I'm wondering if it's too late to write about the Olympics. The Closing Ceremony was a week ago tonight. For guidance I consulted USA Today. Last Thursday that newspaper ran a sports page "cover story" on Joe Paterno, who has been dead - - may God have mercy on his soul - - since January. I guess that, by comparison, one week after the fact isn't so bad.
I watched more Olympics coverage this year than I ever had before. This year marked the first time for the Summer Games that I was retired and in the country. Obviously I did not watch everything, but still managed to vegetate in front of the tube for many hours during those two-plus weeks. I will leave it to the experts to opine on what moments were the most significant or important. What I offer here is simply a list, in random order, of ten observations or moments that I've thought about more than once since the games ended.
1. Missy Franklin, the gold medal swimmer, is seventeen years old, and swims for her Denver area high school, Regis Jesuit. When you think of all the high school athletes who forsake their high school teams so they can compete for elite national programs, such as the developmental hockey league in Ann Arbor, Michigan, or Oak Hill Academy in Virginia for hoopsters, it's amazing that one of the best swimmers in the world remained loyal to her high school. She will swim for them as a senior this fall. As a bonus, she seems like a great kid.
2. In the women's gold medal soccer game, US vs. Japan, all eyes were on Abby Wambach, the most prolific scorer on the US team. The game winning goal was scored on a header by midfielder Carli Lloyd, but it was such a bang-bang play that announcer Arlo White originally thought Wambach had kicked it in. Even after the replay confirmed that although Wambach was nearby she never came in contact with the ball, apparently White wanted so desperately to credit Wambach with something that he exclaimed, "Once again Abby Wambach was involved!" Ah, not really, buddy. The only other team member who was directly involved was Alex Morgan, who was accurately credited with an assist for kicking the ball into the path of Lloyd's forehead. I always love it when a play-by-play guy won't believe what the replay clearly shows. To make matters worse, in the evening NBC recap, Bob Costas compounded the same mistake that White made. In conclusion, Wambach might be the best offensive player on the team, but let's not sacrifice accuracy in reporting. She doesn't need it, and it's a disservive to the television viewers.
3. After watching Sue Bird's (semi-final) post-game interview with sideline reporter Craig Sager, I can see why she was the captain of the US women's basketball team. She gave quick, yet thoughtful, answers to some excellent questions, avoided cliches, emanated enthusiasm for the victory, all the while maintaining eye contact with Sager. Even though she is an Olympic and WNBA veteran, we could tell that she was jacked up for the chance to win another gold medal two days hence. She had an excellent tournament as the starting point guard. My only complaint about this bright athlete is that she's a UConn alumna.
4. I loved the interview with Jon Drummond, the coach of the US women's track relay team, before the 4 X 100 meter race. The four women who ran for him have a reputation of being nothing short of divas, each with her own agenda. How does a guy coach a group with that make-up, especially when team chemistry, smoothly passing the baton three times, is probably the key ingredient for that particular event? Here is Drummond's quote: "I don't need them to love each other. I just need them to like each other for 37 seconds."
5. Perhaps the most interesting Olympic battles take place in table tennis, a sport in which a handful of Asian countries excel. The players stand far from a table that, on TV, looks to be the size of a postage stamp. When they play doubles, where the rules require partners to hit alternate shots, how do they manage not to crash into each other or bop their teammate in the noggin with their paddle? The best part for me is that they yell vociferously after every volley, regardless of whether they won the point. Since I don't understand Chinese or Korean, I can't tell if they are angry, frustrated or exuberant. By the way, all of that disappears once the game is finished. Without fail, they show good sportsmanship congratulating their opponent, and almost appear to be reserved. They don't need much of a cool down period.
6. One of the peculiarities of Olympic swimming rules for relays is that the four swimmers who compete in the finals do not have to be the same swimmers who competed in the qualifying heats. (The same rule applies in track.) Thus, a coach has to decide if she wants to save one or more of her best swimmers, keeping them out of the qualifying heats so that the stars are more rested for the finals. As a coach, you would have to have the utmost confidence in the swimmers you use for the qualifiers. If they fail to post a qualifying time, the best swimmer(s) on your team may never get into the pool for a medal. It seems to me that, given the relevant rules, there is actually more pressure on the individual qualifiers than there is on those swimming in the finals. On a local note, Eden Prairie backstroker Rachel Bootsma won a gold medal in the 4 x 100 medley relay, because even though she did not swim in the finals, she was the backstroker on the four member relay team which qualified the US for the finals.
7. The games were televised on NBC and several of its affiliates. In an example of the "race to be first" mantra of journalism, the television networks and radio stations not affiliated with NBC seemed to take repeated delight in spoiling the results for viewers and listeners who planned to watch the Games that evening. During the day, ESPN constantly showed results on a crawl at the bottom of the screen. Afternoon radio shows were likewise guilty, even laughing sometimes that they were ruining the suspense for their listeners. Maybe it's expecting too much, given the five hour difference between London and New York, but a spoiler alert preceding the announcement of results would have been nice. The 2016 games are in Rio de Janeiro, so the spoilers should not be an issue then. Rio is just one hour ahead of New York.
8. I hereby admit that I was wrong about beach volleyball. My initial and long-held opinion was that any activity which is commonplace at family picnics or frat parties (e.g., lawn darts, whiffle ball) does not merit being an Olympic sport. But after watching beach volleyball played at Horse Guards Parade, one of the coolest venues in London, I can see why it was the toughest ticket for the public to obtain. How can two players per team cover all that ground? It would be hard enough if they were moving across a hardwood floor. But thick sand?
