With the 2008 All-Star teams announcements made today, I started to think about which players might be on an all-star team of my creation - kind of like a spin on the What If? sports website. So, below are my picks for an all-star team to field - personal favorites, best in the game, and so on. To make it a level playing field, though, I decided to limit myself in two ways: first, I'd limit the team to players whose rookie season was on or after my birth year of 1972. Second, since we're in the throes of the "steroid" era of baseball, I've also eliminated those players who have tested positive for steroid use in their career (such as Rafael Palmerio, who would have had a shot at first base). For those who have had accusations, and pretty strong ones, sent their way, I've excluded their possible steroid using years, and the stats compiled during those years (roughly, from the late 1990s to 2007). It's going to be impossible long-term for anyone to determine who was or wasn't using during that time, and for how long, unless the players involved come clean. So, to play it safe, I'll exclude some of those players' years in my discussion to follow.
Catcher: Ivan Rodriguez, Texas Rangers (also played with the Florida Marlins and Detroit Tigers). I am passing up two Hall of Fame catchers here - both Carlton Fisk and Gary Carter were rookies after I was born, but I still had to go with Pudge here. Granted, he doesn't have Fisk's power stats, but Rodriquez is a former MVP, multiple time all-star, and will likely finish his career around 2,500 hits and 250 home runs. But what sells Pudge to me is his combination of offense and defense - not only is he one of the best offensive catchers to play the game, he's argubly the best defensive catcher in the past thirty years. That, and teams like the Marlins and Tigers acquired Pudge to help develop a young pitching staff - seeing how he's caught for two World Series teams (he caught for the first Marlins World Series team, and caught for the Tigers team that made the Series two years ago), he's been successful at it. Honorable Mention: Gary Carter, Montreal Expos/New York Mets, Carlton Fisk, Boston Red Soxs/Chicago White Soxs, Mike Piazza, New York Mets.
First Base: Eddie Murray, Baltimore Orioles. Why Eddie Murray? One main reason: he's one of only a handful (a total of three, I think: Mays and Aaron may be the other two) players with 3,000 career hits and 500 career home runs. Not too bad for career numbers there. He was overshadowed on his own team by Cal Ripken, Jr., but Eddie Murray is one of the best hitters to play the game. Honorable Mention: Steve Garvey, Los Angeles Dodgers, Keith Hernandez, St. Louis Cardinals/New York Mets, Frank Thomas, Chicago White Soxs/Oakland A's/Toronto Blue Jays, Jim Thome, Cleveland Indians/Philadelphia Phillies/Chicago White Soxs.
Second Base: Craig Biggio, Houston Astros. Biggio's one of those players who is so steady you could forget about him (as I did). Biggio is a ball player in every sense of the word - solid offense and defense, good clubhouse guy. While some second baseman of this era had more flash and more power (Sandberg and Alomar, especially), Biggio has something they don't: 3,000 career hits. Granted, he also spent time in the outfield and came up to the bigs as a catcher, but he's most known as a second baseman, and one of the better ones I've seen. Honorable Mention: Roberto Alomar, San Diego Padres/Toronto Blue Jays, Ryne Sandberg, Chicago Cubs, Lou Whitaker, Detroit Tigers, Frank White, Kansas City Royals.
Shortstop: Alex Rodriguez, New York Yankees (also played for Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers). This one could be very debatable: A-Rod has played third base for close to five years now, and how could I pass up a guy like Cal Ripken? Well, in A-Rod's defense, I think he's already established himself as one of the best to ever play the game, and I think once he's done, he'll be in the top three or four players who people will point to as the best ever (Ruth, Williams, Aaron territory). That, and keep one thing in mind with the Iron man: he played his last five or six years at third. A-Rod's career will most likely be split between the two spots, but I still would list him as the best shortstop I ever saw. Honorable Mention: Derek Jeter, New York Yankees, Cal Ripken, Jr., Baltimore Orioles, Ozzie Smith, St. Louis Cardinals, Alan Trammell, Detroit Tigers.
Third Base: Mike Schmidt, Philadelphia Phillies. This is the great debate amongst baseball fans my age, those who grew up in the 1980s: Schmidt or Brett - who's better? They were pretty equal in the 1980s - Schmidt's MVP awards were balanced by Brett's batting titles, Brett's 3,000 hits were matched by Schmidt's 500 home runs. That makes them pretty much a wash, so to decide between the two, I look at another category: defensive. While Brett was an average third baseman, Schmidt excelled defensively, winning a handful of Gold Gloves for that position. That, in my opinion, gives Schmidt the nod over Brett. Honorable Mention: Wade Boggs, Boston Red Soxs, George Brett, Kansas City Royals, Chipper Jones, Atlanta Braves.
