Watchmen Cast

Over the weekend at the San Diego Comic Con the official cast of The Watchmen movie was revealed. The film will be directed by Zach Snyder (300) and is an adaptation of the DC graphic novel mini series ('86-'87) of the same name (co-created by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons).

For those not aware The Watchmen comic details an alternative United States (in 1985) that is on brink of nuclear war with the Soviet Union. A masked super hero is murdered and sets off a chain of events that leads to a epic conspiracy involving the super hero community--and it doesn't involve the regulars of the DC universe...the characters are unique to the Watchmen universe--although they were based on the Charlatan comic book line of years past. The Watchmen is the Sgt. Peppers.../Citizen Kane...of the comic book world. And it is hard to argue against it not being the best of the best. It was and remains groundbreaking to this very day.

Here's the cast:

Billy Crudup, Dr. Manhattan
Malin Akerman, Silk Spectre
Matthew Goode, Ozymandias
Jackie Earle Haley, Rorschach
Jeffrey Dean Morgan, The Comedian
Patrick Wilson, Nite Owl

My initial thought is that this is good casting. Honestly I'm only familiar with Crudup, Haley, and Wilson but I think that is a good thing inasmuch as it rightfully implies that they were looking for the right actor to play the part and not just a big name. Haley--coming off his haunting performance in Little Children--will be perfect for the part of Rorschach. I've always liked Crudup so I'm not concerned about that.

Adapting the 12 issue mini-series is going to be quite a challenge. Fan boys are all about Snyder so let's hope he delivers a product that not only lives up to the hype but remains faithful to the source material. I thought 300 was a pretty good movie but I don't think "it's the greatest thing every." But I remain optimistic that Snyder can pull it off. It seems that Warner Bros. is giving him the freedom and support that it will take to make the Watchmen movie as relavant as the comic book.

(The photos is the official movie poster from the comic-con).

Shout out to the Vine St. crew

Esquire magazine has a current feature about my favorite TV food chef, Giada De. Laurentiis. Jenny was really upset nobody gave us one of her cookbooks for a wedding present (it was on our amazon.com registry).

I really just wanted an excuse to post the picture.

Wes Anderson's latest

Here is the trailer for Wes Anderson's latest, The Darjeeling Limited.

Not sure of the release date...looks solid.

Cubs dominate Reds

Big Bopper and I ventured down to the nasty and watched the Cubs take the rubber game from the Reds, 6-0 this afternoon. It was pretty hot and humid but we stayed cool by sitting in the shade at the very top in the upper level. We also enjoyed some Skyline and Bud-Light....always a must at Great American Ballpark.

As for the game...Carlos Zambrano was almost unhittable and only had to leave the game (in the 8th) with some minor thigh cramps. Big Z was dominate and is putting himself into Cy Young contention with his MLB leading 14th win. The Cubs scored two runs in the 1st and then added two more with a Derek Lee homer in the 7th. Pagan added some insurance in the 9th with a two run single.

As for the Reds...they looked pretty zippy...which is not much of a surprise. There were 33,000+ fans there and I would say that at least a third were Cubs fans. It was a good time. The Cubs do return to Cincy at the end of September to round out the regular season. Those games could be pretty intense if the Cubs are still jockeying for playoff contention.

(photo courtesy of Tony Tribble/ AP)

Jenny and I watched a pretty kick ass movie last night...Equilibrium (2002). The movie is set in the early 21st century just shortly after WWIII. In this specific part of the world (maybe London?) a totalitarian state has started where feelings are suppressed by a drug. Christian Bale stars as a cleric...a soldier of this specific organization that sole purpose is to root out people not conforming to the state.

I wouldn't say that it is an overly original movie in terms of its ideas...pretty standard to most other dystopian themed films. Freedom is good...choice is good...independence is good...conforming to the state's will not so good. Overall the narrative is nothing to get excited about but it never really gets out of hand either.

But this film has some awesome action/fighting scenes. This movie is really Christian Bale being a bad ass. It has stylized action...similar to the Matrix (no denying that) but as opposed to the Matrix, the scenes are more compact and more intense.

I was kind of surprised that I had not heard of this film prior to reading a short blurb about Bale on an imdb.com article. From what I can tell...is that the film was dumped in December of 2002 and since being out on video/DVD has garnered a cult following. I'm guessing that its similarities to the Matrix made it difficult to market.