9. The cameras at the soccer matches often showed the coaches with their arms draped over the back of their seats. Yes, they were sitting in the lower stands during the action! I wish basketball coaches would take note. If your players are prepared, they know what to do. You don't have to micromanage every move. I realize that soccer rules limit the number of substitutions a coach can make, but the soccer coaches have figured it out. Your team needs to focus on the opponent without being distracted by you!
10. It was no surprise that the US men's basketball team won the gold medal. There simply was too much disparity in talent between the Americans and their opponents, even those opponents like silver medal winner Spain, with its own healthy share of NBA players. What I'll mostly remember about watching the guys' games was how brilliant an analyst Doug Collins is. Since I am not what you'd call a true NBA fan, I probably had never watched an entire NBA game for which Collins provided the commentary. But during the Olympics, that changed. Collins explained things that would have gone unnoticed by many commentators, and was spot-on with his predictions of the strategies that the teams would employ. As an example, in the final game when Spain tried to cool off hot shooter Kevin Durant by using a rarely seen "box and one" defense (i.e., a four-square zone plus man-to-man coverage on Durant), not only did Collins quickly point that strategy out but he also observed that it was undoubtedly the first time in their lives when superstars Kobe Bryant and LaBron James were in a game when the opponent used a box and one defense with man-to-man coverage on someone else! Immediately after the game ended, many of the US players climbed over a barrier to shake Collins' hand. How many times do you see players making a special effort to shake hands with a media member? I'm sure they know that in the 1972 Munich Olympics, Collins was a member of the US team team which was deprived of a gold medal when the fraudulent officials unfairly kept the game going until the Soviets took the lead. To this day, the players on that US team have refused to accept their silver medals. Those discs remain in a vault in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Sunday, August 19, 2012
Friday, August 17, 2012
Movie Review: "People Like Us"
"People Like Us": B-. Our first impressions of Sam (Chris Pine), a fast-talking East Coast slick salesman, are unfavorable. He borders on unethical behavior as he tries to convince manufacturing companies to sell their overstock to him. He constantly works under the gun, and favors taking shortcuts if it means putting a few extra coins in his pocket. This behavior gets him into trouble not only with his boss but also with the Federal Trade Commission. Just as the Feds are threatening him with a subpoena, he learns that his father, Jerry Harper, has passed away at the age of 63. Jerry was a famous record producer who consciously chose to sacrifice being a family man in favor of his career. Throughout his life, Sam detested his father, but Sam's girlfriend, Hannah (Olivia Wilde), manipulates things at the airport to get them a flight to Los Angeles for the funeral.
Sam's widowed mother, Lillian (Michelle Pfeiffer), is not happy with Sam. Just as Jerry paid little attention to the family when Sam was growing up, Sam has rarely visited his parents as an adult. After the funeral, Sam learns through his father's attorney that Jerry has verbally instructed the attorney to pass along to Sam an old shaving kit, which the attorney claims he hasn't opened. Inside the shaving kit Sam finds $150,000 cash and written instructions from Jerry for Sam to deliver the kit and caboodle to the mother of an eleven year old boy who also lives in LA. Shortly thereafter, Sam realizes that the mother is his half-sister, whom he never knew existed, and the boy, therefore, is Sam's nephew. These newly discovered relationships of Sam constitute the Big Secret which Sam looks for the right moment to reveal.
Baberaham Elizabeth Banks plays Frankie, the estranged half-sister. She, too, looked upon her father (the late Jerry) with disdain. Her childhood memories of him are mostly bad. He made no time for her or her mother, who was Jerry's mistress. Frankie knew that Jerry had a family; she and her mother were merely players in his clandestine life. Frankie is a single mom herself, an alcoholic who has her hands full with her delinquent (but cute) eleven year old, Josh (Michael Hall D'Addario), while she works a night job in a bar and attends AA meetings.
The circumstances under which Sam and Frankie first meet are not all that convincing, nor is the amount of time that Sam spends alone with Josh, as he takes him under his wing. Just when will Sam tell Frankie the Big Secret? Without spoiling the film, I will simply say he keeps it to himself a lot longer than I thought he would. Is Sam seriously contemplating keeping the inheritance for himself? Meanwhile, as happens in the movies, Josh's troubles at school seem to be getting better, thanks to the mentoring furnished to him from time to time by Sam. How many movies have we seen where a smitten guy finds that the quickest way to a single mom's heart is to become a father figure for her kid? Only here, the hot single mom is the guy's sister!
If you don't buy into the circumstances under which Sam keeps the Big Secret, it's hard to see this movie as anything other than a well acted story with an interesting set-up that doesn't play out in sensible fashion. By the way, evening admission to the Hopkins Theater is now up to $3.00. If their policy was value pricing, that would be just about right for "People Like Us." Of course, I'd be willing to pay three bucks to watch any flick with Michelle Pfeiffer, even if she is on the screen for just a couple of scenes.
Sam's widowed mother, Lillian (Michelle Pfeiffer), is not happy with Sam. Just as Jerry paid little attention to the family when Sam was growing up, Sam has rarely visited his parents as an adult. After the funeral, Sam learns through his father's attorney that Jerry has verbally instructed the attorney to pass along to Sam an old shaving kit, which the attorney claims he hasn't opened. Inside the shaving kit Sam finds $150,000 cash and written instructions from Jerry for Sam to deliver the kit and caboodle to the mother of an eleven year old boy who also lives in LA. Shortly thereafter, Sam realizes that the mother is his half-sister, whom he never knew existed, and the boy, therefore, is Sam's nephew. These newly discovered relationships of Sam constitute the Big Secret which Sam looks for the right moment to reveal.
