Sunday, December 6, 2009
Post for Week 14
So far, not so fantastic for our investigative piece. We have called 5 different sheriffs, all of which took our information multiple times and none of which have called us back. We called the state highway patrol office Thursday, and they still haven't called us back. I've never had so much trouble with people calling back, but then public officials aren't always too easy. A Missouri Missing lady said she would do a phone interview, so we have that going. We are hoping to call like crazy Monday since we are so low on time, but so far not a completely pleasant final project.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Post for Week 13
This week I did a blog post for KMOV recapping the Mizzou-Iowa State game. I mainly focused on how the game was covered via Twitter, since this particular game was not televised anywhere. There are multiple good twitter accounts that cover the football games very well, and a few even were linking me to online places I could listen to the game on the radio.
I also posted some Twitter posts from players like Blaine Gabbert and Danario Alexander.
And seriously, how about Danario Alexander?? The man is an absolute freak of nature. He's enormous (6-5, 215 pounds), he runs amazing routes, and he is seemingly faster than anyone else on the football field. He comes off the line like a sprinter and makes some incredible catches. In the past three games, he has caught an ungodly 34 passes for 587 yards.
I mean, Jeremy Maclin was impressive, but this guy is looking even better. He is going to wow some people at the NFL combine, and scouts will look back at these ridiculous numbers. I think his draft stock could soar this off-season, and for good reason. This guy is going to be a fantastic NFL receiver.
But enough sports ranting.
I also posted some Twitter posts from players like Blaine Gabbert and Danario Alexander.
And seriously, how about Danario Alexander?? The man is an absolute freak of nature. He's enormous (6-5, 215 pounds), he runs amazing routes, and he is seemingly faster than anyone else on the football field. He comes off the line like a sprinter and makes some incredible catches. In the past three games, he has caught an ungodly 34 passes for 587 yards.
I mean, Jeremy Maclin was impressive, but this guy is looking even better. He is going to wow some people at the NFL combine, and scouts will look back at these ridiculous numbers. I think his draft stock could soar this off-season, and for good reason. This guy is going to be a fantastic NFL receiver.
But enough sports ranting.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Post for Week 12
This week's story was interesting and really different from anything I've ever done before. We followed a 24 hour play festival, live tweeted what was going on, and updated a live blog. I am not on Twitter and really don't know very much about it, but I thought it was really cool that we had people following us. I think our blog was viewed 1,167 times and we were followed by 38 people on Twitter. It was exhausting waiting through the 24 hour play and covering it constantly, but I think our story came out well. I shot, edited, and voiced the video and I thought i came out alright. There were a few problems with the sound in a couple of spots, but overall solid I think.
Good experience though, maybe these types of stories will be the future of journalism.
Good experience though, maybe these types of stories will be the future of journalism.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Post for Week 11
This week I did my shift for KMOV. I wrote a recap for the football game, though I didn't go to the football game. I heard a lot of people talking about it though, about how our defense looked completely helpless against one of the worst offenses in the Big 12 who didn't even have it's starting quarterback. I wrote about the general frustration fans went through after this tough loss, and I also wrote that it might be time for Mizzou to throw out the spread offense so they can develop their running game a bit more.
The reason I couldn't go to the game was because I had to cover the 24 hour play in the Arts and Science building. Five teams were assembled, each with a playwright and a director and actors, and they were to produce a play within 24 hours. It was actually really cool, but exhausting staying there all day and missing a football game in great weather. We live blogged for the story and got a lot of page views, so that's good. We also took video and got some pictures and audio, so hopefully the story for this week comes together well.
The reason I couldn't go to the game was because I had to cover the 24 hour play in the Arts and Science building. Five teams were assembled, each with a playwright and a director and actors, and they were to produce a play within 24 hours. It was actually really cool, but exhausting staying there all day and missing a football game in great weather. We live blogged for the story and got a lot of page views, so that's good. We also took video and got some pictures and audio, so hopefully the story for this week comes together well.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Post for Week 10
This week my team again had trouble finding a topic to report on. We submitted several that kept getting turned down, then we finally landed on doing a swine flu story. This was interesting because myself and another person in my group (Matt) worked together on a swine flu story earlier in the semester. That story was on how H1N1 affected students and teachers within the university, and this one was about the H1N1 vaccines. We talked to Health Department members, physicians, a school nurse, university health professionals, parents, etc. We got pretty lucky with our visuals, as Boone County's first walk-in clinic was scheduled only a day after we chose our topic. We got to go inside the clinic and take pictures of children getting shots, and some of them came out really good. There was a great picture I got of a baby girl crying as she was given the shot. We ended up writing a long text piece, doing a radio segment about shots containing thimerosal (a vaccine preservative that frightens some people), using a few pictures, and Amanda is good with Flash so she made a cool infographic about the different kinds of vaccines. This was probably the best work I've helped produce all semester, and our grade was fantastic so I'm glad the editors thought the same.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Post for Week 9
My last Missourian shift was a cold and frankly unpleasant one. I was assigned to go out with a photographer and capture the atmosphere of the Greek homecoming festivities. Unfortunately, the atmosphere was cold, rainy, cold, and more cold. People certainly showed up though, with children, alumni, students, and Columbia residents packing the streets of Greek town to see the skits and pomp. I did the audio for the homecoming slideshow, then went back and chopped out some clips I liked and the photographer matched them up with the photos he took. I was sort of bummed I got no credit in the Missourian for the audio, but whatever.
http://www.columbiamissourian.com/stories/2009/10/24/slideshow-all-decked-out-homecoming-2009/
http://www.columbiamissourian.com/stories/2009/10/24/slideshow-all-decked-out-homecoming-2009/
Friday, October 16, 2009
Post for Week 8
This week, my team did a story on Glen Ward, a local drummer who works for the Columbia Parks and Recreation Center and teaches kids how to drum for no charge. He was an extremely lively and talkative subject and gave us a lot of good information about his life.
He was a part of Roulette Records for a while and played concerts with famous acts such as Tommy James and the Shondells and Joni Mitchell. He had a really cool story about him meeting Joni Mitchell backstage. He offered her a shot of Seagrams and played some piano with her.
He eventually came to Columbia and formed some local bands such as the Kansas City Street Band. He was then hired by the city and began teaching drums to children. He also formed Citywide Drum Method, a marching band consisting of many of his students.
