R.I.P.

SPORTING GOODS

Some contributors and maybe a few regular readers will understand why this means something to me. Steve "The Miz" Mizerak died today:

MIAMI -- Steve Mizerak, a winner of multiple pool championships who became one of the game's more recognizable figures by appearing in training videos, beer commercials and a movie, has died at age 61, his wife said Tuesday.

Although for me his training videos, rather than inspire improved pool play, instead inspired some ridiculous home movie imitations. Ah, good times.

White Guilt

Manifesto

So George Will writes another article about race. Write is a little kind because all he really does is paraphrase a book by professor Shelby Steele:

In "White Guilt," Shelby Steele, America's most discerning black writer, casts a cool eye on yet another soft bigotry of low expectations—the ruinous "compassion" of a theory of social determinism that reduces blacks to, in Steele's word, "non-individuated" creatures.
...
"By the mid-sixties," Steele writes, "white guilt was eliciting an entirely new kind of black leadership, not selfless men like King who appealed to the nation's moral character but smaller men, bargainers, bluffers and haranguers—not moralists but specialists in moral indignation—who could set up a trade with white guilt." The big invention by these small men was what Steele calls "globalized racism." That idea presumes that "racism is not so much an event in black lives as a condition of black life," a product of "impersonal" and "structural" forces. The very invisibility of those forces proved their sinister pervasiveness.

The theory of "structural" or "institutional" racism postulates a social determinism that makes all whites and American institutions complicit in a vicious cultural pattern. The theory makes the absence of identifiable adverse events in the lives of individual blacks irrelevant to blacks' claims to victimhood. Victim status is a source of endless, sometimes lucrative and always guilt-free leverage over a guilt-ridden society.

I'll do best not to critique Mr. Steele's book. First because I haven't read it and I don't trust Mr. Will's representations of it. Second, because I don't know nearly enough to rebut any single point as paraphrased by Mr. Will. But I would like to look a little at Mr. Will's motivations. Rather than offer his own opinion, Will instead hides behind the cover of Mr. Steele. You see, this is classic George F. Will. Find somebody who takes a controversial position, paraphrase and cite it. In this way, he can avoid "controversy" because "he didn't say it." This is especially more true if you can find a black writer to criticize black culture. Note how important it is for Mr. Will to note that Mr. Steele is black in the first sentence.

But this is just the start. Mr. Will loves pointing out and reveling in the fact that affirmative action failed. He loves it. And he blames those crazy liberals who promoted it for its failures, constantly implying that it was/is an idea doomed to failure. But Mr. Will should look in the mirror. It was he and his conservative brethren who fought affirmative action and equal rights every step of the way. Affirmative action and equal rights were/are tremendous goals that need the entire society behind it. Mr. Will and other conservatives have fought these goals for 50 years. And their fight was successful. Isn't it more than a little disingenuous for Mr. Will to now blame the program itself as a failure? Conservatives have spent the better part of half a century insuring its failure, shouldn't he be taking some credit for it now? Right, it is always more fun to blame liberals. That and the fact that it is better to publicly say that the idea failed because it was bad, and keep in the dark your complicity in ensuring that equal rights always remains simply an ideal and not a reality.

Barry Bonds who?

Whatever

This is so ridiculous that it has taken me out of my self-imposed exile from the blog. Here's the headline: Robertson’s 2,000-pound lift raises eyebrows

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - Religious broadcaster Pat Robertson says he has leg-pressed 2,000 pounds, but some say he'd be in a pretty tough spot if he tried.

The "700 Club" host's feat of strength is recounted on the Web site of his Christian Broadcasting Network, in a posting headlined "How Pat Robertson Leg Pressed 2,000 Pounds."
...
Clay Travis of CBS SportsLine.com called the 2,000-pound assertion impossible in a column this week, writing that the leg-press record for football players at Florida State University is 665 pounds less.

"Where in the world did Robertson even find a machine that could hold 2,000 pounds at one time?" Travis asked.

Andy Zucker, a strength-training coach at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, said leg presses of more than 1,000 pounds represent "a Herculean effort, and 2,000 pounds is a whole other story."

Robertson wasn't available for comment this weekend because he was "out of pocket." Why do I think that when he does comment "God" or "God's will" or "faith" are going to be the primary explanation offered.

P.S. - Don't forget to check out the link just to see the picture. Definitely worth a look.

