Yep, My name is Earl... Yep, I made VFLOAB's List... sort of ironic, eh?VFLOAB had been working hard on our top 25 songs from this year, but we stupidly forgot to e-mail them from our work PC so there they sit… and since VFLOAB won’t be back at work until January 9, 2006 we’ll all just have to wait. Sorry.
It hasn’t been a good year: from the tsunami, to John Paul II’s death, to the attacks in London, Katrina and the mess she left, the earthquake in Pakistan, and the continuing mess in Iraq things have been much better here on Earth. So instead of reflecting on the bad, we here at VFLOAB will give you our nine, yes 9, favorite things from the past year. Some old and recently discovered, some things new from the year that was. Enjoy.
9) Albert Pujols’ Home Run in Game Five of the NLCS
I still can’t believe that ball was hit by a human being. It’s one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen. In the bottom of the ninth, with two outs, the Cardinals are down 4-2 to the Astros in Game Five of the NLCS. The Astros are up in the series 3 games to 1 and the Cards are down to their final chance. Pujols takes a hanging slider and hits it about 925 feet. I’m not kidding, the ball just took off and kept going and going and going and kept getting higher, and higher… until it his the outer wall of the stadium. It was like watching the Naturals, only this time in real life and with out the light towers exploding. Unbelievable.
8) My Name is Earl
Is it wrong of me to have a crush on Earl Hickey? Is Earl Hickey the first great American of the 21st century? For the record, I don't really have a crush on Earl, but I'm not sure there's been a TV character as engaging as Earl in a long, long time. I think it's his name... Earl. It's funny just to say Earl. Just great TV.
7) Pitchfork
Now we usually don’t agree with most of pitchforks reviews and picks. But it’s still the best sight in terms of rock and indie and frankly all good music information and opinion. While we would love for Pitchfork to have a little less influence on the music industry and record sales (well at least according to a few articles that we’ve read here at VFLOAB), it’s still a quality place to read about new bands, old bands, you favorite band... and not have to put up with crap like Dave and so on and so fourth.
6) "Can I tell you something? Everybody has responsibilities. I put somebody on the dance floor. They have to dance. I have to make the judgments, and I'll make the judgments.” – Richard M. Daley
That’s VFLOAB quote of the year. While “This is a sad day for Joe Horn…” – Joe Horn was given consideration, this Daley gem takes the cake. And if you don’t get it… there’s still time to move here.
5) Hugo Chavez
I know that everyone on the right hates him, but come on, that’s partly because he is everything they hate… he’s a socialist who came to power through democratic means and instead of giving more money to the rich, Chavez uses the oil money that Venezuela has for social programs. The right’s worst nightmare: a legit leader who focuses on social issues and those who are the least well off and it’s hard for them to be critical of him because of this. While the right would love for us to only focus on the rich and privileged, Chavez has done the opposite thanks to high oil prices (thanks to the right!). Plus who doesn’t love foreign leaders who openly mock leaders of other countries (look its Chavez singing a childhood song to Vicente Fox! Will Chavez and Bush getting into a yelling match at the summit?) Hugo has given us plenty of laughs and a few smiles this year thanks in part to his willingness to speak out against George W. Bush (aka Nero, aka A friend of no one but Evil). We do have some concerns going into 2006 with Hugo, his power may becoming to great and is something to worry about (remember power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely) and the price of oil may drop therefore limiting what Chavez can do within Venezuela… Chavez was great in 2005. And hopefully this Hugo Chavez Era won’t end badly.
4) That Liverpool vs Milan game back in May for the Champions League
I took the day off of work for this game. I’m not kidding. So the roomie and I were hangin’ out all day on a beautiful spring day in Hyde Park just chillin’. The game started. We watched. And forty minutes into the game it was 3-0 Milan. Oh well, Liverpool had a nice run. At half time we both went our separate ways, he to his room, me to the computer to mess around, but the TV stayed on. When Liverpool made it 3-1, I sat down to watch. When Liverpool made it 3-2 the roomie came back. When Liverpool tied it up 3-3 we were going nuts. Liverpool some how hung on to send the game to penalties (who can forget Shevchenko’s shot that was some how saved by Dudek twice). And in the shootout Liverpool won the Champions League. Just an amazing game.
3) The Gilmore Girls
Hands down, best show on TV and I will not argue this. You’ve got two hot actresses. You’ve got humor. You’ve got small town America that is still sophisticated. You’ve got great writing, amazing sets, characters you can some how identify with, great plots, good story lines, great acting, witty pop culture references… I mean it’s got it all. Great TV.
2) The Facebook.com
I first heard of the facebook at my five year high school reunion. By the end of the week I was on it and haven’t looked back since. No the facebook isn’t very informative or necessary, but it’s fun and a great way to not only keep in touch with people and waste time at work. Just finding out if anyone else at CUA enjoys Wilco, the Karate Kid: Part III, or Small Wonder is worth it in our book. Plus it lets you know when someone’s birthday is coming up so you can drop them a line… and you never know maybe that girl you had a crush on in high school will be there and you two can become friends. In fact that happened to me and it still ranks extremely high on my list of “Best things that happened to me this year.” So thank you facebook people, you made this year a little more fun for all of us who still have our college e-mail address. Thank you.
1) The Chicago White Sox winning the World Series
Anyone who read or has taken the time to go though the archives here will know that I diligently kept tally of the 2005 playoffs and the 2005 season that was. The highlight of the year was easily the Sox winning it all. Not only has it put a hop in our step since we won, but it was such a great feeling when it happened. It’s silly to think about really, but the White Sox winning captivated me and gave me so much pleasure… well it’s just silly and we all know it. But it happened, we enjoyed it, and that’s all that matters. So thank you Joe Crede, AJ, Pods, Dye, MB, Garland, Jose, Ozzie, El Duque, Paulie, Kenny, Freddy, Cotts, Cliff, Jenks, Uribe, ‘Guch, Rowand, and everyone else on that team. I’ll never forget. From El Duque coming on in Boston in Game Three and some how shutting the door, the complete domination of the starters in the ALCS, and Konerko’s slam in game two of the World Series, something you dream about as a kid and a fan… just an amazing year and an even better run. Thanks guys.
