Colts Fallout, Part I

When you win the game...you don't whine and complain...please remember this New England fans and media.

Shortly after the game, the New England brass started complaining about the Colts pumping noise into the Dome. (Not a new accusation--a few years ago the Pittsburgh Steelers accused the Colts of pumping artificial noise into the dome).

CBS, who broadcasted the game, quickly chimed in what really happened during the game.

Via indystar.com

Sorry, conspiracy fans, there's no "Noisegate."

An unusual sound on the telecast of Sunday's game between the Indianapolis Colts and New England Patriots was a CBS production issue and not evidence of the Colts breaking NFL rules by enhancing noise at the RCA Dome, a network spokesman said Monday.
"It was the result of tape feedback in the CBS production truck," the network's LeslieAnne Wade said. "In no way was it from the stadium."
Yahoo Sports reported that Patriots president Jonathan Kraft complained about the noise issue after the game to Milt Ahlerich, the NFL vice president of security.
There were at least three posts on YouTube.com from the CBS telecast pointing to the first play of the fourth quarter as possible evidence.
The play, in which Patriots quarterback Tom Brady completes a 14-yard slant to Randy Moss, has a vibrating sound amid the crowd noise that stops abruptly after the tackle. One post characterized the sound as being like a CD skipping or "stuck."
"That's the end of that story," said NFL spokesman Greg Aiello, who added that no other part of the game is under investigation for noise violations.
A statement from the Colts said: "We trust this will put an end to the ridiculous and unfounded accusations that the Colts artificially enhanced crowd noise at the RCA Dome in any way."

This doesn't surprise me at all. CBS almost always has sound issues during the football broadcasts especially with their HD feeds. I know I'm a Colts apologist but I completely buy CBS's argument. Bottom line...the Colts aren't pumping noise into the dome to gain an unfair advantage...they aren't New England.

Hot Stove Heating Up

I know baseball season is over and that IU is getting ready to tip the season off and the Colts are 7-1...so my focus shouldn't be on baseball. But...I found this pretty cool website dealing with hot stove rumors.


I need one more night's sleep and then I will be able to express my feeling on the Colts defeat on Sunday night. Of note...I didn't break anything.

Maddux resigns with Padres

Via espn.com

The San Diego Padres and pitcher Greg Maddux have agreed to terms on a one-year, $10 million deal, according to sources.

Maddux, who could have been a free agent, held a player option for $8.75 million for 2008. The Padres held a team option for $11 million for 2008.

Maddux has pitched 22 seasons for four teams, most of that time with the Atlanta Braves. He has 347 career wins, good for ninth on the all-time list.

A four-time Cy Young winner, Maddux was 14-11 with a 4.14 ERA in 34 starts for the Padres last season. San Diego lost a one-game playoff with the Colorado Rockies for the National League wild card.

Buster Olney is a senior writer at ESPN The Magazine

Not much of a surprise here. I'm glad they got it done right away. With the pitching staff that the Padres have...they should at the very least contend for the NL Wild Card (if not the division).

Saturday Morning Thoughts

I haven't written a lot lately...not sure why...but it seems that I've been overly tired after getting home from work. I think the change in weather has my allergies in a funk.

Regardless a couple of things...

--There's a football game going on tomorrow...maybe the GREATEST REGULAR SEASON NFL GAME EVER...as the coverage on ESPN has been non-stop. The only way it could be a bigger story if by some chance the Yankees or A-rod were involved. Anyway, it looks Marvin Harrison might not play again. Which stinks...there was even a report that his knee pain would not only effect him this season but for the rest of his career. Since then the Colts have countered that report of saying that it isn't true. Obviously I hope that is the case as Marvin is my favorite football player...and a key ingredient to the Colts continued success. I have a feeling that he might play tomorrow in a limited fashion.

--Also related to the Colts...I found this interesting post on si.com comparing the 2004 Colts (and Manning's 49 TD passes) to the 2007 Patriots and Brady's pursuit of the record. There is this perception among Colt-haters that the Colts and Manning not only ran the score up on their opponents but that Manning was also padding his numbers. This article puts that nonsense to rest.

--Well it looks like I'm going to have pay ETC a visit. IU tips off the regular season a week from Monday and we still don't have the Big Ten Network on Insight. I've been hesitant because I like Insight's service (ie. the dual DVR box that we have)...if ETC has that...we'll be making the move for sure...if they don't...I'm not sure what we are going to do. It's frustrating me...plus I have this suspicion that Insight might eventually get it done at the last minute. That is normally how those deals go down. Bottom line...it's pissing me off.

