Movies:

MEAN GIRLS: Every once in awhile a teen comedy comes out of nowhere to be an actual engaging film. I remember looking at the standee for CLUELESS and thinking, "What the hell is this?" since it seemed to emphasize that it would be a bunch of high school chicks who liked to go shopping--it turned out to be one of the funniest movies of the 90's. It helped that an old pro in Amy Heckerling was at the helm. Here, we have a film written by one of SNL's top writers, Tina Fey, who has made sure with some sharp writing that this would be more than the average teen comedy. Lindsay Lohan is turning into a hot item and she really takes command of this movie. A lot of deserved attention went to Jamie Lee Curtis in FREAKY FRIDAY, but I believe Lohan emerged as the star in that picture. I laughed out loud about 5 times in this movie, which I believe is quite a lot, considering there was plenty of chuckles to be had surrounding those laughs. Honestly, one guy in here steals a lot of the very few scenes he has as a "mathlete" played by Rajiv Surendra. Tina Fey plays a calculus teacher and offers more range than you would have ever guessed from her co-anchoring of "Weekend Update." Well worth your time.

GODSEND: One of the most puzzling films I've ever had to form an opinion on. In a mishmash of A.I. and EXTREME MEASURES and several other horror films that you could possibly name, this movie sent some chills down my spine a couple of times, which is significant because it is rare for that to happen to me. However, there are much too many cliches and not much of a reason to give a damn. I think that the reason why people will cite THE EXORCIST as "the scariest movie of all time" (I don't) is the likability of Linda Blair's Regan character, an innocent who is suddenly turned into a horrible monster with no end in sight. Here, we have a good performance from Cameron Bright as the kid-who's-been-killed-and-reincarnated-by-a-mad-scientist, but the character actually is fairly unlikeable from the moment he turns eight the second time. Although we as the audience are aware that a good kid was once there, the good kid dies really early into the film and not much of an imprint is left. The plot is a little contrived (aside from the sci-fi aspect of it)--the intention seems good but the occurrences don't make much sense once all is figured out. GODSEND has the FEEL of a movie that has been cut several times before its release (I saw a trailer for this on an early release last year, CONFIDENCE). Mad scientist Robert De Niro doesn't exactly phone it in, which is better than what I could say about every film of his in the oughts, but he's capable of better. Greg Kinnear and Rebecca Romijn-Stamos have turned into actors you'd never have thought possible 5 years ago. Performances and mood aren't the problem, which is why it's difficult to form a solid thumbs up or down on this film. I'd say go see it if the mood strikes you.

And, oh yes, do I even need to comment on the idiocy of the scared Yankee fans the past week or so? Just shut up. You know they're going to win their games.

LPD Put on Suicide Watch

A blown nine run lead, the day after a five error game!!! Both games lost on the last at bat?!?! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!

Here's the whole story on Schill at SOSH, from the Sports Guy at ESPN. Scroll down to "2. The Message Board":

http://espn.go.com/page2/s/simmons/031205.html

There's no doubt it's Schill. See the site below, ninth paragraph:

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?columnist=klapisch_bob&id=1773524

Here's an earlier comment he made about drug testing. It's actually not all that interesting, but he is putting these comments on this website, and reasonably often.

http://b21.ezboard.com/fsonsofsamhornbostonredsox.showMessageRange?topicID=12944.topic&start=1&stop=20

Man, what is this Mickey movie about? I've never even heard of it; sounds pretty silly though. I did see Kill Bill V2, and I will write a review soon. Is that really Schilling?

Does Schilling often write to this board? And we know for sure it's Schilling?

MAN ON FIRE: Alright, I've seen other reviews for this film, and they're none too complementary. I will say this, that it takes forever to get going, and I think that's the main problem with this in the latest of Tony Scott films. However, we can't blame a movie for making the relationship between Denzel Washington and Dakota Fanning something that matters. However, it DOES take too much time. Washington's character is set up so that he is much standoffish towards the little girl at first, so a lot of warming over has to take place. When the revenge factor sets in, though, it really begins to rock, although I could have done without the twists that took place, which are easily detected before they happen. A solid film, but it doesn't live up to the kick-ass second trailer that came out for it. I would recommend it, if you have time.

MICKEY: Harry Connick, Jr. plays a widowed dad who cheats on his taxes, and he must change his identity and flee his Washington state home with his star baseball player son, who must pretend he's a year younger. They move to Vegas, where the son becomes a phenom playing as a 13-year-old mixed with 12 and younger players, and the team goes on to play in the Little League World Series, to the championship game where they face off against an also-cheating Cuban squad. You can imagine the scenarios already, and this film would have been better off playing as an "Original Entertainment" film on ESPN. Mega-bestseller John Grisham wrote the screenplay, and it's filled with examples of cringe-inducing lines. One positive: the baseball scenes are realistic (except when people are striking out, much too obvious that the batters were trying to do so) and beat most baseball action scenes--usually, when you see a movie like THE NATURAL or THE FAN (Tony Scott, again!) and a guy hits a homer, there's no way that the swing and the ball trajectory would produce the hits that they show. Anyway, it depends on what mood you're in. It can be fun, but it's not really a theatrical film. Grisham, who makes a cameo, is going to be at Hollywood 27 for Tuesday's special screening.

Schilling (Gehrig38), kicking names and taking ass again:

http://b21.ezboard.com/fsonsofsamhornbostonredsox.showMessage?topicID=13108.topic&index=283

I agree, Chris - the Chargers should have traded down for a lot of picks. It's a lottery with a young player, and you never know what you are getting, so why not get several of them? And it's beginning to sound like a broken record with another QB taken at the top pick by the Chargers. I think QBs are overrated these days, and I would have traded the pick to the Giants, getting a lower round pick or two in exchange.

Fantasy baseball: It's difficult, knowing what to expect from these players I have. Every time I think, hmm, Jermaine Dye is available...I look at my outfielders and say, "Dye shouldn't be needed!" and so I don't pick him up. Then I look at shortstop. Derek Jeter has been horrendous through the first games, and there's people like Adam Everett available...and then I look at Jeter again and say, "Everett shouldn't be needed!" all the way through my lineup it goes like that, especially pitchers. Halladay and Mussina have been disappointing, and they should be racking up pitching stats for me. But I can't get rid of them. Just can't.

The NFL Draft...geez, how many factors go into what player to pick? Do you go for the best available player, regardless of position, do you fill a need, if I pick this player will he mesh with my current players, yeah this guy will be great for this team but not for that team? I think of Randy Moss, sitting there at the 16th pick a few years ago. A few people will say to me, "Should've gotten Moss instead of Kevin Dyson," and I wonder---would Moss have been nearly as good as he was with the Vikings, given the run-first nature of the Titans offense at the time? Moss fit perfectly in the definitely pass-first Dennis Green system. I think you have to make that decision. Yeah, the Titans needed a receiver, but Moss was a great risk, and I don't believe we would be sitting here today talking about what a great pick that was.

The analysis, in general, I steer clear from. Draft day usually means lots of trades, unless that first pick is bonafide, which it isn't this year. If I were the Chargers, who clearly need as much help as they can get, I would trade for as many picks as I could get with that first pick, and keep trading until there were no more takers, where I have a lot of later-round picks so I can get a squadron of young talent to come to my team. I just don't know if much matters this year, guys, with the Patriots having all those picks, plus Corey Dillon now. Is that even fair?

My review of MAN ON FIRE will be forthcoming, but not now.

I'm pretty bored by the draft. ESPN and columnists love to make, well, big things. Especially when there are no other big things going. And the NFL is the biggest thing there is in sports. So, here's another dumb draft.

