OH, NO!!!

Holy Crap this does not look good. Wells looks awful and if it wasn't for the monstrous Boston offense Wells would be getting crushed.... this sucks!

UPDATE! Well that was one of those wins that you really appreciate, because the Sox did not deserve that, with the piss poor pitching by Wells, but thanks to that offense and the best clutch hitter in baseball, Big Papi the Sox escape with another walk off win. Also impressive was the long middle relief performance of Kyle Snyder.

Tip of the Hat

The fun part of the Yankees/Red Sox rivalry over the last few years is watching the teams play the game of "anything you can do you I can do better", both on the field and off. The crushing defeat of Pedro in yankee stadium and the hr by Aaron f**ing Boone, the Sox winning 4 straight, the battle for Jose Contreras, (a win by the Yanks turned into a loss turned into a win by the White Sox), the A-Rod signing, etc. A microsm of this is the last two days, starting with my previous post regarding the comeback win of the Sox and the collapse of the Yankees. 24 hrs later, the Yankees have the momentum, with a hell of a deal yesterday. Bobby Abreu completely addresses their outfield needs, the team is not on the hook for his contract extension,and Cory Lidle strengthens their pitching, either as a 5th starter or a middle reliever. This was not a deal that only the Yankees could make, the money should not have prevented the Sox from making a deal like this, and I am very frustrated with Theo at this point. I can only hope he has something bigger brewing.

"Blog That , Bitch!" (a funny story)

My good friend (despite his love of the evil empire) called me this afternoon. Not to ask how I am or talk about life, movies, the state of the world. He called to bust my balls. Left me a message. Gloating about the Red Sox trailing 6-4 in the 8th. The Yankees were winning 2-0 against the lowly Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Figured the Yankees would be leading the A.L. East by a 1/2 game. Told me to "Blog that, Bitch."



Funny thing happened. Mike "the man" Lowell hits a ground rule, 2 RBI double, Sox tie the game at 6 apiece, Manny Ramirez makes a sweet throw from the out field to prevent an Angel run, and David "Big Papi" Ortiz cranks a... single for the win.

Meanwhile, in the Bronx, Randy Johnson melts in the NY Heat and the Yankees are destroyed by the Devil Rays 19-6! (Tampa's team salary 35 million; Jeter&Johnson's salary combined is 35 million... gotta love it.)

Good day for the Red Sox! Consider it blogged!

Your President Cares About YOU

Exxon Mobil receives a 36% rise in profits this quarter, adding to the ongoing trend of the Big Oil companies windfal profits under the Bush/Cheney regime. Does anyone really not see the collusion between Darth Cheney's secret energy commission meetings, Bush's family oil business interests, and the chaos in the Middle East? How can any American in the middle class believe in this soulless, evil crooks? Ask my father-in-law, or my coworker D.N.

906 more days with these guys left, (unless the far right continues to lead us into the apocalypse. I'm depressed.

Smiling Bastards

Soulless corporate giant suffered a small loss in Chicago yesterday when the city passed an ordinance demanding that so called "Big Box" stores raise their minimum wages to $10.00 per hour by 2010, and provide an additional $3.00 per hr. in benefits. Wal Marts response was “It’s sad — this puts politics ahead of working men and women,” John Simley, a Wal-Mart spokesman, said in a telephone interview. “It means that Chicago is closed to business.” Boo-fucking hoo, Wal-Mart. In many ways I view Wal Mart as a metaphor for the U.S.: The largest, most powerful entity in its field, and rather than using this power to positively effect change for its participants, (or constituients), it is driven solely by its intent to benefit their most powerful and wealthy members.

I don't want to be attacked here by the rabid free market traders; it is obvious that a company (or country) can serve it's profitability desires and be compassionate and socially responsible. Sadly, the need for Greed overrules those aims.

Remember, that smiling tag isn't a greeting for the people, its an insidious laughing directed at the people.

Take Heart, Evil Empire

Sal "this isn't a mugshot" Fasano is on the way... watch out, Dumbo Posada, your job is in jeopardy, and now with Sal calling the game look for Yankee pitchers to drop their era by 2 and roll to well over 100 victories!