The Dumbest Man in Baseball is gonna do New York. Watch out.Red Sox fans aren’t going to want to hear this, but I’ll make it easy for them. Blow the team up. Get rid of everyone but Ortiz and Beckett and start all over. Because this team, as it is right now, stinks.
With Damon signing with the Yankees, the Red Sox now don’t have a short stop, first baseman, or center fielder. Their third baseman can’t hit any more (Mike Lowell), their right fielder is a lock for two stints to the 15 DL or more (Trot Nixon), their left fielder doesn’t want to play in Boston any more (Manny Ramirez), and their second baseman is Mark Loretta. And their old.
They had a nice run. They made the playoffs three years in a row and won the World Series in 2004. But it’s over now thanks in part to just some brutal moves in the front office this winter.
First they went out and traded their best prospect that played short for Josh Beckett. Okay understand that. But then they turned around and traded their short stop, Renteria, for a third base prospect that they don’t have room on the major league roster for. Huh? Oh on top of that Manny wants to be traded, David Wells wants to be traded, Schilling is about 429 years old and didn’t look good last year, their bullpen which was bad last year still hasn’t been addressed, if Kevin Youkilis doesn’t start they don’t have a starting player under the age of 30, and now Damon has left… for the Bronx.
Looking at this team right now, they’ve got 75 wins in them. Even with Damon it was only an 82 or so win team. This is just a killer for the Red Sox and the loss of Damon is huge not only because he’s leaving Boston but because of where he’s going. They’ve got next to nothing, they aren’t going to compete this year or next year with the way things stand so… blow it up. Trade Manny. Trade Schilling. Trade Nixon. See what you can get. Play some kids, win 70 games (seriously, this team is not that good even with those three) and then go out next year and sign a few free agents to surround Beckett and Ortiz. But with the way things are right now, it’s just not happening for the Red Sox in 2006. And unless they can figure how to get a good starter, a few arms in the pen, a short stop, centerfielder, and first baseman this team may just finish in fourth place next year.
For the Yankees? Of course it’s a good deal. The contract is manageable, they get a centerfielder and a lead off hitter, and they’re the favorites to run away with the AL East. In fact, that race is over. Yankees are the 2006 AL East Champs. But I’m not sure they’re any closer to getting back to the World Series right now. Their pitching is still a huge question mark and to think they’ll get the same performance from Aaron Small or Shawn Chacon would be stupid. They may score 1,000 runs this year, but what good that does them when they’re in the playoffs… I don’t know. I’d have to say the Indians, White Sox, and Angels are still the favorites to win the AL pennant.
Not much… VFLOAB has been busy on a few things for the site (oh! My! Gosh!) so you’ll have to settle with this random shites.
Breaking news on the ‘this is sort of funny, sort of crazy, and boy was this guy really was a madman’ front. Stalin wanted to create a super army consisting of… you guessed it, half man-half-ape soldiers. Read to believe. But how scary would that army be? Seriously, think about a bunch of half-man-half-ape soldiers decked out in red and yellow with goofy hats and shouting "I love Stalin!" in Russian? I think that might be the most fearful thing in the world... bad dreams man.
"It's a sad day for Joe Horn..." VFLOAB thanks Joe Horn for giving us the sports quote of the year (took ya all long enough): "It's a sad day for Joe Horn because that's the only guy that's been throwing me the ball for the last five, six years.” – Joe Horn
Even though it’s under going some changes, this is our favorite NBA blog. And speaking of the NBA they easily have the best sport writers and stories. Maybe there is more to write about, but the fact is, I love reading about the NBA because the game just seems to have better writers.
We love the Sports Guy, Bill Simmons, who writes for ESPN.com on Page 2. But this radio gig is not going well for him. He’s okay on the radio, there may be something there, but his partner is bringing him down big time. The guy is just brutal. It’s sort of like watching LeBron with the Cavs his rookie year… he’s got the talent, he’s still a bit raw, but it’s there and he’ll do something amazing, but his teammates just aren’t there for him. Just no support in anyway.
That’s good for now… we’ll have more soon, we (I) swear including some of our favorites from 2005 and Bush and this spying stuff which should scare the shit out of all of us.
I really, really, really don’t feel like thinking about Bush, Iraq, or this spying stuff today. I’m tried and thinking about any of those three makes me anexious… so with that out of the way…
VFOLAB had a FANTASTIC day yesterday thanks to one of the greatest fantasy comebacks of all time (down 80 to 11 starting the 4th quarter of the early games, I come back to win 96 to 95 thanks in part to, among other things, the Redskins destroying the Cowboys D, Drew Brees brutal 3rd quarter, and Mr. Dirty Ruben Love Droughns’ fumble not being a fumble). Just an amazing turn of events that now puts me in the Champion Ship Game.
And the Bears looked FANTASTIC (I love shouting FANTASTIC on Monday mornings!) last night against the Atlanta Falcons. The D looked great. I just love watching them play, they’re flying all over the field, they’re hitting the other team, making plays left right and center… just a FANTASTIC D to watch in action. And then Rex Grossman coming on in for the second half and looking really, really good and at the same time the offense and crowd responding to Grossman in the second half. Sure he threw a bad pick on the one (but it ended up working on nicely for the Bears), but he’s got a hell of an arm and the offense just moved the ball better. I really liked how the Bears played in the second half. I’m actually really excited about their prospects come playoff time.
This is the first part in a running journal of today, Sunday, December 18, 2005.
9:16am – I’m out of bed and hungry. I think about going to the breakfast place down the street but instead decide to get coffee at Misha’s. When I go, no one knows.
9:36 – Football Manager 2005 is opened… let’s go Hibs!
9:54 – I pull out my change jar and collected a dollar and ninety-three cents.
10:08 – Back from Misha’s with a large dark roast. I’m missing mass and feel guilty. I’ll go later… I should go later. Back to CM4 and the Guardian, I’m sorry it’s Sunday, the Observer.
10:33 – I’m reading an (long) article on U2 in the Guardian and they bring up the Arcade Fire and Montreal, which makes me want to listen to the Arcade Fire. And just like that, “Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)” is playing on iTunes. I really don’t think we appreciate technology enough. It took me all of 30 seconds to call up iTunes, find the Arcade Fire, and double click on them. Five years ago I’d probably have to go looking for the album, pull it out, and put it into the CD player… today it’s right here for me to listen to. Great song btw.
