Thursday, December 21, 2006
Name Recognition
I got this email this morning from buy.com that read: $10 Nano MP3 player. Of course, I knew there had to be a catch, like "only 70 available" or multiple rebate offers, but it never crossed my mind that the Nano MP3 player they were referring to was the Creative Zen Nano, and not Apple's iPod Nano. I don't know who stole the name from who (I suspect Creative) but it seems a little misleading that both companies can call their products "Nano." What if Dell called their new computer a Dimension G4? Or if another company came out with a video game called "Karaoke Hero"? Sure, the words Nano, G4 or Hero could be used freely, and while it might help to boost your product by using the name of a familiar (and popular) brand, wouldn't the best way to market be to have a superior product and increase your own unique name recognition?
Monday, December 18, 2006
Jets Playoff Chances
A few notes off the Jets game:
1) The NFC North stinks. While the league is full of inconsistency, the NFC North is horrid. I think the NFC North is the reason why so many teams in the AFC East have good records. The Vikings, who have a "great run defense" have no defense against the pass. Ditto for the Green Bay Packers. By the way, can you really have a "great run defense" when your pass defense is horrible? During the Jets and Vikings game, a graphic was flashed up showing how the Vikings run attack compared with Super Bowl defenses like the 85 Bears and 00 Ravens. That's all well and good, but when teams abandon the run in order to just pass against you, it seems misleading.
2) The entire NFC stinks. If the Super Bowl champion does not come from the AFC, it would be a huge surprise. How are the Giants, who have been horrible lately still in the playoff picture, while the Jets, with a better record, need to be perfect the rest of the way.
3) I don't think the Jets will make the playoffs but it's still close. They're tied right now with Denver and Jacksonville, but lose both tiebreakers to those teams. Cincinnati is 8-5, although they need to play the Colts tonight. The Jets need to win both of their games to finish 10-6, not an easy task playing at Miami on Christmas. But even that wouldn't guarantee a playoff spot. They'll need help from New England against Jacksonville next week, since the Jags own the head-to-head tiebreaker. The Bengals and Denver play each other next week, which means if the Colts beat the Bengals tonight, then one of Denver and the Bengals would be assured to go 9-7. I'm not expecting much but it could be a lot of fun going into the stretch. Maybe Miami, now with 8 losses will feel like they have nothing to play for on Christmas night and not be as good as they've been the last month or so. Here's hoping that's the case.
1) The NFC North stinks. While the league is full of inconsistency, the NFC North is horrid. I think the NFC North is the reason why so many teams in the AFC East have good records. The Vikings, who have a "great run defense" have no defense against the pass. Ditto for the Green Bay Packers. By the way, can you really have a "great run defense" when your pass defense is horrible? During the Jets and Vikings game, a graphic was flashed up showing how the Vikings run attack compared with Super Bowl defenses like the 85 Bears and 00 Ravens. That's all well and good, but when teams abandon the run in order to just pass against you, it seems misleading.
2) The entire NFC stinks. If the Super Bowl champion does not come from the AFC, it would be a huge surprise. How are the Giants, who have been horrible lately still in the playoff picture, while the Jets, with a better record, need to be perfect the rest of the way.
3) I don't think the Jets will make the playoffs but it's still close. They're tied right now with Denver and Jacksonville, but lose both tiebreakers to those teams. Cincinnati is 8-5, although they need to play the Colts tonight. The Jets need to win both of their games to finish 10-6, not an easy task playing at Miami on Christmas. But even that wouldn't guarantee a playoff spot. They'll need help from New England against Jacksonville next week, since the Jags own the head-to-head tiebreaker. The Bengals and Denver play each other next week, which means if the Colts beat the Bengals tonight, then one of Denver and the Bengals would be assured to go 9-7. I'm not expecting much but it could be a lot of fun going into the stretch. Maybe Miami, now with 8 losses will feel like they have nothing to play for on Christmas night and not be as good as they've been the last month or so. Here's hoping that's the case.
Yankees Offseason
Going into this offseason, it was pretty clear that the Yankees needed some pitching. At the end of the season, the only starting pitchers under contract were Wang, Johnson, Pavano and Wright. Mike Mussina also had an option that was expected to be picked up. As for position players, there wasn't much to tinker with, except the problem of too many outfielders - Matsui, Damon, Sheffield, Abreu, Williams and Cabrera were all on the squad in the postseason.
The Yankees have made some moves that made sense. They got rid of Sheffield and Wright, and signed Kei Igawa from Japan for close to the market value. Mussina was given a contract extension.
Not too bad so far. The team has re-signed Andy Pettitte, which is a popular move because of Pettitte's past, but I can't help but think it's a move made more out of nostalgia. Even so, he may have been the best person available for the money the Yankees were willing to pay.
As for the rest of the outfield, it seems unlikely they will be able to keep both Bernie Williams and Melky Cabrera, which is unfortunate. It would be difficult to see Williams in another uniform other than the pinstripes, and Cabrera is a pretty talented outfielder who can play all the positions.
I just get the feeling that the Yankees are this aging team that will make the playoffs a lot but just doesn't have the big ace pitcher that World Series teams tend to have. I see Boston going out to make improvements. With the Yankees, they just seem older. I guess we'll have to wait until late next season to find out.
The Yankees have made some moves that made sense. They got rid of Sheffield and Wright, and signed Kei Igawa from Japan for close to the market value. Mussina was given a contract extension.
Not too bad so far. The team has re-signed Andy Pettitte, which is a popular move because of Pettitte's past, but I can't help but think it's a move made more out of nostalgia. Even so, he may have been the best person available for the money the Yankees were willing to pay.
As for the rest of the outfield, it seems unlikely they will be able to keep both Bernie Williams and Melky Cabrera, which is unfortunate. It would be difficult to see Williams in another uniform other than the pinstripes, and Cabrera is a pretty talented outfielder who can play all the positions.
I just get the feeling that the Yankees are this aging team that will make the playoffs a lot but just doesn't have the big ace pitcher that World Series teams tend to have. I see Boston going out to make improvements. With the Yankees, they just seem older. I guess we'll have to wait until late next season to find out.
New York Knicks Fight
Just when you thought it couldn't get any "better" for the Knicks, they had a huge fight on Saturday night. If you hadn't heard, while being blown out at home against the Nuggets, Knicks benchwarmer, Mardy Collins landed a hard foul on Nuggets guard J. R. Smith. Soon after, Smith got upset, and ended up in an altercation with popular Knicks player Nate Robinson. As the fight died down, Carmelo Anthony suckerpunched Collins in the face, and Jared Jeffries ran after him like a crazy man, with his jersey being tugged off as people tried to stop him. I'm so sorry I missed it live.
There's a ton of blame to go around on this one. Starting with the Nuggets: head coach George Karl is known to have made negative comments about Isiah and the Knicks regarding the Larry Brown situation. Could he have had his starters in late in the game on purpose to avenge Brown? Certainly possible.
Earlier in the game, J. R. Smith did a reverse jam while the Nuggets had a big lead. It was a show-off move. A hard foul could have been revenge for that as well.
Finally, Carmelo Anthony doesn't really have any defense for the nasty punch he threw while the fight was dying down.
What about the Knicks? They are not blameless here by any means. Again, starting with the coach. The stories published today, suggest that Isiah Thomas asked Nuggets star Carmelo Anthony at one point why the Nuggets were playing two starters, and then warned that Anthony should avoid the paint. Did he order a hard foul on a Nuggets player as retribution? Thomas also has a track record for having a bad temper - remember when he wanted to fight heckling fans? What about when he was screaming "break his feet" to his players regarding the Spurs' Bruce Bowen?
Nate Robinson also escalated this one. Nate is really popular among Knicks fans but I don't really see why. The only thing I can think of is that he's short. He plays with a lot of energy too. But he's a selfish player and not a great shooter. It'd be nice to see a point guard who can pass the ball a little. Regarding the fight, Robinson went after Smith, following the Collins foul. I wonder why he was looking for a fight there, as his teammate is the one who made the big foul.
Finally Jeffries, the big addition of the off season, looked deranged as people nearly tore off his jersey as they tried to hold him back from Carmelo Anthony. He was understandably angry about the sucker punch but you have to find a way to control yourself in these games. Especially if you just had a broken wrist.
I would imagine that the NBA will come down pretty hard on all the participants of this little party. Clearly both teams are at fault and hopefully both coaches are held accountable. Usually you like to see when your team is scrappy and tough, but this whole situation just seems more petty than anything. The amazing thing about the Knicks this year is that they are miserable, but I'm more fascinated by them this year than in a year where they're pretty good. They're the car wreck you just can't stop watching.
There's a ton of blame to go around on this one. Starting with the Nuggets: head coach George Karl is known to have made negative comments about Isiah and the Knicks regarding the Larry Brown situation. Could he have had his starters in late in the game on purpose to avenge Brown? Certainly possible.
Earlier in the game, J. R. Smith did a reverse jam while the Nuggets had a big lead. It was a show-off move. A hard foul could have been revenge for that as well.
Finally, Carmelo Anthony doesn't really have any defense for the nasty punch he threw while the fight was dying down.
What about the Knicks? They are not blameless here by any means. Again, starting with the coach. The stories published today, suggest that Isiah Thomas asked Nuggets star Carmelo Anthony at one point why the Nuggets were playing two starters, and then warned that Anthony should avoid the paint. Did he order a hard foul on a Nuggets player as retribution? Thomas also has a track record for having a bad temper - remember when he wanted to fight heckling fans? What about when he was screaming "break his feet" to his players regarding the Spurs' Bruce Bowen?
Nate Robinson also escalated this one. Nate is really popular among Knicks fans but I don't really see why. The only thing I can think of is that he's short. He plays with a lot of energy too. But he's a selfish player and not a great shooter. It'd be nice to see a point guard who can pass the ball a little. Regarding the fight, Robinson went after Smith, following the Collins foul. I wonder why he was looking for a fight there, as his teammate is the one who made the big foul.
Finally Jeffries, the big addition of the off season, looked deranged as people nearly tore off his jersey as they tried to hold him back from Carmelo Anthony. He was understandably angry about the sucker punch but you have to find a way to control yourself in these games. Especially if you just had a broken wrist.
I would imagine that the NBA will come down pretty hard on all the participants of this little party. Clearly both teams are at fault and hopefully both coaches are held accountable. Usually you like to see when your team is scrappy and tough, but this whole situation just seems more petty than anything. The amazing thing about the Knicks this year is that they are miserable, but I'm more fascinated by them this year than in a year where they're pretty good. They're the car wreck you just can't stop watching.
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
Comics update
I haven't written much about comics lately, although I've been buying comics every month. So I thought I'd wander a bit and just jot down a few notes about some books I've been buying.
Uncanny X-Men, X-Men
I'll start with the books that got me into reading comics in the first place. The X-Men titles have consistently been some of the most popular comics over the last 10+ years. Sometimes the stories are great and sometimes they're not so great. In recent years I've felt they've bordered more on the "not so great" as I haven't found the stories particularly compelling and some of the characters act in ways that don't seem to make particular sense. For the most part, I found that Grant Morrison was the best writer of the past five years, but as other readers on the Internet have pointed out, it seemed like Marvel tried so hard to "undo" everything that he had started immediately after he left. That was too bad, because I thought he did a great job of writing stories that were similar to older stories with a new twist. In that span a number of other writers have tried their hand at writing the X-books including Joe Casey, Chuck Austen, Peter Milligan and fan-favorite Chris Claremont. I thought that Casey's ideas were pretty good and offbeat but it seems the audience wasn't ready for them. Austen had no grip on how the characters should speak and would act (I particularly remember moments where She-Hulk slept with Juggernaut, her client, and where Iceman was acting like a jerk-off homophobe). Chris Claremont wasn't shy about how much he loved Rachel Summers and Psylocke, since they appeared in virtually every issue he wrote. Unfortunately for me, I wasn't too impressed by these characters. The House of M crossover that affected the Marvel U also affected these books indirectly, although it seems like no "important" people have lost their powers. Milligan was writing tongue-in-cheek, but it didn't take, and for the most part I felt his stuff didn't do anything.
That brings us to the current writers, Ed Brubaker (on Uncanny) and Mike Carey (on "adjectiveless"). Brubaker has assembled a varied cast, that includes Nightcrawler, Havok, Polaris, Warpath, and a de-powered Professor X as they pursue Vulcan, a new character from the Deadly Genesis mini-series. They are all headed into space and to confront the Shi'ar empire. This story, with art by Billy Tan, isn't too bad, but I just don't really care about the X-Men in space. It looks like this story will try to set up the X-Men / Shi'ar relationship now and I'm curious to see if Brubaker has any plans for once (and if) any of the X-Men return to Earth. Meanwhile, in the other X-Men title, illustrated by Chris Bachalao, a new group of super-powered beings come to challenge a random assortment of X-Men including Rogue, Cable, Iceman, Sabretooth and Mystique. While on the one hand I want to say, "haven't we done this before?" with "new groups" of super-powered beings that aren't mutants, the story doesn't bother me yet and Carey has provided good reasons for this particular cast to stay together. The art is inconsistent and hard to read sometimes which can hurt the story, but the eclectic style also sort of fits.