Baberaham Elizabeth Banks plays Frankie, the estranged half-sister. She, too, looked upon her father (the late Jerry) with disdain. Her childhood memories of him are mostly bad. He made no time for her or her mother, who was Jerry's mistress. Frankie knew that Jerry had a family; she and her mother were merely players in his clandestine life. Frankie is a single mom herself, an alcoholic who has her hands full with her delinquent (but cute) eleven year old, Josh (Michael Hall D'Addario), while she works a night job in a bar and attends AA meetings.
The circumstances under which Sam and Frankie first meet are not all that convincing, nor is the amount of time that Sam spends alone with Josh, as he takes him under his wing. Just when will Sam tell Frankie the Big Secret? Without spoiling the film, I will simply say he keeps it to himself a lot longer than I thought he would. Is Sam seriously contemplating keeping the inheritance for himself? Meanwhile, as happens in the movies, Josh's troubles at school seem to be getting better, thanks to the mentoring furnished to him from time to time by Sam. How many movies have we seen where a smitten guy finds that the quickest way to a single mom's heart is to become a father figure for her kid? Only here, the hot single mom is the guy's sister!
If you don't buy into the circumstances under which Sam keeps the Big Secret, it's hard to see this movie as anything other than a well acted story with an interesting set-up that doesn't play out in sensible fashion. By the way, evening admission to the Hopkins Theater is now up to $3.00. If their policy was value pricing, that would be just about right for "People Like Us." Of course, I'd be willing to pay three bucks to watch any flick with Michelle Pfeiffer, even if she is on the screen for just a couple of scenes.
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Album Review: "Handwritten" - The Gaslight Anthem
"Handwritten": B. When my daughter Gina was planning her wedding two years ago, she asked me to put together a music mix to play during the reception dinner. Her instructions were to find the kind of music they play on Cities 97. I created three discs (Munching On The Mississippi, Volumes 1-3), each containing twenty songs by different artists, for her to choose from. All but one of the sixty artists was, and probably still is, on that radio station's playlist. The one exception was the Gaslight Anthem. I just had to put Here's Looking At You, Kid on one of the three discs. That was my favorite song from the band's 2008 album, The '59 Sound, and I was confident the guests would like it as well.
Except for that one song, I wasn't entirely crazy about The '59 Sound, so I passed on the band's next effort, American Slang from 2010. However, I decided on a whim to give Handwritten, released two Tuesdays ago, a try, hoping that maybe I'd find at least one song on there which I might enjoy to the same extent as Here's Looking At You, Kid. I am sorry to report, I did not. But, the good news is that, as a whole, I like Handwritten much more than The '59 Sound.
The Gaslight Anthem is a four man punk rock band out of New Brunswick, New Jersey. Paraphrasing the famous line written by former US Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart about porn, I am not totally certain how to define punk rock, but I know it when I hear it. Although there are a few derivations and subsets of punk rock, the main ingredients are short, loud songs, sung with passionate urgency and featuring simple, frenetic and incessant drum beats with basic guitar accompaniment, albeit not uncommonly manufactured via a distortion pedal. You usually will not hear keyboards, acoustic instruments, percussion other than drums, guitar solos, long fade-outs, or any heavy production tricks which other forms of rock might employ. (It is commonly believed that punk rock evolved as a protest to the direction which the classic rock music of the seventies was heading.) Punk rock is not my favorite genre. I find it to be ill-suited for many themes, although it does work particularly nicely for songs which address romance gone wrong. There are several of that ilk on Handwritten. Because punk rock is generally not melodic, it is difficult to pick out great musicianship. But, having said all that, punk rock certainly has its moments.
Some of the buzz surrounding the release of Handwritten is that the songs evidence the band moving from punk rock to more traditional rock. I am in that camp; that is my take as well. The eleven songs on the core album - - more on that below - - run the gamut from punk rock to traditional. It is almost as if Handwritten is comprised of two EPs, one for each style. I would place three of the songs in the punk rock category, with the best of that small bunch being the album opener, "45." The singer laments that the girl to whom he's singing is giving him the brush-off, while his friends are urging him to cut the cord. Using a 45 rpm record as a metaphor for the failing relationship, they recommend that he "turn the record over" and tell her that he'll see her "on the flip side." They urge him to "let somebody else lay at her feet." Another punk song worthy of praise, although to a lesser extent, is the title track, Handwritten. Once again we have the singer ready to throw up his hands at his inability to connect with his love interest. "I've been holding my breath," he sings, but he and his woman have "waited for sirens that never come." A fourth song (Desire) seems a hybrid, bridging the transition from punk to rock.
Among the seven more traditional rock songs, Here Comes My Man, Mulholland Drive and Mae are the cornerstones. On Mae lead singer Brian Fallon evokes fellow New Jersy native Bruce Springsteen's deep semi-grovely voice, with a touch of pain a la Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder. Is it merely a coincidence that Handwritten was produced by Brendan O'Brien, who made his mark as a producer for Springsteen and Pearl Jam recordings? Mulholland Drive, my favorite track on the album, combines thought provoking lyrics and a solid rock arrangement. The singer is talking to a former love, wondering if she shares the same memories of their past, memories which haunt him. After repeated listenings I'm still not positive of the meaning of Here Comes My Man. The song makes the most sense if it's viewed as the expressions of a girl to a guy. This concept is complicated by the fact that the song is being sung by a guy, viz., Fallon. Whatever the meaning, this complex song has a great beat.
