Jive Wiffle Early Season Recap

Yes, I know Gutter already covered this in his blog, but where would we be if we didn't have endless sports coverage of the same exact story? Certainly would have missed Brett Favre's 3rd, 4th, and 6th retirements as well as Albert Haynesworth arrests 16-20.

In any event, it all started deep into Monday night under that beautiful Carlisle skyline. Rector Park was sold-out despite the late game-time. It was a wiffle debut for many of the players, and there was no shortage of fielders with each team's roster fluctuating between 6-8 as exhaustion set in.

The story on this night was pitching as the home team (led by Ian Hall, Kevin Cottington, Brendan Young, and Toph-money among others) strangled Jake Rainwater, Jack Colicchio, Posey, and the visitors in a 3-0 victory. The visitors enjoyed some great pitching on the night, as well, though some shaky fielding behind Brian Sperling led to plenty of runs for Ian's team as he and Kevin combined for the complete game shutout.

Defeated and dejected, Jake and his squad did not have to wait long for their attempt at revenge with game 2 being played the very next night. It was Whipped Lightning Giveaway at the ballpark and, after a few roster shakeups, things were underway. This time it was Jake's turn to get out in front first, as Kevin was unable to find the strikezone in the top of the 2nd and walked in a run. Luckily, his team was able to get right back in the bottom of the inning. After a Brian Sperling (now playing for Ian) double and a Simon Feeman groundout, Hall and Cottington smoked back-to-back doubles to jump on top.

After that, things settled down, as Rainwater, Colicchio, and From the Mouths of Legends' own Nate Grefe became virtually untouchable while Hall and Cottington locked things down, as well. In the bottom of the 8th, Hall blasted a Colicchio curve towards Tome, easily far enough for a bomb that gave Ian's team a 2-run lead. Things looked gloomy for Jack and his team, though they were able to get a runner on in the top of the 9th before Grefe struckout to leave the weight on Luke "Shaman" Donohue's shoulders. Amazingly, Shaman managed to battle back from 2-2 count to walk and leave things up to Jack. On an 0-1 count at just past 2:15 a.m. (maybe) Colicchio got his revenge on Ian, destroying a ball over the centerfield fence that suddenly propelled his team to a 4-3 lead. With this new-found lead, Jake took full advantage on the hill in the bottom of the inning, striking out Sperling and Cottington around a Feeman walk to close out the game.

Don't blink, though, because game 3 should be just around the corner, and if these first two games are any indication, we're looking at a fantastic season.

Movie Suggestion: The Believer

The Believer (2001)
Just three years after American History X was released in 1998, The Believer debuted at Sundance and won the Grand Jury Prize but due to protests it was only released through an independent distributor months later. The film is based on the true story of Dan Burros, a Jewish man who joined the KKK and eventually committed suicide when a reporter published his religious heritage. See where there could be controversy? In The Believer, Ryan Gosling plays Daniel Balint, a disillusioned Orthodox Jew who strayed from a promising childhood and became obsessed with fascism and anti-Semitism. Gosling’s simply stunning performance carries along the rest of a mediocre cast and is accompanied by a script bound to make you cringe. Far more jarring than the scenes of hate-fueled violence are the passionate rhetoric and arguments that Balint espouses. I’m not saying he’s necessarily convincing, but the arguments are made with such conviction that many film critics and audience members alike thought that the film was too dangerous or sensitive to be released widely to the public. As the film progresses we see that he is a paradox, torn between what he says and has willed himself to believe versus what somewhere deep down inside he may know to be undeniable. The Believer’s plot is a bit forced at points, but Gosling is brilliantly passionate and thought provoking. To me, it's a bold, great film, but the subject matter is shocking and disconcerting enough that some simply will not enjoy it. I don’t mean to scare anyone off and I hope that you are as intrigued by the initial description as I was years ago. Give it a chance and you'll find a film bound to stimulate discussion and make you think.

Fun Fact: (spoiler alert) There was an alternate ending to American History X that was never filmed. After the last school scene, Derek is seen back in his own bathroom shaving his head. What kind of message would you take away from that? Easy to see why this ending was nixed before it got off the ground.