I recommend the film (Jenny was not as into as I was but the fact that Bale was in the movie did help carry it for her). Maybe its more of a movie for guys who really like movies...nonetheless it is a pretty kick ass cool film.

And Netflix does have it.

The Dark Knight Teaser now online!

Click here to see it in quicktime.




Now my thoughts...



It is definitely a teaser as it doesn't show any footage...just voice-over. Although hearing Heath Ledger's voice as the Joker was the real highlight of the teaser. Ledger is a good actor and I'm not worried about his performance as the Joker (the greatest comic book villian of all-time). Is it going to be as good as Nicholson's? That would be impressive if it were...but I'm not going to go into the movie with those expectations. Honestly, I think Ledger is going to make the performance his own--inasmuch--as in tune with the vision that Christopher Nolan (the director) has taken with the franchise.

I do like how Batman Begins and the subsequent sequel really uses the Batman comics as a guideline. The filmmakers are really playing up that notion of a transition from organized crime to crimes perpetrated by "super" villains.

Needless to say...I'm pumped for it.

Kevin Towers must read t his blog.

After railing on the futility of Padres reliever Scott Linebrick, I was somewhat surprised to see him traded yesterday evening. Granted I never asked for him to be traded but must assume that Padres's GM Kevin Towers took into account my displeasure with him and made the subsequent move. I like to think that I have that much power with the Padres.

Sarcasm aside...not a bad move for both teams. Sometimes a change scenery is a good thing. Linebrick might help the Brewers or he might hurt them, which would be good for the Cubs (my other favorite team). For the Padres...it seems they have a lot of options to plug someone else into the bullpen.

It was only a matter of time before I blew up about baseball (and the Padres). Last night "alleged eight-inning specialist" Scott Linebrink blew yet another game for Greg Maddux. Last night Maddux went six innings and left the game with a 5-2 lead. Fast forward to the eighth inning, Linebrick hits the first batter he faces...strikesout the next...walks the next batter...and then gives up a three run hommer to Matt Holiday (thus tying the game and blowing the decision for Maddux).

Rewind to five games ago when in the eighth inning in a 4-1 game against the Mets...with two outs...Linebrick walks two batters and then gives up a three run homer to David Right...again blowing the decision for Maddux (who had gone five scoreless innings).

In two consecutive starts, Linebrick has given up three-run-homers that have tied the game. (At least against the Mets...the Padres ended up winning...not so last night). Anyway...that is unbelievable. Not since the John Rocker days in Atlanta have I been so frustrated with a specific reliever. Nothing infuriates more when Maddux pitches than to have the bullpen piss away a quality start.

On the Lienbrick (and Padres) subject...I don't know what his deal is but he doesn't need to be pitching any more 8th innings unless the Padres are up 10 or down by 10. He is stinking it up. The Padres are reeling...the "best bullpen in the majors" is not that...Peavy has been struggling...and their offense (even with their meager expectations) is not getting the job done. Marcus Giles is playing terrible...Adrian Gonzalez has been in a six week slump. Since the All-star game they have been playing some pretty bad baseball. About the only good thing you can say about the team is that Milton Bradley was a good pick up (so that is saying something right there).

What really has got me thinking is this whole "bullpen blowing the lead" for a starting pitcher. With my count, the Padres bullpen has blown five wins for Maddux this season. That enrages me...but it seems that I have been bitching about that for years...and I mean years. No matter what team Maddux is on it seems like the bullpen is inordinately blowing more games for Maddux than other pitchers on the team (and I freely admit that I have no facts to back that up). So it got me thinking that over his career, I wonder just how many games have been blown for him.

Now I know that it is improbable for a bullpen to hold the lead for a starting pitcher every time out. And I know that...here recently...Maddux has been a relative 6-7 inning pitcher so that the chances of a reliever blowing the game for him has increased. If one were to assume that Maddux has had 3-5 games blown for him a year over his career than we are talking about a potential win total of 406-450 wins (instead of 340). What I really want to know...and I'm sure Tim Kurjkin knows this... is on an average year how many wins are blown for a typical starting pitcher...and where does Maddux fall on that range. I'm guessing slightly above average (but yet again I'm pretty biased). But think about that...in a perfect bullpen world Maddux could have well have over 400 wins. I'm getting so ahead of myself that I better just stop and appreciate the fact that he is a no doubt first ballot hall-of-famer.

