Jermaine O'Neal and his bad joints are on their way to Toronto. The initial reaction of the (remaining) Pacer fans will most likely be mixed-positive. Jermaine has simply missed too many games the past few seasons. You can always count on O'Neal for a mid-season and then late-season injury. This pattern began soon after the palace brawl and has gotten progressively worse.
JO had the greatest upside of any Pacer I can remember. There was a moment when it seemed like he would help get Reggie his elusive ring and maybe a ring or two just for himself. David Stern made sure that did not happen. First, by overseeing the absolute nadir of NBA officiating: the 2004 playoffs. No gaping head wound, no foul. Stern followed it up by ham-stringing one of his most reliable franchises in the Artest affair.
I am a fan of the trade, but only for financial reasons. TJ Ford will probably suck. His numbers suggest he's not nearly as good of a pure point guard as Tinsley. At least Ford is cheap relative to O'Neal. Nesterovic appears to be worthless, averaging about 8 points and less than 5 rebounds per game. But his contract expires after this year which brings us to the crux of the argument.
The huge amount owed to JO hampers Larry Bird's ability to make moves in free agency. This begs the question: Is cap room that important in the NBA? Just like in the NFL, the good players are signed to long-term contracts before becoming free agents. The hope has to be that the team can build a solid core of role players around Granger and Dunleavy. The 17th pick in the draft doesn't hurt either.
Will the Pacers be a little worse in the short term? Possibly. But, Jermaine only averaged 13 points per game. He's a twelfth year vet who misses a ton of time. Even though he's just now turning 30, I don't see any reasons for optimism as far as his health. Let's not forget the fact that O'Neal doesn't at all fit the up-tempo game the team has been aiming for the past two seasons.
We'll see what happens. This much I know: Larry Bird did something to make us talk about the Pacers. Impressive. Now all he has to do is somehow steal Eric Gordon with the eleventh pick.
DZ Comments: Most of my thoughts can be seen in the comments from the previous post, but here is a positive breakdown of the trade. I would take issue with it on several points:
1. They got something for JO-really? An expiring contract, a pick with next to no real value, and a point guard with spine damage. Yeah, color me uninspired.
2. They got a point guard-seems like they were going to draft one anyway
3. They can trade Tinsley-Uh, really? To who? And for what? Sorry. Tinsley isn't going anywhere. This is utterly false.
4. The draft-Really? The 11th pick on a very rare occasion yields a player. But they already had that pick. How many times in the last 20 years has the 17th pick yielded a decent player?
5. Cap Space- "They can pursue a big free agent (or take one in a trade) to team up with Ford, Danny Granger and the draft picks, and they'll have the next generation of Pacers up and running"
ah, the mythical cap space. Again, WHO IS EVEN AVAILABLE? Note: he doesn't suggest a real player. Just the phantom F/A.
If the Pacers sign someone good next year, this is a good trade. Otherwise, it does nothing but make the team cheaper, not better. Since I don't think there is anyone worthy of signing who is likely to come to Indiana, I don't see that this deal helps us. It helps the Simons, and that's cool. I love the Simons. It doesn't help the fans or the product on the floor.
In summary: this isn't a bad deal or a good deal. It's a deal. It saves money. It's unlikely to improve the club. It's about as exciting to me as staring at tax forms. The Pacers are in the NBA's no-man's land. The only hope is to seriously tank a whole season so as to move up into the kind of draft territory where they can either get a player who is good or trade for a player who is good. This is exciting news? 20-62 here we come. Pardon me while I throw up.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Lazy again
Actually the opposite. I'm swamped with work stuff, so I'm throwing down some more links:
Don Banks talks coaching trees. Tony has a fairly prolific one. I'm still not sure if it's better to count Del Rio or not.
SI lists the 10 best athletes from IU. I would have added Alford and Ted Kluzewski (we are talking about all time best athletes and big Klu was a beast). Mike Smith wouldn't have been a bad choice either.
A college girl is the new Jags blogger. (Insert punch line). Seriously, though, best of luck to you Jeanne, that's quite the franchise you have to promote there.
I have no words for how improbable this photo is.
Don Banks talks coaching trees. Tony has a fairly prolific one. I'm still not sure if it's better to count Del Rio or not.
SI lists the 10 best athletes from IU. I would have added Alford and Ted Kluzewski (we are talking about all time best athletes and big Klu was a beast). Mike Smith wouldn't have been a bad choice either.
A college girl is the new Jags blogger. (Insert punch line). Seriously, though, best of luck to you Jeanne, that's quite the franchise you have to promote there.
I have no words for how improbable this photo is.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
A Couple of Links
I've been traveling and working the last couple of days, so I don't have too much in the tank except for a couple of links:
ESPN Fantasy Football previews the Colts
Stampede Blue links to a facinating article about the best QBs ever. Our boy does pretty good.
ESPN Fantasy Football previews the Colts
Stampede Blue links to a facinating article about the best QBs ever. Our boy does pretty good.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
(Something witty or alliterative) Pedro
Rather than sit here and search for the right word that begins with P, I'm going to be lazy and get right to the point. I saw Pedro Martinez pitch last night. Thanks to a family friend who hooked us up with free Rockies/Mets tickets, my wife and I were able to take in a pleasant night at the ballpark in Denver. I was particularly stoked because future Hall of Famer (and no, I won't debate this. His numbers are Kofaxian) Pedro Martinez was on the mound. I go out of my way to try and catch future Hall of Famers as much as possible. My grandfather regaled me with stories of living in New York in the late 40s, and he saw just about everyone who mattered. I'm trying to do the same, despite living two hours from the closest big league team.
Of course, watching Pedro today isn't what it was 8-9 years ago when he had perhaps the greatest stretch of any pitcher in history. But last night, for one night, or at least for four innings, he was dominant. He actually hit 92 on the gun, a feat which I had been convinced he was no longer capable of. He made Matt Holiday look awful by freezing him with a 68 MPH curve. It was a like that hook bent time itself transporting us all back 10 years and several DL stints. The years and the damage to his wire thin right arm peeled off him, even if just for a few innings.
Unfortunately, his great four frames most likely had much more to do with the sun than his arm. The game had started early in the Colorado evening, and when the mound and the plate were at last both engulfed by the shadows, the magic died with the light. In the start of the 5th, the Rockies came to bat for the first time that day with ability to actually track the Great Pedro's stuff.
The result? Back to back home runs to start the inning. 5 more hits and 4 more runs later, Pedro was gone, and we were all left to cheer the home team, but maybe just a little sad that we saw one of the great pitchers of our time reduced to just one more shadow on mound.
Of course, watching Pedro today isn't what it was 8-9 years ago when he had perhaps the greatest stretch of any pitcher in history. But last night, for one night, or at least for four innings, he was dominant. He actually hit 92 on the gun, a feat which I had been convinced he was no longer capable of. He made Matt Holiday look awful by freezing him with a 68 MPH curve. It was a like that hook bent time itself transporting us all back 10 years and several DL stints. The years and the damage to his wire thin right arm peeled off him, even if just for a few innings.
Unfortunately, his great four frames most likely had much more to do with the sun than his arm. The game had started early in the Colorado evening, and when the mound and the plate were at last both engulfed by the shadows, the magic died with the light. In the start of the 5th, the Rockies came to bat for the first time that day with ability to actually track the Great Pedro's stuff.
The result? Back to back home runs to start the inning. 5 more hits and 4 more runs later, Pedro was gone, and we were all left to cheer the home team, but maybe just a little sad that we saw one of the great pitchers of our time reduced to just one more shadow on mound.
Friday, June 20, 2008
It's official: Jeremy Green is the dumbest man alive
The World Wide Leader has a couple of new articles out featuring the Colts. In the first, the Professor looks at the status of the Colts coming out of mini-camp. Nothing we don't already know, but he does mistakenly use the phrase "at the least" when he should say "at the most" regarding Harrison's situation in Philly.
In the second and more hilarious piece, Scouts Inc. looks at the AFC South. In it Jeremy Green insists that the addition of a man who caught all of 45 balls the past two seasons will elevate the Jags to the number one offense. Needless to say, no one else agrees with him. Three of the five man staff also think the Colts have the best defense in the South.
I've killed Jeremy Green in this space more times than I care to count, but this this may be the single most comedic thing he's said. The man knows nothing about football. His entire experience comes from working in one of the all time worst front offices in history (the Browns of the early 00s), and from his dad, deposed coach and Coors Light star Dennis Green. He apparently equates Porter leaving Oakland to Moss leaving Oakland. Uh, I think there were some differences too, but if those aren't painfully obvious to everyone with a brain, then me explaining them won't help.
Links:
The Blue Jays are half crazy, but I'm glad Cito Gaston got another job. The guy has a winning record as a manager, AND two World Series titles and never got a sniff a second job. Odd. The Jays GM was right to apologize to Dunn. He is a lumbering ox, but he plays hard. It's hard for a man that big to play the outfield, and Dunn does the best he can.
For the hearty few that have encouraged me to post more movie reviews, I saw the Incredible Hulk today. Essentially, it's light years better than the previous incarnation, mostly due to presence of Ed Norton. Ultimately, it falls victim to the same trap that most comic book movies do: some idiot assumes that after an hour and a half of fine acting and complex character development what we really want is to see two CGI monsters wail on each other for 15 minutes. Memo to screenwriters and studios: WE DON'T. IT'S BORING AS HELL. I also could have done with Jennifer Conley instead of Liv Tyler as the girl friend. In short, the move back to the Bill Bixby version the Hulk mostly pays off. The movie was marginally better than I expected despite a lackluster finsih (Ho ho! He says, "Hulk SMASH!" I never saw it coming!), and ranked somewhere between the uneven X-Men 3 and the excellent Iron Man. For me, the best part of the movie was watching the trailer for I Want to Believe again. Mostly, I'm sick of Marvel...bring on The Dark Knight.
In the second and more hilarious piece, Scouts Inc. looks at the AFC South. In it Jeremy Green insists that the addition of a man who caught all of 45 balls the past two seasons will elevate the Jags to the number one offense. Needless to say, no one else agrees with him. Three of the five man staff also think the Colts have the best defense in the South.
I've killed Jeremy Green in this space more times than I care to count, but this this may be the single most comedic thing he's said. The man knows nothing about football. His entire experience comes from working in one of the all time worst front offices in history (the Browns of the early 00s), and from his dad, deposed coach and Coors Light star Dennis Green. He apparently equates Porter leaving Oakland to Moss leaving Oakland. Uh, I think there were some differences too, but if those aren't painfully obvious to everyone with a brain, then me explaining them won't help.
Links:
The Blue Jays are half crazy, but I'm glad Cito Gaston got another job. The guy has a winning record as a manager, AND two World Series titles and never got a sniff a second job. Odd. The Jays GM was right to apologize to Dunn. He is a lumbering ox, but he plays hard. It's hard for a man that big to play the outfield, and Dunn does the best he can.
