RobertR

Here's a name that should be out there. Paul Byrd. Not a top notch starter, perhaps, but a solid innings eater that's not going to cost anything but money. Robert

Let me get my semantics right. If he was expected to be a star, he'd have been a first rounder. Robert

FWIW, as a 2nd round pick, I don't think the Brewers or Gwynn have anything to regret. He's going to have some sort of major league career which is more than a lot of 2nd round picks can say. It's not an A grade for the pick, but it certainly was a decent use of the pick. Heck, if he was going to be a star, he have been a first rounder. Robert

If Gwynn can do that, then sure. I'm of the opinion that he's unlikely to do that because of his complete lack of power. He's not likely to draw many walks, because he can't really hurt you with the bat. And, it's worth remembering that power is something of a sympton. The root cause is a lack of bat speed. That's why teams challenge him inside all the time. His bat speed isn't enough to overcome good inside heat. It's also worth remembering that the lack of power and inability to pull the ball makes it that much harder for Gwynn to get a base hit. Outfielders are able to cheat in a few steps, reducing the gap between them and the infield. The rightfielder also doesn't have to guard the line. Not only does Gwynn lack the ability to hit the ball over the heads of outfielders, the gaps he has to work with are smaller than other hitters as well. Robert

Sure they do if they have speed. They find a soft spot in the defense, occasionally, and leg one out. Gwynn's XB rate is low. Even this year it's nothing special. League ISO in the NL is .147. It's .160 in the AL. For his career, Gwynn's ISO is .067. In AAA this year, it's .086. In SD this year, it's a still below average .124. Considering his AAA and career numbers, I know which one I'm considering a small sample size fluke/hot streak. And, even then, it's still below average. What's it going to be after the inevitable correction from his unsupportable BABIP? Seriously, his Petco hit chart is at http://sandiego.padres.mlb.com/stats/individual_player_hitting_chart.jsp?c_id=sd&playerID=448242&statType=1 . Look at the doubles, singles, and flyouts and try to make the argument that it shows any kind of power. Most of his flyballs are opposite field variety indicating that he just can't turn on the ball in the first place. The guy has hit two balls all year at Petco that can even be called deep. Robert

Who said every player has to have an .800 OPS or higher? The issues with Gwynn have very much to do with his very obvious limitations. The guy has zero power. That's not a combination for success in MLB. The guys that have succeeded with an OBP higher than their SLG can be counted on one hand. And, it's very obvious that pitchers know this as they continually challenge him inside. Since Gwynn very obviously hasn't developed any power, why should anyone believe he's going to have significantly more success in the long run? I'll be very surprised that after this hot streak ends if he doesn't rapidly approach his career norms. At 26, "he's young", doesn't cut it any more, either. That said, I'll agree that the difference between him and Chris Duffy was just one hot and healthy Spring and he has his uses. Someone wants to make an argument that he should have a job as a 5th outfielder, pinch runner, and defensive replacement, they'll get no argument from me. Heck, you want to make the argument that he should get an opportunity to show what he can do, as he's getting in San Diego, then fine to that too if the team can afford to take unlikely gambles and has plenty of playing time to spare, i.e. not a playoff contender. The idea that he's likely to succeed, that needs to end. Much less the more ludicrous talk radio position that he's the leadoff hitter that the Brewers were needing. Robert

Turner Classic Movies has a great lineup in the next few days. Preston Sturges. John Huston. Akira Kurosawa. Jacques Tourneur. Woody Allen. Billy Wilder. Howard Hawks. No filler, all great stuff. Robert

"What they don't know is that we've secretly replaced Katuluu with Armond White. Let's see if Brewerfan.net readers can tell the difference." Robert

Or, you could always sign Bush to an extension and get a young pitching prospect in return when you eventually move a Fielder, Hardy, Escobar, Hart, Weeks, etc. It's not like Suppan is going to be that hard to replace given his contract to performance. I think it's a mistake to just concentrate on one talent area of the Brewers and their farm system. Trades are made all the time. Heck, maybe we should wait until after this year's draft when one of the goals is to restock the system. And, even then, if one of the costs of contending is that you eventually have to rebuild, it's still better to have contended for a time rather than to be like the Pirates. Heck, Lee might even be the difference between contending and the World Series, which is something that needs to be considered at this part of the Brewers "success cycle". Obviously, there's a price where you say "no thanks", but you can't just look at the cost, you have to look at the potential benefit too. Robert

I saw UP this week and loved it. It's a real emotional rollercoaster from sheer sadness, the montage of the marriage of Carl and Ellie will break your heart, to breathtaking action and humor. You'll cry from sadness at the beginning and cry from happiness at the end. That montage I mentioned above is one of Pixar's finest moments. And probably absolutely essential as it puts the audience on Carl's side so we can understand what he's going through, even when he's being mean and selfish. It's very deft in how it handles it's message, including Russell's home life, and Carl literally carrying his past with him. And the dogs are flat out funny. Robert

I did orange duck on the grill yesterday. Turned out great. Basically like beer can chicken, except I used a 16 oz tall can and filled it half full with mostly orange juice, a little Grand Marnier, and some orange zest. Skin was poked to let fat drain. Bird was painted with olive oil, had an orange rubbed over it, and then seasoned with coarse salt and black pepper. Definitely need to use a drip pan, as a lot of fat will drain off the bird and you'll want to repoke it after an hour. Ready in about an hour and a half and finished it off with an orange barbeque sauce. I'm sure you could substitute chicken as well. Robert

Yeah, this isn't going to pass any kind of "cinema purity" test. I'm sure we could think of plenty of fun ideas for this format (50s sci fi double feature, for instance), but I can understand this general family format. Heck, they'll probably make more money this way. They really should try to get Star Wars, though. Robert