Outfield: Ken Griffey, Jr., Seattle Mariners (also played for Cincinnati Reds), Tony Gwynn (San Diego Padres), Rickey Henderson, Oakland A's (also played for New York Yankees and at leats four more teams). Not a bad group here: Griffey now has 600+ career home runs, was great defensively, and is considered to be one of the most natural and gifted ball players ever. Gwynn, in addition to Brett, is probably one of the best pure hitters of my generation, and was also a great defensive outfielder. Henderson was a rare player - hit for average, hit for power, and was incredibly fast. That, and you have to love a guy that refers to himself in the third person. I must admit, though, that I feel bad leaving Barry Bonds off this list - he's one of the most naturally talented players ever, but the whole steroid issue has me a bit concerned; I had to lop off some of his most productive years, which gave the nod to these three. Honorable Mention: Barry Bonds, Pittsburgh Pirates/San Francisco Giants, Andre Dawson, Montreal Expos/Chicago Cubs, Dale Murphy, Atlanta Braves/Philadelphia Phillies, Kirby Puckett, Minnesota Twins, Manny Ramirez, Cleveland Indians/Boston Red Soxs, Jim Rice, Boston Red Soxs, Ichiro Suzuki, Seattle Mariners, Willie Wilson, Kansas City Royals, Dave Winfield, San Diego Padres/New York Yankees/Toronto Blue Jays/Minnesota Twins, Robin Yount, Milwaukee Brewers.
Designated Hitter: Paul Molitor, Milwaukee Brewers (also played for Toronto Blue Jays and Minnesota Twins). Since I'm an AL guy, had to go with the DH, Molitor's argubaly the best DH ever - hit for great average throughout his career, and a Hall of Famer. That, and he's a Saint Paul guy. Honorable Mention: Edgar Martinez, Seattle Mariners.
Starting Pitcher: Greg Maddux, Atlanta Braves (also played for Chicago Cubs and San Diego Padres). I would have loved to put Roger Clemens here - but, like Bonds, I had to exclude him because of strong steroid allegations. But, Maddux is an equally good choice. Maddux is probably one of the smartest pitchers to ever play the game - 350 career wins and 3,000 + career strikeouts with only marginal stuff. He's got the mantra of a real estate agent - location, location, location. Hands out, the craftiest pitcher since Steve Carlton. Honorable Mention: Roger Clemens, Boston Red Soxs, Tom Glavine, Atlanta Braves/New York Mets, Randy Johnson, Montreal Expos/Seattle Mariners/Arizona Diamondbacks/New York Yankees, Pedro Martinez, Montreal Expos/Boston Red Soxs/New York Mets, Mike Mussina, Baltimore Orioles/New York Yankees, Johan Santana, Minnesota Twins/New York Mets, Curt Schilling, Baltimore Orioles/Philadelphia Phillies/Arizona Diamondbacks/Boston Red Soxs.
Closer: Mariano Rivera, New York Yankees. I was thinking about Eck here as well, but I think Rivera is the most dominant closer ever. Think about it - that guy pretty much has been using the same pitch for well over a decade - the cutter - and he still gets a ton of saves. That, and several of his career saves have been more than just one inning saves - several have been 1 1/2 to 2 innings. The guy is pretty much indestructable - except in the postseason. Honorable Mention: Dennis Eckersely, Oakland A's/Cleveland Indians (among others), Rich "Goose" Gossage, New York Yankees/San Diego Padres, Trevor Hoffman, San Diego Padres, Lee Smith, Chicago Cubs, among others, Bruce Sutter, St. Louis Cardinals/Chicago Cubs.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
So, Let's Try This Again ... For the Third Time
The last two blogs I've done I let die out - I was kind of bored with them, posting personal stuff and activites I've been up to. Let's be ffrank - I'm not exactly an international man of mystery here. But, I've been reading other blogs dedicated to people's interests, and I've decided to go after that route instead. So, I'll be blogging about some of my favorite things: books, movies, TV shows, music, sports, and pop culture. And, as you can tell from the blog's title, it'll be a random mix of things.
We've all probably had those nights when we've been hunched over drinks at a local tavern, talking with friends about the things we'd want to bring with us on a desert island, which books are better than others, and so on. I just did that last night for the first time in a while, so I decided to organize my postings around that idea, in a list format.