What could have been

SPORTING GOODS

Always hurts to think back on the trade that saw the Red Sox let Jeff Bagwell go, which I'll rank as a bigger blunder than leaving Buckner in for the 10th inning in 1986.

But throw a new wrinkle in with this interesting Rob Neyer article - if only the Sox had someone like current employee Bill James working for them, it never would have happened. Bill James's comments and calculations from 1991 are impressive to say the least, and certainly painful to read 15 years later.

"You never know exactly how good a young player will be, but with some luck (for Bagwell) Lou Gorman will hear about the Bagwell trade until the day he dies. It could be one of those deals, like Lou Brock for Ernie Broglio, Nolan Ryan for Jim Fregosi and Frank Robinson for Milt Pappas, that haunts the man who made it."-- Bill James, The Baseball Book 1991

Darlucky's good news / bad news

SPORTING GOODS

A number of sports issues near and dear to my heart that I wanted to comment on, so here's a quick good news bad news.

Good news: Goldman Sachs has put together a world cup probability study and preview (guess they don't have anything better to do), and they put the US odds at about 45:1. Good news? Sure, that's better than the bookie odds of 80:1.

Bad news: Italy and Czech Republic both have better odds (about 20:1), so we're still not expected to get out of our group. BTW, if any readers who know my email want the 59 page report, just let me know.

Good news: The US has three more games to get prepped for the World Cup, including two in the US. With their interesting mix of international players and MLS players, it will take some time for them to get together, so we'll know how good they are soon. I will be at their warm-up on Sunday, can't wait!

Bad news: If they play the next two games the way they played last night, there is no way I can pick them to get out of the group, even as a huge homer.

Good news: Despite the loss last night, the Sox have still won 4 of 6 from the Yankees this year, and as a Sox fan in New York I get to watch all the games.

Bad news: Who scheduled a Sox-Yanks game the same night as the LOST finale? DVR won't cut it in this case, as there is no way LOST won't be the talk of the office tomorrow.

Dig This!

FOOD FIGHT

As I'm sure everyone knows, the FBI is currently digging around a farm in Milford, Michigan looking for the remains of late Teamster President Jimmy Hoffa. Well, it seems the folks of Milford (po. 6,300) are having a little fun with all the attention. In addition to the 95-cent (!) cupcakes being offered by the Milford Baking Company, an art store is selling T-shirts for $15 that read "The F.B.I. Digs Milford, Do You?"

This is great stuff. Here's to hoping they find Hoffa rolled up in that carpet and the town of Milford will be forever known as the answer to one of the great mysteries of the 20th century.

A different kind of preview (pt. 4)

SPORTING GOODS

Time for the final part of our preview looking at World Cup finalists and their MLB alter-egos, along with any other thoughts I have on the groups.

For groups A and B, see here. Groups C and D see here, and Groups E and F, see here:

Group G:

France - Atlanta Braves : Their fans are generally disliked for being obnoxious, but you can't argue with the results. They are always a threat, maybe they should have won more often, but they have some titles to their credit and are always in it.

South Korea - Philadelphia Phillies: They had a good run not too long ago, and are a nice little team, but really, they are in that second tier of teams who won't surprise you if they pull off an upset, but would shock you if they actually won it all.

Switzerland - Cincinnati Reds: A long history, not too exciting but decent overall. Some people may still choose to associate them with the shady financial dealings that they have had in the past (not to compare hiding Nazi gold with betting on baseball).

Togo - Kansas City Royals: They are playing the same game, but they are not really in the same league.

I think that France is likely the second best team in the world, and they sport the guy who I enjoy watching more than anyone else in the world at this point (striker Thierry Henry) and the best player I have ever seen in person (Zinedine Zidane). It's fun to root against France, sure, but in actuality the tournament will be better if they make it to the semi-finals. Besides, as a quasi-England fan, it would be fun to see France make it far enough to lose to the English. South Korea has a good chance to get through here. In a case of what might have been, the US easily could have been drawn into this group instead of Korea. Sigh.

Group H:

Ukraine - Minnesota Twins: One superstar (don't miss striker Schevchenko or pitcher Santana if you ever get a chance to watch them) that makes them scary.

Spain- Boston Red Sox: Great players, exciting game, and a long history of disappointment. Fun World Cup fact: Spain is pretty much always one of the best teams in the world, but have never made it past the quarterfinals in the World Cup.

