Mishmash

One thing that is the worst is knowing that you have ideas to write, but can't come up with enough content to make a full on post.  Every time I start to write, I get a few paragraphs on, run out of coherent thoughts, and it just sits in the drafts pile until I get frustrated and delete the whole thing.  Well, NO MORE!  For I have decided to just throw a few of them together and make a mishmash of a post.  Here are a few random topics that I started and never finished.

Pete Rose bet on baseball.  Betting on baseball is illegal if you play.  He was banned for life.  Every once in a while, he petitions the commissioner to reinstate him.  Each of them refuse to let him in.  Because of his gambling, Pete Rose is kept out of the hall of fame.  But does he deserve consideration?  Technically the baseball hall of fame is not run or owned by MLB and he was only banned by the MLB.  So he could get in if the veteran's committee voted him in.  Which I don't think they'll ever do.  Fox drags him out occasionally for televised events, but I think he is terrible at analysis.  Just like with any player that tests positive for PEDs, I think Pete Rose should be left out of the hall of fame.  I know he didn't cheat, but he broke the rules and got caught.  If, IF, they ever let him in, and his plaque doesn't have an asterisk explaining why he was banned, that would be a total disgrace.

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My goals for this year are going okay so far.  I have finished two books and am halfway through another one.  It's now the end of February so I think I am on track for my ten books.  I have eight books lined up for the rest of the year.  I got some for Christmas, some I bought with money from my birthday.  They are three comics (Daredevil collections),  a three fantasy books, a sports book, and a Stephen King short story collection.  As far as music, I have a few new albums.  I bought Adele's '25' for my wife for Christmas.  I put it on the computer for her and have it on my phone now.  It's a very good album, very enjoyable.  Sad music, not surprisingly, but it's so good.  I also bought Kendrick Lamar's 'To Pimp a Butterfly'.  It's good.  So good.  So, so good.  It covers subjects I have little to no insight on, so it's really outside my comfort zone.  But that's what I wanted to do.  I wanted to find new music.

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The outdoor NHL game has lost it's allure.  I think the main reason is because they have saturated the market.  When they first started doing the outdoor game, it was once a year.  On New Year's Day.  It was fun and exciting because it was just that one time a year.  Now, they have the Stadium Series in which they have a few more games.  The two they had this year had teams I have some interest in:  Minnesota and Detroit.  Minnesota because this is where we live now, and Detroit because that's where we're from.  The Detroit/Colorado game was good.  It was close until the very end.  The Minnesota/Chicago game was not.  Surprisingly, Minnesota thumped Chicago.  As fun as it was to see the teams I wanted to win, win, there just wasn't the same buzz as there was when it was only one game a year.  Part of it, I think, is because the fans are so far away.  Seriously, the ice is in the middle of a baseball stadium and the fans are so far removed from the game that it takes away.  We all know the sound of drunk fans slamming the glass and that was one thing that was missing.  

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I spent my birthday lazing around do a whole lot of nothing.  Just how I wanted it.  I watched the 'Star Wars' trilogy, went out for lunch and a beer, came back home and cooked dinner.  Usually we go out, but my wife worked late and we ended up going out a few nights later.  As an adult, I never really wanted to have big birthday parties for myself nor did I want a big party thrown for me.  We had a friend who threw a surprise birthday party for his wife when we were living down in Wichita, and she was so surprised and it was fun.  I told my wife that if she ever did that, I would turn around and walk out and go home.  That's just not my thing.  I'm all for a good party, but I don't want it to be all about me.  That's not who I am. 




So there you have four posts crammed into one because I couldn't come up with enough content.  And hey, it's February 29th.  LEAP DAY!  I always thought that it would be cool to have a birthday on the 29th.  Would you celebrate it on the 28th or the 1st on non Leap Years?

Rivalries Needed. Apply Within.

One thing that seems to be missing in most sports right now is rivalries.  Not just rivalries, but heated rivalries.  Rivalries filled with so much hate and anger that it carries over from one game to the next, one season to the next.  Heated rivalries makes the stadium or arena buzz with both excitement and anxiety.  Each play can add to the hatred. 

The last GREAT heated rivalry that lasted for years has to be the Red Wings and Avalanche.  Each time the teams took the ice after Claude Lemieux boarded Kris Draper, you never knew what was going to happen.  It had everything.  Players calling each other out in the media.  Full on brawls.  Goalie fights.  GOALIE FIGHTS!  At center ice.  It made you hate another team.  It made them the enemy.  It was the game you could circle on the schedule and look forward to an intense game.  Sure, the fights took away from the game itself, but if you could get players like Peter Forsberg and Igor Larionov to drop the gloves, you know it was a hatred that was on the next level.  

