So, can we hold on this year? With 17 games left, we’re up by three games over the scrappy Phillies. The good news; our starting pitching is much stronger this season, and the team is clearly far more relaxed. The bad news; anything can happen. It’s baseball.
Doubleheader today for the Mets, with Santana and Jon Niese throwing. A split is a must, and a sweep would be lovely. I’ll report back this evening…
Great win for the Jets to start the year, but of course, the big football news of the day (and it’s certainly related to the Jets) is Tom Brady’s knee injury, which appears likely to sideline him for the season; an MRI tomorrow appears to be a formality at this point. It’s hard to overstate how devastating this is for the Patriots and their fans, and we’ll get the greatest test yet of Bill Belichick’s coaching genius. He’s made his name mixing and matching random variables—before last year’s attack squadron, remember, he’d won with scrubs like Antowain Smith, David Patten, and Daniel Graham playing enormous roles. But all that was due to Tom Brady’s extraordinary abilities; he always seemed to find the open man no matter who it was. How else could Mike Vrabel have multiple TD receptions to his credit? Without Brady, the AFC is blown wide open. New England still has lots of weapons and should be a contender if Matt Cassel is adequate, but can they be anything more than slightly above average now? We’ll see.
As for the Jets, it was a strong Week 1 performance. It’s important to remember that this is not the same Miami team that went 1-15. As critical as I’ve been about Chad Pennington in the past (and I maintain he’s not a championship QB), he’s light years better than the utter dreck the Dolphins trotted out there last year, and adds an aura of legitimacy to the team. So, I expect Miami to win somewhere between four and six games this year, and be a weak-but-not-historically-bad team, and there was no reason to expect a blowout on the road while the new additions are still gelling. All that said, the plusses and minuses from today:
Positives:
1. The run defense was worlds better than us suffering Jets fans are accustomed to. Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown were swarmed everytime they touched the ball, and there were zero big plays. Miami doesn’t have a first-rate offensive line, but it was a very encouraging start.
2. DWIGHT LOWERY! The rookie 4th-rounder was fantastic playing opposite Darrelle Revis at CB, batting down at least three passes and showing strong tackling skills. If he’s legit—and his College nickname, Dwight Swipe, indicates the skillset is there—then the pass defense receives a major boost. Having two ballhawk cornerbacks can’t be underestimated in today’s pass-happy NFL, and it’s something the Jets haven’t had in years, if not decades.
3. While the offensive line’s pass-blocking wasn’t perfect, the run-blocking looked in midseason form. Thomas Jones had holes that simply weren’t there last year, and took advantage of them.
4. Given that Favre is just getting comfortable in the offense and with his WR’s, it was impressive how much he looked like…Brett Favre. The stupid fumble was classic Favre, but so was the nutty 4th-and-13 scrambling TD.
Negatives:
1. There wasn’t the overall consistency I’d like to see going forward, and Vernon Gholston’s name wasn’t mentioned.
2. Coles was barely targeted, and seemed to have trouble separating. I hope that’s not a long-term issue, because we really need him opposite Cotchery.
3. Nugent better be healthy, cuz I don’t want to see Kellen Clemens kicking on the sideline ever again. If he’s at all banged up, I’d rather sign a stopgap for a week than take the chance of a defunct kicking game against the Patriots.
Coming Friday: a preview of Week 2’s Jets/Pats game.
