¶ 6:17:00 AM
¶ 6:31:00 PM
Labels: baseball, japan, tokyo thursday
¶ 9:08:00 AM 
It's pretty amazing how a sports team can effect your mood. As a Mets fan, I've pretty bummed out so far this week. They've lost 5 in a row, while the second place Phillies have won 6 in a row to pull up within 2 games of first place. I don't know why such a thing should bother any sane person. It's not like we, the fans, have any real control over what happens. The best we can do is buy a hot dog while at the game to help pay off Carlos Delgado's salary.
It's an odd bond between fan and team. You watch the team play every day, get to almost feel like you know each player. They have no clue who you are, and they don't care. You can cheer, rant, or cry all you want they're not going to win a game for you. They're playing because they want to win, not because you want to.
I suppose it's not much different than watching an action movie. Except in a movie, you know the good guy is going to win in the end. In baseball, there's no such guarantee. Every fan thinks their team is the good guy. There isn't really any bad guys (except for Barry Bonds). Everyone hates the Yankees and could possibly define them as the villains of baseball, but the Yankee fans would probably disagree with you.
So, logically we should all just be able to sit back and enjoy the game and not worry so much. Yeah, right....
Labels: barry bonds, baseball, mets, yankess
¶ 10:19:00 AM 
The American movie watcher sure love their trilogies. Lord of the Rings, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Matrix, and Back to the Future have all made a hefty some of money. Star Wars has two trilogies, one good, one not so good. But for some reason everyone seems to forget about the Major League trilogy.However, after viewing Major League III: Back to the Minors, I can safely say why people don't stand up and take notice of this trio of movies more often: The third film sucked. Not that the first two were golden pieces of film history themselves, but they at least seceded in being a goofy fun movie about baseball. The only thing Major League seems to succeed at was providing HBO Comedy something fill up their 2am spot with.
Major League III stars Scott Bakula of Quantum Leap, and Ted McGinley of Married With Children. Now you may say, "Hey, I don't remember either of these two 'As Seen on TV' actors being in either of the first two Major League movies!" Well my friend, not to worry, you are not suffering from some kind of terrible brain parasite that eats your memories, neither of them were. So why are they in this film? Because either A) the producers were too cheap to rehire most of the original actors, or B) they offered it to the original actors, but they were smart enough to turn it down (except for Charlie Sheen who was probably in rehab). Either way, this new cast results in a movie with a storyline about as enthralling as an episode Married with Children and as funny as an episode of Quantum Leap.
Oh, not to worry, some of the original actors came back. Who could forget such big name actors as Dennis Haysbert, Bob Uecker, Corbin Bernsen, Eric Bruskotter, Takaaki Ishibashi, and Steve Yeager. All of them household names of course. It's never really explained how the characters playing these characters wound up in the Minors plaing for The Buzz. In one movie they're on the American League Championship team, the next movie they're all playing together on a struggling Minor League team. Roger Dorn, played for the Indians in the first film, owned the Indians in the second, and in the third somehow seems to own the Twins. Bob Uecker, who greatest acting job was on Mr. Belvedere, is now the play by play announcer for the Buzz, with no explanation of why he's no longer the announcer for the Indians.
The new characters added to film add little. There's a pitcher who solely depends on his fastball and talk like a surfer, a pitcher who throws extremely slow and might also be a doctor, an aging first baseman named Pops (kind of like Julio Franco, they're both old, and they both suck) a kid named Downtown who... you know what it's not worth the effort it takes for me to push the keys down on my keyboard to continue with these character descriptions.
I'll give you a synopsis of the plot, but even if you've never seen the movie, and for your sake I hope you have not, I'm sure you can guess for the most part what it is. In short: Team sucks. New manager takes over team. Manager teaches team, using some unorthodox methods. Team gets better.
Now, to be fair, theirs a little more to the plot than that, like the rivalry between Bakula's minor league manager character with McGinley's Major league manager character and some other pointless filler, but you get the gist.
The Seinfeld theory is that comedies don't need a great plot (or any plot) to be enjoyable, because the jokes themselves that carry the show. However, when your jokes include such lines as, "If he says Bigs again I'm going to pinch is head off," and "And I thought you came here because you missed the sound of my voice." you're out of luck. The jokes in this film are not strong enough carry Nicole Richie if she were on the moon.
