ET TU, Mr. Millar?

Well let the abuse begin, since I will take a lot of crap tomorrow as the footsteps of the Evil Empire are now closing in on the Red Sox. Todays walk off 3 run homer by old friend, Mr. Cowboy up himself, the self described dirt bag Kevin Millar blasts a HR off Kyle Snyder and the Orioles beat the Red Sox 6-3. The Yankees completed a sweep of the Cleveland Indians and show no signs of slowing down. Definitely a nice time for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays to roll into Boston, and hopefully this Baltimore team continues to play well and gives the evil empire a hard time.

The only positive to be taken is another decent start from Schilling. 6 innings, 0 ER, 5 hits. I can live with that. The real problem is lack of offense (again) and Eric Gagne. 3 runs against the Orioles, and starter Steve Traschel? That just isn't good enough!!

Here's a brief recap of the Gagne debacles: "Gagne, obtained from Texas on July 31 to fortify the back end of the bullpen, endured another damaging performance. Seeking to hold a 3-1 lead in the eighth, the right-hander entered with a runner on and promptly yielded a tying home run to Tejada on a 3-2 pitch.Gagne retired the next two batters, but he has allowed seven runs in four innings over seven games. On Friday, Gagne got one out while blowing a four-run lead in a 6-5 defeat. "

Here comes the G.D.M.F. Evil Empire

So here comes the f'in Yankees. 5 games back now and rolling along like a juggernaut. The Sox blow a come from behind rally against the Orioles, and new bullpen stud Gagne absolutely implodes, followed by a loss from Asian wonder Okijima. A bad day overall for those of us in Red Sox Nation. - The positives from last night are simple, the rally back and the stat line of Dice-K.
7 innings - 4 hits-1 Earned Run - 7 strike outs. - I will go on record right now. Anything less than the World Series is a failed season for the BoSoX. (Actually, after Gagne, I felt that anything less than winning the world series, but I am beginning to doubt that at this point). So today is now big, because if it hits 4, then the 6 games against the evil empire get even scarier. If the Yankees win 5/6 they would take the A.L. East... I'm excited that I at least get to watch the Sox on tv today, since it's been a while since they've been on TV. HOpefully things go b ack to 6, with Beckett on the mount for the Sox, and Mussina on the mound for the Yankees (He is due for a stinker)

Beast

Movie Review: Bourne Ultimatum

I took a comp day on Friday and spent the day with my wife. She had been away for the week, starting last Sunday. This came on the heels of last Saturdays sad demise of Pumpkin, and mrs. savvybeast and I really didn't get much of an opportunity to spend time together. - The plan friday was to see the new film in the Bourne series, the Bourne Ultimatum.

I loved the Bourne Identity. Directed by Doug Liman (Swingers, Go) it felt like an old school spy thriller, with an amnesiac man trying to figure out why he was so damned good at kicking ass! The nice part of the film was the gritty feel it presented, rather than a too smooth, too polished, Michael Bay style of monstrosity. The inclusion of Clive Owen as a killer and Franka Potenka rounded out a solid start to the film series, and a quick addition to our DVD library. The sequel was also very good, but my wife was very irked because of the death of the Franka Potenka's character. I enjoyed the sequel, (The Bourne Supremacy) and also liked the addition of Brian Cox, Julia Stiles, and Joan Allen.

The amazing part of the newest film is that it is actually better than the first 2! It is fairly rare that movie series get better over time, although there are many notable exceptions. Empire Strikes Back as the best of 6. Lethal Weapon 2 better than Lethal Weapon. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom the worst of the 3 Raiders movies. (I lean to the original). Bourne Supremacy is superb. The film plays it honest, and while Matt Damon's Jason Bourne is on a mission to find out the truth he is relentless, haunted, and feels real. No pithy, John McClane style one liners here. Julia Stiles returns and hints at a previously untold piece of the puzzle, left open to tickle the mind. David Straitharn shows up as a slimy, evil, Bush regime type of fella, and Albert Finney appears as... well, I don't want to spoil it for anyone. Joan Allen is back, and the film is shot with handheld cameras, location shots, and real stunts! How refreshing, to see people in tense situations, going through difficult situations, and reacting honestly. No CGI, no over the top explosions;, no huge movie star smiles with snappy patter. A great film, one of the best of the season, and it consistently brought to mind a couple of other films I recommend you check out. Ronin, The Long Kiss Goodnight, and of course the first 2 Bourne flicks.