It's nice to have a respectable rivalry like Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, but there's no real drama that stems from the rivalry.  They shake hands at the end, say good game, and go to the locker room.  How much better would it be if one of them stepped up to the microphone and said 'I hate that guy' or 'I hate that team because they play dirty.'  It is nice to have rivalries where each team holds the other in high regard, it shows that the players are human after all and not just there for our entertainment.  But wouldn't it be nice to have Brady say something like 'look at the head to head record, not much of a rivalry if you ask me.'? 

You see heated rivalries pop up every now and then.  Think Pistons/Pacers after the Malice at the Palace.  The hatred was there but wasn't sustained.  The rivalry lasted all of two season (I'm guessing, I'm not big into basketball).  So why wasn't this a big a rivalry as Wings/Avalanche?  One thing that sustains rivalries is players and success.  If you have the same players on the teams, they learn to hate each other.  If you have players traded or they sign with another team, part of the rivalry goes with them.  If Lemieux has been traded away or retired the same year he boarded Draper, would the rivalry been as angry as it was?  I don't think so.  If you take an element like hatred out, you might have an overall rivalry because the two teams are at or near the top of the sport, but it won't be as angry a rivalry if you keep a hated player on the roster.  You wouldn't have an enemy, you would just have competition.  

If you have two teams that go in different directions and one is successful while the other team struggles, it never seems to be much of a rivalry.  If you have a team that is doing poorly and they start to get physical with another team that is doing well, the bad team is seen as goonish.  Like they are trying to hurt the other team's players because they are succeeding.  However, if you have the two teams that are playing at a higher level, or I suppose if both teams are struggling, and they play with hatred it's seen as okay because they both risk the same thing.   

The era that sports are in right now lends to the rivalry decline.  Players, no matter what sport, sign with or get traded to, any team.  You don't see a player saying that they would retire rather than play for a team that they considered a life time rival.  The reason Jackie Robinson retired a Dodger is because he wouldn't play for the Giants (then the New York Giants) because he played for the Brooklyn Dodgers.  Or so the legend goes.  With players going to several different teams throughout their playing careers, they start to make more friends.  So when they end up on a rival team, are they going to brush the batter back off the plate?  No.  Are they going to take them harder into the corner once they passed the puck?  No.  That's because, even if they are on a traditionally rival team, they still know and might even like the guy that is their 'rival'.

Reading back on the Ruben Tejada/Chase Utley incident during last year's playoffs makes my point that heated rivalries are fading fast.  Chase Utley BROKE THE DUDE'S LEG on a dirty slide to break up a double play.  And here's a few quotes I'm pulling from an ESPN article.

"That's not a slide. That's a tackle."  Michael Cuddyer, Mets outfielder

"We're losing our starting shortstop now for the rest of the playoffs.  He's got a broken fibula. It cost us potentially this game. And we don't have anything to show for it."  Kelly Johnson, Mets second baseman

After the Wings/Avalanche series in which Draper was injured was over, Dino Ciccarelli famously said 'I can't believe I had to shake that guy's (Lemieux) hand.  That pisses me off.'  You know what's missing from the Mets players' quotes?  Anger.  Animosity.  Hatred.  I couldn't find a quote from a Mets player after that game about any sort of retaliation.  I found some slightly veiled comments from the manager and the next game's starting pitcher.    I'm not calling for injuring another player, what I'm looking at is that if this is going to be a rivalry, how are Tejada's teammates not outwardly angry?  Is it because they haven't player with Tejada for a number of years?  Is it because the Mets/Dodgers aren't much of a rivalry because they are on opposite sides of the country and for a long time the Mets have struggled to win 70 games a season?  Perhaps a mixture of those elements.  But when you have guys coming and going on teams, you don't have the history against an opponent.  And that is the one thing that makes rivalries have less of an edge to them.  

Dream Lineup

Is anyone else in dire need of baseball?  I'm starting to get itchy for balls and strikes and doubles rolling into the gap.  The Detroit Tigers have been busy this offseason cleaning up after last year's mess of a season, and it has gotten me thinking about how they are going to look this season.  The major new piece is Justin Upton, whom they signed to a six year, hundreds of millions of dollars contract.  Everyone seems to be happy about it, but I'm a little hesitant because he seems a bit streaky to me.  Don't get me wrong, I love his defense and was a solid option to put out in left field, but from what I can tell, he seems to be a streaky hitter that can carry a team or cause ulcers in the fans and managers.  The big question after his signing is where will he hit in the lineup.  There's lots of options because he has pop in his bat, has speed if needed, and can provide high on-base percentage at bats.  Below is what I think is a good idea of a lineup.  People who know more than I might yell and scream about it, but let me defend myself. 