Tunisia - Baltimore Orioles: Style of play may mean exciting games, but it doesn't mean it's effective against better competition.

Saudi Arabia- Arizona Diamondbacks: Not very good, you can't name any of their players, and it's stinking hot where they come from! Yawn.

My prediction for a "surprise" winner, I'll take Ukraine over Spain in this group, but won't have the guts to pick Tunisia to also knock off the Spaniards. The hardest thing to do is try to figure out how good these African teams are. Even European teams will admit they don't know as much as they should about their African opponents.

That about does it - it all kicks off on Friday June 9th when the Ticos take on the host nation. USA plays their first game that following Monday at noon. Plan your lunch break accordingly.

Movie Review: The Da Vinci Code

UNIVERAL REMOTE

There is no other way to put it; The Da Vinci Code is an overlong, slowly paced, not-very-thrilling letdown. While from afar it would seem Dan Brown mega-seller would make a perfect movie, unfortunately this turns out not to be true. The story simply has waaaaay too much exposition to ever be shaped into an effective screen thriller. It seems like half the movie is spent explaining who did what to whom and what it all is supposed to mean. After about the fourth scene like this, I felt like I should start taking notes. When I read this, it didn't bother me so much. I think that's because I, like most people, read it in several sittings. One or two monologues at a time are fine. More than that it starts to get tedious. And surprisingly, the puzzles throughout the book are easier to follow on the page than the screen. I think this is because you can go back and look it over whenever you want. In the movie, you're dependent on the filmmakers to make it clear. I don't think they did a very good job with this aspect of the storytelling.

I really enjoyed the book back a few summers ago, probably because I didn't take a lick of it seriously. (The whole this is patently absurd from the start. Am I really supposed to believe that dead guy in the beginning of the movie had time to leave that many clues before he died? Why didn't he just call for help?) But I think Dan Brown does take it seriously and probably resents it when when his work is dismissed as a "beach read." Unfortunately, director Ron Howard & Co. also play it straight and the whole enterprise becomes almost boring. There is nothing worse than a solemn thriller.

Despite my reaction, I actually had a fun time at the movies last night. It's been awhile since I went to see a Big Fat Blockbuster on opening night. The place was mobbed, the crowd was excited, and I got to get a giant bucket of popcorn. These are some of the simple pleasures that haven't really changed much since I was a kid and I hope I never stop appreciating that.

the world's smallest violin

SPORTING GOODS

Hey, I'm not feeling sorry for them or anything, but you have to be amazed at the Yankees' current injury problems. Just take a look at this article, it just keeps going and going....

Rube Goldberg Would Be Proud

WHATEVER

I'm loath to ever bring others' attention to a chain email I received, but this one has to be seen to be believed. It's from 2003, so you may have seen it already. It's a 2-minute Honda ad called "Cog."

Despite the breathless copy that accompanied the email, I dug around a little and found out that it was not completely accurate. The spot was not shot in one take, but two. CGI was used to make the two takes seamless. (Apparently it's at the part where the muffler rolls down the ramp though I couldn't tell.) It tooks five months to plan and four days-and-nights to film. The crew suffered through 605 takes.

As for the tires that seem to roll uphill, they have weights inside them that are pulling them up the ramp. And the windshield wipers automatically turn on when they sense water. Why the window rolls down, I don't know.

All and all, unbelievable. Somewhere, Rube Goldberg is smiling.

A different kind of preview (pt. 3)

SPORTING GOODS

Time for part three of our preview looking at World Cup finalists and their MLB alter-egos, along with any other thoughts I have on the groups.

For groups A and B, see here. Groups C and D see here, and Groups E and F, see below:

Group E:

Czech Republic - Houston Astros : A solid team, relatively new to this concept of being considered one of the best teams, but strong all around. Still, despite being one of the best, not that easy to get excited about. Not a parallel, but the Czech Republic may have the best goalie in the world, strangely enough named Peter Cech.

Italy - Oakland A's: Some people may find them boring, but they have found a style that works for them, and are very good. They were strongest in the early '90s, but they are always dangerous. Physically, they look unkempt, and they have a bit of a reputation for being whiny (see: Italy and Oakland). On a personal note, after Mexico Italy is probably my second least favorite team, due to their (albeit effective) defensive style of play, and propensity for flopping more that Vlade Divac.