For the hearty few that have encouraged me to post more movie reviews, I saw the Incredible Hulk today. Essentially, it's light years better than the previous incarnation, mostly due to presence of Ed Norton. Ultimately, it falls victim to the same trap that most comic book movies do: some idiot assumes that after an hour and a half of fine acting and complex character development what we really want is to see two CGI monsters wail on each other for 15 minutes. Memo to screenwriters and studios: WE DON'T. IT'S BORING AS HELL. I also could have done with Jennifer Conley instead of Liv Tyler as the girl friend. In short, the move back to the Bill Bixby version the Hulk mostly pays off. The movie was marginally better than I expected despite a lackluster finsih (Ho ho! He says, "Hulk SMASH!" I never saw it coming!), and ranked somewhere between the uneven X-Men 3 and the excellent Iron Man. For me, the best part of the movie was watching the trailer for I Want to Believe again. Mostly, I'm sick of Marvel...bring on The Dark Knight.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
I'm ready
for football season. The Reds are beyond done. Their bats have once again gone silent. Tiger is done. The NBA playoffs are done. There is nothing to do but wait.
The thing about these Colts is that there really isn't anything to talk about. There is one issue that will decide the success or failure of the 2008 Colts: the health of Dwight Freeney. With all due respect to the good guys over at Stampedeblue.com (who I enjoy), I'm not interesting in parsing out who will be the 5th receiver. I'm not curious to see who makes the roster. I'm only very mildly interested in who wins the right guard slot. These things are nice distractions, I guess, but they aren't very satisfying. I'm ready for football season.
This NFL season is like waiting for a present to be unwrapped. I think the Horse is stacked. I fully expect to win the title that should have been ours last season had not fate played nasty games with the healthy of half the roster. I can't wait for the Jags to be exactly the same team they always have been (maybe even a little worse). I can't wait for Lucas Oil to open. I can't wait for Joe Addai to rip off 1400 yards behind a healthy O-line that doesn't feature Charlie Johnson at tackle. I can't wait for Dungy to walk victoriously off the field in Tampa. I'm ready for football season.
Football season isn't ready for me though, and that leaves me in a quandary. I'll enjoy the rest of my vacation and finish some books (I'm Right on Time and The Glory of Their Times). I'll continue dominating my fantasy baseball league and posting links on 18to88. Eventually, I'll try to figure out how to get down to training camp, and I'll whine about how horrible the preseason is. And then just before I pack up to head back to Argentina, I'll finally slip into Lucas Oil Stadium for week one, knowing that I might not be back there for another few years at best. Still, I'm ready for football season.
Links:
USA Today profiles the Colts.
The thing about these Colts is that there really isn't anything to talk about. There is one issue that will decide the success or failure of the 2008 Colts: the health of Dwight Freeney. With all due respect to the good guys over at Stampedeblue.com (who I enjoy), I'm not interesting in parsing out who will be the 5th receiver. I'm not curious to see who makes the roster. I'm only very mildly interested in who wins the right guard slot. These things are nice distractions, I guess, but they aren't very satisfying. I'm ready for football season.
This NFL season is like waiting for a present to be unwrapped. I think the Horse is stacked. I fully expect to win the title that should have been ours last season had not fate played nasty games with the healthy of half the roster. I can't wait for the Jags to be exactly the same team they always have been (maybe even a little worse). I can't wait for Lucas Oil to open. I can't wait for Joe Addai to rip off 1400 yards behind a healthy O-line that doesn't feature Charlie Johnson at tackle. I can't wait for Dungy to walk victoriously off the field in Tampa. I'm ready for football season.
Football season isn't ready for me though, and that leaves me in a quandary. I'll enjoy the rest of my vacation and finish some books (I'm Right on Time and The Glory of Their Times). I'll continue dominating my fantasy baseball league and posting links on 18to88. Eventually, I'll try to figure out how to get down to training camp, and I'll whine about how horrible the preseason is. And then just before I pack up to head back to Argentina, I'll finally slip into Lucas Oil Stadium for week one, knowing that I might not be back there for another few years at best. Still, I'm ready for football season.
Links:
USA Today profiles the Colts.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
A couple of things I missed
Foxsports has a couple of articles of note. Pete Schrager answers some questions and predicts another Manning bowl come January.
Whatifsports.com thinks the Colts will win the South, and their numbers actually like a big win total from the Horse. They question the Colts running game, which is pretty funny. The run game struggled because of the makeshift line last year. Of all the areas on this team, this is one I worry about the least.
Whatifsports.com thinks the Colts will win the South, and their numbers actually like a big win total from the Horse. They question the Colts running game, which is pretty funny. The run game struggled because of the makeshift line last year. Of all the areas on this team, this is one I worry about the least.
I can't tell you how happy it makes me...
that the only thing standing between Boston and the greatest sports year ever for a city is...
the Patriots wetting the bed in the Super Bowl.
Sorry Tommy. You just weren't good enough.
God help me. It never gets old.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Tiger Woods and social change
The world will soon overflow with the digital ink expended in the quest to describe Tiger Woods performance over the past three days. I have never seen a golf tournament that managed to sustain the level of drama we've seen over the (long) weekend. Since I'm on vacation this week, I watched every gripping hole Monday, and found it as thrilling as golf could possibly be. All of us had the same lingering question during Tiger's grind-it-out playoff Monday, "What if he jacks his knee up forever?". The thought that this could be the last time we ever see this dominant iteration of Tiger only added to the glory and the pressure of the moment. Couple in as close to a real life 'Rocky' as you can get, and the sum total was something I'll tell my kids about.
I'd like to by-pass all that for a moment and comment on one of Earl Woods grandiose statements about his only son that made us all chuckle or at least cock our heads in disbelief. When the father said that the son would have a bigger impact than Gandhi, we wondered how crazy he could possibly be. Now, a decade later, we have a major party nominee whose ethnic background is at least similar to Tiger's, and there is a good possibility that Barack Obama will be president. I think that Tiger Woods has had something to do with that.
I don't want to overstate the case, but I don't think it's coincidental that millions of white Americans have grown to be massive fans of the best golfer in the world and a scant few years later a similar looking man of deep eloquence is garnering millions of votes for president. I believe that most people in the US are not racist but rather 'culturists'. I think there are many people who discriminate not on skin color but rather on cultural trappings like corn-rows, tattoos, names, and speech patterns. Many of those cultural affects are closely connected to African-Americans, but a dislike of those doesn't make someone 'racist'. Many Americans would accept a 'Cosby Show' black guy ("Hey! I have black friends"), while they would still feel uncomfortable with African Americans who conform to a different cultural pattern. Certainly, there are still many pure racists who see skin color and nothing else, but I think that many have traded one prejudice for another. Being a culturist is still wrong, and it has its roots in racism, but it is dramatically more accepting (I don't care what you look like as long as you act like me).
Setting aside the whole issue of whether Tiger or Barack are actually 'black' (an issue which is largely irrelevant since for the purposes of analyzing their societal effect because for our purposes, they are what people think they are), I think that the sea change that is well coming in this country has been accelerated by Tiger. Millions of white Americans have grown used to Tiger and comfortable watching his dominance and excellence in an overwhelmingly pale faced environment. I think many of those same people are now approaching Barack Obama with a different level of acceptance than they might have had they not become Tiger fans.
I can't prove this. I have zero polling data or evidence connecting rooting with Tiger to voting for Obama. My point here isn't to endorse Obama or criticize people who don't want to vote for him (I voted for him in the primary, but will wait to endorse any candidate until they debate head to head), so let's not allow the discussion veer in that direction. I just have to believe that rooting for Tiger for 10 years has affected the way people think. It may well be that this is a connection that others have made more eloquently than I did, but I think it's a valid suspicion that Earl Wood's boy might have already had a much greater impact on society and the history of the United States than we realize.
LINKS:
Colvin signed for the money. I don't blame him. He's got rings. It's his last chance to get paid.
Scouts Inc. has the Colts at 5 in their O-line rankings. I hope so. Injuries really hurt their production last year.
I'd like to by-pass all that for a moment and comment on one of Earl Woods grandiose statements about his only son that made us all chuckle or at least cock our heads in disbelief. When the father said that the son would have a bigger impact than Gandhi, we wondered how crazy he could possibly be. Now, a decade later, we have a major party nominee whose ethnic background is at least similar to Tiger's, and there is a good possibility that Barack Obama will be president. I think that Tiger Woods has had something to do with that.
I don't want to overstate the case, but I don't think it's coincidental that millions of white Americans have grown to be massive fans of the best golfer in the world and a scant few years later a similar looking man of deep eloquence is garnering millions of votes for president. I believe that most people in the US are not racist but rather 'culturists'. I think there are many people who discriminate not on skin color but rather on cultural trappings like corn-rows, tattoos, names, and speech patterns. Many of those cultural affects are closely connected to African-Americans, but a dislike of those doesn't make someone 'racist'. Many Americans would accept a 'Cosby Show' black guy ("Hey! I have black friends"), while they would still feel uncomfortable with African Americans who conform to a different cultural pattern. Certainly, there are still many pure racists who see skin color and nothing else, but I think that many have traded one prejudice for another. Being a culturist is still wrong, and it has its roots in racism, but it is dramatically more accepting (I don't care what you look like as long as you act like me).
Setting aside the whole issue of whether Tiger or Barack are actually 'black' (an issue which is largely irrelevant since for the purposes of analyzing their societal effect because for our purposes, they are what people think they are), I think that the sea change that is well coming in this country has been accelerated by Tiger. Millions of white Americans have grown used to Tiger and comfortable watching his dominance and excellence in an overwhelmingly pale faced environment. I think many of those same people are now approaching Barack Obama with a different level of acceptance than they might have had they not become Tiger fans.
I can't prove this. I have zero polling data or evidence connecting rooting with Tiger to voting for Obama. My point here isn't to endorse Obama or criticize people who don't want to vote for him (I voted for him in the primary, but will wait to endorse any candidate until they debate head to head), so let's not allow the discussion veer in that direction. I just have to believe that rooting for Tiger for 10 years has affected the way people think. It may well be that this is a connection that others have made more eloquently than I did, but I think it's a valid suspicion that Earl Wood's boy might have already had a much greater impact on society and the history of the United States than we realize.
LINKS:
Colvin signed for the money. I don't blame him. He's got rings. It's his last chance to get paid.
Scouts Inc. has the Colts at 5 in their O-line rankings. I hope so. Injuries really hurt their production last year.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Short Night
I tried to come up with some sports related reason to review The Happening, but there really isn't one, so I'll dispense with the pretense. For those who haven't heard, the new M. Night Shyamalan movie pulled down a putrid 20% on the tomato-meter. The new Hitchcock has been accused of unleashing a 'career-ender' on the movie going public. Early buzz has been bad, and some of the acting (I'm looking at you Marky "I can't be believable as being from Boston in the Departed despite actually being from Boston" Mark) was rumored to be awful.