The core album closes with a beautiful folk ballad called National Anthem. As is the case with several tracks on this album, the singer is addressing a former girl friend. He tells her that he'll never forget her, but that "the place where you were in my heart is now closed."
I mentioned above that the first eleven songs constitute the core album. The Electric Fetus offered the core album for sale, but alternatively offered a deluxe edition containing three additional songs for an extra two bucks, a deal I could not refuse. My theory was, what if the best song on the CD is one of the bonus tracks? That theory did not exactly hold up here, but there is a dynamite cover of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers' You Got Lucky as the grand finale.
Except for that one song, I wasn't entirely crazy about The '59 Sound, so I passed on the band's next effort, American Slang from 2010. However, I decided on a whim to give Handwritten, released two Tuesdays ago, a try, hoping that maybe I'd find at least one song on there which I might enjoy to the same extent as Here's Looking At You, Kid. I am sorry to report, I did not. But, the good news is that, as a whole, I like Handwritten much more than The '59 Sound.
The Gaslight Anthem is a four man punk rock band out of New Brunswick, New Jersey. Paraphrasing the famous line written by former US Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart about porn, I am not totally certain how to define punk rock, but I know it when I hear it. Although there are a few derivations and subsets of punk rock, the main ingredients are short, loud songs, sung with passionate urgency and featuring simple, frenetic and incessant drum beats with basic guitar accompaniment, albeit not uncommonly manufactured via a distortion pedal. You usually will not hear keyboards, acoustic instruments, percussion other than drums, guitar solos, long fade-outs, or any heavy production tricks which other forms of rock might employ. (It is commonly believed that punk rock evolved as a protest to the direction which the classic rock music of the seventies was heading.) Punk rock is not my favorite genre. I find it to be ill-suited for many themes, although it does work particularly nicely for songs which address romance gone wrong. There are several of that ilk on Handwritten. Because punk rock is generally not melodic, it is difficult to pick out great musicianship. But, having said all that, punk rock certainly has its moments.
Some of the buzz surrounding the release of Handwritten is that the songs evidence the band moving from punk rock to more traditional rock. I am in that camp; that is my take as well. The eleven songs on the core album - - more on that below - - run the gamut from punk rock to traditional. It is almost as if Handwritten is comprised of two EPs, one for each style. I would place three of the songs in the punk rock category, with the best of that small bunch being the album opener, "45." The singer laments that the girl to whom he's singing is giving him the brush-off, while his friends are urging him to cut the cord. Using a 45 rpm record as a metaphor for the failing relationship, they recommend that he "turn the record over" and tell her that he'll see her "on the flip side." They urge him to "let somebody else lay at her feet." Another punk song worthy of praise, although to a lesser extent, is the title track, Handwritten. Once again we have the singer ready to throw up his hands at his inability to connect with his love interest. "I've been holding my breath," he sings, but he and his woman have "waited for sirens that never come." A fourth song (Desire) seems a hybrid, bridging the transition from punk to rock.
Among the seven more traditional rock songs, Here Comes My Man, Mulholland Drive and Mae are the cornerstones. On Mae lead singer Brian Fallon evokes fellow New Jersy native Bruce Springsteen's deep semi-grovely voice, with a touch of pain a la Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder. Is it merely a coincidence that Handwritten was produced by Brendan O'Brien, who made his mark as a producer for Springsteen and Pearl Jam recordings? Mulholland Drive, my favorite track on the album, combines thought provoking lyrics and a solid rock arrangement. The singer is talking to a former love, wondering if she shares the same memories of their past, memories which haunt him. After repeated listenings I'm still not positive of the meaning of Here Comes My Man. The song makes the most sense if it's viewed as the expressions of a girl to a guy. This concept is complicated by the fact that the song is being sung by a guy, viz., Fallon. Whatever the meaning, this complex song has a great beat.
The core album closes with a beautiful folk ballad called National Anthem. As is the case with several tracks on this album, the singer is addressing a former girl friend. He tells her that he'll never forget her, but that "the place where you were in my heart is now closed."
I mentioned above that the first eleven songs constitute the core album. The Electric Fetus offered the core album for sale, but alternatively offered a deluxe edition containing three additional songs for an extra two bucks, a deal I could not refuse. My theory was, what if the best song on the CD is one of the bonus tracks? That theory did not exactly hold up here, but there is a dynamite cover of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers' You Got Lucky as the grand finale.
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Movie Review: "The Bourne Legacy"
"The Bourne Legacy": B+. Matt Damon is no longer the face of the famous Bourne movie franchise, but have no fear. Jeremy Renner, whose first big headliner was in the 2008 Academy Award Best Picture movie The Hurt Locker, is more than an able replacement. Renner plays Aaron Cross, one of nine special espionage agents in a CIA program which the government has decided to shut down due to a breach of security. By "shut down" I mean eradicate all traces that the program ever existed, including knocking off the nine agents. Watch out for those little yellow triangular pills!
Rachel Weisz is Dr. Marta Shearing, a scientist in the DC area lab where the Agency produces and monitors the meds that that the special agents need to ingest on a regular basis. This reliance on the meds is one of the means by which the Agency controls their field operators. The little greenies are for nutrition; the blue ones give them a mental edge. When we first meet Cross he's in the Alaskan wilderness and his supply of meds is running thin. Good thing he is an expert marksman who can bag his own meal occasionally by knocking off a wolf from 200 yards away.