This was a really cool story because Ward was a very interesting personality with a rich history in the music industry.
He was a part of Roulette Records for a while and played concerts with famous acts such as Tommy James and the Shondells and Joni Mitchell. He had a really cool story about him meeting Joni Mitchell backstage. He offered her a shot of Seagrams and played some piano with her.
He eventually came to Columbia and formed some local bands such as the Kansas City Street Band. He was then hired by the city and began teaching drums to children. He also formed Citywide Drum Method, a marching band consisting of many of his students.
This was a really cool story because Ward was a very interesting personality with a rich history in the music industry.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Post for Week 7
This week I started my Missourian shift and covered another really interesting event. The event was Artrageous Friday, which occurs on the fourth Friday of each quarter and involved Rock Bridge high school students creating very impressive, unique paintings and other pieces. Courtney wanted me to try and get there pretty early to get interviews, around 5:00, but they told me not to come back until 6:00, so I passed time and ate some Chipotle then came back and everyone was more than willing to talk while they were working.
It was an intriguing form of art that I had never witnessed before. Students would be working on a painting, then their teacher, Sharyn Hyatt-Wade, would blow a whistle and everyone would switch and work on a different painting. It was like a Chinese fire drill, but with art.
Things really picked up when a group of drummers from Rock Bridge came by and began playing music for the event. There had to be at least 50 spectators on the street watching the beautiful mayhem. More and more drummers kept showing up and eventually dancers showed up, but it was not till really late so there wasn't enough light to get pictures of them.
I came back and loaded my audio and photos at the Missourian, but my editor Jenn Elston had to leave for a group meeting. I came back this afternoon and we met up and finished my slide show and I think it turned out pretty well. Good nat sound and clear interviews.
One of the coolest events I've covered as a student journalist, though.
Also, Soundslides was not on the computer I was working on at the Missourian, so I had to download the demo, so at the start of my piece it says "Made with Soundslides Demo." Hope that's not a big problem...
http://www.columbiamissourian.com/multimedia/slideshow/2009/10/10/rock-bridge-students-display-unique-art-artrageous/
It was an intriguing form of art that I had never witnessed before. Students would be working on a painting, then their teacher, Sharyn Hyatt-Wade, would blow a whistle and everyone would switch and work on a different painting. It was like a Chinese fire drill, but with art.
Things really picked up when a group of drummers from Rock Bridge came by and began playing music for the event. There had to be at least 50 spectators on the street watching the beautiful mayhem. More and more drummers kept showing up and eventually dancers showed up, but it was not till really late so there wasn't enough light to get pictures of them.
I came back and loaded my audio and photos at the Missourian, but my editor Jenn Elston had to leave for a group meeting. I came back this afternoon and we met up and finished my slide show and I think it turned out pretty well. Good nat sound and clear interviews.
One of the coolest events I've covered as a student journalist, though.
Also, Soundslides was not on the computer I was working on at the Missourian, so I had to download the demo, so at the start of my piece it says "Made with Soundslides Demo." Hope that's not a big problem...
http://www.columbiamissourian.com/multimedia/slideshow/2009/10/10/rock-bridge-students-display-unique-art-artrageous/
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Post for Week 6
Pretty hectic week 6. My journalism team struggled to find a story idea, as all of the contacts for our original story ideas were either out of town or would not talk to us. Monday we finally decided to do a study about how stress from swine flu affects students and a general study of the swine flu epidemic around this campus. My team member Yara and I interviewed an emerging infections coordinator for the Missouri Department of Health. We held an hour long interview with him and now I probably know way too much about swine flu and will be paranoid about a pandemic for the next couple of years.
I also interviewed several professors who hold large lecture halls as well as the assistant dean of the A&S department, then wrote a text piece on how professors are dealing with the campus-wide problem. We interviewed students who had swine flu also, and asked them about the stress they go through when they are required to keep up, but at the same time are told to stay home from school. I start my Missourian shift next week.
I also interviewed several professors who hold large lecture halls as well as the assistant dean of the A&S department, then wrote a text piece on how professors are dealing with the campus-wide problem. We interviewed students who had swine flu also, and asked them about the stress they go through when they are required to keep up, but at the same time are told to stay home from school. I start my Missourian shift next week.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Post for Week 5
This week at KOMU was a very cool reporting shift. I was paired with JoBeth again, since she is one of the only Friday reporters, and we went to the Roots 'N Blues 'N BBQ festival to do a story about a Gibson trailer with tons of vintage guitars they were letting people play. The guitars were unbelievable, they were all vintage and ranged in value from $4,000 to $15,ooo. They had original Les Pauls and SGs and pretty much every great Gibson guitar. I play guitar, so this was really cool for me, and we had a lot of downtime waiting for our contact so I got to play some of the guitars while we waited. I really wanted to steal one but that would probably be wrong. They wouldn't even let anyone play the $15,000 which was in a big glass case. I'm not sure what made it $15,000 but it was very nice to look at. It must have been an original or one of 15 ever made or owned by Eric Clapton or something. Anyway, we listened to some blues and played some guitars and I had one of the best pulled pork sandwiches I've ever had, so all in all it was a good shift. I also thought I took some pretty good pictures and the people at the station really liked them, so that was nice. I think my slide show got messed up, but the first few photos in there and the ones next to the story are mine. Great last KOMU shift, though.
Gibson Guitars story
Gibson Guitars story
Post for Week 4
During week 4, we worked on a fairly widely covered story about the closing of Reactor Field for tailgating. We missed out on tailgating for the first Mizzou game, but I suppose we got to attend tailgates and interview tailgaters. We interviewed about 6 students from East Campus and a few parents and students near the stadium the day of the game. No cops or people guarding Reactor Field would talk to us. Later in the week, we interviewed an officer at MU police and I found a good article on other schools that have made parking restrictions in the past. I emailed all of the schools listed in the article, and only Georgia and NC State got back to me. The assistant athletic director at Georgia was nice enough to do a phone interview with me, which was cool since that's a huge football school. We also interviewed MSA members and tried to talk to bars, but they were reluctant to talk to us.
We had a bit of trouble finding people who actually could comment on how they think these parking restrictions would play out, so our story didn't come out as great as I had hoped. The best info we got, I think, was that the other athletic directors felt like the students were just fine at their schools. There wasn't much of a public outcry at the schools that got back to me, while at Mizzou there are petition groups and student organizations going nuts. But at the same time, those schools had other big parking lots they didn't close, while Reactor was one of the only places students could tailgate.