I do feel better about this now (a little bit)...after venting. Because last night I was livid and ranted and raved about the game to my wife who was just minding her own business reading the Harry Potter book (which she finished and thoroughly enjoyed). But nonetheless...if anybody comes across any information or stats looking at this blown wins situation I would be ready to digest it.

I want to end on a positive note...so I'm going to remain upbeat for tonight's game and for Maddux's next start again Houston on Saturday (which is supposed to be on Fox but will probably get bumped (for regional coverage) for a shitty White Sox game.)

Supergirl swoops into Smallville

Here is the CW's official photograph of Laura Vandervoort--the chick that is going to play Clark's cousin, Kara on Smallville.

Clark's cousin Kara is better known as Supergirl.

It is amazing to me that Smallville will be on season seven. It is not like the series is in decline...season six had some solid moments. The move to introduce Kara is good one for the series. Jonathon (dead) and Martha (politicking in DC) are not around...so it will be good that Clark still has some family around the Kent farm.

Smallville does such a good job with the characters of the DC universe (Green Arrow, Aquaman, Martian Manhunter) that I'm confident that they will smoothly work in the Supergirl myth into the Smallville narrative.

Did Tim Donaghy and crew fixed game 3 of Suns-Spurs?

By now everyone has heard of the NBA referee gambling scandal involving fellow referee Tim Donaghy. Here is the video making the rounds online. I've seen this referenced on Bill Simmons's column today (espn.com) and on si.com.

A couple of things about the video:

1. The video was put together by a Suns fan so it has that bias. Simmons's column on espn.com stated quite frankly that the game was badly officiated for both teams.

2. Donaghy is not the only ref making the bad calls although he is making his fair share.

3. Watching the video definitely implies that Donaghy was manipulating the game in favor of the Spurs...and that might have happened...but it also looks like he might have been allegedly manipulating the score for the over/under (also referenced by Simmons).

4. But it is also true that Armare Stoudamire was basically taken out of the game because of foul trouble--something that a referee could easily manipulate.

The bottom line is that this is (almost) worse case scenario for the NBA. Worse case scenario would be if a player(s) would be involved. I'm not saying that the video is definitive proof of Donaghy putting the fix on but the cloud of suspicion is growing day by day. For a league that already--fairly or not--has the perception of having elements of its league fixed...this is--on the doomsday clock--like 11:55. When the integrity of the league is in question than one has a big problem.

Joe Morgan doesn't know if he is coming or going...

Joe Morgan was a great baseball player...one of the best second basemen in history but as a commentator he completely wears me out. He always states the obvious and he treats the televised audience as if they are watching a baseball game for the first time in their lives.

I don't understand why he continues to be ESPN's lead analyst for their Sunday Night Games of the Week. He literally brings nothing to the table in terms of analyzing a game. Now we find out that he doesn't even remember his own playing days. Click here to read this little blurb about a story Joe told last week during the game.

That is just ridiculous.

Final thoughts on Fair

The Decatur County fair is over...now summer is on the downturn.

But anyway..a few thoughts...

Other than Sunday (the parade) and Thursday (kid's day) attendance at the fair was slightly below average. I heard this echoed several places. Wednesday, the last day I attended, there wasn't even a line for the famous Shriner's doughnuts.

I had to work late on Friday so I didn't get the chance to see the Derby...I'm guessing one of the usual suspects probably won.

It was disappointing that some booths were not there this year. No Stewart Seeds and much to my dad and I chagrin no United Methodist Sandusky tent. We were salivating for those coney dogs but it was not meant to be this year.

Congratulations to my mom...as she won Grand Champion for her fudge.

Another year...another fair.

Big Ten Network update

Clicking here will take you to the Big Ten Network homepage where you can type in your zip code to see if your cable or satellite operator is currently ready to launch the network. Unfortunately my cable provider, Insight, is not but through the website you can send your provider a request to get the network.

As of right now, I'm pretty down about this...I was optimistic that something would get done during the football season but I just don't know anymore.

Last night Jenny and I watched the Howard Hawks screwball comedy Monkey Business (1952). The movie nowadays--especially considering the picture--is packaged as a Marilyn Monroe vehicle but she only has a supporting role (Which is fine...as she does a superb job of being the eye candy of the movie).

The two stars of the picture are Cary Grant and Ginger Rodgers. They are hysterical in the movie. The movie overall is not as solid as a lot of other Grant comedies but it is definitely one of his funnier films. We were actually laughing out loud at some of the bits...and that doesn't happen a lot with older comedies. Don't get me wrong...classic comedies are still funny...but it is somewhat rare when they are laugh-out-loud funny. Furthermore the movie is littered with a lot of sexual double talk and innuendos, which somewhat surprised me.

