Monday, September 29, 2008

A great loss - Paul Newman, 1925-2008

I was away this weekend at a Notre Dame football game, so forgive the tardiness of this post...

This blog is supposed to be for all things Boston (and sports-related), but I'd be remiss in not posting about the passing of one of the greatest American movie stars of the 20th century, and - arguably - the greatest actor of his (or any other) generation. I'm talking, of course, about the great Paul Newman, who died over the weekend at 83 years old.

I can remember my parents watching both "Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid" and "The Sting" with me at an early age and the way they reacted to Newman and Robert Redford in the title roles of these two films. It was the first lesson in a lifetime of understanding the true, transformative power of performance... in Newman's hands, the seemingly most stock roles (outlaw cowboy, con man, pool hustler, race car driver, etc.) became so much more layered and complex, so much more REAL, than they may have appeared.

As a kid who would grow up to be a part-time actor, it was an inspiration to watch an actor appear to shed the trappings of technique and artifice and just BE a character. As I grew older and discovered more of Newman's work - "The Hustler," "The Color of Money," "Cool Hand Luke," "Nobody's Fool," and many more - my appreciation for his work grew. I began to understand that the term "screen idol" is not one that is based on glamour or "heat," but on the performance. Today's "great actors" seem to be so focused on blowing us away with all their technique - facial tics, weight gain, etc. - and miss the very essence of acting: becoming the character. Newman understood that and never forgot it.

My most favorite performances of his were "Nobody's Fool," "Road to Perdition," and "The Color of Money." In those films, all wildly different in their story and style, you could see portraits of men who, for a variety of reasons - unfaithfulness, a criminal past, lifetime of loss - all come to realize the weight and price of their mistakes, and must reckon with the cost of those mistakes, with wildly different outcomes. The regret and sadness, never overplayed, always subtle, plays around and sometimes in the frames of Newman's portrayal, but is never the focus of the scene.

I could write more about his style, his charity work (over $200 million raised by his Newman's Own food products), his humility, and more, but to make such a fuss would miss the very basic essence of the man.

I'll simply say this: Watch his films, observe the ease in which he inhabits and becomes his characters, and marvel at how simple it all seems. Then realize what you're watching is the goal of every actor - to become the character. And realize that, with his passing, a great actor and good man has left us, leaving behind a lifetime of work that is a master class on how to become a legend.

Some clips:
"Road to Perdition" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IK7hBG4xQhQ
"Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQfyOr3e-34
"The Hustler" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cF1Jjyvec2E

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Ticket punched!

Playoffs!

The Sawx are into the postseason, and did so in fairly dramatic fashion, taking down the presumptive AL Cy Young Award favorite, Cliff Lee, and using the oft-maligned bullpen to wiggle out of some tough jams late in the game. They had big hits and solid starting pitching as well in taking down the Indians 5-4 and clinching a spot in the 2008 playoffs.

So now we wait to see what the Angels decide to do for the playoffs, since they have the prerogative when it comes to selecting when their series with the Sox would start. I know there is still a chance the Sox can win the AL East (they are 3 games back), but after watching Tampa sweep the Orioles in a doubleheader last night (the first EVER doubleheader sweep in Rays history), it's pretty much a foregone conclusion that the Rays will take the AL East Division title.

If the Angels decide to start the series on Wednesday, the Sox will need just Beckett, Lester and Dice-K for their starters, as the games go Wed/Fri/Sun/Mon/Wed. Should the Angels decide to start on Thursday, the Sox will need a 4th starter, either Wakefield or Byrd (Colon is out after pulling a Rolando Arroyo and disappearing into the Dominican for a BBQ), which means Tito Francona will have a decision to make. My money's on Byrd, given that he's been sharper of late and the knuckleball is too unpredictable in the Fall, esp. at Fenway.

Regardless, "Mission Soxtober" is accomplished, and we can look forward to postseason baseball and some late nights in our immediate future.

Go Sawx, and congrats on a hard-won playoff spot.

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Tough Tampa Trek Torpedoes Title?


Uh-oh...

Some numbers:
- 1 out of 3
- 1 out of 9
- 8 out of 18

And the scariest one - 2.