The most important thing to do is to fill in your weaknesses, and I'm happy that the Titans seem to be looking at linemen. I want to get guys in who can contribute now, not in a few years, like Eli. QBs come from nowhere these days, and paying millions of dollars to a potential starter in a few years makes no sense. What in the name of Andre Ware are people thinking! Trade down, and let Eli whine for some other team. I tell you all, I just don't trust Mannings. (although, Peyton was a much better choice than Leaf, even on draft day - Leaf was a horrible choice!)

I have to say, here's to Pat Tillman. A man with some incredible priorities, dying while serving his country. RIP

The NFL draft is probably the most exciting non-competition athletic event out there, or at least all of the sports analysts want to make you think that. I think that between the end of the NCAA tournament and when baseball season finally heats up and kicks in there's not a whole hell of a lot else to talk about. Let's face it; the number of people who actually give a shit about the NBA playoffs and the NHL playoffs could fill up the Opryland hotel convention hall. But I am so sick of hearing about all of this because the draft is such a crap shoot. Don't be surprised this season if Carson Palmer, the number one draft pick last year, ends up being a bust, and Ken Dorsey, the fifth to last draft pick last year, has to fill in for an injured Tim Rattay and lights up the stage. Becuase these are the things that happen. One of the top performers out of the draft last year was Houston Texans running back, Jackson, who was picked in the fourth round. Look at the two superbowl QB's last year, Brady (a 4th rounder) and Delhomme (a 5th rounder). It's a crapshoot.
San Diego seems to be a no win situation here, and I can't figure out why. Granted, they have not had the greatest management teams over the years, but can anyone really blame them for picking Ryan Leaf over Peyton Manning; at the time he looked like the better pick. And everyone keeps mentioning how they traded down and missed out on Vick, but they got Ladanian Thomlinson, one of the top three running backs in the league. How is that a bad trade off? While Drew Brees is not a franchise player, he's a solid QB, that with the right receivers and offensive line could do just as well as a Delhomme or a Brady. So, they should forget this Eli Manning crap and go for someone like Robert Gallory, and then load up on some receivers down the line. But everyone fills they will pick Manning under pressure; if that is the real reason, then this team deserves to lose for the next seven years or so. Marino, Montana, and Elway are gone, and over the last few years if the league has proved anything it's that all you need is a solid QB, but without defense and a good running game you're screwed. I would think they could manage under that philosophy.
One thing you can count on though is that the Raiders will screw up their pick, and then eventually down the road pick up whoever is the first pick this year; they're good at doing that.

And if they hadn't been a rain delay at the start of the game, the Braves might have won today. Apparently the hour delay at the start wasn't really needed; a bad call on the umpires part as there was just a slight drizzle. The Reds learned that the best way to avoid your bullpen getting rocked again is to not let them pitch. Thank God for the rain.

Which leads to the this bizarre fact. The Reds starters have been excellent, while the bullpen has been horrible. This simply isn't par for the course for the team, and I'm afraid the starters can't keep this up. They've forgotten that they aren't any good. 9-6 (and first place) is wonderful for now, but a lot has gone right to get us here.

There has been another disturbing trend this season; whenever I can pay attention to a game, whether through radio or TV, they invariably lose. When I am doing a great amount of work for school and can't pay attention to the diamond, they usually win. When I do pay attention, like yesterday's 10th inning debacle, they lose. When Sosa and Alou hit back to back 9th inning HRs to win at Wrigley, I'm hanging on every pitch. When Larkin gets a RBI single to win in the bottom of the ninth, I'm writting a speech for class. They have won nine games this season, and I haven't caught an inning of any one of those games. Not a one. Now that I'm done with school for the semester and have some extra time, I'm afraid of a free-fall. Superstitions ahoy! But this is baseball, and I like being a bit irrational about it sometimes.

I'm thrilled Milwaukee is that good in the AHL, and let's hope they keep developing. I want to form a good young team that we can keep around for a while, and this collective bargaining agreement might keep salaries at a point we can afford. With the lowest payroll in the league, we need everyone else to come down to our level. Anything could happen in the year ahead in hockey, for good or bad.

Hey Chris, I'm beating you 13-1 this week! Which, of course, means you'll probably win 8-7. Seems to happen a lot. Best of luck the next few days.

Question: Are there crazy drunked bastards at 1PM in the afternoon?

Answer: Of course there are, and they're all calling Reds on Radio Rain Delay with your hosts, Marty and Joe! Rain delays are a pure delight as they get on the banana phone. Nothing like listening to random incoherent statements about Brandon Larson to get your day going.

As someone on 99.7 later said, "You've got to realize guys, we're just not good enough yet." That's the effect of the NHL Playoffs because everyone believes they can win. More upsets than any sport, I believe. It's true about the Preds, though, they simply don't have the guys who can sustain a serious attack for very long. I was about to go into some detailed analysis here, but we all know that basically they had no chance once Game 5 began to take shape. Less than 20 shots on goal, and unlike the previous wins, not very good scoring chances.

It should be of note that the Milwaukee Admirals are the best team in minor league hockey, and I think with call-up of some new young stars, the maturation of bonafide NHL future stars like Adam Hall and Dan Hamhuis (the jury's still out on Legwand), and the good signs indicating Sullivan will be back, they should be very good next year. They'll have to cut out some of the deadwood. Denis Arkhipov, for instance.

Game 6

Having spent much of the first five playoff games doing homework for my big final project, with the University of Louisville rushing to be done by Derby, I didn't get to see much of the games, and certainly didn't get a chance to attend. So, Saturday, I had to make the drive, even though I would have to rush home that night to see Thunder Over Louisville, our gigantic fireworks display. It was well worth the effort, despite the loss.

As I got close to town, I heard Predators promos on radio stations that weren't even broadcasting the game. As in, ESPN recordings of Vokoun making saves mixed with inspirational music, followed by a countdown to game time. I saw "Go Predators" on a Wendy's sign. I heard stories about people just going nuts over the team, and knowing that it had to be true. Nashville loves this team, but we didn't show up to the Arena this year due to the past five seasons of losing. Hey, Chicago was down in the four figures in attendance at one point, but since they're one of the Original Six they (perhaps correctly) got a free pass. Judge our passion by the playoffs game crowds, not the regular season.

Buying my scalped ticket as I always do, loving again that it's legal in Tennessee, I plopped down in a lower bowl seat for $50. The list price was $62, so I felt I got a steal. I settled in just as the crowd was starting to get noisy. When the countdown on the pre-game skate hit about 20 minutes left to go, we started getting into it, nervous and excited as could be, waiting for the team to come out. It was finally announced that they were coming soon, almost like they were leading us on. When the team finally hit the ice, announcing it to us as they were in the tunnel, the crowd noise was deafening, and this was only for the pre-game skate! The horn was blaring, but could barely be heard. You know you've got something big when young girls start screeching. Annoying normally, but reassuring here.

The loudest the crowd got was when they announced that we were going live on ABC. Inferiority Complex ahoy! Don't you just love Nashville! But seriously, we wanted to show the rest of the country that we fans are for real, and that we deserve to keep this team. Above all else, I hope everyone realizes that now. I was watching this game, feeling sad at times that I may never seek Walker, Vokoun, Johnson, Tootoo, Hartnell, and all my other favorites again. Don't take this away from us, NHL!

I was thrilled we drew the Red Wings for the playoffs. About 10% of the crowd was wearing the red and white, and were generally obnoxious and arrogant as could be. I'm sick and tired of the Detroit Free Press and their fans at the Nashville Arena treating us as a second-class sports town, full of Southern hicks who don't even know the icing rule. I rarely enjoyed sports columns like I did the panic they felt after Game 4. If they and the team had treated us as real competition like they should have, they never would have been tied 2-2. Very poor on their part.