Overall, both books are on the right track, but they're not up to speed yet. Still, it's some of the best stuff in either title over the last five years.
Ultimate X-Men
I used to read nearly every title in Marvel's Ultimate line, but now that's been pared down to two. Ultimate X-Men has been quietly consistent in its quality, and it's almost never late, but I can't help but wonder about the choices to "re-do" normal Marvel U continuity with every story. Can't we have original adventures that don't re-introduce Ultimate counterparts to Marvel heroes and villains? That said, current writer Robert Kirkman has done a nice job with all the characters so far. This current storyline introducing Cable and Bishop may have some potential but I wish the book had an artist who drew more detail than Ben Oliver. In my opinion, aside from Ultimates, the rest of the Ultimate Universe is pretty crappy right now (they're crossing over with Squadron Supreme?) and I'm not too excited for Ultimate Wolverine by Jeph Loeb and Michael Turner, but this title has been steady. It hasn't improved a ton, but it hasn't gotten much worse either.
Astonishing X-Men
Joss Whedon's foray into the X-Men has been well received by fans, and for the most part, I'd agree. He has picked up on some of the threads from Grant Morrison, and the art by John Cassaday has been very nice looking (although I prefer his work on Planetary). The current story has suffered by its slow release schedule, but this group of Beast, Cyclops, Wolverine, Emma Frost and Kitty Pryde is my favorite of the X-books. I'm not sure how much longer Whedon is on this book, and I wonder what will happen with it next, but I hope it's something good.
Runaways
Moving from the book that Joss Whedon writes to the one that he will write, Runaways. Currently, it's written by Brian K Vaughan, one of my favorite writers in comics. Vaughan has been throwing twists and turns ever since Runaways started. The current volume, up to issue 22 hasn't been as surprising as the first, but it still has had its share of enjoyable moments. Vaughan seems to be building to a big conclusion for his run on the series he created that's due to end with issue 24. Joss Whedon will pick it up afterwards for 5-6 issues, and I expect it will be pretty darn good.
Ex-Machina
This is Brian K Vaughan's creation in the Wildstorm universe where a super-powered man, Mitchell Hundred, becomes the mayor of New York City. The book has a limited run (will end at about 50 issues) and is about halfway there at this point. In this fictional universe, super-heroes are non-existent. It is full of Vaughan's trademark twists and also sprinkles in some social commentary as well, often presenting both sides of an issue fairly well. It is illustrated by Tony Harris, and I would highly recommend it.
Y The Last Man
The book that started Brian K Vaughan's success is a Vertigo title called Y: The Last Man. I've been reading this story in trade paperback form and the most recent volume (#8) just came out. If you're not reading, the premise is, that all the males on earth have died except one man and his pet monkey. Before I picked this up I had expected it to be a fanboy fantasy, but instead it's been more of a sci-fi thriller and full of twists and interesting ideas. One of the best stories out there, and I believe it's being made into a movie.
Captain America, Daredevil
I'll take these books together because they are both written by Ed Brubaker and both characters I never really was a big fan of.
Before reading this current volume of Captain America, the only other time I had read this title was when Mark Waid was writing it. I really enjoyed the blend of action and espionage at the time. Ed Brubaker is doing an even better job, mixing together a spy story with Captain America action. He has also blended together the Civil War crossover quite well.
I started reading Daredevil when the Marvel Knights imprint began with Kevin Smith and Joe Quesada. While Brian Michael Bendis did an excellent job with making Daredevil's identity public and turning his life upside-down, he never really finished off his story, and towards the end was telling the story in non-linear fashion, which I found a bit confusing. Ed Brubaker has brought this back to a gritty crime story and so far has had his share of surprises. It's very good, perhaps the best Daredevil yet.
The best compliment I can pay these titles is that every month I consider books I might stop buying, and when I get to Captain America and Daredevil, while I don't have as much invested with the characters, the stories are just too compelling.
Civil War
The big event in the Marvel Universe has had Iron Man and Captain America at each other's throats over whether or not super-powered humans should be registered with the government. Delays in the artwork have had fans upset as well. So far, I don't mind the story that's being told here, although I have not picked up any of the crossover titles. It seems like there are some holes in the core series (most of which I have filled by reading articles on the Internet). While I find the artwork great, it seems to me that some of the characters are acting funny (especially Reed Richards and Spider-Man). I also still can't sympathize with the pro-registration side. I've always liked Mark Millar's writing but this title seems a little silly. I will admit, it's a ton better than the last major Marvel event, House of M.
Ultimates 2
The other book that Mark Millar writes. When is the last issue coming out? I don't expect to buy volume 3 or 4 which will be written by Jeph Loeb. The art by Bryan Hitch is beautiful and when it all ends, this will be a classic tale. But it still hasn't come out. I also was wondering where the "evil Thor" that was in issue 10 went. I think he was involved in invading Washington DC but by issue 12 wasn't around at all.
52
The major event in DC Comics has been the weekly comic, 52. Word has it that this series has been so successful that DC and Marvel both plan on launching other weekly titles. It is nice to have a weekly titles, although it's expensive. But the story keeps moving each week which is nice. Some of the stories are more interesting than others, but for the most part, I'm enjoying the ride. It's been treading water a little lately, but I expect for the second half it will pay-off. The book is written by a team of Geoff Johns, Greg Rucka, Grant Morrison and Mark Waid. The voice seems very consistent, and it's pretty hard to pick out who wrote what. I will reserve my final verdict when this book is completed.
DC's All-Star line
There are two titles that make up DC's All-Star line, All-Star Superman and All-Star Batman. All-Star Superman is written by Grant Morrison and drawn by Frank Quietly. It's a fun book when it comes out, but it's been plagued by delays. Each issue has a self-contained story that is also part of a larger story. All-Star Batman is also delayed, and written by Frank Miller, illustrated by Jim Lee. Lately Jim Lee mentioned that he is responsible for the delays. How bad are the delays? Here's the schedule for the first four issues - September '05, November '05, December '05 and March '06. That's right, one issue in 2006.
DC has to be somewhat upset about how this line has launched. Since September '05, the two titles have shipped a total of 9 issues. This was supposed to be a sort of answer to the Ultimate line - top name creators with continuity-free stories. The titles still sell well, but many fans have noted their distaste for the weird characterization of Batman by Miller. If Batman's only going to be $3 / year, I'll probably keep buying.
Planetary
Speaking of books that come out once per year, Planetary by Warren Ellis and John Cassaday has had 9 issues published since 2004. But each issue is great, and I'm never disappointed. In my opinion, it's completely worth the wait, although I don't always remember the story each time. I think this will wrap up soon (issue 27 might be the finale?) and will probably read very nicely in a trade paperback format.
Wildcats, Authority
Recently it was thought that the Wildstorm super hero line could be re-launched with big name creators. So with one of my favorite writers, Grant Morrison, paired with one of my favorite artists, Jim Lee, how could Wildcats miss? The first issue, which came out in October, actually wasn't too shabby, but the next issue isn't due until at least March '07! Not the best way to launch a line (see All-Star Batman). Meanwhile, Authority, also written by Morrison and illustrated by Gene Ha, started out with an issue that didn't even feature the title characters. This doesn't seem like the way to launch a new line. Still, I like Morrison enough to just wait and see what happens here.
Seven Soldiers
I just read the finale to the Grant Morrison mega-crossover. Anyone who says they know what this was about who is not named Grant Morrison is full of it. Some of the mini-series were pretty cool ideas but the conclusion didn't make much sense to me.
Batman, Detective Comics
Grant Morrison, who has written a number of books mentioned above, is also writing Batman. I've collected comics for a long time, and surprisingly I've never bought Batman or Superman books on a regular, monthly basis. Also, I'm surprised how many mainstream books Grant Morrison is writing these days (All-Star Superman, Batman, Authority, Wildcats, 52). Anyway, the first arc deals with a possible biologic "son" for Batman. For the most part, it seems to read like a pretty standard super-hero story, with a few occasional scenes that have the bizarre flair Grant Morrison is known for. It's not bad, but nothing special at this point.
Paul Dini has been writing standalone, one-month stories for Detective Comics. So far they've been nice, but they don't really seem to be building towards anything. Hopefully, they'll come together as something more cohesive soon.
Action Comics, Superman
A lot of big names have been writing Superman and Batman lately, but I don't feel like any of them have really used the "One Year Later" concept to really re-establish the characters. This title by Richard Donner, Geoff Johns and Adam Kubert may be the one to do it. Donner and Johns seem to be taking an approach to this title similar to the movies, which may upset continuity buffs a bit, but I think it will allow for some fresh ideas. Upcoming will be a 3D issue, which sounds intriguing. Already there have been some plot points that seem to be related to a few of the Superman movies.
Superman is by Kurt Busiek and Carlos Pacheco, a great creative team. While it's been beautifully illustrated, I don't quite know what to make of the story yet. It seems to be going towards an alternate future, which is somewhat interesting, but also feels very played-out.
Wonder Woman
I've picked up the first three issues of this series written by Allan Heinberg (Gray's Anatomy) and beautifully illustrated by Terry Dodson. The series comes out irregularly, which is sort of annoying, but has been pretty interesting so far. I've never really been a fan of Wonder Woman, but Heinberg's Young Avengers for Marvel got so much acclaim that I figured it was worth a try.
Justice League of America
Brad Meltzer has been writing the re-launch of Justice League of America. He has said that he was a big fan of the series when he was growing up, and so far it shows. Meltzer seems to be setting up a bunch of clues for a mystery, and I enjoyed his set-up in Identity Crisis. The best issue so far was Justice League #0, which showed Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman interacting in different points in time, past, present and future. The low point so far, three issues in and Wonder Woman, Batman and Superman are still sitting at table!
Wolverine, Wolverine: Origins
The flagship Wolverine title was just involved with the Civil War crossover, and it was written by Marc Guggenheim, who has done a bunch of television writing. The Civil War crossover wasn't bad. I liked how it integrated into the overall Civil War story, even though there were some elements that seemed absurd even for a Wolverine comic. Jeph Loeb and Simone Bianchi are coming on soon to deal with the relationship between Sabretooth and Wolverine. I find Jeph Loeb to be very hit-or-miss, with the hits being great and the misses being pretty average. Bianchi's art (above), however, is pretty darn good. Here's hoping they tell a nice story.
Wolverine: Origins is written by Daniel Way and illustrated by Steve Dillon. This book came out of the House of M, where Wolverine suddenly remembered everything about his past. I'm still not really enjoying this book. I can't exactly say what's missing but it just seems like there's a lot of characterization that's missing, particularly since Wolverine has been interacting with a lot of different super powered guest stars. I still wonder if Wolverine really needs to have two different titles, and sincerely wish that he were not a part of the Avengers.
The Future
I usually peruse the solicitations for future months, and I have to say that I'm not that impressed with the new offerings. While I'm enjoying 52, I don't anticipate picking up a weekly series from either DC or Marvel. These big events that are supposed to change everything are getting on my nerves a bit, especially in the case of Marvel, where I don't really like the characterization (see: House of M and Civil War). I think Marvel is pretty reliant on just about three writers - J. Michael Straczynski, Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Millar. While I've enjoyed stories by all three, I've been pretty turned off by Bendis and Straczynski lately. That's a personal taste of course, but it doesn't look like things will change at Marvel any time soon. As for DC, I'm enjoying their books quite a bit, but the One Year Later gimmick hasn't impacted the titles as much as I had expected. Maybe it will just take more time to figure out. Comics and my tastes tend to be cyclic anyways. Just a few years ago, I was pleased as punch with the things that were going on at Marvel and DC, but now I'm not enjoying them as much. Here's hoping the next upswing will be soon.
Uncanny X-Men, X-Men
I'll start with the books that got me into reading comics in the first place. The X-Men titles have consistently been some of the most popular comics over the last 10+ years. Sometimes the stories are great and sometimes they're not so great. In recent years I've felt they've bordered more on the "not so great" as I haven't found the stories particularly compelling and some of the characters act in ways that don't seem to make particular sense. For the most part, I found that Grant Morrison was the best writer of the past five years, but as other readers on the Internet have pointed out, it seemed like Marvel tried so hard to "undo" everything that he had started immediately after he left. That was too bad, because I thought he did a great job of writing stories that were similar to older stories with a new twist. In that span a number of other writers have tried their hand at writing the X-books including Joe Casey, Chuck Austen, Peter Milligan and fan-favorite Chris Claremont. I thought that Casey's ideas were pretty good and offbeat but it seems the audience wasn't ready for them. Austen had no grip on how the characters should speak and would act (I particularly remember moments where She-Hulk slept with Juggernaut, her client, and where Iceman was acting like a jerk-off homophobe). Chris Claremont wasn't shy about how much he loved Rachel Summers and Psylocke, since they appeared in virtually every issue he wrote. Unfortunately for me, I wasn't too impressed by these characters. The House of M crossover that affected the Marvel U also affected these books indirectly, although it seems like no "important" people have lost their powers. Milligan was writing tongue-in-cheek, but it didn't take, and for the most part I felt his stuff didn't do anything.