Movie Suggestion: Galaxy Quest

Galaxy Quest (1999)
A Grefe family favorite for years, Galaxy Quest is quirky comedy based on a ludicrous pretense. The film opens with the cast of a sci-fi TV show from the 80’s, “Galaxy Quest,” appearing at yet another geek-fest convention. The movie takes a turn for the bizarre when "the crew" is recruited by real-life aliens who need help battling their nemesis. These aliens have based their culture and technology off of broadcasts of Galaxy Quest that were interpreted by the aliens at “historical documents.” The pre-existing tensions between the crew are strained as the actors attempt to be real-life heroes and survive without a teleprompter and their safe cardboard sets. The cast for this movie is superb, with Tim Allen as the captain and a crew that includes the ever-sour Alan Rickman, Sigourney Weaver (Ripley in Alien, irony?), Sam Rockwell, and Tony Shaloub. While everyone is good, it’s Rockwell who cracks me up the most throughout the movie. This is one of his first roles (same year as Green Mile) and it immediately made me a huge fan. The script of Galaxy Quest cleverly explores and mocks sci-fi stereotypes and their accompanying illogicalities, and the cast interacts smoothly. This is one of those movies that I wish I had been on set for, because you just know it was a funny environment. This was made for a PG-13 audience, but everyone, especially sci-fi fans, should check it out.
p.s. also, this is Justin Long and Rainn Wilson’s first appearance on the big screen.

Movie Suggestion: A Guide To Recognizing Your Saints

A Guide To Recognizing Your Saints (2006)
This is a great little movie about growing up on the mean streets of New York City in the 1980’s. Based on his own memoir, director Dito Montiel ventured into film for the first time with this 2006 drama. A story about a man revisiting the past he ran away from years before can easily drift into a plethora of clichés, but powerful acting performances set Guide apart. The film is split between “the present” where the unusually tame Robert Downey Jr. plays Dito, and memories of the past where Shia LeBeouf portrays the young Dito. Dito’s childhood was largely formed around his relationships with his proud father, played perfectly by Chazz Palminteri, and his abused, rough-and-tumble best friend Antonio (Channing Tatum). I expected the movie to be the Downey Jr. show but I was pleasantly impressed with Shia and Tatum. While the acting is very good, I give a lot of credit to Montiel’s direction and his creation of gritty, realistic onscreen relationships that keep the movie honest and unpretentious. I don’t know how this slipped under my radar when it came out, but I’m glad I got to see it. Don’t be turned off because A Guide To Recognizing Your Saints features Shia LeBeouf and Channing Tatum. It’s a genuinely moving story that I really enjoyed and I would recommend it to anyone.

Movie Suggestions

So one of the original reasons that I wanted to start a blog was to write about movies and I've been disappointed with my efforts so far. I came up with this idea a while ago and I hope that anyone reading this finds my future posts on the subject interesting and maybe even useful. I've always enjoyed looking up films that didn't get wide or popular releases and trying to find unknown gems that slipped under most people's radars. So with this post I am announcing the beginning of a series that will suggest movies you should watch. Next time you're headed to the video store or perusing Netflix on a Friday afternoon I would recommend giving the blog a check and see if anything I put up seems interesting.
Some of the movies are among my favorites while some are really more just oddball films that most people haven't heard of, but deserve an hour or two of your time. Either way, there's a good chance you won't have seen the movie I mention, but if I'm putting it up I would recommend checking it out. I will gladly welcome any suggestions or criticism of my choices. Feedback enables me to judge you and look down on you for disagreeing with me. Happy Watchings!

2011 Braves Season Preview

It’s that time of the year and I can’t seem to get baseball of the brain. Fantasy leagues are starting up (shoutout to The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen), the blogs are buzzing, and analysts and fans alike are churning out predictions. So now it’s my turn. First of all, I want to say that I have never been as excited for a Braves season. The team is young, talented, and if everyone stays relatively healthy and plays to their potential it should be a great season. With a revamped lineup and a rotation of healthy arms (knock on wood) I honestly believe that the 2011 Atlanta Braves will be one of the top teams in baseball this year.

At backstop, we have one of the best in the game: Brian “yes I’m fat” McCann. The guy has always had power and can hit for a decent average, but his .360 OBP is really impressive for a catcher. I’m looking to see McCann get more plate appearances this year and thus get on base more. His backup, David Ross, has always been a solid hitter and is a great defensive player. He would be starting on any other team, but unfortunately for him he has a legend taking his spot.

Freddie Freeman is the starting highly touted “rookie” first baseman. He was average to shitty in the few games he played in last year, but I’m expecting big things this season. To be honest, the team needs him to do big things. Perhaps the best contact hitter on the team, Freeman is currently batting a middling .259 in Spring Training, which is a little troubling, but I would bet the kid gets it together and puts together a solid full season. I’m hoping he’ll hit over .275, which might get him a Rookie of the Year nod, and keeping his great potential in mind I’m excited to see how all the facets of his game develop.