The Preds simply must have been nervous in the first two minutes. Knowing that the town had fallen back in love with them - knowing that the Wings had killed them in the last game - not knowing how to prepare mentally - I'm not sure they knew how to handle it. It felt like a lack of playoff experience. After the defense allowed the open shots resulting in the goals, Trotz wisely called timeout, settling the team down. It worked, but the offense could never get on track.

To the crowd's credit, they stayed in the game. I was rarely as proud of them as I was at that point, trying to will a goal out of the team, understanding that letting in another would be deadly. So much of the credit goes to Section 303, our chant leaders, who are loved almost as much as the team is. But, as the game waned on, we got less and less excited, as Detroit killed every opportunity. By the second period we had forgotten how to shoot properly, making Power Plays excruciating. The miracle never occurred.

With twenty seconds left in the game, and we fans knowing that everything was done, it was only appropriate that the crowd would rise en masse, one last time, to cheer the team on. The standing ovation continued through the traditional handshakes, where some of the Red Wings sportingly went out of their way to congratulate Vokoun (although I heard Chelios, that sissy, didn't shake hands!). As Vokoun left the ice, the cheering approached its loudest of the night. We love that guy.

My only complaints are these. The Predators management needs to do a study in crowd reactions. When we started six years, and no one knew what was going on, constant video clips and promotions were needed to keep everyone interested. In this game, we needed none of that. Over and over again the crowd would want to react to the game, but some video from some unknown Western would interrupt us. This angered me throughout. The worst case was at the end of the game, after the announcement of the three stars, when Section 303 tried to do one last "Let's go Predators" chant. But the PA system decided to play some Tina Turner song or something, cutting them off. Just awful. It felt unfulfilling, like a bad movie ending.

And, of course, passing, passing, passing. Learn to pass, boys! They have never mastered the art of this since inception, and when a team as good as the Wings is the opponent, this spells death. Breakouts are non-existent, and hopeful passes to no one are common. The coach really needs to address this. It happened again Sunday, and I hate seeing it.

But it's the crowd I love to see, making up for any deficiencies. The rest of the nation doesn't realize what a good sports team can mean to my city. We feel negatively stereotyped in general, and certainly get angry when another pundit says we never should have gotten a team. They've probably never seen the Arena packed and heard us yell. We have come a long way in the last six years. Goodness, when I was growing up, we didn't even get SportsChannelAmerica, and so could never watch any games! It was as foreign as cricket to me, except for what I saw on SportsCenter, and I know I'm not alone on that. But now, the crowd knows icing, offsides, and, most impressively, understands penalties and how they are called. I even had to learn this, and I'm a sports nut. I noticed this increased attentiveness throughout the game, and was pleased.

On the way home, I was listening to the two post-game radio shows, and every caller expressed how much they love the team. Many spoke of the plusses and minuses of individual players on the team and their respective lines, showing a fine depth of knowledge, and most graciously congratulated the opposition on their deserved victory. And everybody wants the Predators to stay. I'm looking forwards to the collective bargaining talks because it might level the playing field and allow my team to compete. Everyone should look out for us if the salary structure becomes more equal. The fan support will be second to none. In this playoff series we've regained the title of "Noisiest Fans in the NHL" that we held a few years back, and I'm sure we'll keep it if we're given something to cheer about.

The first week of baseball has shown how competitive this year will likely be. At first, it looked like the Marlins were going to run away with the NL East, starting off 8-1 and about to enter a series with the 4-5 Braves. Now, they're 8-4 and the Braves are 7-5. The best team in baseball right now is the Dodgers. Baltimore is leading the AL East after the Red Sox and Yankees, predictably, beat up on each other. The only team that has taken the brunt of all this are the Expos, at 2-10. I can spout the "it's too early" tag to all this speculation, but I firmly believe that most of the playoff-bound teams this year will struggle to get to 90 wins, and a lot of teams will be in the two playoff chases (division and wild card).

It's also obvious that the Yankees are going to have to get their act together if they're going to make it this year. You can tell that no one in that lineup knows really what the hell to do. They won today, but there are too many sluggers in that lineup, if you ask me. Give me some spray hitters and some guys who can run, then put the power in there. It remains to be seen how Lofton's return will affect the lineup, since he's not the mid-90's Lofton.

Umm, looks like Cujo did the former. Damn.

Either CuJo will be the answer tonight for the Red Wings, settling in as their playoff goalie, or the goalie carousel will greatly hurt their chances. So much depends on Cujo. We'll see tonight.

I just realized that Barbara Hershey was the evil woman in The Natural AND Hoosiers! My God!

Fill out this survey for possible free tickets to Game 6:

http://predators.rqst4.info/dspSurvey.cfm?N=5&SID=18&SEQ=1

And I just found my copy of THE NATURAL behind my hard drive. Scary.

Just found some loose papers at work for a former customer named "Harriet Byrd." I'm reeling. I am going to shred these papers.

Titans schedule:

Sunday 9/12 at MIAMI DOLPHINS Noon CBS
Sunday 9/19 INDIANAPOLIS COLTS Noon CBS
Sunday 9/26 JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS Noon CBS
Sunday 10/3 at SAN DIEGO 3:15 p.m. CBS
Monday 10/11 at GREEN BAY* 8:00 p.m. ABC
Sunday 10/17 HOUSTON TEXANS Noon CBS
Sunday 10/24 at MINNESOTA VIKINGS Noon CBS
Sunday 10/31 CINCINNATI BENGALS Noon CBS
Sunday 11/7 BYE
Sunday 11/14 CHICAGO BEARS Noon FOX
Sunday 11/21 at JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS Noon CBS
Sunday 11/28 at HOUSTON TEXANS Noon CBS
Sunday 12/5 at INDIANAPOLIS COLTS Noon CBS
Monday 12/13 KANSAS CITY CHIEFS* 8:00 p.m. ABC
Sunday 12/19 at OAKLAND RAIDERS 3:15 p.m. CBS
Saturday 12/25 DENVER BRONCOS* 7:30 p.m. ESPN
Sunday 1/2 DETROIT LIONS Noon FOX

I don't know guys, this schedule looks brutal. The division will be improved overall, plus the always-difficult AFC West is on the schedule, plus the NFC Central which is unpredictable, plus add Miami to the mix and a sure-to-be-better Cincy squad, the changes made to the Titans better be good. Oh, Jonathan, here's the Raider schedule:

Sunday, September 12 at Pittsburgh Steelers 10:00 a.m. CBS
Sunday, September 19 Buffalo Bills 1:15 p.m. CBS
Sunday, September 26 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 5:30 p.m. ESPN
Sunday, October 3 at Houston Texans 10:00 a.m. CBS
Sunday, October 10 at Indianapolis Colts 10:00 a.m. CBS
Sunday, October 17 Denver Broncos 1:15 p.m. CBS
Sunday, October 24 New Orleans Saints 1:15 p.m. FOX
Sunday, October 31 at San Diego Chargers 1:15 p.m. CBS
Sunday, November 7 at Carolina Panthers 10:00 a.m. CBS
Sunday, November 14 BYE WEEK
Sunday, November 21 San Diego Chargers 1:05 p.m. CBS
Sunday, November 28 at Denver Broncos 5:30 p.m. ESPN
Sunday, December 5 Kansas City Chiefs 1:05 p.m. CBS
Sunday, December 12 at Atlanta Falcons 10:00 a.m. CBS
Sunday, December 19 Tennessee Titans 1:15 p.m. CBS
Saturday, December 25 at Kansas City Chiefs 2:00 p.m. CBS
Sunday, January 2 Jacksonville Jaguars 1:15 p.m. CBS

It's extremely comical that in this year's NBA playoffs, two teams with no business being in the playoffs are going to be there. The Boston Celtics complete the quadruple-sport playoff run for the city of Boston by going 36-46 in the regular season. Meanwhile, perennial playoff contenders Utah and Portland are relegated to the Western Conference, where their superior records (and teams), over .500, watch the playoffs this year. The other team is of course the New York Knicks, who made it with a stunning 39-43. There's gotta' be a rule implemented here, right? I mean, that shouldn't happen, right?

