that Helo lives as well. I think Anders is stuck as the hybrid for Galactica, so I'm not sure if that qualifies and living or dying. Tory and Tyrol are interesting cases; do they survive simply because they're part of the Final Five, or do they die and experience resurrection? Don't know. I think Baltar lives, even after he finally commits a truely selfless act, and I think Boomer dies, but not before she helps Hera escape. There are a number for whom killing Boomer would be a fitting end (Adama, Tyrol, Helo, Athena), and I think it'll be one of them that ultimately does her in. Which leaves Adama. Clearly, this is Galactica's last mission, and Roslin isn't going to make it much longer. So he's on the verge of losing the two things he loves the most; does that set him up to die as well? I think it does. If anyone's in position to make a grand sacrificing jesture to save all of humanity, its Adama. If that happens with Adama, it would be a little cheesey, but I'd be okay with it. Can't wait to see how this all ends.
Thursday and Friday of this week are two of the greatest sports days of the year, which will put a little hitch in the TV viewing schedule. But that's why God created DVR. March Madness it here! Time to go print out some brackets and get ready.
And on top of all the college basketball that's been on, the World Baseball Classic's been playing as well. I know a lot of people are down on the WBC, but I think for the most part, its alright. The USA-Canada game was phenomenal, and the Dutch coming out of nowhere to upset the Dominican Republic twice? No one saw that coming. And as to how this effects players come the regular season, I'm thinking it'll effect pitchers more than position players. Which is why I'm glad the Dominican team has been eliminated, so Edinson Volquez and Johnny Cueto are done and back at Spring Training.
Okay, now the scripted shows of the week:
-Heroes, Monday: I don't know what the hell is going on with this show. The Sylar's dad storyline was just stupid. He spent part of the episode STUFFING A FUCKING RABBIT. And what did he learn? That he'll he never be fullfilled just collecting powers, so he should direct his murderous nature toward something more meaningful; didn't he already come to this once before? The only redeeming part of that scene was Sylar going back and taking the rabbit when he left his dad's and placed in in Denko's apartment. Sylar vs. Denko so should be good, so I'm at least glad for that. Adding to the ricidulousness is Hiro and Ando, who have been charged with protecting Matt Parkman's son, Matt Parkman. We haven't heard from Parkman's family since Season 1 (I think), and now they just suddenly reappear? Please. This story better last less time than the stupid India trip. So what was good about this episode? Denko finally learning the Nathan can fly. Denko's meeting with Angela. Any time Denko and HRG face off. Now that Sylar's been reintroduced and Nathan's been outed, I really think this storyline gets interesting. Hopefully the Rebel storyline continues to advance this story, and not the other ones. Speaking of Rebel, what was the point of sending Claire to help Doyle when it was Rebel that did all the work of getting him a new ID? Was it just to shoot the scene of her in the comic shop? And if Rebel can penetrate Denko's computer system and take over, why doesn't he just shut the whole thing down? Oh well. According to Greg Grunberg's Twitter feed, the entire cast is together in the same scene later in the season (Episode 20, perhaps, which Grunberg says is awesome). We'll have to see. Heroes if off next week, and when it comes back, it'll the first episode with Bryan Fuller back on staff, so hopefully the series starts getting better.
-24, Monday: I have to admit, I didn't expect Bill to be the one to die (I read a lot spoiler sites, so I knew a death was coming). And I didn't expect it to happen right at the top of the episode, though when I think about it, its passe to end an episode with a tragic death, so mixing it up and doing right away was a nice change of pace. Its kind of amazing how much a dick Larry Moss is. I mean, on one hand, he's fully capable of defying the Vice President and storming to take back the White House, and on the other, he's 100% resitant to everything Jack says. So maybe its just Jack that he hates. He didn't bat an eye at suspending Renee for going over his head and talking to Ethan, so I guess this frees up Renee to join Jack on the rogue agent trail. And speaking of Ethan, I'm glad we got some backstory between him and Olivia. He bit the bullet and asked Olivia to join the administration (at the behest of the President) after being fired from the campaign, and she just bites his head off. I'm starting to think she's not a traitor, but that she will still be a problem because she's going to go digging to find out who in her mother's administration was responsible for all this and that's not going to go well for her. And that brings me to Jon Voight's villian, Jonas Hodges. He seems completely crazy, and that's awesome, and we also got a little insight into this master plan. He's got a cache of weapons on the way toward the States and a list of cities as targets. We don't know what he wants, but he did indicate that he didn't want to go through with the attacks if he didn't have to. I wonder what his end game is.
-Castle,Monday: A new series that debuted on Monday staring Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic. Its a character-driven procedural cop drama/comedy with a Moonlighting twist. Basically, its Bones with a little more silliness (thanks to Nathan Fillion). I'm bit fan of Bones, and Nathan Fillion, so I'll be watching this show, even if its not very good. Fillion should be a big(ger) star, and the fact that he's not is a crime, so I hope this show does well.