Starting at second is the Braves biggest offseason pickup Dan Uggla. Uggla sucked in Florida but has a career .347 batting average at Turner Field. See why I’m excited? He’s a masher who hits for power, not average, but he fits perfectly in the middle of Atlanta’s lineup. Left field is a little further away than it was in Sun Life Stadium, but we should still expect around 30 bombs and a slugging pct. over(?) .500.

Alex Gonzalez looks to be the Braves’ everyday shortstop and saying that he’s probably the weakest offensive player in the infield is saying something. He’s not a great hitter, but showed signs of power potential at the beginning of last season (career high HR: 23). That was for the Jays though, and when he got to Turner his stats all declined; in basically the same number of games he had 11 more home runs and his BA was 19 points higher. Still, he’s a great defensive player who can round out the end of a batting order and is always a threat to pop off a double or a homer.

Starting at third base, for the Atlanta Braves, the man, the legend: Chipper Jones. After a heartbreaking ACL tear midway through last season, Chipper is back on the diamond making barehanded grabs and knocking balls all around the outfield. He’s currently dominating spring training, batting a blazing .420 (haha…) and piling up doubles, homers, and RBI’s. I love Chipper. One of the greatest third baseman to ever play the game is ready to come back strong. Not quite to his godlike .350/.466/.590 performance in 07-08, but I am expecting him to exceed his career averages of .306/.405/.536. Yeah, he’s that good.

Now for the outfield. Left field is being patrolled, most likely poorly, by Martin Prado. Making the shift from second base, Martin is coming off his best full season in the majors and I’m expecting him to continue his excellent contact hitting and hover around over his career .307 average. If he can do that and maintain his power numbers from last year (15 bombs, 66 RBI’s, 40 doubles) I’ll love him even more. He’s a small guy and will never put up numbers like other big name left fielders but any increase in his power would make him a surprising and increasingly effective offensive weapon.

To quote the Capital Avenue Club: “Jason Heyward is the man.” A five-tool outfielder who was in the run for Rookie of the Year last year, Heyward’s potential seems limitless. He was hindered by a nagging thumb injury in 2010, but if he’s healthy he seems primed to have an amazing sophomore season after his “hindered” .277, 18 bombs, 77 RBI’s. I’m gonna go ahead and predict a spectacular season of .319/.412/.514. That’s out of nowhere and with no real basis other than hope, but if you don’t know about Jason Heyward by now, you will this season as he should cements his place as one of the best young players in the game.

Center field. Ugh. Once patrolled by the always exciting and least-clutch-player-of-all-time Andruw Jones, we have turned to Nate McLouth. Damn it. Perhaps the biggest question mark in the Braves lineup is the speedy 30-year old from Pittsburgh. He had a great year in 2008 and then promptly, for lack of a better word, sucked after his move to Atlanta. Coming off an abysmal season where he batted .190 and spent half the year in the minors, he’s hitting solidly in spring training and I’m feeling good about him. I’m issuing a challenge: impress me. Please.

Saving the best for last: the pitching. This year we have one of the best rotations in baseball. Just sayin’. Starting with the much-discussed relief situation, I can say that the only certainty is that we need to trade Scott Proctor; he’s terrible. Moylan and O’Flaherty are very solid middle relievers, but the gems are Johnny Venters and Craig Kimbrel. While the plan is to initially splitting closing duties, I fully expect Kimbrel to assume all the responsibilities by the end of the year. Venters is a great pitcher and I think he’ll serve as a dominant setup man with great stuff and a proclivity for groundballs. Kimbrel is my dude and an all-around monster. When’s the last time you saw freakish dominance like this: 40 K’s in 20 innings, 1.21 WHIP, 0.44 ERA. If he can improve his control and keep the walks down he’ll develop into one of the best closers in baseball.

Oh, and the starting rotation’s not bad either: Derek Lowe, Tim Hudson, Tommy Hanson, Jair Jurrjens, Mike Minor/Brandon Beachy. Tim Hudson came back from elbow surgery last year far better than anyone expected, finishing 17-9 with a 2.83 ERA. Not much more to say. He’s great and I have no reason not to expect more of the same. Derek Lowe is 2-0 on opening day for the Braves and he’ll be taking the mound in just a couple weeks looking to continue his excellent performance from the end of last season. Always a solid 2 or 3 in the rotation, he took his game to a whole new level in September: 5-0 in his last 5 starts with a 1.17 ERA. If he can come even close to that sort of dominance I would be thrilled.
It’s that kid: Tommy “Tommy Boy” Hanson. One of my favorite Braves ever, I will once again hope that this is the year he breaks out. I said that last year and then he got little to no run support and was overworked down the stretch. An ace in the making, Hanson posted a disappointing 10-11 record (pathetic run support) and an impressive 3.33 ERA last year. If luck goes his way and he continues to improve, I’m expecting big things. I’m calling it now: 20 wins, breakout year.