And remember my kudos to the Grizzlies? They went 1-6 after that. Call it "The Chris Atkinson Curse."

Well, here it is guys, the beginning of an era: I am writing from my own apartment.

Tonight is an important night for the Predators. They really drummed up some momentum at home, where everyone was just wild. Now they need to win at Joe Louis Arena, where they have won twice ever. Looking at how they played in Games 1 and 2, surely a little more intensity will be able to put them over the hump.

As far as the Braves are concerned, I'm excited about Horacio Ramirez and Jaret Wright, but Ortiz and Hampton are just tanking it. Hampton kept throwing balls in the exact same spot to the Mets the other day, and while they could only muster singles for the most part, they strung them together and got a big lead. Hampton has the potential to be like Darryl Kile was after his failed Colorado stint, but he's pitching like he's still there.

I have rarely had as much fun as I am now, reading the panic (while telling the team not to panic!) at the Detroit Free Press:

http://www.freep.com/index/redwings.htm

I'm looking at Vokoun's stats for the past two years, and see that this year his goals against average was well down. In 2002-2003, he was 8th in the league in this category, and that on a bad team that didn't make the playoffs. This year he was 33rd. He had a rough spot towards the end of the year, and I think that must be because he played 70+ games! The Preds would not be where they are now without him. 33rd in the league or not, he deserves recognition as one of the better goalies in the game, and is showing it in this series.

Tomorrow night the dynamic changes again. I tell you all the truth - when the Preds drew the Wings, I was thrilled. I knew that the Arena is loudest when the Wings are in town, and that the place would be rocking for a playoff game against them. And the upside of a couple of wins would make us feel as high as we do now. But, at Joe Lewis, can they keep it up? Hopefully an early goal will take the crowd out of the game. The Wings need to be worried that CuJo is now in goal, which seems like a sign of panic more than anything. You really should stick with your goalie, I feel. I might try to make game 6, and hope to inform him that he sucks.

Shots:
Red Wings 41-21

Face-offs:
Red Wings 45-25

Goals:
Predators 3-0

Can Vokoun finally get recognized as one of the best goalies in the world? Will people start to recognize Nashville as a great sports town? That's my wish. I'm thrilled, as you'd expect. Go Preds!

Just for fun, a great picture here. I love baseball.

So, I guess the Cubs and Braves threw up a couple of turds yesterday, but you know, it can't be this bad all season. I mean, the Cubs line-up has got to come through at some point; and as for the Braves pitching, that can only get better. The Braves have five quality starters, and with Ortiz and Hampton, you have two pitchers who could be the aces on a lot of other staffs. I know Ortiz is the ace for the Braves, but you know what I mean. I also think Jared Wright has a lot of potential, and he looked really good on Saturday; I'm sure Chris will have many reasons to debate these statements; I am only an outsider to this franchise, but I think things can only get better. The Phillies are not playing to their potential; the Mets are doing about what everyone thought they would do, I still think they'll win quite a few more games than they did last year, and as for the Expos and Marlins, who really knows.

As you should, Mike, as you should. It's been an interesting start to the season. While I'm not sure how long the Brewers and Tigers can keep up their winning ways, the Reds have everything on paper that could make them a surprise contender. I never had a problem with their offense; they've got a lot of young guys that can really do some damage (Kearns, Dunn, Mo Pena, and Djimenez). How their pitching will compete with the staffs of the Cubs and Astros is yet to be determined, but those two clubs can't seem to hit worth a lick; especially the Cubbies. I'm watching the game right now with the Pirates up 7-2, and the Cubs have just one hit against Kris Benson. I should have known it was going to be bad when the announcers mentioned that Maddux has won his last 11 decisions against the Pirates. I should have known.

You know, in a perfect world, I'm down there at the Arena buying a scalped ticket and cheering with that Preds crowd, which I heard was great. In the real world, I did homework from 3-midnight. I had to follow the game on the half hour updates on Fox Radio! Pure torture. I wanted them to win that game so bad, because that might help keep them from folding. People nationwide don't realize that we have a pretty good fanbase. They've played them close all along, and a win Tuesday seems far from out of the question. I'm glad we got Detroit in the first round, as a good showing will make an impression league-wide.

I haven't gotten to make a Reds game yet this year, which stinks. Can't wait until the semester's over, at which point I might just set up camp at the GABP. I'm so thrilled with 4-2, Dunn's 4HR, and that sliver of hope that they can build on it. Still, injuries, and pitching returning to earth, loom in the distance. It would be almost impossible for those two to remain away all year. In any event, I'm going to enjoy it while it lasts.

MOVIES:

THE GIRL NEXT DOOR - This movie leaves very little for me to talk about. If you've seen "Risky Business," then this is just a much worse version of it; they even do a variation on the score in a couple of scenes. If you haven't seen "Risky Business," then you might like this better than I did. I did think the movie picked up a little bit when Timothy Olymphant entered the preceedings; up until that point, I was just flat out bored. But after awhile, his character wears a llittle thin on me, and like Chris pointed out in his review, it's basically a variation on his character from "Go." Elisha Cuthbert is fine in the role of the woman who will never exist in real life, and she's really hot, which doesn't hurt. And while I saw the video at the end coming a mile away, it was fairly ingenius. There's a good movie that could've been made here, and there are a few laugh out loud moments, but overall I found it to be a retread of better movies before it, and most of the time it was just a mess.

Star Rating: *1/2

VINTAGE MOVIE REVIEW

CAPRICORN ONE (1978) - AMC, yesterday, did a marathon of their favorite seventies films, or at least ones they didn't have to pay too much to show. I mean, how you have a seventies film marathon without "The Godfather I and II," or say "Star Wars," "Annie Hall," "Taxi Driver," etc., I just don't know. But this movie came on when I had little to do, and I had barely even heard of it, so I thought I would give it a chance. I think in the post "Star Wars" craze this science fiction parable got lost, and that's too bad, because it's really quite good. James Brolin, O.J. Simpson, and Sam Waterston (a crazy ass trio if you ask me) star as three astronauts about to make the first manned mission to Mars. When a few people in NASA learn that their life support system is too cheaply made to work for the entire trip, they make an odd decision. Instead of canceling the mission due to a screw-up, and in effect kill whatever support the President and Congress has been giving them, they pull out the astronauts at the last minute oh so secretly and send the shuttle up unmanned. The crazy trio find out that they get to spend the next seven months in seclusion and occasionally appear on a constructed soundstage so they appear to be in the shuttle or on Mars. However, when the shuttle is coming back, the heat shield gives out and disengrates the vessel, which of course means they now have to kill the astronauts so no one finds out. The film is very tightly paced and all of the actors are good. The cast also includes good turns by Elliot Gould, as a Woodward and Bernstein style reporter, and Telly Savalas, as an ace crop duster pilot. The film's only weakness is that the last half of the film ends up becoming a pretty standard on the lam thriller, but even in that they find some ingenius ways to make it fun; the cropduster outrunning the helicopters is one of the best chase sequences I've ever seen. This would definately fall on my list of underlooked gems, and I thought I would throw it out there, because you guys should definately check it out. And the funniest thing about this film is that it is directed by Peter Hyams. That's right, even Hyams had a good one in him.