That brings us to the current writers, Ed Brubaker (on Uncanny) and Mike Carey (on "adjectiveless"). Brubaker has assembled a varied cast, that includes Nightcrawler, Havok, Polaris, Warpath, and a de-powered Professor X as they pursue Vulcan, a new character from the Deadly Genesis mini-series. They are all headed into space and to confront the Shi'ar empire. This story, with art by Billy Tan, isn't too bad, but I just don't really care about the X-Men in space. It looks like this story will try to set up the X-Men / Shi'ar relationship now and I'm curious to see if Brubaker has any plans for once (and if) any of the X-Men return to Earth. Meanwhile, in the other X-Men title, illustrated by Chris Bachalao, a new group of super-powered beings come to challenge a random assortment of X-Men including Rogue, Cable, Iceman, Sabretooth and Mystique. While on the one hand I want to say, "haven't we done this before?" with "new groups" of super-powered beings that aren't mutants, the story doesn't bother me yet and Carey has provided good reasons for this particular cast to stay together. The art is inconsistent and hard to read sometimes which can hurt the story, but the eclectic style also sort of fits.
Overall, both books are on the right track, but they're not up to speed yet. Still, it's some of the best stuff in either title over the last five years.
Ultimate X-Men
I used to read nearly every title in Marvel's Ultimate line, but now that's been pared down to two. Ultimate X-Men has been quietly consistent in its quality, and it's almost never late, but I can't help but wonder about the choices to "re-do" normal Marvel U continuity with every story. Can't we have original adventures that don't re-introduce Ultimate counterparts to Marvel heroes and villains? That said, current writer Robert Kirkman has done a nice job with all the characters so far. This current storyline introducing Cable and Bishop may have some potential but I wish the book had an artist who drew more detail than Ben Oliver. In my opinion, aside from Ultimates, the rest of the Ultimate Universe is pretty crappy right now (they're crossing over with Squadron Supreme?) and I'm not too excited for Ultimate Wolverine by Jeph Loeb and Michael Turner, but this title has been steady. It hasn't improved a ton, but it hasn't gotten much worse either.
Astonishing X-Men
Joss Whedon's foray into the X-Men has been well received by fans, and for the most part, I'd agree. He has picked up on some of the threads from Grant Morrison, and the art by John Cassaday has been very nice looking (although I prefer his work on Planetary). The current story has suffered by its slow release schedule, but this group of Beast, Cyclops, Wolverine, Emma Frost and Kitty Pryde is my favorite of the X-books. I'm not sure how much longer Whedon is on this book, and I wonder what will happen with it next, but I hope it's something good.
Runaways
Moving from the book that Joss Whedon writes to the one that he will write, Runaways. Currently, it's written by Brian K Vaughan, one of my favorite writers in comics. Vaughan has been throwing twists and turns ever since Runaways started. The current volume, up to issue 22 hasn't been as surprising as the first, but it still has had its share of enjoyable moments. Vaughan seems to be building to a big conclusion for his run on the series he created that's due to end with issue 24. Joss Whedon will pick it up afterwards for 5-6 issues, and I expect it will be pretty darn good.
Ex-Machina
This is Brian K Vaughan's creation in the Wildstorm universe where a super-powered man, Mitchell Hundred, becomes the mayor of New York City. The book has a limited run (will end at about 50 issues) and is about halfway there at this point. In this fictional universe, super-heroes are non-existent. It is full of Vaughan's trademark twists and also sprinkles in some social commentary as well, often presenting both sides of an issue fairly well. It is illustrated by Tony Harris, and I would highly recommend it.
Y The Last Man
The book that started Brian K Vaughan's success is a Vertigo title called Y: The Last Man. I've been reading this story in trade paperback form and the most recent volume (#8) just came out. If you're not reading, the premise is, that all the males on earth have died except one man and his pet monkey. Before I picked this up I had expected it to be a fanboy fantasy, but instead it's been more of a sci-fi thriller and full of twists and interesting ideas. One of the best stories out there, and I believe it's being made into a movie.
Captain America, Daredevil
I'll take these books together because they are both written by Ed Brubaker and both characters I never really was a big fan of.
Before reading this current volume of Captain America, the only other time I had read this title was when Mark Waid was writing it. I really enjoyed the blend of action and espionage at the time. Ed Brubaker is doing an even better job, mixing together a spy story with Captain America action. He has also blended together the Civil War crossover quite well.
I started reading Daredevil when the Marvel Knights imprint began with Kevin Smith and Joe Quesada. While Brian Michael Bendis did an excellent job with making Daredevil's identity public and turning his life upside-down, he never really finished off his story, and towards the end was telling the story in non-linear fashion, which I found a bit confusing. Ed Brubaker has brought this back to a gritty crime story and so far has had his share of surprises. It's very good, perhaps the best Daredevil yet.
The best compliment I can pay these titles is that every month I consider books I might stop buying, and when I get to Captain America and Daredevil, while I don't have as much invested with the characters, the stories are just too compelling.
Civil War
The big event in the Marvel Universe has had Iron Man and Captain America at each other's throats over whether or not super-powered humans should be registered with the government. Delays in the artwork have had fans upset as well. So far, I don't mind the story that's being told here, although I have not picked up any of the crossover titles. It seems like there are some holes in the core series (most of which I have filled by reading articles on the Internet). While I find the artwork great, it seems to me that some of the characters are acting funny (especially Reed Richards and Spider-Man). I also still can't sympathize with the pro-registration side. I've always liked Mark Millar's writing but this title seems a little silly. I will admit, it's a ton better than the last major Marvel event, House of M.
Ultimates 2
The other book that Mark Millar writes. When is the last issue coming out? I don't expect to buy volume 3 or 4 which will be written by Jeph Loeb. The art by Bryan Hitch is beautiful and when it all ends, this will be a classic tale. But it still hasn't come out. I also was wondering where the "evil Thor" that was in issue 10 went. I think he was involved in invading Washington DC but by issue 12 wasn't around at all.
52
The major event in DC Comics has been the weekly comic, 52. Word has it that this series has been so successful that DC and Marvel both plan on launching other weekly titles. It is nice to have a weekly titles, although it's expensive. But the story keeps moving each week which is nice. Some of the stories are more interesting than others, but for the most part, I'm enjoying the ride. It's been treading water a little lately, but I expect for the second half it will pay-off. The book is written by a team of Geoff Johns, Greg Rucka, Grant Morrison and Mark Waid. The voice seems very consistent, and it's pretty hard to pick out who wrote what. I will reserve my final verdict when this book is completed.
DC's All-Star line
There are two titles that make up DC's All-Star line, All-Star Superman and All-Star Batman. All-Star Superman is written by Grant Morrison and drawn by Frank Quietly. It's a fun book when it comes out, but it's been plagued by delays. Each issue has a self-contained story that is also part of a larger story. All-Star Batman is also delayed, and written by Frank Miller, illustrated by Jim Lee. Lately Jim Lee mentioned that he is responsible for the delays. How bad are the delays? Here's the schedule for the first four issues - September '05, November '05, December '05 and March '06. That's right, one issue in 2006.
DC has to be somewhat upset about how this line has launched. Since September '05, the two titles have shipped a total of 9 issues. This was supposed to be a sort of answer to the Ultimate line - top name creators with continuity-free stories. The titles still sell well, but many fans have noted their distaste for the weird characterization of Batman by Miller. If Batman's only going to be $3 / year, I'll probably keep buying.
Planetary
Speaking of books that come out once per year, Planetary by Warren Ellis and John Cassaday has had 9 issues published since 2004. But each issue is great, and I'm never disappointed. In my opinion, it's completely worth the wait, although I don't always remember the story each time. I think this will wrap up soon (issue 27 might be the finale?) and will probably read very nicely in a trade paperback format.
Wildcats, Authority
Recently it was thought that the Wildstorm super hero line could be re-launched with big name creators. So with one of my favorite writers, Grant Morrison, paired with one of my favorite artists, Jim Lee, how could Wildcats miss? The first issue, which came out in October, actually wasn't too shabby, but the next issue isn't due until at least March '07! Not the best way to launch a line (see All-Star Batman). Meanwhile, Authority, also written by Morrison and illustrated by Gene Ha, started out with an issue that didn't even feature the title characters. This doesn't seem like the way to launch a new line. Still, I like Morrison enough to just wait and see what happens here.
Seven Soldiers
I just read the finale to the Grant Morrison mega-crossover. Anyone who says they know what this was about who is not named Grant Morrison is full of it. Some of the mini-series were pretty cool ideas but the conclusion didn't make much sense to me.
Batman, Detective Comics
Grant Morrison, who has written a number of books mentioned above, is also writing Batman. I've collected comics for a long time, and surprisingly I've never bought Batman or Superman books on a regular, monthly basis. Also, I'm surprised how many mainstream books Grant Morrison is writing these days (All-Star Superman, Batman, Authority, Wildcats, 52). Anyway, the first arc deals with a possible biologic "son" for Batman. For the most part, it seems to read like a pretty standard super-hero story, with a few occasional scenes that have the bizarre flair Grant Morrison is known for. It's not bad, but nothing special at this point.
Paul Dini has been writing standalone, one-month stories for Detective Comics. So far they've been nice, but they don't really seem to be building towards anything. Hopefully, they'll come together as something more cohesive soon.
Action Comics, Superman
A lot of big names have been writing Superman and Batman lately, but I don't feel like any of them have really used the "One Year Later" concept to really re-establish the characters. This title by Richard Donner, Geoff Johns and Adam Kubert may be the one to do it. Donner and Johns seem to be taking an approach to this title similar to the movies, which may upset continuity buffs a bit, but I think it will allow for some fresh ideas. Upcoming will be a 3D issue, which sounds intriguing. Already there have been some plot points that seem to be related to a few of the Superman movies.
Superman is by Kurt Busiek and Carlos Pacheco, a great creative team. While it's been beautifully illustrated, I don't quite know what to make of the story yet. It seems to be going towards an alternate future, which is somewhat interesting, but also feels very played-out.
Wonder Woman
I've picked up the first three issues of this series written by Allan Heinberg (Gray's Anatomy) and beautifully illustrated by Terry Dodson. The series comes out irregularly, which is sort of annoying, but has been pretty interesting so far. I've never really been a fan of Wonder Woman, but Heinberg's Young Avengers for Marvel got so much acclaim that I figured it was worth a try.
Justice League of America
Brad Meltzer has been writing the re-launch of Justice League of America. He has said that he was a big fan of the series when he was growing up, and so far it shows. Meltzer seems to be setting up a bunch of clues for a mystery, and I enjoyed his set-up in Identity Crisis. The best issue so far was Justice League #0, which showed Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman interacting in different points in time, past, present and future. The low point so far, three issues in and Wonder Woman, Batman and Superman are still sitting at table!
Wolverine, Wolverine: Origins
The flagship Wolverine title was just involved with the Civil War crossover, and it was written by Marc Guggenheim, who has done a bunch of television writing. The Civil War crossover wasn't bad. I liked how it integrated into the overall Civil War story, even though there were some elements that seemed absurd even for a Wolverine comic. Jeph Loeb and Simone Bianchi are coming on soon to deal with the relationship between Sabretooth and Wolverine. I find Jeph Loeb to be very hit-or-miss, with the hits being great and the misses being pretty average. Bianchi's art (above), however, is pretty darn good. Here's hoping they tell a nice story.
Wolverine: Origins is written by Daniel Way and illustrated by Steve Dillon. This book came out of the House of M, where Wolverine suddenly remembered everything about his past. I'm still not really enjoying this book. I can't exactly say what's missing but it just seems like there's a lot of characterization that's missing, particularly since Wolverine has been interacting with a lot of different super powered guest stars. I still wonder if Wolverine really needs to have two different titles, and sincerely wish that he were not a part of the Avengers.
The Future
I usually peruse the solicitations for future months, and I have to say that I'm not that impressed with the new offerings. While I'm enjoying 52, I don't anticipate picking up a weekly series from either DC or Marvel. These big events that are supposed to change everything are getting on my nerves a bit, especially in the case of Marvel, where I don't really like the characterization (see: House of M and Civil War). I think Marvel is pretty reliant on just about three writers - J. Michael Straczynski, Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Millar. While I've enjoyed stories by all three, I've been pretty turned off by Bendis and Straczynski lately. That's a personal taste of course, but it doesn't look like things will change at Marvel any time soon. As for DC, I'm enjoying their books quite a bit, but the One Year Later gimmick hasn't impacted the titles as much as I had expected. Maybe it will just take more time to figure out. Comics and my tastes tend to be cyclic anyways. Just a few years ago, I was pleased as punch with the things that were going on at Marvel and DC, but now I'm not enjoying them as much. Here's hoping the next upswing will be soon.
Jets and the Playoffs
It's getting hard to temper my enthusiasm for the Jets this year. When the year started, I couldn't believe all the people who said, this team doesn't have any talent, and it's going to be one of the worst in the NFL. While they did have a horrible season last year, there was plenty of context to it as well. They lost both their starting and backup quarterbacks (Chad Pennington, Jay Fiedler) in the third week of the season. The injury count didn't stop there. Running backs Curtis Martin and Derrick Blaylock, starting center Kevin Mawae, slot receiver Wayne Chrebet, starting TE Chris Baker and starting OLB Eric Barton were also lost to injury. The Jets may not have been as good as their 2004, 10-6 Playoff edition, but no team in the NFL these days would be able to withstand this number of injuries. Add to the mix that the offensive line was getting older and couldn't adapt to the new offensive coordinator's scheme, and things were not looking good.
