MiddleCoastBias

QUOTE (mumbles3k @ Apr 25, 2012 -> 11:06 PM) This morning I watched Robert Altman's masterpiece, THE PLAYER. Truly one of the greatest movies ever made. Satire at its finest. Alright, I've IMDB'd it so I'll bite... give me more of a reason to watch this. Seems intriguing but like something I'll forget about and maybe watch on a Sunday afternoon in a few months. What was so good about it?

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Apr 22, 2012 -> 07:44 PM) With that offense, on paper...and that pitching staff, on paper. Incredible. But so the White Sox fall in April and May last year after starting out 6-3 and then going something like 5-19. Nobody's been completed surprised by the Red Sox, due to the injuries to Crawford, Ellsbury and the lack of a bullpen...as well as all those veterans getting a year old (yeah, I know Ortiz was leading the league in hitting come into Sunday). But when you start an outfield of McDonald, Ross and Sweeney...well, that's not so good, even though Ryan's actually been hitting well for them. That they had to go out and eat most of the contract of one of the worst hitters in baseball right now (Marlon Byrd) is evidence enough of their desperation. Aviles isn't an everyday player, he wasn't even for the KC Royals. What I've been telling my coworkers is that I like Aviles... for the Royals, just not for the Red Sox. He's definitely good enough to make a team, just not highlight one. The Red Sox are in serious trouble, and Aviles does not make them better. I think it was you that asked the facetious question about NESN etc being shut down... The atmosphere here is not good. Everyone was riding the high of the 100 year anniversary but that has been the talk; that's all they've been looking forward to, acknowledging that they're in a bad place right now. Saturday's blown 9-run lead against the Yankees sounds like it is going to be a major talking point for the fans all season. I hope we don't have one of those.

Besides seeing the cubs in last place (makes me smile), there are a few surprises at the back of their respective divisions right now: Red Sox, Angels, and Phillies (and Miami is second to last). Texas also has a scary 52+ run differential.

QUOTE (chw42 @ Apr 15, 2012 -> 09:14 PM) It boggles my mind how Konerko is that slow. It's not like he's out of shape or anything, he's just slow footed... Exactly my thoughts. I mean look at how quickly (relative) Fielder got around the bases today, almost tried to stretch out a triple. Big man can move.

Red Sox DFA'd Michael Bowden of former Waubonsie Valley fame. They're also apparently stretching out Mark Prior...

QUOTE (JohnCangelosi @ Apr 15, 2012 -> 11:09 AM) This is the free game of the day on MLB.TV for the out of towners too cheap to pay for it Damnit. In the library working on a final paper, each successive post in this thread has made me want to postpone the paper and run home to catch the game. Hearing that it's the free game just sealed the deal.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Apr 14, 2012 -> 12:23 AM) Guessing 80-85% of America will be stuck with Yankees/Angels/Pujols, right? Then you've got Cubs/Cardinals and Mets/Phillies at 3. So forget seeing the Sox, lol. And at 9 you can catch the news coverage of me jumping off a bridge from having to watch the Yankees again.

QUOTE (SoxFan1 @ Apr 12, 2012 -> 09:10 PM) Here we go, boys! The magic number is 16. Is this the only thread for the playoffs? No pseudo-gamethread for the Hawks?

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Apr 10, 2012 -> 08:23 PM) That has to be on the catcher too right? Martin was diving all over the place, wasn't just the 5 bad ones. Legit could have been two more, though one of the WPs charged could definitely be pegged on Martin.

Sweaty Freddy Garcia threw 5 WPs in 4.2 IP tonight. He threw 4 all of last year.

Wow, Toronto fans already booing him off of the field. Ouch.

Santos has now blown two saves in Toronto, Santiago has converted two on the South Side.

QUOTE (Chet Kincaid @ Apr 9, 2012 -> 07:44 PM) That looked bad. I hope Choo isn't hurt that much. Where did it get him?

Gametracker had the Morel AB with 6 straight cutters. Looks like they have a scouting report on him...

Get some, Sale!

QUOTE (chw42 @ Apr 8, 2012 -> 06:39 PM) That probably had something to do with injuries. Nobody's hurt right now on this team. Yes, that is very true, though that doesn't speak to how I feel about flexible lineups. There are a few guys that flip from 2 to 8 etc. and I'm not against seeing different lineups depending on who we trot out on any given day.

QUOTE (chw42 @ Apr 8, 2012 -> 06:25 PM) Escobar can play 3B? And I really don't like Robin juggling the lineup this much. Guys need stability. Think of a good place to put somebody and let them stay there until they prove to you they can't hit. For what it's worth, the Red Sox trotted nearly 140 different lineups last year. Say what you will about the late collapse, they were still a damn good team, and I don't think the different lineups were the reason for the fall.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Apr 8, 2012 -> 02:27 PM) Really, you can predict the weather this accurately 5.5 hours out? Don't worry, the weather won't affect Konerko on his RBI double on the 3rd pitch of his AB in the 4th inning tonight.

First Adam Dunn, then Alex Rios - if Beckham goes deep tonight, we are officially back!

QUOTE (Milkman delivers @ Apr 6, 2012 -> 06:58 PM) I can't believe there's this much discussion on Hunger Games. It's all pretty impressive, really. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/19/business...?pagewanted=all

I'm kind of sad that I just now remembered the countdown last season counting down the days until OD by posting photos of a representative Sox number. But hey, we made it- OD is here!

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Apr 5, 2012 -> 08:02 PM) It was Gareth Evans and not Ang Lee that directed CT, HD??? There's zero plot or "redemptive" character development, but that's not what anyone who goes to this movie is looking for anyway, just non-stop action. Sorry, I think it was actually just the same production company as CT, HD.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Apr 5, 2012 -> 07:39 PM) I read a review where the guy said it was the best action movie he has seen since Die Hard. Was that the New York Times article in the Sunday Magazine? If not, I suggest that as a read; 3 pages on how the American action film has fallen.

QUOTE (JoeCoolMan24 @ Apr 5, 2012 -> 07:30 PM) I saw someone tweet about how it is just a non-stop action thriller where it's just constant battles for the entirety of the movie. The action start 4 minutes in. It ends 2 minutes before the credits.

Just got out of THE RAID: REDEMPTION... wow. Just... WOW. Unbelievable action movie. I know I posted a trailer to this movie months back as it was highlighted at the Toronto Film Fest, and the movie did not disappoint. It's by the same director as Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon so just imagine that with guns, knives, and fists packed into the narrow hallways of an apartment building. The action scenes are the best I've ever seen. Take the best scene in the Bourne series (the one that comes to mind for me is the one in the 3rd story apartment when Jason stabs the guy with the pen, etc. and then he jumps out of the window) and extend it 30x. It was so intense that I was legitimately left breathless at a few points; I can't count how many times I heard someone murmur "holy s***!" or "whoa...". That being said, it's one of the most violent films I can think of so it isn't for everyone; two young couples got up and left 12 minutes in. Highly recommend. I might even see this one again in theaters, that excited.