While I'm kind of up for messing with the "This Time It Counts" silliness of the All Star Game, I don't see this amounting to anything. And, if I was to vote for Milledge, I'd probably counter it with a vote for Julio Lugo. Robert

Yeah, Anchorman sticks out. (Watch, it will be the best attended.) I'd think something like Airplane! or The Naked Gun would fit better though. Edit: Considering its Jaws parody opening and its Milwaukee connection, I'm really surprised that Airplane! wasn't the natural pairing with Jaws. Robert

I'm a little iffy on the price point considering those are all movies that have been readily available on video for years and it seems unclear to me if you can bring in your own food, grills, etc. or not. If you can bring in your own stuff, that does tilt it in the direction of a pretty good deal to me and a potential nice use of the parking lots when they'd otherwise be sitting idle. Most of those scheduled movies are not exploitive enough for a drive-in though. Other than Jaws, that is. Robert

IIRC, Bob Melvin was none too popular when he was fired in Seattle. As I recall he was one of those managers that was completely enamored with the sacrifice bunt. Robert

Manny doesn't have a leg to stand on in a fight. Reports are that it wasn't a tainted supplement, but just him taking something from the banned substance list. "For medical reasons." He's going to have to have a heck of an explenation for why he's taking a woman's fertility drug though that jumpstarts testosterone production. Robert

I tend to think that since both leagues tend to carry the same amount of pitchers, there's nothing going on beyond simple economics. AL teams spend their budget on everyday players on 9 players and NL teams spend their budget on everyday players on 8 players, and since the leagues have similar resources, they get similar outcomes. $40 million worth of value, for instance, is $40 million worth of value. Robert

I have my tickets ordered to see Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson on July 1. Might try to catch something earlier in the day as well. Robert

This is why Zero Tolerance policies are dumb. You want to fine him for being late, then that's fine. Benching him and threatening to send him to the minors, as allegedly happened, is simply not seeing the big picture. Since Dukes doesn't pitch, it doesn't make a big difference in the record, but that's no excuse for behaving like a hall monitor with delusions of grandeur. Dukes has a much higher upside than Kearns does at this point, so developing him is a high priority. There's probably enough playing time to go around, especially since Dukes can play multiple positions, so I'm not buying the lack of playing time on anything other than shortsightedness. Robert

The only reason I didn't spitball Halloween earlier is because Carpenter is clearly referencing Psycho a lot. Sam Loomis is a prominent character name in both movies. Similar cars/license plates. And, of course, Janet Leigh's daughter. I agree that it's very influential, but Psycho is already on the list. Metropolis is on TCM's original list. I agree with everything you mention. M certainly wouldn't be out of place, but two Langs and two Fords would be tough to justify. Robert

Elsewhere I've seen suggestions for my "trashy and exploitive" slot of Night of the Living Dead/Dawn of the Dead, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Shaft. Maybe I should toss in Enter the Dragon. (Where's Katuluu when you need him?) I've also seen strong arguments for Easy Rider or Cassavettes's Shadows for an indie cinema slot. Robert

I'd really like to think of something trashy and exploitive to add to this list, but I'm drawing a blank. There's definitely a spot for something like that. SAW perhaps. Let me say that I think the list is fine for what it is. 15 is just too small to fit everything in and it's a good basic list. Here's a few more that I think would have been strongly considered. (I'm skipping many that have been mentioned earlier. You can add Toy Story to this list, for instance.) 1. The Gold Rush - Chaplin. Silent, feature length comedy. Do I need to elaborate? 2. Nosferatu - Expressionistic horror. You could perhaps argue that Caligari is more influential. And Frankenstein or Phantom of the Opera more popular in their time. 3. Scarface (Shame of a Nation) - Better gangster movies came later. This is the root. Exploitive and influential. 4. All Quiet on the Western Front - Still perhaps the best war movie ever. Grim and grisly. 5. Rules of the Game - Ensemble film and commentary on its society. You can draw a pretty straight line from this to Altman. Altman drew it himself with Gosford Park. 6. Detour - Film noir at its bleakest. I have it edging out M and Double Indemnity. 7. A Streetcar Named Desire - Hello method acting. And post-war sexuality. 8. North by Northwest - Hitchcock had done similar things earlier, The 39 Steps and Saboteur for instance, but this is pretty much the model for every man on the run thriller since. 9. The Thing From Another World - The precedent for the modern sci fi/horror film. There'd be no Alien without it. Maybe no Star Wars either. 10. 8 1/2 - Film as personal confession. Fantasy and reality intermingle. The director is the true star. 11. A Hard Day's Night - Celebrity non-actors and the roots of music videos. 12. Airplane! - Certainly one of the progenitors of the modern spoof. Maybe you could go with Young Frankenstein or Blazing Saddles as well. 13. Heaven's Gate - Negative influence. Helped kill off big budget personal projects. Killed a studio. The flip side to the success of Star Wars, Jaws, and The Exorcist. Robert

To play Devil's Advocate, what are the influences of E.T. and The Godfather. Popular movies, no doubt, but I'm not sure they're revolutionary in any real way. Kind of like Casablanca. I suppose if we're considering technological breakthroughs, The Jazz Singer has to be mentioned. Robert

That's partly because influence is better measured over time. What would you suggest? I think Toy Story is a good suggestion. I could see people suggesting stuff like Tron, Terminator 2, and Jurassic Park for effects breakthroughs. One of the Dogme films? Hong Kong action like The Killer? Indie cinema like Blood Simple, Sex, Lies, and Videotape, Clerks, or Reservoir Dogs? Something like Batman that got the comic book movie craze started? Robert