We had a bit of trouble finding people who actually could comment on how they think these parking restrictions would play out, so our story didn't come out as great as I had hoped. The best info we got, I think, was that the other athletic directors felt like the students were just fine at their schools. There wasn't much of a public outcry at the schools that got back to me, while at Mizzou there are petition groups and student organizations going nuts. But at the same time, those schools had other big parking lots they didn't close, while Reactor was one of the only places students could tailgate.
Post for Week 3
The first week of stories and my first KOMU shift were very interesting. For our first team assignment, we did a story about student parents at Mizzou and the complexity of their lives. They really have no time for a social life and all of their time and effort goes into caring for their children and trying to get through school with respectable grades. We also found that many student parents feel the university does not provide adequate support for them, and the university refused to comment on the matter. I often get really sick of school and feel crammed, but something I learned from this story is how much harder some people have to work to get through school. Since a college education is so essential in today's society, students parents don't have much of a choice but to live two very complex lives with usually very little income in the process. Stories like this make you think how hard some people's lives are.
My first KOMU shift wasn't a blast, but it was alright. It's kind of difficult to get excited about E. Coli. JoBeth Davis, one of her B2 shadows, and I drove out to the Jefferson City Department of National Resources and were shown how lake water is tested for E. Coli. I thought I got some pretty cool photos, especially one that looks inside a blacklight machine, which causes the samples to glow if E. Coli is present. Here is a link to the story I helped work on
E. Coli Story
My first KOMU shift wasn't a blast, but it was alright. It's kind of difficult to get excited about E. Coli. JoBeth Davis, one of her B2 shadows, and I drove out to the Jefferson City Department of National Resources and were shown how lake water is tested for E. Coli. I thought I got some pretty cool photos, especially one that looks inside a blacklight machine, which causes the samples to glow if E. Coli is present. Here is a link to the story I helped work on
E. Coli Story
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Rangers and Raimis
Howdy fellers, another post after another long delay...expect this more often because I keep attempting to post on a consistent basis and it just doesn't happen. Anywho, the first thing I want to talk about is why I am somewhat worried about the Rangers, who unbelievably have the best record in the entire American League. I should be ecstatic, but there are things that constantly trouble me with this team and leave me to believe that they are in for a rough fall from the top. A few things I have noticed:
1. They seem to have trouble hitting the ball, which is fucking typical, seeing as that's the one thing that's been there for this team for an entire decade. They're jacking plenty of balls out of the home run crazy Ballpark in Arlington, but the team as a whole is not getting good contact on the ball. Every starting pitcher that goes against us seems to fan at least 8 batters per game, and players like Hamilton, Murphy, Salty, and (...) Chris Davis have batting averages sitting at .255 and below for the year and are K-ing like crazy. Even Kinsler, who started off as hot as he ever has, has dropped from .400 to .279 in less than a month's time. Chris Davis lately has been an absolute frustration at-bat after at-bat. He continually gets behind in the count and on every single fucking 1-2 or 0-2 count, pitchers know exactly what to pitch at him because the league knows he will swing at nearly anything. He struck out six times Friday. SIX TIMES. Granted, it was a doubleheader, but that is still ridiculous. If we want to stay ahead of the Angels, the hitting just has to be there.
2. The pitching is going to drop off. It's inevitable. It's already beginning to happen. Harrison got absolutely shelled against the Yankees and I know for a fact Matt Harrison is not a guy that is going to keep up consistent performance. It seems like Matt is either absolutely fantastic, going 9 innings and shutting out teams or he gives up 7 runs in like 3 innings. Most of the time it is the latter, and Matt just got sent to the DL so we don't know how well he will recover. I would also be shocked if Feldman keeps up what he has been doing. Holland hasn't looked good on the stat sheets, but he definitely has great velocity and nice movement on his pitches and I think he can eliminate the mistakes enough to be a really good pitcher next season, maybe at the end of this season with some luck. Millwood hasn't been pitching nearly as well as early in the year, but I feel he can sit around a 4 ERA for the season and at least be decent, and the same goes for Padilla. McCarthy might have been the most impressive pitcher in the rotation so far. He only really had one bad game against Oakland where he gave up 7 runs in 4 innings, and the rest has been consistently solid pitching. He also is the only starter that can rack up lots of strikeouts in a given outing. The bullpen has been unreal lately, though that could easily be attributed to the starters staying in so long. I'm trying to stay optimistic that the starters will be able to stay in games and put out quality starts, but I just think they are going to wear themselves out too much and the Texas heat will catch up with them.
3. Ron Washington is a very, very bad manager. I really think he is leaving the starters in way too long on multiple occasions and though I'd like to buy into all this DFW media hype about how the pitchers "improved their stamina" in the offseason, it's just too hard to believe that there would be this much change this fast. It's going to get hotter, the pitchers are going to tire more, and being at the top of the AL in starter's innings pitched right now doesn't help much. We already have had two starters and our closer go to the DL for some period of time, so I just hope everyone can stay healthy and stay fresh enough to pitch late in the season. Most of these pitchers are not built for these kinds of innings. Ron also manages the lineup terribly. I don't know why the fuck Andrus is not batting leadoff yet...Kinsler could drive in so many more runs if he was in the 3 or 4 hole and it appears he has developed into the kind of power hitter that can be slotted there. Andrus is an absolutely perfect leadoff man, especially if he keeps hitting over .280. And Marlon Byrd should NEVER be batting in front of Nelson Cruz EVER and nor should Andruw Jones. Putting Andruw behind Hamilton does not give Ham much protection at all, and I'm certain Andruw is going to come down to earth soon and stop putting up these mediocre numbers everyone is all giddy about. The lineup, no questions asked, should be as follows:
1. Andrus
2. Young
3. Kinsler
4. Hamilton
5. Cruz
6. Blalock/Jones
7. Byrd/Murph
8. Davis
9. Salty
Move Davis above Byrd whenever he comes out of this atrocious funk he is in. But seriously, if this team just tanks late in the year and drops way behind the Angels, Washington needs to be fired on the spot. If he's not I'm going to put Nolan Ryan in a headlock and punch him in the head.