To kick things off, I'm a huge movie fan, and I always find myself renting or buying and watching films with memorable characters. So, for that reason, I'll be starting off with a top ten list of a group of characters who are vital in making a good flick: scene stealers and key characters no movie can do without. So, my list of all-time favorite supporting actor roles in film.
10) Marty Feldman as "Igor" in Young Frankenstein. I don't think you can go wrong with this movie; yes, it's kind of cheesy, and it's kind of dated, but it's still pretty funny. Feldman steals the show, and his role is the most memorable from the movie. You gotta love a scene stealer, so I had to put him in at 10.
9) Ben Kingsley as "Ben O'Ryan" in Suspect Zero. I know most people would list Kinglsey's role as Don Logan in Sexy Beast here, but there's something about Kinglsey's performance in this movie that makes me give the nod to this character. Suspect Zero was an indy flick from a few years back, and in case you haven't seen it, and for me not to spoil it for you, Ben O'Ryan was (maybe) a remoter viewer trained by the FBI. O'Ryan's speciality was tracking down serial killers - as the film progresses, it's unclear if he himself is a serial killer or if he is still trying to track them down. This is a pretty creepy performance from Kingsley, and I think a stronger one than his role in Sexy Beast.
8) Jason Miller as "Father Damian Karras" in The Excorist. Yet another creepy one here, but I think Miller hit it out of the park in this movie. What's particularly striking about Miller's character are the contradictions he needs to resolve in this movie. While he's a man of science - a trained psychologist who looks for verifiable data - he's also a man of faith as an ordained Jesuit priest. Also, although he has dedicated his life to the priesthood, and still feels guilt at leaving his aged and sickly mother to live alone in run-down neighborhood. When he encounters the possessed young girl, and the older, more experienced priest sent to perform the ritual, these tensions come to a head. The final twenty-five minutes or so really sell this character to me: watching Fr. Karras be continually tested and ultimately unravel is one of the more suspenseful scenes in a movie loaded with suspense.
7) Lee Strasberg as "Hyman Roth" in The Godfather, Part II. I think a debate over which of the first two Godfather flicks is very viable. While Part One is complete in itself, Part II has so many strong story lines woven masterfully together and so many great characters. While DeNiro's role in this film won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, there are several other great ones - Robert Duvall as Tom Hayden, Michael Gazzo as Frankie Pentangeli, and John Cazale as Fredo Corleone. But for me, Lee Strasberg's performance as the Meyer Lansky-esque Hyman Roth stands out. Strasberg was a long-time acting teacher, and one of his most famous students (Al Pacino) helped to get him this role. But, Strasberg delivered in this part. One of the more memorable scenes from this movie is when Michael Corleone (Pacino) confronts Roth about a possible hit on one of Roth's associates. The fierceness in Strasberg's eyes, combined with a slow delivery of lines about Roth's former associate Moe Green, is one of the more memorable scenes from that great movie.
6) Javier Bardem as "Anton Chigurh" in No Country for Old Men. Yeah, it may seem like a trendy pick, as Bardem just won the Oscar for his performance in this movie. But, for those of you who saw this movie, ask yourself this: what do you remember the most about this movie? Chances are pretty good that it's a scene featuring Bardem. While you could very easily posit Chigurh as the villian of this film, or as the anti-hero, what really grabs me about his performance is how closely this character adheres to characteristics of a cowboy figure/character. That's one of the things which really grabbed me about this character -although his character seems to be the exact opposite of Tommy Lee Jones's character, who's arguably the hero of the film (it's even down to a standard Western cliche - Bardem's character dresses all in black, whereas Jones's character is rarely seen without his white Stetson), Chigurh nonetheless adheres to a strict code, and the code strikes me as something coming out of a dime Western novel - but it's also a bit twisted.
5) Robert Duvall as "Lt. Col. Bill Kilgore" in Apocalypse Now. Yes, he's got the famous line of "I love the smell of napalm in the morning," but this is also another memorable performance in a film loaded with memorable performances. Kilgore seems like a character who embodies the paradox of the American experience in Vietnam - while he recognizes that he's in an foreign land, he still insists on making this land as American as possible, while he recognizes that this war is dangerous for his men, he still puts them in harm's way, while he knows he's in the jungles of Vietnam fighting an enemy who is indistinguishable from innocent civilians, he still insists on using outdated, WWII-era mentalities and strategies in combat - i.e., bomb them back into the stone age. The scene where Kilgore makes his men surf during a firefight is a prime example of this.
4) Samuel L. Jackson as "Jules Winfield" in Pulp Fiction. Loved this character in this movie. The dialogue between Winfield and Vincent Vega (John Travolta) is incredible in this movie. In addition to the killer dialogue written for Jackson's character in this film is the transformation of his character as the film comes to an end.
