Our Thinking out Loud spring training guest
series continues with Mr. R from the Reds forum Red Letter Daze. You have
undoubtedly seen him on the Reds blogosphere as the curmudgeon "Mr. Redlegs" or
"MisterRedlegs," but at his gilded age he likes to save typing characters
whenever possible. That's why he loves Twitter, you dope-smokers.
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Happy birthday to Ms. R, who turned [bleep!] on Saturday and conducts what she calls the "Monthlong Celebration Tour." No joke, she gets free lunches and dinners from friends and family as she can schedule them throughout March. It's quite the racket. I'm never invited.
* Reds fireballer Aroldis
Chapman hit 100 and (a questionable) 102 mph on scouts guns Monday during his
two-inning stint against the Royals. That performance lit up Al's Internets
like a Saturn V and starts raising the legit question about Chapman jumping
straight to the big leagues. "I'll take 100 with command," says manager Dusty
Baker, unabashingly.
Chapman also excited the
ultra-excitable omgReds.com, where Dan was quick to illustrate this Chapman
card.
Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune tweeted, "Just saw the future of pitching. His name is Aroldis Chapman. . . Seriously, he looks like a great $30 million investment for the Reds."
Gushed former scout Frankie Piliere of AOL Fanhouse: "This early and apparently with some consistency. . . that's incredible."
Joe Posnanski of Sports Illustrated was on the scene and filed a beauty of a story, quoting a scout that Chapman is the best left-handed arm he's seen since Herb Score. For you kiddies, that's going back to 1955.
Dave Shenin of the Washington Post also witnessed and was a little more critical. Perhaps the best observation of the day came from funnyman Jamie Ramsey of the Reds' media relations department:
"As a batter, imagine facing
a DRay Herrera 68 mph screwball two innings after you had to catch up with an
Aroldis 102 mph heater."
* Because this column is titled, "Thinking Out Loud," let's think about how much of Chapman's $30.25 mil spread over 10 years the Redlegs can recoup this season if he's on the big-league roster out of spring training.
* It's a big day for Washington Nationals fans as their own pitching phenom, 2009 No. 1 pick Stephen Strasburg, greatest . . . prospect . . . ever (or since Ben McDonald in 1989), makes his debut against the Tiggers at 1 p.m. The game will be televised in the mid-Atlantic on MASN and nationally on MLB.TV. Phil Rogers made this observation yesterday: "Strasburg. . . better than Chapman? I'll believe it when I see it."
* Oft-injured former Reds OF Josh Hamilton on the market? Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe quotes a scout as saying, "Everybody in Texas denies it, and I don't know what to base it on, but there's a feeling the Rangers may do something, and teams want to be ready."
* I have no vested interest in U. of Cinti basketball but for a couple of weeks now I've watched with demented curiosity the spewing of venom from the Bearcats faithful. I've seen two full UC games on TV and small parts of two others this season. Do Bearcats fans hate Mick Cronin because he's not Bob Huggins, or because Miss Beasley in gym class out-coaches him?
* One of the most common complaints about Cronin is he makes excuses. I don't know if that's true, but I do know that in 34 years of sports journalism I've never heard a coach on any level blaming game officials for three losses. Even Miss Beasley in gym class ain't that stupid.
* Then, Monday evening, Paul Dehner Jr. posted an amazing story here on Cnati.com where Cronin says former 5-star recruit Yancy Gates is a victim of lofty expectations. "So, the problem with Yancy is people want him to be something he's not," Cronin says.
Say what?!?!
Dehner craftily refers to a 2008 article by Bearcats announcer Dan Hoard quoting the coach saying Gates is "the most talented big guy that I have ever recruited. For a coach it's exciting because he's got everything that you can't teach. Everything that Yancy needs are things that can be taught."
Wow. Just . . . wow. Where I come from, which is pretty much the same as where anyone else comes from, that's called talking out both sides of your yakker. Or making excuses. You choose.