In addition to the lab and the wilderness, a third action point to which the camera regularly takes us is the Agency headquarters, where Retired USAF Colonel Eric Byer (Edward Norton) methodically masterminds the eradication of the nine agents. This is a global effort, but none of them is that hard to bump off - - that is, except for Aaron Cross. Norton is great (as usual) as the cold-blooded schemer who rationalizes that his dastardly deeds are actually acts of patriotism on his part.
Everyone whom Cross encounters is, in his mind, untrustworthy. I guess I would feel the same way once I figured out that my own employer, which just happens to be my country, is trying to kill me. Cross is fighting a deadline, as he desperately needs those blues and greenies not just to stay alive but also to have the mental acuteness to stay one step ahead of his high tech pursuers. As you might guess, this self-preservation urge leads him to Dr. Shearing. Maybe he shouldn't trust her either, but he figures she's his best bet to scoring a stash of the desperately needed meds. It is not the first time they've met, but before it was strictly on a doctor/patient basis. She knows him as "Number Five."
In its simplest terms this is a chase movie. Will the CIA succeed in bumping off Cross? This is a different kind of chase, however, as the action takes us all over the planet. The cinematography is spectacular, yet the great shots do not get in the way of the story. There are special effects, as there are in every Bourne movie, but most of them are believable, at least until we get to the last several minutes of the film.
The movie is not without its flaws, mostly in the Failure Of Logic Category. For example, the Manilla Police Department is made to look like the Three Stooges. Cross always seems to have a gun at his disposal, notwithstanding the fact that he has to clear airline security and customs several times. And what's up with the tall Asian tough guy who is late to the party? Isn't it bad enough that Cross has to evade both the CIA and the Manilla police while simultaneously trying to keep his female companion safe?
Finally, I must comment on this movie's connection with current events. In the past year or so we have read in the news about how the US uses unmanned drones to kill al-Qaida terrorists in the lawless northwestern provinces of Pakistan, among other hot spots. We have also, sadly, seen a number of murders by gunmen who go berserk in enclosed spaces, the most recent examples being the killing and injuring of many people in a theater in Aurora, Colorado and in a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. The Bourne Legacy gives a riveting depiction of how being on the receiving end of a drone attack or of a gunman gone wild might play out. Bone chilling action, and food for thought.
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Burners At The Corners
A baseball team's batting order, as constructed by the team's manager, is an example of the epitome of optimism. For example, the player he designates as the leadoff (aka, the "one hole") hitter may never actually be the initial batter in any inning other than the first. Still, the manager picks him because, ideally, that guy will lead off several innings, not just the first. He is a "table setter," someone with a high on-base percentage. The prototypical two hole hitter is someone who, in addition to other attributes such as usually making contact, is either good at laying down sacrifice bunts or excels at executing the hit-and-run. But those two talents come into play only if there are runners on base when he comes up to bat. A manager usually puts his biggest power hitter in the clean-up (four hole) spot, even if that big galoot strikes out on a consistant basis. In short, the manager fills his lineup card by thinking positively. He believes the leadoff hitter will bat first in several innings (not just the first), the two hole hitter will come up with men on base, and the cleanup hitter will send the ball into the bleachers way more often than he will strike out. A lot of this is driven by tradition, but the truth is that, for many of the 162 regular season games, a manager could fill out his batting order by pulling the starters' names out of a hat and the results would be close to the same as if he'd completed his selections in the traditional manner. Some managers have tried pulling names from a hat in an effort to snap a losing streak. Why not shake things up a little if the old fashion methods aren't working?
Notwithstanding what I have written above, one lineup orchestration which I do favor is putting the two fastest guys in the lineup back-to-back. Typically this means batting them 1-2 (i.e., the first two spots in the batting order), 9-1, or even 8-9. Obviously if a team is lucky enough to have three speedsters in its lineup, so much the better; they can bat 9-1-2, three burners in a row! What a manager doesn't want is to have a slow guy on the bases impeding a faster teammate. That is often referred to as "clogging the bases" because it negates the athleticism of the speedy trailing runner.
In the National League, where the pitchers are required to bat and are notoriously weak hitters, some creativity in filling out the lineup card may be in order to accomplish the goal of having the speed burners hit consecutively. Tony La Russa, the arrogant yet highly successful former manager, used to insert his pitcher in the eight hole instead of ninth like most other National League managers would do. La Russa's rationale was that having the pitcher bat eighth enabled him to put speed in the ninth and leadoff spots, i.e., back-to-back. The man is considered one of the great managers of all time - - he managed three different teams to the World Series championship, including last year's World Champion St. Louis Cardinals, and is the third winningest manager in the history of baseball - - so there might be a method to his madness.
There are few situations in the fascinating sport of baseball which put more pressure on the defense than having fast runners at first and third base ("burners at the corners") with less than two out. Consider the possibilities which the catcher and his manager must anticipate before every pitch in that scenario. Their main concern is the double steal, in which the runner on first takes off for second, and as soon as the catcher releases the ball, the runner on third breaks for home. There is more than one way for the defensive team to attempt to keep that from happening. The only way that is fool proof is for the pitcher to intentionally hit the batter with the pitch. The result is a dead ball. The bad news is that the bases are then loaded. Aside from taking that drastic measure, the defense has four options with runners at the corners:
1. The catcher can throw down to second to try to nail the back-end base stealer (i.e., the guy who was the base runner at first), and hope that the man on third isn't attempting to steal as well. If the catcher is wrong, the guy on third will probably be successful in his attempt to steal home, because whoever takes the throw at second will not be in a good position to throw back to the catcher; he will be too busy with the incoming runner. Plus,the ball must travel in the air for a comparatively long time (from the plate to second base, and back), probably long enough for the speedy lead runner to steal home.