3) Joe Pesci as "Tommy DeVito" in Goodfellas. You can't go wrong with this pick - Pesci is this movie. Goodfellas is one of Martin Scorcese's best films, and while there is a great cast for this movie, it's Pesci who steals the show. Yes, he's got the great, memorable lines in this movie, but the balance the character shows between being a devoted friend and a ruthless mobster and as a family man and a raging psychopath makes for a compelling character.
2) Kevin Spacey as "Verbal Kint" in The Usual Suspects. This is one of my favorite movies - even though I know the twist at the end is coming (and I won't spoil it for people who haven't seen it), I still never get tired of watching this movie. The main selling point to me is Spacey's performance: as a viewer, I find myself rooting for Kint, being disgusted by him, feeling pity for him, being afraid for him, and thinking of him, at alternate times of the film, as a smart man and as a complete idiot. I stick to Hitchcock's definition of suspense as playing with audience's emotions throughout a film - knowing that something's about to happen and the audience has no way to stop it. In this performance, Spacey plays the audience like a organ, which makes for a great film.
And, in my opinion, the great supporting actor role of all-time goes to ....
1) Joseph Cotton as "Jedediah Leland" in Citizen Kane. Cotton was one of those actors who fit best in an ensemble cast - other notable Cotton roles include great casts in Shadow of a Doubt, The Third Man, and Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte. But, if you want to talk about the utlimate ensemble cast, it's Citizen Kane. Cotton never got the accolades that Orson Welles did, which I think is unfortunate. The character of Jed Leland does what a good supporting character should do - react to and be the opposite of the lead character in a film. Jed Leland is the opposite of Charles Foster Kane in every way - in a sense, Leland acts as the conscience that Kane very desperately needs. It's perhaps no coincedence that Kane's character begins his downward spiral once he fires Leland and kicks Leland out of his life. Cotton plays this role in such a way that he helps to make a man who looks very much like a tyrant (Welles's Kane character) seem flawed, human, and redeemable.
We've all probably had those nights when we've been hunched over drinks at a local tavern, talking with friends about the things we'd want to bring with us on a desert island, which books are better than others, and so on. I just did that last night for the first time in a while, so I decided to organize my postings around that idea, in a list format.
To kick things off, I'm a huge movie fan, and I always find myself renting or buying and watching films with memorable characters. So, for that reason, I'll be starting off with a top ten list of a group of characters who are vital in making a good flick: scene stealers and key characters no movie can do without. So, my list of all-time favorite supporting actor roles in film.
10) Marty Feldman as "Igor" in Young Frankenstein. I don't think you can go wrong with this movie; yes, it's kind of cheesy, and it's kind of dated, but it's still pretty funny. Feldman steals the show, and his role is the most memorable from the movie. You gotta love a scene stealer, so I had to put him in at 10.
9) Ben Kingsley as "Ben O'Ryan" in Suspect Zero. I know most people would list Kinglsey's role as Don Logan in Sexy Beast here, but there's something about Kinglsey's performance in this movie that makes me give the nod to this character. Suspect Zero was an indy flick from a few years back, and in case you haven't seen it, and for me not to spoil it for you, Ben O'Ryan was (maybe) a remoter viewer trained by the FBI. O'Ryan's speciality was tracking down serial killers - as the film progresses, it's unclear if he himself is a serial killer or if he is still trying to track them down. This is a pretty creepy performance from Kingsley, and I think a stronger one than his role in Sexy Beast.
8) Jason Miller as "Father Damian Karras" in The Excorist. Yet another creepy one here, but I think Miller hit it out of the park in this movie. What's particularly striking about Miller's character are the contradictions he needs to resolve in this movie. While he's a man of science - a trained psychologist who looks for verifiable data - he's also a man of faith as an ordained Jesuit priest. Also, although he has dedicated his life to the priesthood, and still feels guilt at leaving his aged and sickly mother to live alone in run-down neighborhood. When he encounters the possessed young girl, and the older, more experienced priest sent to perform the ritual, these tensions come to a head. The final twenty-five minutes or so really sell this character to me: watching Fr. Karras be continually tested and ultimately unravel is one of the more suspenseful scenes in a movie loaded with suspense.