In the interest of full disclosure, I love Shyamalan movies. Signs is one of my all time favorites. I thought Unbreakable was genius. I thought Lady in the Water was beautiful. I really liked the Village and 6th Sense. I know the critics killed some of those movies, but they were all right in my wheelhouse (especially Signs which might be the most personally emotionally resonant movie I've ever seen). M. Night is one of my favorite film makers, and as a huge Hitchcock fan, I freely admit that I like this genre more than most people.
With all that out of the way, let me start by saying that The Happening is a good movie. It isn't a flawless movie. It's certainly the least impressive of his slate to date; but it is a good movie. The concept was original, the film making was excellent as usual. The lead actors were good (notably an under-used John Leguizamo), and even Zooey Deschanel (who single-handledly killed the Sci-Fi mini-series Tin Man) was more than competent. The movie was suspenseful throughout, with moments of humor and the typical Shyamalan brand of horror (the idea of what was happening was scarier than the execution). Quite frankly, if this movie had been made by anyone else or if it had been an under the radar release like 6th Sense, it would not have gotten the negative press. Shyamalan savaged the critics in Lady in the Water, and they have not been kind in return. If you are a fan of his movies, you may not count The Happening as your favorite flick, but you won't hate it either. If you've been disappointed by previous M. Night trailers that promised horror and gore, but gave suspense and introspection, then you'll be similarly upset with this entry in his canon.
I have my criticisms, mostly that there was the opportunity to have a truly creepy 'point' set up by a class room speech in the first 10 minutes. Shyamalan abandoned the more mature, vague point for an overly preachy one which drained the last 10 minutes of the film of some of the really scary consequences of the sort which made The Village a truly disturbing movie if you thought about the implications. There were minor things that could have elevated this film to the same level as his others, but in all it was much closer to a brilliant film than to a bomb. Despite not being my favorite work of his, the writer/director/best boy grip/makeup artist/animal handler Shyamalan gave us a movie with some surprisingly haunting images that are unique and lasting and a movie that leaves you waiting for the bomb under the table to go off. If you like the kind of movie where the waiting is more the point than the explosion, then you'll enjoy this film. If you just want the carnage, then forget it.
And sports...um, Mark Whalberg is a huge Celtics fan...um, Game 6. Uh, yeah, I still got nothing. Sorry.
LINKS:
Colvin is set to sign with Texas. This is why I didn't get all that excited about this months ago. It always seemed like a long shot for him to come to Indy. I don't think the brass feels they need him. The link originally came from Profootballtalk, who I won't hyperlink to because I'm still protesting Floria's moronic handling of the Harrison situation.
The DA wants more evidence collected in the Harrison case. Oh ok. Seven weeks later go back and get more evidence? This case is stalled out and this is the first sign it's going away. Essentially this means that as of now they don't have enough for any kind of charges to be brought. Somehow I doubt that's going to change at this late date.
In the interest of full disclosure, I love Shyamalan movies. Signs is one of my all time favorites. I thought Unbreakable was genius. I thought Lady in the Water was beautiful. I really liked the Village and 6th Sense. I know the critics killed some of those movies, but they were all right in my wheelhouse (especially Signs which might be the most personally emotionally resonant movie I've ever seen). M. Night is one of my favorite film makers, and as a huge Hitchcock fan, I freely admit that I like this genre more than most people.
With all that out of the way, let me start by saying that The Happening is a good movie. It isn't a flawless movie. It's certainly the least impressive of his slate to date; but it is a good movie. The concept was original, the film making was excellent as usual. The lead actors were good (notably an under-used John Leguizamo), and even Zooey Deschanel (who single-handledly killed the Sci-Fi mini-series Tin Man) was more than competent. The movie was suspenseful throughout, with moments of humor and the typical Shyamalan brand of horror (the idea of what was happening was scarier than the execution). Quite frankly, if this movie had been made by anyone else or if it had been an under the radar release like 6th Sense, it would not have gotten the negative press. Shyamalan savaged the critics in Lady in the Water, and they have not been kind in return. If you are a fan of his movies, you may not count The Happening as your favorite flick, but you won't hate it either. If you've been disappointed by previous M. Night trailers that promised horror and gore, but gave suspense and introspection, then you'll be similarly upset with this entry in his canon.
I have my criticisms, mostly that there was the opportunity to have a truly creepy 'point' set up by a class room speech in the first 10 minutes. Shyamalan abandoned the more mature, vague point for an overly preachy one which drained the last 10 minutes of the film of some of the really scary consequences of the sort which made The Village a truly disturbing movie if you thought about the implications. There were minor things that could have elevated this film to the same level as his others, but in all it was much closer to a brilliant film than to a bomb. Despite not being my favorite work of his, the writer/director/best boy grip/makeup artist/animal handler Shyamalan gave us a movie with some surprisingly haunting images that are unique and lasting and a movie that leaves you waiting for the bomb under the table to go off. If you like the kind of movie where the waiting is more the point than the explosion, then you'll enjoy this film. If you just want the carnage, then forget it.
And sports...um, Mark Whalberg is a huge Celtics fan...um, Game 6. Uh, yeah, I still got nothing. Sorry.
LINKS:
Colvin is set to sign with Texas. This is why I didn't get all that excited about this months ago. It always seemed like a long shot for him to come to Indy. I don't think the brass feels they need him. The link originally came from Profootballtalk, who I won't hyperlink to because I'm still protesting Floria's moronic handling of the Harrison situation.
The DA wants more evidence collected in the Harrison case. Oh ok. Seven weeks later go back and get more evidence? This case is stalled out and this is the first sign it's going away. Essentially this means that as of now they don't have enough for any kind of charges to be brought. Somehow I doubt that's going to change at this late date.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Happy Father's Day
I don't think there can be a more appropriate place to talk about Fathers than a sports blog on Father's day. Our own Father, who affectionately nicknamed himself "Big Time", is nearly singlehandedly responsible for our love of sports. Whether it was taking us to Butler games and schooling us in how to scream at the refs, or curb jumping the parking field and screaming across the open space in his truck with us in the back on the way to the 500, Dad always managed to enhance the experience of going to sporting events. And don't even get me started on the endless hours he spent coaching my teams when I was kid. (His Bobby Knight style of coaching 4th grade basketball just seemed natural to kids growing up in Indiana) If there was a game, Dad was there. If I wanted to shoot hoops, Dad would shoot hoops and deride my two hand set shot (which I embarrassingly still use).
I love my dad for many reasons, but sometimes I wonder if he couldn't have been just a tad more laid back about sports, I wouldn't have suffered so much Vanderjagt related misery over my lifetime. Of course, then I wouldn't be watching my son scamper around in his Griffey shirt while I try to cement his future baseball nickname (Scooter) on his psyche. He's not even two, and he doesn't have a prayer.
Thanks Dad.
I love my dad for many reasons, but sometimes I wonder if he couldn't have been just a tad more laid back about sports, I wouldn't have suffered so much Vanderjagt related misery over my lifetime. Of course, then I wouldn't be watching my son scamper around in his Griffey shirt while I try to cement his future baseball nickname (Scooter) on his psyche. He's not even two, and he doesn't have a prayer.
Thanks Dad.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Showing Humility
I've been listening to Bill Simmon's podcasts recently, and I have to say the experience has been particularly gratifying. He's been bouncing between big Lakers and big Boston fans talking about the Finals. The best part was when he discussed the importance of this finals to the Boston fans after they got debacled in the Super Bowl. This has been fun on two counts:
1. Listening to them talk about losing that Super Bowl. It never gets old. Never ever never.
2. Listening to them talk about how depressed Spygate made them. Honestly, it's refreshing to hear some Pats fans honestly admit that it does bother them that the Pats cheated (and that it really was cheating). I think what bugged me so much about the whole Spygate thing was this inexplicable wall of defense put up by the NE fans. Instead of responding with a little humility and anger at the club and Belichick, they acted like freaking martyrs and started barfing up all the lame "everyone does it" defenses, when everyone most assuredly doesn't do it. Hearing that in Boston there is very little Pats gear being worn is hilarious. It actually makes me like Boston a little bit more because it means that maybe there are a few decent people out there with an appropriate sense of shame.
Check out the BS report with Mike O'Malley and the one from last week with "Bill's buddy Hench". They are well worth the time.
Oh, and by the way, can we all agree after this series that Kobe Bryant is not and never will be Jordan? I see it during every game. It's eerily similar to how Tom Brady is not and never will be Joe Montana, without the whole, "He also also raped someone" angle.
Links:
Polian, Irsay, and Dungy go into the Indiana football Hall of Fame. Yeah, I bet that's real crowded. There's um...some dudes from Notre Dame...and uh...
The final minicamp report is good. The thought of Dungy winning the Super Bowl in Tampa and then retiring is a happy one.
1. Listening to them talk about losing that Super Bowl. It never gets old. Never ever never.
2. Listening to them talk about how depressed Spygate made them. Honestly, it's refreshing to hear some Pats fans honestly admit that it does bother them that the Pats cheated (and that it really was cheating). I think what bugged me so much about the whole Spygate thing was this inexplicable wall of defense put up by the NE fans. Instead of responding with a little humility and anger at the club and Belichick, they acted like freaking martyrs and started barfing up all the lame "everyone does it" defenses, when everyone most assuredly doesn't do it. Hearing that in Boston there is very little Pats gear being worn is hilarious. It actually makes me like Boston a little bit more because it means that maybe there are a few decent people out there with an appropriate sense of shame.
Check out the BS report with Mike O'Malley and the one from last week with "Bill's buddy Hench". They are well worth the time.
Oh, and by the way, can we all agree after this series that Kobe Bryant is not and never will be Jordan? I see it during every game. It's eerily similar to how Tom Brady is not and never will be Joe Montana, without the whole, "He also also raped someone" angle.
Links:
Polian, Irsay, and Dungy go into the Indiana football Hall of Fame. Yeah, I bet that's real crowded. There's um...some dudes from Notre Dame...and uh...
The final minicamp report is good. The thought of Dungy winning the Super Bowl in Tampa and then retiring is a happy one.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
OUCH! This one hurts...
Anyone want a scholarship to play at IU? Enduring all the transfers was really no big deal, but now that Jordan Crawford is leaving as well, I have to say that I'm a tad despondent. He's a serious talent, and I was holding out hope that he could improve enough to help the Hoosiers hang around .500. Now apparently anyone with a pair of Chuck Taylors can make the squad.
Links:
Simmons mentions the 4 point play as one of the fishiest moments in NBA history. That's a mild understatement. I don't get how the NBA gets away with this crap. People can rip Tim Donaghy for being a felon, but when you look at tapes and stats from those games it's almost impossible to doubt him. Also in this piece, the Sports Guy's line about Vince Carter made me laugh out loud. I still can't believe I've been reduced to rooting for Boston. I figure in the seedy underbelly of sports that is the NBA, Boston fans are generally positive about the Pacers because of Larry Legend, so I can be gracious as well.