In the realm of Cary Grant performances this performance is more in line with Bringing up Baby. I have this theory that every Cary Grant performance is a variation of his iconic performance as CK Dexter Haven in The Philadelphia Story. Basically that performance is in the middle of his acting spectrum. On one end of the spectrum is the aforementioned performance from Bringing up Baby and on the other end is his performance from Notorious. It starts with CK Dexter Haven--and every performance is a variation to either extreme. (Here is where Sam shouts at his computer that I have another man crush). So be it...Cary Grant is my second favorite actor.

Anyway...I (along with Jenny) recommend Monkey Business for a lazy summer evening. The movie--while being somewhat goofy--is filled with enjoyable performances that won't disappoint.

"Who's Now" Who Cares!

In an attempt to fill Sportscenter with more mindless bantering ESPN has decided to have an athlete tournament to determine which current athlete is the most "now." Overall athletic ability or performance on the field are not the determining factors for who is most "now" but those factors can come into play during the debate. Also taken into consideration is how big an athlete's celebrity status is. Thirty-two athlete have been ranked and put into regions named after other past "now" athletes (as retro-determined by ESPN)--the Babe Ruth, Muhammed Ali, Michael Jordan & Billy Jean King regions. (I'm not even going to spend time arguing the merits of why Billy Jean King is included with the other three).

Anyway...the worst part of this idea (as there are many) is listening to people argue about this. Even respected journalists, like Michael Wilbon, have been sucked into this meaningless debate. It is nauseating to hear them argue over basically which athlete is cooler. It gripes me how Sportscenter (and ESPN) is becoming so fascinated with this idea of "celebrity". When I watch Sportscenter I want to see highlights, breakdowns, and some commentary (from people that know what they are talking about). How about instead of wasting my time with listening to which athlete is currently (allegedly) dating Jessica Biel...you spend that segment breaking down the NL West (or AL west for that matter).

It seems that here recently ESPN tries so hard to make the present historic...to make it groundbreaking. They spend too much time declaring how great something is...that just recently happened. There is something to be said about stepping back...waiting...and putting stuff into a proper historical context. Not everything that has happened in sports over the past five years are the best things to ever happen in the history of sports.

This idea of "Who's Now" is their latest attempt to put their mark on sports. Instead of being an objective medium...with the idea of reporting and commenting on sports...ESPN wants to be part of the action. That is a fine line to start crossing.

"

Rita Hayworth = Screen goddess

Yesterday afternoon as my wife worked in the Bat Cave, I watched the 1946 movie Gilda starring Rita Hayworth and Glenn Ford. The movie itself is not a bad film...it's pretty engaging. It is not what I would deem a "classic" film...moreover...just a good film from the Golden Age of Hollywood. It has the standard storyline of many old films--exotic location (Argentina), plays backdrop to a war (WWII), and most important the reemergence of a lost love (Hayworth).

I've seen Hayworth in two movies before--Only Angels Have Wings and The Lady From Shanghai. In "Angles" she plays a supporting part that doesn't cater much to her screen presence. "Shanghai" is an Orson Welles movie so he pretty much dominates the film--both as a director and actor. Interestingly enough Welles and Hayworth were married when Lady From Shanghai premeired (1948) and Welles infamously made Hayworth not only cut her lovely red hair but also dyed it blonde for the role in the movie.

For those wondering why the name Rita Hayworth still resonates even to this day...than check out her role in Gilda. This movie is a vehicle for how sexy Rita Hayworth can be. And she can be damned sexy. It is not just that she looks fantastic. It seems like everything she does in the movie is just sexy somehow. It is easy to see how this movie cemented Hayworth's legacy as a screen sex goddess.

PS--I do feel relieved that I finally posted an entry that is polar opposite of my various man crush entries.

Maddux's Maddux-up Fair Food

In the last two nights my wife and I have dominated some fair food. We had the Lett's fish last night...it was excellent. Then we topped that off with some ice cream.