-Battlestar Galactica, Friday: And the end is closing in fast. Part I of the series finale, and I thought the episode was great. I liked the flashbacks, showing life on the colonies well before the Cylon attack. You have to think that these flashbacks will become more important/will be explained in the second part of the episode airing this Friday. Funny parts- Baltar telling Caprica Six that he'd forgetten her name (nice little nod to the fan there, myself included, who constantly wonder why she doesn't have a name), and finding out that Anders was the Dan Marino of Pyramid players. Highly talented, no championships, constantly rebuilding team. Back on Galactica, I really liked the scene between Lee and Baltar, setting up Baltar to have one last chance at redemption down the line. And it was a foregone conclusion that Adama would be leading one last charge to save Hera and destroy the evil Cylon faction. I like how he literally drew a line that you had to cross AND made everyone declare their intentions in person, leaving no doubt in their minds about the slim possibility of survival. Did we see Athena in that scene? Helo was there, but last we saw Athena, she was a wreak, seemingly unable to leave her bunk. And although we didn't see Baltar cross the line in this episode, I'm positive he'll be with Adama before its all said and done. And it all sets up the final, suicide mission against the baseship this week. So who lives and who dies? I think Lee's going make it. Starbuck, too. Roslin will obviously die. Tigh, I'm a little uncertain. But whatever happens to him, live or die, the same will happen to Ellen. Hera lives, because you can't kill kids, even on Battlestar Galactica. And since Hera lives, I'm saying that Helo lives as well. I think Anders is stuck as the hybrid for Galactica, so I'm not sure if that qualifies and living or dying. Tory and Tyrol are interesting cases; do they survive simply because they're part of the Final Five, or do they die and experience resurrection? Don't know. I think Baltar lives, even after he finally commits a truely selfless act, and I think Boomer dies, but not before she helps Hera escape. There are a number for whom killing Boomer would be a fitting end (Adama, Tyrol, Helo, Athena), and I think it'll be one of them that ultimately does her in. Which leaves Adama. Clearly, this is Galactica's last mission, and Roslin isn't going to make it much longer. So he's on the verge of losing the two things he loves the most; does that set him up to die as well? I think it does. If anyone's in position to make a grand sacrificing jesture to save all of humanity, its Adama. If that happens with Adama, it would be a little cheesey, but I'd be okay with it. Can't wait to see how this all ends.
Thursday and Friday of this week are two of the greatest sports days of the year, which will put a little hitch in the TV viewing schedule. But that's why God created DVR. March Madness it here! Time to go print out some brackets and get ready.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Early Baseball Thoughts
Spring training games start next week, so its time to talk baseball. Not necessarily predictions, but just some things that are on my mind.
-Alex Rodriguez: Unlike Bonds, McGwire, and Clemons, I think A-Rod still has a shot at the Hall of Fame. Why? Two main reasons- one, because he actually admitted to using PHD's. Sure, his "apology" and his "press conference" were total shams, and there are a lot of holes in his story, but at the very least, he admitted to knowingly taking a banned substance (though that term has to be applied cautiously since before 2004, there weren't any banned substances in baseball, with the possible exeption of cocaine). It clear A-Rod isn't telling the whole truth, but since we'll never get the whole truth, his crisis-managment-spun story will have to do. The other reason I think he still has a chance to Cooperstown is because he's still got a lot of baseball left in him. All of the other Hall of Fame calliber players connected to PED's are retired, but A-Rod's in a unique (for now) position to play his way back into Hall consideration. And I say "for now" because we don't know the names of the other 103 players that tested positive back in 2003. Perhaps there are other Hall-worthy names on that list, perhaps not. Either way, now that A-Rod's name is out there, I think the other names should be released as well. As much as I don't like A-Rod, I do think it is unfair that he's the only one being targeted when there are 103 other players as guilty as he is. But back to the point- with 9 years left on his contract, A-Rod has a lot of time to distance himself from this. He'll never get rid of it, but the longer he plays, assuming he continues to play at his current level of production, the better chance he has of reducing the stain. I wonder what it'll be like when he passes Bonds on the home run list (because let's face it, A-Rod's hitting 800); maybe that'll be a barometer as to his Hall of Fame chances.
-Ken Griffey, Jr.: So Griffey's heading back to Seattle. Its a one-year deal, which means only one thing- 2009 will be Junior's last year in baseball. He'll platoon in left, hit some DH, and hopefully sell some more tickets at SafeCo, because this move does absolutely nothing in helping the M's win some more games this year. Listen, I'm a big Griffey fan- I think I've made that clear- but let's be serious; the M's are a wreak and they aren't going anyway anytime soon. He had a chance to sign with Atlanta, where he would have been closer to his home and a good chance to win (the two factors that lead him to Cincinnati back in 2000). Instead he chose exact opposite, and I think I'm okay with that. So he chose to take a victory lap instead of trying for a ring. Good for him Let him retire a Mariner and ensure that he'll be an M's cap on his plaque in Cooperstown (as if there was any doubt to that).
-The Reds: As I mentioned previously, I think the Reds can eke out an above .500 record (note: as predicted, a number of those predictions have already been proven to be wrong). Its a young team with a lot of potential and hopefully that can translate into wins. But there are still some concerns with this team. Is Chris Dickerson really the answer in left? Is Ramon Hernandez really the answer behind the plate? The team wanted to get a big right-handed bat and didn't; do they have enough offense to compete? Can Alex Gonzalez be trusted to stay healthy? Dusty's said that Phillips will start the year batting cleanup; I guess that would make the lineup Taveras, Dickerson (or whoever's in left), Bruce, Phillips, Votto, Encarnacion, Gonzalez, Hernandez. Is that a contending lineup? I don't know. Harang, Volquez, Arroyo, and Cueto seem to be set in the rotation, but who's in the fifth slot? Will it be Homer Bailey or Micah Owings? Those two seem to be the leading candidates. Bailey's got the hype and potential and Owings probably the best hitting pitcher in the game right now. If Homer can live up to the all the hype then I'd say he's a no-brainer for the fifth spot. But he's done nothing but struggle in his major league career, so there really isn't any reason to be optimistic about him. If Bailey does make the rotation, what do you do with Owings? Make him a reliever/pinch hitter? Maybe the Reds should flip him Rick Ankiel style and put him out in left. He'd probably have a higher average than whoever they platoon out there.
Despite the medicore outlook for the Reds, I'm never not excited for baseball season. And given that I don't follow the NBA and Virginia won't even be making the NIT field, its pretty much all I've got to look forward to right now (well, that and college lacrosse- go Hoos!).