Links:
Simmons mentions the 4 point play as one of the fishiest moments in NBA history. That's a mild understatement. I don't get how the NBA gets away with this crap. People can rip Tim Donaghy for being a felon, but when you look at tapes and stats from those games it's almost impossible to doubt him. Also in this piece, the Sports Guy's line about Vince Carter made me laugh out loud. I still can't believe I've been reduced to rooting for Boston. I figure in the seedy underbelly of sports that is the NBA, Boston fans are generally positive about the Pacers because of Larry Legend, so I can be gracious as well.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
600
Well, Jr did it and thus ruined my plans for an ill-timed but absolutely unavoidable trip to Cincinnati this week. I'm happy for him. My hope is that he can still cobble together enough seasons to at least pass Mays at 660, or even sniff 700 HRs. It probably won't be with the Reds, but I hope it happens anyway.
Links:
Tim Kurkjian talks about how great Griffey was 15 years ago.
I'm not the only one who hates the comportment of the Cub fans. Reds announcer Marty Brennamen's wikkipedia page is hilarious. Scroll down and read the quotes under "Controversies". He's dead right.
Sam Perkins is back. It's funny; I was just thinking about him the other day. Now he's going babysit the Pacers players.
Here's another Griffey celebration.
Links:
Tim Kurkjian talks about how great Griffey was 15 years ago.
I'm not the only one who hates the comportment of the Cub fans. Reds announcer Marty Brennamen's wikkipedia page is hilarious. Scroll down and read the quotes under "Controversies". He's dead right.
Sam Perkins is back. It's funny; I was just thinking about him the other day. Now he's going babysit the Pacers players.
Here's another Griffey celebration.
Monday, June 9, 2008
People in North Florida are smarter than I gave them credit for
At least they aren't wasting money on Jags tickets. God bless the Jags. They are always good for a laugh. Here's a link to where I originally found the article.
Links:
Mike Hart is pretty mouthy for a dude who hasn't made the team yet.
Links:
Mike Hart is pretty mouthy for a dude who hasn't made the team yet.
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Really? I thought it was just because he's a white dude.
Tom Brady says he's slow and can't jump. He blames it on his ankle injury. If Peyton Manning had come out with a line like this a couple of months after losing the Super Bowl, everyone in New England would kill him for being a wuss. Soooooo.
Tom Brady is a wuss who makes excuses.
Links:
CHFF does their all-time franchise rankings. The Colts come in a very respectable 11th. It's frankly amazing considering how many horrible years the franchise suffered. Johnny U is rightly the face of the franchise and Dungy pulls down the 'best coach' amid really strong competition.
Tom Brady is a wuss who makes excuses.
Links:
CHFF does their all-time franchise rankings. The Colts come in a very respectable 11th. It's frankly amazing considering how many horrible years the franchise suffered. Johnny U is rightly the face of the franchise and Dungy pulls down the 'best coach' amid really strong competition.
Why I don't believe in the Cubs
So welcome to my own personal hell. The Cubs are in first place and every drunk bleacher reject in North Central Indiana trots out their Cubs hats to celebrate. The only good news for Cubs haters like me, is that this season is highly unlikely to end well for the Lou's boys. Aside from the fact that I hate them, there are a few objective to disbelieve what the Cubs are doing.
1. Their rotation is not nearly deep enough to contend in October. Raise your hand if you believe that Ryan Dempster will win 78% of his decisions and carry an ERA under 3 into August. No one? Yeah, me neither. Dempster, the reason cited by Lou Pinella for the Cubs strong start, has NEVER had a season with numbers this good, not even when he was healthy with Florida. Dempster will fall off sharply in the next few months, and when he does so will the Cubs. Remember last year when Lou had to yank Z from the first playoff game because he KNEW he only had one reliable starter? NOTHING HAS CHANGED.
2. The division. Contrary to popular belief the NL Central has actually become one of the best in baseball. Only the AL East can boast the depth of field from top to bottom that the Central has. It's fashionable to mock the Pirates and Reds, but both clubs have records as good as Detroit, Cleveland, the Dodgers and Seattle. The Cubs have done most of their damage against the weak NL West (going an insane 17-5), but will have much more trouble against the Central as the summer wears on.
3. The schedule. The Cubs have already played 5more games at home than on road. The schedule was loaded with early games at Wrigley, but come September they'll face 16 of their last 22 on the road. The Cubs are under .500 on the road.
4. The bullpen. Pinella has openly said that he doesn't have an 'innings' staff. He has relied heavily on his pen to this point in the season. Only three teams in the NL have logged more innings from the bullpen this season. The Cubs are 3rd in bullpen ERA, but that is an advantage that will deteriorate unless they get more IP from the starters. By the end of the year, the strongest facit of their club could well be over worked. Not to mention the fact that they are relying on Kerry Wood to hold up.
5. The farm. The Cubs have the 20th rated farm system in baseball. When the time comes for July dealing, the Cubs don't have as many chips to bargain with as other teams.
6. 100 years. At some point you stop saying, "Hey, they're due!" and you start saying, "Hey, they suck".
The great part about this post is that I don't even have to resort to wishful thinking to write it. This team may well win the division, but they simply don't have the horses to go anywhere in the playoffs. Honestly, if I didn't believe so strongly in Sweet Lou's genius, I wouldn't even expect them to take the Central. They are primed for a huge drop off, and I for one won't be the least bit sorry to see it happen.
1. Their rotation is not nearly deep enough to contend in October. Raise your hand if you believe that Ryan Dempster will win 78% of his decisions and carry an ERA under 3 into August. No one? Yeah, me neither. Dempster, the reason cited by Lou Pinella for the Cubs strong start, has NEVER had a season with numbers this good, not even when he was healthy with Florida. Dempster will fall off sharply in the next few months, and when he does so will the Cubs. Remember last year when Lou had to yank Z from the first playoff game because he KNEW he only had one reliable starter? NOTHING HAS CHANGED.
2. The division. Contrary to popular belief the NL Central has actually become one of the best in baseball. Only the AL East can boast the depth of field from top to bottom that the Central has. It's fashionable to mock the Pirates and Reds, but both clubs have records as good as Detroit, Cleveland, the Dodgers and Seattle. The Cubs have done most of their damage against the weak NL West (going an insane 17-5), but will have much more trouble against the Central as the summer wears on.
3. The schedule. The Cubs have already played 5more games at home than on road. The schedule was loaded with early games at Wrigley, but come September they'll face 16 of their last 22 on the road. The Cubs are under .500 on the road.
4. The bullpen. Pinella has openly said that he doesn't have an 'innings' staff. He has relied heavily on his pen to this point in the season. Only three teams in the NL have logged more innings from the bullpen this season. The Cubs are 3rd in bullpen ERA, but that is an advantage that will deteriorate unless they get more IP from the starters. By the end of the year, the strongest facit of their club could well be over worked. Not to mention the fact that they are relying on Kerry Wood to hold up.
5. The farm. The Cubs have the 20th rated farm system in baseball. When the time comes for July dealing, the Cubs don't have as many chips to bargain with as other teams.
6. 100 years. At some point you stop saying, "Hey, they're due!" and you start saying, "Hey, they suck".
The great part about this post is that I don't even have to resort to wishful thinking to write it. This team may well win the division, but they simply don't have the horses to go anywhere in the playoffs. Honestly, if I didn't believe so strongly in Sweet Lou's genius, I wouldn't even expect them to take the Central. They are primed for a huge drop off, and I for one won't be the least bit sorry to see it happen.
Rich, chocolatey ovaltine
Eddie Gossage, the president and of Texas Motor Speedway is not afraid to say what he thinks. Last month he publicly dared Dale Earnhardt Jr. to race in the Indycar event at Texas. This week he offered Indycar some unsolicited advice about the future of open-wheel racing in America: stick to the ovals. He argues that the demise of CART/Champcar proves that the American audience is not interested in F1-style street races.
This argument has some merit on both sides. When the series was at its popularity peak in the early '90s (prior to the split) the CART schedule was comprised mostly of road courses. There is clearly a hardcore group of racing fans that attend the road races because they like the acceleration, braking, and steering involved. These are the same folks who wake up early on weekends to watch the F1 events on televison. Can you grow the sport based soley on these type of fans? No, but I don't think you can do it without them either.
Americans like speed and danger. They like to be reminded of their own mortality. Oval racing allows for dangerous passes at high speeds. The series has wisely incorporated a few street/road courses in the past couple years. These events work best when they are staged in metropolitan areas where they come off looking like something out of a early '90s videogame. They currently have 11 ovals and 6 road courses. This seems like a nice mix to me.
The truth is Indycar has bigger issues to worry about. They need to find a way to get some American drivers to feed into the series. Also, you know you lack relevance when your race is shown on tape delay at 10pm so ESPN2 can air a Nationwide (formerly Busch) Series race. I threw up a little typing that.
In other racing news Dan Wheldon sullied himself at Texas yesterday.
This argument has some merit on both sides. When the series was at its popularity peak in the early '90s (prior to the split) the CART schedule was comprised mostly of road courses. There is clearly a hardcore group of racing fans that attend the road races because they like the acceleration, braking, and steering involved. These are the same folks who wake up early on weekends to watch the F1 events on televison. Can you grow the sport based soley on these type of fans? No, but I don't think you can do it without them either.
Americans like speed and danger. They like to be reminded of their own mortality. Oval racing allows for dangerous passes at high speeds. The series has wisely incorporated a few street/road courses in the past couple years. These events work best when they are staged in metropolitan areas where they come off looking like something out of a early '90s videogame. They currently have 11 ovals and 6 road courses. This seems like a nice mix to me.
The truth is Indycar has bigger issues to worry about. They need to find a way to get some American drivers to feed into the series. Also, you know you lack relevance when your race is shown on tape delay at 10pm so ESPN2 can air a Nationwide (formerly Busch) Series race. I threw up a little typing that.
In other racing news Dan Wheldon sullied himself at Texas yesterday.
Friday, June 6, 2008
Random thoughts on the NBA Finals
Stuff that occurred to me as I endured my first Lostless Thursday of the next 7 months:
- Watching those two teams play was like watching a Beatles cover band. They may look like the Celtics and Lakers, and they may even play pretty well. But it's not the same, and it's silly to act like it is. John got shot and the rest got old. Sort of sums up the NBA.
- Kobe Bryant is NOT Michael Jordan, and he's not really even close. He can do some of the thing that Jordan did, but he is not the center of what is happening at all times. Maybe it's just selective memory, but I don't recall Jordan ever being so...invisible in a Game One.