10:40 – This thinking of Montreal makes me want to write down my top seven cities/place I want to visit. I’ll just list ‘em for now and come up with order later: Stockholm, Rio de Janeiro, Vienna, Tokyo, Beijing, the Dominican, Mexico City, Montreal, Berlin/Munich/Germany, Beirut, Budapest, Lagos, Sidney, Morocco, Moscow, and South Korea. Reasons later.
10:46 – Good writing, neat observation, and outstanding part of this U2 article:
They move over to where Arcade Fire are being held, and thank them for their performance. Each member of U2 shakes the hand of each member of Arcade Fire. There are friendly hugs and happy smiles. In some obvious way U2, nearly 30 years together as a group, are the elders in this relationship, passing something on to the newcomers - the baton, the flame, a musical message, some kind of experience. In another way, Arcade Fire, influenced by the same music U2 were way back at the beginning in the last quarter of the 20th century, are handing something precious and secretive over to U2, as if U2 are the fresh-faced newcomers eager to learn. U2 are the only group of their age and history who you could imagine being supported by such a novel, radical new act and not in any way being shown up.
10:54 – “I Will Follow” was released on Boy in 1980. I argue that it was the most important rock song of the 80s. It set the tone for the rest of the decade; in fact if you listen to it, you can hear much of what would be writing in the 80s in the song. The lyrics of a desperation, the guitar just repeating itself sort of like an early machine gun or something, the bells or whatever they are in the background… it just sounds so 80s (but still classic today). If I were to choose a song of the 90s, I’d go with “Smells like Teen Sprit”, I mean that was the song of the decade and really set us up for what the 90s rock scene would look like. Everyone tried to write that song, gave up, and wrote something that sounded something like it.
Now of course in both cases, something had to come before it… for U2 it was London Calling and the Clash (pretty much any song off that album). For Nirvana it was the Pixies and something like “Where is My Mind” or “Gigantic” (hell pick any song). But for whatever reason, London Calling still sounds really 70s (of course it was also released in 1979) and the Pixies… well I don’t know, I guess all that was missing was Kim Deal sounding like she was in a really, really, really lot of agony and just recording a song was going to cause her to die. Listen to “Smells like…” some time and listen to Cobain. The poor guy can’t help but sing his agony of life in the song. You feel his pain by the second word he sings.
So “I Will Follow” and “Smells Like Teen Sprit” are the most important songs of the 80s and 90s respectively looking back. As for the song of the first decade of the 21st century? Off the top of my head, I’d say “Last Nite” by the Strokes. But you could also put up arguments for “New Slang” by the Shins or pretty much anything the White Stripes did on White Blood Cells. I’d give Radiohead a shout out, but let’s be honest; they’re on another level some where above everyone else. Though “The National Anthem” might be that song of the 21st century that I’m looking for.
What does this all mean? I’m not sure. Just something to talk about I guess. I’m going to start looking at the spreads of today’s games.
11:43 – Weird week in the NFL. Some games don’t look too bad, but I’m looking for eight games today… let’s see here… have to like the Bears tonight giving three to Atlanta. I like the Dolphins giving 9.5 to the Jets. I keep thinking this is the week that Indy loses, but then they win by 10 so I don’t know… I’ll take the Colts giving 7.5. The Browns are getting three against Oakland so that’s easy – take the points. I like Dallas getting 2.5 against the ‘Skins. For some reason I like the Jags giving 16 to the 49ers and the Cardinals over the Texans who are getting 2.5. Finally, like Cinny giving the Lions 9.5. There, wish me luck.
11:54 – “I’m going to take a shower… thank you… I enjoyed being here.” – Maverick.
Really? Back to London? I love London in March! As some of you may know, VFLOAB loves football (what us Americans call soccer) and the Champions League had their round of 16 draw this morning.Among the highlights… Arsenal v Real Madrid (Becks makes his return to England!) Chelsea will face off against Barcelona (arguably the two best teams in the tournament), and Liverpool goes off to play Benfica. Those are some good games, especially the Arsenal and Chelsea match ups, so good that VFLOAB is already considering taking a day or two off to watch those matches. And who isn’t excited for Becks return to England in a Real shirt? The only thing better would be Real to face off against Manchester United, but hey, we’ll take what we can get.
Seems that the election in Iraq has been a success, which is of course fantastic news. The Sunnis turned out for the election that saw high voter turn out throughout the country. The question now is can Iraq be a self-sustaining democracy. That’s a big question mark at this point if the US troops left the country would fall into civil war probably (and the Kurds could even declare independence). How long will US troops be there? We just don’t know.
Something not getting a lot of press here in the US is that the party that expects to do the best in the election is a fundamental Islamic party, the United Islamic Alliance, that probably has some sort of connection to Iran. How and why the press is over looking this VFLOAB isn’t sure, but that appears to be the case by accounts from the Economist and else where.
Reading the Economist this morning, VFLOAB was surprised to learn that not only does Europe have better TV over all picture quality (576i to America’s 480i), but Europeans haven’t caught on to the HDTV craze yet. Interesting since Europeans do have the money to buy a few of these sets, but get this most European countries don’t even have HD telecasts at the moment:
Now a similar transition is under way with the switch to “high-definition” television (HDTV) which, as its name suggests, offers sharper, more detailed pictures. It is still early days: while there are around 1.5 billion televisions on earth, the number of HDTV households grew from around 8m to around 14m during 2005, according to IMS Research, a consultancy. HDTV broadcasts have been available for some time in America and Japan, have recently launched in France and Germany, and will reach Britain and the Netherlands early in 2006. But unlike the switch to colour, the process of switching to HDTV is rather difficult to explain without descending into jargon.
This is suprising if for no other reason than HDTV is just better TV. It’s once of those things that once you see it, you never want to go back to 480i. And anyone who’s seen a sporting event, espically hockey, in HD you can’t imagine another way to watch the game. HD might as well have been invented just for sports.
And what’s to bring HDTV to Europe? Why the World Cup of course. For many Europeans the World Cup this summer will be their first taste of HDTV, as amazing as that sounds. But don’t epect them to go running out to buy new sets:
Declaring 2006 the “year of HDTV”, then, as some in the industry have, is overdoing it. Several previous years have also been declared the “year of HDTV” too, so scepticism is warranted. More consumer education and more HDTV content are needed; prices will have to fall too. The real tipping point, says Mr Healey, could be the 2008 Olympics or the 2010 World Cup. You will hear a lot about HDTV in 2006, but the transition, as with the switch to colour, will take many years.
