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.