-Alex Rodriguez: Unlike Bonds, McGwire, and Clemons, I think A-Rod still has a shot at the Hall of Fame. Why? Two main reasons- one, because he actually admitted to using PHD's. Sure, his "apology" and his "press conference" were total shams, and there are a lot of holes in his story, but at the very least, he admitted to knowingly taking a banned substance (though that term has to be applied cautiously since before 2004, there weren't any banned substances in baseball, with the possible exeption of cocaine). It clear A-Rod isn't telling the whole truth, but since we'll never get the whole truth, his crisis-managment-spun story will have to do. The other reason I think he still has a chance to Cooperstown is because he's still got a lot of baseball left in him. All of the other Hall of Fame calliber players connected to PED's are retired, but A-Rod's in a unique (for now) position to play his way back into Hall consideration. And I say "for now" because we don't know the names of the other 103 players that tested positive back in 2003. Perhaps there are other Hall-worthy names on that list, perhaps not. Either way, now that A-Rod's name is out there, I think the other names should be released as well. As much as I don't like A-Rod, I do think it is unfair that he's the only one being targeted when there are 103 other players as guilty as he is. But back to the point- with 9 years left on his contract, A-Rod has a lot of time to distance himself from this. He'll never get rid of it, but the longer he plays, assuming he continues to play at his current level of production, the better chance he has of reducing the stain. I wonder what it'll be like when he passes Bonds on the home run list (because let's face it, A-Rod's hitting 800); maybe that'll be a barometer as to his Hall of Fame chances.
-Ken Griffey, Jr.: So Griffey's heading back to Seattle. Its a one-year deal, which means only one thing- 2009 will be Junior's last year in baseball. He'll platoon in left, hit some DH, and hopefully sell some more tickets at SafeCo, because this move does absolutely nothing in helping the M's win some more games this year. Listen, I'm a big Griffey fan- I think I've made that clear- but let's be serious; the M's are a wreak and they aren't going anyway anytime soon. He had a chance to sign with Atlanta, where he would have been closer to his home and a good chance to win (the two factors that lead him to Cincinnati back in 2000). Instead he chose exact opposite, and I think I'm okay with that. So he chose to take a victory lap instead of trying for a ring. Good for him Let him retire a Mariner and ensure that he'll be an M's cap on his plaque in Cooperstown (as if there was any doubt to that).
-The Reds: As I mentioned previously, I think the Reds can eke out an above .500 record (note: as predicted, a number of those predictions have already been proven to be wrong). Its a young team with a lot of potential and hopefully that can translate into wins. But there are still some concerns with this team. Is Chris Dickerson really the answer in left? Is Ramon Hernandez really the answer behind the plate? The team wanted to get a big right-handed bat and didn't; do they have enough offense to compete? Can Alex Gonzalez be trusted to stay healthy? Dusty's said that Phillips will start the year batting cleanup; I guess that would make the lineup Taveras, Dickerson (or whoever's in left), Bruce, Phillips, Votto, Encarnacion, Gonzalez, Hernandez. Is that a contending lineup? I don't know. Harang, Volquez, Arroyo, and Cueto seem to be set in the rotation, but who's in the fifth slot? Will it be Homer Bailey or Micah Owings? Those two seem to be the leading candidates. Bailey's got the hype and potential and Owings probably the best hitting pitcher in the game right now. If Homer can live up to the all the hype then I'd say he's a no-brainer for the fifth spot. But he's done nothing but struggle in his major league career, so there really isn't any reason to be optimistic about him. If Bailey does make the rotation, what do you do with Owings? Make him a reliever/pinch hitter? Maybe the Reds should flip him Rick Ankiel style and put him out in left. He'd probably have a higher average than whoever they platoon out there.
Despite the medicore outlook for the Reds, I'm never not excited for baseball season. And given that I don't follow the NBA and Virginia won't even be making the NIT field, its pretty much all I've got to look forward to right now (well, that and college lacrosse- go Hoos!).
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
That's It, Done With The Snow
I like snow, I really do. I like living in an area where it snows (at least a little bit) every year. Its an important part of the season. It should be cold in the winter with snow and ice; it should be nice and mild in the spring with plenty of rain; the summer should be hot, humid, hazy, and muggy; and the leaves should turn color when its cool and crisp in the fall. Yes, it can all be a pain in the ass, but the changing of the seasons is important.
That being said, I'm done with the fucking snow for this year. Snow is good on the other side of the holiday season, as you're building up toward Christmas and New Years (and possibly even Thanksgiving). On this side, at the end of January? Not so much. Sure, it's supposed to be cold, I can live with that. But 4 inches of snow with more on the way? Please, pitchers and catchers report in a few weeks; I don't need anymore snow.
Now, some random Super Bowl thoughts on this frakkin' snow day:
-Big Arizona Cardinals fan right now. I've never even really like Kurt Warner, but I'm all for him now. Yes, it would be depressing to see the Cardinals win a Super Bowl before the Bengals, but it would be more depressing to see the Steelers win their sixth, and when given the choice, I always root against Pittsburgh.
-I don't think there's anyone in sports I hate more than Hines Ward. I've given this a lot of thought, and I can't think of anyone else. And its not just because he plays for the Steelers; I'm pretty sure I'd hate him if played for the Tampa Bay Storm of the AFL. One tool I use as a barometer in deciding things like this is I try to judge how I'd feel if I found out Player X had suddenly died. Would I feel sad, happy, or neutral? With Ward, I'm pretty sure I'd feel ecstatic. Completely overjoyed. Potentially moved to tears. Does that make me a bad person? Oh well. Fuck him.
-I love Super Bowl Prop bets. If you can think of it, you can bet on it. And I'm not talking about the little things like "which team will score first" or "how long will the first field goal attempt be"; that stuff's junk. I'm talking about manly man bets like "over/under number of food items mentioned by John Madden during the broadcast" and "color of Gatorade dumped on winning coach". Picking those winners takes real skill.
-The Mike Tomlin-Omar Epps thing never gets old. Never. Ever.