- I feel like this is my chance to redeem myself. I rooted for the Lakers when I was a kid because I thought the name Magic was awesome. My first NBA memory is the 87 Playoffs. I got on this Celtics hating kick because my little league basketball team was named the Pistons. No one explained to me why a kid from Indiana should root for Boston. My dad was big into the Celtics (as was everyone), but I didn't figure it out until it was too late. Now I'm past 30 and the Celts and Lakers are playing again, so I figure this time I can pull for the Celtics like I should have 20 years ago. Frankly, the fact that Kobe is a rapist makes it easy.
- Maybe it just didn't show up on TV, but the lack of real passion and hatred between the teams made the whole thing feel flat. The players want to win in the general sense that everyone wants a ring. But they don't really care who they are playing. They don't care about beating LA or Boston any more than they would about beating any other team. The more clips ABC shows of the 80s just proves it. These teams don't hate each other (Pierce and Kobe were joking playing up pickup this summer...barf), and it shows. This isn't a rivalry, it's a high school reunion.
- Still, the basketball was reasonably entertaining and there's a 50/50 chance I'll watch some on Sunday if I'm in the mood and there's absolutely nothing else on. Argentina plays the USA in soccer, so I might try to catch that. The NBA: where apathy happens.
Links:
Kravitz points out that we've had 10 years of Manning. Here's to 10 more. I would LOVE to know what crazy stuff Polian said to Manning's agent during negotiations.
LUUUUUUKE Lawton got dealt for a conditional pick. Sweet move. He wasn't going to make the club anyway, so anything is a plus.
Dusty plays baby sitter. Siiiigh.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Colvin touring the league
I think everyone would love to see Rosevelt Colvin join the Colts, but I wouldn't bet on it. It seems that everyday Colvin is visiting a different club, and that usually means that a player isn't interested in playing for the veteran minimum. The Star says there still is a chance the Colts will sign him, but the fact that it hasn't happened yet makes me wonder if it will. Colvin has experienced team success already, so he's far more likely to just take the big payday, and who can blame him. This is his last chance to make big dollars playing football, and he'd be wise to take advantage. For the Colts part, paying big dollars for a veteran with iffy injury history doesn't make sense. I'd like to see this happen, but only for the right price.
Links:
ESPN lists the best running backs ever. Whatever. Lists are lists, but it is worth noting three Colts (2 Indy Colts) made the list. We have been blessed in Indy to witness some amazing runners in an unbroken run from Dickerson to Faulk to Edge to Addai.
Anything Manning does to stay healthy is ok by me. He could borrow AGs hyperbaric chamber, and I wouldn't bat an eye.
Links:
ESPN lists the best running backs ever. Whatever. Lists are lists, but it is worth noting three Colts (2 Indy Colts) made the list. We have been blessed in Indy to witness some amazing runners in an unbroken run from Dickerson to Faulk to Edge to Addai.
Anything Manning does to stay healthy is ok by me. He could borrow AGs hyperbaric chamber, and I wouldn't bat an eye.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
For those who don't read the comments
Thanks to SpeedBlue47 for the link. Since the last time I posted on Bruce, he's had 4 hits and 2 HR, in just 2 games.
Links:
Polian and Footballoutsiders? Together? It's the best Tuesday ever! The smartest website and the smartest GM. It'll offset the IQ points you lost by reading us today.
I get worn out by the shtick at Cold Hard Football Facts. But I have to tell you, if they have to unleash the bile, they couldn't pick a better candidate. All those years people were killing Manning and praising Brady for their playoff performances, they overlooked Brady playing with Mr. Clutch while Manning played with Mr. Clutch His Own Throat at kicker. Remember, it isn't that Vandy missed kicks. That can happen even to the best. It's that he had two HUGE kicks in the playoffs and shanked them wide right by about 15 yards each. He didn't hit the upright. He didn't just push it a hair wide. He missed those kicks by so much that within .5 seconds you knew they didn't have a chance. Failing in the clutch isn't the same thing as choking. Sometimes you don't get the break or the other guy makes a great play. Failing is part of life. Choking is when you do something widely out of character because of the pressure. I've only seen Vandy hit two balls like that. Miami and Pittsburgh.
The Colts are blessed with continuity on offense, but that means making special adjustments as well.
Demond Sanders: I've been without internet since Friday night due to a huge bleeping storm in Indy. I'm officially back and my first order of business is to let DZ know that the Reds suck. Good home team. Horrible road team. I know you're justifiably pysched about JB's genius-level start to his career, but this team is going nowhere fast. They're close. Closer than they've been in awhile, but still a year away.
Monday, June 2, 2008
Edging upward
It's incredibly fun to WANT to listen to the baseball game tonight. As the Reds sit one game under .500 and trending upward, there is a buzz about the team that has been absent for awhile. With the offense finally generating runs, the wins are finally starting to come.
It's Manny vs Jr. in a death match. I can't even believe this debate needs to happen. I love Manny. I think he's a phenomenal hitter. But this is like comparing watching TV to going to a game live. Yeah, you see most of the same stuff, and replays are great...but you just can't beat the extra dimension. Ugh. That was a clumsy way of saying that Jr. was vastly superior in other non-offensive aspects of the game. It barely made sense.
I love Hall of Famer Hal McCoy's blog.
It's Manny vs Jr. in a death match. I can't even believe this debate needs to happen. I love Manny. I think he's a phenomenal hitter. But this is like comparing watching TV to going to a game live. Yeah, you see most of the same stuff, and replays are great...but you just can't beat the extra dimension. Ugh. That was a clumsy way of saying that Jr. was vastly superior in other non-offensive aspects of the game. It barely made sense.
I love Hall of Famer Hal McCoy's blog.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
BRUUUUUUUUUUCE!
5 games. 11 hits in 19 at bats.
5 BB.
2 SB.
4 RBI.
8 runs.
.680 OB%.
.947 Slugging %.
He scored the game winning run last night, leading off the 11th with a hit.
Today, he lead off the 10th with his first big league home run to beat the Braves 8-7.
WOW.
5 BB.
2 SB.
4 RBI.
8 runs.
.680 OB%.
.947 Slugging %.
He scored the game winning run last night, leading off the 11th with a hit.
Today, he lead off the 10th with his first big league home run to beat the Braves 8-7.
WOW.
Friday, May 30, 2008
Junior
It's an appropriate name for today's list of links since they all involve him.
CBSsportsline profiles the chase for 600
And the attention Young Master Bruce (eh...I'm just trying it out) is getting. The fans in Cincinnati are having a hard time getting behind Jr this season because they know as soon as he hits 600, the club will deal him. There is a club option on Jr. for next year, but the Reds aren't likely to exercise it. I think he'd stay, but it's not up to him. It's probably better for the club long term if he moves on...but it still saddens me.
There was a time I would have committed murder to get my hands on one of these. It was a bygone day called...last week. Some people in Reds country have never been happy with Jr. because he wasn't what they wanted. Me? I'm just happy that in a day where it seems like every guy I drove hours to watch play has let me down, that Jr is still out there trying. He's not the demi-god he was at 25, but I don't care. Every time I watch him play, it's like I'm 16 again and wishing to God in heaven that I could do what he could.
Barry Larkin and Reggie Miller were the first athletes to retire that I watched their whole careers. Ken Griffey Jr is the first one to really make me feel old.
Sal Paolantonio isn't real popular with me these days due to his hackery over the Harrison incident (He shouldn't even live in a neighborhood like that!). Today he picks under and overrated coaches. He's dead on about Tom Moore of course, but his attacks on Jeff Fischer are ridiculous. Want to know why Fischer fails in the playoffs? His teams have been lead by Steve McNair and Vince Young...and they weren't that good. Playoff record alone is a really poor standard of judgment of a coach. The best way to judge a coach is over the course of several seasons. Do his teams under or overperform their talent? Does the coach consistently put his team in a position to win? The playoffs are a crapshoot. Jeff Fischer is one of the best around, and Salpal can't convince me otherwise just by listing a couple of individual games where his team was clearly not as talented as the opponent. He kills Fischer for losing on the road at New England by a field goal? Seriously? He kills Fischer for losing the Super Bowl by a yard to one of the greatest offenses of all time? Really?
I'd like to do my own overrated column about writers. Salpal would be on top of the list today.
CBSsportsline profiles the chase for 600
And the attention Young Master Bruce (eh...I'm just trying it out) is getting. The fans in Cincinnati are having a hard time getting behind Jr this season because they know as soon as he hits 600, the club will deal him. There is a club option on Jr. for next year, but the Reds aren't likely to exercise it. I think he'd stay, but it's not up to him. It's probably better for the club long term if he moves on...but it still saddens me.
There was a time I would have committed murder to get my hands on one of these. It was a bygone day called...last week. Some people in Reds country have never been happy with Jr. because he wasn't what they wanted. Me? I'm just happy that in a day where it seems like every guy I drove hours to watch play has let me down, that Jr is still out there trying. He's not the demi-god he was at 25, but I don't care. Every time I watch him play, it's like I'm 16 again and wishing to God in heaven that I could do what he could.
Barry Larkin and Reggie Miller were the first athletes to retire that I watched their whole careers. Ken Griffey Jr is the first one to really make me feel old.
Sal Paolantonio isn't real popular with me these days due to his hackery over the Harrison incident (He shouldn't even live in a neighborhood like that!). Today he picks under and overrated coaches. He's dead on about Tom Moore of course, but his attacks on Jeff Fischer are ridiculous. Want to know why Fischer fails in the playoffs? His teams have been lead by Steve McNair and Vince Young...and they weren't that good. Playoff record alone is a really poor standard of judgment of a coach. The best way to judge a coach is over the course of several seasons. Do his teams under or overperform their talent? Does the coach consistently put his team in a position to win? The playoffs are a crapshoot. Jeff Fischer is one of the best around, and Salpal can't convince me otherwise just by listing a couple of individual games where his team was clearly not as talented as the opponent. He kills Fischer for losing on the road at New England by a field goal? Seriously? He kills Fischer for losing the Super Bowl by a yard to one of the greatest offenses of all time? Really?
I'd like to do my own overrated column about writers. Salpal would be on top of the list today.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Dark days a'comin?
Nope. I think they already left. ESPN.com profiles Tom Crean's efforts to save the Hoosier program today. Let's be clear, the worst is already past. Next season may be a tad rough, but it will be a whole lot better than the dawning realization that the coach everyone was a little scared of just went out and turned your basketball program into a ethical toilet. Some of the hand wringing is a tad overblown. The turnaround time for a major college basketball program is 2 years, three tops. Next year might be rough, but by 2010, the Hoosiers should be well stocked.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
What could I possibly complain about now?
Corey Patterson has been sent to AAA.
How does that make me feel? Sorta like this...
My favorite line from the article is: "His on-base percentage was .240, extremely poor for a leadoff hitter."
Um, no guys. That's extremely poor for ANY hitter.
How does that make me feel? Sorta like this...
My favorite line from the article is: "His on-base percentage was .240, extremely poor for a leadoff hitter."