An interesting few weeks in my poker career. I took a trip to Atlantic City a few weeks ago for my first live LHE action in several months, and man, had I missed it. I ran well and played even better, and crushed the 40-80 for a 6K score. Obviously, that’s way above expectation even in a game as soft as the Borg 40…but jeez, the players are just not good at all. I’d say the 5-10 6-max games on Poker Stars are substantially tougher. Everytime I play live LHE, I get tempted to move out to California and play professionally. But for now, at least, I love my RE career, and prefer poker to be a supplement…
Online, I still can’t get into the same sort of rhythm as live…I don’t think my fast-twitch personality is as well suited to playing on the computer, where I can get easily distracted and am constantly multi-tabling. I really need to start using PokerTracker, because the players are certainly weak (at least at the levels I’d play), and get focused. By far, my tournament game is the best aspect of my online repertoire; I tend to focus much better in them and rarely tilt, for whatever reason (I also almost never tilt live, which is obviously a huge advantage). On that note, I just missed my first monster score last night for the third time in the past few months, finishing 21st out of 2,258 in the $215 WCOOP Limit Event. I played very well, but made a few mistakes I regret, and lost a tough hand late with JJ vs AT on a JKQ board. Couldn’t recover from that, unfortunately. Ah well…the big payday is coming…
Though fairly pedestrian by cinematic standards, Joseph Mealey’s Bush’s Brain is a workmanlike portrayal of the astonishing influence Karl Rove holds (and judging by John McCain’s campaign tactics, continues to have) in Republican politics, tracing back decades and culminating in his masterminding both of George W. Bush’s Presidential campaigns, not to mention the actual Presidency. Bush’s Brain probes Rove’s extraordinary intelligence—which, love him or loathe him, is undeniable—and illustrates his uncanny ability to stretch the law just enough to always manage to duck intense scrutiny. Though this writer despises everything that Rove stands for, both politcally and ethically, it’s difficult to watch his meticulous planning and organizing without a hint of admiration. There’s a chilling element to Rove’s childhood, displayed in sporadic flashbacks early in the picture—it seems eerily plausible that a few different variables could have put Rove’s scary genius to work as a serial killer, or something else equally demonic…
Bush’s Brain does a good job illustrating the power that Rove holds over the current administration, and the numerous interviews paint a disturbing picture of Rove’s complete disregard for integrity. Many Republicans voice their opinions, and it’s particularly interesting to see them discuss Rove with a mix of awe and disgust. Plenty of them have been crossed by Rove, who spares nobody if they’re in the way of his current objective (see his treatment of McCain in the 2000 primaries, which just makes McCain’s embrace of Rovian tactics now all the more repulsive), and contrary to popular belief, there are plenty of principled conservatives who think that Rove has given their entire brand a bad name. It’s fascinating to observe.
Still, most folks know what a jackass Karl Rove is without a documentary telling them so, and Bush’s Brain lacks any real clout as a film; it’s essentially a punchlist of Karl Rove’s upbringing and immersion into the underworld of sleazy politics. It’s also fairly one-note; I would have loved to have seen some alternative perspectives on Rove from some real admirerers, of which I imagine there are many. I expect the book is slightly more substantive and rich, but the movie is definitely worth checking out if you want 85 minutes of Rovian drama.
RATING: pro (-)
It’s not the least bit surprising that Werner Herzog would be drawn to the individualistic scientists and sprawling coldness of Antarctica. From Noseferatu to Fitzcarraldo, his work has been steeped in psychological disintegration and isolated locations; it’s what gets his directorial blood flowing. Herzog’s latest picture, Encounters at the End of the World, is a natural addition to his filmography, a sweeping portrait of Antarctica’s barren emptiness tinged with pockets of hidden, quirky beauty. Indeed, multiple sequences could only be found in a Herzog movie—the “deranged” penguin bolting from the group on a beeline for nowhere but certain death, or ‘Ivan the Terri-bus’ chugging through the cold. And the various researchers all could have comfortably mingled with Aguirre or Woyzeck; whether it’s a riveting monologue on neutrons or a passionate deconstruction of volcanic tendencies, the fascination with the obscure is on full display.
However, Encounters at the End of the World lacks the fluidity of Herzog’s best works; it feels disjointed throughout, as if random anecdotes were juxtaposed with luscious cinematography and thrust together without regard to cohesiveness. The film is oddly captivating at times anyway, but the structural sloppiness lends an unwelcome detached aura to the entire process. It’s also not exactly uncharted waters for Herzog; both Grizzly Man and The White Balloon tackle the man vs. nature theme in documentary format as well. As such, the entire experience is somewhat of a let down, despite Encounters at the End of the World’s many admirable elements.
RATING: pro (-)
I’ll be heading to Atlantic City next Monday and Tuesday for some 20-40 and 40-80 action. It’s been awhile since I’ve played live, and I’m really looking forward to it. I’ll probably take a stab at a tourney or two if there are some decent ones at the Borgata on Monday. We’re leaving Tuesday evening, so I’ll stick to cash on Tuesday afternoon.
Meanwhile, I’ve decided to take a break from online play until I get my ADD medication in order. I’ve had a few near monster hits (23rd out of 25,000 in the Sunday hundred grand last week; 200th out of 7000+ in the Sunday Million the week before), but I just have trouble focusing like I need to to successfully multi-table. That means far weaker results than I should have, given how poor the players are at 5-10 limit and below, or most of the tournaments (other than the really tough ones). I also need to begin using Poker Tracker, since there’s just no reason for me to be spotting opponents stats. So yeah, in a few months, once work picks up and I can give myself a real bankroll, I begin an online quest in earnest.