Finally, VFLOAB is very upset to hear that the US Treasury Department is not going to allow Cuba to play in the World Baseball Classic. Why? Because if the thing turns a profit, the Cuban team will be able to take some US dollars home, and since our policy towards Cuba is so backwards and spiteful, well they just can’t do that.
Officials involved in the planning of the world tournament said the reason for keeping Cuba out was unclear, but it appeared to be linked to the possibility that if the tournament made a profit, the Cuban team could take American dollars home to its island, which is what the Cuban embargo is meant to prevent.
Obviously, VFLOAB is against this decision. First of all, the idea, point, and success of sport is to come together in peaceful competition. We see, hear, learn, and gain an understanding of the opponent in sporting events. Would the US deny Cuba from playing or competing in the Olympics or World Cup? Of course not, the out cry wouldn’t be worth the trouble (surprisingly the Guardian hasn’t picked up on this story yet).And it goes without saying that the Treasury Departments decision and reasons for not allowing Cuba to play are dated and just socially unjust. Like that, the US is bringing to attention the dated embargo placed upon Cuba, basically calling for criticism. Why the US would want to do this, when Cuba isn’t a major threat to this country, is beyond our intellect; maybe the US government is just worried about the fact that all Cubans have good health care and decent education, something that we still haven’t figured out here in the USA.And we don't want to say it, but is a barring of Venezuela next?
Hopefully baseball can come to some sort of conclusion and we’ll be able to see Cuba in the World Cup of Baseball, but right now as things stand, it doesn’t seem likely. And that’s a shame since everyone is a loser in this situation.
In some what of a surprise move, Kenny Williams and the Sox made a deal for Diamondbacks starter Javier Vazquez last night. Arizona picked up El Duque, Louis Vizcaino, and Chris Young in the deal.
On the surface I don’t like the deal for a bunch of reasons:
- Now the Sox have six starting pitchers
- Young put up monster numbers in AA Birmingham last year and appears to be the real deal. While he’s still a year away, it looks like he might be a star.
- Vazquez is very overrated. He’s had some great years, but he isn’t better than say, Jon Garland.
- I’m sad to see El Duque go. He maybe gave us the moment of the 2005 playoffs when he shut the door on the Red Sox with the bases loaded and no outs. El Duque came in and in one of the most amazing performances I’ve seen. If the Red Sox score and go on to win Game Three, who knows what happens after that. It really was, at the time, the greatest moment of my baseball life. And playing on that theme, the Red Sox let Dave Roberts go last winter after his improbably stole base that led to them winning Game Four… and look at what they did last year?
- Another thing about El Duque is that according to all reports and reporters and teammates he had a huge impact on Contreras. Something to think about going into next year.
- While Vizcaino isn’t a huge loss, that’s now two arms that the Sox have lost from the bullpen. Even if a starter (McCarthy?) moves to the pen, they have to replace Vizcaino and Martre.
On the flip side…
- Can you ever have enough pitching? At this point the Sox have more pitching than Shawn Kemp has BabyMomma’s. Maybe they’re trying to get a pitching monopoly sort of like the Yankees going out and getting players who were good in 1998 for the 2006 season.
- The Sox have control of Vazquez through 2008 and considering that Garland’s deal is up after 2006 and both Buehrle and Garica are only signed though 2007, Williams is looking down the road a bit (the Sox have control over Contreras for a while, but he has that weird clause were he has to be signed by a certain date or he can’t pitch or something weird like that).
- They still have Owens, Anderson, and Sweeney in the system to play center.
- He won’t be pitching for say, the Red Sox or Indians next year.
In the end, this is a wait and see trade. It’s not a bad deal, but it’s not a good one either. If Vazquez pitches well for the Sox, then everything should be okay in the end. And Young could be the second coming of Jeremy Reed who hit almost .400 a few years back in AA and the Sox traded him to Seattle for Garcia. Reed has struggled a bit in the majors, all Garcia did was help the Sox win the World Series for the first time in 88 years last year. But I think Young will be a better player than Reed, his numbers in AA were pretty darn good. He can run, hit for power, and gets on base… all signs of a good baseball player. But…
The rumor is now that the Sox are going to go after Tejada and you have to figure the Sox would send at the very least Garland and Uribe for Tejada. And suddenly the White Sox don’t look good, they look like the clear team to beat in the majors. If that happens, I’m not sure what I’m going to do with myself. Seriously, I may just move back to Chicago and get on with my life on 35th Street. I shouldn’t think this way because I get the same feeling as when the Sox were steam rolling their way though the playoffs. Wow that was and is a great feeling.
Just wondering but can a black guy be compared to Larry Bird? I mean if you’re white and have a little size, can rebound, and can hit a shot you’re Larry Bird just like that. But say, could I have said, “Lamar Odom reminds me of Larry Bird if Larry Bird smoked a lot of pot” five years ago? I mean Odom had one of those inside, outside games, could bring the ball up, and rebound at that (and so I’m really clear, when I said five years ago I meant before Odom came to the NBA). I don’t know… it’s just sort of weird that we only see white players who can do a bit more than shoot or pass always being compared to Bird (see Morrison, Adam. Other previous examples: Van Horne, Keith and Szczerbiak, Wally). When there are probably more black guys who actually have more similar games to Bird.
Finally, VFLOAB was happy to see the Supreme Court will hear the dispute on redistricting in Texas. As we’ve said before here, gerrymandering is one of the greatest threats to our democracy here in America along with the corruption/lobbyists in DC and state capitals. If nothing else attention and focus will be brought to examining the redistricting/gerrymandering in every state and hopefully some successful conclusion can come from it.
The Falklands War has to be considered an obvious breach of the Monroe Doctrine, yet no one ever talks about this or even debates the American position on the war
In the did you know… Did you know that Winston Churchill was 1/64th Iroquois?