2. The catcher can throw the ball to one of the middle infielders who runs up to take the throw well in front of the bag. This is sometimes called "the short circuit play" because, by taking the throw in front of the bag, the middle infielder is shortening the round trip which the ball is taking in the air between home and second. If the man on third has broken for home, he will be dead meat at the plate, assuming the catcher and the middle infielder have strong and accurate arms. This option concedes the steal of second base.
3. The catcher can immediately throw down to third, ignoring the trailing runner, hoping that the runner on third leaves for home too early, caught offguard because he was not expecting the catcher to do that. If so, a run-down is the likely result.
4. The catcher can fake a throw to second, and try to catch the lead runner napping.
Of course, one other thing a catcher can do is simply hold onto the ball and concede second base to the trailing/back-end runner.
If you ever see a catcher standing in front of the plate with runners at the corners, he is usually signaling to his infielders which play is on. It is most likely one of the four enumerated above. The signaling by the catcher is not unlike the gyrations which you see a third base coach perform. It's essential that every infielder is on the same page.
With burners at the corners, there are things other than a double steal for the defense to contend with. Suicide squeezes, safety squeezes, and hit and run plays, to name a few. There is pressure on the pitcher to hold the runner at first close to the bag, and to be quick with his delivery. A typical move by the runner on third is to charge up the line toward home and then abruptly stop, in an attempt to cause the pitcher to balk. There is pressure on the catcher to block pitches in the dirt. A good catcher might call for a pitch such as a split finger fast ball, which is designed to dive into the dirt. In some cases that is the best pitch in the pitcher's arsenal. The pitcher needs to have confidence in his catcher, and the catcher needs to have confidence in his own ability to block the low pitch and keep the ball in front of him.
Just as is the case in football, a winning strategy is to keep putting pressure on the opponent's defense. If a defense is under pressure and is required to make several tough plays with perfect execution, sooner or later there will be imperfection, maybe even an error or two. A good team will capitalize on those imperfect executions and errors and turn them into runs. The easiest way for the offense to create pressure is by employing speed. Think about that the next time you see burners at the corners.
Notwithstanding what I have written above, one lineup orchestration which I do favor is putting the two fastest guys in the lineup back-to-back. Typically this means batting them 1-2 (i.e., the first two spots in the batting order), 9-1, or even 8-9. Obviously if a team is lucky enough to have three speedsters in its lineup, so much the better; they can bat 9-1-2, three burners in a row! What a manager doesn't want is to have a slow guy on the bases impeding a faster teammate. That is often referred to as "clogging the bases" because it negates the athleticism of the speedy trailing runner.
In the National League, where the pitchers are required to bat and are notoriously weak hitters, some creativity in filling out the lineup card may be in order to accomplish the goal of having the speed burners hit consecutively. Tony La Russa, the arrogant yet highly successful former manager, used to insert his pitcher in the eight hole instead of ninth like most other National League managers would do. La Russa's rationale was that having the pitcher bat eighth enabled him to put speed in the ninth and leadoff spots, i.e., back-to-back. The man is considered one of the great managers of all time - - he managed three different teams to the World Series championship, including last year's World Champion St. Louis Cardinals, and is the third winningest manager in the history of baseball - - so there might be a method to his madness.
There are few situations in the fascinating sport of baseball which put more pressure on the defense than having fast runners at first and third base ("burners at the corners") with less than two out. Consider the possibilities which the catcher and his manager must anticipate before every pitch in that scenario. Their main concern is the double steal, in which the runner on first takes off for second, and as soon as the catcher releases the ball, the runner on third breaks for home. There is more than one way for the defensive team to attempt to keep that from happening. The only way that is fool proof is for the pitcher to intentionally hit the batter with the pitch. The result is a dead ball. The bad news is that the bases are then loaded. Aside from taking that drastic measure, the defense has four options with runners at the corners:
1. The catcher can throw down to second to try to nail the back-end base stealer (i.e., the guy who was the base runner at first), and hope that the man on third isn't attempting to steal as well. If the catcher is wrong, the guy on third will probably be successful in his attempt to steal home, because whoever takes the throw at second will not be in a good position to throw back to the catcher; he will be too busy with the incoming runner. Plus,the ball must travel in the air for a comparatively long time (from the plate to second base, and back), probably long enough for the speedy lead runner to steal home.
2. The catcher can throw the ball to one of the middle infielders who runs up to take the throw well in front of the bag. This is sometimes called "the short circuit play" because, by taking the throw in front of the bag, the middle infielder is shortening the round trip which the ball is taking in the air between home and second. If the man on third has broken for home, he will be dead meat at the plate, assuming the catcher and the middle infielder have strong and accurate arms. This option concedes the steal of second base.
3. The catcher can immediately throw down to third, ignoring the trailing runner, hoping that the runner on third leaves for home too early, caught offguard because he was not expecting the catcher to do that. If so, a run-down is the likely result.
4. The catcher can fake a throw to second, and try to catch the lead runner napping.
Of course, one other thing a catcher can do is simply hold onto the ball and concede second base to the trailing/back-end runner.
If you ever see a catcher standing in front of the plate with runners at the corners, he is usually signaling to his infielders which play is on. It is most likely one of the four enumerated above. The signaling by the catcher is not unlike the gyrations which you see a third base coach perform. It's essential that every infielder is on the same page.