Um, no guys. That's extremely poor for ANY hitter.
Someone explain to me...
How is this is a foul...
and this isn't
And people wonder why I hate the NBA. I'm fine with the refs swallowing the whistle for off the ball stuff in the final couple of seconds. I'm fine with the ref not calling a foul in favor of an offensive player careening out of control in the lane desperately hoping to draw contact. But how can you not whistle contact against a guy with ball in his hands trying to hit the game winning shot from a relatively set, stable position?
You know why no one cared about Donaghy throwing games? Because at least that made sense. At least we could all say, "Oh no wonder he sucked. He was on the take". What logic or reason is there behind this no call? We are left to posit and speculate as to why the NBA might possibly want the Lakers in the finals and not the Spurs. I hate the conspiracy theory stuff, but geeze, sometimes it almost is the simplest explanation. Without it, I'm forced to assume that a multi-billion dollar corporation with global reach merely hires incompetent boobs to fill one of the most important roles in its operations (and no that's not a Violet Palmer joke-though it could be).
The kicker is...I don't even care about these teams. It just pisses me off on principle.
Links:
CHFF contributes a couple of fun links. The first is utterly juvenile (but freaking hilarious).
The second reviews the worst franchises in NFL history. There are lots of Colts ties to be found (check out New Orleans, Houston, and Tampa Bay)
John Clayton thinks the Colts are prepared for an uncapped 2010.
and this isn't
And people wonder why I hate the NBA. I'm fine with the refs swallowing the whistle for off the ball stuff in the final couple of seconds. I'm fine with the ref not calling a foul in favor of an offensive player careening out of control in the lane desperately hoping to draw contact. But how can you not whistle contact against a guy with ball in his hands trying to hit the game winning shot from a relatively set, stable position?
You know why no one cared about Donaghy throwing games? Because at least that made sense. At least we could all say, "Oh no wonder he sucked. He was on the take". What logic or reason is there behind this no call? We are left to posit and speculate as to why the NBA might possibly want the Lakers in the finals and not the Spurs. I hate the conspiracy theory stuff, but geeze, sometimes it almost is the simplest explanation. Without it, I'm forced to assume that a multi-billion dollar corporation with global reach merely hires incompetent boobs to fill one of the most important roles in its operations (and no that's not a Violet Palmer joke-though it could be).
The kicker is...I don't even care about these teams. It just pisses me off on principle.
Links:
CHFF contributes a couple of fun links. The first is utterly juvenile (but freaking hilarious).
The second reviews the worst franchises in NFL history. There are lots of Colts ties to be found (check out New Orleans, Houston, and Tampa Bay)
John Clayton thinks the Colts are prepared for an uncapped 2010.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Corey Patterson just got worse without even entering a game
Jay Bruce's first game: 3 for 3, 2 RBI, 2 Runs, 2 BB.
How bad is Corey Patterson? Not only has he not had a HR since April 9, not only is his OB% .242 (yeah, I'm not making that up), not only has he been caught stealing 4 times in 12 attempts, not only is he making an inexplicable $3.5 million....
but he's been keeping this kid off the field.
I defy anyone to show me a position player who has hurt his team more than this guy.
How bad is Corey Patterson? Not only has he not had a HR since April 9, not only is his OB% .242 (yeah, I'm not making that up), not only has he been caught stealing 4 times in 12 attempts, not only is he making an inexplicable $3.5 million....
but he's been keeping this kid off the field.
I defy anyone to show me a position player who has hurt his team more than this guy.
Let's Play Two (all at the same time)
Sunday's 18 inning nightmare may well prove to be the watershed moment of the 2008 season for the Reds. After winning 6 in a row, then losing four in a row, the Reds needed a win on Sunday to finish their west coast trip a respectable 3-4. A win would have sent them home closer to the Cubs than when they left town. Obviously, losing the game in 18 innings isn't what anyone had in mind, but there were several issues in this game that made the result particularly frustrating.
The first occurred in the 4th inning. The Reds were down 3-1 with the pitcher's spot up and two outs with the bases loaded. Matt Belisle, who is not really a major league quality starter, had already pitched poorly. The Reds had an off day scheduled for Monday. Instead of pulling him for a pinch hitter and using a long reliever, Dusty decided that he didn't really need runs to win and let the pitcher hit. Now, I realize that pinch hitting in the 4th inning is unorthodox, but considering who was on the mound, the subsequent off day, and the relative importance of the game, Baker should never have let Belisle head to the plate. Belisle obviously made the third out of the inning and went on to pitch 1.3 more innings, giving up two more runs before leaving with runners at 2nd and 3rd and 1 out in the 5th. By not lifting Belisle, Dusty not only crapped all over a prime scoring chance, but left in an awful pitcher who was throwing poorly. Granted the Reds had three other chances to win that were squandered by various bullpen pitchers, but this exchange in the 4th doomed the club that day.
Dusty also pulled Dunn in a double switch in the 9th inning. I suppose it was for defensive reasons, but with a one run lead and a closer working his third game in a row, it didn't make a ton of sense. Dunn's spot would come up 3 more times that game. Sure would have been nice to get the team's hottest hitter up.
The only bright spot for the Reds was that Corey Patterson went 0-8. Why might this turn out to be the game that saved the season? Because Corey (I'm the worst player in baseball) Patterson is almost sure to get cut before tonight's game, making way for Jay "They traded Josh "Hambone" Hamilton over me" Bruce to get his call up as an everyday outfielder. Granted, I have a feeling that Sunday's game was the end of the 08 Reds, but if Bruce is what they say he is, it might prove to be a blessing in disguise. Personally, I see no way that in 10 years trading Hamilton instead of Bruce and/or Votto will be viewed positively, but I have no recourse but to hope.
UPDATE: So the Reds designate Hatteberg and NOT Patterson? What does a guy have to do to get cut on this team?
Links:
Jr. wants to go to Indy. They need to make him Grand Marshal.
Prisco gets it right for the Colts at least. Nobody is saying AV is bad, but he's not elite anymore.
If you like soccer at all, this is a fun but time consuming list. Thanks to Tim Who Doesn't Read Blogs for the link.
The first occurred in the 4th inning. The Reds were down 3-1 with the pitcher's spot up and two outs with the bases loaded. Matt Belisle, who is not really a major league quality starter, had already pitched poorly. The Reds had an off day scheduled for Monday. Instead of pulling him for a pinch hitter and using a long reliever, Dusty decided that he didn't really need runs to win and let the pitcher hit. Now, I realize that pinch hitting in the 4th inning is unorthodox, but considering who was on the mound, the subsequent off day, and the relative importance of the game, Baker should never have let Belisle head to the plate. Belisle obviously made the third out of the inning and went on to pitch 1.3 more innings, giving up two more runs before leaving with runners at 2nd and 3rd and 1 out in the 5th. By not lifting Belisle, Dusty not only crapped all over a prime scoring chance, but left in an awful pitcher who was throwing poorly. Granted the Reds had three other chances to win that were squandered by various bullpen pitchers, but this exchange in the 4th doomed the club that day.
Dusty also pulled Dunn in a double switch in the 9th inning. I suppose it was for defensive reasons, but with a one run lead and a closer working his third game in a row, it didn't make a ton of sense. Dunn's spot would come up 3 more times that game. Sure would have been nice to get the team's hottest hitter up.
The only bright spot for the Reds was that Corey Patterson went 0-8. Why might this turn out to be the game that saved the season? Because Corey (I'm the worst player in baseball) Patterson is almost sure to get cut before tonight's game, making way for Jay "They traded Josh "Hambone" Hamilton over me" Bruce to get his call up as an everyday outfielder. Granted, I have a feeling that Sunday's game was the end of the 08 Reds, but if Bruce is what they say he is, it might prove to be a blessing in disguise. Personally, I see no way that in 10 years trading Hamilton instead of Bruce and/or Votto will be viewed positively, but I have no recourse but to hope.
UPDATE: So the Reds designate Hatteberg and NOT Patterson? What does a guy have to do to get cut on this team?
Links:
Jr. wants to go to Indy. They need to make him Grand Marshal.
Prisco gets it right for the Colts at least. Nobody is saying AV is bad, but he's not elite anymore.
If you like soccer at all, this is a fun but time consuming list. Thanks to Tim Who Doesn't Read Blogs for the link.
Monday, May 26, 2008
The Winner
Congratulations to Scott Dixon for winning the greatest race in the world. This was no shocker. Dixon was picked by nearly everyone to win the race. He took full advantage of a relatively inexperienced field and wet May conditions that left little time for the other teams to close the gap. To put it simply: Best driver + best car = victory. Dixon was money all last season finishing second in the 500 and in the IRL points championship to Dario Franchitti. It was his time.
Sure, we are disappointed that Marco Andretti could not seal the deal. We also wouldn't have minded seeing a bigger name like Helio or Danica take the prize. Only two of the past ten winners have been American, which like it or not, hurts the sport's domestic popularity. But when you look past the minor negatives there was a lot to like:
1.) Dixon isn't going anywhere. This is good because developing and retaining talent is open-wheel's first big challenge after unification.
2.) A (young and talented) Andretti led 15 laps. He can win this race. I'll be watching year after year just to see the look on Mario's face when he does.
3.) The Tony Kanaan curse has become a genuine phenomenon. Talk about snake-bit. He has led each of the past seven 500s only to come up empty each time. Classy guy with a winning personality. His interview after his crash was solid drama. His anger at Andretti and concern for Sarah Fisher was the moment of the race for me, on or off the track.
4.) The unification rookies have officially been seasoned. They'll come to Indy next year with a greater respect for what it takes to complete 200 laps, let alone win the thing. Hopefully they'll avoid stupid little mistakes like slowing down way too early heading into pit lane.
5.) Who said there was no attrition and no passing? Well, my dad for one. Buddy Lazier improved 15 spots to finish 17th. Ryan Hunter-Reay earned top-rookie status by impressively moving up 14 spots to finish sixth. As for attrition, only the top 18 cars were still running at the end of the race. A nice number of crashes, but still plenty of green-flag racing.
6.) Danica offered a little trumped-up drama by storming down pit lane. Very nice.
7.) Vitor Meira continued his amazing stretch of 80 races without a victory. He has been runner-up at Indy twice in that span. Talk about painful.
8.) Milka Duno didn't get anyone killed. In fact, she finished 19th despite her embarrasing spin at the end. In other news, AJ Foyt IV didn't get anyone killed.
9.) Roger Penske didn't get his vile Daytona/Indy back-to-back.
10.) No need to tell Mr. F1 himself, Graham Rahal that Indy ain't as easy as it looks. He fell deep into the pack before crashing out and finishing dead last.
Friday, May 23, 2008
Dungy says Philly PD not likely to implicate Harrison
On Mike and Mike in the Morning today, Tony Dungy said that they've talked to the Philly PD, and while the investigation is ongoing, it now seems very unlikely that Marvin Harrison will be directly implicated or affected by the situation that was reported a few weeks ago.