1.  Ian Kinsler
2.  Jose Iglesias
3.  Miguel Cabrera
4.  J.D. Martinez
5.  Victor Martinez
6.  Justin Upton
7.  James McCann
8.  Nick Castellanos
9.  Anthony Gose/Cameron Maybin

Kinsler has history at the lead off spot in Texas and in Detroit, I like him there again this year.  He's a veteran bat that can reach the seats, but can also slap doubles down the line...when he's not popping up that is.  He is the leadoff man that you want on your team.  While his speed is slowly declining, he can still swipe bases, but with the lineup behind him, he doesn't necessarily need to make things happen. 

Iglesias might spark some questions, but hear me out.  Over the past two years, he has hit .300 and had an on base percentage of .348.  He dropped his strikeouts by twenty last year while doubling his walks.  Those are the four major stats that I look at with a batter like Iglesias.  He isn't going to hit twenty to twenty five home runs a year, he's the guy that is going to manufacture runs with average and speed.  If he can build off of last year's stats, he can be a good number two hitter.  What I look for in a number two hitter is, can he move the leadoff guy?  Can he set up the power hitters for a big start to the game?  I know he has hung out at the bottom of the order during his career, but I think he has the potential to be a top of the order guy.  He does need to work on the double plays he hits into, but I think he could fit near the top.

Cabrera....that's all I need to say.

J.D. Martinez is better protection for Cabrera than Victor Martinez (based on last year).  Victor struggled (and I mean STRUGGLED) last year.  J.D. Martinez is surging into the prime of his career.  Why wouldn't you want a guy like J.D. protecting your best hitter?  Now, I know Victor has more history than J.D., but he has not been healthy two of the last three years, and until he proves to me that he can be that hitter he was two years ago, I think J.D. is the better option.  The one major problem is that Victor is that he is so slow on the base path.  He makes molasses in February look fast.  Is it a possibility that the Super Martinez Brothers can be swapped out throughout the year?  Absolutely.

The next three guys can be juggled in the six through eight spots throughout the year.  From what I can gather from each of them, they all go in streaks.  Hot for a six game stretch, cold the next two weeks.  Hot for a month, cold for a week.  James McCann is a work in progress, he has not been around long enough to have a strong opinion on him.  I think he will be what we all thought Alex Avila was going to be after his 2011 season.  The kid looks like he was plucked out of a corn field in Iowa (yes, I know he is from Arkansas) and given a bat.  I like him to be the catcher for the foreseeable future.  DON'T FUCK THIS UP!  Justin Upton, as stated above, can go on those hot and cold streaks.  Over the past three seasons, he's batted .263, .271, and .251.  Each year he has played an entire season, he's struck out over 120 times.  So it is going to be frustrating at times.  But he can also excited the stadium with his power.  Looking at the average, he can hit 25 home runs in a season.  Nick Castellanos continues to slowly come into his own.  Some fans are frustrated with the progress.  It's coming along people, give it time.  I think if he can bat between .265-.280 with 15 to 20 home runs, 75-80 RBI, how is that a bad thing?  He may be cemented into the eight spot until he get hot and the other guys get cold, but that is fine.  He is still getting his footing at the top level, for him to struggle at times it is almost a necessity.  How else is he going to learn?   

Anthony Goes and Cameron Maybin will be in a time share in the outfield and at the bottom of the order.  If they can get on base, they both have speed to be disruptive.  Other than that, there's nothing to see here folks, move along.  

Just because you have a lineup one day doesn't mean it needs to stay the same the next day, the day after that, or after that.  Hopefully as he gets another year under his belt, Brad Ausmus will start to manage the game as it comes to him.  Not just put one guy in one spot because he always bats there.  If someone is going through a slump, even if he's a star or veteran, why not shake things up a bit?  

Penguin Awareness

Today, apparently, is penguin awareness day.  At least according to the hashtag on Twitter, and if there's one thing we have learned in the age of the Internet, it's that if its on the Internet it must be true.  What is penguin awareness day all about?  I have no idea.  All I saw was people posting cute and awesome pictures and videos of penguins.  What's not to love?  

I'm not writing about penguins, per say, in a factual way, I'm going to tell you a story about me being a snarky little high school asshole.  Don't worry, it'll all make sense by the end.  I had an English teacher my junior year of high school that was juuuuuust a bit off her rocker.  You don't want to make jokes or assumptions about mental health or anything like that, but she seemed to be a bit bipolar.  Very happy one day, very quiet and angry the next.  