-Have to admit, I'm stoked for Bruce Springsteen's halftime performance. I'm a huge Springsteen fan, and I think he's a great choice for this gig. And speaking of The Boss, he's got a new album out today. Working On A Dream, that's just phenomenal (random aside- how the hell did The Wrestler not get nominated for an Academy Award? Insanity.). No, I didn't brave out into the snow today just to buy it; it leaked online about two weeks ago. And that brings me to this question- Springsteen's halftime setlist. I think the recent standard has been 4 songs, so with that in mind, and taking into account the release of the new album, my picks for the setlist (in order) are: Born To Run, Working On A Dream (off the new disc), My Lucky Day (another new track), The Rising. Given the shortness of the playlist, I think its possible he could opt out of playing the relatively mellow Working On A Dream and replace it with something like Radio Nowhere or even something older, like Glory Days. Either way, I think he stays away Born In The USA.
Last football game of the season; that's sad. But the end of football should mean the end of snow, so no more. Baseball's just around the corner, and hope springs eternal. Go Reds. Fuck the Steelers.
That being said, I'm done with the fucking snow for this year. Snow is good on the other side of the holiday season, as you're building up toward Christmas and New Years (and possibly even Thanksgiving). On this side, at the end of January? Not so much. Sure, it's supposed to be cold, I can live with that. But 4 inches of snow with more on the way? Please, pitchers and catchers report in a few weeks; I don't need anymore snow.
Now, some random Super Bowl thoughts on this frakkin' snow day:
-Big Arizona Cardinals fan right now. I've never even really like Kurt Warner, but I'm all for him now. Yes, it would be depressing to see the Cardinals win a Super Bowl before the Bengals, but it would be more depressing to see the Steelers win their sixth, and when given the choice, I always root against Pittsburgh.
-I don't think there's anyone in sports I hate more than Hines Ward. I've given this a lot of thought, and I can't think of anyone else. And its not just because he plays for the Steelers; I'm pretty sure I'd hate him if played for the Tampa Bay Storm of the AFL. One tool I use as a barometer in deciding things like this is I try to judge how I'd feel if I found out Player X had suddenly died. Would I feel sad, happy, or neutral? With Ward, I'm pretty sure I'd feel ecstatic. Completely overjoyed. Potentially moved to tears. Does that make me a bad person? Oh well. Fuck him.
-I love Super Bowl Prop bets. If you can think of it, you can bet on it. And I'm not talking about the little things like "which team will score first" or "how long will the first field goal attempt be"; that stuff's junk. I'm talking about manly man bets like "over/under number of food items mentioned by John Madden during the broadcast" and "color of Gatorade dumped on winning coach". Picking those winners takes real skill.
-The Mike Tomlin-Omar Epps thing never gets old. Never. Ever.
-Have to admit, I'm stoked for Bruce Springsteen's halftime performance. I'm a huge Springsteen fan, and I think he's a great choice for this gig. And speaking of The Boss, he's got a new album out today. Working On A Dream, that's just phenomenal (random aside- how the hell did The Wrestler not get nominated for an Academy Award? Insanity.). No, I didn't brave out into the snow today just to buy it; it leaked online about two weeks ago. And that brings me to this question- Springsteen's halftime setlist. I think the recent standard has been 4 songs, so with that in mind, and taking into account the release of the new album, my picks for the setlist (in order) are: Born To Run, Working On A Dream (off the new disc), My Lucky Day (another new track), The Rising. Given the shortness of the playlist, I think its possible he could opt out of playing the relatively mellow Working On A Dream and replace it with something like Radio Nowhere or even something older, like Glory Days. Either way, I think he stays away Born In The USA.
Last football game of the season; that's sad. But the end of football should mean the end of snow, so no more. Baseball's just around the corner, and hope springs eternal. Go Reds. Fuck the Steelers.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Great Sports Moments, Real and Fake
From Bill Simmons's column in the most recent issue of ESPN The Magazine:
Q: If you could have the best seats in the house for any sporting event of the past century, which would you choose?
-Max A., Cleveland
SG: The only answer can be "USA 4, USSR 3." A tougher question: Which sports-movie event would you choose? I'd pick the game in which Michael J. Fox first turns into Teen Wolf. Name me a more stunning sports-movie moment. Fans in the stands are frozen for, like, 45 seconds. You're not topping the experience of being in a sparsely attended high school hoops game in which one of the players turns into a monster, then dunks on everybody. I'm sorry.
I have to say, I think these are two really good questions. Its tough (hell, nearly impossible) to pick any event other than the Miracle on Ice in 1980; I'd be my choice as well. But I think there are some other worthy games that at least merit consideration:
-Duke v. Kentucky, 1992 East Regional Final: I'm pretty sure this would be my #2 choice. It was a phenomenal game (I remember watching it live) on top of Laettner's game-winning shot. One of the greatest college basketball games in history would definitely be worth seeing live.
-Boston College v. Miami, 1984: From one of the greatest college basketball games ever to one of the greatest college football games ever. This might be have jumped the '92 East Regional Final if it weren't for the weather at this game. And like the '92 East Regional Final, this game was so much more than just one play. In the rain, Kosar and Flutie put on a show, and it was clear early on that the last team with the ball would win the game. Knowing the outcome, knowing how it all plays out, I think it'd be worth braving the weather to see this one.
-Men's 4x100 Freestyle Relay, 2008 Olympics: Too soon? I don't think so. This was the #1 moment from the 2008 Olympics and absolutely the one thing I would have wanted to see live. From Michael Phelps's quest for 8 golds to the smack talk from the choking dog French team, this race had it all.
That just about covers actual sporting events for me. So what about the second question, the fictional sports events? Again, its tough to argue against Teen Wolf; I mean, how many times would you be able to see a player literally turn into a monster on the court? It wasn't necessarily a great game, but it would surely be memorable. Others I'd throw in there:
-18th Hole, Tin Cup: There's something about watching a train wreak. Jean Van de Velde ain't got shit on Roy McAvoy. Van de Velde's collapse was just pathetic. McAvoy descended to that same level, but, because its the movies, he was able to rise back to the realm of the heroic. Would have been incredible to watch.
