Last day in the city before Colombia…
A month out of the city is a long time for me, so we’ll see how I fare over there. A couple of things I hope happen when I return:
1) No drama between people
2) Mets in first place by at least three games
3) Check the scale and I’m at my current weight still
4) My box of condoms is empty
Jerry’s on the hot seat in my book
He failed taking Castro out of the game and putting in Santos, who was in the bullpen helping out the relievers. It’s exactly like putting in the coldest guy on the bench into the game with three seconds left and you need a three pointer to win (*cough* Dunleavy *cough). Something about him having a shorter swing is a stupid argument since Castro got two hits of Johnson, who was throwing in the high 90’s as well. He’s made a couple of stupid decisions this season and I think he should feel his seat get warmer and warmer. Wright… step yo game up, dude. Losing more and more faith in these assholes every day…
Two Weeks Into The New Season…
The Mets are 6-6 so far to start the new season. Not the greatest of records, especially considering the “pushover” opponents we’ve faced so far (young Reds team, dreadful in ‘08 Padres team, and a regressing Brewers team). A few thoughts about the season thus far:
- Not liking all these one or two run games we keep losing. Every game we’ve lost this year has been either by one or two runs which we could have easily won if we had anything resembling a consistent offense. Never seem to get two hits together unless they’re singles.
- The same inconsistencies of last year keep popping up this year. Lack of clutch hits (except for Castillo’s infield single/Sheff’s homerun Friday) still hamper the team. Not sure what they can do about it (aside from hitting better), but they really need the big guns to step it up in the late innings (*cough* Wright *cough*). Feels like the Mets leave at least 10-12 runners on base a game and that’s quite alarming.
- The bullpen is doing an amazing job thus far. I think our bullpen issues are dealt with as of today. Only thing that concerns me is the bullpen being overused throughout the season. If the bullpen collapses towards the end of the season, there’s absolutely no way anyone can say it’s their fault… in all likelihood, the pen only blows up if they pitch too much from a lack of starters going deep into games. Blame the starters, not the pen at the end of the season. There’s no way the bullpen from ‘08 comes into a 1-0 game and shuts the door, but that’s what the pen from this season has and can do, and that will hopefully make a difference this time around.
- Our starters have been pretty bad to start the season, except for Santana of course. Ollie… not much to say as he’s wildy inconsistent in terms of performance each start. Maine concerns me quite a lot, solely because I believe he’s not mentally able to handle New York. Maine messes up a bunt and he looked rattled. Seriously? Unbelievable and inexcusable to let something like that hinder your pitching performance. I hope he gets traded for someone like Peavy, who had a gutsy performance against Maine and never looked flustered on the mound even when he was getting lit up to start. Livan has been good for a 5th starter, but hes prone to give up a lot of hits in the same inning. Pelfrey is really the X-factor of our starting rotation. Difficult to say how he’s doing because he’s been injured the first two starts, but he needs to pitch well if the Mets have any shot of making the playoffs. With the way Florida is playing right now, it’s looking more and more likely that the Mets have to fend off the Phillies/Cubs/Cards for the wild card, and that’s going to be difficult without some consistent pitching.
- Our defense has really been slacking, particularly last week when two errors netted us two losses. Murphy dropped a routine fly which cost Santana a win and Church’s slightly more difficult but still catchable ball also cost us a game. A perceived strength of the team has cost us two games which is A LOT considering the last two seasons ending in collapses and missing the playoffs by one game. They’ve been better the last three games but they need to step it up defensively, especially Murphy who’s had two dreadful games defensively).
- Santana, barring injury or continuing to receive one run from our offense, should win the Cy Young. He should’ve won it last year, but a bullpen that blows seven leads with him on the mound fucked him over. He’s been lights out this year and he should be 3-0 to start. I understand that Santana will almost always face the other team’s ace, but the offense needs to score more than one run for him. Sometimes (like yesterday) one run is enough, but more often than not it isn’t. To get zipped by Gallardo (who’s going to be great in the future but he’s only 23 or 24) is not a good sign, and that comes from not getting consecutive hits in an inning.