USA - Milwaukee Brewers: Up and coming, possibly overlooked, and definitely looked down upon by fans of the teams with a longer history of winning. With good young players, fans are starting to notice. As these young players develop, offers are going to start coming in for these players to follow the money and get out of town. Then, the fans can go back to not paying attention.

Ghana - Detroit Tigers: You don't want to face them, and they may get hot, but they are not really a threat.

According to an unscientific study based on FIFA rankings, this is the "group of death," and with the 6th, 7th, and 11th (my rankings) best teams in the world, it may be. No matter what happens, one of the top 11 teams in the world will not make the round of 16. You may have noticed (or not) that I usually put the teams in order of how I think they will finish. This group, I really haven't decided yet, and will put more thought into it before early June. But you have three physical teams, and not to sound like Joe Morgan, but the two teams that are playing the best at the time of round-robin play will probably make it through. The US either needs to tie both teams, or beat one of them, in order to have the pleasure of playing Brazil in the 2nd round.

Group F:

Brazil - New York Yankees: Who else? Have won often, and are THE team to beat. Flashy, with stars occupying nearly every position on the field. They are the players you will see in the commercials, and the jerseys you will see on the streets. Not only does Brazil have ridiculous offense (2002 World Cup MVP Ronaldo and 2005 FIFA world player of the year Ronaldinho), but they have some of the best defenders in the world. Scary.

Croatia- Seattle Mariners: Both teams had a good surprise season a few years back, and are usually solid, but are a bit down right now.

Japan - Los Angeles Dodgers: No real connection here (besides Nomo-mania of course), but they are popular among fans, they have a shot at moving to the next round despite not being great, they are in the middle of the pack overall, and wear blue and white. Hey, I tried.

Australia- Washington Nationals: We're just happy to be here! Australia is in the World Cup for the first time in 32 years.

It truly will be a surprise if Brazil does not go 3-0 in this group. Despite their expected dominance, I would love to watch every one of their matches. Croatia and Japan are decent teams, probably in the third tier (where a team like France is in the first, and a team like Mexico is in the second). But looking at this group, it shows how hard the US, Italy, and Czech Republic will fight not just to emerge from Group E, but to win. Assuming Brazil wins Group F, winner of Group E will play Croatia/Japan, while the runners up will face Brazil.

Groups G and H coming soon!

Baby I got your number

SPORTING GOODS

I used to groan when I would see that Rodrigo Lopez was facing the Red Sox. Like Ted Lilly, he just seemed to be one of those guys that killed them.

Looking at the numbers, it holds true. Coming into this year, Lopez was 10-5 against the Sox in 17 starts, with an ERA of 3.78, a batting average against of .246, and over 6Ks per 9 innings.

Not bad for a pitcher with a career ERA near 5, who would barely be over .500 without those wins. Those 10 wins represented 1/5 of Lopez's career total.

This year, Rodrigo is 0-3 against the Sox, with an ERA over 9.00. Law of averages? I say no. Fact is, this is a different offense than in years past. While Lopez strangely owned the high-scoring Red Sox of Damon-Mueller-Millar, this lighter hitting version with Lowell-Youk-Wily Mo has no reason to fear this mediocre pitcher throwing meatballs in a hitter's park.

Next up, if they could only figure out how to solve Lilly and Scott Kazmir...

A different kind of preview (pt. 2)

SPORTING GOODS

Time for part two of our preview looking at World Cup finalists and their MLB alter-egos, along with any other thoughts I have on the groups.

For groups A and B, see here. Groups C and D below:

Group C:

Argentina - San Francisco Giants : Despite being booed a lot of places they go, they are generally always good, with few off years. The Barry Bonds / Diego Maradona paralells are somewhat obvious. Each is one of the most exciting, dominant offensive players of all time, but also hated by many because of his attitude. Throw in the obvious drug problem that each had, and the only thing we have to wait on is for Bonds to get fat later in his life. And go ahead and ask England and Dodger fans, and they will tell you that Argentina and the Giants cheated in some of their biggest ever wins. (click the links to see what I'm talking about, if you don't know).

Netherlands - Cleveland Indians: Exciting, high powered teams that aren't the true elite, but still scare the elite teams. Always a bit flashy, both teams fell out of prominence for a little while, but seem to be bouncing back very nicely.