Now they're being considered a team that will likely make the playoffs and everybody seems so surprised. I don't really understand why. Maybe it's because they had a young coach and so many rookies on the team. The running back situation was also pretty muddled at the beginning of the year. Those who make predictions should have taken a look last place / NFC North-containing schedule and healthy lineup and realized that they should improve at the very least on their four wins.
But I worry that the team will get too high on themselves after their great performance last Sunday. Their 31-0 lead in the first half was about as good as any team could play, and they excelled in all facets of the game. But the Packers aren't a great team and while the rest of the schedule looks pretty easy, teams in the NFL are close enough together that even a bad team can beat a good one if the circumstances are right.
At least the Giants are having their own mini-crisis that helps to deflect attention from the Jets.
By the way, Nick Saban and Romeo Crennel just got votes of confidence. We'll need to keep our eyes on them.
Now they're being considered a team that will likely make the playoffs and everybody seems so surprised. I don't really understand why. Maybe it's because they had a young coach and so many rookies on the team. The running back situation was also pretty muddled at the beginning of the year. Those who make predictions should have taken a look last place / NFC North-containing schedule and healthy lineup and realized that they should improve at the very least on their four wins.
But I worry that the team will get too high on themselves after their great performance last Sunday. Their 31-0 lead in the first half was about as good as any team could play, and they excelled in all facets of the game. But the Packers aren't a great team and while the rest of the schedule looks pretty easy, teams in the NFL are close enough together that even a bad team can beat a good one if the circumstances are right.
At least the Giants are having their own mini-crisis that helps to deflect attention from the Jets.
By the way, Nick Saban and Romeo Crennel just got votes of confidence. We'll need to keep our eyes on them.
Saturday, December 02, 2006
Robot Chicken
If you don't watch Robot Chicken, you should. It's a 15 minute stop-motion animation show co-created by Seth Green on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim. It airs Sunday nights and is absolutely hilarious. Check out these two clips from the most recent season below:
Emperor Palpitine receives a phone call:
Mr. T and the Foo Fighters:
Season 1 of Robot Chicken is already available on DVD.
Emperor Palpitine receives a phone call:
Mr. T and the Foo Fighters:
Season 1 of Robot Chicken is already available on DVD.
Blogger Beta
I just moved this blog from the "regular" Blogger to the Blogger beta. Seems like there are only two useful additions, both of which affect the back end. The first is it's easier to search for old posts, and the second is that posts can be labeled. That seems about it. I'll report any changes as I see them.
Cooperstown
I recently got to spend some time in Cooperstown, which is best known for the National Baseball Hall of Fame. If you live in the northeast, it's worth taking a trip as it's only about 3-4 hours from NYC or Boston. Here's some photos of the trip. The town seems to be dependent on tourists, with the peak of the season being in the summer. Since I was there in November, it was a lot quieter.
The best way to sum up "downtown" Cooperstown is that people describe things in relation to the one traffic light.
This is a view of the back of the Hall of Fame. It's kind of hard to see but there are statues of a guy pitching to a catcher, and also through those glass windows are all the famous plaques.
Some turkeys at the Fly Creek Cider Mill, just outside of town. The cider mill is more of just a store, but for a quarter you can hand feed these turkeys and they'll eat right out of your hands.
The town is pretty nice, most people could spend a weekend getaway there and enjoy it. It's much quieter than the City and is a small town that is surrounded by other small towns and farms.
The best way to sum up "downtown" Cooperstown is that people describe things in relation to the one traffic light.
This is a view of the back of the Hall of Fame. It's kind of hard to see but there are statues of a guy pitching to a catcher, and also through those glass windows are all the famous plaques.
Some turkeys at the Fly Creek Cider Mill, just outside of town. The cider mill is more of just a store, but for a quarter you can hand feed these turkeys and they'll eat right out of your hands.
The town is pretty nice, most people could spend a weekend getaway there and enjoy it. It's much quieter than the City and is a small town that is surrounded by other small towns and farms.
Sunday, November 26, 2006
Black Friday
I spent Black Friday in Maryland this year. Here are two photos from the day. This first one is from Circuit City around 4am, 1 hour before opening. The line was pretty long, and the green awning on the left isn't even the entrance to the store. The actual entrance was about 100 feet to the left. The scene got pretty bad once the doors opened, and people really ran around and formed a mob entering the store.
This second photo is from inside Staples, around 6:15am. Staples opened at 6am, but look how crowded it is!
This second photo is from inside Staples, around 6:15am. Staples opened at 6am, but look how crowded it is!
November 20, 2006 - Houston Rockets at NY Knicks
I swore that this year I wouldn't give any money to the Dolans and Cablevision as far as the NY Knicks were concerned. But I couldn't help but notice that lately there was a lot more advertising for Knicks tickets, which meant that there were probably tickets available. So instead, I hit the streets, and got tickets to section 62, normally $100 each for only $60 each. In return, I got a great view of the Knicks and the Rockets. The game was actually fairly close, but the Rockets ended up winning behind strong efforts from Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady. Sadly for the home team, the best Knicks players at the game were Allan Houston, Patrick Ewing and Charlie Ward, all who were either watching the game from the sidelines (Houston, Ewing) or coaching (Ward). Amazingly, Steve Francis and Stephon Marbury hardly played any minutes at all, a fact that did not go unnoticed in the next day's tabloid papers.
Crabcakes
If you're ever in the Baltimore area, I highly recommend that you visit G&M, a restaurant that has some of the best crab cakes I've ever had. You can get a platter of two crab cakes that are 8oz each of lump crab meat. There's almost no filler and they are delicious. I took a photo of one that I brought home to heat up later but it doesn't really do justice to the cakes. You can order them and have them delivered anywhere.
Too Much Madden 2005
I should probably increase the difficulty to "All-Madden" level from "All-Pro." My team was the Jets, of course.
And yes, I'm still playing Madden 2005 (which came out two years ago).
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Remember?
Remember this? A George W. Bush interview on salon.com with David Horowitz, May 6, 1999. I've been thinking about this famous response lately.
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Q: In a year when Republicans lost ground or had trouble holding on to it, you won reelection with 69 percent of the total, 49 percent of the Hispanic vote, and the endorsement of every major Democratic politician in the state. How did you do it?
A: First, I did in office what I said I would do. I campaigned on school reform, accountability, charters and choice. And I signed bills to that effect. I campaigned on tort reform, juvenile justice reform and welfare reform, and on all I signed bills. And shared credit. I didn't try to take all the credit, I shared credit with the people, both Republicans and Democrats, who helped achieve these reforms.
Second, I showed the people of Texas that I'm a uniter, not a divider. I refuse to play the politics of putting people into groups and pitting one group against another.
Third, during the course of the campaign, I didn't talk about the past; I talked about the future. I laid out additional plans for tax cuts, for school reforms like ending social promotion, by initiatives that would say to kids that if you carry a gun illegally there will be a consequence, and I think the people of Texas listened, because I had credibility, and had done what I said I would do.
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Q: In a year when Republicans lost ground or had trouble holding on to it, you won reelection with 69 percent of the total, 49 percent of the Hispanic vote, and the endorsement of every major Democratic politician in the state. How did you do it?
A: First, I did in office what I said I would do. I campaigned on school reform, accountability, charters and choice. And I signed bills to that effect. I campaigned on tort reform, juvenile justice reform and welfare reform, and on all I signed bills. And shared credit. I didn't try to take all the credit, I shared credit with the people, both Republicans and Democrats, who helped achieve these reforms.
Second, I showed the people of Texas that I'm a uniter, not a divider. I refuse to play the politics of putting people into groups and pitting one group against another.
Third, during the course of the campaign, I didn't talk about the past; I talked about the future. I laid out additional plans for tax cuts, for school reforms like ending social promotion, by initiatives that would say to kids that if you carry a gun illegally there will be a consequence, and I think the people of Texas listened, because I had credibility, and had done what I said I would do.
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Always Low Prices
I went to Walmart for the first time on Monday. There isn't a Walmart in any of the areas of New York that I've grown up or lived in, so I didn't know what the big deal was. We have Costco, Kmart and Target, but none of them prepared me for the spectacle of Walmart.
I had heard so much about Walmart, the way they do business, they way they screen products, the way they treat employees, and of course, the greeters.
When I stepped inside, there was a burly man in a blue Walmart apron in a wheelchair handing out shopping carts. "Ah! The greeters." I thought to myself, although I had imagined a pair of grandparents instead of the wheelchair fellow. Then as I stepped further into the store (or warehouse), I was taken aback by the giant supermarket that was connected to the giant everything else store. It was sort of similar to Costco, but at Costco you feel like it's "land of the giants" since everything comes in such large, bulk packaging. Walmart has individual items. And it was much larger than any Target or Kmart I'd ever seen.
The prices were so low, too. It's no wonder this company is so big and has such an impact on our country. I was so blown away by the enormity of the whole experience, I forgot what I had gone in there to buy (I had to go back the next day). I never did get a chance to consult the workers regarding their wages or health insurance. There was a Walmart greeter, however.
Sunday, October 01, 2006
Quick Sports News
The Yankees will face the Tigers in the first round of the playoffs. The Tigers have sort of limped towards the post season, so it will be interesting to see if the Yankees can take advantage, especially with the possibility that Randy Johnson will be out. I wonder if the A's can knock off Minnesota, and make sure the Yankees won't have to deal with Santana. Also, I can't wait to see how Kenny Rogers does against the Yankees, a team he has had a lot of trouble beating in the past. The Tigers have some nice players but I think the Yankees can take them.
As for the NFL, I haven't been this excited after a Jets loss in a while. Normally, a Jets loss sends me into a tizzy, but this one was a gutty, aggressive game. The offense was able to move the ball quite well but the defense couldn't stop the Colts at all. In the 3rd quarter, with the score tied 14-14, Jets coach Eric Mangini decided to go for the TD on 4th down at the Colts 2 yd line over kicking a FG. The next play, Chad Pennington was picked off in the end zone. That would have never happened under the previous coaching regime. Between going for it in the close game, and then also kicking an onside kick in the second quarter when the score was tied 7-7, it's clear that Mangini is willing to play an aggressive style of ball. It almost paid off, as the Jets came very close to winning the game, but Peyton Manning was able to drive down field with no timeouts and less than two minutes left. Part of the reason that I wasn't too sad about the loss is the way that on the last play of the game, the Jets attempted an amazing circus play with multiple laterals and almost got away with it!
Here's the play
As for the NFL, I haven't been this excited after a Jets loss in a while. Normally, a Jets loss sends me into a tizzy, but this one was a gutty, aggressive game. The offense was able to move the ball quite well but the defense couldn't stop the Colts at all. In the 3rd quarter, with the score tied 14-14, Jets coach Eric Mangini decided to go for the TD on 4th down at the Colts 2 yd line over kicking a FG. The next play, Chad Pennington was picked off in the end zone. That would have never happened under the previous coaching regime. Between going for it in the close game, and then also kicking an onside kick in the second quarter when the score was tied 7-7, it's clear that Mangini is willing to play an aggressive style of ball. It almost paid off, as the Jets came very close to winning the game, but Peyton Manning was able to drive down field with no timeouts and less than two minutes left. Part of the reason that I wasn't too sad about the loss is the way that on the last play of the game, the Jets attempted an amazing circus play with multiple laterals and almost got away with it!
Here's the play
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
8/11/06 - LA Angels of Anaheim vs New York Yankees
I remember going to this game but I don't remember that much more about it. I think Corey Lidle started it and the Yankees lost. We had nice seats that I got on eBay and the weather was great.
Monday, September 04, 2006
Croc Hunter
Sadly, the Crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwin, passed away yesterday after encountering a stingray. He was a pretty charming TV personality, and his programs were always entertaining. But I suppose that his line of work was also particularly dangerous. It always impressed me how fearless he was around the animals.
Saturday, August 26, 2006
Jets Preview
I haven't been following the NFL too closely, but I have seen most of the first three Jets preseason games. It's going to be a long year for the Jets. While I think they are better than the four wins they had last year, they look like the kind of team that will take a few weeks early in the season before things start to really work out well.
On offense, it's been pretty miserable so far. They haven't been able to score points, and they haven't gotten much of a passing or running game together. The offense has also had a lot of drives killed by penalties. It looks like Pennington will be the QB and Barlow and Blaylock should be enough to be serviceable at RB. WR is surprisingly deep with Coles, McCairens, Cotchery, Dwight and Smith, but the issue will be whether or not anyone can get them the ball. TE was supposed to be a possible offensive option but the TE's haven't seen much preseason action. In general, there's some nice talent on this side of the ball, and a lot more speed than they've had in the past, but most of it's pretty raw, and they'll need to do better with sustaining drives if they want to win.