What do they mean? The Sox went down to Tampa this week looking to claim first place in the AL East and strike fear into the hearts of the Rays. Instead, they dropped two of the three games and leave 2 games back in the division with 10 to play.

This is the second week in a row the Sox had a chance to take over the division, only to lose 2 out of 3 to the Rays.

The Sox have now dropped 8 of the 9 games they have played this season at Tropicana Field (aka, the Trop). More on that later...

Additionally, the Sox have lost the season series to the Rays 10-8. This is the maybe the most dangerous stat.

Those last two don't bode well for the division title and the postseason.

I think we can all feel secure that, barring an HISTORIC collapse, the Sox will be playing October baseball. At the very least, they have the AL Wild Card well in hand, thanks to a 7-game lead in the Wild Card standings.

However, should the Sox finish with only the Wild Card, they will be the No. 4 seed in the playoffs and will open on the road against the Los Angeles/Anaheim/Orange County Angels. Yes, those same Angels who posted a 6-1 record against the Sox and appear to be much stronger this year than past incarnations. This year's Angels may be the deepest team they have had since that 2002 world champion team. The Angels have all the ingredients that the Sox struggle with: Big game pitcher (Lackey), deep rotation, solid bullpen, deep lineup, speed and solid defense.

As for the losing record at the Trop and in the season series, this is where it could get dicey. For whatever reason, the Sox have not been a good road team; the usual formula is win 2/3 of your home games, and go .500 on the road. The Sox, however, are under .500 on the road (dominant at home, tho), which -- as the No. 4 Wild Card seed -- could be problematic. Say the Sox make it past the Angels (on the road); their reward would be a 7-game set with the Rays in second round (since they will torpedo the AL Central winner) where the Rays would have home-field advantage. Given the 1-8 record at the Trop, that -- again -- doesn't bode well for the Sox.

Having said that, tho, there is one other troubling number: 2.
- 2 key guys are hurting, and there's no telling when (or if) they'll be good enough to help. Mike Lowell's hip is a mess, and he can barely run or field. The Sox need his bat AND glove, because Lowell at 3rd puts Youk at 1B and gives the Sox an above-average fielder at ALL the infield positions. And there's the J.D. Drew saga... say what you want about him, but his mere presence in the line-up makes the Sox so much more dangerous. He lengthens the line-up, gives Papi/Youk/Lowell/Bay protection, and plays great defense and lets Ellsbury relax and play CF. They need him, and heh as to come back.
- 2 spots in the pitching staff are up for grabs. With Beckett/Lester/Dice-K, the Sox have maybe the best 1/2/3 in the AL right now, with each guy capable of dominating. However, they need a No. 4 starter, and right now the candidates are Wakefield, Byrd and Colon... and all three have questions. Most likely, they won't have to worry about a No. 5 starter, but they will need a long guy out of the bullpen, and they have those three guys competing for those 2 spots.
- 2 games out. Like I said, the Sox winning the AL East is the best possible outcome over the next two weeks. Win the East, and they have home-field advantage for the 1st round and maybe the 2nd round if the Angels get knocked out. So logic would dictate that if the Sox win just two more games than the Rays in the next two weeks, they will win the division. Not so fast, tho; the Sox lost both key tiebreakers by dropping this series (head to head record and divisional record). So in reality, the Sox need to win THREE more games than the Rays to take the AL East title outright. Not impossible, mind you; the Sox have all 7 of their remaining 10 games at home (against the Indians & Yankees), while Tampa will have 8 of 12 on the road. It COULD happen.

I'm not scared. Why should I be? The Sox have won two world championships in the last four years, all while completely making over the entire roster. It's just that playing all those games last season to win the World Series (162 regular season plus 14 more in the post-season) may be catching up to this team through fatigue, injuries and an unexpected rival who just won't go away in the Rays.

Either way, I'm ready for the postseason.

I just wouldn't be a Sawx fan if I didn't feel a little nervous about all of the above.

Monday, September 15, 2008

Our accents... (sigh)

I know this won't be a popular post, but it drives me nuts when I go somewhere like Fenway or out in Boston and I hear "F-in ree-taaahd!" from some knucklehead.