Ivory Coast - Toronto Blue Jays: Being the best team in Africa is somewhat like being the best team in Canada. It means you are pretty good, but it doesn't mean you're going anywhere when it counts. OK, maybe that doesn't work any more now that Montreal has moved. The real connection is that people seem to think Cote d'Ivoire and a reloaded Toronto are a threat, but when you look at the two teams that they have to go against, you know that they will have to settle for third place.

Serbia & Montenegro - Hardware City Rockcats: Alright, they aren't that bad, and they somehow qualified out of Europe (while teams like Ireland, Norway and Greece did not), but S&M is ranked 46th in the world and is going nowhere in this group. Unfortunately, there are 32 teams in the World Cup finals and 30 in MLB, so I'll give a shout-out to New Bri'n.

I'll complain about the US draw, but despite what FIFA rankings say this may be the real "group of death," with the best team in Africa, a qualifier from Europe (which is no easy task), and what I rate as the 4th and 5th best teams in the world. If you enjoy soccer at all, don't miss the Argentina vs. Netherlands match. Argentina has some amazing strikers including Chelsea star Hernan Crespo and "the next Maradona" Lionel Messi, who will turn 19 during the Cup. Netherlands has some stars themselves, including Jaap Stam, whom you would not want to meet in a dark alley. Should be a fun group.

Group D:

Mexico - Chicago White Sox: Although they mostly do it by stopping the other team from scoring, they are starting to gain some offensive weapons. They are often better than their geographic rivals, but their neighbors don't necessarily think so.

Portugal - Anaheim Angels of the Western Hemisphere: When you think of this team, you think of speed and offense. Whether you like them or not, they are usually pretty fun to watch. Throughout history, they have had some success, but really it's been mostly disappointment for their fans.

Iran - Florida Marlins: Well it is often said that the Marlins owner is holding Florida hostage in his bid to get them to pay for a new stadium. Seriously though, with their history, who wants to root for these guys, even if they are better than you'd expect?

Angola- New Haven Ravens: Angola is the second lowest ranked team in the entire tournament, and since Togo is the lowest...well, let's just say where have you gone George Brett?

Group D is really a tale of two levels: Portugal and Mexico are probably top 10 in the world. Iran can actually play, but they shouldn't be a threat. Portugal is legendary for falling short of expectations, so their draw was pretty lucky. And I know that the recent anti-Mexico furvor has gotten out of hand for some people, but when it comes to soccer, it's completely warranted. We hate them, and they hate us. So, who do you root for in the Iran - Mexico match? Go Angola!

Groups E through H coming between now and the opening kickoff!

Alternate Universe

UNIVERSAL REMOTE

I doubt many people saw this Saurday night since SNL has been so awful this season but it is defintely worth a look. I laughed out loud a couple of times. I especially like the return of "lockbox."

And dammit if I didn't get a little wistful and wonder "what if."

(Just in case the link doesn't work, you can also try here or here.)

A different kind of preview (pt 1)

SPORTING GOODS

On a recent cross-country plane trip, I set out to put together my own World Cup preview for readers of this blog. Even those without much interest in soccer will concede that this is the biggest event in world sports this year, even though the Winter Olympics occurred just a couple of months ago.

But, it's not as if I could preview the World Cup better than a site like Soccernet or the BBC, so I've decided to do something a bit different. In four parts, I will be comparing each team that has qualified for the World Cup finals to a team in major league baseball. I have tiered both types of teams, and used their overall strengths, success both current and past, and team dynamics to try to draw comparisons. In the end, I think it was largely effective, with only a few teams I really had to stretch for.

So, without further ado, here are 2006 World Cup finalists group A and B, and their MLB alter-egos, along with any other thoughts I have on each group.

Group A:
Germany - NY Mets : Some readers of this blog might not be too thrilled about that one, but the host country draws its comparison with the Metropolitans. The teams are good, but there are still questions as to how far they can really go. They have won in the past, but have not lived up to expectations over the last 2-3 years. Things may change this year, however. Both teams face an immense amount of pressure to win, perhaps more than any of their competition.
Costa Rica - San Diego Padres: The best team in Central America, by a slight margin, matches up with what (at least last year) was the best team in the NL West. In both cases, that isn't really saying much. Still, you won't hear anyone complaining, as if you live in either place how much is there to complain about?
Poland - Chicago Cubs: Been rolled over in the past by stronger foes. There are often high expectations, and often some very good players that create those expectations, but never the results to meet them.
Ecuador - Pittsburgh Pirates: A bit of a stretch, but both are boring, and used to be better. A team that you can look past on the schedule.