Score one for the brick and mortar media. Way to really get the story right. Why does everyone hate bloggers again? What honestly is the difference between Deadspin and ESPN when they report unsubstantiated rumors and sensationalistic reports?
Dungy also said it was unfortunate that the Patriots accomplishments were tarnished. I'm sure this will get inflamed and sound-bitten to death, but if you hear the context in which he was speaking, he talked at length about what a great team they have and that it was a shame they've been tarnished and that people now won't remember them for how great they really are.
Listen, they HAVE been tarnished. No one looks at them the same way anymore. If someone wants to say they SHOULDN'T be tarnished, that's fine, but it doesn't change the reality that they are. The comments were pretty innocuous, but I'm sure the Pats crazies will make too big a deal out of it.
Links:
Chad sends us this about Jr. If he gets to 599, and I can be in Cincy, I'm going at least once.
I missed this a couple of days ago. TMQ argues for a Belichick suspension. It's interesting and almost persuasive. Personally, I think it's worse for him that there be no closure. As long as the public feels like he's gotten away with cheating, they'll hate him more for it. I'm good with people hating him as long as they want. I think the public contempt does more to control cheating than a suspension would. Shame is a powerful tool that our society has forgotten.
Score one for the brick and mortar media. Way to really get the story right. Why does everyone hate bloggers again? What honestly is the difference between Deadspin and ESPN when they report unsubstantiated rumors and sensationalistic reports?
Dungy also said it was unfortunate that the Patriots accomplishments were tarnished. I'm sure this will get inflamed and sound-bitten to death, but if you hear the context in which he was speaking, he talked at length about what a great team they have and that it was a shame they've been tarnished and that people now won't remember them for how great they really are.
Listen, they HAVE been tarnished. No one looks at them the same way anymore. If someone wants to say they SHOULDN'T be tarnished, that's fine, but it doesn't change the reality that they are. The comments were pretty innocuous, but I'm sure the Pats crazies will make too big a deal out of it.
Links:
Chad sends us this about Jr. If he gets to 599, and I can be in Cincy, I'm going at least once.
I missed this a couple of days ago. TMQ argues for a Belichick suspension. It's interesting and almost persuasive. Personally, I think it's worse for him that there be no closure. As long as the public feels like he's gotten away with cheating, they'll hate him more for it. I'm good with people hating him as long as they want. I think the public contempt does more to control cheating than a suspension would. Shame is a powerful tool that our society has forgotten.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Indiana Jones and the Cheesecake Factory
I'm a little blurry eyed this morning after trying to prove to myself that 31 isn't too old to go to a midnight showing of a movie. I realize that reviewing movies isn't the normal fare of this blog, but since it had Indiana in the title, I feel justified in sharing my thoughts.
As a fan of almost all non-duck related projects by George Lucas, I was understandably psyched about the newest Indy movie. I figured that they had already made a truly bad Indiana Jones movie (Temple of Doom), so this movie almost certainly couldn't be the worst entry in the series. The good news is that I was right. There was a lot to like about Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. There were good scenes, and some flashes of good dialogue. I dug the whole homage to the 50s thing, and even the "Kid from the movie with the Robots" held his own.
Ultimately, the movie falls flat for two reasons: 1. it doesn't take itself seriously even a little and 2. it has no emotional center. Now I realize that it's an action movie designed to entertain. But Raiders had a real sense of peril about it. All the first three movies had Indy somehow grow and change because of his adventure. He seemed to learn something as a skeptic or have his worldview challenged. KotCS (ugh) lacked any real sense of danger because in most of the scenes where people were escaping from danger, the people in front would stop and mug for the camera as the guy last in line would struggle to catch up. In the end, Indy's comment to sum up the 'moral' of the story ("their true treasure was knowledge") was utterly unrelated thematically to any of the other themes or events of the movie. He didn't grow and change in this film, so neither do we.
The weakest part of the movie was the direction, as Spielberg continually made choices to plant his tongue in his cheek instead of even giving the illusion that Indy was really scared. It's like he was scared to let the actors pretend to not be aware they were in an Indy Jones film. He seemed to dislike the premise of the film so much that he didn't want any sense of wonder or reality to seep in. He was content to let this be a campy homage to Indiana Jones films. It felt like if he taken the movie more seriously, the audience could too.
It's not a bad film at all. It just wasn't worth getting home at 2:30 AM to watch.
(Oh, and the inside joke in the title of this post refers to the decor of the restaurant we ate in and the fact that Indy finds a room with artifacts of all the ancient cultures of the world.)
Links:
Writers are out of touch. The Super Bowl is not a reward for the players-that's called the Pro Bowl. Wojo can shove it.
Stampede Blue passed 1,000,000 hits. Nice job Big Blue Shoe.
ESPN is doing a running list of greatest drivers. I'll start you at 15-11 because it has Unser and Mears (my all time favorite driver). Check out Fangio on 10-6. In Argentina, they have a premium grade of gas called Fangio. Why hasn't anyone here figured that out? Would you be more inclined to put premium in the tank if it was called Andretti? Yeah, fill up the Escort with Andretti, and be quick about it! Ok, maybe not the Escort, but you get my drift.
How do we know that Kelvin Sampson was dirty? Every player he brought in except for Crawford is now gone. Way to recruit quality guys there Kelvin.
As a fan of almost all non-duck related projects by George Lucas, I was understandably psyched about the newest Indy movie. I figured that they had already made a truly bad Indiana Jones movie (Temple of Doom), so this movie almost certainly couldn't be the worst entry in the series. The good news is that I was right. There was a lot to like about Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. There were good scenes, and some flashes of good dialogue. I dug the whole homage to the 50s thing, and even the "Kid from the movie with the Robots" held his own.
Ultimately, the movie falls flat for two reasons: 1. it doesn't take itself seriously even a little and 2. it has no emotional center. Now I realize that it's an action movie designed to entertain. But Raiders had a real sense of peril about it. All the first three movies had Indy somehow grow and change because of his adventure. He seemed to learn something as a skeptic or have his worldview challenged. KotCS (ugh) lacked any real sense of danger because in most of the scenes where people were escaping from danger, the people in front would stop and mug for the camera as the guy last in line would struggle to catch up. In the end, Indy's comment to sum up the 'moral' of the story ("their true treasure was knowledge") was utterly unrelated thematically to any of the other themes or events of the movie. He didn't grow and change in this film, so neither do we.
The weakest part of the movie was the direction, as Spielberg continually made choices to plant his tongue in his cheek instead of even giving the illusion that Indy was really scared. It's like he was scared to let the actors pretend to not be aware they were in an Indy Jones film. He seemed to dislike the premise of the film so much that he didn't want any sense of wonder or reality to seep in. He was content to let this be a campy homage to Indiana Jones films. It felt like if he taken the movie more seriously, the audience could too.
It's not a bad film at all. It just wasn't worth getting home at 2:30 AM to watch.
(Oh, and the inside joke in the title of this post refers to the decor of the restaurant we ate in and the fact that Indy finds a room with artifacts of all the ancient cultures of the world.)
Links:
Writers are out of touch. The Super Bowl is not a reward for the players-that's called the Pro Bowl. Wojo can shove it.
Stampede Blue passed 1,000,000 hits. Nice job Big Blue Shoe.
ESPN is doing a running list of greatest drivers. I'll start you at 15-11 because it has Unser and Mears (my all time favorite driver). Check out Fangio on 10-6. In Argentina, they have a premium grade of gas called Fangio. Why hasn't anyone here figured that out? Would you be more inclined to put premium in the tank if it was called Andretti? Yeah, fill up the Escort with Andretti, and be quick about it! Ok, maybe not the Escort, but you get my drift.
How do we know that Kelvin Sampson was dirty? Every player he brought in except for Crawford is now gone. Way to recruit quality guys there Kelvin.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Apocalypse Now
It's official...the NFL owners have lost their minds. They don't like giving up 60% of their revenue to the players and will fight tooth and nail to get that number back down. The last contribution of Paul Tagliabue has been wiped off the boards, and we are headed to an uncapped 2010 season in which the Washington Redskins will buy virtually every player in the NFL, leaving the rest of us to watch monkey play linebacker.
I'm not sure if this is a future Colt, or a picture of Ralph Wilson
Ok, so maybe that's a bit extreme, but I can't see how this is good news for the Colts. Yes, Lucas Oil Stadium will help revenues, but as other teams add new stadiums, it will be harder for the small market clubs to survive in an uncapped world. Right now, the franchise tagging system creates an impetus for players to resign with their local clubs, ensuring teams can keep a nucleus intact. That will still be in place for 2010, but beyond that the rule book goes clean out the window. I suppose it will be more important than ever for teams to draft well and coach up players.
The one bright side for the team is that Freddy Keiaho, Bethea, and Marlin Jackson WON'T get to be unrestricted free agents after 09 like originally planned.
The Star is asking the same question that I posed yesterday. What happens to Indy if there is no 2012 Super Bowl? Jimmy isn't worried about it? Great man. I'll take that to heart as I pay an extra $.30 for my cheeseburger at lunch.
In other news, Freeney makes a list of top 10 pass rushers (shocking!)
Lil' Bobby Kravitz (I'm trying it out as a nickname-do you like it?) reviews Indy's seemingly great chances to nail down the Big Show.
Oh by the way...the Kitties are on the market.
Dennis Hopper is pimping Naptown to the NFL bigwigs. Are we trying to land a Super Bowl or a crystal meth convention? I can just hear him channeling his inner Hoosiers: All I know is that no city this small has ever played for a Super Bowl Championship! Wait, I guess that line would work better for Jacksonville. Never mind. The Star is posting a running 'blog' of sorts on the meetings. Great job.
Prisco applies logic to why the Pats are first and the Colts second. He's not wrong. Until we know that Freeney is healthy, we have to worry.
The Super Bowl announcement will be live online sometime after 2:30. Watch it here.
I know the announcement is out, but I'll keep throwing up good stuff like this. I'm telling you, I'm really thrilled. I love Indianapolis and feel like the city is an important part of who I am. This is really just a wonderful day for all of us.
Monday, May 19, 2008
12 years later
It's been 12 years since CART trotted out the U.S. 500 as its answer to the Indianapolis 500. You'll probably recall that the race was run in Michigan on the same day as the real 500. Now that over a decade later there is again a unified open wheel series we can take a look back and laugh at that disasterous first lap. Who are we kidding? We were laughing hysterically at the time.
Looking good...sort of
Peter King graces us with this exciting nugget today:
I think the worst-kept secret in the NFL is that Indianapolis will get the 2012 Super Bowl when owners meet in Atlanta this week. Indy deserves it. The city lost the 2011 game to Dallas, 17 votes to 15, and there's always been a strong feeling toward new stadiums in cities that have enough hotel rooms and are weatherproof. All domed stadiums in northern cities eventually get one Super Bowl. It happened at the Metrodome, the Silverdome and Ford Field, and the Colts are in line to get the first one ever played in Indiana.