-Championship game, Hoosiers: I know, I know, the 1954 Milan team doesn't make the "real" sports list, but the dramatized Hoosiers version does. What can I say, I think the movie does it better. In the actual game, there's about 4 minutes of stall ball at the end that wouldn't have been fun to watch. But back to the movie- how are there not 3 guys covering Jimmy Chitwood on that last possession? He hadn't missed a shot all game (in fact, I think he only missed one shot in the entire movie- during the scene where Gene Hackman tries to convince him to join the team). You have to deny him the ball and force someone else to take that shot. Clearly, the two guys that stood behind Christian Laettner on the pass from Grant Hill never saw or didn't learn anything from Hoosiers.
-Slap Shot: When do you ever see a fight before the game starts? Never. And seeing the Hanson Brothers play has to be worth the price of admission anyway.
(Honorable mention goes to the final game in The Natural. I thought about being in the stand for this game, and I came to realize that as cool as it would be to see the sparks rain down on the field after Hobbs's game-winning home run, the moment is considerably lessened by the absence of the slow-motion effects and the background music. So without those post-production effects, the moment, while still great, wouldn't be as good live).
So those are my picks. Did I miss any worthwhile games, real or fictional?
Q: If you could have the best seats in the house for any sporting event of the past century, which would you choose?
-Max A., Cleveland
SG: The only answer can be "USA 4, USSR 3." A tougher question: Which sports-movie event would you choose? I'd pick the game in which Michael J. Fox first turns into Teen Wolf. Name me a more stunning sports-movie moment. Fans in the stands are frozen for, like, 45 seconds. You're not topping the experience of being in a sparsely attended high school hoops game in which one of the players turns into a monster, then dunks on everybody. I'm sorry.
I have to say, I think these are two really good questions. Its tough (hell, nearly impossible) to pick any event other than the Miracle on Ice in 1980; I'd be my choice as well. But I think there are some other worthy games that at least merit consideration:
-Duke v. Kentucky, 1992 East Regional Final: I'm pretty sure this would be my #2 choice. It was a phenomenal game (I remember watching it live) on top of Laettner's game-winning shot. One of the greatest college basketball games in history would definitely be worth seeing live.
-Boston College v. Miami, 1984: From one of the greatest college basketball games ever to one of the greatest college football games ever. This might be have jumped the '92 East Regional Final if it weren't for the weather at this game. And like the '92 East Regional Final, this game was so much more than just one play. In the rain, Kosar and Flutie put on a show, and it was clear early on that the last team with the ball would win the game. Knowing the outcome, knowing how it all plays out, I think it'd be worth braving the weather to see this one.
-Men's 4x100 Freestyle Relay, 2008 Olympics: Too soon? I don't think so. This was the #1 moment from the 2008 Olympics and absolutely the one thing I would have wanted to see live. From Michael Phelps's quest for 8 golds to the smack talk from the choking dog French team, this race had it all.
That just about covers actual sporting events for me. So what about the second question, the fictional sports events? Again, its tough to argue against Teen Wolf; I mean, how many times would you be able to see a player literally turn into a monster on the court? It wasn't necessarily a great game, but it would surely be memorable. Others I'd throw in there:
-18th Hole, Tin Cup: There's something about watching a train wreak. Jean Van de Velde ain't got shit on Roy McAvoy. Van de Velde's collapse was just pathetic. McAvoy descended to that same level, but, because its the movies, he was able to rise back to the realm of the heroic. Would have been incredible to watch.
-Championship game, Hoosiers: I know, I know, the 1954 Milan team doesn't make the "real" sports list, but the dramatized Hoosiers version does. What can I say, I think the movie does it better. In the actual game, there's about 4 minutes of stall ball at the end that wouldn't have been fun to watch. But back to the movie- how are there not 3 guys covering Jimmy Chitwood on that last possession? He hadn't missed a shot all game (in fact, I think he only missed one shot in the entire movie- during the scene where Gene Hackman tries to convince him to join the team). You have to deny him the ball and force someone else to take that shot. Clearly, the two guys that stood behind Christian Laettner on the pass from Grant Hill never saw or didn't learn anything from Hoosiers.
-Slap Shot: When do you ever see a fight before the game starts? Never. And seeing the Hanson Brothers play has to be worth the price of admission anyway.
(Honorable mention goes to the final game in The Natural. I thought about being in the stand for this game, and I came to realize that as cool as it would be to see the sparks rain down on the field after Hobbs's game-winning home run, the moment is considerably lessened by the absence of the slow-motion effects and the background music. So without those post-production effects, the moment, while still great, wouldn't be as good live).
So those are my picks. Did I miss any worthwhile games, real or fictional?
Monday, August 11, 2008
Random Thoughts From A Weekend Of Sports Television
-The Opening Ceremonies for the Olympics were insane. There's no other country in the world that could have put on a show like that; no one else has either a)the discipline or b)the man power the Chinese have. Favorite part: the tai chi segment. As someone who's tried (and failed) to get 75 people to line up and create coherent formations, seeing 2,008 people do it near flawlessly was crazy impressive. Least favorite part (aside from hearing Bob Costas and Matt Lauer give ridiculous factoids about countries no one can find on a map): the torch lighting. I know, I know, it was pretty cool to see the guy get hoisted up to the top of the stadium and all, but did he really have to run around the whole damn thing? By the time he got all the way around, the actual lighting was kind of anticlimactic.
-The Reds suck.
-Fuck the French. The men's 4X100 meter freestyle relay final was absolutely incredible. If Michael Phelps goes on and wins 8 gold medals and gets that million dollar check from Visa, I hope he sends a good chunk of it to Jason Lezak. For about 375 meters, I was looking pretty good on my call that one of the relays would end Phelps's quest for 8 golds. And I'm glad I was wrong (at least on this one), especially after hearing the smack talk from the French (specifically from the guy that choked away the race at the end). Haven't there been enough examples, particularly in sports, of guys having to eat crow because they couldn't back it up when the time came? Fuck Alain Bernard. He deserved to lose that race, in that way, with him being the goat.