Host country Germany got an easy group, so even though the team is weaker than usual, they should have no troubles. Call me crazy, and maybe it's my fond memories of my honeymoon and talking to a number of Ticos about football, but I think Costa Rica is a real threat to Poland to snag the second slot in the group. They played very well at the end of qualifying after switching coaches; almost all of their players come from two teams, so familiarity is not an issue. If they can go into halftime 0-0 with Germany in the opening match, it could get very interesting...

Group B:
England - St. Louis Cardinals: A high number of stars, with solid role players filling out the roster. Winning history, but have largely come up short in recent years despite fielding a consistently strong team. They are now considered a heavy favorite if their stars remain healthy. Both teams have hardcore fans that truly enjoy holding dominance over their major regional rivals, who pretty much stink most years.
Sweden - Texas Rangers: Young, talented, punishing. Probably underrated overall, but haven't proven selves. Yet.
Paraguay - Colorado Rockies: Play at extremely high altitudes, making them difficult to beat at home. But on a neutral field, not really much to worry about, despite showing flashes that they could be more than a pretender.
Trinidad & Tobago - Tampa Bay Devil Rays: Young, some exciting players, but in the end not a threat. One can certainly find nice things to say about each team and its players, but the results don't impress. TNT!

This one should be a cakewalk for England and Sweden. Sweden is underrated, and I wouldn't be surprised to see them go far. England has got to be one of the top 3 favorites, but if young star Wayne Rooney can't play due to his broken foot, that may change things. England has defenders and a midfield that stacks up with anyone in the world; put a healthy Rooney up front and you can pencil them in to the semi-finals.

Groups C through H coming between now and the opening kickoff!

Get Your War On

Manifesto

Haven't linked to GYWO in a while. I especially like the Operation Iraqi Freedom anniversary strip.

Freakonomics

Whatever

The best book I read in the last year is Freakonomics. In short, the authors take an economists looks at interesting questions to try to figure out why. Rather than review the book to tell you why you'll like it, I'll point you to this short article in the NY Times. The question:

If you were to examine the birth certificates of every soccer player in next month's World Cup tournament, you would most likely find a noteworthy quirk: elite soccer players are more likely to have been born in the earlier months of the year than in the later months. If you then examined the European national youth teams that feed the World Cup and professional ranks, you would find this quirk to be even more pronounced. On recent English teams, for instance, half of the elite teenage soccer players were born in January, February or March, with the other half spread out over the remaining 9 months. In Germany, 52 elite youth players were born in the first three months of the year, with just 4 players born in the last three.

What might account for this anomaly? Here are a few guesses: a) certain astrological signs confer superior soccer skills; b) winter-born babies tend to have higher oxygen capacity, which increases soccer stamina; c) soccer-mad parents are more likely to conceive children in springtime, at the annual peak of soccer mania; d) none of the above.

Now I guessed the reason why right away. Is this because I previously read Freakonomics or because I grew up playing youth sports? I don't know, but if you find this interesting, finish the article and then check out the book.

Wow

Whatever

Found through this post by David Pogue is this amazing artist.

Mets Notes

Sporting Goods

The Mets lose three starting pitchers to injury and won't move Aaron Heilman to the rotation. Blah, Blah, Blah. I think this is crazy but maybe, just maybe the Mets think they'll get two of their injured guys back in the next week or so and only have two or three starts by the likes of Jose Lima and Jeremi Gonzalez (shudder). Anyway, rather than belabor my well-documented man-crush for Aaron Heilman, I'd like to look to options for the Mets bullpen.

Today, the Mets called up Heath Bell. A wise move since he has been lights out in AAA (again). However, Bell might be a AAAA pitcher, great in AAA, not good enough for the majors. He certainly wasn't lights out last year. And tonight he looked both great at times and very hittable. It doesn't matter really because he is likely to be sent down when the Mets call up Gonzalez for Saturday.

So where else can the Mets get bullpen help. How about down in AA, where the Mets have a phenom on their hands. A co-worker and I are now in the habit of checking in on right-hander Henry Owens. Owens has 14.2 innings out of the pen, a 1.23 ERA, a .61 WHIP, and 5 walks. Impressive enough but nothing compared to this number: 33 Ks. 33! in 14.2 innings. Unbelievable. Call him up now.