Anyway, she would occasionally have these random homework assignments for us that had nothing to do with English class or anything that we were learning.  And I will always remember this one just because it was out of the blue.  She wanted us to write a paper on where we would want to go for a vacation of money was not an issue.  What the hell kind of high school assignment was this?  This was something that you would expect for an elementary school assignment.  Like I said, I was a little high school asshole and took an idea and ran with it.  And I'll paraphrase my paper here, although I wish I still had it because I would totally post it verbatim.

I wrote that I would travel to Antartica.  I have always loved the cold and it is one of the last uninhabited places left on earth.  While I was vacationing there, I would raise an army of penguins (much like the Penguin did in 'Batman Returns').  I would become their general and lead them north and invade South America and move north towards North America.  I would then rule the Western Hemisphere with an army of penguins at my disposal.  

That was the entire paper, but with more details.  Now, let's not argue semantics about them being out of their environment.  Let's just enjoy the fact that it was funny, thoughtful, imaginative, and original.  I don't remember the grade I was given, all I remember is not getting yelled at because of it.  Which is kind of surprising seeing as how I didn't really do the assignment.  I just....wrote something.

Quote Me!

One of the great things about movies is the quotes.  The one liners that stick with you well after the final credits have rolled.  From 'Here's looking at you kid.' to ''May the Force be with you, always.' there are iconic lines.  What I like to look for are the quotes and lines from movies that maybe aren't as iconic, but still are just great.  Whether it's in the moment of the film, or after I have seen the movie several times.  I'm sure everyone out there has those favorite lines from great movies that aren't always quotes.  Here's a few of my favorite lines that get lost in the shuffle.

'Prepare to meet the true Lord!'

Who said it:  Priest Vallon (Liam Neeson) in 'Gangs of New York'
Who he said it to:  Bill the Butcher

Context:  Both characters exchange barbs before the opening street fight.  With a walking crucifix in one hand, Vallon unsheathes a six foot broadsword before exclaiming 'Prepare to meet the true Lord!'  It's just a line the first couple of times you watch the movie, but the more I have seen the movie, the more this line gets to me.  It's a line that can bring you into the scene.  It makes you really cheer for the character, even if he's only in the movie for the first ten to fifteen minutes. 

'Charming, to the last.'

Who said it:  Grand Moff Tarkin (Peter Cushing) in 'Star Wars:  A New Hope'
Who he said it to:  Princess Leia Organa

Context:  Organa is brought upon the Death Star after the Tantive IV (sorry, Star Wars nerdiness is coming out) is captured by the Devastator and she is brought to Tarkin by Darth Vader.  She is led to Tarkin in which she says 'I should have expected to find you holding Vader's leash.  I recognized your foul stench when I was brought on board.'  'Charming, to the last.' is his response.  They both have hatred for each other because they represent opposite ends of the Rebellion/Empire spectrum.  It's just a great line because the two characters are having friendly, angry exchange.  You know that there is backstory between the two characters without having it being explained.  They know each other, hate each other, and it is shown in these lines.

The singing of 'La Marseillasie'

Who sang it:  a bunch of French people in 'Casablanca'
Who they sang it to:  a bunch of German people

Context:  In Rick's Bar, both German officers and French people/liberation fighters are milling around.  A German soldier starts to play 'Die Wacht am Rhein' and the soldiers start to sing the song.  In response, French people stand up and start to sing 'La Marseillasie'.  I don't normally get moved by national anthems, but holy shit this scene!  Both groups of people try to sing louder than the other, and the French people win the scene.  The French people are emotionally singing with tears running down some of their faces, the Germans are stoically singing because they seemingly have to stand up for the Reich.  

'I won't forget you'

Who said it:  Adiran Cronauer (Robin Williams) in 'Good Morning, Vietnam'
Who he said it to:  a bunch of army grunts

Context:  In a movie that revolves around Robin Williams' ability to improvise and make us laugh, this scene encapsulates his ability to go from hilarious to serious in the blink of an eye.  And this scene shows how the power of laughter can make one forget about the world around them and the seriousness of war.  Even if it is just a movie and even if it is just for a few minutes.  He comes across a bunch of grunts that are off to a heavily contested part of Vietnam (but what part wasn't?) and he is forced by Edward Garlick to stand up and do his radio personalities even though he does not want to.  He starts to interact with the soldiers and he finds out where they are going.  The soldiers start to give them their names, and the trucks pull away.  The last line in the scene is 'I won't forget you.' and while this scene is a combination of funny and serious, this line is just a punch in the gut.  Because, even if it is just a movie, historically speaking, you know that some of those guys weren't coming back.

Movies can connect with you for some reason or another, just like music.  And different scenes from the same movie can connect with you for different reasons each time you watch the movie.