With burners at the corners, there are things other than a double steal for the defense to contend with. Suicide squeezes, safety squeezes, and hit and run plays, to name a few. There is pressure on the pitcher to hold the runner at first close to the bag, and to be quick with his delivery. A typical move by the runner on third is to charge up the line toward home and then abruptly stop, in an attempt to cause the pitcher to balk. There is pressure on the catcher to block pitches in the dirt. A good catcher might call for a pitch such as a split finger fast ball, which is designed to dive into the dirt. In some cases that is the best pitch in the pitcher's arsenal. The pitcher needs to have confidence in his catcher, and the catcher needs to have confidence in his own ability to block the low pitch and keep the ball in front of him.
Just as is the case in football, a winning strategy is to keep putting pressure on the opponent's defense. If a defense is under pressure and is required to make several tough plays with perfect execution, sooner or later there will be imperfection, maybe even an error or two. A good team will capitalize on those imperfect executions and errors and turn them into runs. The easiest way for the offense to create pressure is by employing speed. Think about that the next time you see burners at the corners.
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Movie Review: "Moonrise Kingdom"
"Moonrise Kingdom": B-. Sam (Jared Gilman) and Suzy (Kara Hayward) are a couple of twelve year olds whose quirky and sometimes unsocial personalities draw them to each other. Sam is an orphan and a Khaki Scout, whose troop leader is the unintentionally funny Scout Master Ward, humorously played by Edward Norton. The scouts' camp is on an island called New Penzance, where the kids learn camping and survival skills. Those come in handy when Sam talks the mysterious Suzy into sneaking off by themselves through the deep forest to see what adventures lie ahead. The two of them set out on foot, and are long gone before Scout Master Ward and Suzy's parents, Walt and Laura Bishop (Bill Murray and the always excellent Frances McDormand), get wind of what has transpired.
Bruce Willis plays Captain Sharp, the chief cop on the island, where nary a crime - - or even a disturbance of any kind - - occurs. Sharp is having an affair with Laura Bishop, something that's not easy to pull off given the compact size of New Penzance. When the kids disappear, Sharp has his hands full, answering questions peppered at him by the social worker (Tilda Swinton) responsible for Sam's well being, and by the Bishops. Meanwhile, Scout Master Ward organizes a search party comprised of Sam's fellow Khaki Scouts, most of whom are armed with dangerous weapons.
Much of the movie's scenes follow Sam and Suzy while they are on the lamb. As a young scout, Sam is well versed in what it takes to prepare for an outdoor expedition, and he brings along a lot of gear. Suzy, conversely, has an old style overnight bag and a small portable record player. They are pre-teens, so probably too young to get into the kind of trouble that older kids with proverbial "raging hormones" might encounter, but still old enough to be inquisitive about the opposite sex. Suzy's dad imagines the worst. The social worker is a finger pointer. Captain Sharp might be in over his head, but is, nevertheless, the voice of reason.
This movie has drawn rave reviews from the critics, and judging by its longevity at the first run theaters - - Ten bucks a ticket for a Monday matinee at West End? You can't be serious! - - it is a hit with local moviegoers too. The director is Wes Anderson, and he obviously has his fans. I gave "Moonrise Kingdom" a B- because it was't quite as good as what I anticipated. The kids are cute, no doubt. But the problems they face while on their island escapade do not come close to those in classic stories like Swiss Family Robinson, Treasure Island or even The Wizard Of Oz. There is more action taking place among the adults than there is with Sam and Suzy.
I did enjoy many of Anderson's touches, such as Laura Bishop using a bullhorn to call her family to dinner in their lighthouse home. Or Scout Master Ward, ridiculously dressed in a scout uniform, dragging on a weed to help calm his nerves. Or the fact that Tilda Swinton's character does not have a name, but is referred to in the movie and in the credits as "Social Services." Or Captain Sharp sharing a cold beer with Sam at the kitchen table. The best part of the movie was a short scene in which Suzy's father is so tense and pent up with emotion that he announces to his family that he's "going out to cut down a tree." He brings with him an axe and a bottle of wine. If offbeat humor is up your alley or you are simply a Wes Anderson fan, then by all means plunk down your ten dollar bill and enjoy the show.
Bruce Willis plays Captain Sharp, the chief cop on the island, where nary a crime - - or even a disturbance of any kind - - occurs. Sharp is having an affair with Laura Bishop, something that's not easy to pull off given the compact size of New Penzance. When the kids disappear, Sharp has his hands full, answering questions peppered at him by the social worker (Tilda Swinton) responsible for Sam's well being, and by the Bishops. Meanwhile, Scout Master Ward organizes a search party comprised of Sam's fellow Khaki Scouts, most of whom are armed with dangerous weapons.
Much of the movie's scenes follow Sam and Suzy while they are on the lamb. As a young scout, Sam is well versed in what it takes to prepare for an outdoor expedition, and he brings along a lot of gear. Suzy, conversely, has an old style overnight bag and a small portable record player. They are pre-teens, so probably too young to get into the kind of trouble that older kids with proverbial "raging hormones" might encounter, but still old enough to be inquisitive about the opposite sex. Suzy's dad imagines the worst. The social worker is a finger pointer. Captain Sharp might be in over his head, but is, nevertheless, the voice of reason.
This movie has drawn rave reviews from the critics, and judging by its longevity at the first run theaters - - Ten bucks a ticket for a Monday matinee at West End? You can't be serious! - - it is a hit with local moviegoers too. The director is Wes Anderson, and he obviously has his fans. I gave "Moonrise Kingdom" a B- because it was't quite as good as what I anticipated. The kids are cute, no doubt. But the problems they face while on their island escapade do not come close to those in classic stories like Swiss Family Robinson, Treasure Island or even The Wizard Of Oz. There is more action taking place among the adults than there is with Sam and Suzy.
