( 12:47 AM )
The (RC) Mob's Revenge
For the Sopranos fans out there, Slate has a feature which has quickly become one of my Monday must reads. It's in their TV Club section and it's called Mob Experts on The Sopranos. It reallly doesn't need much explanation, except to say that these guys not only nail the true and far out organized crime aspects of the show, but they also get the entire show. So they cover the humor (Tony coming back in to get the pizza box), the psychology (Melfi's self-pat on the back for Tony's alleged growth), the plot twists (Adriana's lie to Tony that will probably come back to haunt her), and - der - the mob rules (which Christopher broke last night and should've paid for).
It's a great way to recap and revisit the show that is undeniably the best thing on TV.
( 3:48 PM )
Hot Stuff
MOVIES: Saw Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind this weekend and thought it was pretty damn good. Romantic, strange, happy and dark – just the type of fairy tale flick that I like. Ditto Big Fish.
MUSIC: I realized earlier this week that I haven’t been to a music retail store at all this year. Which is more sad proof that I no longer care about music like I once did. It’s not that I’m downloading anything (or I mean my friend is downloading anything), but right now music is waaaay down low on the importance totem pole. Which is sad because I’ve got a stack of CDs from 2Walls that need tending to. However, I have been listening to music that’s been intentionally put into my collection. Like in playing the Beatles “Help” yesterday I noticed that of 14 songs, 11 were great. Just think, when was the last time you bought an album that had more than 3 good songs, let alone 11 – or 34 minutes of good music instead of 50 minutes of filler and 10 minutes of pleasure. Yes – I’m getting old and I don’t care.
POLITICS: Don’t know if that last blog really made any sense, but that’s what happens when you post when you’re stoned. But I guess my point was, if Bush is bad on national security, say so, emphatically everyday and tell us how you would do it better.
But on a sober scale - I realized a really huge conflict in my thinking. Had President Clinton ascribed to Bush’s pre-emption policy, he would’ve been able to kill Osama bin Laden back in the ‘90s (I know it’s just a person and not a country, but the idea is basically the same). Not that I believe killing Osama would’ve prevented the Trade Tower/Pentagon attack, but it does bring some validity to taking out those who mean you harm before they have the opportunity to do you harm. I don’t necessarily blame Bush for 9/11 (however, it’s clear that he did very little to prevent it), and I don’t blame Clinton either because I’m not sure that a society that (allegedly) treasures freedom and openness will ever be able to prevent suicidal terrorists. But I have to wonder what if we had stopped the extremist network before it spread?
TV: There's only one night a week where my behavior is guided by the TV schedule and that's tonight when the Simpsons are on for an hour, and then the Sopranos. The Simpsons are still good for a laugh or two and the Sopranos are in good form. So far this season there've been - murder, lies, double-crosses, black humor, hurt feelings and more insanity than ever. So thank goodness for Sunday night TV.
SPORTS: Somehow I picked 3 or the 4 final four teams and didn't come anywhere close to winning my NCAA pool. I even picked CT to beat GT in the finals, and I'm STILL not going to win. How the hell does that happen?
On the baseball front, still looking forward to baseball season and especially seeing the Yankees later this month. I’m running 3 fantasy teams and 2 of them have real potential. The irony for me, is my best team (on paper) was the team that was drafted based on my player rankings (meaning I did better without having any control over the process than I did when I had control).
But just to show where my fellow 2Waller’s heads were at on draft day, here’s a recap of their top picks:
Brandon Copple (picks 3, 22 & 27): Sheffield, Thome and Bret Boone. Not bad, but no ace pitcher in there. However, he picked up Loaiza, Nomo, Pettitte, Clemens, L. Hernandez and Blown It Again Kim with picks 5-10. So I applaud his apparent hitting first strategy and depending on how he does, I might follow it next year.
Jeff Fishman (picks 6, 19 & 30): Soriano, Halladay, Billy Wagner. Getting Sori at 6 behind Sheffield, Delgado and Helton was a steal. But very sound picking – a big bat, a Cy Young ace, and top reliever. Only problem for Fish was his next pick was Richie Sexson and his bat just got a whole lot smaller at the BOB.
Me (picks 8, 17, & 32): Vlad Guerrero, Prior, Tejada. Not bad, but Prior is going to miss a month, so I’m not sure he’ll get me as many points as a #2 pick should. Miggy is playing very well and I expect him to do much better than last season – so getting the 2nd best short stop in the 3rd round is a coup. Plus I got Moose and Chipper in the next rounds, so we’re in good shape. Bigger bargains might have been Seattle #2 pitcher Joel Pinero in the 11th round and 3B Morgan Ensberg in the 16th.
Greg Joseph (picks 10, 15, & 34): Mo Rivera, Octavio Dotel and Mark Mulder. I’ve played (and lost to) GJ in the past, so I credit his managerial skills. But there’s not a lotta lumber in his lineup, so I assume he’s planning on getting all of his points from pitching and not from the intimidating Aubrey Huff and Rich Hildalgo.
Mike Walls (picks 12, 13 & 36): Schilling, Wood and Sosa. Not bad, not bad at all. Especially considering his weird pick position. His only weakness is his closers (Borowski & NYM Braden Looper) are listed as risky by ESPN. And since you lose points for bad pitching performances, those boys might be taking points away.
Alright - let the whiny Pedro lose tonight....let the season(s) begin.....and I'll come back as soon as I figure out what the hell this blog is for....
( 10:22 PM )
Alphabet Street
How many times did you hear people say, 'if you're going to be the opposition party, then you must oppose?' It was the basis for Howard Dean's whole campaign, and it should've shown the Democrats that it's ok to be tough on the president and to take it to the Republicans.
But not John Forbes Kerry. Nope - he's a gentleman. Gentlemanly letting other people lead the charge against this dangerous and reckless president.
But I'm sorry John John. If you wanna win you're gonna have to take it to the man. Sure you have to have something you're for, but you also have to fight to win. So tell the country that Bush has run a destructive Administration - endangering our military, shuffling the tax burden from rich to poor, mismanaging a changing economy, cutting ties with our allies, disrespecting the truth, and thus disrespecting the American people. Surely the people of the United States deserve better and you're the one the Dems have chosen to be the better, so lead the charge.
Tell us where you really wanna take us and what you really hope to accomplish as president. If your end all and be all was just to become president, then here's hoping your ego gets stepped on. But if your goal is to do something righteous for the country, then tell us and go get it. No Real Deal. No Vietnam War veteran distractions. No Botox. Just the real - tell it on the R E A L.
Now run and tell you mama 'bout that - ow...
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