The Curse of A-Hole

I had a lengthy discussion with a good friend of mine, (despite the fact he avidly supports the Evil Empire, he's a damned good guy). The topic was A-Rod, he of the 25 million dollar salary, inhuman talent, and 10 cent psyche. As a member of Red Sox Nation, I know we could have had A-Hole at one time. Yet the truth is that A-Rod is not a winner. Don't believe me? The proof, my friends, is in the pudding. (What the hell does that mean, anyway?) Let's look at the teams A-Hole has played for. He started his career with the Seattle Mariners. Look at the difference between the team's record his last season there and the first season without him.

Seattle Mariners
2000 Season 91-71
2001 116-46

Wow! Shed an A-hole, win 25 more games. That must be a fluke, right? Let's look at his career in Texas, when he signed that 252 million dollar contract. I mean, for that money, he must be a world changer, the ultimate difference maker.

Texas
2003 Season 71-91 - A-Hole's last season in Texas.
2004 Season 89-73

Well, things improved, the team only won 18 extra games after cleaning their A-Hole. Well, surely things couldn't continue that way, not with the evil empire. Their arrogance should make the A-Hole right at home.

NY
2004 Season 101-61 (Last season before A-Hole_
2005 Season 95-67 (First with him)

So the facts are this. Every time he leaves a team, they get better. When he joins a team, they lose wins... As a Sox fan, I hope he remains with the Yankees.

Oh, by the way, the Yankees also haven't been to the World Series since 2003. The year prior to A-Holes arrival.

(Oh, and I don't need anyone pointing out these statistics are correlational, not causal. I took statistics and research methodology also. The point is that in professional sports, only 2 things matter. Winning and cash. A-Hole receives more of the latter than any player, ever. He offers less return on the investment on the former.

I Miss Thora!

I am sitting here this morning in my beaten up (yet oh so comfy) hand me down recliner, laptop sitting on my..., well, lap. The Mighty pump lays against my leg, and I was wondering what to blog about this a.m., and as I looked at the shelves of movies I noticed our copy of American Beauty.


That made me wonder, where the hell has Thora Birch been. I remember when I first saw American Beauty, and everyone oohed and aahed over Mena Suvari, the teenage object of desire for Kevin Spacey. For me, there was no comparison to Thora. (I am partial to brunettes.) I also remembered her in Ghost World (alongside Scarlett Johanssen... hmmm, now would I like to be the filling in that sandwich.)





Anyway, check out the link to see what Thora has coming up.

Countdown

It's getting closer, but like any good horror film, the tension rises as we all wonder, will we make it out of here?

Movie Reviews: Hostel & Wolf Creek

These 2 movies came out about the same time last year, but due to my avoidance of seeing films in the theater (I love movies but not moviegoers) I have only recently watched these films.

Hostel was directed by Eli Roth, the director of Cabin Creek... I should admit now that I am not a huge fan of the horror genre; but I will watch horror films that offer something more, or films that are exceptionally well done, particularly films by first time directors who show a lot of energy. The genre lends itself to lower budget films that can still illustrate the talent and potential of the creative teams. Eli Roth showed some of this promise in Cabin Fever The movie was okay but did not inspire me with a strong sense of anticipation for his follow-up... However, Hostel is a good film. I approached the film with a strong idea of what to expect so the long, slow build towards the horror were appreciated by not scary. I offer kudos to Roth for taking the time to allow the story to build. I was particularly impressed with the way that the script was so tightly organized. The movie doesn't cheat and allows for small moments to show up later in the film at important moments and yet these events do not feel forced. I will admit there was one scene I was unable to fully watch, the infamous eyeball scene...

This got me in the mood for a follow-up horror flick and I watched Wolf Creek.