* If the NCAA expands the basketball tournament to 4,256 teams, not only does the regular season not have meaning, but neither does the cash cow conference tournaments. The Big East Tourney opens today at Madison Square Garden and there is a lot at stake for 5-6 teams.
* Antonio Bryant and Terrell Owens? Ever wish you were a fly on the wall of Bengals owner Mike Brown so you'd know just what the hell he is thinking at times?
* 85 on "Dancing
With the
Stars." You scoff. You won't watch. You seen those professional
dancers?
Best optical workout since "Charlie's Angels," Season 2, "Angels in
Paradise" episode. Not that I remember. Much. Chad is paired with
Cheryl
Burke, who has won the DWTS title twice, one with Hall of Fame running
back Emmitt Smith. Ms. R really likes
the show because a.) She really likes the show and b.) it's something
I'll
watch with her without blabbering cuz my jaw is on the floor.
* Growing Pet Peeve: Publications that aggressively use Twitter to drive traffic to their sites only to find out it's subscription content once you get there. Hello, Baseball America and Sports Business Daily, you bozos.
* One of my favorite Twitter feeds is @historyday, where we learn on this date in 1862, the Civil War
ironclads USS Monitor and CSS Virginia (nee, Merrimack) fight to a draw off the
coast of Hampton Roads, Va., and actor George Burns died in 1996. Wait, George Burns is dead?
* The dumbasses at the Cincinnati Enquirer are trying something called "First in Print," where they withhold one story of each section of the newspaper from being placed online until the next day. This concept supposedly rewards the paying customers and will perhaps drive circulation. Quick: How many of you rushed out to buy your Sunday Enquirer because you couldn't read John Fay's Insider column on Brandon Phillips online?
* Meet Rascal, world's ugliest dog. Shhhhhhhhudder.
* Meet Fifi Coco Puff, world's dumbest dog name and pissy li'l varmint that has more house privileges than I do (image purposefully omitted, varmint).
* You know you're old when you don't watch the Oscars because you forgot. We didn't see one movie in the theater in 2009. That's why HD television and surround sound are killing theaters. That, and $4 for a box of Milk Duds you can buy at Walmart for $1.
* Data visualization overload of famous movie quotes.
* What a lousy TV season. I even gave up on "BBQ Pitmasters" on TLC. "The Office" is having its worst season (a comedy that hasn't been funny) and the final season of "Lost" has been absurd. We would drop 7 and punt if not for having invested into every episode since the pilot in 2004. And, after a nice revival last year, we dropped "24" after three (yawwwwwn) hours this year. Apparently, so have a lot of other people. The show is teetering on cancellation after this season.
The only new network show with any legs has been "Modern Family." It's funny and edgy but is it "appointment TV?" I hate their use of mockumentary style interviews. But then, I also hate Life cereal. . . .
* Oh. Speaking of which . . . Chocolate Cheerios. Best chocolate cereal of all time? I dunno. Cocoa Puffs are pretty awesome and make great chocolate milk. Cocoa Pebbles are pretty rich in chocolate, too. Chocolate Rice Krispies treats? Count Chocula? Tough call. . . .
* You Can't Make This Stuff Up Dept.: We have a young regular at Red Letter Daze named Ashland A-Team who so happens to be a minister who his body adorned with Reds tattoos. He also eats his hot dogs with a fork.
* You Can't Make This Stuff Up Dept. II: After the Reds-Royals game yesterday in Goodyear, they had a senior stroll around the bases.
* March 17 is St. Patrick's Day and Reds fans know what that means. Yep, the green caps. Get ready, get yours. Looks good this year.
* Mitchell Conrad Stinson's biography of the great Reds hitter, Hall of Famer Edd Roush, is due out any time now. Roush was the star of the 1919 world championship team and a fiery, colorful guy. He died in 1988 at age 94, swearing to his grave the Reds would have beaten the Black Sox without the gambling scandal.