After the parade tonight is when we kicked it up a notch. Jenny had a pork burger from the Smyrna tent...while I had the Smyrna Burger, which was pretty good. The highlight for Jenny was the corn on the cob from the Mason tent. She's definitely going to get another one before the week is over. I did try a bite of it and I'll be joining her in that effort. I also had ribeye sandwich that was also very good. Unfortunately...according to my sister...the tent (Dec. County Beef Association (?) that served it was only going to be their tonight. Let's hope not. I also shared an elephant ear with my sister. Elephant Ears are now five dollars but it's probably still worth it.

The true highlight of the whole night was winning my lady a prize. I stepped up to the basketball booth and drilled both shots. In doing so...I won Jenny a stuffed Batman doll. Needless to say she was thrilled...and just absolutely loved walking around the Midway with the stuffed Batman doll.

The Dark Knight teaser info

Rumors are running rampant (on the internet...not at the Auction Barn) that a teaser for The Dark Knight will be attached to some prints of the The Simpsons Movie. Allegedly it might be shown at the San Diego Comic Con that same weekend...even thought Warner Bros. is not having a Dark Knight presentation...they are having one at the Wizard Con in Chicago on August 11th (which I won't be going too because one of my best friend's is getting married that weekend).

Anyway...I was already going to see The Simpsons Movie anyway so this only adds to the excitement.

Colts "Make it Rain" for Freeney

The Super Bowl Champs locked up DE Dwight Freeney today to the richest contract ever for a defensive player...6 years/72 million dollars. The deal includes a 30 million dollar signing bonus.

Is Freeney the best defensive player in the game...No (and arguable he is not even the best defensive player on the team (that is Bob Sanders) but Freeney is definitely one of the best defensive ends in the game and he perfectly fits the Colts defensive scheme.

The important thing here is not so much the contract but the fact that they did reach a long term agreement with him and won't have to keep him by designating the franchise tag on him. Thus the Colts are actually able to save money (almost 3.7 million dollars) because his salary cap number will be lower than if the Colts had franchised him. (That is how NFL math works). In essence the Colts now have some flexibility to lock up some other players...including the aforementioned Bob Sanders.

It's Fair Time!

The Decatur County Fair (my hometown fair) starts this weekend and to mark the occasion I've posted to the side a picture of Jenny and I from last year's fair. (Actually it could be a photo from one, two, or three years ago as not much changes from year to year at the fair.)

Regardless we are ready to chow down on some fish, tenderloin, elephant ears, Smyrna Burgers, and some doughnuts. (but not all in one night...we'll spread it out). We might even attend the Demolition Derby next Friday. (I don't think Jenny is aware of that yet.)

Maybe I'll snap some photos of this festivities...stay tuned...

peace.

The Order of the Phoenix

Last night Jenny and I braved the crowds and watched the latest installment of the Harry Potter series...The Order of the Phoenix. My wife is a big Harry Potter fan and I must admit that some of her passion has slightly rubbed off on me. I never thought that I would wait in line for a Harry Potter film. Oh well...anyway...as one would guess the Wolf Theatre was packed. The show didn't start until 7:40 yet we arrived at the theater at 7:00, which was a good idea because a large line had already started forming. I would guess that the show was sold out.

I must admit that the atmosphere of the crowd was quite energetic. A few die-hard fans were even dressed up. There was an applause both when the movie started and when the show was over. The crowd was especially teen heavy, which was slightly annoying as the person next to Jenny kept saying overly stupid things and the LJ next to me kept whispering to her friends (which seemed like everyone in the theater other than Jenny and I). Whatever...it wasn't too bad. I didn't threaten to slam my fist down anyone's face.

As for the movie...I won't say much yet (as I haven't written the review)...but will say that I thought it was the best film so far of the series.

Michael Moore Rips Wolf Blitzer/CNN

Here's a snippet of Michael Moore on CNN the other day. He lays into them...and I can't really blame him. Granted Moore is polarizing and I haven't seen his film, Sicko, yet... but when he does have something to say I do think it is worth listening too.

I empathize with his distaste of CNN...maybe not for the same reasons...but CNN has been in steep decline over the past several months. In the evenings CNN is more Access Hollywood/EXTRA than hard news. It is ridiculous. Even Anderson Cooper, who I still do respect, is falling prey to covering crap like Paris Hilton's jail time or Alec Baldwin's cell phone rant. It seems every week that CNN finds a new human-interest drama story and covers it so incessantly that it becomes completely exhausting. And most of the time the story ends up contributing nothing positive to the public discourse of the given topic.

I do give props to Moore for letting CNN have it. I hate to see what he thinks of Fox news.