This was a tremendous film... Extemely well acted by 3 newcomers, their interactions are so incredibly naturaly you almost feel you watching a home movie ( a point played upon for a disturbing moment in the film)... most disturbing is the depiction of the villainous mick, played by Josh Jarrat... Mick is the classic example of the true face of evil: banal, possibly charming, and completely lacking in any kind of human kindness or empathy. This film was an incredible road movie and makes me extremely eager to see the next movie from Writer/Director Greg McLean

Here is a link to IMDB to read more about Wolf Creek http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0416315/

And here is one for Hostel http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0450278/

Movie Review: Strangers With Candy

The wife and I went to see the big screen version of one of our favorite tv shows, Strangers With Candy. The movie was entertaining but certainly not a keeper. It does not fall into the category of must buy, which for us is the true test of a quality flick... will we want to own it and rewatch it multiple times. Strangers With Candy was a movie for the fans; it offers a rewarding sampling of what we enjoyed about the show. However, the difficulty with taking sit com style shows, and trying to transfer what works in the 22 minutes of screen time to longer (in this case, 87 minutes) often feels stretched.

Tomorrows agenda includes watching A Scanner Darkly, with my buddy Sal and our bud greenl!

As a side note, here is a list of some of our favorite quirky, odd tv shows we have enjoyed over the years. I'm looking here for offbeat humor, culty shows that often haven't lasted, or ones that have with small but vocal fan followings.
(No particular order)

South Park
Greg The Bunny (we have the full series on dVD)
Strangers With Candy (We have full series on DVD)
Family Guy
American Dad
That 70's Show

Movie Review: Strangers With Candy

The wife and I went to see the big screen version of one of our favorite tv shows, Strangers With Candy. The movie was entertaining but certainly not a keeper. It does not fall into the category of must buy, which for us is the true test of a quality flick... will we want to own it and rewatch it multiple times. Strangers With Candy was a movie for the fans; it offers a rewarding sampling of what we enjoyed about the show. However, the difficulty with taking sit com style shows, and trying to transfer what works in the 22 minutes of screen time to longer (in this case, 87 minutes) often feels stretched.

Tomorrows agenda includes watching A Scanner Darkly, with my buddy Sal and our bud greenl!

As a side note, here is a list of some of our favorite quirky, odd tv shows we have enjoyed over the years. I'm looking here for offbeat humor, culty shows that often haven't lasted, or ones that have with small but vocal fan followings.
(No particular order)

South Park
Greg The Bunny (we have the full series on dVD)
Strangers With Candy (We have full series on DVD)
Family Guy
American Dad
That 70's Show

Ahead of the Curve?

Click on the Title and check out the linked article. It shows scientific data supporting what I was saying over a decade ago "No need to panic if it's only organic"... check it out.

Coming soon... "I'm a Wolf"

Tonight's Hero

22 year old Jon Lester goes 8 innings of 1 hit ball, handing off to Jonathen Papelbon, the young closer having a phenomenal season. Evil Empire in Rain Delay... hoping for a loss.

Mirabellicious!

This guy is an example of why I am loving this years Red Sox team. The Yankees are nipping at the heels of the heroic Red Sox, and with things looking particularly bleak as the third of their starting rotation left the game with a back strain. Back-up catcher Doug Mirabelli (pictured), brought in specifically to catch Wakefield's knuckler, cranked out a 3 run homer to tie the game against the lowly K.C. Royals and the Red Sox later went on to win the game 5-4, maintaining that 1/2 game lead over the Yankees...

However, with Wakefield hitting the Dl, accompanying David Wells and Matt Clement, the Sox are down to Schilling and Beckett as the only legitimately experienced starters. Jon Lester has been a solid addition, although I don't think anyone viewed him as a #3, starter, which is what he has become. Help us, Theo!!!

I'm Not Worried

I know fans of the evil empire are excited today as their team creeps within a half game of the beloved Boston Red Sox for the lead in the AL east, but I'm not worried. I have said all season that both the Yankees and the BoSox are flawed teams, nowhere near as effective and dangerous as a few years ago. I don't believe either team is good enough to really seperate itself from the other. As long as the Red Sox stay within 4 or 5 games prior to the remaining series between the 2 I will feel fine. The small silver lining in the Yanks sweep of the Chicago White Sox is the narrowing of the difference between Boston and Chicago, thus improving the odds of a possible wild card berth out of the AL East.



However, I am worried about the long term prospects if the Red Sox have to keep trotting out guys like Kyle Snyder and his 10.03 ERA... the Sox basically have 3 starters; Schilling is the horse, the ace. Beckett is the kid, but erraticly talented, and Wakefield is the veteran with a knuckler that no one knows what is going to happen. After than Snyder and Lester... not a recipe for long term success.