4. The upcoming stretch, from June 2 to June 14, includes at New York, at Fenway, Toronto, and the MLB best Dodgers. We have not played well against good teams lately, and this stretch frankly scares the living shit out of me. If we lose enough of those games, the team confidence is going to turn to diarhea and it could lead to a stumble into the all star break that I don't want to witness. I'm crossing my fingers and hanging up rabbits feet and around the television for this stretch.
The one thing that has been fantastic is the defense, and maybe, just MAYBE that can keep a couple of runs off the boards every game and keep us in 1st. I really, really want this team to do well this season, but something tells me 2010 is a chance for the Range to do special things. It would be a nice bonus to make the 2009 playoffs though =D
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DRAG ME TO HELL
I'll also do my first Ryanoplasty mini-movie review on a movie I highly anticipated and was quite pleased with. Drag Me to Hell was directed and written by Sam Raimi, who was responsible for possibly my favorite movie trilogy of all time. The Evil Dead movies are simply the most perfect horror movies ever made with the perfect blend of Raimi slapstick humor and brilliant terror.
I walked into Drag Me to Hell expecting an Evil Dead with a hot blonde rather than Bruce Campbell. It wasn't, but I still thoroughly enjoyed the movie.
Firstly, Alison Lohman is absolutely gorgeous and was really good in this movie, except for a few failed Bruce Campbell-esque lines that Bruce could have pulled off without flinching...but really, no one can pull off those lines like Bruce can. I know what Sam was trying to do, and I forgive him. I don't want to give too much away, but one was "EAT IT, BITCH" or something along those lines, while she was shoving [something] into [evil lady's] mouth. Other than a couple of those moments that sort of made me shake my head, she was great.
The plot was kind of silly, but amazing in a Raimi way, and a few of the scenes were legendary as far as horror films go. The scene towards the end where the four sit around the table and try to cast out the curse ranks up there with some of Raimi's best scenes, and many parts of it give you fond memories of Evil Dead 2. Every part where Lohman would get tormented by the curse in her home was fun as hell (heh heh) and there were tons of really funny gimmicks that every non-Raimi horror film lacks. My theory is that horror movies should never take themselves seriously ever, because the plot of every horror movie is filled with stupid supernatural bullshit that never makes any sense. Most horror films just take a shitty premice, like a ghost, a witch, an evil kid, a creepy horny old guy with a mask, an evil tooth fairy, whatever, and they just throw in alot of stupid jump scenes and make actresses scream and actually try to scare the audience. Raimi reallizes that horror movies are fucking stupid by nature, so he influxes into the movie awesome, hilarious things like old ladies getting hit in the head a hundred times or eyeballs flying off into peoples mouths or goats screaming demonic phrases. When he has Bruce Campbell, the comedy elevates to a whole new, untouchable level.
Raimi did make this film a much more conventional horror flick in many ways, which kind of pissed me off. Anyone that has watched a horror movie knows they ALWAYS have 4 or 5 "jump scenes" early in the movie before the actual movie starts. One thing I always liked about Evil Dead movies is that they never beat around the bush and they just dive right into the action and keep it going the entire movie. Drag Me to Hell was modeled like today's conventional horror movie in that it had stupid "jump scenes" and not much happened besides that for about 30 minutes except for a, I might say, rather enjoyable fight between the old lady and Lohman. DMTH also had a kind of stupid twist that every single horror movie since the 6th sense has had, but I've seen worse twists I suppose. These things made it feel more like a shitty horror movie that comes out every week, but don't get me wrong, this film has elements that place it high above any horror movie I've seen in a long time. Sam working with an actual big studio probably is what required him to apply some conventional horror rules, which sucks, but whatever.
A great horror movie should also never have a happy ending. What kind of horror movie ends happily??? Living happily ever after isn't scary. You're not supposed to walk out with a smile knowing that everyone made it out okay. You want everyone to fucking die!!! Or get dragged to hell, or whatever. Raimi understands this, that's all I'll say.
Justin Long kind of sucked too...and I'll just go ahead and blame the studio for that too. He wasn't as annoying as I thought he would be, but come on, it's Justin Long. He sucks.
Overall, I will give this movie an 8/10 as an actual movie, but a definite 10/10 on a horror movie scale. Sam is brilliant and his return to horror was very very good. I went in with super high expectations, and the fact that I was satisfied should say how good a horror movie this really is. If you like the Evil Dead trilogy or just a fine horror film, see it. Now.
RATING: 8/10
1. They seem to have trouble hitting the ball, which is fucking typical, seeing as that's the one thing that's been there for this team for an entire decade. They're jacking plenty of balls out of the home run crazy Ballpark in Arlington, but the team as a whole is not getting good contact on the ball. Every starting pitcher that goes against us seems to fan at least 8 batters per game, and players like Hamilton, Murphy, Salty, and (...) Chris Davis have batting averages sitting at .255 and below for the year and are K-ing like crazy. Even Kinsler, who started off as hot as he ever has, has dropped from .400 to .279 in less than a month's time. Chris Davis lately has been an absolute frustration at-bat after at-bat. He continually gets behind in the count and on every single fucking 1-2 or 0-2 count, pitchers know exactly what to pitch at him because the league knows he will swing at nearly anything. He struck out six times Friday. SIX TIMES. Granted, it was a doubleheader, but that is still ridiculous. If we want to stay ahead of the Angels, the hitting just has to be there.
2. The pitching is going to drop off. It's inevitable. It's already beginning to happen. Harrison got absolutely shelled against the Yankees and I know for a fact Matt Harrison is not a guy that is going to keep up consistent performance. It seems like Matt is either absolutely fantastic, going 9 innings and shutting out teams or he gives up 7 runs in like 3 innings. Most of the time it is the latter, and Matt just got sent to the DL so we don't know how well he will recover. I would also be shocked if Feldman keeps up what he has been doing. Holland hasn't looked good on the stat sheets, but he definitely has great velocity and nice movement on his pitches and I think he can eliminate the mistakes enough to be a really good pitcher next season, maybe at the end of this season with some luck. Millwood hasn't been pitching nearly as well as early in the year, but I feel he can sit around a 4 ERA for the season and at least be decent, and the same goes for Padilla. McCarthy might have been the most impressive pitcher in the rotation so far. He only really had one bad game against Oakland where he gave up 7 runs in 4 innings, and the rest has been consistently solid pitching. He also is the only starter that can rack up lots of strikeouts in a given outing. The bullpen has been unreal lately, though that could easily be attributed to the starters staying in so long. I'm trying to stay optimistic that the starters will be able to stay in games and put out quality starts, but I just think they are going to wear themselves out too much and the Texas heat will catch up with them.