Of course, in writing this article I realized that those stats hadn't changed in a week or so. So I googled Owens. Turns out he has a small tear in his ulnar collateral ligiment in his right elbow. He says he is fine and the team doctors cleared him to play catch again. Let's hope he's okay and keeps putting up nasty numbers.

MOVIE REVIEW: United 93

UNIVERSAL REMOTE

I don't have it in me to write a full-length review of United 93. Roger Ebert's review is probably the best I've read and the most indicative of my own feelings. Please do not let my brevity be mistaken for indifference. It is nothing short of brilliant. Paul Greengrass has made a masterwork.

United 93 is one of the most gripping films I have ever seen. ("Thrilling" seems inappropriate.) There was a point in the theater where I actually became aware of my own heart pounding in my chest. The first hour, which mostly protrays air traffic controllers piecing together the terroist plot, is some of the most riveting filmmaking I have ever seen. It feels absolutely authentic. (It should since most of the actors are non-actors playing themselves, including Ben Sliney, the FAA’s operations manager, who is terrific.) There is no exposition in the entire film. You, the viewer, are figuring out what is happening exactly as the characters in the film do. This is why I reject Frank Rich calling the characters in the film "nameless stick figures." Because we are in the moment for every moment of the film, there is no place for backstory or exposition. We are those stick figures. We are those poor souls trying to figure out what to do in the face of unprecedented crisis.

The last third, when Flight 93 is taken hostage and the passengers decide to fight back, is alternately moving and horrifying. I haven't seen a film this gut-wrenching since Schindler's List, and that was all the way back in 1994. If this film had come out in 2005, it would have been my #1 film of the year. If you are a true film lover, there is no excuse not to see this movie.

NOTE: Here is an article from Popular Mechanics debunking the "missile theory," among others. I found it very convincing. Go to pages 7 and 8 for the Flight 93 specific investigation.

Cursed

SPORTING GOODS

A few years ago I got into English soccer through a colleague, and he got me rooting for a team (Tottenham Hotspur) that we joked had a similar heartbreaking legacy to the Red Sox.

This year, Spurs put together their best season ever in the Premiership, and after setting a lofty goal of coming in the top 6 (which they had never done and would mean they would play in one of the two European competitions), they went into the last day of the season 1 point ahead of their arch-rival Arsenal for 4th place (which would mean entry into the Champions League, the top European competition).

But, Spurs fans had to endure another heartbreak as not only have they been playing without 3 of their top 6 players over the last month or so, but the day of the final match, all but 4 of their players got food poisoning at their hotel. Spurs went on to put together a very uninspired performance, losing to an inferior team, while Arsenal won their match to pass Spurs for 4th place and secure a place in the Champions League.

This isn't just about bragging rights and a chance to compete for the most prestigous club trophy in the world, losing out on going to the Champions League will cost the Spurs an estimated $17m.

No word on whether there are any Arsenal fans in the kitchen of the Marriott where the Spurs stayed on Saturday night.

Dirt Dog Wanders Home

SPORTING GOODS

Take a look at what Kevin Millar and Johnny Damon did for the Boston Red Sox over the past three years (especially 2005), take a look at Damon taking out a full page ad in the Boston Globe to thank the fans, take a look at both of them saying that they would have loved to stay with the Red Sox but management had other plans, and then take a look at this:

"The 30-second standing ovation [Millar] received on his first at-bat 'meant a lot,' he said"

and then you know: It's all about the laundry you're wearing.

Second Tier

SPORTING GOODS

I admit I get swept up in US Soccer fever, and probably think that our boys are better than they truly are. When FIFA comes out with rankings that suggest they are the 4th best team in the world, I am only emboldened. But I truly fear that the US won't get out of group play this year, and that it will be considered a setback for US Soccer since they got to the quarterfinals in 2002.

The fact is, that the main thing that separates world-class teams from non-world class teams is world-class players. And the US truly only has one world-class player, goalkeeper Kasey Keller.

In consultation with a European colleague, we counted the number of truly world-class players on the top squads. In addition to Brazil with their "magical quartet", England has 7 world class players, France has 6, Spain, Italy, and Netherlands have about 4 each, Argentina and the Czech Republic have 3.