Mr.Green Jeansz is throwing me off my game

So I have been less productguve, and my spelling is suffeirng here. I blame it on that damned Mr. Green (jeans). This is a pretty big weekend. The last Savapalooza at my parents house. Their last weekend in NJ, before making a move to North Carolina for retirment. I think this a good move for them, but it is huge after over 32 yrs. That's a hell of a long time.



it's only 2 damnd days after the all star break and the REd Sox lead in the AL East has Been cut in half. The Yankees won a tough game tonight, and the Red Sox have dropped 2 straight to Oakland, a team that looks like it might be gearing for it's annual second half run to the playoffs. The Sox really need to make a move for a starting pitcher, because Becket,Schilling, and Wakefield are the big 3, and Beckett is too inconsistent to have so much resting on the shoulders of these 3. Lester has been a nice surp;rise, but he is an unknown for the long haul, and Wells and Clement don't seem anywhere near returning. I suspect this division is going to go down to the last few weeks of the season, including that 5 game series at Yankees stadium.

Sav

Brutal, just Brutal!

Wow! I know i was supposed to offer up part II of the wedding weekend, but this weeks episode of Deadwood was so unsettling and disturbing I had to comment on it... sadly, no one watches this show with any regularity, so I could not share this experience with anyone... I watch a lot of film, tv, etc., but this was easily one of the most brutal, disturbing fight scenes I have ever seen. I couldn't get it out of my head, and I rewatched the scene tonight. I realized that the scene, a brutal mano y mano fight, bare knuckled, no weapons, was so disturbing because it was so real. If you do not watch this show, you should. I can not possibly describe the intensity of this fight, but the truth is that there are no heroes in this story, just survivors. I will admit, the brilliance of good storytelling inspires the viewer to root for someone who is in many ways evil (i.e. Tony Soprano), but most important here was the aftermath, in which the "victor" was show naked, shivering in a room, shaking uncontrollably as he came down from the state of animalistic fury necessary in a kill or be killed scenario... just an outstanding depiction of violence in all its ugliness.

Back from the Weekend

Hello All... sorry I haven't checked in since Thursday. I attended the weekend wedding in Saratoga, NY of my high school buddy Faulk. I was in the wedding party and definitely have found that weekends like that are far more difficult than back in the day... which of course makes sense, but still sucks!

I approached the weekend aware of my limits yet also cognizant of my desire to rage. I took the following approach. I met up with the wedding party on Friday night at the chapel. My wife and I were the first to arrive, finding the church vacant when we entered. The groom eventually arrived after a full day: 18 holes of golf, followed by a lengthy 19th hole. Mr. Green was heavily involved throughout the weekend, and Friday was no different for the groom. Basically, by the time we hit the rehearsal dinner (and it's open bar!), I knew I had to hit it hard to get into the game. I had 3 Sam Adamns at first, but realized my need for food would lead to a bloated stomach if I kept drinking beer. The switch to gin and tonic was on... well, things could have gotten terribly ugly from there, but luckily they did not.

Part II tomorrow, beginning with a shaky, hung over beast.

Stop Playing Politics

Say it ain't so, Joe! I understand your desire to please your master, Mr. Norcross. Sure, your posturing makes you feel good. However, you just do not get it... Gov. Corzine is attempting something nearly unheard of in our state... Responsible Finances. I understand you may not remember those policies, since they haven't been used in our state for such a long time, and certainly during these plague years of the Bush regime, but try it, maybe you'll like it. I know the people of NJ, especially the many who are unable to earn a living thanks to you, would like it. By the way, why did your committee sit on the budget proposal for over 100 days, and now on day 107 you finally may have a legitimate counterproposal...

Boo F**king Hoo

So Bush's Buddy, "Kenny Boy Lay" died, and as my buddy BarceMan asked rhetorically "A bit of justice, perhaps?" (See Story)

I Highly Reccomend you watch the movie Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room.


The movie shows the greed encouraged in our freemarket trading economy that continually rewards a disproporational amount of power and wealth to small economic elite. It's a particularly rewarding watch now, since you the viewer would be aware of the postscript... in effect, a bit of just desserts for the major villians. (Fastow, Lay, and Skilling.)