3. Ron Washington is a very, very bad manager. I really think he is leaving the starters in way too long on multiple occasions and though I'd like to buy into all this DFW media hype about how the pitchers "improved their stamina" in the offseason, it's just too hard to believe that there would be this much change this fast. It's going to get hotter, the pitchers are going to tire more, and being at the top of the AL in starter's innings pitched right now doesn't help much. We already have had two starters and our closer go to the DL for some period of time, so I just hope everyone can stay healthy and stay fresh enough to pitch late in the season. Most of these pitchers are not built for these kinds of innings. Ron also manages the lineup terribly. I don't know why the fuck Andrus is not batting leadoff yet...Kinsler could drive in so many more runs if he was in the 3 or 4 hole and it appears he has developed into the kind of power hitter that can be slotted there. Andrus is an absolutely perfect leadoff man, especially if he keeps hitting over .280. And Marlon Byrd should NEVER be batting in front of Nelson Cruz EVER and nor should Andruw Jones. Putting Andruw behind Hamilton does not give Ham much protection at all, and I'm certain Andruw is going to come down to earth soon and stop putting up these mediocre numbers everyone is all giddy about. The lineup, no questions asked, should be as follows:
1. Andrus
2. Young
3. Kinsler
4. Hamilton
5. Cruz
6. Blalock/Jones
7. Byrd/Murph
8. Davis
9. Salty
Move Davis above Byrd whenever he comes out of this atrocious funk he is in. But seriously, if this team just tanks late in the year and drops way behind the Angels, Washington needs to be fired on the spot. If he's not I'm going to put Nolan Ryan in a headlock and punch him in the head.
4. The upcoming stretch, from June 2 to June 14, includes at New York, at Fenway, Toronto, and the MLB best Dodgers. We have not played well against good teams lately, and this stretch frankly scares the living shit out of me. If we lose enough of those games, the team confidence is going to turn to diarhea and it could lead to a stumble into the all star break that I don't want to witness. I'm crossing my fingers and hanging up rabbits feet and around the television for this stretch.
The one thing that has been fantastic is the defense, and maybe, just MAYBE that can keep a couple of runs off the boards every game and keep us in 1st. I really, really want this team to do well this season, but something tells me 2010 is a chance for the Range to do special things. It would be a nice bonus to make the 2009 playoffs though =D
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DRAG ME TO HELLI walked into Drag Me to Hell expecting an Evil Dead with a hot blonde rather than Bruce Campbell. It wasn't, but I still thoroughly enjoyed the movie.
Firstly, Alison Lohman is absolutely gorgeous and was really good in this movie, except for a few failed Bruce Campbell-esque lines that Bruce could have pulled off without flinching...but really, no one can pull off those lines like Bruce can. I know what Sam was trying to do, and I forgive him. I don't want to give too much away, but one was "EAT IT, BITCH" or something along those lines, while she was shoving [something] into [evil lady's] mouth. Other than a couple of those moments that sort of made me shake my head, she was great.
The plot was kind of silly, but amazing in a Raimi way, and a few of the scenes were legendary as far as horror films go. The scene towards the end where the four sit around the table and try to cast out the curse ranks up there with some of Raimi's best scenes, and many parts of it give you fond memories of Evil Dead 2. Every part where Lohman would get tormented by the curse in her home was fun as hell (heh heh) and there were tons of really funny gimmicks that every non-Raimi horror film lacks. My theory is that horror movies should never take themselves seriously ever, because the plot of every horror movie is filled with stupid supernatural bullshit that never makes any sense. Most horror films just take a shitty premice, like a ghost, a witch, an evil kid, a creepy horny old guy with a mask, an evil tooth fairy, whatever, and they just throw in alot of stupid jump scenes and make actresses scream and actually try to scare the audience. Raimi reallizes that horror movies are fucking stupid by nature, so he influxes into the movie awesome, hilarious things like old ladies getting hit in the head a hundred times or eyeballs flying off into peoples mouths or goats screaming demonic phrases. When he has Bruce Campbell, the comedy elevates to a whole new, untouchable level.
Raimi did make this film a much more conventional horror flick in many ways, which kind of pissed me off. Anyone that has watched a horror movie knows they ALWAYS have 4 or 5 "jump scenes" early in the movie before the actual movie starts. One thing I always liked about Evil Dead movies is that they never beat around the bush and they just dive right into the action and keep it going the entire movie. Drag Me to Hell was modeled like today's conventional horror movie in that it had stupid "jump scenes" and not much happened besides that for about 30 minutes except for a, I might say, rather enjoyable fight between the old lady and Lohman. DMTH also had a kind of stupid twist that every single horror movie since the 6th sense has had, but I've seen worse twists I suppose. These things made it feel more like a shitty horror movie that comes out every week, but don't get me wrong, this film has elements that place it high above any horror movie I've seen in a long time. Sam working with an actual big studio probably is what required him to apply some conventional horror rules, which sucks, but whatever.
A great horror movie should also never have a happy ending. What kind of horror movie ends happily??? Living happily ever after isn't scary. You're not supposed to walk out with a smile knowing that everyone made it out okay. You want everyone to fucking die!!! Or get dragged to hell, or whatever. Raimi understands this, that's all I'll say.
Justin Long kind of sucked too...and I'll just go ahead and blame the studio for that too. He wasn't as annoying as I thought he would be, but come on, it's Justin Long. He sucks.
Overall, I will give this movie an 8/10 as an actual movie, but a definite 10/10 on a horror movie scale. Sam is brilliant and his return to horror was very very good. I went in with super high expectations, and the fact that I was satisfied should say how good a horror movie this really is. If you like the Evil Dead trilogy or just a fine horror film, see it. Now.