Did Vicki from “Small Wonder” get older or was she always going to be 12? Like if the show was still on today, would she be 25 or would she still be 12? And even if she was to get older, wouldn’t the dad have to build a new robot? So wouldn’t they be said when they had to pull the plug on her? Or would they just take the chip in her back and put it in her ‘new’ body? And if you’re the dad wouldn't you just give her huge tits? Is there a TV show that raises more questions than "Small Wonder"? Seriously think about it... what the Hell would happen with Vicki? And we haven’t even touched on Jamie yet…
Also, an acquaintance of VFLOAB wrote a book! It’s called Bar Mitzvah Disco and is a collection of essays and pictures from Bar Mitzvahs in the late 70s and into about 1991. VFLOAB flipped threw it today during lunch and enjoyed what we saw. It’s funny, yet endearing. Check out their website here.
It was a some what slow weekend for VFLOAB for various reasons that we don’t care to go into right now. The first weekend with no college football is always a bit depressing and the NFL is so bad right now that watching a good game is almost impossible. The four games that VFLOAB had yesterday: Colts/Jags – it was over by half time, Ravens/Broncos – we didn’t even bother tuning in for more than two minutes at a time, ‘Skins/Cards – the second half was pretty good at least, but come on when you’re watching a team that can't gain one yard on a consistent basis (like the Cards) it’s not good football, Packers/Lions – This game was brutal, sure it was close and it looked good on TV (loved the unis for both teams for some reason), but what a bad game. The fact is, the NFL just isn’t that good right now. Sure the Colts are amazing to watch, but besides that VFLOAB watched seven teams that just aren’t that good… are the Broncos better than they looked? I hope so. But jeeze, this is now the third bad NFL season in the last four years (VFLOAB did enjoy last year for some reason).Will this ever hurt the NFL? If it wasn’t for fantasy football, we’d say yes. But fantasy football has so changed the way we view and watch the NFL that it’s a different league. Fantasy has changed the way we view form cheering for a team to cheering for individuals… it’s a bizarre line that needs to be followed closely over the next few years.As voters go to the polls this week in Iraq to vote for a government, it will be interesting to watch what happens in the next few days. Though the news of mistreatment continues to get worse, these elections are important and I think everyone is rooting for a peaceful and painless process. But what authority the government will have remains to be seen.As for the rest of the world/weekend… we need to find some inspiration right now. We’d love to get into the NBA more, but it’s been difficult thus far this season. The happenings in the UK just don’t catch our eye (good for the Torries… Man U doesn’t have it this year… go Watford!).
The thing is, it’s been a slow December where the happenings in baseball, NCAA, and NFL are the most interesting things going on. For various reasons I think everyone in this nation has become numb to Iraq: either trying to forget it or realizing that we can’t go back and changed what has happened. But to be honest, we could use a slow month. It’s been to busy and tragic of a year as it is.Finally, VFLOAB read Chuck Klosterman’s Sex, Drugs, and Coco Puffs a few months ago suspiciously at first, but ended up enjoying the collection of essays. While we don’t consider ourselves fans, Klosterman is still worth checking out especially now that he’s writing for ESPN.com. He made an interesting observation about failure defining us as humans… and while I don’t completely agree, here was a spot on observation from Klosterman:By erasing his greatest failure, Elway has actually lost his definition. The same thing happened to the entire Boston Red Sox organization: Ten minutes after the 2004 World Series, that franchise was no longer captivating, and all their long-suffering fans immediately became lost, boring and strangely self-absorbed. Today, being a Red Sox fan is almost meaningless.And it’s so true. Red Sox fans lost their innocence by winning. The nation no longer cares, in face much of the nation has turned against them. And they don't know why... and it's starting to bother them.
The winter meetings are rapping up and I’m not totally sure what to make of them yet, but a few observations of what went down.
Why the Blue Jays gave AJ Burnett five years and fifty-five million dollars is beyond me. It’s almost as if JP Ricciardi was replaced by (insert random NBA GM) over the past few weeks. Look, Burnett could put it all together and become something, but that’s a big if. Word on the street is that Burnett doesn’t listen to his coaches, which is why despite all his talent he can’t win more than 12 games. In three years the Jays are going to be regretting this trade. I just hope for their sake they aren’t regretting it next year. I do like the Ryan and Overbay additions which are two guys who seem to be able to bring more to the table than you would figure. And the Jays aren't done yet. They won 80 games last year and right now they look like an 85 win team. It looks like they’ll add another bat and should have a healthy Roy Holladay next year so if they can figure out a way to get to 90 wins…
Then maybe, just maybe, they can catch the Red Sox. Who knows what the Hell is going on in Boston right now. Talk about a team with no direction… they trade their highly touted prospect at short for Beckett. Okay fine. And then turn around and trade their only short stop for a prospect at third base? Huh? So now this team has an old pitching staff along with Clement and always a little banged up Beckett. Manny wants to leave. Damon isn’t signed and wants a deal that will pay him for SEVEN YEARS (which in itself is insane). They don’t have a shortstop. David Wells wants to leave but if they get more than a 4th outfielder for him I’d be shocked. (BTW, why doesn’t Wells get crucified by the media? Has there been a bigger jerk or jagoff to play in the majors in the last few years? The guy is just a fat jagbag who’s never happy and is always pissing people off… but he threw a prefect game and won a World Series in New York and he gets a pass? Please).
Anyway, the Red Sox are a total mess right now. They remind me of the Eagles a few months ago and I can’t see this ending well unless they dump Manny, over pay for a shortstop, and figure out who’s going to fill in for those 50 starts that seem to be missing in their rotation (figure Schilling and Beckett miss ten starts each and then David Wells).
The Mets… doesn’t this happen ever off-season? Mets spend a ton of money on a ton of guys and they finish in third place? Is there any reason why Paul Lo Duca, Julio Franco, Jose Valentin, Carlos Delgado and Billy Wagner should make a difference this time? Franco is older than most people on Earth. Valentin doesn’t have a ton left. Wagner seems to be a fragile player. I like Lo Duca and Delgado but… I don’t see this team being that much better. Their pitcher staff is still old and if Pedro gets hurt their done. This is a better team if everyone stays healthy.