- Glad to see Castillo has started hitting again. That 0-4 in Florida really had me calling out for a new 2B. Hope he continues his hitting throughout the season. It’s also time to start thinking about Schneider/Castro’s replacement for the future because both have not looked great. Also, let’s see if Wright transforms into a strikeout monster like Ryan Howard.
Let’s see how many of these trends continue throughout the season.
So I was browsing through some porn…
…and I found this hilarious title which makes the video billions of times funnier.
NSFW
New York Times ftw
“[The Heller case] itself struck down parts of the District of Columbia’s gun control law, the strictest in the nation. The case was brought by law-abiding people who wanted to keep guns in their homes for self-defense. The cases that have followed it tend to concern more focused laws and less attractive gun owners.
Harvey C. Jackson IV, for instance, argued that he had a constitutional right to carry a gun while selling drugs in a dangerous neighborhood in East St. Louis, Ill. The federal appeals court in Chicago was unimpressed.”
Optimum Online needs to stop making commercials.
Exhibit A: “Subtle” racism, lol. Note the Latinos dancing, their chihuahua, and the woman with the hair curlers on.
Exhibit B: This one’s self explanatory, I think. It’s definitely one of the funniest commercials I’ve ever seen, whether that was intended or not I don’t know nor care.
Exhibit C: Nothing like watching a guy lose his dignity for a triple play package.
This Youtube comment sums up this post:
“Is the goal of this, the reggaeton, and the puppets, to piss us the fuck off as much as possible?”
2008===D~ in Review
I know I’m a few days late with this entry but fuck you, my loyal fans (all two of you). 2008 was a good year, probably the best I’ve had since I left high school. A lot of ups, not a lot of downs (actually, I can’t think of more than two times I felt down this year). I think I’ve gained far more confidence in myself, even to the point of cockiness sometimes, and I feel I should really stop that before it goes too far.
As far as relationships go, I feel like I grew a lot in that area. I learned that I’m not as emotional as I was in high school… but I think that’s a good thing sometimes since I felt incredibly depressed during those days. Then again, going to MCSM would make any motherfucker depressed. The point is that I really should begin to show more feelings towards significant others and make sure that they know I appreciate them. I think I was cold towards someone and it doesn’t feel too good knowing that through hindsight. Perhaps most importantly, however, is learning to let go of the past. I feel like I finally turned the corner. I no longer let the fuck ups of yesteryear affect the opportunities that might present themselves tomorrow.
And now… 2008’s Best (and Worst):
Best Sports Moment:
Super Bowl XLII: New York Giants vs. New England Patriots
Easily the most entertaining Super Bowl I’ve ever seen. Heavy underdogs, the Giants came out playing to win the game [/Herm] and pulled it off with one of the greatest “OH MY GOD!!11″ moments in sports history.
3rd and 15 with 1:15 left in the game, down 14-10. Eli Manning drops back, offensive line breaks down as three Patriots (Adalius Thomas mostly) get to Manning. SOMEHOW, he escapes six arms and just chucks that football down the field. David Tyree catches that shit with HIS MOTHERFUCKIN HELMET and holds on as Rodney Harrison rapes him from behind. Easily the greatest play I’ve ever seen, BUT definitely not the most important of the game. In fact, I’d say it’s the fourth most important play of the game, heres the other three:
- Brandon Jacobs 2 yard run on 4th and 1 in the final three minutes- It had to be Jacobs that converted this 4th and 1. Anyone else and it would’ve been a turnover in all likelihood (I’m looking at you Tiki Barber… who was probably watching the game from his TV at home as he buried his head into his hands regretting he retired). This was a huge play for the Giants; they don’t convert, game ovah. No Tyree, no nothin’… except 2nd place and Super Bowl footnote to the Pats perfect season.