Players on defense have all been asked to make pretty major adjustments since the scheme now includes 3-4 and 4-3 formations. The defense hasn't looked too bad so far in the preseason, although it would be nice to see a little more pass rush. A number of players will need to improve in order to make the defense work, including Bryan Thomas, Shawn Ellis and Dewayne Robertson. Cornerback may end up being a position of relative depth with Dyson, Barrett, Miller, Strait, and Mickens. So far in the preseason, the first team defense seems to have held up well against the opponents, but I suspect that once the season starts, the Jets will have a lot of 3 & outs on offense, leading to the defense getting worn down.
Finally, special teams seems to be the unit that may be the best for the Jets. Unfortunately, special teams are so unreliable for point production that this may not make much difference. Justin Miller and Leon Washington have been excellent return men so far this preseason, and I think special teams had TD's in the last 2 preseason games. The one weak link may be kicker Mike Nugent, who has still been somewhat unreliable in the preseason.
All in all, I think the Jets could improve at best to about 8-8, and I think they will certainly improve on their 4-12 campaign from last year. That would be a respectable debut for Coach Mangini.
On offense, it's been pretty miserable so far. They haven't been able to score points, and they haven't gotten much of a passing or running game together. The offense has also had a lot of drives killed by penalties. It looks like Pennington will be the QB and Barlow and Blaylock should be enough to be serviceable at RB. WR is surprisingly deep with Coles, McCairens, Cotchery, Dwight and Smith, but the issue will be whether or not anyone can get them the ball. TE was supposed to be a possible offensive option but the TE's haven't seen much preseason action. In general, there's some nice talent on this side of the ball, and a lot more speed than they've had in the past, but most of it's pretty raw, and they'll need to do better with sustaining drives if they want to win.
Players on defense have all been asked to make pretty major adjustments since the scheme now includes 3-4 and 4-3 formations. The defense hasn't looked too bad so far in the preseason, although it would be nice to see a little more pass rush. A number of players will need to improve in order to make the defense work, including Bryan Thomas, Shawn Ellis and Dewayne Robertson. Cornerback may end up being a position of relative depth with Dyson, Barrett, Miller, Strait, and Mickens. So far in the preseason, the first team defense seems to have held up well against the opponents, but I suspect that once the season starts, the Jets will have a lot of 3 & outs on offense, leading to the defense getting worn down.
Finally, special teams seems to be the unit that may be the best for the Jets. Unfortunately, special teams are so unreliable for point production that this may not make much difference. Justin Miller and Leon Washington have been excellent return men so far this preseason, and I think special teams had TD's in the last 2 preseason games. The one weak link may be kicker Mike Nugent, who has still been somewhat unreliable in the preseason.
All in all, I think the Jets could improve at best to about 8-8, and I think they will certainly improve on their 4-12 campaign from last year. That would be a respectable debut for Coach Mangini.
Yankee Mustaches
Three new mustaches sprouted up on the Yankees recently. They look kind of sleazy, if you ask me. Since they all showed up around the same time, I think that Damon, Giambi and Wright must all be in on it together.
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
Monday, July 31, 2006
6/14/06 - Cleveland Indians vs. New York Yankees
Yeah, I know it's been a while, but enjoy this shot from the Yankees game over a month ago vs Cleveland. In this game, Randy Johnson hit Eduardo Perez with a pitch after Jorge Posada got hit. Always fun to see the players tussle a little bit.
As for the Bobby Abreu and Corey Lidle acquisitions, hopefully they'll work out. I don't think they gave up a ton, and Abreu likely replaces Sheffield in the OF for 2007. I don't really think the Yanks can win the championship this year, but they've been pretty resiliant. In the current format, just making the playoffs gives a team a good shot at winning it all.
As for the Bobby Abreu and Corey Lidle acquisitions, hopefully they'll work out. I don't think they gave up a ton, and Abreu likely replaces Sheffield in the OF for 2007. I don't really think the Yanks can win the championship this year, but they've been pretty resiliant. In the current format, just making the playoffs gives a team a good shot at winning it all.
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
Superman Returns
Spoiler free
I saw Superman Returns in IMAX 3D yesterday at 8am. The show was well-sold.
The parts I liked, I really liked in the movie - like Brandon Routh as Superman. The music and effects were also great.
The parts I didn't like, I really didn't like. Kate Bosworth wasn't a great Lois Lane. Lex Luthor in Smallville is a better take on the character. A few other plot points that spoil the movie.
IMAX made the movie better. The 3D less so. The landscapes looked spectacular but some of the action was hard to watch in 3D.
The writers definitely watched a lot of the 1978 Superman movie.
Overall, a nice film, although I don't agree with a number of the creative decisions. I think a few of these things have been brought up in other reviews.
I saw Superman Returns in IMAX 3D yesterday at 8am. The show was well-sold.
The parts I liked, I really liked in the movie - like Brandon Routh as Superman. The music and effects were also great.
The parts I didn't like, I really didn't like. Kate Bosworth wasn't a great Lois Lane. Lex Luthor in Smallville is a better take on the character. A few other plot points that spoil the movie.
IMAX made the movie better. The 3D less so. The landscapes looked spectacular but some of the action was hard to watch in 3D.
The writers definitely watched a lot of the 1978 Superman movie.
Overall, a nice film, although I don't agree with a number of the creative decisions. I think a few of these things have been brought up in other reviews.
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
Amendments
The proposal to ban flag burning in the Constitution failed. Now Congress should set its sights on something more useful: a Constitutional amendment banning stupid Constitutional amendments.
Thursday, June 22, 2006
Larry Brown is Out
The New York Knicks are a disaster. What will make this firing even worse is that coming off a historic worst season, the team will almost certainly have a better record next year, which they will of course, then attribute to the new coach, Isiah Thomas.
Tags: basketball, Isiah Thomas, Knicks, Larry Brown, NBA
Tags: basketball, Isiah Thomas, Knicks, Larry Brown, NBA
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
Misc Baseball Comments
Item #1
I haven't been reading Bill Simmons a lot lately, but he had a decent column today about the Mets / Dodgers game on Tuesday that featured the reunion of Nomar, Pedro and Derek Lowe.
Item #2
Jason Grimsley admitted to using human growth hormone. Was it working? His career ERA is 4.88! Up until now, Jason Grimsley was best known for stealing Albert Belle's corked bat.
Item #3
Greg Nettles had some comments about Barry Bonds passing Babe Ruth on the all-time home run list. He pointed out how Barry Bonds cheated. Nettles is one to talk (see #9 on this list). Someone GAVE him a bat full of superballs? Come on!
Tags: baseball, MLB
I haven't been reading Bill Simmons a lot lately, but he had a decent column today about the Mets / Dodgers game on Tuesday that featured the reunion of Nomar, Pedro and Derek Lowe.
Item #2
Jason Grimsley admitted to using human growth hormone. Was it working? His career ERA is 4.88! Up until now, Jason Grimsley was best known for stealing Albert Belle's corked bat.
Item #3
Greg Nettles had some comments about Barry Bonds passing Babe Ruth on the all-time home run list. He pointed out how Barry Bonds cheated. Nettles is one to talk (see #9 on this list). Someone GAVE him a bat full of superballs? Come on!
Tags: baseball, MLB
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
Pearl Jam: Life Wasted Music Video
Just trying out that handy YouTube embed feature again.
This is Pearl Jam's first music video in years, since the animated video to Do the Evolution. Artist Fernando Apodaca was involved in this process. I've also seen a video for World Wide Suicide out there, but for some reason that one isn't considered official?
Tags: Life Wasted, music, Pearl Jam, videos
This is Pearl Jam's first music video in years, since the animated video to Do the Evolution. Artist Fernando Apodaca was involved in this process. I've also seen a video for World Wide Suicide out there, but for some reason that one isn't considered official?
Tags: Life Wasted, music, Pearl Jam, videos
Pearl Jam at Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, NJ - 6/1/06
My second Pearl Jam concert of the year was a great one. It's the last concert I'll go to for a while. The last few months, I got to see U2 at MSG in November, then Pearl Jam at Irving Plaza in May.
Overall, I've been to 8 Pearl Jam concerts now. In 1998 in Boston at Great Woods, then 2000 for 2 shows at Jones Beach, 2003 at Nassau Coliseum and 2 shows at MSG, Irving Plaza and now the Meadowlands.
We had fan club tickets for this one. Section 110, almost directly off stage right.
It was a very solid show, although there were a few odd miscues. The sound on vocals and Stone Gossard's guitar went out in the middle of the song "Alone" causing the band to pause, the stagehands to come out, and then the band resumed. Eddie Vedder jumped in the air at the end of "Alive" and landed funny, falling to the ground. He limped off stage and returned for a second encore with a bit of a limp. Eddie mixed up the words to "Once" as well.
I think we could see Susan Sarandon off on stage left with her son. Eddie looked over there a few times. It's possible that the Olsens were there too.
It was a great show. Surprisingly they had laser lights for the first song, "Severed Hand." I think that was the most lighting effects I've ever seen at a Pearl Jam show. They played 7 songs off the new album, 5 songs off Ten (their first album) and 5 off Vs (their second). The set was 30 songs in all, about 2 hrs & 15 mins.
The concert was well received in the press, with positive reviews from the Post, Newsday and a Jersey paper I don't recognize.
A funny thing at the concert - Eddie Vedder mentions the "last time the band was here" they got booed playing the song Bushleaguer. Not quite - they got booed at Nassau Collesium (I was there) in April, 2003. Apparently the band was flustered by this and cut their set short (see 4/30/03 concert here).
Back on 7/9/03 at MSG, Eddie Vedder read a bunch of signs in the crowd, including one that read, "Play Leash, you pussies!" (Leash is a rarely performed song). Eddie said at the time, "There's fuckin' children here, you know? You fuckin' cocksucker motherfuckin' asshole prick!"
This time, he mentioned that sign and said, "You know, I think it shows we're a resiliant type of band. You boo us, call us pussies and yet we still come back every fuckin' time." They then played Leash!! Pretty awesome. At the end of the song, Eddie said, "Pussies no more!"
What a great way to play to the crowd.
A great show all around. I wish I could have gone again on 6/3.
You can get download this concert (and previous PJ concerts) for $9.99. I just downloaded my copy and it sounds pretty good, although there were a few drum solos where the mix is a little heavy on the guitars, making it hard to hear the drums.
Setlist:
Severed Hand, Corduroy, World Wide Suicide, Do The Evolution, Marker In The Sand, Given To Fly, Dissident, Even Flow, Army Reserve, Immortality, Green Disease, Not For You/(Modern Girl), Alone, Jeremy, Why Go, Life Wasted, Rearviewmirror
Encore 1: Wasted Reprise, Man Of The Hour, Come Back, Footsteps, Once, Alive
Encore 2: Last Exit, Comatose, Leatherman, Glorified G, Leash, Baba O'Riley, Indifference
Tags: concerts, music, Pearl Jam, rock
Overall, I've been to 8 Pearl Jam concerts now. In 1998 in Boston at Great Woods, then 2000 for 2 shows at Jones Beach, 2003 at Nassau Coliseum and 2 shows at MSG, Irving Plaza and now the Meadowlands.
We had fan club tickets for this one. Section 110, almost directly off stage right.
It was a very solid show, although there were a few odd miscues. The sound on vocals and Stone Gossard's guitar went out in the middle of the song "Alone" causing the band to pause, the stagehands to come out, and then the band resumed. Eddie Vedder jumped in the air at the end of "Alive" and landed funny, falling to the ground. He limped off stage and returned for a second encore with a bit of a limp. Eddie mixed up the words to "Once" as well.
I think we could see Susan Sarandon off on stage left with her son. Eddie looked over there a few times. It's possible that the Olsens were there too.
It was a great show. Surprisingly they had laser lights for the first song, "Severed Hand." I think that was the most lighting effects I've ever seen at a Pearl Jam show. They played 7 songs off the new album, 5 songs off Ten (their first album) and 5 off Vs (their second). The set was 30 songs in all, about 2 hrs & 15 mins.
The concert was well received in the press, with positive reviews from the Post, Newsday and a Jersey paper I don't recognize.
A funny thing at the concert - Eddie Vedder mentions the "last time the band was here" they got booed playing the song Bushleaguer. Not quite - they got booed at Nassau Collesium (I was there) in April, 2003. Apparently the band was flustered by this and cut their set short (see 4/30/03 concert here).
Back on 7/9/03 at MSG, Eddie Vedder read a bunch of signs in the crowd, including one that read, "Play Leash, you pussies!" (Leash is a rarely performed song). Eddie said at the time, "There's fuckin' children here, you know? You fuckin' cocksucker motherfuckin' asshole prick!"
This time, he mentioned that sign and said, "You know, I think it shows we're a resiliant type of band. You boo us, call us pussies and yet we still come back every fuckin' time." They then played Leash!! Pretty awesome. At the end of the song, Eddie said, "Pussies no more!"
What a great way to play to the crowd.
A great show all around. I wish I could have gone again on 6/3.
You can get download this concert (and previous PJ concerts) for $9.99. I just downloaded my copy and it sounds pretty good, although there were a few drum solos where the mix is a little heavy on the guitars, making it hard to hear the drums.