Beast

Sad Week

There is dignity in silence, and a picture is worth a 1000 words, so the short, sad truth is this. Our baby, our kitty, our friend passed on last Saturday. I haven't been able to write anything since it happened, and I plan to write a lengthier blog post soon, but for now, take a moment to appreciate one of the finests felines to grace the earth with her presence; Pumpkin. This pic captures everything about out baby, from her "sleepy love" eyes, her enjoyment and contentment she felt with us, (and us with her), and her love of a good nap. A happier cat couldn't be found, and neither could two luckier friends than my wife and I. (We didn't "own" her, we were graced with her presence.
R.I.P. - Pumpkin. June 2000 - Jan. 2001 (she entered our lives) - July 28, 2007

8 is Great

So the BoSox continue to win, and after handling Cleveland *(You're welcome, Yankee fans, for the help in the wildcard. 8 game lead in the division now, still the best record in baseball, and Wakie got a win, so basically a nice night. The only thing that would have really made it perfect would have been Mariano blowing last nights suspended game against the Orioles, (which he almost did!) - So settle down, Yankee fans, you still have not gotten over the hump, and you all crack me up with your hopes pinned on 2 old guys (Pettite and Clemens ) and 2 really young guys, (Hughes and Jabba). Money bought a lot of offensive talent, but pitching requires good scouting, money, and a little luck. Hmm, 1 out of 3 ain't bad, fellas!

Dude, What a Week

Dude, What an F'ing week! Even with a mental health day taken, I still felt beat. Just tooo much shit, man. - Okay, so here's the good stuff. It's Friday! That means 2 mornings of time to myself, where I can get up early and enjoy having my time. Plan on spending time with the wife tomorrow, since she goes away for a few days on a business trip this week, starting on Sunday. Probably catch a flick on Sunday and read lots of comics, lots of decompression time,before the workweek begins again. Don't get me wrong, I love my job. As far as jobs go, it's great. But I can't help but feel that there is another level, in which a person generates money but does not necessarily work for anyone but themselves. And i don't mean owning a business, per se. (Yes, that was a massacre of grammar, don't care!)

Anyhow, Yankees are losing right now, that's very good news. Boston up 3-1, so the possibility exists that the Sox could be up 8 after tonight. It cracks me up when some of these overly optimistic Yankee fans crow about how I should start sweating and how's my rear view mirror looking. Listen, guys: The Sox have been the 1st or 2nd best team all season, mostly in 1st. The Yankees have been as far back as 14, they have been able to level things up at about 7 back. Too much good REd Sox Pitching, Guys! The Sox may have to choose between Gabbard and Jon Lester to keep with the big club, because Curt
Schilling is returing by Aug 6, and this doesn't even mention Julain Tavarez, a pretty decent starter for the Sox, can return to his more natural role as a quality reliever. Oh, and this is why the Yankees are still trying to find a reliable 8th inning guy, to the point of rushing AA stud Jaba Chamberlain up to help out. That sums it up, my friends. So Endeth the Lesson

Now it's On!

Finally, 100 games in, (give or take) and both the Sox and the Evil Empire are playing well, setting up the rivalry the way it should be. Sox have Jon Lester back, and anyone shoud be able to appreciate his story; a year removed from cancer, he is back in baseball, and although it's certainly of much lesser importance, he provides the BoSox with a 23 year old lefty now to add to the rotation. With Curt Schilling on the way back, that leaves the Sox with 6 starters, (not including Julian Tavares, who will return to the pen where I believe he is more effective anyway. He's been ok as a starter, but is really designed to be a reliever.) - so the Sox still have Lester, Schilling, Wakefield, Beckett, Dice-K and Kason Gabbard! A nice problem to have, and although I hate to say it, the odd man out is probably either mr. Red Sox Wakefield or Gabbard, who has been pitching so well you hate to see him move.

Meanwhile, the evil empire is playing very well, and it seems possible that Joba Chamberlain or this Kennedy dude will be coming up sooner rather than later to provide some bullpen help. Everyone is hitting, Damon is playing well in the field, and the empire looks like they've rebuilt the Death Star. LUckily our patriots from Boston will be ready to once again save us all from the evil empire and their assorted minions!

Beast

13 days

13 days since I last checked in, so here's the update.

Work is becoming very, very draining. Nothing terrible, but let's just say this. As of Thursday, I had 34 saves messages on my Voicemail, all stuff to get back to this week. That doesn't include Friday, when I was caught up with an emergency that had eaten up Thursday as well, so who knows how many more messages to add to that. Plus a chunk of Mon. will be tied up with the Fri. emergency still.