Well, despite the 10-2 drubbing the Cubbies gave to the Braves today, your assessments about the Cubs offense can be pinpointed to something that irked me about even the Braves vaunted offense a year ago: Way too many right-handed bats. Of course, the percentages say you will face right-handed pitchers most of the time, and that right-handed pitchers get the most of right-handed batters most of the time. Here, you have Sosa, Alou, Lee, and Ramirez all in the middle. In the regular season, those batters will occasionally drill a Russ Ortiz. But they won't drill a Curt Schilling or a Josh Beckett. The heart of the lineup either represents a murderer's row or, in most cases, a chance for the pitcher to get into a groove because they get to pitch in the same way to several batters in a row. The Cubs' record vs. lefties this year will be amazing, just watch.

Ahh, Preds, love that win today. Keep it up. Of course, Detroit faithful call in and say this will be it--they're so amazingly prescient: I guess they picked that Anaheim sweep last year.

I'm really looking forward to "Kill Bill:Volume 2," Chris you are truly a bastard. But I'll get to see it soon enough; I'm probably going to hit "Girl Next Door" tonight if the Braves/Cubs game ends beforehand, or isn't a boring ass game. I look forward to see what other careers Tarantino resurrects in the future; it would be cool if he could do a twisted action piece with Mickey Rourke and Ron Perlman; wouldn't that be badass?
As for baseball; the Cubs offense is really bugging me so far. I know it's early on, but their one big weakness is that they are going to have a hard time manufacturing runs. It makes me wonder if Dusty Baker knows how to do a lineup. Corey Patterson is prime for the leadoff position; he's only gotten more patient at the plate. And Grudzelanek is an ideal number 2. Alou is not a great clean-up; I think Derek Lee or Sosa would fit better in that position; put Alou at 5 and Ramirez at 6 or even Micael Barrett. I know it's typical to put an average hitting catcher in the 8 spot, but Barrett is pretty quick compared to most of the people in the lineup. If they're in the race toward the end of the season, I'm sure they'll pick-up a few needed spots, like shortstop for instance, but I guess we'll see.

A smattering of movie reviews:

JOHNSON FAMILY VACATION: THE ORIGINAL KINGS OF COMEDY did wonders for performers Steve Harvey, DL Hughley, and especially Cedric the Entertainer and Bernie Mac, but the script choices for these actors still must be very slim pickings indeed. This stars Cedric as a man separated from his wife (Vanessa Williams) and kids (notably "Bow Wow" and Solange Knowles, with some random little girl as the baby sister) who is going to his family reunion with the guise that he is still part of a happy family. The goal is to see his mother, participate in some family competition with gloating older brother Steve Harvey, and win a "Family of the Year" trophy. The trip, of course, is the bulk of the movie, which robs NATIONAL LAMPOON'S VACATION enough to constantly remind you of that comedy. There are, like any comedies, a couple of moments that are funny. It's just a real dismal ride for the most part.

13 GOING ON 30: Jennifer Garner, yet another hot actress I'm in love with, especially from the TV show "Alias," plays in what is going to be referred to as the female BIG. At 13, young Jenna Rink wishes to be 30, and like all movies, the wish comes true. Unlike BIG, however, the entire world has advanced 17 years, and Jenna has to sort of play catch-up with the times, plus continually being an awkward 13-year-old in a 30-year-old's body. The film works mostly due to Garner's performance, which is downright note-perfect from the way she talks (not insulting dialogue peppered with "like" this and "like" that) down to the way she walks, which is a body unused to moving in heels and unrefined. Also, Mark Ruffalo, who I can always count on (and believe it or not, that began as an unintended pun), plays the estranged best friend with the usual amount of control and undertstanding of character that he has delivered for the past several years. Yes, the story is a bit tired, and you know how it's going to end, and once again I bring up my BUTTERFLY EFFECT argument about changing the past to affect the future--it's a lot simpler than it actually would be, but what do you expect from the Hollywood machine. Well worth watching.

KILL BILL, VOL.II: Ah, the perks of working at a theatre with so many sneaks and press screenings and so forth. Here, the completion of the film I gave the number 2 spot on my Best of 2003 list. First off, let me say, I love this as much as I love KB, V1. However, what some fans of the first may find a bit off-putting is the attention to dialogue over action, the first volume of which was the total opposite. The first volume was extremely visceral, with the great Japanimation sequence and the fight at the tea house as centerpieces to a thoroughly engaging action tale. There is more than enough action here, and the dialogue, of course, is all Tarantino. David Carradine is especially fine knocking heads with badass chick Uma Thurman. Michael Madsen always gives a criminal his best work, and there's no exception here. It's when you are in the world of Tarantino you know you're watching something different from the norm, and that sort of aspect brings everything to wonderful life--the characters, the situations, the dialogue all crackle with anticipation. Combine this 2 1/2 hour completion to the 1 1/2 hour beginning, and you have 4 hours of a powerhouse film, a superior film to almost all others you'll see in your lifetime.

Greetings, one and all, from Little Rock, AR. My nephew David is 1 year old as of April 8, and I'm basically here for 24 hours before going straight back to Nashville.

Well, there are some strange happenings with this Atlanta team. They get bombed on opening day, and essentially get bombed the next two games but poured it on enough themselves to get two wins. Then, a fine pitching matchup and a great performance by Horacio Ramirez is thrown down the toilet by Smoltz, who has a 12.00 ERA now. I'm really concerned about Smoltz. Reitsma new closer? Eh, it'll never happen as long as the closer's name is Smoltz--but he's looking scary bad.

As for the Predators, I thought the excitement of that goal 16 seconds into the game was going to propel them not only through the game but the series. Detroit's coach was right: That Sullivan penalty shot was a huge moment in the game. Maybe the Preds can sneak out with a win today.

And This One Does Not Belongs to the Preds




If only Sully could have put that penalty shot in! Well, maybe they can take the game tomorrow and come home with deadlocked. They know they can play with them, but they need to be inspired. Knock on wood.

And This One Belongs to the Reds



Good pitching, Dunn and Griffey Home Runs, and all is right with the world. THAT'S the way to do it!

While I'm sure this won't last past this week, I love these records.
SAN DIEGO (2-0)
MILWAUKEE (2-0)
DETROIT (2-0)
TAMPA BAY (2-1)

HOUSTON (0-2)
ST. LOUIS (0-2)
TORONTO (0-2)
N.Y. YANKEES (1-2)

Parity is fun.

"Props" to Off-Wing Opinion (see the site here), my favorite sports blog, for responding to my email, and posting our site on the side of his site. Welcome any visitors! We talk mainly about movies and sports here, with movie reviews galore. Send any comments to my address on the side.

I seem to be the only person to have chosen the Predators to win it all, raising my chances of winning a "special prize" from 0% to 0.0001%. Scroll down to see Eric mention me in the Wings-Preds review. I think the Preds have more of a chance than people think to get past the Wings, given that there is something of a rivalry in Nashville, but not much more of a chance. I wish I could go to a playoff game, and will only make it if they somehow get past the Wings. Ahh, the prerils of getting an MBA.

Oh yeah, I forgot the reason I first came on here today; to throw up a couple of movie reviews. Also, I don't think either one of you are saying the Cubs are bad, and I am probably looking through some rose tinted glasses, but I was just defending some points as unbiased as I possibly could. And the Reds will go 2-160; statistics are so stupid.