Setlist:
Severed Hand, Corduroy, World Wide Suicide, Do The Evolution, Marker In The Sand, Given To Fly, Dissident, Even Flow, Army Reserve, Immortality, Green Disease, Not For You/(Modern Girl), Alone, Jeremy, Why Go, Life Wasted, Rearviewmirror
Encore 1: Wasted Reprise, Man Of The Hour, Come Back, Footsteps, Once, Alive
Encore 2: Last Exit, Comatose, Leatherman, Glorified G, Leash, Baba O'Riley, Indifference
Tags: concerts, music, Pearl Jam, rock
Google Spreadsheets
Who knows if it'll be any good, but Google will be testing a new web-based spreadsheet. You will be able to download the sheets to your computer and edit them, and also invite other users to sign in and work on the web saved sheets. Apparently they will also be looking to do the same for word processing.
I don't know if this idea will work, after all, there are a ton of different functions one can use in Excel, and it's not clear if many of them will be available on the web-based spreadsheet. But one thing is clear to me, and that is that Google is really on the forefront of innovation. Yahoo! and Microsoft seem to be lagging behind in their web services. GMail forced the competing web-based email services to offer more space and Google Maps forced Yahoo and Microsoft to update their maps programs. Then the Google Desktop software allows you to search documents on your PC better than anything included with Windows, and has little Gadgets that are essentially duplicates of the Yahoo Widgets.
The innovation at Google is pretty cool. They're coming up with new ways to do "old" things (like Calendar) or new things altogether. Google Spreadsheets is just another example.
Tags: Google
I don't know if this idea will work, after all, there are a ton of different functions one can use in Excel, and it's not clear if many of them will be available on the web-based spreadsheet. But one thing is clear to me, and that is that Google is really on the forefront of innovation. Yahoo! and Microsoft seem to be lagging behind in their web services. GMail forced the competing web-based email services to offer more space and Google Maps forced Yahoo and Microsoft to update their maps programs. Then the Google Desktop software allows you to search documents on your PC better than anything included with Windows, and has little Gadgets that are essentially duplicates of the Yahoo Widgets.
The innovation at Google is pretty cool. They're coming up with new ways to do "old" things (like Calendar) or new things altogether. Google Spreadsheets is just another example.
Tags: Google
Monday, June 05, 2006
2,000 Pounds!
Pat Robertson leg presses 1000 pounds in the video, but 2000 pounds in the photo.
The New York Times reports that Robertson is 76 years old and the world record for leg press is 1335 pounds. It's probably just liberal bias.
UPDATE (6/7/06):
Here's the video of him lifting 1,000 pounds.
Tags: Pat Robertson, weight lifting
The New York Times reports that Robertson is 76 years old and the world record for leg press is 1335 pounds. It's probably just liberal bias.
UPDATE (6/7/06):
Here's the video of him lifting 1,000 pounds.
Tags: Pat Robertson, weight lifting
Chrebet Retires
Wayne Chrebet retired officially from the New York Jets the other day, and he must have been one of the most popular Jets ever.
The story is pretty well known but here it goes again: a 5'10", WR with small size from Hofstra University walks on to the New York Jets training camp and eventually makes it to the team and has a pretty major role over 11 years.
The New York Jets website has a nice video interview with Chrebet on the front page and they did a nice news article with a ton of quotes from teammates, coaches and opposing coaches (including Edwards, Parcells, Belichick, Crennel, Mangini, Coughlin). Pennington, Coles and Martin also had nice things to say, with Martin's quote getting picked up in the AP story:
“He inspired me every day. I loved the way he played and how he never backed down from anything. He was an incredible teammate. He was a warrior; and I always felt you’d have to kill him to get the upper hand on him. If every player in the NFL had as much heart and desire as he had, football would be illegal.”
In general, I don't find much emotion in sports stories but this one I think is particularly touching. What a great career, and just a beloved player. I wonder if his #80 will ever get retired, a rarity in football since you need just about every number you can get.
Tags: Chrebet, football, Jets, NFL
The story is pretty well known but here it goes again: a 5'10", WR with small size from Hofstra University walks on to the New York Jets training camp and eventually makes it to the team and has a pretty major role over 11 years.
The New York Jets website has a nice video interview with Chrebet on the front page and they did a nice news article with a ton of quotes from teammates, coaches and opposing coaches (including Edwards, Parcells, Belichick, Crennel, Mangini, Coughlin). Pennington, Coles and Martin also had nice things to say, with Martin's quote getting picked up in the AP story:
“He inspired me every day. I loved the way he played and how he never backed down from anything. He was an incredible teammate. He was a warrior; and I always felt you’d have to kill him to get the upper hand on him. If every player in the NFL had as much heart and desire as he had, football would be illegal.”
In general, I don't find much emotion in sports stories but this one I think is particularly touching. What a great career, and just a beloved player. I wonder if his #80 will ever get retired, a rarity in football since you need just about every number you can get.
Tags: Chrebet, football, Jets, NFL
Baseball
There's a lot of talk that the Boston / Yankees series this week will be for first place, but a lot of people are forgetting that Toronto has a great opportunity here. If the Yanks and Sox split, and Toronto takes a few from the Orioles, then they might be able to sneak into first. Toronto! See what a little money can do?
The Yankees have played Boston a lot recently. 4 series in the last 6 weeks?
The Yankee line up is looking a lot like spring training. Cairo, Phillips, Thompson, Cabrera, except now if I want to pay to see them it will cost more than $10.
Tags: baseball, Blue Jays, Red Sox, Yankees
The Yankees have played Boston a lot recently. 4 series in the last 6 weeks?
The Yankee line up is looking a lot like spring training. Cairo, Phillips, Thompson, Cabrera, except now if I want to pay to see them it will cost more than $10.
Tags: baseball, Blue Jays, Red Sox, Yankees
Spoon!
The Tick Animated TV series is going to finally hit DVD! No, this isn't the silly live version with Putty from Seinfeld as the Tick, it's the original Fox Kids series that can now be found on Toon Disney channel at 4am. I think the reason for the delay on this DVD set is related to legal problems that came about after Disney acquired this programming from the purchase of FOX Family(along with Power Rangers and some other shows). It's about time for this classic to reach DVD.
I watched one the other day featuring the Tick's super-hero class with the student, Sarcastro, a sarcastic super hero who looks like Castro.
Tick: "everyone passes, except for Sarcastro....who passes with flying colors!"
Sarcastro: "really?"
Tick: "No"
Tags: cartoons, dvd, Sarcastro, The Tick, tv
I watched one the other day featuring the Tick's super-hero class with the student, Sarcastro, a sarcastic super hero who looks like Castro.
Tick: "everyone passes, except for Sarcastro....who passes with flying colors!"
Sarcastro: "really?"
Tick: "No"
Tags: cartoons, dvd, Sarcastro, The Tick, tv
Stop Twisting the Bible
Without weighing in either way on gay marriage, I'd like to point out that CNN.com's top story today was about how the President was going to lobby for a Constitutional Ammendment banning gay marriage.
CNN.com then posted this photo along with the link to the story:
Being curious about this, I was curious what the Bible really said. After all, Jesus was never one to speak in equation format.
Here's what I got from www.biblegateway.com which supposedly has an online searchable King James Bible. From what I can tell, he's not talking about gays anywhere here! It sounds more like Jesus is talking about divorce. Shame on CNN and the AP as well for using this sign. I'm sure we can look through the Bible and justify about anything if we take things out of context.
-----------
Matthew 19
1And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these sayings, he departed from Galilee, and came into the coasts of Judaea beyond Jordan;
2And great multitudes followed him; and he healed them there.
3The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?
4And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,
5And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?
6Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.
7They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away?
8He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so.
9And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.
10His disciples say unto him, If the case of the man be so with his wife, it is not good to marry.
11But he said unto them, All men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is given.
12For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mother's womb: and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it.
-----------
I would like to recommend that those who use the Bible instead refer to verse 19 of the very same chapter:
19 ‘Honor your father and your mother,’[h] and, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”[i]
Tags: Bible, CNN, gay marriage, Jesus
CNN.com then posted this photo along with the link to the story:
Being curious about this, I was curious what the Bible really said. After all, Jesus was never one to speak in equation format.
Here's what I got from www.biblegateway.com which supposedly has an online searchable King James Bible. From what I can tell, he's not talking about gays anywhere here! It sounds more like Jesus is talking about divorce. Shame on CNN and the AP as well for using this sign. I'm sure we can look through the Bible and justify about anything if we take things out of context.
-----------
Matthew 19
1And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these sayings, he departed from Galilee, and came into the coasts of Judaea beyond Jordan;
2And great multitudes followed him; and he healed them there.
3The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?
4And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,
5And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?
6Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.
7They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away?
8He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so.
9And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.
10His disciples say unto him, If the case of the man be so with his wife, it is not good to marry.
11But he said unto them, All men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is given.
12For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mother's womb: and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it.
-----------
I would like to recommend that those who use the Bible instead refer to verse 19 of the very same chapter:
19 ‘Honor your father and your mother,’[h] and, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”[i]
Tags: Bible, CNN, gay marriage, Jesus
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Security
I know everyone in the US feels like they're in danger following the terrorist attacks on 9/11/01, and everyone wants a bigger share of Federal money, but these recent Homeland Security grant changes are a joke.
This has got to upset anyone who feels like the Federal government wastes money, regardless of where you live or what you think about terrorism.
If you want to be safe, sounds like it's time to move to Louisville, Omaha or Charlotte.
Some highlights from the article (NY Times 5/31/06, by Eric Lipton):
The net effect was that the grant to New York City, which was $207.6 million last year, will drop to $124.5 million this year, while Washington will see its grant dollars drop a similar 40 percent, to $46.5 million this year.
Meanwhile, grants for cities like Louisville, Omaha and Charlotte, N.C., each jumped by about 40 percent, to about $8.5 million each. Newark and Jersey City, which received a combined grant, also saw a large increase, rising 44 percent to $34 million.
Overall, New York State will get $183.7 million, which is a 20 percent drop from last year. That means New York State's per capita share of grant funds, which totals $2.78 per person, will drop to an even lower level compared to some rural states, like Wyoming, which will get $14.83 per person this year.
Ms. Henke, who recently took over the office that distributed anti-terrorism grants, said the relative changes in the grant dollars are based on just the kind of detailed analysis of threat and vulnerability that officials in Washington have been calling for in criticizing past awards.
The competition for the grants this year kicked off in January when Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff announced that in the fourth year of these awards, which were started after the 2001 attacks, the department would put much more emphasis on directing the money to the most likely possible terrorist targets.
----------
So NY and Washington get less Federal money after a revised system to allocate dollars based on threat analysis, vulnerability and more probable terrorist targets. Maybe someone should have double checked this algorithm!
Tags: Homeland Security, terrorism
This has got to upset anyone who feels like the Federal government wastes money, regardless of where you live or what you think about terrorism.
If you want to be safe, sounds like it's time to move to Louisville, Omaha or Charlotte.
Some highlights from the article (NY Times 5/31/06, by Eric Lipton):
The net effect was that the grant to New York City, which was $207.6 million last year, will drop to $124.5 million this year, while Washington will see its grant dollars drop a similar 40 percent, to $46.5 million this year.
Meanwhile, grants for cities like Louisville, Omaha and Charlotte, N.C., each jumped by about 40 percent, to about $8.5 million each. Newark and Jersey City, which received a combined grant, also saw a large increase, rising 44 percent to $34 million.
Overall, New York State will get $183.7 million, which is a 20 percent drop from last year. That means New York State's per capita share of grant funds, which totals $2.78 per person, will drop to an even lower level compared to some rural states, like Wyoming, which will get $14.83 per person this year.
Ms. Henke, who recently took over the office that distributed anti-terrorism grants, said the relative changes in the grant dollars are based on just the kind of detailed analysis of threat and vulnerability that officials in Washington have been calling for in criticizing past awards.
The competition for the grants this year kicked off in January when Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff announced that in the fourth year of these awards, which were started after the 2001 attacks, the department would put much more emphasis on directing the money to the most likely possible terrorist targets.
----------
So NY and Washington get less Federal money after a revised system to allocate dollars based on threat analysis, vulnerability and more probable terrorist targets. Maybe someone should have double checked this algorithm!
Tags: Homeland Security, terrorism
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
Broken Rules
As far as I can tell, this story clearly breaks the first and second rules of Fight Club.
Tags: Fight Club
Tags: Fight Club
Sunday, May 28, 2006
Bonds 715
Since Barry Bonds hit his 715th HR today, passing Babe Ruth, it led me to thinking about if he'll go after Hank Aaron's career record of 755 HR's. After all, in one or two years, he could easily reach that.
Bonds is in the last year of his contract. If he went to the AL next year, he could be a DH and not have to worry about playing in the field. I think a team like the Kansas City Royals, who won't be able to turn their misery around in one year, should seriously consider trying to sign Bonds. At the very least they should see if it's economically feasible to do so. A Bonds signing would bring an excitement to their team like they haven't had in years. Sure, they might not be winning, but the place would be packed full of people trying to see Barry reach what was thought to be unattainable. The team's media coverage and profile would be elevated as well. Considering all the revenue sharing money they get, I think this would be an excellent idea. Also, the media scrutiny is probably less intense in the heartland than it would be on the coasts as well.