Have a great weekend...Go Colts!

The Rock Does As He Pleases

Joblo.com is reporting that the Rock told MTV.com that he will play Black Adam in yet untitled Shazam movie. Although not confirmed by the filmmakers, director Peter Segal and writer John August...it looks like the Rock is ready to go.

That could work...he certainly has the look and build to pull off Black Adam.

I just want to know who is going to be playing Mr. Tawny now.

"Wanted" Movie trailer

Before today...I wasn't very familiar with the Wanted graphic novels by Mark Millar.

Apparently there is a movie coming out with Angelina Jolie, James McAvoy (Jenny's man) and Morgan Freeman. The trailer can be viewed here.

Here is the wikipedia entry about the series

The premise of the graphic novels sounds pretty cool although it looks like the movie veers from that premise. Nonetheless I'm very interested in reading the graphic novel and watching the film.

Dan in Real Life movie review

This week we take a look at the romantic comedy/drama Dan in Real Life (PG-13). Steve Carrell stars as Dan, a newspaper columnist (and widow) struggling to raise his three daughters. On a weekend getaway with his extended family Dan falls in love with a woman (Juliette Binoche) only to find out she's dating his brother (Dane Cook). Peter Hedges directs.

Ryan: A moviegoer cynic might call Dan in Real Life anything but real life. While I can be quite cynical at times, I won't be here with the film. Dan in Real Life is an enjoyable lighthearted film. It's not a great film and doesn't aspire to be. Sometimes that's all right. It's a film with pretty good performances, pretty good writing and pretty good direction. If that sounds like overkill with all the “pretty goods” that was the intention. The best thing one can say about this movie is that it's a pretty good film.

Andy: Dan in Real Life is a little deceptive. The presence of Steve Carrell in a non-mainstream, quirky movie brings back memories of Little Miss Sunshine. The soundtrack is written and performed by relatively obscure indie-rocker Sondre Lerche. And then there's that title, “Dan in Real Life.” It indicates a complexity of character and acknowledgment of the medium of storytelling that all adds up to a unique, interesting, and challenging movie. But about two thirds of the way through the movie it occurred to me; this is just a straight-forward romantic comedy. There are no tricks, no innovations, just a guy and a girl falling in love in an impossible situation. And that's okay. In spite of not being quite what I expected, it was still a pretty successful movie.

Ryan: Even though the ubiquitous Dane Cook provides his presence in the movie, Dan in Real Life has an real indie flair to it. That stems from not only with the filmmakers (as Hedges's other directed feature film was Pieces of April) but with Juliette Binoche co-starring in the movie. American audiences will know of Binoche from her work in The English Patient and Chocolat. Her performance, in what is basically a straight forward romantic comedy, provides a nice change of pace from the standard romantic comedy female lead. Binoche brings a natural and mature sex appeal that is lacking from most carbon copy female actresses out of Hollywood.

Andy: I have to confess to going into this one a little worried about Steve Carrell. His performance on TV's The Office is so precise and overwhelming, that I began to wonder if I could see him perform without seeing him as Michael Scott. Dan in Real Life shows that he is very capable of doing other things. The beauty of his character in this film is that he's an entirely normal guy. There isn't that much extraordinary about him at all. He has flaws and he has triumphs, he makes mistakes and sometimes learns from them and sometimes not. I've long contended that this is the toughest character for an actor to play, but Carrell does is successfully here, even with the memory of his ridiculous and enjoyable buffoon from The Office so fresh in our minds.

Ryan: Carrell is by- far the focal point of the movie; he appears in every scene in the film. Not many comedic actors could handle that. Carrell flexes his acting muscle and puts forth a solid performance. There's a scene where he is playing acoustic guitar while signing Pete Townsend's “Let My Love Open the Door” to Juliette Binoche's character. It is a scene that doesn't start off with a lot of weight but ultimately ends up being crucial to the development of their relationship. The scene demonstrates that Carrell is much more than a comedic actor.

Andy: While Dan in Real Life ends up being an enjoyable enough romantic comedy, it also falls into the trap that so many in that genre do--it is both contrived and predictable. Screenwriters Hedges and Pierce Gardner have created some nice characters and some moving moments, but the plot itself is tried and true. Most people are going to know approximately how this thing is going to end up after watching about 30 minutes of it. Fortunately the movie is entertaining enough that you don't really care if you know the ending along the way.

Dan in Real Life has its ups and downs, but it is entertaining, interesting, and funny, all in small doses. Ultimately, it is a pretty good movie that gets a pretty good grade: B.