My Chicago White Sox had, in my eyes, a fantastic off season. They’re already the ‘best team in the majors’ and they’ve only gotten better. They traded Rowand for Jim Thome who gives them a solid DH and a back up at first since they resigned Paul Konerko. Kenny Williams realized that he needed to strengthen the bench so he trade Damaso Marte for Rob Mackowiak. Mackowiak will give the Sox options at third and in the corner outfield positions to go along with his left handed bat. And the best part of the off-season is that Williams didn’t get greedy or tinker too much with the team. All six starting pitchers will be back, the key guys in the bullpen are going to be back, and the DH position and the bench is greatly improved. They have to not only be the favorites for the AL Central, but you’re going to hear a lot of talk about them being the favorites in the American League.
The rest of the AL Central has done pretty well for themselves too. The Indians haven’t done anything stupid (like signing Millwood to a four year deal or trade away any of their solid players). The Twins seems to be improving themselves slowly but surely. Even the Royals are looking to do something to make themselves better. Sure the sooner someone explains to the Tigers how to build a baseball team the better (two years and 16 million for Kenny Rogers?!?! Look Rogers is a good pitcher but that’s a lot of money for a 41 year old pitcher; and then two years and 11 million for Todd Jones?!?! Wasn't Todd Jones old when he was last with the Tigers? Is there anyway this ends well for the Tigers?) the sooner they’ll be competing year in and year out.
Other random thoughts… The Cardinals window is closeing quickly unless they make another move. They’re still probably the best team in the NL Central but…
What are the Rangers doing? What does this team ever do? Is there a more unusual team in the majors than the Rangers? Seriously, it’s like they’ve had the same team for the last 20 years; a team that hits the ball hard, far, and can’t pitch. Only the names have changed over the years. Just a totally bizarre team and organization…
I like Alfonso Soriano, but this move makes zero sense for the Nats if he doesn’t play left field. Zero. Bowden might be one of the worst GMs in baseball (Christian Guzman speaks for itself) and the fact that he might be hired by the Red Sox is highest of high comedy. It’s sort of like Dusty Baker ending up with the Cubs and then watching Dusty use his young pitchers for 140 pitches per start…
Speaking of the Cubs this team is in trouble. I can understand holding on to Prior, but please trade Kerry Wood. The guy is never going to get it done in Chicago. It’s over. Trade him for something and odds are it will probably be more than he’s worth. Move on and try to win a World Series…
Las Vegas Marlins yummmmm…
I really hope for selfish reasons that Miguel Tejada isn’t traded, unless of course it’s to the White Sox…
Is there anyway that Edgar Renteria doesn’t hit .310 with 25 home runs and 90 RBIs for the Braves this year? If Kerry Wood joined the Braves would he instantly become a 20 game winner and stay healthy for a full season then sign with the Yankees or Red Sox for four years and 48 million and then only pitch 57 more games in his career?...
This has to be the highlight of the Royals off-season: Acquired infielder Esteban German from the Texas Rangers for pitcher Fabio Castro, who was selected in the Rule V draft; signed pitcher Elmer Dessens, who had been with the Los Angeles Dodgers, to a two-year contract; re-signed infielder Joe McEwing to a minor league contract. Ouch…
Is that the Pittsburgh Pirates finishing in second place?
Okay that’s a lot of baseball, I’m out.
It was 25 years ago today that John Lennon was murdered in New York City. VFLOAB wasn’t even born yet, but Lennon and his music has always been enjoyed by this fair writer. I was about 8 years old when I ‘discovered’ a tape of Help (Abby Road was on side two) that my dad had made. I would wear that tape out over the years with my sister. From Help my parents either bought the other Beatle albums on CD or played what tapes and records they already owned and by the time I was in 4th or 5th grade VFLOAB owned and knew pretty much every Beatle song.VFLOAB missed the cultural and social impact that Lennon and the Beatles made upon the world, but the music lives on and we can all enjoy it to this day. I think we all have our own favorite Beatles songs, and then little sub categories like our favorite Lennon (Cry Baby Cry) song and favorite Harrison (Something) song and our favorite Paul McCartney song (I Will), and we debate and admire the greatness of those songs. I know I use Lennon as a vehicle to try and gain an understanding of what that music meant to people at the time, which is a hard thing to do if even possible. But no matter, it is not difficult to enjoy and admire the greatness of Lennon’s music and listen and watch in awe of the images of Lennon the man. He is defiantly one of those people that I think if you didn’t ‘grow up with’ or experience at the time that you lose some sort of understanding. A lot like JFK (of course completely different people). To hear others speak of Lennon it is almost as if they are speaking about a human that was not only larger than life, but someone that they understood and who understood them. He was a person who could say and do things so much more eloquently than they could even believe. He was not only a man of his times, but a man of all time, yet at the same time he seems to have wrapped himself and become the times that he lived in. VFLOAB would even venture to say, with confidence, that Lennon was an intellectual and one of the best means of producing his message was through song and music. He is, without a doubt, one of the grandest figures of the 20th century. He is a hero to the pop culturalist, music professor, media, girls, men, and humans every where.The White Sox traded Damaso Marte to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Rob Mackowiak this morning in a deal that I just love. Mackowiak is a left handed bat who can play third, first, or the outfield corner positions. He’s the perfect insurance policy for Dye (who has a history of spending time on the DL) and Crede (who has a bad back) and should probably appear in 100 games this year. The move probably means that Timo Perez’s and maybe Willie Harris’ days with the White Sox are over. As for Marte, he was expendable because of the season Neil Cotts had and his bizarre situation with Ozzie during the last month of the season when he was kicked off the team, then wasn’t kicked of the team... so the writing was on the wall back at the end of the year that Marte wasn’t going to be back. And finding a second left handed arm in the pen shouldn’t be too hard. (btw, I’ve got more thoughts on the Winter meetings and shite like that, but I’ll wait until the weekend or something to write about ‘em).