Look, I get it -- Bostonians have an accent and are provincial, and part of the fun for tourists to visit "Baw-Stahn" is to hear our accent, memorialized in "The Departed" and "Good Will Hunting" and "Gone Baby Gone." Go anywhere in America and you will find similar (simi-lah?) examples of local accents from "REAL (fill in the blank)-ians"...

But it's like nails on chalkboard everytime I hear some ciggy-butt smoking six-toothed moron talking about how they "gawt wrecked at the bah and told that kid he was reetahded."

Sure it's charming and funny. But after 10 innings of listening to the alligator-skinned, summer-teeth having, perma-tan woman behind me at the Sox game the other night... let's just say I think everyone's IQ dropped a full point listening to her.

Friday, September 12, 2008

Big Weekend!


If it's mid-September, then it must be time for a pennant race here in Boston. This year, as it has been for the last 10, is no different -- give or take a few off years (I'm looking at you, 00-02), as the Sox get ready to take on the Birds of Blue from Toronto.

Or, as the inimitable Joe Castiglione calls 'em on the Sox radio play-by-play, the "Torontonians."

The Blue Jays are in town for 4 games in 3 days, and are the hottest team in baseball, winning 11 of their last 12. They are also 6.5 back in the wild card race, trailing your hometown Red Sox. Am I worried?

A little...

Not about the Blue Jays, mind you. The Sox are gonna be in the playoffs. Have no fear.

What worries me is:
A) During Wednesday night's 14-inning affair, the Sox showed a remarkable ability to NOT get a big hit. I was at the game with the lovely Mrs. Wikked Hahd and, as much as I enjoyed watching Beckett snap off his curveball and frustrate the Rays, it was a little worrisome that the Sox had about 5-6 chance to win the game and couldn't come thru.
B) Big Papi... he looks, umm, a little frustrated that he doesn't have his usual protection. Look, I love Youkilis as much as the next guy and think the guy is having an unbvelievable year, but -- gulp -- he's no Manny, and opposing pitchers know this. And Papi is feeling that loss of protection, as evidenced by the rash of pop-ups he's been hitting lately. I'm hoping it's just a little mid-September slump, but it's a little concerning to see Papi like this. After one of his at-bats, he nearly broke his bat on his thigh -- a sign of frustration I'm not sure we've seen since early May when he was hitting .190.
C) Mike Timlin. Love his competitiveness, he's a great leader and a real gamer. But he's done. Check out this blog... 'Nuff said.
D) Jacoby Ellsbury... he's fast, his defense is awesome (his catch Wednesday night was even more impressive in person) and he is a star in the making, but he HAS got to start getting on base consistently to take the pressure off the rest of the lineup. Paired with Pedroia at the top of the order, they make the Red Sox engine go, and he needs to kick in gear.


Anyway -- I'm still excited for the September pennant race and the postseason (I got my official RedSox.com postseason ticket lottery email yesterday), but would love to see some of these issues ironed out before we start spending quality time with Joe Buck and Tim McCarver on a nightly basis.


Go Sawx!

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

New format, new header, new... everything.


So it's been a while since I've posted, well, anything. As such, it's time to shake it up.

From now on, I promise to be more diligent in posting and commenting (commentating?) on what ever is happening.

Starting today...

Tom Brady's gone. There; I said it. Deal with it.

It sucks... and now we, as fans, have a choice. Piss, moan and complain all season about "What could have been?!?!" or buckle down and start supporting the Pats. Because you can bet your ass the first thing Belichick told his players -- and the first thing the captains of this year's squad backed up -- was "He's gone. Suck it up and play your game, and we'll play our game, and we'll be in Tampa in February."

And that probably happened around 8 a.m. yesterday morning (Monday).

So what if Matt Cassell hasn't started a game since high school? So what if this makes an undefeated season a virtual impossibility? So what if Brady won't be able to become the first multi-MVP winner since Favre in the '90s. The Jets plan on showing up next Sunday at the Meadowlands, and I know Belichick and the Pats will be there as well. And I expect a hard-fought game that will come down to the 4th quarter and the final few possessions.

And I expect all of us fans to be right there for the Pats. I know I will.