Not coincidentally, those are probably the best 8 teams in the world. Throw in Portugal, Mexico, and the US, and you've probably got your top 11.

The good news is, it's the year 2006, only eight years separated from coming in dead last in the World Cup in France, and I can honestly say that I think the US is the 10th best team in the world.

The bad news is, we now have the weight of expectation. SportsCenter the other night did a great job with its US Soccer coverage when the roster was announced. But they displayed our odds of winning it all at 8-1. Go to a European betting site, and you'll see that our boys have 32-1 odds.

Furthermore, we have the 6th and 7th best teams in the world in our group (see my rankings below). To even have a chance of getting to the second round, we'll have to at least tie one of them, and that may still not be enough.

So what's the point of this post? I guess to remind myself that the US isn't there yet, that if we don't make the 2nd round we shouldn't be too disappointed, that the media should go easy on the US if they beat Ghana and only get 0 or 1 points from the other two matches, and that if we come in second in our group and get slaughtered by Brazil in the round of 16, well that is still pretty damn good.

Time to get the negativity out now, so I can root as hard as possible when June rolls around.

Darlucky's world rankings (take that FIFA!)
1. Brazil
2. England (with Rooney, who may not make it to the cup)
3. France
4. Argentina
5. Netherlands
6. Czech Republic
7. Italy
8. Spain
9. Portugal
10. USA
11. Mexico
12. Sweden

Rise of the immigrants

Manifesto

CNN's Lou Dobbs has been on a tirade against illegal immigration for as long as I can remember. Today, he writes about the protests that took place all over the country in support of immigration. Dobbs, of course, believes this is a mockery. As he says, the protests are about supporting those who break the law. To his credit, Dobbs supports the right to protest even if he doesn't support the purpose of the protest. But Mr. Dobbs descends to a rhetorical abyss by stating that the immigration movement has been coopted by radicals. His proof:

But only one newspaper, to its credit, reported that illegal aliens and their supporters' boycott of the national economy on the First of May is clear evidence that radical elements have seized control of the movement. The Washington Post, alone among national papers, reported that ANSWER (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism) has become an active promoter of the national boycott.

Some illegal immigration and open borders activists in the Hispanic community are deeply concerned about the involvement of the left-wing radical group. But others, like Juan Jose Gutierrez, whom I've interviewed a number of times over the past several months, manages to be both director of Latino Movement USA and a representative of ANSWER.
...
Just how significant is the impact of leftists within the illegal immigration movement? It is no accident that they chose May 1 as their day of demonstration and boycott. It is the worldwide day of commemorative demonstrations by various socialist, communist, and even anarchic organizations.

So Mr. Dobbs cites a group that nobody's ever heard of, calls it radical without attribution or support and then cites the fact that the protest occured on May Day, which was a holiday in the U.S. under the Red Scare following the First World War. Wow, really radical influence. The Commies really are taking over.

Aside from the fact the Mr. Dobbs is pulling arguments out of his well-stuffed ass, Mr. Dobbs should perhaps pay a little more attention to those who are leading the anti-immigration crusade. While Mr. Dobbs is concerned with "leftist radicals" who are doing nothing more than exercising their CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS (ironically only those who are citizens, but still), the anti-immigration crusade is being influenced by openly violent racists. Just recently some of these Americans created a videogame whereby the player shoots "Mexicans" as they try to cross the border. A radio host in Phoenix suggested that Americans pick a night each week at random and shoot any person that tries to cross the Mexican-American border. Plus, there are myriad stories that the Minutemen who are using vigilante justice to prevent illegal border crossings have been strongly supported and led by extremist racist groups. This on top of the countless threats and petty intimidation that has been reported across the country.

But, according to Lou Dobbs, it is the protesters who are dangerously being led by radicals. It is more than a little ironic that the immigrants that Mr. Dobbs disparages as being taken over by radicals that are the groups exercising the most American of rights and traditions, civil disobedience and freedom of speech, while it is those in the group that Mr. Dobbs supports, made up of American citizens, that are violating everything this country stands for by advocating violence and hate. Just further proof that being born in America does not necessarily make you an American.

Return of the Idiot

SPORTING GOODS

I'm not sure how I would react to Damon tonight as he is introduced (honestly I think silence would be the most appropriate, but that's a little too difficult to plan), but I wish the media would stop telling Boston fans how they should feel and act.