Then there’s the ever-fragile Jurrjens. If he can stay healthy I’ll be happy, but I’ll be even happier if he can post numbers like he did in 2009: 14-10, 2.60 ERA. I doubt that will happen, but if he stays healthy he’s a force to be reckoned with and an outstanding number 4 starter.

Beachy and Minor are very similar pitchers and both put in some quality starts for the Braves in 2010. Both are young and talented but Minor is going to get the 5th spot due to his superior stuff and his numbers before his arm got fatigued last year. Beachy is also very solid and gave the Braves a surprising boost out of nowhere late in 2010. He should serve as an excellent 6th option who can replace any of the other ailing starters for a game or two. I would also not be surprised if he is traded at some point, as Atlanta has two of the best-rated pitchers in the minors who should hit the majors in a year or two: the mythical Julio Teheran and Randall Delgado.

Last pitching note: Hopefully someone murders Kenshin Kawakami, I don’t really see any other use for him. He is one of the biggest, saddest wastes of space in baseball.

So that’s that. I have made my expectations clear and I think I’ve elucidated some concerns. Biggest Questions: Will McLouth finally get it together? Will Jurrjens stay healthy? Will Hanson and Kimbrel finally reach their immense potential? Will Chipper hit? What will Freeman do with all the pressure on him?

Predictions: I think the Braves are an underrated team and I would not at all be shocked if they claim the NL East over the Phillies. Fuck Philadelphia. At the very least, I’m expecting a Wild Card berth. It’s an exciting time of the year, it’s an exciting team, get pumped, let’s go! Opening Day is just 8 days away and it couldn’t come sooner.

Beauty and the Bucs

*Originally printed in The Dickinsonian

Call it what you want. Optimistic? Certainly. Naïve? Probably. Yet I believe this could be the year the Pittsburgh Pirates finally go .500. It’s been 18 long, trying seasons since the Bucs were last able to perform the daunting task of winning as many games as they lose. They have become something of a laughingstock throughout the sports world and, according to analysts across the country, their losing won’t be ending anytime soon. Despite the negativity, I know this could be the Pirates’ year. And, frankly, I don’t think I’m alone.

Small pockets of snow and ice still dot Morgan Field, but there is no doubt about it: spring is not too far away. And while the temperature rises and those pockets slowly dissolve, I am left thinking about one thing: the imminent arrival of the 2011 season of Major League Baseball. Pitchers and catchers officially reported to their respective ballclub’s spring camp earlier this week, and although no meaningful pitches have been thrown and no swings have been taken, that annual optimism abounds for all 30 teams and their fans, Pittsburgh Pirates included.

Despite the best efforts of the Baseball Tonight crew and their preseason predictions, nothing can crush the hopes of the fans of the annual division bottom dwellers. No sabermetrics or Vegas odds makers can derail the enthusiasm that surrounds each team. And that’s what makes baseball so special. As the sights of snow and ice on the ground begin to disappear, so, too, do the painful memories of last season. The Texas Rangers and Atlanta Braves saw their 2010 campaigns end in heartbreak, but hopefully they finished their grieving over the last couple months, because now none of that matters. The Chicago Cubs have not won a World Series since 1908, but who’s to say those pitchers and catchers that just reported to camp didn’t bring with them the tools and talent to make this the season that breaks the curse? For these next few weeks, avid followers of the Kansas City Royals and Cleveland Indians have every right to talk up their team because, for the moment, those ballclubs are undefeated. As winter winds down, each team can look ahead to this season and know that they alone control their own destiny, that the division is in fact theirs to lose. Maybe Punxsutawney Phil really did see his shadow this year, but wanted an early spring simply because the man’s a baseball fan and couldn’t contain his excitement any longer.

It’s a long season, however, for every team, and it takes more than just optimism and enthusiasm to get past the 162 obstacles they will face. But the great thing about America’s Pastime is that it doesn’t matter if you are the defending champion or have not been a winning team in 18 years, you still have to get past the same number of obstacles. Every slate has been wiped clean, and no matter the number of superstars on each roster or the past championships each team has to be proud of, every club still starts out at 0-0.

So as spring training gets under way and Opening Day comes closer and closer, that familiar sense of excitement and optimism arrives on cue. Yes, it’s the same sense of anticipation I’ve felt the past 18, painful years. But the fact that I still get this feeling each and every season? Now that’s the beauty of baseball.