Some might point to Wade Boggs getting his 3000th career hit with the Devil Rays as a reason this wouldn't work. I doubt that the Boggs milestone had such an impact on team popularity. But in this case, things are different. Boggs' milestone was purely personal. The HR record has a bigger significance for most people than that.
Tags: 715, Barry Bonds, baseball, home run, MLB, sports
Bonds is in the last year of his contract. If he went to the AL next year, he could be a DH and not have to worry about playing in the field. I think a team like the Kansas City Royals, who won't be able to turn their misery around in one year, should seriously consider trying to sign Bonds. At the very least they should see if it's economically feasible to do so. A Bonds signing would bring an excitement to their team like they haven't had in years. Sure, they might not be winning, but the place would be packed full of people trying to see Barry reach what was thought to be unattainable. The team's media coverage and profile would be elevated as well. Considering all the revenue sharing money they get, I think this would be an excellent idea. Also, the media scrutiny is probably less intense in the heartland than it would be on the coasts as well.
Some might point to Wade Boggs getting his 3000th career hit with the Devil Rays as a reason this wouldn't work. I doubt that the Boggs milestone had such an impact on team popularity. But in this case, things are different. Boggs' milestone was purely personal. The HR record has a bigger significance for most people than that.
Tags: 715, Barry Bonds, baseball, home run, MLB, sports
Baseball Notes
I haven't been paying attention to enough baseball lately.
Can you believe Barry Bonds still hasn't passed Babe Ruth? He's really breaking down, huh?
Scott Proctor just entered the game for the Yankees. I think he's a pretty good pitcher, but the Yankees are just TRYING to wear him out. He has thrown the most pitches this season of any reliever. He's going to get Tom Gordon Syndrome, or at least a Tanyon Sturtze Irritation.
While on MLB's main page, I just found out that Jason Bay has 10 HR in his last 10 games (pretty cool), the Pirates played an 18 inning game last night.
Here's my last oddity that I wasn't aware of. The Twins turned a triple play, two weeks after being caught in one! Both are worth watching on MLB's site.
Oh, and the Tigers and White Sox look like pretty good clubs. Toronto's record is almost as good as the Yankees'. How about those Mets?
Looks like it'll be an exciting year for baseball. Is this a return to competitive balance? Can we attribute this to revenue sharing?
Tags: baseball, MLB, sports
Can you believe Barry Bonds still hasn't passed Babe Ruth? He's really breaking down, huh?
Scott Proctor just entered the game for the Yankees. I think he's a pretty good pitcher, but the Yankees are just TRYING to wear him out. He has thrown the most pitches this season of any reliever. He's going to get Tom Gordon Syndrome, or at least a Tanyon Sturtze Irritation.
While on MLB's main page, I just found out that Jason Bay has 10 HR in his last 10 games (pretty cool), the Pirates played an 18 inning game last night.
Here's my last oddity that I wasn't aware of. The Twins turned a triple play, two weeks after being caught in one! Both are worth watching on MLB's site.
Oh, and the Tigers and White Sox look like pretty good clubs. Toronto's record is almost as good as the Yankees'. How about those Mets?
Looks like it'll be an exciting year for baseball. Is this a return to competitive balance? Can we attribute this to revenue sharing?
Tags: baseball, MLB, sports
Thursday, May 25, 2006
Yankees Just Got Their Copy of Moneyball
Well, at least they just finished reading it. Check out the following players in their major and minor league systems (parentheses for years with Oakland):
Jason Giambi ('95-'01)
Terrence Long ('00-'03)
Johnny Damon ('01)
Carlos Pena ('02)
Erubiel Durazo ('03-'05)
Octavio Dotel ('04-'05)
Tags: A'sbaseball, Moneyball, New York Yankees, Yankees
Jason Giambi ('95-'01)
Terrence Long ('00-'03)
Johnny Damon ('01)
Carlos Pena ('02)
Erubiel Durazo ('03-'05)
Octavio Dotel ('04-'05)
Tags: A'sbaseball, Moneyball, New York Yankees, Yankees
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
NBA Notes
A few NBA Notes:
Nothing like the Chicago getting the #2 pick in the NBA draft by way of the Knicks to remind everyone of the horrible Eddy Curry trade. I was thinking about this, however, since most people are surprised the Knicks gave up a pick that was not lottery-protected. If the Knicks traded a lottery-protected pick, it probably would have been a pick for at least 2010! Of course, for me, the jaded Knicks fan, the draft lottery provides an opportunity to read a whole new set of entertaining "Fire Isiah" and "Brown vs. Thomas" stories in the tabloids.
If Larry Brown leaves the Knicks, and coaches elsewhere, he could be getting paid by three teams next year! That's got to be a first.
This year's NBA Playoffs sure seems like it's been interesting! Three series-deciding games over the last few days, and LeBron James took the Pistons to the maximum in his first playoff appearance. The Heat then upset the Pistons last night. Unforuntaely, I'm not watching. The west coast games are on too late, and when they go to single or double overtime (which they did quite often), it's just too late to stay up. The schedule of the games is also so widely spaced out. There were no games on Saturday! It's too hard to follow, I'll just read the news items and watch a few highlights tomorrow.
A nice interview with Jeff Van Gundy by Mike and the Mad Dog today.
Tags: basketball, Knicks, NBA, Playoffs, sports
Nothing like the Chicago getting the #2 pick in the NBA draft by way of the Knicks to remind everyone of the horrible Eddy Curry trade. I was thinking about this, however, since most people are surprised the Knicks gave up a pick that was not lottery-protected. If the Knicks traded a lottery-protected pick, it probably would have been a pick for at least 2010! Of course, for me, the jaded Knicks fan, the draft lottery provides an opportunity to read a whole new set of entertaining "Fire Isiah" and "Brown vs. Thomas" stories in the tabloids.
If Larry Brown leaves the Knicks, and coaches elsewhere, he could be getting paid by three teams next year! That's got to be a first.
This year's NBA Playoffs sure seems like it's been interesting! Three series-deciding games over the last few days, and LeBron James took the Pistons to the maximum in his first playoff appearance. The Heat then upset the Pistons last night. Unforuntaely, I'm not watching. The west coast games are on too late, and when they go to single or double overtime (which they did quite often), it's just too late to stay up. The schedule of the games is also so widely spaced out. There were no games on Saturday! It's too hard to follow, I'll just read the news items and watch a few highlights tomorrow.
A nice interview with Jeff Van Gundy by Mike and the Mad Dog today.
Tags: basketball, Knicks, NBA, Playoffs, sports
Just Shut Up Awards
The ESPN Radio "Mike and Mike" show have some sort of contest called the "Just Shut Up Awards." They advertise this contest on the Pardon the Interruption podcast each day. I can't stand the Mike and Mike show, it's uninteresting and uninspired. I nominated them for the Just Shut Up Awards and suggest you do the same.
Tags: ESPN Radio, Just Shut Up Awards, Mike and Mike, sports
Tags: ESPN Radio, Just Shut Up Awards, Mike and Mike, sports
Click
The Adam Sandler movie, Click, sounds very similar to something I wrote two years ago.
Tags: Adam Sandler, click, movies, tivo
Tags: Adam Sandler, click, movies, tivo
Face the Nation 5/21/06
Bob Schieffer made the following comments last Sunday on Face the Nation. I'm really starting to like this show (which I listen to on podcast). I particularly like the line at the end about the Capitol.
------------------------------------
The English Language Debate
WASHINGTON, May. 21, 2006
(CBS) Weekly commentary by CBS Evening News anchor and Face the Nation host Bob Schieffer.
It's official! The Senate voted to make English the national language of the United States.
Do you feel a lot better knowing that? Or were you like me and thought English was our national language?
Sort of like we know the Washington Monument honors George Washington even though it doesn't have a sign on it that says Official Monument to George Washington. Even I figured that one out.
Of course new citizens should speak English but why would the Senate spend hours debating whether to make English our national language?
Let me break it to you gently: because it gives Senators something to do while they avoid addressing the real problems -- the war, health care, the ballooning deficit and immigration, for that matter.
Working on real problems that have to do with national security and the country's fiscal well-being take determination, political courage and the ability to compromise -- all of which have become the missing ingredients of modern politics.
So we'll hear more about silly issues between now and election day and come to think if it...
Maybe we should make the Washington Monument the national monument to our first president, otherwise people might think it honors the Washington Airport.
And if Senators designate Grants Tomb the official tomb of General Grant, maybe that old joke about who is buried there would go away.
And while they're at it, maybe senators could declare the U.S. Capitol to be the national monument to wasting time and avoiding responsibility.
Actually, I doubt any of us needs to be reminded of that.
Tags: Bob Schieffer, CBS, Face the Nation, politics, tv
------------------------------------
The English Language Debate
WASHINGTON, May. 21, 2006
(CBS) Weekly commentary by CBS Evening News anchor and Face the Nation host Bob Schieffer.
It's official! The Senate voted to make English the national language of the United States.
Do you feel a lot better knowing that? Or were you like me and thought English was our national language?
Sort of like we know the Washington Monument honors George Washington even though it doesn't have a sign on it that says Official Monument to George Washington. Even I figured that one out.
Of course new citizens should speak English but why would the Senate spend hours debating whether to make English our national language?
Let me break it to you gently: because it gives Senators something to do while they avoid addressing the real problems -- the war, health care, the ballooning deficit and immigration, for that matter.
Working on real problems that have to do with national security and the country's fiscal well-being take determination, political courage and the ability to compromise -- all of which have become the missing ingredients of modern politics.
So we'll hear more about silly issues between now and election day and come to think if it...
Maybe we should make the Washington Monument the national monument to our first president, otherwise people might think it honors the Washington Airport.
And if Senators designate Grants Tomb the official tomb of General Grant, maybe that old joke about who is buried there would go away.
And while they're at it, maybe senators could declare the U.S. Capitol to be the national monument to wasting time and avoiding responsibility.
Actually, I doubt any of us needs to be reminded of that.
Tags: Bob Schieffer, CBS, Face the Nation, politics, tv
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
Clintons, Bushes
The NY Times ran an article about the Clintons' personal life today, and it made me wonder, if Hillary became President in '08, would that be such a bad thing? After all, if we could elect George Bush's son, then why not Bill Clinton's wife?
Then I got to thinking... Wouldn't it be funny if Hillary won in '08 and '12? Then Jeb Bush, who's always been lurking in the Republican background won in '16 and '20? By then, Chelsea Clinton would be 40, and thus, eligible for the White House. There's probably a few Bush family members who could take over after her! It would be remarkable - Presidents Bush, Clinton, Bush, Clinton, Bush, Clinton, Bush. That would, in a strange way, turn the Bush and Clinton families into sort of monarchies of sorts. Can we get someone working on making this ridiculous scenario happen??
Tags: Bush, Clinton, President
Then I got to thinking... Wouldn't it be funny if Hillary won in '08 and '12? Then Jeb Bush, who's always been lurking in the Republican background won in '16 and '20? By then, Chelsea Clinton would be 40, and thus, eligible for the White House. There's probably a few Bush family members who could take over after her! It would be remarkable - Presidents Bush, Clinton, Bush, Clinton, Bush, Clinton, Bush. That would, in a strange way, turn the Bush and Clinton families into sort of monarchies of sorts. Can we get someone working on making this ridiculous scenario happen??
Tags: Bush, Clinton, President
24 Fifth Season
Spoiler Free
The fifth season of 24 ended last night, with a little bit of everything that 24 is known for. There were a few, "I'm glad that happened" moments, a few "Jack Bauer is so cool" moments, a few "Whatever happened to the story with..." moments and a few "That seems ridiculous" moments.
The show's format is intriguing and also limiting. A good thing is that they are able to turn over the cast however they want, since any given day, the status quo around that day could have changed and allows them to create a whole cast. The limiting factor is that nothing ever feels really complete, since it's all happening in the same day. Since the show has gotten more popular and has a little bit of a mini-universe now, I'm sure people wish they could see more than just these snippets of the characters.
I'm surprised nobody's tried to write 24 "the books" in the way that Star Wars or Star Trek have been serialized as novels. It seems like that would be a good spin-off product, with each chapter representing an hour or something. *Note: I looked on amazon.com after writing this - there are 24: the books out there, I guess they're not that popular.*
I'm not sure how they can go on with this show for three more seasons. They've been trying hard to top themselves year after year. This season, in my opinion, started really well, and then slowed down about two-thirds of the way in, until the finale. The fourth season had a similar feel but I think it was a little better.
You can download the first episodes from season 1 and season 5 for free at Myspace, and the entire seasons 1-5 are available for purchase on myspace. iTunes also carries season 5.
Tags: 24, Jack Bauer, TV
The fifth season of 24 ended last night, with a little bit of everything that 24 is known for. There were a few, "I'm glad that happened" moments, a few "Jack Bauer is so cool" moments, a few "Whatever happened to the story with..." moments and a few "That seems ridiculous" moments.
The show's format is intriguing and also limiting. A good thing is that they are able to turn over the cast however they want, since any given day, the status quo around that day could have changed and allows them to create a whole cast. The limiting factor is that nothing ever feels really complete, since it's all happening in the same day. Since the show has gotten more popular and has a little bit of a mini-universe now, I'm sure people wish they could see more than just these snippets of the characters.