This has been a good Sunday so far, but it's tough, because Sat. is definitely the best day of the week; primarily because Sunday is still waiting! Today has been nice because it's a mixture of chill and activity. Played tennis with my buddy this morning, went out to lunch with my buddy and his son afterwards. Watched the Red Sox win against the White Sox (a necessity with the evil empire winning again). Sox didn't make it pretty, but a win is a win is a win.

Finished a 500 plus pg trade paperback reprinting a bunch of Unknown Soldier stories, great stuff from the silver age of DC comics.

Watched the Mets try to come back against the Dodgers, game going into bottom of the 9th now, Dodgers up.

Monday still looms... still on todays agenda, finish rewatching Desperado (movie review coming soon, at hipsterdoofus.com, link to be added soon.

Beast

No School today!!

So today I took a mental health day, for a variety of reasons.

1. It's supposed to exceed 100 freakin degrees today! I am a big believer in the 1-99 rule. If it's less than 1 degree or more than 99, all work should cease. Life's too short to grind through extreme conditions, unless absolutely necessary.

2. Piled up work that I just didn't want to face on Mon. morning. Hopefully this be alleviated by a couple of work calls from home; the spin being apologetic banter with mention of calling on one's day off. Just spin, and in today's world isn't spin the expectation?

3. Mr. G's recent visit - haven't taken any time to spend 1X1, although he may be angry since I have plans with my wife later tonight that may preclude he and I hanging out... we'll see.

4. My wife and I really don't take real vacations, so why not continue to chip away at my time. We took time off this year for a wedding in Iowa, a funeral in Brooklyn, and we'll use time for the holidays in North Carolina. Hardly any kind of island paradise, so screw it.

What have I accomplished so far? - Halfway through a monster crossword puzzle, read a chapter of the Looking Glass Wars, burned a CD for a friend, and left this blog post!

Beast

Tons of Shit

Recently purchased songs from Itunes (and why)

Relax - Frankie Goes to Hollywood - Remember those oversized White t-shirts that read "Frankie Says Relax?" I do. This is one of those all time great songs, anyone can dance to it (not necessarily dancing well, but dancing.) Of course when I was young I didn't realize it's a totally gay song and once I did I really didn't give a damn. However, I specifically remember when the song shifted away from pure FM radio memory and took up space attached to something more concrete in my brainspace (a limited amount available, so consolidation and strengthening of position is always on the mind of my thoughts and memories.)

Body Double was a Brian Depalma movie from the 80's and I saw it as I was beginning to develop a stronger and better sense of taste. I didn't know then that DePalma worshipped Hitchcock and was making his movies with over homages to Hitch, I just knew the movie starrted Melanie Griffith (pre collage and other assorted plastic surgeries, this was a young Melanie, playing an actress in a porno movie, and during one scene that resonated with this adolescent was a sex scene in which the Relax is playing and the male partner is having sex with Mel, ending with him stating to the director that he had blown the money shot! Great Stuff!

Jump Around by House of Pain - great bar song circa. early to mid 90's. Basically I'll always attach this song to good times at the Knight Club on Easton Ave New Brunswick, during the college years. Basically this song was an excuse to drag my chemically addled body out to the dance floor and ... jump around like a fucking madman, sweat splattering off my soaked head while another evening of debauchery was in full force. Not to be repeated, but never regretted or forgotten!

White Lines by Grandmaster Flash - see above, fill in the dots. One of the classics on the standard Knight Club soundtrack

Never Tear Us Apart by INXS - great song, but watch Donnie Darko a few times and you'll see how perfectly this song is placed in the movie. Part of the initial establishing shot, it's the first indication that you are watching a true mindfuck film, one that offers new shit everytime you watch it.

Route Shift- All Star Break.

MLB heads into their 3 day all-star break and it's a good time to review the first half and see where those great guys from Boston are right now.

Sox still own the best record in baseball, as they have for most of the year. They struggled a bit in June but have remained consistent. Considering the fact they are missing Schilling, Coco Crisp has struggled at the lead off spot all year and newly signed shortstop Julio Lugo is batting under.200 I have to be pleased. This could be a 100 win team but that is secondary to the real goal; win the World Series. (I like Mets fans more than Yankee fans, but I am a little tired of hearing "1986" and "We have 2 championships" - yeah, none in the 90's and none in this century! I figure that going through the Yanks after being down 3-0 put that demon to bed, now the ghosts of 86 can be fully exorcised by beating the Mets in the World Series. The only team in the A.L. that worries me are the Detroit Tigers (hey, they just swept the BoSox, otherwise it's clear sailing!!!