7) Lee Strasberg as "Hyman Roth" in The Godfather, Part II. I think a debate over which of the first two Godfather flicks is very viable. While Part One is complete in itself, Part II has so many strong story lines woven masterfully together and so many great characters. While DeNiro's role in this film won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, there are several other great ones - Robert Duvall as Tom Hayden, Michael Gazzo as Frankie Pentangeli, and John Cazale as Fredo Corleone. But for me, Lee Strasberg's performance as the Meyer Lansky-esque Hyman Roth stands out. Strasberg was a long-time acting teacher, and one of his most famous students (Al Pacino) helped to get him this role. But, Strasberg delivered in this part. One of the more memorable scenes from this movie is when Michael Corleone (Pacino) confronts Roth about a possible hit on one of Roth's associates. The fierceness in Strasberg's eyes, combined with a slow delivery of lines about Roth's former associate Moe Green, is one of the more memorable scenes from that great movie.
6) Javier Bardem as "Anton Chigurh" in No Country for Old Men. Yeah, it may seem like a trendy pick, as Bardem just won the Oscar for his performance in this movie. But, for those of you who saw this movie, ask yourself this: what do you remember the most about this movie? Chances are pretty good that it's a scene featuring Bardem. While you could very easily posit Chigurh as the villian of this film, or as the anti-hero, what really grabs me about his performance is how closely this character adheres to characteristics of a cowboy figure/character. That's one of the things which really grabbed me about this character -although his character seems to be the exact opposite of Tommy Lee Jones's character, who's arguably the hero of the film (it's even down to a standard Western cliche - Bardem's character dresses all in black, whereas Jones's character is rarely seen without his white Stetson), Chigurh nonetheless adheres to a strict code, and the code strikes me as something coming out of a dime Western novel - but it's also a bit twisted.
5) Robert Duvall as "Lt. Col. Bill Kilgore" in Apocalypse Now. Yes, he's got the famous line of "I love the smell of napalm in the morning," but this is also another memorable performance in a film loaded with memorable performances. Kilgore seems like a character who embodies the paradox of the American experience in Vietnam - while he recognizes that he's in an foreign land, he still insists on making this land as American as possible, while he recognizes that this war is dangerous for his men, he still puts them in harm's way, while he knows he's in the jungles of Vietnam fighting an enemy who is indistinguishable from innocent civilians, he still insists on using outdated, WWII-era mentalities and strategies in combat - i.e., bomb them back into the stone age. The scene where Kilgore makes his men surf during a firefight is a prime example of this.
4) Samuel L. Jackson as "Jules Winfield" in Pulp Fiction. Loved this character in this movie. The dialogue between Winfield and Vincent Vega (John Travolta) is incredible in this movie. In addition to the killer dialogue written for Jackson's character in this film is the transformation of his character as the film comes to an end.
3) Joe Pesci as "Tommy DeVito" in Goodfellas. You can't go wrong with this pick - Pesci is this movie. Goodfellas is one of Martin Scorcese's best films, and while there is a great cast for this movie, it's Pesci who steals the show. Yes, he's got the great, memorable lines in this movie, but the balance the character shows between being a devoted friend and a ruthless mobster and as a family man and a raging psychopath makes for a compelling character.
2) Kevin Spacey as "Verbal Kint" in The Usual Suspects. This is one of my favorite movies - even though I know the twist at the end is coming (and I won't spoil it for people who haven't seen it), I still never get tired of watching this movie. The main selling point to me is Spacey's performance: as a viewer, I find myself rooting for Kint, being disgusted by him, feeling pity for him, being afraid for him, and thinking of him, at alternate times of the film, as a smart man and as a complete idiot. I stick to Hitchcock's definition of suspense as playing with audience's emotions throughout a film - knowing that something's about to happen and the audience has no way to stop it. In this performance, Spacey plays the audience like a organ, which makes for a great film.
And, in my opinion, the great supporting actor role of all-time goes to ....
1) Joseph Cotton as "Jedediah Leland" in Citizen Kane. Cotton was one of those actors who fit best in an ensemble cast - other notable Cotton roles include great casts in Shadow of a Doubt, The Third Man, and Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte. But, if you want to talk about the utlimate ensemble cast, it's Citizen Kane. Cotton never got the accolades that Orson Welles did, which I think is unfortunate. The character of Jed Leland does what a good supporting character should do - react to and be the opposite of the lead character in a film. Jed Leland is the opposite of Charles Foster Kane in every way - in a sense, Leland acts as the conscience that Kane very desperately needs. It's perhaps no coincedence that Kane's character begins his downward spiral once he fires Leland and kicks Leland out of his life. Cotton plays this role in such a way that he helps to make a man who looks very much like a tyrant (Welles's Kane character) seem flawed, human, and redeemable.
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