* The Biz of Baseball web site has a look at the top ballpark giveaways in MLB this year. The Orioles' 1970 Brooks Robinson replica jersey is killer, and so is the Brewers' Klement's Italian Sausage bobber. The Carlos Pena toothbrush holder has choppers (har). However, Lawyers Night with the Marlins is disputable as a top 10 because the stunt doesn't include a school bus to throw them under.
* And, finally, since there is usually a music element on TOL, I saw on the wires the other day that Elton John and the great Leon Russell are teaming for a new album. If you don't know the legendary Russell, you should. He's a master songwriter, pianist and guitarist who crosses rock, R&B, country, blues, bluegrass and gospel. He was hugely popular and influential with his big band rock during the 1970s. Today, he's pushing 70 and looks like John Brown's ghost.
My brother is a huge Leon Russell fan--and so was our old man. In 1973, Leon went on a world tour that became Billboard's concert of the year and can be heard on his spectacular triple-LP "Leon Live" CD. My brother snagged tickets to one of Leon's shows and took our dad, who was 44 at the time. They did some serious rockin' and didn't sit the entire night. Their ears buzzed for a couple of days because their seats were next to the stage speakers. Leon tore down the house.
As the story goes, after Leon performed his final encore, he and the band exited the stage in the path of my brother and dad. As Leon approached, my old man reached over the rail, thrust a fist in the air and screamed, "LEEEEEON!!!" Russell saw him, grinned and gave him a big thumbs up.
Years later, a few days
before dad died, we were in his room at hospice talking about some funny times
together. My brother revisited the story of the Leon Russell concert. Dad
grinned, smiled, gave a thumbs up and said with as much voice as he could
muster, "LEEEEEON!!!"
You think the kids think your Saturn V reference means the defunct car company? If so, "lit up like a rear-ended Pacer" would have fallen on deaf ears too.
Good stuff. Although I do disagree about the Office. I thought last year was bad, but recently it's been better. I mean, come on, a male lactation consultant? Comedy gold.
Mr. R, I should have expected the history and BBQ references but music and Ashland? Good job. And I want Hamilton back.
Just because you are old (potentially lazier?) doesn't mean HD TV's are killing theaters.
I mean come on, Avatar took like four months to become the most successful movie of all time just LAST MONTH. Moreover, Alice in Wonderland, a movie that got mixed reviews, just blew the doors off Avatars opening weekend with $116 million...again, that happened THIS PAST WEEKEND.
I'm guessing the same argument you just made was made when the Television was invented, when the VCR was invented, DVD player...ect. Nothing against you, but some people like to leave their houses for entertainment.
Now Mr. R, do you really need somebody on Twitter to tell you what happened in 1862?? I thought you witnessed that stuff in person.
Just because one or two movies jumps off the box office all-time gross revenues doesn't mean the theatre industry isn't in decline.
First, the measure you should take on most popular movies of all time is the domestic adjusted gross for ticket price inflation. That tells you much more about the public popularity of a film. By that measure, Avatar ranks only No. 14 all time.
No. 1—Gone With the Wind
No. 2—Star Wars
No. 3—The Sound of Music.
Here's the full updated list: http://boxofficemojo.com/alltime/adjusted.htm
According to the National Association of Theatre Owners, the average ticket price has increased 95 cents since 2006 while total admissions have dropped 2.3 percent.
In that time, HDTV sales have leaped in double digits each year. So, yes, people still like the theatre experience but the 30-55 age group that has the most expendable income is staying home more often due to the the comfort and convenience of home . . . and their home theatre systems.
Oh, puh-leez. I was born May 4, 1869. Look it up. I'm geezin', but gimme a break. :)
The office has been sub par for a couple seasons with a few bright spots in between. I have to thank trent for pushing me into the modern family thing. I am so bored with my tv choices this year. I spend so much time on comedy central, family guy and those thursday night NBC comedies. I need a good HBO program. Whats out these days?