Super fast a.m. quick hits

Been 9 days since last post, so here goes:

Knocked Up - great movie, lots of fun, perfect couple movie that we actually liked equally.

Drank too much on July 3rd, the ugly side of the beast began to come out - not good!

Wireless network up and running again, thanks to Salad. Had to buy a new router, but that seems par for the course with modern technology.

Sox look to be shutting down Schilling for a while. Good. Sox fans like me need his arm and shoulder to be ready and in top form in Sept/Oct., not July. Team has the best record in baseball, no need to rush him back.

4 Green free days coming to an end. Can I get an AMEN!!!

Beast

The Good, The Bad and the Ugly

Quick post this a.m.

The Good - Red Sox still best team in baseball, 574 days left of the Bush regime, the 200 million dollar N.Y. Yankees are below .500, 10 games behind the Red Sox.

The Bad - Sox lost last night, Rod "Shooter" Beck was found dead in his home 2 days ago

The Ugly - 40 year old WWE wrestler Chris Benoit found dead in his home yesterday, along with his wife and son. Early speculation seems to suggest the possibility of a murder- suicide.

It really has to make you wonder about the WWE - I'm a very peripheral fan, and off the top of my head I can name the death of Eddie Guerrero, Miss Elizabeth and Benoit. (All young) There is the arrest of Ric Flair, Scotty Too Hottie, and Steve Austin (for spousal abuse) - and this is literally of the top of my head, early in the a.m. - Just Sad

Almost 2 Weeks

It's been almost 2 weeks since i posted, and the last post was an shout out to the Yankees, who finally seemed to be playing like the 200 million dollar + team they have. They shaved 7 games off the Red Sox 14 1/2 game lead in 17 days and some of the deluded Yankee fans I know began to get as excited as Susan Waldman having an erotic dream about Roger Clemens

Susan " Oh Roger, keep rocketing in in there... Oh My Gawd, Roger!!!"

Well guess what Susan, Mr. Sterling, and assorted Yankee sycophants; you just got swept by the Colorado Rockies, you are a loss away from dropping below .5oo, in the 71st game of the year! Still early, huh, even though it's nearly the half way point. Meanwhile the intrepid heroes of Beantown have overcome the missed starts by Beckett and the placement of Schilling on the DL and have pushed their lead back to 10 1/2.

Check in later for some movie reviews, which I will also be posting on Thehipsterdufus .com.

So it Begins

I think it's safe to say the Yankees are putting their problems behind them and now will being playing the way we all expected. (This is coming from a Yankee hater, so I hate writing this, but I knew it was only a matter of time.) - Yanks have won 4 in a row, their starters have looked good, Roger starts today, Mo is back, the hitting has come around, etc. - This is when I really begin to appreciate the 10 game lead the Sox have put together. Sox have a slipped a bit of late, losing the series to the Yanks, and almost getting swept by the Oakland A's. - enter Schilling. Schilling isn't the kind of guy, especially at this age, who will give you a monster regular season. However, I still love him in big spots. The Sox had lost 4 straight, and I have watched enough baseball to know these things can spiral, which is why Schill's complete game, 1 hit gem to deliver a 1-0 victory and a stop to the slide was so important. The team seemed to feed of that, and last night Beckett came out to improve on his perfect record to go 9-0 now, and even J.D. Drew showed glimplses of what he can do, with 7 RBIs, 2 HR.

The season can now truly begin, evil empire fans. Your mercenary is back in the fold (Roger "I love myself" Clemens starts today.

Been Away

I've been away from the blog for a few days; unfortunately my uncle Charlie died on Sunday night. He was 71 and has dealt with poor health for most of his adult life; a very small sampling of some of his ailments are as follows: terrible skin rashes and irritations since childhood, triple bypass surgery for his heart, back problems, a painful dropped foot, throat cancer, leading to surgery that removed his taste buds and killed his ability to taste food, chemotherapy that left him unable to produce saliva on his own, leaving him unable to enjoy food and requiring him to constantly have water with him.... and this is truly the tip of the iceberg. He lived to be 71 and would have celebrated his 45th year as an ordained priest this week.! - It was tough for my mother, but she appreciated the presence of my father (of course) myself and my wife the last couple of days. (The folks moved to North Carolina last year, so this weeks trip was planned as a fun time; unfortunately this situation developed. -

R.I.P. - Father Charles McLaughlin

Beast

Karma is a Bitch!!!