All-Star Game lives up to billing

The NL blew another All-star game last night. They haven't won since 1996. Although I must admit the game was pretty exciting especially in the bottom of the ninth when Soriano hit a two run homer and the NL managed to load the bases off of K-Rod (all with two outs). Alas it was not to be as Aaron Rowand flew out to right field. (It perplexes me why Mr. Genius Tony Larussa never brought in Pujols to pinch hit).

Of note Ichiro was named MVP as he hit the first inside-the-park homerun in All-Star game history.

Now the AL has home field advantage which probably isn't that big of a deal but still when you root for NL teams (the Padres and Cubs) that might have a shot at the postseason than it does slightly frustrate you that the NL can't do anything in the All-Star game. Oh well it was a really good game.

1-18-08/Cloverfield/?????? film teaser

If you caught Transformers over the weekend you more than likely saw an interesting teaser from Producer JJ Abrams (Alias, Lost, MI3). I say interesting because the film has no title and one really isn't sure what it is about. But it did look fascinating. The teaser can now be seen online at the offical site. Needless to say, the web site sheds no light on what the movie actually is.

I definitely like the "viral" marketing campaign...and it looks to me that they might be trying to capture the magic of The Blair Witch marketing campaing. Further proof of that lies with the fact that the movie...at least according to the teaser...looks like it is shot in the same manner as Blair Witch.

The teaser can be viewed by following this link

http://www.apple.com/trailers/paramount/11808/

The Dark Knight

I know this picture has been around for a few weeks but I figured it was time for a Batman related post.

This is the official Warner Bros. released picture of the Caped Crusader from the new film The Dark Knight. The suit looks similar to the one used in Batman Begins but it looks a little more streamlined, which is cool because it more resembles the comic book look. From a technical aspect it also looks like Bale will actually be able to turn his head back in forth.

Needless to say I'm beyond excited for this movie. I can say quite confidently that Batman Begins is my favorite movie of all time and I have the utmost faith in Christopher Nolan and Christian Bale that they will again deliver a solid movie.

Only one King of Cool

I was surfing some of my favorite movie spoiler sites, joblo.com and The Movie Blog, today and came across a rumor that somewhat bothered me. It is being reported that Brad Pitt might star in a remake of the Steve McQueen classic, Bullitt (about a San Fransisco cop that...to say the least...is a badass). I have nothing against Brad Pitt in fact I like Brad Pitt. He is a fine actor and he's a cool actor. But in the realm of coolness, he's no Steve McQueen.

Granted I have a McQueen bias as he is my favorite actor of all time, but come on...there does not need to be a remake of Bullitt. The movie for all intended purposes invented the modern car charse scene...but even more than that the movie cemented McQueen's legend of being The King of Cool. Actors are still trying to rip that performance off.

I'll reluctantly admit that Bullitt doesn't have the classic status (yet) of some of its contemporaries but that is no reason to remake it. I'm not against the ideas of remakes...only ones that don't make sense. To me Bullitt doesn't seem dated or not relevant. I'm also somewhat puzzled why Pitt would want a film role that he can't really make his own. No matter how good he is...he will never measure up to McQueen's performance. (Look at some recent remakes...Vince Vaughn nailed his part in Psycho but it didn't come close to the original (Anthony Perkins). Denzel Washington put forth a solid performance in The Manchurian Candidate but it was overshadowed by Frank Sinatra's in the original). Unless he really wants to do the movie...and that is his prerogative...I can't see why he would want to do a remake.

Neifi Perez is doped up.

Neifi Perez was suspended on Friday for violating MLB's drug program.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2927670


Although I don't think the amphetamines were helping considering that he was batting a robust .172.

The part of the article that cracked me up was the quote by Perez, "I say to my fans that I am not stupid. I know the difference between good and bad and there are things that are going to be known going forward, but my lawyer has advised me not to talk for now."

Sorry Neifi, you don't have any fans.

Craig Biggio belongs in the hall of fame

Here is the "Craig Biggio is a hall of famer" post.

I've said this for a long time in arguing why someone should be a hall of famer. A given player has to be the best (or one of the best) of his position for a number of years. In being the best, that implies that a player would have had to put a number of "seasons of excellence." In essence I'm going to compare Biggio's best seasons with that of his peers best seasons of other hall of fame worthy second basemen--Roberto Alomar and Jeff Kent.