I'm surprised nobody's tried to write 24 "the books" in the way that Star Wars or Star Trek have been serialized as novels. It seems like that would be a good spin-off product, with each chapter representing an hour or something. *Note: I looked on amazon.com after writing this - there are 24: the books out there, I guess they're not that popular.*
I'm not sure how they can go on with this show for three more seasons. They've been trying hard to top themselves year after year. This season, in my opinion, started really well, and then slowed down about two-thirds of the way in, until the finale. The fourth season had a similar feel but I think it was a little better.
You can download the first episodes from season 1 and season 5 for free at Myspace, and the entire seasons 1-5 are available for purchase on myspace. iTunes also carries season 5.
Tags: 24, Jack Bauer, TV
Friday, May 12, 2006
2 Years Old, and Still Kitchen Fresh
Today is the last day of the second year of the Kitchen Fresh Blog. Thanks to all who have participated in making this blog what it is -- a silly little place where I can feel a little more important each day.
Tags: blogs, Kitchen Fresh Blog
Tags: blogs, Kitchen Fresh Blog
Juiced
OJ Simpson pulls a gag in his movie/DVD, "Juiced," where he pretends to sell his white bronco, saying that, "it helped me get away." Makes me think there should be a saying to the effect of, "anyone who can laugh about his murder acquittal... is probably guilty!"
Tags: OJ Simpson
Tags: OJ Simpson
Trash Train
I think I've said it before in this space, but seeing the "Trash Train" really stinks (pun intended). When this thing pulls into your subway station, the station's not only full of garbage, but it means a train isn't coming in on your track. Here it is in action:
Tags: subway
Tags: subway
Two Yankee Games: 4/13/06 and 5/11/06
I forgot to post some photos from my $5 Yankee experience on 4/13/06 versus the KC Royals. We saw the Yankees beat the Royals, and the Big Unit was on the hill. That's back when he was pitching well (week 2 of the season). He pitched great, and I was hoping to see Rivera pitch, but then the Yanks exploded for a bunch of runs in the 8th, making the game a blowout.
Then last night, I went to the Red Sox vs Yankees game. The story of this ticket is that I didn't look at the quantity of tickets when I bid for them on eBay and ended up buying one ticket, not two. Fortunately, it only cost $20 for a face value $45 ticket, so it wasn't too bad.
I missed Matsui breaking his wrist in the first inning. Here are some other notes and observations from the game:
The game was really slow. Shawn Chacon could only last 4+ innings, and was battling throughout. I thought the Yankees were pretty lucky to be leading late in the game since they had Bubba Crosby steal a HR from Mike Lowell in the top of the 3rd inning, and Johnny Damon take away a big double from Doug Mirabelli (which I heard John Sterling erroneously describe as a possible HR.
In the top of the sixth, the Yankees used four pitchers. Tough to watch and very slow. If Proctor had gotten it done sooner, Ortiz would have come up in the next inning, which would have slowed things down a little bit. Whenever Scott Proctor enters a game, I wish they would play a sound clip from Police Academy of Capt Harris calling for Lt Proctor (Proctor? Where is Proctor?)
There didn't seem to be a lot of BoSox fans at the game from my vantage point in Loge section (under the covering, and avoiding the rain). Usually there's a pretty vocal contingent.
They show a blooper reel all the time at Yankee games and they continue to show this clip of Tommy Lasorda getting knocked over by a bat at the All-Star Game about 5 years ago. It was funny then, but actually sort of frightening, and not really that funny any more. Can they update the blooper reel?
In the top of the 7th, A-Rod struck out with a chance to tie the game. Poor A-Rod. Everyone wants him to do well, but when he struck out, the groans were really loud. It was clear that the crowd was thinking about what the papers say about A-Rod "not doing it in a big spot."
Not Miguel Cairo's finest hour. He had 4 K's, looked foolish against Tim Wakefield's knuckleball and lost the ball tagging a runner at 1B, allowing Boston's go ahead run to score.
I was noticing that Boston has a lot of former NL players, and also former NL players on teams that beat the Yankees in the past. These include Beckett, Schilling, Lowell, A Gonzalez and Loretta. Considering that a lot of people think the AL is tougher than the NL, I'm a little surprised by these imports. I guess there's something to be said for not being intimidated by a rival?
Matsui's injury sounds pretty serious. Bubba Crosby played great. I wonder if he just played himself to a trade to another team. I hope not. I like rooting for guys named "Bubba."
Tags: baseball, Boston Red Sox, MLB, New York Yankees, Red Sox, Yankees
Then last night, I went to the Red Sox vs Yankees game. The story of this ticket is that I didn't look at the quantity of tickets when I bid for them on eBay and ended up buying one ticket, not two. Fortunately, it only cost $20 for a face value $45 ticket, so it wasn't too bad.
I missed Matsui breaking his wrist in the first inning. Here are some other notes and observations from the game:
The game was really slow. Shawn Chacon could only last 4+ innings, and was battling throughout. I thought the Yankees were pretty lucky to be leading late in the game since they had Bubba Crosby steal a HR from Mike Lowell in the top of the 3rd inning, and Johnny Damon take away a big double from Doug Mirabelli (which I heard John Sterling erroneously describe as a possible HR.
In the top of the sixth, the Yankees used four pitchers. Tough to watch and very slow. If Proctor had gotten it done sooner, Ortiz would have come up in the next inning, which would have slowed things down a little bit. Whenever Scott Proctor enters a game, I wish they would play a sound clip from Police Academy of Capt Harris calling for Lt Proctor (Proctor? Where is Proctor?)
There didn't seem to be a lot of BoSox fans at the game from my vantage point in Loge section (under the covering, and avoiding the rain). Usually there's a pretty vocal contingent.
They show a blooper reel all the time at Yankee games and they continue to show this clip of Tommy Lasorda getting knocked over by a bat at the All-Star Game about 5 years ago. It was funny then, but actually sort of frightening, and not really that funny any more. Can they update the blooper reel?
In the top of the 7th, A-Rod struck out with a chance to tie the game. Poor A-Rod. Everyone wants him to do well, but when he struck out, the groans were really loud. It was clear that the crowd was thinking about what the papers say about A-Rod "not doing it in a big spot."
Not Miguel Cairo's finest hour. He had 4 K's, looked foolish against Tim Wakefield's knuckleball and lost the ball tagging a runner at 1B, allowing Boston's go ahead run to score.
I was noticing that Boston has a lot of former NL players, and also former NL players on teams that beat the Yankees in the past. These include Beckett, Schilling, Lowell, A Gonzalez and Loretta. Considering that a lot of people think the AL is tougher than the NL, I'm a little surprised by these imports. I guess there's something to be said for not being intimidated by a rival?
Matsui's injury sounds pretty serious. Bubba Crosby played great. I wonder if he just played himself to a trade to another team. I hope not. I like rooting for guys named "Bubba."
Tags: baseball, Boston Red Sox, MLB, New York Yankees, Red Sox, Yankees
Pearl Jam
Last week was a big Pearl Jam week. Their album was released on Tuesday and they played a number of shows in New York City. The first show they played was on 5/4, and through my membership in the Ten Club, I tried to get free tickets, but was unsuccessful (there were only about 175 pairs of tickets available).
Then suddenly, it was announced that they would play a show on 5/5 at Irving Plaza. How do you get tickets? Buy the new album on 5/2 at Tower Records on 4th and Broadway. I decided to camp out and get tickets. We arrived at 8am and waited until midnight to get the tickets.
When we arrived at 8am we were told we were about #200 in line. Rumor was they would have about 400 tickets, so we thought we were in pretty good shape. Around 11am they handed out wristbands and it allowed us to relax a little more that we were going to end up with tickets. All in all, I didn't expect the waiting to be so tough. My allergies were going haywire from all the dirt on the street, and fortunately we were pretty much able to go back and forth from the line fairly regularly, otherwise it would have been really awful. I brought a ton of stuff to read but it was pretty draining to just sit around and wait. Frankly, I should have realized waiting on the street would have been that dirty!
Here's a picture of where we were waiting:
Around 11pm, the line started moving. Clive Davis, founder of J records came and handed out doughnuts to the crowd. Nobody really knew who he was, but thanks to my LG VX9800, I noticed on wikipedia that he had signed big music names like Pink Floyd, Janis Joplin, Bruce Springsteen and Billy Joel. Pretty cool, here's a blurry picture of him:
We finally got our ticket and the album.
I noticed that the retail version of the album differed from the Ten Club (fan club) pre-order version.
The fan club version (top) was more like a little book, while the retail version was similar to the other albums (I believe it's called, digipak). The CD art was different too. Sort of a nice touch to pre-ordering.
The concert was great. Here are some blurry photos of the band. Unfortunately, I didn't learn how to zoom my camera phone until after the concert, so we're a bit far away from everyone. We were really close to the band. They played a great 2 hr set that included Garden for the first time in 6 years, 5 songs off of Ten, and we got to choose between "campfire Betterman" and State of Love and Trust. We chose SofL&T. There was a huge 90's flashback when a guy with a Rodney Hampton Giants jersey climbed onto a raised platform and jumped into the crowd. There were at least 3 crowd surfers (who all got removed by security). A lot of celebrities were in the balcony, including Eddie Vedder's wife and kid, Susan Sarandon, Tim Robbins and their child, Flea from RHCP, the Strokes lead singer (and supposedly Drew Barrymore), supermodel Giselle Bundchen and Mary Kate Olsen (who was dancing as if she was listening to the song, Aquarius and at a hippie concert).
Set:
World Wide Suicide, Life Wasted, Severed Hand, Marker In The Sand, Come Back, Garden, Even Flow, Insignificance, Given To Fly, Army Reserve, Gone, Why Go, Present Tense, Do The Evolution, Comatose
Encore 1: Man Of The Hour, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, State Of Love And Trust, Porch
Encore 2: Alive, Yellow Ledbetter
Blurry photos, the red arrow of this top photo is pointing to blurry Mary Kate.
An awesome concert. I noticed the guy standing next to me text his friend before the show "I am at the concert of a lifetime."
Tags: concert, Irving Plaza, music, Pearl Jam, rock
Then suddenly, it was announced that they would play a show on 5/5 at Irving Plaza. How do you get tickets? Buy the new album on 5/2 at Tower Records on 4th and Broadway. I decided to camp out and get tickets. We arrived at 8am and waited until midnight to get the tickets.
When we arrived at 8am we were told we were about #200 in line. Rumor was they would have about 400 tickets, so we thought we were in pretty good shape. Around 11am they handed out wristbands and it allowed us to relax a little more that we were going to end up with tickets. All in all, I didn't expect the waiting to be so tough. My allergies were going haywire from all the dirt on the street, and fortunately we were pretty much able to go back and forth from the line fairly regularly, otherwise it would have been really awful. I brought a ton of stuff to read but it was pretty draining to just sit around and wait. Frankly, I should have realized waiting on the street would have been that dirty!
Here's a picture of where we were waiting:
Around 11pm, the line started moving. Clive Davis, founder of J records came and handed out doughnuts to the crowd. Nobody really knew who he was, but thanks to my LG VX9800, I noticed on wikipedia that he had signed big music names like Pink Floyd, Janis Joplin, Bruce Springsteen and Billy Joel. Pretty cool, here's a blurry picture of him:
We finally got our ticket and the album.
I noticed that the retail version of the album differed from the Ten Club (fan club) pre-order version.
The fan club version (top) was more like a little book, while the retail version was similar to the other albums (I believe it's called, digipak). The CD art was different too. Sort of a nice touch to pre-ordering.
The concert was great. Here are some blurry photos of the band. Unfortunately, I didn't learn how to zoom my camera phone until after the concert, so we're a bit far away from everyone. We were really close to the band. They played a great 2 hr set that included Garden for the first time in 6 years, 5 songs off of Ten, and we got to choose between "campfire Betterman" and State of Love and Trust. We chose SofL&T. There was a huge 90's flashback when a guy with a Rodney Hampton Giants jersey climbed onto a raised platform and jumped into the crowd. There were at least 3 crowd surfers (who all got removed by security). A lot of celebrities were in the balcony, including Eddie Vedder's wife and kid, Susan Sarandon, Tim Robbins and their child, Flea from RHCP, the Strokes lead singer (and supposedly Drew Barrymore), supermodel Giselle Bundchen and Mary Kate Olsen (who was dancing as if she was listening to the song, Aquarius and at a hippie concert).
Set:
World Wide Suicide, Life Wasted, Severed Hand, Marker In The Sand, Come Back, Garden, Even Flow, Insignificance, Given To Fly, Army Reserve, Gone, Why Go, Present Tense, Do The Evolution, Comatose
Encore 1: Man Of The Hour, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town, State Of Love And Trust, Porch
Encore 2: Alive, Yellow Ledbetter
Blurry photos, the red arrow of this top photo is pointing to blurry Mary Kate.
An awesome concert. I noticed the guy standing next to me text his friend before the show "I am at the concert of a lifetime."
Tags: concert, Irving Plaza, music, Pearl Jam, rock
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