Why adjusted gross is not used more often I have no idea. There are no modern movies outside of Titanic in the top 10 and thats almost 15 years old.
Here's the deal on the movies, though - as that site says, most of the pre-1980 movies got their totals through multiple releases. Furthermore, wouldn't you expect a movie with less competition in theaters do better than one that, today, has to go head to head with 8-10 'hot' movies at any one time?
I think when taken in context, Avatar's totals are far more impressive than, say, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs or The Ten Commandments. That isn't to say it's a better movie, per se, but with so many more options and much less time to accumulate totals, number 14 is pretty darned impressive.
A multi-plex back in the day consisted of two theaters. You had limited movie times and limited seating. A good film would take months and months and months to accumulate such a box office. Word of mouth could easily spread so if it were bad the film had no legs. In todays world the 18 or 20 theater complex shows the blockbuster on 6 plus screens and squeezes everything out of the opening weekend.
That is why Avatars second and third week box office was so impressive. Many modern films flame out after a week or two because so many can see the firm early on and then word gets out and people just wait for DVD. Years ago before VCR's and cable if you didn't see a movie first run you were not going to have a great experience waiting for the tv release with commercials...ugh.
You can't say the tech hasn't change habits. DVD pirates or curmudgeons like mr r have a whole new way to view the feature film. I still enjoy the theater experience but I will only go for the great movies(Avatar is one). I used to go to as many movies as i could but now there is no need. Its cheaper, more comfortable and I can get up and use the restroom without missing a second
avatar was impressive to see, but it was far from a great movie. the story sucked, the acting was bad and the dialogue would make mr. lucas blush. brutal.
I think movie theatres are killing themselves. Jeeze try to go out and take the family. You could almost take in a Red's game cheaper these days. I'm 28, my wife and I go to the movies now and then, but even when I was 15 and I would choose bowling and mini golf anytime over the movies.
Avatar needed to make 2 billion so they could turn a profit it was so expensive to make.
Wow! The riff raff from RLD sure do generate a lot of page views ... (hmmmmm) ...
Good grief Mr. R. Brevity was not one of the requirements for guest hosting TOL?
Leon Russell, Will O' the Wisp.
'Nuff said.
Frieda – the man's got a lot to get off his chest .. err, seams ... errr, (sigh) ... you know what I mean ...
Watch yourself, k.a.t.
My brother swears by "Will O' Wisp" LP but says newbie Leon fans should buy his "Retrospective" because it's a far-ranging collection of Leon's work.
While I'd agree that TV isn't great this winter, the Spring lineup is going to be incredible. Pacific, Treme, Breaking Bad, Rescue Me, Justified, just to name a few.
I'm kind of a TV nut though. Once called Marty on the bananaphone to talk about the fall tv lineup.
http://boxofficemojo.com/alltime/adjusted.htm
I like the arguument. The movie industry is crumbling because millions of people are ready and willing to pay more money than ever before to see a movie.
That makes sense.
But I'm am bit confused. If I follow correctly, the only way the Movie industry wouldn't be crumbling is if they put a movie into the Top 10 of all time in adjusted gross?
Small Sample size much?
What about the fact that 18 of the top 100 (from the link provided above) adjusted gross movies of all time occured in the last decade (2000-2009)? Then take into account the other fact that 16 of the Top 100 adjusted gross movies of all time occured in the 1990's..and three of those in 1999 alone.
Is it really the sign of destruction that more movies from the 2000's are on that list than the 1990's?
The movie industry seems to think it's a sign of things to come when total admissions are falling and number of films in theatres are falling. That's why more films and being sent direct to video. Plus, the cost of making films compared to the revenues.
Talk about sample size. A handful of high-grossing films a year doesn't make the industry being on the upswing. The number of films being produced are expected to drop by one-third this year.
http://tinyurl.com/yhrkto2