I did enjoy many of Anderson's touches, such as Laura Bishop using a bullhorn to call her family to dinner in their lighthouse home. Or Scout Master Ward, ridiculously dressed in a scout uniform, dragging on a weed to help calm his nerves. Or the fact that Tilda Swinton's character does not have a name, but is referred to in the movie and in the credits as "Social Services." Or Captain Sharp sharing a cold beer with Sam at the kitchen table. The best part of the movie was a short scene in which Suzy's father is so tense and pent up with emotion that he announces to his family that he's "going out to cut down a tree." He brings with him an axe and a bottle of wine. If offbeat humor is up your alley or you are simply a Wes Anderson fan, then by all means plunk down your ten dollar bill and enjoy the show.
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Album Review: "Welcome To The Fish Bowl" - Kenny Chesney
"Welcome To The Fish Bowl": B+. This coming Sunday I am taking Momma Cuandito to the first-ever concert in the still relatively new Target Field. The headliners for the "Brothers Of The Sun Tour" are Tim McGraw and Kenny Chesney. You already know from my February 11 post (Album Review: "Emotional Traffic") that I am a pretty big Tim McGraw fan. I have been attempting to get into Chesney's music as well, although it has been a bit of a slow go. The latest chapter in this endeavor was to purchase Chesney's new CD, "Welcome To The Fish Bowl," which was released during the last week of June.
Upon my first (of five so far) time through the new CD, the thing that struck me was the even-keelness (if that's a word) of the playlist as a whole. I found this ironic, given the fact that the venues for the tour are stadiums, which lend themselves to hell-on-wheels, up-tempo, let it all hang out rock songs. The closest thing to country rock on "Fish Bowl" is the second track, "Feel Like A Rock Star," which was written specifically for this tour and is a duet shared by the two long-time buds, Tim and Kenny.
The vibe on Chesney's new album is laid back, even occasionally melancholy, created by several numbers with outstanding, thought-provoking lyrics. At the head of the class are "Sing 'Em Good My Friend" and especially "While He Still Knows Who I Am." The latter song is about a man traveling back home to see his father who is losing his memory. The son sings that a lot of what he, himself, has become - - his fondness for Chevys, his love of baseball - - is due to his father's influence, but now he hopes to learn more about him as a man, not merely as his dad. This time he's going to give him a kiss, not just a manly handshake.
In "Sing 'Em Good My Friend," an older man is in the final stages of selling all his worldly goods because he needs the money. But he has a hard time letting go of his prized possession, an old guitar which has been with him for years. He finally agrees to sell his instrument to the singer, telling the younger musician that "he left some songs in this guitar; sing 'em good my friend." He admonishes him to sing the truth and sing the pain. In the final verse the singer promises to do the old man proud.
Also on the honor roll, maybe a nano-notch below the two aforementioned tunes, are "I'm A Small Town" and "To Get To You." The former is a clever personification of "a dot on the map."
Upon my first (of five so far) time through the new CD, the thing that struck me was the even-keelness (if that's a word) of the playlist as a whole. I found this ironic, given the fact that the venues for the tour are stadiums, which lend themselves to hell-on-wheels, up-tempo, let it all hang out rock songs. The closest thing to country rock on "Fish Bowl" is the second track, "Feel Like A Rock Star," which was written specifically for this tour and is a duet shared by the two long-time buds, Tim and Kenny.
The vibe on Chesney's new album is laid back, even occasionally melancholy, created by several numbers with outstanding, thought-provoking lyrics. At the head of the class are "Sing 'Em Good My Friend" and especially "While He Still Knows Who I Am." The latter song is about a man traveling back home to see his father who is losing his memory. The son sings that a lot of what he, himself, has become - - his fondness for Chevys, his love of baseball - - is due to his father's influence, but now he hopes to learn more about him as a man, not merely as his dad. This time he's going to give him a kiss, not just a manly handshake.
In "Sing 'Em Good My Friend," an older man is in the final stages of selling all his worldly goods because he needs the money. But he has a hard time letting go of his prized possession, an old guitar which has been with him for years. He finally agrees to sell his instrument to the singer, telling the younger musician that "he left some songs in this guitar; sing 'em good my friend." He admonishes him to sing the truth and sing the pain. In the final verse the singer promises to do the old man proud.
Also on the honor roll, maybe a nano-notch below the two aforementioned tunes, are "I'm A Small Town" and "To Get To You." The former is a clever personification of "a dot on the map."
If you blink you'll miss me.
Go ahead and laugh.
Ever since I lived in Minot I've been a sucker for songs about small towns. These few words from Chesney's song say a lot about what it's like to live in one:
Either I hold your heart, or I hold you down,
I'm a small town.
"To Get To You" is a love song in which the singer tells his girl that, despite their ups and downs, he'd do it all again.
Love's become a frightening thing to do...
I've been scared to try again, but you're worth every hurt that I've been through,
I'd go through it all again if I had to,
To get to you.
There are a handful of songs I don't much care for, including the duet with McGraw and the live version of "You And Tequila," a duet with Grace Potter sung at Red Rocks and which is getting some air play on country radio.
I am not sure what makes this a country album, other that the fact that it's put out by the good ol' country boy from eastern Tennessee, Kenny Chesney. There is more piano than slide guitar, and more traditional violin than country fiddle. Maybe all it takes to make "Fish Bowl" country is Kenny's twang. I am looking forward to seeing him, and his brother of the sun, Tim, live.
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