I’ll post my AC results when I return.
Wow. If I’d written this piece two weeks ago, it would have been chock-full of vulgarities, profanities, and other various unpleasant diatribes. Because as June came to a merciful close, the Mets were floundering at several games under .500, had just fired their manager in shameless fashion at 3AM, and were slammed with injuries and ineffectiveness in every corner. If it wasn’t Ryan Church suffering from post-concussion syndrome, it was Moises Alou straining one body part while rehabbing another. The bullpen was consistently contributing to gut-wrenching losses, including a week from hell from closer Billy Wagner. And our new skipper hadn’t commanded a squad in years. After such a promising offseason highlighted by the acquisition of Johan Santana, it was shaping up to be a lost year.
And then something clicked, and we woke up. All of a sudden, Mike Pelfrey realized his best chance for long-term success was to sacrifice a few miles from his nasty sinking fastball in exchange for better command and movement, throw it 80% of the time, and induce grounder after grounder. All of a sudden, role players like Fernando Tatis, Endy Chavez, and Damian Easley were coming up with clutch hits on a daily basis. The bullpen was dominating. And as we await the results of tonight’s game, the Mets are guaranteed to go into the All-Star break, after this hellish year, no more than 1.5 games out. As the New York tabloids like to spout: “amazin’!”
Despite this satisfying 8-game winning streak (and counting), holes remain if the Mets are to mount a true World Series run. Alou is out for the season; a torn hamstring finally sent the resilient-but-fragile geriatric down for the count. Most likely, a solid career softened by injuries is over. In many ways, this is for the best; Minaya won’t be tempted to go with the Chavez/Tatis tagteam in LF “until Moises returns,” which was certainly a plausible line. With the good news that Ryan Church should return within a few weeks, we really only need to acquire one OF to drastically balance our lineup, while lengthening our bench in the process. Jason Bay and Adam Dunn have been knocked around, but the price is likely to be too high; our farm system isn’t exactly deep, and I’m not excited about moving Fernando Martinez for those guys. Randy Winn or Xavier Nady seem like more plausible fits. A few people have knocked the Barry Bonds idea around, but I’d rather sign my brother-in-law than bring that toxic waste into a clubhouse that’s finally getting its 2006 mojo back.
If LF is shored up and Church comes back raking like he was before the injuries, the offense should be very strong. One of my favorite Jerry Manuel traits is his willingness to go with the hot hand and utilize the bench, especially Ramon Castro and Easley. Expect to see Luis Castillo play just 4-5 times a week when he returns, with Brian Schneider getting the same sort of playing time. That’s good for everyone, as it gives the starters more rest and some deserving backups more run. Elsewhere, Carlos Delgado looks to finally have his stroke back, and should remain a solid #6 hitter, and the Reyes/Wright/Beltran trio is just fine.
With Pelfrey’s emergence, the rotation looks deeper than any in the NL outside of Chicago. Pedro hasn’t been himself in any way, shape, or form, but he seems healthy and I’m cautiously optimistic he’ll put together a decent (not spectacular, but adequate) second half. Maine and Perez aren’t as consistent as I’d like, but both can pitch a SHO any time out, and most importantly, can shut down good and bad lineups alike. Santana, despite some early problems with the gopher ball, has been as advertised; killer WHIP, K/BB ratio, and consistency. He’s a true ace, and makes the rest of the rotation fall into step behind him.
Every team could use some bullpen help, and the Mets are no exception — Duaner Sanchez doesn’t have his 2006 form back, though he’s still above average — but really, the current crew has a nice mix of lefty/righty, power/soft-toss, and depth. Heilman’s June resurgence has gone a long way in strengthening the pen’s core.
We’ll see if Omar has any tricks up his sleeve, but props to Manuel for loosening the collars and reminding the Mets how much fun this game can be; Jose Reyes looks like he breathes baseball again, as it should be. Props to the team for its resilience, and props to Fernando Tatis for hitting the biggest HR of the year; a 2-run shot against the Phillies last Sunday after Billy Wagner blew the save with just one measly strike to go. If the Mets do wind up putting together a strong season, I think that’s the at-bat we’ll all look back at as the real season-changer. Let’s go, Mets!