MOVIES:

HELLBOY: In my comic book collecting heyday (aka high school and about half of college), I never once read "Hellboy," and after seeing the movie, I wish I had, because I think this would be a storyline I would have enjoyed reading. As for the movie, I am seriously on the fence here. First the good.
Ron Perlman is a great choice to play this character; I've always been a big fan of his, much like Bruce Campbell, you really wish others would realize this guy's greatness, and then he would get a lot of cool roles that would give some of those big budget disasters a little more oomph. The look of this film is excellent; it's rare to see CG used so well in a movie; in fact I didn't even know Abe Sapien was CG everytime he was in the water. That was very impressive. Besides the CG though, the rest of the film looks great as well; unlike most comic book movies this one created a true comic book world. Most either try this and fail (e.g. the Batman movies), or just stick to placing these heroes in the real world, which not a terrible idea sometimes makes things a little goofy looking (e.g. the "X-Men" movies)
As for what I didn't really care for. The film is kind of boring. I never once thought going into this film that I would be bored. I thought it might be a little stupid and goofy at times, sure, but I never thought it would be boring. I really liked Del Toro's pace in "Blade II," that was the pace this movie needed, not "The Devil Backbone's" slow thriller moving pace. Also, after Hellboy, no one is really developed character wise. The bad guys are all mediocre stereotypes, and the rest of the heroes are just not there enough (where the hell did Abe Sapien go anyways), or you simply forget who some of these people are. Simply put, the writing is not very tight; it's almost as if they were more concerned about how cool the film looked they forgot to develop the story. Because I don't care that the movie's over two hours, hell, make it three if you've got enough story to tell, but the fact is not much really happens in that two hour and fifteen minute span. All-in-all, a decent effort, but I look forward to a sequel where they concentrate more on the story than how cool Ron Perlman looks munching on a cigar, which is very cool I might add.

WALKING TALL: Now, here's a movie that's not quite as cool as it thinks it is, but I will say this, it's not boring. In the tradition of recent trashfests like "Gothika," "Torque," and "Freddy Vs. Jason," this is fairly well done. As stupid as a lot of this movie is (the courtroom scene being the highlight) I found myself kind of enjoying it. It's a late night USA movie all the way, but it's a pretty good one as far as those go. I just wish the Rock had picked a better picture to follow up "The Rundown," which I thought was pretty fucking awesome for an action picture. He's got the potential to be a good action movie star, but pick something with a little more firepower than this silly mess.

Star Ratings:
HELLBOY **
WALKING TALL **1/2

Time for those stupid "if they continue on this pace" statistics! The Reds will finish 0-162, and allow 1134 runs! Barry Bonds will go 486/486 on the season, with 162 HRs! You heard it here first!

I'm not saying the Cubs are bad, and I am cheering for them. Just to make that clear. I wish they were in the AL Central or something.

By the way, t-minus 20 days now that I give up on the Reds baseball season in total despair and start cheering for the Red Sox. I can just feel my soul being ripped by the thoughts of a Jimmy Haynes summer, and impending Casey/Dunn/Graves trades. Let the countdown begin!

The good news for the Cubs is that Prior should be back by May, and they don't have to play the Astros or Cardinals once in April; in fact, they have a pretty easy first month by MLB standards. Maddux and Lee are not the answers, but I don't think anyone is saying they are. They needed a strong fifth pitcher, and they got a solid one in Maddux; think how many games they lost because of there fifth pitcher last year (I can't remember for the life of me who it was.). Wood might be a little inconsistent at times, but he's got a much better bullpen backing him up, and Zambrano should have an even better year; Clemmet, I don't care for too much, but he's still solid. In Lee, they get a little more oomph at the first base position, plus defensively he's one of the best. They also picked up a great off the bench guy in Todd Walker, and a hell of a catcher in Michael Barrett; did anyone else see him run out that triple; he's a very smart baserunner. You're right, they're the Cubbies, but this year they are the Cubbies with a hell of a lot more confidence than they've had in years. It's funny; this might be the first year that when someone talks about the highs of the Cubs, Sammy Sosa is usually third or fourth on the list. That says something.

Here's another interesting thing about the library woes. I told Mike about how it wouldn't allow me to go to fantasy baseball because every time I'd click on it, someone else's account would show up. Occasionally, I could go to one page and it would display my yahoo name to show that I was indeed logged in, but every time I'd click baseball it would go to the same account. There is indeed a library network problem here, but if Yahoo would stop making the "SIGN UP NOW!" web page the default page when you click on "Fantasy Baseball" then everything would be OK. But now there's a new wrinkle! I decided, hey, I'd go to ANOTHER library and see what happens. Guys, the SAME accounts show up, and when I go to fantasy baseball page (SIGN UP NOW!) it shows MY account--a completely different library 5 miles away has the same hangup, with the same accounts stuck there!

I could ask these library people what the hell is going on, but they all seem very unhelpful. Oh well, guess I'll try at some point.

For the record, I didn't pick the Cubs for precisely the reasons Mike cited, and Derrek Lee is yet another right-handed bat who gets you average numbers. Although, he did look good popping up to Dunn and making him lose it in the sun yesterday. I didn't see all of that game, but I'd say we already have a candidate for "play of the year" when LaRue made the tag at home and threw to third for the double play in the top of the ninth. The problem I see for the Cubs is the Prior injury basically means you lose on most days when you normally would win, for two months of the season. Wood has been nothing but shaky--he's a bit like Millwood in that he has the stuff but he walks too many guys. And Maddux, despite the whisperings he's "back to old form," really can't ever be the Cy Young Maddux we grew up watching.

Also, when determining wild cards, I really shouldn't have picked Boston (but I'm sticking with it). The AL East playoff contender is going to come down to who wins the division, I fear, and even an AL Central team may have a better record. It won't be a true sign of which team is better, though. Whoever comes out of the AL East should be favored against any of their AL counterparts in the playoffs. If we really wanted a great playoff in the AL, we'd only be able to include teams from the West and East.

I put the Cubs third because they are the Cubs! Sorry, but they are. Note I have Boston missing the playoffs, too (even though I'm rooting for them, and for the Cubs too).

One interesting note on the Cubs: if you look at runs scored for and against, they had a worse year last year than the Astros. And you can make the argument that they did better than the Cubs in the offseason. Plus, the Cards aren't bad, and could sneak up. If Prior's injury is serious, and Maddux proves to be old, they might not have the year they hope for. And then everyone will be expecting them to fail, which kills you. Have no fear that they will be plenty better than the Reds in fourth, though.

Oh yes, the NL WEST I just have no clue on, so I guessed.

I forgot my series picks:

Angels over Phillies in six. I think the Angels will be really good this year. Vlad's the pickup of the offseason, other than ARod. I really like that the Angels owner lowered beer prices and put more games on local TV. That man knows what he's doing, and I like seeing a fan friendly organization. Good team, too.

Mike's picks are almost the exact opposite of mine. It's going to be an interesting year, but the Cubs third? Come on, Mike.

Quick and easy predictions:

AL EAST
Yanks
Sox
Jays
O's
Rays

AL CENTRAL
Twins
Sox
Indians
Royals
Tigers

AL WEST
Angels
A's (WC)
M's
Rangers

NL EAST
Phils
Braves (WC)
Marlins
Expos
Mets

NL CENTRAL
Astros
Cards
Cubs
Reds
Pirates
Brewers

NL WEST
Dodgers
Giants
Padres
D'backs
Rockies

I don't necesserailly know if there aren't NBA players out there to match the ones Chris mentioned, but I find myself less and less excited about NBA games as a whole. I mean, the superstars are there (McGrady, Bryant, Garnett, Kidd, etc.), not to mention Carmello Anthony and Lebron James. But all the bitching about salaries, the dominance of the West and the terrible play of the East; there might be three teams with losing records. Not too mention the awful field goal percentage most of these teams are shooting; in almost every game of the finals last year, there were like 37% compared to 25%; that's just not very entertaining basketball in my opinon. (And that is some awful writing on my part, but too lazy to change it.) I don't know, the essence of bball has just been lost on me, and I'm starting to lose interest in college as well, with all of the possible superstar juniors and seniors leaving for the NBA after there first or second year, if they even make it to college. I'm very glad baseball is finally getting underway.