Of course this movie is eight years old so you may be wondering why in the world I even care. Well, because I care about those out there who may be one browsing the deep discount used video bin at Blockbuster and pick up this title and consider buying it. Let this be your warning, stay away.
Labels: baseball, movies, seinfeld
¶ 11:42:00 PM 
he Mets have had it hard this month, losing all but two games. Actually, the Mets have had it hard this year, so far having experienced a worse record than last years disappointing season. Come to think about it, the Mets have had a disappointing century. Since losing to the Yankees in the 2000 world series they've yet to regain entry to the playoffs nor even have a winning season during the last three years. You know what?
The Mets have sucked ever since they first picked up a bat in 1962.
But, now 42 years and a Joe Orsulak later, the Mets are appearing to take action.
They've already announced the termination of current manger Art Howe and all his
coaches. The Mets are hoping to negotiate a deal with Lou Pinella, who's proved he
can manage a losing team just as well as any ex-Mets manager can while with the Tampa
Bay Devil Rays.
But Mets are not stopping there. The Mets have fired Howe, but the Met's are still
losing despite this (granted, that even though Howe was fired he still is managing
the team for some reason). So who else can they blame. Armando Benitez? Nope.
Already traded him the the Marlins where he's having an All Star season. Maybe Bobby
Valentine? No, wait, he was the manager that Mets fans hated and demanded he be fired
despite actually producing a winning record with the team. Mo Vaughn? Good try,
Although he's still on the payroll, Vaugn hasn't actually played a game in over a
year due to being too fat to fit into his hummer and drive to the game. href="http://www.news-leader.com/today/0921-Halftonman-183461.html">You may have read
about him in the news recently. So who else? Mel Rojas? John Rocker? Dallas Green? Choo choo Colemon? Tim McCarver? George McClevane? Steve Phillips? Bob Apadaca? George W. Bush? Nope, all gone... well not Bush... yet... I don't think we can blame this one on him anyway. Maybe Michael Moore can find a way.
There is one group of men who has stayed with the Mets throughout these losing times.
Are you thinking, "Owner Fred Wilpon, his idiot son in the front office, and Jim
Duquette the GM who traded away all of the young promising players for a beef
burrito?"
Nope, wrong! Then who? The Hot Dog vendors of course! Those damn people who walk
past you at the stadium every two seconds screaming, "HOT DOG! HOT DOG HERE!" It's
there fault!
The Mets philosophy of the week is that the players won't play well unless the fans
are cheering them on. The fans won't cheer them on if they're unhappy with there hot
dog service. Of course the Hot Dog vendors will argue that the reason they no longer
receive cheers is because most fans stopped showing up months ago and the few that do
show up have nothing to cheer about. Many fans don't even buy hot dogs because they
can't afford the $5 price tag after paying $50 for their ticket. Excuses, excuses.
So, as announced last night to distract the press from the Mets losing a game to the
last place Expos, all Hot Dog guys will be terminated at the end of the month. Mr.
Met, you're next!
Labels: baseball, hot dogs, mets
¶ 4:49:00 PM 
After years of trying to get a grip on those huge overweight Coke cans a relief
is finally in sight! Coke is introducing the 5oz coke can!
By reducing the size of their current coke size from 12 ounces by 58% the can is
much lighter and easier to hold.
"I was always having a hard time holding the current size can," Coke paid
exsignifiacant MLB player Cal Ripken Jr. to tell us, "I could never drink from
them because I feared I would strain the fingers on my throwing hand and have to
sit out a game. If we had these new cans while I played I could have gone
another 2000 games."
The best part is that Coke was able to lower the size without changing the price.
Scientists had to work around the clock to figure out how to succeed with such a
feet, but in the end were able to pull it out.
The new Coke cans should be on store shelves by the end of the month right
between the 1.5 liter Coke bottles and the same priced, but larger sized, Pepsi
items.
Labels: baseball, cal ripken jr, coke, pepsi, soda
¶ 8:35:00 AM Early reports of a possible trade between the New York Mets and Taco Bell have not come to light.
|  Benitez shows off his Taco Bell hat
|
Labels: baseball, mets, taco bell
¶ 6:37:00 PM 