-I really like watching volleyball. Sure, everyone loves (women's) beach volleyball, but I've been getting into the indoor game as well (and if you watching for the, uh, talent- Puddin', I'm looking at you- check out Logan Tom; the camera loves her, and with good reason). I knew a guy back in Virginia, who we'll call Game Genie, that always sang the praises of volleyball (only guy I knew that played in volleyball rec leagues and such); I think I'm beginning to catch on. Love the beach volleyball, but I'm going to try and catch some more of indoor as well.
-Brock Lesner impressed me a little. I don't think he was great, but he was better than I expected. Granted, I wasn't expecting much, given how he lost his first match, but he fared better against Herring than I thought he would (in that he won the match by decision). Also thought GSP would've ended the fight before it went the distance. But I'm still learning the MMA world.
-Koreans are good at shooting things, particularly arrows. If there's such as thing as an archery powerhouse, South Korea is it.
-Speaking of Koreans, big ups to Park Taehwan for winning the country's first ever swimming medal, and for it to be gold. Dude's like 18 or 19 and he'll never have to pay for anything ever again back in Korea. I know he's young, but he needs to retire NOW and open up a swimming academy in Seoul. In terms of competition, there's no where to go but down for this kid; this is one case where I say quit while you're ahead and rest on these laurels for the rest of your life.
-The Reds suck big time.
-Melissa Stark, still hot. I think people forget that she was Erin Andrews before Erin Andrews was Erin Andrews (I'll leave it to Puddin' for the side-by-side picture analysis). And when it comes down to it, I'll take the fellow Wahoo (Stark) over the Florida Gator (Andrews). [Edit: Puddin' comes through, as I knew he would. Head over to Dollar Hot Dogs and cast your vote for history!]
-What the fuck is Cris Collinsworth doing in Beijing?
-Favorite Bob Costas moment thus far: after Mary Carillo showed a piece on a Chinese acrobat school, Bob said something to the effect of: [facing Mary] "Great story, Mary, thanks for stopping by... [turns to face camera]... as if she just dropped in to, 'Hi.'"
-I don't like gymnastics, but I will watch the still rings (men) and the balance beam (women) because no matter how many times I see them, it still amazes me that any human could perform those tricks. I know that to be an elite gymnast you have to have an incredible amount of strength and athleticism, but in my mind, these two events are just beyond the realm human ability.
-Tiger who? What a finish to the PGA Championship. I hope people don't end up labeling Padrig Harrington the "Houston Rockets of golf" because these last two majors have come with Woods on the sidelines; remember, he won the '07 Open Championship with Tiger in the field, so he's beaten him. The putts he made on 16, 17, and 18 were crazy. Tiger-esque, if you will. He's easily the favorite going into Augusta next year. As for Sergio ("You know Sergio?!"), I do think he'll eventually win a major. Step one is flat out not playing well in majors, step two is gut-wrenching loses (see: Mickelson, Phil). With this loss and last year's Open Championship, Sergio's only on step two.
-And speaking of Phil, he had a great line of commercials for Crowne Plaza Hotels and Resorts during the PGA, best of which was this one:
That just about covers the weekend. Still got 2 weeks of Olympic coverage- great way to distract me from the epic fail that is the Reds. And from preseason football. Hate preseason football.
-The Reds suck.
-Fuck the French. The men's 4X100 meter freestyle relay final was absolutely incredible. If Michael Phelps goes on and wins 8 gold medals and gets that million dollar check from Visa, I hope he sends a good chunk of it to Jason Lezak. For about 375 meters, I was looking pretty good on my call that one of the relays would end Phelps's quest for 8 golds. And I'm glad I was wrong (at least on this one), especially after hearing the smack talk from the French (specifically from the guy that choked away the race at the end). Haven't there been enough examples, particularly in sports, of guys having to eat crow because they couldn't back it up when the time came? Fuck Alain Bernard. He deserved to lose that race, in that way, with him being the goat.
-I really like watching volleyball. Sure, everyone loves (women's) beach volleyball, but I've been getting into the indoor game as well (and if you watching for the, uh, talent- Puddin', I'm looking at you- check out Logan Tom; the camera loves her, and with good reason). I knew a guy back in Virginia, who we'll call Game Genie, that always sang the praises of volleyball (only guy I knew that played in volleyball rec leagues and such); I think I'm beginning to catch on. Love the beach volleyball, but I'm going to try and catch some more of indoor as well.
-Brock Lesner impressed me a little. I don't think he was great, but he was better than I expected. Granted, I wasn't expecting much, given how he lost his first match, but he fared better against Herring than I thought he would (in that he won the match by decision). Also thought GSP would've ended the fight before it went the distance. But I'm still learning the MMA world.
-Koreans are good at shooting things, particularly arrows. If there's such as thing as an archery powerhouse, South Korea is it.
-Speaking of Koreans, big ups to Park Taehwan for winning the country's first ever swimming medal, and for it to be gold. Dude's like 18 or 19 and he'll never have to pay for anything ever again back in Korea. I know he's young, but he needs to retire NOW and open up a swimming academy in Seoul. In terms of competition, there's no where to go but down for this kid; this is one case where I say quit while you're ahead and rest on these laurels for the rest of your life.
-The Reds suck big time.
-Melissa Stark, still hot. I think people forget that she was Erin Andrews before Erin Andrews was Erin Andrews (I'll leave it to Puddin' for the side-by-side picture analysis). And when it comes down to it, I'll take the fellow Wahoo (Stark) over the Florida Gator (Andrews). [Edit: Puddin' comes through, as I knew he would. Head over to Dollar Hot Dogs and cast your vote for history!]
-What the fuck is Cris Collinsworth doing in Beijing?
-Favorite Bob Costas moment thus far: after Mary Carillo showed a piece on a Chinese acrobat school, Bob said something to the effect of: [facing Mary] "Great story, Mary, thanks for stopping by... [turns to face camera]... as if she just dropped in to, 'Hi.'"
-I don't like gymnastics, but I will watch the still rings (men) and the balance beam (women) because no matter how many times I see them, it still amazes me that any human could perform those tricks. I know that to be an elite gymnast you have to have an incredible amount of strength and athleticism, but in my mind, these two events are just beyond the realm human ability.