Hockey:

Yes, the Preds are in the playoffs for the first time ever, and what is going on, Tennessee? All 3 of our major sports teams have enjoyed or will enjoy the playoffs in the year of 2004. The Preds reward: The Red Wings! Thank you for playing, Nashville! Although much will be made about the Preds' 3-2-0-1 record against them this year, they went winless in the last 3 meetings, and had a miraculous win just before the slide. I would love to see them win, I just don't have much hope.

Basketball:

I haven't seen one game this year, but the Memphis Grizzlies are a team I can see playing in the Finals. They have been beating EVERYBODY for 2/3rds of the season. They went from fringe team at the All-Star break to 4th, and not too far from 1st, in the West. I might watch some games, although this certainly isn't the era of basketball I grew up on in the days of Bird, Magic, Jordan, and Dominique.

2004 BASEBALL SEASON PREDICTIONS:

The season has I guess technically already started, but how weird to have not only two regular season games in Japan, but then the Yanks and Devil Rays have to come back and play a couple more spring training games. Oyvay! Anyways, here goes with my predictions for the 2004 season, and this year they are all right.

NL EAST
1. ATLANTA BRAVES
2. PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES (W)
3. NY METS
4. FLORIDA MARLINS
5. MONTREAL EXPOS

Until the Braves prove me otherwise, I'm just going to keep putting them at the top; Bobby Cox might not be much of a post-season manager, but he knows how to put together a solid regular season team. The pitching staff is a complete overhaul for the most part, but like year's past, it's a solid and competent one. The Phillies should finally make into the playoffs. The Mets are much improved, much more complete. With Matsui heading up there knew double play combo, they have a much improved defense in the infield, and with Cedeno pretty much out of the picture maybe they'll start catching some balls in centerfield. As for the Marlins, no Rodriquez, no Derek Lee; reliance on a pitcher, who did not even come alive until the post season. This division is too much improved for them to make any waves. And watch the Expos surprise everyone and win the division, but I don't see it.

NL CENTRAL
1. CHICAGO CUBS
2. HOUSTON ASTROS
3. ST. LOUIS CARDINALS
4. MILWAUKEE BREWERS
5. CINCNATTI REDS
6. PITTSBURGH PIRATES

I can't resist picking the Cubs, even though they haven't had back to back winning seasons in over thirty years, but this is one of the best Cub teams in its franchise history. That pitching staff, especially once Prior is back, will be hard to score runs on, and they have an even better offense with the addition of Derek Lee. The Astros have a better line-up than the Cubs and a fairly equal pitching staff. These are probably the two best staffs in the National League; however if the Cubs are this good, I just can't bet against them. There will be some great series to be had here. The Cardinals didn't really do a damn thing to improve themselves which is kind of confusing. I'm betting that the Brewers spring training highs were not a complete fluke; their pitching has improved and they have a solid line-up. The Reds just don't have the pitching; Corey Lidle is your opening day starter, not a good sign. And the Triple AAA style ball the Pirates will be reduced to playing will just be sad; may be this year's Detroit Tigers.

NL WEST
1. ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS
2. COLORADO ROCKIES
3. SAN DIEGO PADRES
4. SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS
5. LOS ANGELES DODGERS

The addition of Richie Sexson is a great one; it balances out a solid line-up and makes the jobs for the pitching staff a little easier, and with Randy Johnson and Brandon Webb as your ace and no.2 you're doing pretty well in the pitching area; I just don't know who's going to save games for them. The Rockies have to be the most improved team in the league next to the Padres. They finally seem to have a pitching staff that can pitch in Denver. The Padres will have there brand new stadium and new looking squad headlined by Brian Giles. Nevin won't be there for awhile, but this is a team on the way up. The Giants made some odd off season moves, and this pitching staff does not have the depth of past Giants teams. They don't even have an overpowering no.1 guy, but hell, the Mariners won 118 games in that same situation, so who knows. The Dodgers did nothing to improve there line-up, and they got rid of some solid pitchers, but they still have Gagne, and apparently that can take you a long way.

PLAYOFF PICTURE:
CUBS OVER PHILLIES
DIAMONDBACKS OVER BRAVES

CUBS OVER BRAVES


AL EAST
1. BOSTON REDSOX
2. NEW YORK YANKEES
3. BALTIMORE ORIOLES
4. TORONTO BLUEJAYS
5. TAMPA BAY DEVIL RAYS

This division overall has improved, but I take the RedSox over the Yankees for the simple fact that they have less ego clashing to deal with; although Curt Schilling needs to learn when to shut-up. That guy is annoying as hell. The Yankees are by no means going to self destruct, but I see Steinbrenner getting pretty angry at season's end when they don't make the playoffs for the first time in forever. The Orioles' bought team didn't get as much attention as the Yankees, but they basically did the same thing (Ponson, Tejada, Palmero). However, this will improve them enough to probably win 80 or so. The Bluejays are a team I just can't get a fix on, and with the best Devil Rays team in franchise history, the BJays could finish at the bottom of the barrell, or they could surprise everyone and make a run for the playoffs; I just don't know. Like I said, this is the best Devil Rays team ever, which means they will cause some problems for other teams in the division, but they are by no means strong enough to compete here.

AL CENTRAL
1. KANSAS CITY ROYALS
2. MINNESOTA TWINS
3. CHICAGO WHITESOX
4. DETROIT TIGERS
5. CLEVELAND INDIANS

The Royals are the little franchise that could, and with the A's falling off a little bit, they can take over that spot along with the Twinkies. The Twins and Royals almost seem interchangeable, but you have to pick one of them. The Whitesox should be kicking themselves in the ass; they should have won this division last year easily and been a strong contender for the World Series; Chris and I both picked them to make it. But they didn't do it last year, and with the Twins and Royals improvements, I don't think they'll even come close this one. The Tigers still have no pitching, but they have a little more hitting, and I just think the Indians are on the road to self-destruction.

AL WEST
1. ANAHEIM ANGELS
2. SEATTLE MARINERS (W)
3. OAKLAND A'S
4. TEXAS RANGERS

The Angels made some of the better off-season moves. The additions of Guerrero and Colon give them a true superstar in that line-up and a true no.1 starter. These two ingredients should improve an already proven team. The Mariners look to be getting back to their unbeatable team of three years ago, that is until the playoffs. The A's still have most of their pitching staff intact, but that line-up just keeps getting worse and worse, but they are one of the best August teams in the past few years which is very important in this game. The Rangers are finally in a position where they can start moving up; it won't be this year, but they will make some waves.

AL PLAYOFF PICTURE
REDSOX OVER MARINERS
ANGELS OVER ROYALS

ANGELS OVER REDSOX

WORLD SERIES
ANGELS OVER CUBS (7 GAMES)

NL CY YOUNG WINNER - CARLOS ZAMBRANO
NL MVP - JIM THOME

AL CY YOUNG WINNER - MIKE MUSSINA
AL MVP - VLADMIR GUERRERO

Thougt I was going for Cubs/Redsox world series didn't you? Man if that ever happens, the end of the world is near, seriously.

We're in! We're in! We're in! Go Preds!

One win and they're in! Go Preds!