RATING: 8/10
Saturday, April 18, 2009
NBA playoff fever
This might be the best time of year for sports with the NBA and NHL playoffs starting up, the MLB season beginning, and the NFL draft just around the corner. Only October compares, with baseball postseason and NFL season. I've got my baseball post done (though I really just restricted it to Rangers, heh) and I pay very little attention to the NHL outside of the Stars (growing up in Texas will do that to you). So, I thought I would do my first league-wide prediction post EVER on this blog over the NBA playoffs (where amazing happens). This could be a historic rookie performance, no too different from Derrick Rose exploding for 36 and 11 in his first playoff game. Odds point the other direction, though. I bet I get somewhere around the equivalent of 13 points and 6 boards in 22 minutes off the bench. We'll see, and review my picks in a later post. And I know it's sort of cheating since there has already been one day of NBA playoff action, but fuck it, I'm doing this anyway. Let's get started, shall we?
FIRST ROUND - WESTERN CONFERENCE
(1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (8) Utah Jazz - This series should be a cakewalk for the Lakers. They might have the best frontcourt in the NBA now that Bynum has come back after dealing with an injury plagued season yet again. This Lakers team is simply stacked across the board and has excellent size, defense, and scoring ability. Plus, they have the best player in the NBA in Kobe Bryant, who also happens to be somewhat experienced in this whole "playoffs" thing. The Jazz have struggled as much as any team in the league lately, losing 7 of their last 9, not to mention a recent drubbing by (guess who). Boozer also just hasn't been able to play at the level he played last year after returning from an injury that kept him out most of the first half of this season. From a talent standpoint, the Jazz should be able to play with the Lakers, but they are in a strange funk right now. The Jazz have an excellent home record this year and have been great at home for a couple of years, so they could maybe take a couple of home games. This is the Lakers, though, and I am only going to give them one.
PREDICTION: Lakers in 5
(2) Denver Nuggets vs. (7) New Orleand Hornets - This Nuggets team looks really dangerous right now. Chauncey Billups has completely changed the way the team plays, and they have drifted away from the selfish play and complete lack of defense whatsoever that was present in the Iverson era. This team is clicking on all cylinders right now and are 14-3 since March 11. Carmelo has been playing really well lately, even on defense, which I thought was virtually impossible. Isn't is great when great scorers start putting out some defensive effort? On the other side, I don't know really what to think of the New Orleans Hornets. They heavily relied on their role players last year, who have been less than stellar this season. Peja's shooting has gone completely cold, Tyson Chandler isn't nearly the inside presence he was, and the bench honestly just sucks. Chris Paul is unbelievable and to think where this would be without him makes me sad he hasn't won an MVP yet. He had my vote last year, and he should be high in the running this year. Chauncey is a good defender, but I think Chris Paul will put up some big numbers this series. Him and David West are really all this team has though and Denver is a pretty bad matchup for them.
PREDICTION: Nuggets in 6
(3) San Antonio Spurs vs. (6) Dallas Mavericks - Ah, my favorite rivalry is back again. Every time these two teams meet it is immaculate fun. I'll admit my overwhelming Mavericks bias and my overwhelming hate for the San Antonio Spurs, and there is no way that doesn't somehow influence my decision. But seriously, the Spurs have no Ginobili and the Mavericks have Howard for this series. These two could very well be the most important players to their respective teams, even though few seem to see them that way. Ginobili is the yin to Howard's yang; he gives the Spurs the same lift in scoring and defense that Howard gives to the Mavericks. The Spurs just will not be able to score enough points to stay with the Mavericks in this series with their key X-Factor gone. I think Tony Parker is going to have a huge series, since there are no Mavericks who can keep up with him. I also think Dirk will have a great series since no one on the Spurs can match up with him.
NOTE: This is one of those series where game 1 has already been played, and I loved the way the Mavericks contained Parker and Duncan. The Spurs bench looked terrible, the Mavs bench looked great. Dirk was even in foul trouble and had to sit an entire quarter and we still handily beat the Spurs. Another fun fact: the Spurs shot 11-14 from the arc and still lost the game. The long ball definitely won't be that easy for the rest of the series, and the Spurs really need to find someone else to score if they want to stay in this series.
PREDICTION: Mavericks in 6
(4) Portland Trail Blazers vs. (5) Houston Rockets- Another series where game 1 was already played and shit, did the Rockets ever make a statement. This just isn't a good matchup for the Trail Blazers at all and it is a shame, since they were coming into the playoffs as maybe the hottest team in basketball. Maybe it is the lack of playoff experience that is rearing its ugly head, but the Rockets also haven't made it out of the first round since the Olajuwon, Drexler, Barkley Rockets did it in 1997. Something's gotta give in this series. On paper, the Blazers have no answer for Yao except to hopefully get him in foul trouble and Artest can contain Brandon Roy on the perimeter. I figured LaMarcus Aldridge would have a pretty big series, but he was terrible in game 1. I still think he will bounce back and start scoring 20 a game for the team. The Blazers will make it a series, but they will fall short.
PREDICTION: Rockets in 7
EASTERN CONFERENCE
(1) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (8) Detroit Pistons - Ahem...
PREDICTION: Cavs in 4
(2) Boston Celtics vs. (7) Chicago Bulls - A very intriguing series, knowing that the first game went to the Bulls. Baby Bull fever is starting up again with a new and improved baby by the name of Derrick Rose. This speedy, big, polished, athletic freak of a baby showed the NBA world how he can take over a playoff game at this early stage of his career. Rose has all of the tools to be a bigger Chris Paul with a much better scoring ability. It's going to be fun to see him develop. I really don't see him putting up that kind of output again in this series, though, and I think the Celtics will show off their playoff swagger and take over this series in the next few games. The Bulls were incredibly lucky Paul Pierce didnt hit his 2nd free throw before time expired after an absolutely atrocious foul by Joakim Noah. I would be heaving things into the television I were a Bulls fan and saw that shithead staring blankly to the sidelines after hacking the best player on the floor up only 1 with 2 seconds left. Bulls came away with a great win, but I just don't think the Celtics are going to let themselves get beat in the first round.
PREDICTION: Celtics in 6
(3) Orlando Magic vs. (6) Philadelphia 76ers - Not much of a contest here. Dwight Howard has been arguably the most dominant player in the NBA all year and the Magic have a strong supporting cast in Alston, Turkoglu, and Lewis. 76ers don't stand much of a chance.