- The play RIGHT before the Hail Manning (props to Bill Plaschke for the awesome name for the Tyree catch)- 2nd and 5 and a pass intended for Tyree GOES RIGHT INTO ASANTE SAMUEL’S HANDS… except ASANTE SAMUEL LETS IT SLIP THROUGH HIS FINGERS. How did the Eagles overlook that when they signed him to that ridiculous contract. He gets the pick, game ovah.
- 3rd and 11, Eli Manning to Steve Smith- The play before Plaxico *gunshots* Burress’ game-winning touchdown reception. Imagine not converting and settling for the field goal. 19-0! 19-0!
Worst Best Sports Failure:
2008 Mets blow yet another late season division lead.
The two people that read this blog know what team wins this award. My whole September portion of this blog was pretty much dedicated to the Mets’ failures. Click here to see the rant.
Runner-ups: J-E-T-S JETS FUCKING FAILED, as did the Denver Broncos and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Oh yeah-
Best Movie:
4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days
There were a couple of really good films this year, but nothing fucks with this one. One of the best films I have ever seen, and here’s why-
- Compelling story- The story revolves around two university students attempting to set up an illegal abortion during the Communist days of Romania (circa 1987). What follows is a gritty and truly realistic portrayal of life in Romania, where things like cigarettes must be bought through black market vendors and where abortions are illegal because it meant there’d be one less person to rule over, not because of ethical concerns. The world these two women live in is bleak and dangerous, which makes the illegal abortion that much more compelling for you, the viewer, to witness as its set up and carried out. You can’t escape the feeling that everything you’ve witnessed has probably happened in real life, and that’s rather horrifying.
- Fine acting/ Compelling characters- Best actress of 2008 is easily Anamaria Marinca, who plays the role of Otilia, the character who selflessly gives everything for her seemingly helpless but manipulative friend and roommate, Gabita (finely acted by Laura Vasiliu). There’s never a moment in the film where you don’t see the quiet despair and determination on the face of Otilia or Gabita’s subtle pulling of the puppet strings as she waits for Otilia to make things happen. This makes for characters that you grow to sympathize with (Otilia) despite the harrowing situation and others that you begin to hate (Otilia, Mr. Bebe) because of their selfishness.
- Fine cinematography- There are some really beautiful shots of what 1987 Communist Romania looked like. The skies are always grey, the streets are dark and haunted with isolation, but above all else, the shots give you the sense of danger that comes with living in a world where brutal dictators rule with an iron fist and take insubordination quite seriously.
If you’re prepared for this film, I strongly suggest you see it. Powerful, powerful stuff.
Runner-ups: WALL-E, Man on Wire, The Wrestler*
*Mickey Rourke makes this average movie GREAT. He deserves the accolades he’s received. OSCAR!
Best Album:
Who knew Portishead was still around? Certainly not me… mostly because I began listening to them in 2008 (!). The best album of 2008, the most significant thing you get from Third is how incredibly human it feels. Nearly every song has a strong emotional undercurrent, from the opening track, “Silence” (which sounds like a high speed chase across some random French province) to the droning texture of “We Carry On,” with nifty guitar solos after each chorus that threaten to break down if they carried on a second longer. The reason for this strong emotional undercurrent? Beth Gibbons, you jerk! Her sexy yet hurt singing/lyrics really help carry this album from start to finish. Never has trip-hop sounded this fresh.
Best Tracks From Third: Silence, The Rip, Machine Gun, We Carry On
Runner-ups:
Dear Science by TV on the Radio
Best Track:
I doubt many people will agree with me on this pick, but FUCK YOU. Best song of 2008 in my book.
Runner-ups:
Fleet Foxes- White Winter Hymnal
Harvey Milk- Death Goes to the Winner
Hercules and Love Affair- Blind
Best Re-Release:
TIE
Dennis Wilson- Pacific Ocean Blue
Some of the best albums I’ve ever heard, especially Let It Be.
Most Significant Event of 2008:
Barack Obama elected President
Let’s hope he delivers the goods.
If you read this far into the entry, give yourself a pat on the back!~ And I’m done.