Let me say this, we aren’t appreciating USC enough this year. What they’ve done and how they move the ball on offense is just amazing. It’s one of those things that has to be seen to be believed like the acting of Thomas Ian Griffith in “Karate Kid: Part 3”. Words and descriptions don’t do it justice. From Leinart doing things that makes him look more like a bigger Tom Brady and Reggie Bush being… well Superman. I’ve never seen a player like Bush, he’s just jaw dropping amazing and should dominate in the NFL just because he’s so… good. And this is exactly what I mean. I’m doing a horrible job at even trying to describe how great this USC team is and I’ve yet to read anything that even remotely describes how good they are. The best I can do is comparing them to the 1999-2001 St. Louis Rams. No matter, I think part of the reason we aren’t over loaded with USC information is that USC plays all the way in SoCal in the Pac Ten and ESPN has some sort of hatred towards everything in Calli and Seattle (and Portland) which I haven’t been able to figure out. (But isn’t it weird? If you watch SportsCenter it seems like you get twice the number of Texas and Big 12 coverage than the PacTen. Maybe it’s because ESPN only has Shelley Smith covering the West Coast and she brings little to the table in terms of sports reporting (ie she’s not Sal Paolantonio)). It finally feels as if winter has come, and that’s a welcomed development to VFLOAB. It began snowing here in DC yesterday afternoon and continued on all night. This morning, with the sun out and the temperature hovering around 32 degrees (0 for yous Europeans), the walk to the Metro this morning was peaceful and, bizarrely, warming. The quite beauty of the snow put me in a good mood and I’ve been loving every second of the day today. Sometimes you wish every day was like this, a fresh snow, a good night of sleep, and the Beatles on in the background while reading about the NBA. And maybe if I moved far enough north (Maine? Minnesota? Quebec? Alberta?) it would be.But I also know that the snow is going to get dirty, gray, and melt and the wind will knock it off the trees and it will lose a lot of its beauty, but there aren’t many things better than a fresh snow. So I hold up my cup of coffee to the snow.For lovers of Paris, cars, and everything cool watch this 10 minute short film. It will take a while to download even with DSL, but it’s really cool.On an August morning in 1978, French filmmaker Claude Lelouch mounted a gyro-stabilized camera to the bumper of a Ferrari 275 GTB and had a friend, a professional Formula 1 racer, drive at breakneck speed through the heart of Paris.The film was limited for technical reasons to 10 minutes; the course was from Porte Dauphine, through the Louvre, to the Basilica of Sacre Coeur.No streets were closed, for Lelouch was unable to obtain a permit.The driver completed the course in about 9 minutes, reaching nearly 140 MPH in some stretches. The footage reveals him running real red lights, nearly hitting real pedestrians, and driving the wrong way up real one-way streets.Upon showing the film in public for the first time, Lelouch was arrested. He has never revealed the identity of the driver, and the film went underground until a DVD release a few years ago.
Now, thanks to the miracle of the Internets, you can watch it in your browser.This comes from Jerry Kindall via Jason Kottke via Listgod. Thanks to them for this fantastic film.
VFLOAB has a new crush.And that would be the lovely Annie, whom VFLOAB saw on Friday night at the Black Cat here in DC.Not only does Annie make good music, she’s also has it going on. The show it self was great fun. The crowd was buzzin’ and looking for a good time (which always leads to a good show and a good night). I think some even were thinking, “I’ll be telling people in ten years that I saw Annie back when…” for the thought defiantly crossed this mind.A Good Scandinavian Princess knows how to GrillAnnie put on a good show, and while you could tell she was still trying to get a feel for her stage presence, her innocence was darling and her spontaneity was greatly appreciated. Annie only played for about an hour, but it was perfect none the less. While the highlight was “Heartbeat” of course, the entire set was fantastic. VFLOAB enjoyed “Come Together” and the future single “The Crush” as the other two favorites besides “Heartbeat”.If you haven’t already, I encourage everyone to check out Annie. And you must get your hands on “Heartbeat” one way or the other (for instances, by e-mail VFLOAB) if you enjoy music at all. It may just be the best song of the 21st century.
The Twins traded for Luis Castillo today in a deal that I like. I think this is a nice move for the Twins and a good start to their off-season. One that sort of had me worried as a White Sox fan, and then I started looking at their line up...They've got a TON of work to do. Wow... they aren't that good still. Letting Jones go won't be the end of the world, but you figure they'd rather have him than Stewart at this point. And the left side of their infield still stinks.And that's not to say the left side of White Sox infield, statically, is any better because it's not really. But the Sox still have a leg up on the Twins at first, right, left, and now DH to go along with the washes at second, third, and short. The only advantages the Twins have over the Sox 1-9 is behind the plate and in center, but even behind the plate it’s a tad miss leading since Pierzynski is a hell of a ball player, the kind whose statistics need to be measured outside of the numbers.But unlike the Indians (more on them in a second), the Twins realize they need to make improvements to their team. Letting Jones walk, as I said, isn’t the end of the world since they’ve got prospects coming out of the waz-zoo in the outfield. And sure one of these years Morneau might actually out hit Konerko, but I don’t think it’s happening in 2006. Or 2007. And probably not 2008 while we’re at it. But they’re stuck with Stewart in left, Hunter isn’t *that* great of a hitter in center, and infield that can’t hit. Castillo will help them and bat second, but they still could use a lead off hitter and someone who can play third or short better than what they’ve got.Sure the Twins have decent pitching, but they’re going to have to score some more runs if they want to be in the AL Central race. And the AL Central is fast becoming the weirdest and most interesting division in baseball. You’ve got the World Series Champions, a young Indian team that played lights out for all but ten games in the second half, the Twins, a Tiger team that really could content one of these days (err years?), and then of course the Royals who can’t be that much worse.If you ask me, the White Sox still have to be the favorites. Going out and getting Thome (and resigning Konerko) is by far the biggest move in the AL so far this winter and should improve the Sox offense immensely. And the best part of the Thome deal was that the White Sox stepped up to the plate and didn’t allow the Indians to get him. It was a very Yankee like move on the White Sox part, the Indians playing the Red Sox in that deal.Winning 93 games last year might actually be a bad thing for the Indians. When you have a young team that wins 93 games, you try not to tinker with them too much. So you sit tight and the next year you only win 86 and you’re left wondering what happened (see 2001 and 2002 White Sox). But here’s the dirty secreate about the Tribe: They aren’t that young. Yes Grady Sizemore and Jhonny Peralta are babies and future All-Stars, but after that? Sure Martinez is still a pretty young 26 and Coco Crisp is only 25 but who gets excited about 25 year old left fielders who can’t really and don’t hit for much power? Now look at this… Travis Hafner and Ben Broussard are going to be 29 next year, Casey Blake and Ronny Belliard are already over 30, as is Aaron Boone. Hafner is not a young hitter no matter what Pete Gammons says. Belliard only has one way to go… down. Broussard is already a black hole at first base. Are the building blocks there? For sure; Sizemore, Peralta, and Martinez are guys to start with and they make you strong up the middle to boot. But the rest of the Tribe is vastly overrated. I know Hafner played like Babe Ruth from the middle of August to the middle of September, but I just can’t see him being any better than last year.As for their pitching… yes they’ve got Cliff Lee and CC. But they got career years from Milwood (who’s also a free agent), Jake Westbrook, and Scott Elarton. They’re outstanding bullpen is already falling apart with Howry moving on and Wickman a free agent also. And who knows if they’ll be able to get great years out of both Betancourt and Sauerbeck again.The Tribe should be aggressive this off-season trying to add a first baseman and a sure up their pitching staff. But it’s likely they’ll stand pat with what they have (though they were offering Crisp for Thome so who knows) and resign Wickman hoping that he has another outstanding season, a big if for someone who will be 37.At this point, you’ve got to like the White Sox still in the division. But if the Twins or Indians make a few moves… not only will they give the White Sox a run for their money, but the Red Sox and Yankees again too.