It’s been a rough, hectic few months, which have involved almost no film viewing, and very little poker. Some sports, yes…but not the energy to blog on it. The tide, however, is changing, and I hope to get back to updating this baby multiple times in a week. Coming up:
1) A review of Son of Rambow (2008)
2) Some notes on my recent trip to Las Vegas (which was quite blah, honestly)
3) A report on the Mets’ extremely disappointing start, and thoughts on the best way for them to get out of this ugly rut (purging Aaron Heilman, hint, hint).
More to come later…I mean it, really!
It’s been several weeks since I’ve updated this site, which is a pattern I don’t intend to continue. Work has been extraordinarily busy, and I haven’t seen too many movies (I’ve checked out a couple that have reviews pending). On the poker front, I’ve been parlaying a recent tournament win into a bunch of stabs at a WSOP seat, which I’ve gotten close to so far but no cigar. I’ll keep trying! And we’re going to Vegas from April 10th-15th, which I’m stoked about. Finally, some long sessions of 40-80 limit (and if I do well and the games are as good as Borgata and Commerce, maybe a tick higher)…live limit poker is my strongest game by far, and there’s just nowhere to play it in the city.
As for sports, I’ll have a baseball/Mets preview up in the next week, as well as a recap of the Jets’ offseason, which I’m extremely happy about. More to come. Ciao.
George A. Romero’s Dead franchise, always chock-full of social commentary and oodles of blood & guts, gets an injection of modern flavor with its most recent entry, Diary of the Dead. While many critics have condemned it as poorly written, or more of the same from a tired filmmaker, I found it to be an inspired work, rich with clever satire and sly satiric references to our current political landscape. Shot in the same home movie-esque manner as Cloverfield and The Blair Witch Project, Diary of the Dead chronicles three dark October days in the Northeast, where a group of film students—ironically shooting their own horror picture—discover that the dead have begun coming back to life. As the bloody reincarnations spread and the carnage grows, the students find themselves scrambling to save themselves while using every resource they can find to warn the world of the life-changing happenings around them.
Romero has always used zombies as a metaphor for his themes, such as examining how humanity reacts to crises—witness the chaos in the mall in Dawn of the Dead, for instance, or the stir-crazy militants in Day of the Dead. With Diary of the Dead, he deftly touches on positives and negatives of modern technology. Jason, the protagonist, and primary man behind the camera, is able to both warn the world (”92,000 hits in an hour!,” he exclaims after posting gruesome footage on his MySpace page), and learn, much to his horror, that this outbreak has already spread as far as Japan, as a petrified girl on YouTube frantically alerts him. Obviously, the internet has proved its usefulness…yet Jason is so obsessed with recording history that everything else about the moment itself—his girlfriend Deb, his friends, his family—become secondary, if not entirely irrelevant. On multiple occasions, he’s chastised for refusing to put the camera down, much like Hud in Cloverfield. His intimacy with those he cares for appears lost in his laptop. It’s a shrewd take on the addictive nature of today’s souped-up gidgets and gadgets, and how they can distract us from the more intimate emotions that truly define us. Romero also makes sure that his roots, based in core human principles that don’t change with the times, aren’t forgotten: the early looting in the dorms—as well as the rowdy Army men pillaging the crew’s bus—remind us of the vigilante kamikaze’s in the mall near Dawn of the Dead’s conclusion, and is especially chilling in today’s social environment, which doesn’t inspire much confidence in our abilities to handle a cataclysmic event (see: my Cloverfield review).
At 93 minutes, Diary of the Dead makes sure not to overstay its welcome, and keeps a tense vibe of uneasiness and discomfort throughout. In another nod to America’s current obsessions, there’s a strong resemblance to many survival horror video games here. This is especially prevalent in the abandoned hospital (Silent Hill), and Ridley’s palatial home, complete with panic room and endless corridors (Resident Evil). There’s some occasional redundancy Deb and Jason’s exchanges about priorities, but otherwise, the script is more than sufficient in carrying out Romero’s thematics. The movie isn’t scary in the traditional sense, but Romero has never been about that anyway; his works are about something much bigger, with zombie resurrections as more of a backdrop. In my eyes, he’s yet to take a false step in expanding the franchise, and Diary of the Dead is even stronger than the solid Land of the Dead from a few years back.
RATING: PRO (-)
|
|