Karma sure is a bitch, huh Dougie? Remember when you were a douchebag about returning that ball from the last out in the 2004 World Series? - You had to be pushed for over a year before you returned it to the Hall of Fame. - I sure did, and I laughed while you lay on the ground yesterday. - Hey Posada, remember how you used to get so worked up when Pedro threw inside? You were always in the middle of the shit? - Yet Friday, you were there telling the reporters after the game (and Kevin Youkoulis during) that the inside headhunting ball by baby faced Yankee asshole Scottie P was simply an accident.- Yeah right? Well guess what? - Mike Lowell showed you that winning teams don't start cheap shit (yelling during pop ups, A-Hole), they finish it. Oh, and they also lead by 13 1/2 games.

One last question, evil fans. "Where is Roger?" - Oh, that's right, he has a fatigued groin. WTF. He hasn't even made a start yet and he has a fatigued groin? - Nice investment there, Cashman. How much you spending on Rocket Man and Igawa? - I can't hear you.

Contact Info

http://www.myspace.com/savvybeast


Figured I would throw out the URL to my myspace acct. - I rarely used to go there, but have found it to be a convenient way to stay intouch with some people outside of my normal circle.

Payback!!??

"I don't know karate, I know Karazy" - James Brown, from The Payback

So I'm a little torn regarding my feelings towards how the evil empire should be approached today. After Scotty "i can't get anyone out so I will just try to take em out... permanently" tried to kill Kevin Youkilis yesterday, I want to see reitribution. I distinctly remember the 2004 season when Varitek finally enough of this Yankee B.S. and smacked A-Rod upside the head, effectively saying "enough is enough". - (Above is Dumbo Posada trying to sell the classic Yankee crap, "oh, that was just a mistake..." FU, Dumbo, whenever Pedro came inside on people you went apeshit. Yankee credibility is a very slight notch above the Bush regimes.

Today old warhorse Schilling takes the mound, and a huge part of me wants to see an inside brain splatterer take down someone like A-Hole or Dumbo, but I also don't want the evil empire to be provided with the impetus to reach deep into their evil psyches and pull out the power of the dark side to go on a run. Remember, the Red Sox are 12 1/2 games up, the empire is 6 behind in the wild card (behind 7 teams). The Sox are the pursued, and I really don't need to see anymore of our players injured (Empire already took down Lowell and tried to kill Youk, if I haven't already mentioned that.)

Best suggestion - build up a lead, bring in someone from the Pen, and then hammer some scumbag Yankee. - My Yankee buddies can vouch for me; I don't believe in trying to hurt any player. Pitching inside is an art, and I feel the empire has been lax in pitching inside. however, going for the head is unacceptable (although it really is the yankee way, remember Roger?) - I haven't seen Torre's explanation yet, but I'm sure he'll shovel some bs and say it was an accident. Right. - I also told my good buddy and Yankee fan that I would be upset if the Yanks took this approach, a cheapshot answer to their frustrations. he agreed, and now here we are.

If only Jon Lester were back now the BoSox could send in wild man Julian Tavarez and tell him to try to kill someone - he would gladly do it, and I would applaud the whole way. For anyone who calls me inconsistent, I say this: I would not advocate violence as a solution to problems, but if someone threatens me or those close to me then self defense enters the pic - what happened yesterday has to be addressed. tit for tat, and then the games can continue.

Classless Evil Empire - a.k.a. Business as usual

So the Evil Empire reminds me why I hate them so much, with their typical bullshit that they pull tonight. They trail tour heroes, the Red Sox by over 13 games and are playing well tonight, winning handily 9-3, on their way to ta modest 2 game winning streak, and then in true cowardly Yankee fashion, Scott Proctor tries to end Kevin Youkoulis' career with a 94 mile an hour fastball at his head. It amazed me that even Yankee Shill Mike Kay was disgusted, calling what Proctor did just wrong. Of course, Kay also breathlessly drooled over the return of beloved hero Roger Clemens, the man who tried to kill Mike Piazza. Just another example of a classless 200 million dollar team that tries to project this image of the all american team, and yet they have Stray Rod slutting around with whores, slapping at pitchers arms (Bronson Arroyo), yelling as they run the base paths, roiding up, punching photographers in the face (Randy Johnson), or generally being an all around douchebag (Dumbo Posada and guys like Gary Sheffield) - This team represents what is wrong with America, overpaid overentitled classless scumbags disregarding basic human goodness and arrogantly proclaiming it their right!

Douchebags-in-arms!?