-Tiger who? What a finish to the PGA Championship. I hope people don't end up labeling Padrig Harrington the "Houston Rockets of golf" because these last two majors have come with Woods on the sidelines; remember, he won the '07 Open Championship with Tiger in the field, so he's beaten him. The putts he made on 16, 17, and 18 were crazy. Tiger-esque, if you will. He's easily the favorite going into Augusta next year. As for Sergio ("You know Sergio?!"), I do think he'll eventually win a major. Step one is flat out not playing well in majors, step two is gut-wrenching loses (see: Mickelson, Phil). With this loss and last year's Open Championship, Sergio's only on step two.
-And speaking of Phil, he had a great line of commercials for Crowne Plaza Hotels and Resorts during the PGA, best of which was this one:
That just about covers the weekend. Still got 2 weeks of Olympic coverage- great way to distract me from the epic fail that is the Reds. And from preseason football. Hate preseason football.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
No Real Surprise
So I guess I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the fact that Ken Griffey, Jr. was traded today to the Chicago White Sox for that guy and that other dude. Really, its not all that surprising. I (along with every baseball fan in Cincinnati) saw this coming earlier in the year; once Griffey hit #600, he was expendable to be traded. It was just a matter of if anyone wanted him, and, for whatever reason, the White Sox did. Now, I've waxed poetic about Griffey, so a part of me is sad to see him go. But from a baseball sense, this move is probably a few years overdue. Doc's got a great column about Griffey's time in Cincinnati- he never really fit in and he was never really embraced. Odd, given that this is his hometown, but again, not really surprising. He only came here because he was from here, and it just didn't work out. I've always been a fan of Griffey, and that won't change. I hope he does well in Chicago and I hope he gets a shot at the World Series. He deserves at least one chance at winning it all.
Nine years ago, I thought that when it was all said and done, Griffey would be wearing a Reds cap on his Hall of Fame plaque. Now, not so much. I don't think they are any Mariners cap in Cooperstown; Griffey should be the first.
Nine years ago, I thought that when it was all said and done, Griffey would be wearing a Reds cap on his Hall of Fame plaque. Now, not so much. I don't think they are any Mariners cap in Cooperstown; Griffey should be the first.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Are You 98% Sure, Or Just 77%?
Goose Gossage was finally inducted in to the Baseball Hall of Fame over the weekend. Its hard to believe that a guy with his numbers, a guy that helped revolutionize relief pitching in baseball, was on the ballot nine times before being inducted (insert Ferris Bueller Mr. Rooney imitation here). And here lies my problem with the Hall of Fame- what makes Goose Gossage a Hall of Famer this year that didn't make him a Hall of Famer the previous 8 years? He didn't pitch anymore, so why now? If he's Hall of Fame worthy (and I think few would argue that he's not), why did it take 9 years?
I caught the most recent Costas NOW on HBO where they had a live round table discussion on the current state of baseball; their first live round table discussion was on Sports and Media and gave us the following exchange from Buzz Bissinger (writer of Friday Night Lights) and Will Leitch (founder of Deadspin.com):
The baseball round table wasn't nearly as heated, but it did have Bissinger and Leitch sitting side by side in the audience, sharing a hot dog and a beer. On the program, they had a number of Hall of Famers, such as Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, and Bob Gibson, and they also had, via satellite, Pete Rose.
Now, I'm a big Pete Rose apologist, always have been, always will be. But this post isn't about Pete and why he should be in the Hall of Fame. No, it's about a point that Pete brought up during this round table. He asked, rhetorically, what it means to be a "first ballot" Hall of Famer and how its any different from being a "regular" Hall of Famer. Pete argued, and I whole-heartedly agree, that there's no different and that a guy is either a Hall of Famer or he's not. First ballot, second ballot, ninth ballot, it doesn't matter and it shouldn't matter. It doesn't matter to the players in the Hall (to them, a Hall of Famer is a Hall of Famer), so why does it matter to the writers? I think its because a number of baseball writers are idiots.
There are two things that bother me regarding the Baseball Hall of Fame. The first is voting (or not voting) for players in their first year of eligibility.
I've read there are baseball writers that don't vote for any player in their first year of eligibility because they believe that no player should ever be elected to the Hall of Fame with 100% of the vote on the first try. I've read that it might have something to do with the fact that Babe Ruth, the greatest baseball player of all time, didn't get 100%, or that no one in that inaugural class got 100%; either way, it's ludicrous. Who cares if a player gets 100% of the vote? A Hall of Famer is a Hall of Famer, you're either worthy or not. Do the writer's really think that people will look at the vote tally and decide who was the greatest player based on that? Does anyone really think that Tom Seaver (with 98.84% of the vote, the current highest) is the greatest baseball player of all time? No, that's still Babe Ruth. So what's the difference between 98.84% and 100%? Nothing.
The title of this post comes from a line of Miller Lite commercials from a few years back (2000, maybe?) featuring pairs of retired athletes discussing the merits of Miller Lite and their own careers. This line comes from the George Brett-Robin Yount commercial, where Brett alludes to the pair's Hall of Fame induction percentages (Brett at 98% of the vote, Yount 77%). Clearly, it was meant in jest for the commercial, but in the end, they're both in the Hall, so it doesn't matter.
Writer's claim that not voting for a guy in his first year is a way for them to comment on a guy's career. But if he's worthy of the Hall and is going to make it eventually, who cares? It means the same to the player if they go in on year 1 as it does on year 10, so what comment are you making? They don't make mention on your plaque that it took you 7 tries before you were voted in, so why does it matter? I think it matters to the writers because they need to say, "Look how important I think I am!!"
The second thing that bothers me about the Hall is having an unofficial "cap" on the number of inductees that writers will put in a class.