PREDICTION: Magic in 4
(4) Atlanta Hawks vs. (5) Miami Heat - This should be a really fun series. The Hawks are probably the most underrated team in basketball and the Heat have been playing great lately and have been fueled by an unreal 2nd half of the season by Dwyane Wade. The Hawks have some great young players and an all star calibur player in Joe Johnson. Their youth and athleticism could benefit them in this series. But, they don't have much of a way to stop Wade, who could have an absolutely monster series. 40 and 10 per game isn't completely unfathomable. Beasley has really come on lately as well, scoring 20+ in his last 5 with rebounding performances of 13, 13, and 16 before sitting most of the final game of the season. Wade will single handedly propel the Heat out of the first round and leave the Hawks with another disappointing first round exit. I really hate to underrate the most underrated team in basketball....sorry, Hawks. We're cool, right?
PREDICTION: Heat in 7
I'm going to post tomorrow and finish the rest of the playoff predictions, so stay toond! I'll leave you with this fine piece of journalistic reporting.
Till then....
FIRST ROUND - WESTERN CONFERENCE
(1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (8) Utah Jazz - This series should be a cakewalk for the Lakers. They might have the best frontcourt in the NBA now that Bynum has come back after dealing with an injury plagued season yet again. This Lakers team is simply stacked across the board and has excellent size, defense, and scoring ability. Plus, they have the best player in the NBA in Kobe Bryant, who also happens to be somewhat experienced in this whole "playoffs" thing. The Jazz have struggled as much as any team in the league lately, losing 7 of their last 9, not to mention a recent drubbing by (guess who). Boozer also just hasn't been able to play at the level he played last year after returning from an injury that kept him out most of the first half of this season. From a talent standpoint, the Jazz should be able to play with the Lakers, but they are in a strange funk right now. The Jazz have an excellent home record this year and have been great at home for a couple of years, so they could maybe take a couple of home games. This is the Lakers, though, and I am only going to give them one.
PREDICTION: Lakers in 5
(2) Denver Nuggets vs. (7) New Orleand Hornets - This Nuggets team looks really dangerous right now. Chauncey Billups has completely changed the way the team plays, and they have drifted away from the selfish play and complete lack of defense whatsoever that was present in the Iverson era. This team is clicking on all cylinders right now and are 14-3 since March 11. Carmelo has been playing really well lately, even on defense, which I thought was virtually impossible. Isn't is great when great scorers start putting out some defensive effort? On the other side, I don't know really what to think of the New Orleans Hornets. They heavily relied on their role players last year, who have been less than stellar this season. Peja's shooting has gone completely cold, Tyson Chandler isn't nearly the inside presence he was, and the bench honestly just sucks. Chris Paul is unbelievable and to think where this would be without him makes me sad he hasn't won an MVP yet. He had my vote last year, and he should be high in the running this year. Chauncey is a good defender, but I think Chris Paul will put up some big numbers this series. Him and David West are really all this team has though and Denver is a pretty bad matchup for them.
PREDICTION: Nuggets in 6
(3) San Antonio Spurs vs. (6) Dallas Mavericks - Ah, my favorite rivalry is back again. Every time these two teams meet it is immaculate fun. I'll admit my overwhelming Mavericks bias and my overwhelming hate for the San Antonio Spurs, and there is no way that doesn't somehow influence my decision. But seriously, the Spurs have no Ginobili and the Mavericks have Howard for this series. These two could very well be the most important players to their respective teams, even though few seem to see them that way. Ginobili is the yin to Howard's yang; he gives the Spurs the same lift in scoring and defense that Howard gives to the Mavericks. The Spurs just will not be able to score enough points to stay with the Mavericks in this series with their key X-Factor gone. I think Tony Parker is going to have a huge series, since there are no Mavericks who can keep up with him. I also think Dirk will have a great series since no one on the Spurs can match up with him.
NOTE: This is one of those series where game 1 has already been played, and I loved the way the Mavericks contained Parker and Duncan. The Spurs bench looked terrible, the Mavs bench looked great. Dirk was even in foul trouble and had to sit an entire quarter and we still handily beat the Spurs. Another fun fact: the Spurs shot 11-14 from the arc and still lost the game. The long ball definitely won't be that easy for the rest of the series, and the Spurs really need to find someone else to score if they want to stay in this series.
PREDICTION: Mavericks in 6
(4) Portland Trail Blazers vs. (5) Houston Rockets- Another series where game 1 was already played and shit, did the Rockets ever make a statement. This just isn't a good matchup for the Trail Blazers at all and it is a shame, since they were coming into the playoffs as maybe the hottest team in basketball. Maybe it is the lack of playoff experience that is rearing its ugly head, but the Rockets also haven't made it out of the first round since the Olajuwon, Drexler, Barkley Rockets did it in 1997. Something's gotta give in this series. On paper, the Blazers have no answer for Yao except to hopefully get him in foul trouble and Artest can contain Brandon Roy on the perimeter. I figured LaMarcus Aldridge would have a pretty big series, but he was terrible in game 1. I still think he will bounce back and start scoring 20 a game for the team. The Blazers will make it a series, but they will fall short.
PREDICTION: Rockets in 7
EASTERN CONFERENCE
(1) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (8) Detroit Pistons - Ahem...
PREDICTION: Cavs in 4
(2) Boston Celtics vs. (7) Chicago Bulls - A very intriguing series, knowing that the first game went to the Bulls. Baby Bull fever is starting up again with a new and improved baby by the name of Derrick Rose. This speedy, big, polished, athletic freak of a baby showed the NBA world how he can take over a playoff game at this early stage of his career. Rose has all of the tools to be a bigger Chris Paul with a much better scoring ability. It's going to be fun to see him develop. I really don't see him putting up that kind of output again in this series, though, and I think the Celtics will show off their playoff swagger and take over this series in the next few games. The Bulls were incredibly lucky Paul Pierce didnt hit his 2nd free throw before time expired after an absolutely atrocious foul by Joakim Noah. I would be heaving things into the television I were a Bulls fan and saw that shithead staring blankly to the sidelines after hacking the best player on the floor up only 1 with 2 seconds left. Bulls came away with a great win, but I just don't think the Celtics are going to let themselves get beat in the first round.
PREDICTION: Celtics in 6
(3) Orlando Magic vs. (6) Philadelphia 76ers - Not much of a contest here. Dwight Howard has been arguably the most dominant player in the NBA all year and the Magic have a strong supporting cast in Alston, Turkoglu, and Lewis. 76ers don't stand much of a chance.