These are the averages of Biggio's best six seasons
[why six...mainly because it is clear that Biggio has had six excellent seasons as his career has followed a strict bell-curve type path, which is typical of most players (and a lot of hall of famers).]

Runs: 129
HR: 19
RBI: 79
SB: 33
BA: .301
OBP: .395
SLG: .472

Here are Alomar's best six seasons.

Runs: 118
HR: 18
RBI: 95
SB: 38
BA: .322
OBP: .407
SLG: .499

And Jeff Kent's...

Runs: 98
HR: 30
RBI: 113
SB: 8
BA: .303
OBP: .374
SLG: .544

In order of OPS it would be Kent (.918), Alomar (.906), and Biggio (.867).

This shows that Biggio is well within the ballpark of his contemporaries who are also likely hall of famers.

Has Biggio been one of the best at this positions for a number of years...the answer is a resounding yes.

PS. . . it is also worth noting that in 137 plate appearances against Greg Maddux Biggio has a .299 bating average. That in itself is hall of fame worthy.

Good Luck Chuck Uncut Trailer

So much for the post-holiday let up at work...although, Dirty, I'm working on the "Biggio is a hall of famer post." Good stuff.

It seems Hollywood's latest fad is showing rated R (red-band) trailers on line. I think it is a good idea. The R-rated trailers for both Rambo 4 and Superbad were both in their own ways incredibly awesome.

Here's the latest one, Good Luck Chuck with Jessica Alba and Dane Cook. The trailer has some good moments but they didn't fully utilize the R-rating.

What's more patriotic than a Western...

Here is the trailer to 3:10 to Yuma. Yes, its a remake...but yes it looks awesome since it stars two of coolest actors around, Russell Crowe and Christian Bale.

http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1809781728/video/3053783

It's also directed by James Mangold who directed Walk the Line.

Oops Bush does it again...

Well it was only a matter of time before politics made its way to my blog.

For those not aware, yesterday, President Bush consummated the sentence of former chief of staff to Vice President Cheany, Scooter Libby. He is not going to serve any prison time (30 months) but still has to pay a $250,000 fine and have two years of probation.

On eve of American's birthday this bit of news just makes me feel fantastic to be an American. Sarcasm aside, this is nothing but political croynism. This administration continues to do as they please without any thought of being held accountable. Bush in his statement argued that the sentence was "excessive" but from what I've been seeing and reading that is far from the truth when taking into account the federal guidelines for Libby's charges of obstruction of justice and lying under oath. Jeffery Tubin, CNN's legal expert was on Anderson Cooper 360 last night and was shocked that Bush's reason for the intervention was because he thought the sentence was excessive. The Bush people are trying to spin this that Libby is still being held accountable for his actions and that the justice system was not railroaded. But I'm not buying it and the American people are not buying it. I have a hard time believing that A) that fine will ever be paid or B) if it is paid...its paid by Libby . There is a reason that this looks bad...that's because it is unjust. Justice was not served.

A quick check of morning shows this morning basically contributed nothing to the discussion as pundits were taking party lines. Maybe I'm doing the same thing...I hope not though.

The bottom line is that the American people are tired of the hard-headed attitude of this administration. It blows my mind how obtuse the executive branch of my government is acting.

(Sports) Bonds on Bonds

Let me get this straight...Barry Bonds gets booed in every visiting ballpark yet gets voted into the All Star game by the same fans that are booing him. That is perplexing to me.

According to this article on espn.com
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/allstar07/news/story?id=2922709
Bonds, ". . .overcame a 119,000-vote deficit in the final days of balloting and finished 123,000 ahead of the Chicago Cubs' Alfonso Soriano on Sunday to claim the third and final starting outfield spot for the National League."

Bonds's numbers are all-star worthy, .304/.516/.603 and one could make the case that he even should be a starter. If one is to believe that he should be a starter than one would commend the fans for objectively voting in a player that deserves to start. (More times than not the fans do a suitable job in voting in the starters.)

Nevertheless it is hard for me to see why fans voted him in when we are led to believe that people in general are worn out by Bonds. I get the impression that most people are sick of Bonds...sick of ESPN's continual coverage of Bonds...and just plain tired of Bonds being "the" story in baseball. I would argue that fans just want him to go away. But obviously baseball fans are still intrigued with Bonds and maybe don't dislike him as much as we are led to believe.

I can already see that Fox's and ESPN's coverage of the game is going to be Bonds-centric. For better or worse, Bonds again is going to be "the" story come all-star weekend.