Even though some moronic writers hold off on voting for them, players still get into the Hall in their first year. Going back to the title of this post, George Brett, Robin Yount, and Nolan Ryan all went into the Hall in the same year, all in their first year of eligibility. Now, that it was much of a surprise; I remember when they retired, people were saying, "There's your Hall of Fame class in 5 years. No one else is getting in that year [by the writer's vote] ." They said the same thing when Cal Ripken, Jr. and Tony Gwynn retired. "That's it, that's list. No one else will get in that year because these guys are shoe-ins."
How stupid is that? Sure, Ripken and Gwynn are Hall of Famers, no one doubts that. But why does having them on the ballot prevent you from voting for, say, Jim Rice or Andre Dawson? And yet, guys like Rice and Dawson only get significant numbers of votes when there aren't "shoe-in" names on the ballot. Few people seem to doubt that both Rice and Dawson deserve to be in the Hall, but they are still on the outside looking in. There's no limit to the number of players that can be inducted in a year, so if a guy's deserving of the Hall of Fame, why wait?
A Hall of Famer is a Hall of Famer. The writers think they are making a statement when they cast their votes for the Hall. The only comments on a guy's career that matters are the ones that appear on his plaque. The 9 writer's who didn't vote for Hank Aaron should've lost their votes forever. Same with the 11 that didn't vote for Babe Ruth. The should be only one reason not to vote a player into the Hall of Fame- he wasn't good enough. That's it, that's the list.
I caught the most recent Costas NOW on HBO where they had a live round table discussion on the current state of baseball; their first live round table discussion was on Sports and Media and gave us the following exchange from Buzz Bissinger (writer of Friday Night Lights) and Will Leitch (founder of Deadspin.com):
The baseball round table wasn't nearly as heated, but it did have Bissinger and Leitch sitting side by side in the audience, sharing a hot dog and a beer. On the program, they had a number of Hall of Famers, such as Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, and Bob Gibson, and they also had, via satellite, Pete Rose.
Now, I'm a big Pete Rose apologist, always have been, always will be. But this post isn't about Pete and why he should be in the Hall of Fame. No, it's about a point that Pete brought up during this round table. He asked, rhetorically, what it means to be a "first ballot" Hall of Famer and how its any different from being a "regular" Hall of Famer. Pete argued, and I whole-heartedly agree, that there's no different and that a guy is either a Hall of Famer or he's not. First ballot, second ballot, ninth ballot, it doesn't matter and it shouldn't matter. It doesn't matter to the players in the Hall (to them, a Hall of Famer is a Hall of Famer), so why does it matter to the writers? I think its because a number of baseball writers are idiots.
There are two things that bother me regarding the Baseball Hall of Fame. The first is voting (or not voting) for players in their first year of eligibility.
I've read there are baseball writers that don't vote for any player in their first year of eligibility because they believe that no player should ever be elected to the Hall of Fame with 100% of the vote on the first try. I've read that it might have something to do with the fact that Babe Ruth, the greatest baseball player of all time, didn't get 100%, or that no one in that inaugural class got 100%; either way, it's ludicrous. Who cares if a player gets 100% of the vote? A Hall of Famer is a Hall of Famer, you're either worthy or not. Do the writer's really think that people will look at the vote tally and decide who was the greatest player based on that? Does anyone really think that Tom Seaver (with 98.84% of the vote, the current highest) is the greatest baseball player of all time? No, that's still Babe Ruth. So what's the difference between 98.84% and 100%? Nothing.
The title of this post comes from a line of Miller Lite commercials from a few years back (2000, maybe?) featuring pairs of retired athletes discussing the merits of Miller Lite and their own careers. This line comes from the George Brett-Robin Yount commercial, where Brett alludes to the pair's Hall of Fame induction percentages (Brett at 98% of the vote, Yount 77%). Clearly, it was meant in jest for the commercial, but in the end, they're both in the Hall, so it doesn't matter.
Writer's claim that not voting for a guy in his first year is a way for them to comment on a guy's career. But if he's worthy of the Hall and is going to make it eventually, who cares? It means the same to the player if they go in on year 1 as it does on year 10, so what comment are you making? They don't make mention on your plaque that it took you 7 tries before you were voted in, so why does it matter? I think it matters to the writers because they need to say, "Look how important I think I am!!"
The second thing that bothers me about the Hall is having an unofficial "cap" on the number of inductees that writers will put in a class.
Even though some moronic writers hold off on voting for them, players still get into the Hall in their first year. Going back to the title of this post, George Brett, Robin Yount, and Nolan Ryan all went into the Hall in the same year, all in their first year of eligibility. Now, that it was much of a surprise; I remember when they retired, people were saying, "There's your Hall of Fame class in 5 years. No one else is getting in that year [by the writer's vote] ." They said the same thing when Cal Ripken, Jr. and Tony Gwynn retired. "That's it, that's list. No one else will get in that year because these guys are shoe-ins."
How stupid is that? Sure, Ripken and Gwynn are Hall of Famers, no one doubts that. But why does having them on the ballot prevent you from voting for, say, Jim Rice or Andre Dawson? And yet, guys like Rice and Dawson only get significant numbers of votes when there aren't "shoe-in" names on the ballot. Few people seem to doubt that both Rice and Dawson deserve to be in the Hall, but they are still on the outside looking in. There's no limit to the number of players that can be inducted in a year, so if a guy's deserving of the Hall of Fame, why wait?
A Hall of Famer is a Hall of Famer. The writers think they are making a statement when they cast their votes for the Hall. The only comments on a guy's career that matters are the ones that appear on his plaque. The 9 writer's who didn't vote for Hank Aaron should've lost their votes forever. Same with the 11 that didn't vote for Babe Ruth. The should be only one reason not to vote a player into the Hall of Fame- he wasn't good enough. That's it, that's the list.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Speaking Of Batman...
... he pitches for the Reds. And to think, the Reds AAA team is the Louisville Bats.
Though, I'd rather have a starting pitcher moonlighting as a masked vigilante in Gotham City than a head football coach pulling shifts at Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital with House.
Though, I'd rather have a starting pitcher moonlighting as a masked vigilante in Gotham City than a head football coach pulling shifts at Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital with House.
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