MOVIES:

JERSEY GIRL: This in many ways is Kevin Smith's finest film; it is easily his most complete. However, I still love the pure nastiness of "Chasing Amy," but this is a great add on to a double feature. Yes, this is PG-13 Kevin Smith, but hell, if it's a good movie, it's a good movie, and he still gets away with some stuff; I'm almost surprised this didn't get an R rating. As Chris said, the "Sweeney Todd" scene is the highlight, but I also loved the moments between Affleck and his daughter (I agree that this is his best performance to date) and I almost wish more had been done with him and Liv Tyler; they have a lot of great chemistry here that could have been further explored. What I was also impressed with was that Kevin Smith actually went out and got a good cinematographer. As much as I like "Clerks," "Dogma," "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back," and the aforementioned "Chasing Amy," those are all pretty ugly looking films (the less said about "Mallrats" the better), but this film is simply gorgeous. It's definately the best looking romantic comedy I've seen in awhile. I guess if people were wondering if Kevin Smith could be soft and sweet, the answer is yes.

Star Rating: ***1/2

I will probably be going to see quite a bit of stuff this weekend, Meredith is off to a dog show in Birmingham, so "Hellboy," "Ladykillers," and "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" are on my to do list.

Baseball:

Well, this year is going to be hard to predict. There are 3 divisions in baseball that will offer the hardest-fought, down-to-the-wire pennant chases in years: AL East, AL West, NL West. There are two divisions which rival those, the NL Central and the NL East, which aren't as good to-to-bottom as those others. Then the AL Central, who will offer up their yearly fodder for whomever wins in the other divisions, but is also stocked with teams that can win it.

I am going to be brief in my assessments here, just offering general predicitions and a comment here and there.

AL East

The division of muscle as three teams, Boston, NY, and Baltimore spent big and Toronto is still good and Tampa Bay is improving. I think the Yanks will have trouble with injuries and placing a high-profile player in a different position, and generally handling a team full of superstars. They will win, oh yes, they will, but it will be draining. Red Sox have some turmoil to work through, and injuries as well. All-in-all, no team in this division will win 100 games.

1. NY Yankees (offense and very good but questionable pitching gets them division)
2. Boston-* (pitching will get them closer than ever before)
3. Baltimore (will make strides and battle Boston and others for Wild Card)
4. Toronto (unfortunately a team that would be number 1 in the Central probably)
5. Tampa Bay (young players will cause problems, but not enough firepower to win)

AL Central

There's really no dominant team here. The Royals picked up oft-injured Juan Gonzalez and Benito Santiago to complement oft-injured Mike Sweeney in what could be a damaging lineup should they be healthy for any stretch. The White Sox will have what is assuredly the return of Mark Buehrle, who had a horrible stretch at the beginning of the season, going 1-12 or something and ending up 14-14. Much is made of the loss of Colon, but what has he won? The White Sox also made a good run towards the end and almost made the playoffs.

1. Chicago White Sox (good pitching, good offense-I think they're back in contention)
2. Minnesota (scrappy club always seems to make a strong finish, may take wild card)
3. Kansas City (will be decent enough to make a little noise here)
4. Detroit (IRod with young pitchers=good sign. Better offense means no cellar)
5. Cleveland (back to the old sucky 80's days)

AL West

Yet again, a tough road in this division. The addition of Colon and Guerrero bolster the scrappy Angels, but I wonder how the first real superstars will react on this team. The A's lost Tejada and that is a significant amount of offense. The Mariners once again will be an offensive juggernaut with questionable pitching. The Rangers...well, better luck next year guys.

1. Anaheim (rotation is on par with the A's, and their offense is better)
2. Seattle (pitching is not great, but their offense is vicious)
3. Oakland (pitching is intact, but they don't have any offensive strength)
4. Texas (addition of Brian Jordan assures that yet another Ranger will be hurt all year)

NL East

The hardest division to really put a finger on. Last year, the Braves had no business winning 100 games, and they did. The Marlins had no business winning the Wild Card and an improbable World Series win, but did. The Phillies on paper were going to be a strong contender for the division, but finished 3rd. The Phillies made significant moves this winter and because Billy Wagner, and not Jose Mesa, is closing for them they will win the NL East. I will say this. The Braves have a load of potential good arms with Reitsma and Juan Cruz surrounding the iffy Ortiz, Hampton, Thomson, and Jaret Wright. And the Marlins still have good arms, too. It's a tough call.

1. Philadelphia (marquee closer should earn them at least 10 more wins)
2. Atlanta-* (a lot of uncertainty, no real ace, offense took a hit)
3. Florida (loss of IRod is damaging for good young pitchers, offense decent)
4. Montreal (lose Vasquez, Guerrero; Everett, Batista, Johnson offer some life)
5. NY Mets (is Piazza the only good thing about this team?)

NL Central

Last year's race between the Astros and Cubs was, predictably, very close. This year will be the same. Unfortunately for the Cubs, the Astros made the most significant moves in the offseason. The Astros have a great rotation, Oswalt should be back all year, and they have guys who can mash. Now, the Cubs have Maddux on the back-end of his career, a hurt Prior and a never-consistent Wood. The Cardinals will always make some sort of noise, but I think they have dwindled.

1. Houston (Pettitte and Clemens offer depth to solid pitching, good offense)
2. Chicago Cubs (Derrek Lee is not the answer, neither is Maddux)
3. St. Louis (will be average in both pitching and hitting)
4. Cincinnati (no pitching to speak of, but good hitting)
5. Milwaukee (just like Cincy, with a little less hitting)
6. Pittsburgh (more significant losses in the offseason, more headaches coming in)

NL West

Perhaps the most difficult division to pick (it always is). You have the Giants, who have won it most years, then you have the D'Backs, who are 3 years removed from a World Series win. The always competitive Dodgers made some interesting moves. The Padres have a better offense with some young pitching that could prove to be Marlins-esque. Colorado, I believe, is the odd-team-out.

1. Arizona (with a better offense now, and a solid pitching staff, even w/o Schilling)
2. San Francisco (solid, but aging team, staying the course will not win this year)
3. Los Angeles (interesting moves, but lots of questions with each)
4. San Diego (better offense, pitching still needs seasoning)
5. Colorado (Jennings, Chacon bright spots, Estes and others to get rocked daily)

Playoffs:

AL Division

Red Sox over Angels
Yankees over White Sox

ALCS

Red Sox over Yankees

NL Division

Astros over Braves
Phillies over D'Backs

NLCS

Astros over Phillies

World Series

Astros over Red Sox

For whatever all that's worth. By the way, I'm picking the Astros for the 2nd straight year. As always, I root for the Braves first, but in a tie I also root for the Cubs-Red Sox series.

Movies:

WALKING TALL: Well, The Rock is certainly becoming the new all-time B-movie champ after the enjoyable RUNDOWN and now this "coming home and kicking ass" flick. I never saw the original with everyone's favorite actor, Joe Don Baker, so I have no comparison here. Just enjoy a very brisk film where ass is getting beat everywhere and that's most of the story.

HELLBOY: I find most comic book movies generally unenjoyable. There has been much praise for the X-MEN series and I just can't join in on it. Here, we have a good movie with unfortunate minor reminders of last year's UNDERWORLD. Ron Perlman is as good a choice for a comic book hero than almost anyone--he's a natural charismatic actor, but he is fed some very mundane "comic-y" one-liners that make him look stupid at times. However, there's some pretty good action here, and vicious monsters to fight, and it leaves you wanting a little bit more (within the movie itself...most of the time that is a line where people just want the movie to keep going. Here, we have a good length, but more could have been done within that timeframe). Guillermo Del Toro of BLADE 2 fame (one critic I know called it an orgiastic gorefest...and for you Mike that was Jonathan in his write-in review to "Fangoria") directed this. He's been hit-or-miss. He did the aforementioned B2, but he also did MIMIC which was terrible and THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE which was a very nearly sleep-inducing thriller that critics creamed over.