As I sat there watching the final episodes of the Real World: Austin the other night the mix of emotions that went though me ranged from sentimental, to sadness, to laughter. It truly is one of the most bizarre shows that you’ll find on TV. And for all its pros and cons, the Real World is nearly always entertaining. But the secrete to its success is the range of emotions the show is able to dig up and drag out of you, much like a movie.We all know the deal; the show features seven usually pretty and usually just interesting enough people in a cool house in a cool city. It wouldn’t work if one character/people was a ton more interesting that the rest… you can get away with boring characters/people if they bring something to the table every few weeks. And you actually grow to have favorites on the show… it’s sort of like picking friends or something.
But that’s where the show stops being real… okay bad cliché. But the beauty of the show is that I’m not sure if I actually care about any of the people/characters though the years. There are only a handful of people that I would actually be interested to hear what they are doing (quickly off the top of my head: Lori, Janet, Elka, Ace). Obviously you’re able to make some sort of connection with these people/character... but I don’t think it’s with the individual. Rather you make the connection with the feeling that they are feeling.
For instance, when the cast is packing up and leaving the house and they’re upset about leaving. Now I don’t care that they are upset or that they are leaving… rather it brings be back to when I lived in London or when I left the dorm for the summer or I moved away from Chicago. Those emotions and experiences come rushing back and I’m taken back to that time in my life.
For that reason, the emotion connection to the experience, along with pretty faces, and the music/sound track makes the show a success. In my eyes at least. It seems so simple, but it’s not. A cast of lazy, hard drinking, nut jobs doesn’t get it done for me. For instance there are a lot of people that love the Las Vegas season… but I can’t connect in anyway to the experiences and people who were on that season. Others can and they love it.
Moving on a bit, The Austin Reunion special was fantastic if for no other reason than watching Nehemiah go after everyone for no reason what so ever. He was out of control, it was as if Puck had descended into his body or something… but get this unlike Punk not everyone turned against him! It was great, here’s Nehemiah taking pot shots at Lacy, Mel, and Danny and everyone once in a while someone backs him up. It was great… and then the host, who I’d never seen before, having no control over the show. Fantastic TV. This whole “host of show loses total control and chaos ensues” should happen more often.And since I’m on a roll… here are my top Real World Seasons for whatever reason:
1) Paris – I know nothing happened. But you know what the people were actually sort of interesting. And since they were in Paris and I had just come back from London and all I wanted was to be in Europe… well this season I connected with. I know I know, I’m nuts and should get a life but whatever, it’s my pick and I’m sticking with it. 2) San Francisco – Easily the best Real World season of all time, but I was just a bit too young to really appreciate it. MTV would be wise to get these out of DVD which for some reasons they have not done so yet. (For that matter only Vegas and the first New York are on DVD which makes be wonder. Can they not get the pas cast members to sign off on it? Problems getting random people who were on the show to sign off on it? What gives? Seems like putting these on DVD would be a no brainier).3) Back To New York – Okay I’m starting to notice a trend… I like casts that are, for the most part, normal people you’d hang out with. Granted, I’d probably never hang out with any of the people who have been on the Real World, but this season features both Kevin and Lori whom I could easily see having a few beers with. And need we forget they were in New York JUST before 9/11? What a totally different season this would have been if it was made even today.4) Seattle – I think this is one of those times when you remember the city more so than the cast. Quality cast no doubt about, there was Janet, Lindsay, and of course Stephen along with the rest of the crew. And who can forget David and that girl and the cab and him acting like Rob from “High Fidelity”…5) Austin – I have no clue where to place this season. To be honest, the people weren’t my type of people besides maybe JoAnna. Nothing really happened besides the boring Danny and Mel crap, their incredibly dull documentary, and Wes and Nehemiah doing their Wes and Nehemiah things. (BTW, I’m on the fence about this whole “Is Wes the first great Male philosopher” debate that I’ve been having with various people for the past six months. Some days I think he’s the second coming of Plato, the next I think he’s a moron. Right now I’m leaning towards the moron because he got together with JoAnna, and good for them, but I think that sort of ruins his cred as a Male Philosopher).6) Los Angeles – My first season! I remember next to nothing besides Dominic getting drunk and everyone leaving and new people coming in…7) New Orleans – You know this was such a random cast that I’m shocked they were able to pull it off. Did anyone in this house like each other besides Danny? I remember everyone as individuals instead of as a group. But this season did give us David who probably is insane and Julie who everyone hates. So that’s good.8) Boston – I watched. I enjoyed. I sort of wish I owned DVDs of these seasons just so I could remember half the shit that went on.9) Chicago – Not a good season I don’t care what anyone says. Kyle was a tool, Theo wasn’t around, Tonya is not that interesting… there was that Kerri girl but she wasn’t enough to carry the show… and then Cara. I have nothing more to add.10) Philly – Huh?11) Hawaii – Most overrated season by far. Where’s Teck though? And remember that creepy dude and that creepy girl? I miss them. And then there was Amaya who helped me fully realized how nuts women can be. Still reading… geez even I’m bored with this. Get ya.
Yep, My name is Earl... Yep, I made VFLOAB's List... sort of ironic, eh?