This is wonderful news, of course. We've sort of been silent on the bid, not wanting to jinx what should be a sure thing. Houston and Arizona have both had their shot, and will certainly get more chances in the future, but after twice tying Dallas on a secret ballot last year, the city of Indianapolis is right in feeling like the NFL owes it. Lucas Oil Stadium is a publicly funded venture (ugh), and the citizens of Indiana deserve some compensation for the generosity to financial behemoth that is the N.F.L.
The dark side of this ray of hope? There may not BE a 2012 Super Bowl.
Son of a... Talk about yanking the rug right out from under you.
I think the worst-kept secret in the NFL is that Indianapolis will get the 2012 Super Bowl when owners meet in Atlanta this week. Indy deserves it. The city lost the 2011 game to Dallas, 17 votes to 15, and there's always been a strong feeling toward new stadiums in cities that have enough hotel rooms and are weatherproof. All domed stadiums in northern cities eventually get one Super Bowl. It happened at the Metrodome, the Silverdome and Ford Field, and the Colts are in line to get the first one ever played in Indiana.
This is wonderful news, of course. We've sort of been silent on the bid, not wanting to jinx what should be a sure thing. Houston and Arizona have both had their shot, and will certainly get more chances in the future, but after twice tying Dallas on a secret ballot last year, the city of Indianapolis is right in feeling like the NFL owes it. Lucas Oil Stadium is a publicly funded venture (ugh), and the citizens of Indiana deserve some compensation for the generosity to financial behemoth that is the N.F.L.
The dark side of this ray of hope? There may not BE a 2012 Super Bowl.
Son of a... Talk about yanking the rug right out from under you.
Links:
Bump Day was sweet. Buddy Lazier has always been one of my favorite drivers and his mad dash to make the field was awesome. Lazier hasn't always had the best car, but he typically carved up the field and made a good run anyway. When he did have the best car, he won the whole freaking thing. I couldn't be more excited about the race on Sunday.
Maybe Stephen Colbert is right. That's what I thought when I saw this report. Then about the 1:12 mark, I realized that this man wasn't attacked by a bear...IT WAS BOB SANDERS. I heard it had something to do with gang hit on his uncle. Great, just what we need...more controversy. Well, at least profootballtalk.com will be all over it.
ESPN writers share their favorite baseball stories. Jerry Crasnick's about Marge Schott is amazing. Jayson Stark writes about the Sosa ball that broke a window across from Wrigley. That was on a Sunday. I was at the Friday game against the Mets. It was early May and FREEZING at Wrigley. The Mets held a 1-0 lead until the 9th. The Cubs got a two out double, and Mark Grace was at the plate. The Mets chose to give him an intentional walk to pitch to Sosa. He was in a streak of 7 straight strikeouts. He slammed the first pitch off that same building across the street for a game winning HR. Two days later he did it again, and broke a window. It was amazing.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Get 'er Dunn
So out of nowhere the Reds post 6 straight wins and 7 of 8. Despite Dusty's best efforts, Adam Dunn continues to rake, and the Redlegs are finally starting to resemble the club that had such a promising spring. Dunn continues to be the most important bat in the Reds lineup. This team can't survive combined Dunn/Griffey slumps, but when Dunn contributes, the pitching is solid enough to string wins together.
Winning a series over the Cubs and sweeping the Indians is about as gratifying a two weeks as I can hope for. Volquez and Cueto continue to pitch well, and with Arroyo posting 3 of 4 excellent starts, there seems to be no reason to conclude that the Reds aren't for real. They've played a tough schedule to this point, but that's been offset by a 9-3 mark in one run games. Here's hoping for a .500 road trip to the west coast followed by another solid homestand.
With Volquez winning today to run his record to 7-1 (his only loss coming in a 2-0 shut out), the trade with the Rangers continues to be one of the more fascinating. My man crush on Josh "on pace for 189 RBIs" Hamilton continues, but it's hard to argue with a 24 year old pitcher with an ERA that has yet to see 1.5.
If this team can figure out how to hit consistently (and this depends on big 44), it will win games. Another 40 HR, .250, 100, 100 from Dunner will lead to significant games being played in September.
Winning a series over the Cubs and sweeping the Indians is about as gratifying a two weeks as I can hope for. Volquez and Cueto continue to pitch well, and with Arroyo posting 3 of 4 excellent starts, there seems to be no reason to conclude that the Reds aren't for real. They've played a tough schedule to this point, but that's been offset by a 9-3 mark in one run games. Here's hoping for a .500 road trip to the west coast followed by another solid homestand.
With Volquez winning today to run his record to 7-1 (his only loss coming in a 2-0 shut out), the trade with the Rangers continues to be one of the more fascinating. My man crush on Josh "on pace for 189 RBIs" Hamilton continues, but it's hard to argue with a 24 year old pitcher with an ERA that has yet to see 1.5.
If this team can figure out how to hit consistently (and this depends on big 44), it will win games. Another 40 HR, .250, 100, 100 from Dunner will lead to significant games being played in September.
Friday, May 16, 2008
Linking up
Random stuff from here and there:
Peyton doesn't really have any comment on the Harrison situation. How could he? Near as anyone can tell there isn't a situation to comment on.
The owners are utterly insane. From what I've read, Ralph Wilson is one of the chief whiners about the deal. Well guess what Ralphy, if you lose this deal, you'll never again field a competitive team in a market like Buffalo. Moron. Oh wait...I guess he can always thrive in Canada.
FO reviews the AFC South offseason. Someone needs to tell them that Dylan Gandy got released already.
Peyton doesn't really have any comment on the Harrison situation. How could he? Near as anyone can tell there isn't a situation to comment on.
The owners are utterly insane. From what I've read, Ralph Wilson is one of the chief whiners about the deal. Well guess what Ralphy, if you lose this deal, you'll never again field a competitive team in a market like Buffalo. Moron. Oh wait...I guess he can always thrive in Canada.
FO reviews the AFC South offseason. Someone needs to tell them that Dylan Gandy got released already.
Trading Jr. does not equal 'rebuilding'
Ken Rosenthal of Foxsports.com argues that the Reds might enter a 'rebuilding' phase soon. This season is currently on the brink for sure. Despite winning 4 of 5, the Reds know full well that the next two weeks hold the key for which direction this season is going. The start has been horrible, but one certainly wonders if it is even possible to hit under .150 with RISP and two outs for the season. I'm not challenging the premise of the article (Reds may trade Dunn/Griffey), just the terminology. Personally, I see no reason to trade Dunn. He is one of the most productive (albeit in a 3 outcome sense) hitters in baseball over the last several years. Even now as his BA kills my fantasy team, his OB% is solid and he is contributing. Still, he's in a walk year, so a deal may be inevitable.
But I digress. The Reds don't need to 'rebuild' even if they do move a couple of impending free agents. The rotation is in more respectable shape than it has been in some time. Arroyo has rebounded from a heinous start to post 3 excellent starts in 4 games. Cueto's WHIP and K/BB numbers are still solid despite getting pounded recently (he's not walking people which bodes well). Volquez and Harang are top shelf for now (though Volquez's walk rate gives me the willies). With several live arms in Louisville and AA ball, the future is brighter than it has been in some time. The Reds could use a shortstop for sure, preferably one with less breakable knees (seriously, I've never HEARD of a broken knee. How did both our SS break their knees in a span of 3 months? That's insane).
My point isn't that this team doesn't have holes, it does. But most people look at the Reds and scratch their heads because there is obvious talent all around, but the results are poor. I'm not sure that 'rebuilding' is really what is needed. This team needs something, but a complete reboot isn't in order, nor is it really what Rosenthal described (although he is right the Patterson/Bruce issue which is too insane to even discuss...anyone who reads this blog knows what I feel for Corey Patterson-utter contempt). I love Junior, and I'd hate to see him go (although I could live with Seattle for symmetry's sake), but let's not call moving one aging veteran or even a couple of free agent year outfielders 'rebuilding'. That's more than a little hyperbolic.
But I digress. The Reds don't need to 'rebuild' even if they do move a couple of impending free agents. The rotation is in more respectable shape than it has been in some time. Arroyo has rebounded from a heinous start to post 3 excellent starts in 4 games. Cueto's WHIP and K/BB numbers are still solid despite getting pounded recently (he's not walking people which bodes well). Volquez and Harang are top shelf for now (though Volquez's walk rate gives me the willies). With several live arms in Louisville and AA ball, the future is brighter than it has been in some time. The Reds could use a shortstop for sure, preferably one with less breakable knees (seriously, I've never HEARD of a broken knee. How did both our SS break their knees in a span of 3 months? That's insane).
My point isn't that this team doesn't have holes, it does. But most people look at the Reds and scratch their heads because there is obvious talent all around, but the results are poor. I'm not sure that 'rebuilding' is really what is needed. This team needs something, but a complete reboot isn't in order, nor is it really what Rosenthal described (although he is right the Patterson/Bruce issue which is too insane to even discuss...anyone who reads this blog knows what I feel for Corey Patterson-utter contempt). I love Junior, and I'd hate to see him go (although I could live with Seattle for symmetry's sake), but let's not call moving one aging veteran or even a couple of free agent year outfielders 'rebuilding'. That's more than a little hyperbolic.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Pats fan turned the movie off too soon
Foxsports has printed an article by a Patriots fan who embraces the vile thing his team has become. He says that it's great being the evil Empire. His piece ends by saying
"Embrace the hate. We're Darth Vader. And they're living on Alderaan."
An apt analogy I'm sure. May I just point out that in a delicious case of life imitating art, the Empire went down in flames, twice imploding under it's own soulless technological weight. Sure, they had their 17-0 run of Striking Back at the NFL, but that was happily bracketed by losses to the Manning boys which sort of renders the middle stretch dramatically resonant, but ultimately meaningless to the final tally. I doubt that any Imperial officers were drowning their sorrows after the battle of Endor saying, "Yeah, well we kicked their asses on Hoth!". Nice try buddy, but being the Empire is only great when you win.
Ask the Yankees how they like it now.
"Embrace the hate. We're Darth Vader. And they're living on Alderaan."
An apt analogy I'm sure. May I just point out that in a delicious case of life imitating art, the Empire went down in flames, twice imploding under it's own soulless technological weight. Sure, they had their 17-0 run of Striking Back at the NFL, but that was happily bracketed by losses to the Manning boys which sort of renders the middle stretch dramatically resonant, but ultimately meaningless to the final tally. I doubt that any Imperial officers were drowning their sorrows after the battle of Endor saying, "Yeah, well we kicked their asses on Hoth!". Nice try buddy, but being the Empire is only great when you win.
Ask the Yankees how they like it now.
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