Alex Rodriguez is the best baseball player in the world. He has, at age 30, won two MVP awards (and finished in the top 10 in voting five other times), a batting title, eight Silver Slugger awards, two Gold Gloves, amassed 2000 hits and 450 homeruns (in the case of the latter, the fastest ever to do so), and been a nine-time All-Star. Entering the season, Rodriguez, among active players, ranked 10th in batting average, 25th in hits , 11th in homeruns, 13th in r.b.i. Again, all at by the age of 30. He is currently being buried in the media, New York and otherwise, for his so-called "struggles." Yes, he does have 18 errors at third base, highest among MLBers with enough innings to qualify, and a league-low .928 fielding percentage. He is slumping, no question about it. It appears as though the endless barrage of negative energy surrounding him via Yankee fans is actually getting to him. Breaking news: Alex Rodriguez is human. But, remember, he's a natural shortstop, and Derek Jeter only won Gold Gloves ('04, '05) once A-Rod changed positions. At the plate, he's been below his admittedly high standard. However, he still projects a season of around .280 with 35 homers and 120 runs knocked in. Wow, talk about a worthless player! Good grief, New York, are you so spoiled that you incessantly boo the best player in the game, a man who may one day break the all-time homerun record? The man's been a 40/40 guy (he's averaged 23 steals a season career), hit 57 homeruns in a season as a shortstop, and has hit better than .300 seven times. The list goes on and on. "But he's not a winner," is the refrain. HOW MANY RINGS DOES BARRY BONDS HAVE?! (A fact not brought up nearly enough, (Tim Kurkjian.)) A-Rod is phenomenal. I hope he gets out of New York where he'll actually be appreciated for how great he is and, moreover, how much greatness we have yet to see. Derek Jeter could walk out onto the field at Yankee Stadium wearing a Red Sox Jersey, molest a child, and piss on the american flag and he'd get a standing ovation. A-Rod goes 0-4 and they want to lynch him in Times Square. Ridiculous.
Tiger Woods is back. (Was he ever gone?) Woods won his second British Open title in a row and third overall. He now has 11 major wins, tied with Walter Hagen for second all-time. After missing the cut for the first time at a major at the U.S. Open, Woods bounced back to lead pretty much wire to wire. He still has never relented a 36 or 54 hole lead in a major. I freaking love Tiger. And to see him get emotional at the 18th, realizing his late-father wasn't there to see it makes me respect him all the more. Not enough emotion is shown in sports. It takes a man to do so (see also: Adam Morrison.) Woods, like A-Rod, is among the best to ever play. And the scary thought is they are both only 30 years old. What a privelege it is to be able to watch these great players in their respective primes. We are a lucky generation.
Movie Review: "Lady in the Water." First off, I am a huge M. Night Shyamalan fan. I love his imagination and I truly believe his mind is on another level. He is one of the film makers critics love to hate, whatever the reason may be. "Lady in the Water" is a departure from Shyamalan's "typical" work. It is not really a thriller; there is no twist ending. This is a bedtime story in the truest sense. It must be watched through the lens of a child. The performances were great and the story was very imaginative. That said, for me, it was missing that certain something. I give it a solid B. Very good movie, very unique and innovative with that Shyamalan touch, but ultimately somewhat less than perfect.
Quote of the Week:
"Question posed to Joseph Smith, founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, "Do Mormons baptize in the name of Joseph Smith?" Response from Smith, "No, but if they did it would have as much efficacy as the baptism administered by the sectarian priests of today."
No comments:
Post a Comment