PREDICTION: Magic in 4
(4) Atlanta Hawks vs. (5) Miami Heat - This should be a really fun series. The Hawks are probably the most underrated team in basketball and the Heat have been playing great lately and have been fueled by an unreal 2nd half of the season by Dwyane Wade. The Hawks have some great young players and an all star calibur player in Joe Johnson. Their youth and athleticism could benefit them in this series. But, they don't have much of a way to stop Wade, who could have an absolutely monster series. 40 and 10 per game isn't completely unfathomable. Beasley has really come on lately as well, scoring 20+ in his last 5 with rebounding performances of 13, 13, and 16 before sitting most of the final game of the season. Wade will single handedly propel the Heat out of the first round and leave the Hawks with another disappointing first round exit. I really hate to underrate the most underrated team in basketball....sorry, Hawks. We're cool, right?
PREDICTION: Heat in 7
I'm going to post tomorrow and finish the rest of the playoff predictions, so stay toond! I'll leave you with this fine piece of journalistic reporting.
Till then....
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Rangers, etc.
Hello again, universe. Sorry to not update you with anything for a while, but hey I'm back. And I suuuuuurrree love me some beisbol. That's Spanish for "baseball" for all of you non-Spaniards out there.
I'd like to spend this post talking about the Rangers in the spirit of beisbol season. The Rangers have opened their season with some signs of life and some signs of the same old Rangers who can't play defense, can't pitch, can't get outs, and therefore can't limit the pitches in their bullpen. Millwood has looked realll fuckin good after two starts, and the bullpen has shown a few sparks in Jason Jennings and Frankie Francisco. But luck hasn't necessarily been on our side the past few games. Millwood pitched 7 shutout innings Sunday, allowing only 4 hits (all singles), then CJ Wilson comes in to relieve him and gives up 6 runs, and we lose 6-4. Then the next night, Padilla gives up 7 earned, we climb back and the bullpen is solid, but we fall short 10-9. No one seems to be able to get everything together on the same night. But look, I'm a realist, and I know this bullpen has in general played like diarrhea and half the starters should not even have a shot to be on a major league mound, and I also know it is only April and is pretty ridiculous to evaluate a major league baseball team 7 games into their season. But saying that, I am still very optimistic about some soon-to come additions to this club.
Introducing Neftali Feliz and Derek Holland, two of baseball's most prized minor league arms. Feliz, a mere throw-in in the Teixeira deal, has evolved into, some say, the 2nd best pitching prospect in baseball only to David Price. MLB.com ranked him as the 9th best prospect in all of baseball and Baseball America ranked him number 10. He has posted an ERA that sits around 2.6 in the minors and has thrown a stifling 11.3 strikeouts per 9 in his minor league career. The guy is only 20, and he is said to be called up as early as this year.
Derek Holland is another prospect that came out of nowhere. Drafted in the 25th round of the 2006 draft, Holland has pitched his way into the list of top pitching prospects in America also. He is the #31 overall prospect on Baseball America's list and #49 on MLB.com's. Holland probably has the best chance of pushing his way into the Rangers rotation this year.
I have high expectations for this team not this year (though I think we make a late season push for a playoff spot), but in 2010 when this boatload of young pitchers (Feliz and Holland are only two of a huge crop of good young arms in our system) comes through and starts contributing. I could see some of these prospects faltering, but odds are that at least 2 or 3 really good pitchers come out of this bunch - Feliz looks like a virtual lock to be a solid ace in our rotation. And as I have been saying for years, if the Rangers can put together an at least average rotation and solid bullpen, we can contend. The hitting seems to always be there, and if we have respectable pitching, this team is a very young and talented force to be reckoned with.
I'll just hope Daniels does not decide to trade any more young pitching. Volquez, Danks, Chris Young, Armando Galarraga, and Millwood would not be a shabby starting rotation right now...
I'd like to spend this post talking about the Rangers in the spirit of beisbol season. The Rangers have opened their season with some signs of life and some signs of the same old Rangers who can't play defense, can't pitch, can't get outs, and therefore can't limit the pitches in their bullpen. Millwood has looked realll fuckin good after two starts, and the bullpen has shown a few sparks in Jason Jennings and Frankie Francisco. But luck hasn't necessarily been on our side the past few games. Millwood pitched 7 shutout innings Sunday, allowing only 4 hits (all singles), then CJ Wilson comes in to relieve him and gives up 6 runs, and we lose 6-4. Then the next night, Padilla gives up 7 earned, we climb back and the bullpen is solid, but we fall short 10-9. No one seems to be able to get everything together on the same night. But look, I'm a realist, and I know this bullpen has in general played like diarrhea and half the starters should not even have a shot to be on a major league mound, and I also know it is only April and is pretty ridiculous to evaluate a major league baseball team 7 games into their season. But saying that, I am still very optimistic about some soon-to come additions to this club.
Introducing Neftali Feliz and Derek Holland, two of baseball's most prized minor league arms. Feliz, a mere throw-in in the Teixeira deal, has evolved into, some say, the 2nd best pitching prospect in baseball only to David Price. MLB.com ranked him as the 9th best prospect in all of baseball and Baseball America ranked him number 10. He has posted an ERA that sits around 2.6 in the minors and has thrown a stifling 11.3 strikeouts per 9 in his minor league career. The guy is only 20, and he is said to be called up as early as this year.
Derek Holland is another prospect that came out of nowhere. Drafted in the 25th round of the 2006 draft, Holland has pitched his way into the list of top pitching prospects in America also. He is the #31 overall prospect on Baseball America's list and #49 on MLB.com's. Holland probably has the best chance of pushing his way into the Rangers rotation this year.
I have high expectations for this team not this year (though I think we make a late season push for a playoff spot), but in 2010 when this boatload of young pitchers (Feliz and Holland are only two of a huge crop of good young arms in our system) comes through and starts contributing. I could see some of these prospects faltering, but odds are that at least 2 or 3 really good pitchers come out of this bunch - Feliz looks like a virtual lock to be a solid ace in our rotation. And as I have been saying for years, if the Rangers can put together an at least average rotation and solid bullpen, we can contend. The hitting seems to always be there, and if we have respectable pitching, this team is a very young and talented force to be reckoned with.
I'll just hope Daniels does not decide to trade any more young pitching. Volquez, Danks, Chris Young, Armando Galarraga, and Millwood would not be a shabby starting rotation right now...
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