Sav

What a Waste

I don't know how many other Red Sox fans are out there reading this, but I've really had it with this guy. He had a great first half last season for the Sox, got hit by that comebacker around the midway point and hasn't seemed the same since. I'm so tired of hearing Yankee fans cry about their team.. look at the BoSox, with 2/5 of their starting rotation out for the majority of the season (Wells and Clement), and a complete breakdown of their former all star closer Keith Foulke. However, the Sox have gotten good starts out of Jon Lester and had an allstar arise in Jonathen Papelbon... it's called rising to the occasion, Yankee fans. Like being humiliated in a game 3 playoff loss, falling behind 3-0, and becoming the first team in baseball history to come back to win their series and then sweep the World Series!!!

Sav

Superman Returns Review

I just wanted to offer a quick review of Superman Returns. I saw the flick opening day with my wife. This is the first opening I've seen of a movie since the Kill Bills. We were supposed to go see the film in the city with our good friend the WoodMan but he was unexpectedly called away on business.

I held off on a review in case people hadn't yet seen the film but feel I've waited enough now. The film was good. Brian Singer clearly gets what needs to be present in a super hero film. (See X-Men and X-2) The set pieces were great, and as I said to a friend of mine, a good Superman flick has events that are very large... thus the environmental shenanigans initiated by Lex Luthor.

Lex Was good, (or rather Kevin Spacey was good as him). It wasn't the fully darkened Lex I prefer, but Spacey clearly communicated his anger towards Superman.

My complaints didn't detract from my enjoyment, but there are some issues that prevent this movie from being a top tier comic book movie.

Firstly, the idea that Superman has left the planet for 5 years, without saying goodbye to anyone. I am a reader of comics for 30 years now (literally, I have read comics for 30 years.) I haven't allowed this membership in an admittedly insulated culture to ruin my opinion of comic book movies, and I am a believer in the creative teams in both comics and films be given some latitude in the depiciton of the characters. However, there are some issues in which the characters actions are glaringly out of the base of that character. A hypothetical example of this would be Batman cold bloodedly shooting a criminal in cold blood. This wouldn't be anywhere near consistent with the character of Batman. So the thought that Superman would spend many years on Earth, grow to appreciate human beings (and even love humans, such as his parents and Lois), recognize his impact on the nature of the world, and then split for 5 years to basically get his head together. I just don't buy it. If he had returned to earth and admitted his mistake, realizing that "With great power comes great responsibility" ala Spider-Man, I could buy it.

Lois has a child that is the result of a tryst between herself and super-man. the child possesses some super powers but lacks the ability to use them at will. THis opens the possibility of some future cool storylines in the sequels, but will need to
be handled delicately.

Finally, the fact that both Superman and Clark Kent have been missing for 5 years, then both miraculously reappear in the lives of the Daily Planet workers, and no one makes any connection?

I would place this film around the range of X-Men and possibly the Spider-Man films. It doesn't rise to the level of Batman Begins, the original Batman, X-2, or the non-spandex comic based films like V for Vendetta or Sin City.

Don't look now, but the Red Sox have won 50 games and it isn't even the numberical halfway pt of the season. 50-29 doubles to 100-58. That leaves 4 games to play with. Furthering the chances that this years team wins 100 games.. I then see them playing the wild card from the al central, winning and beating the central winner in 7 games, ending with a 6 game win in the World Series.

Yanks lost tonight and they fall 5 games back.

Sweet

This reminds me of a history class i had in college, many years ago. The class was geared towards World War II and the true "axis" powers, as opposed to the current regimes "axis of evil". The professor once showed us a classic picture of Stalin, and the prof wryly remarked "Look at that face, doesn't it just gush with the milk of human kindness"... seems like a perfect quote for Darth Cheney.

Sav

Today's Sign of the Apocalypse

What does it say about the state of western civilization that movies like Little Man get made?

This is the same crew that did White Chicks... are these movies made by individuals who are involved in a contest for who can make the most mentally insulting movie possible?

Or are studio executives simply greenlighting the stuff they know Americans want to see?

Sav