If you need any more proof that baseball is a funny game, I submit Game 1 of the 2010 World Series between the Giants and the Rangers. The world was expecting one of those torturous, hard-fought one run ball games; a pitcher’s duel that would make Harvey Haddix look up and notice.
And it was the Freak who blinked first, pitching in and out of jams that could have been worse (especially considering his self-admitted “little brain fart” when he ran Young back to third, neglecting to make the short throw that would have been an easy second out; perhaps he was still high from his pre-game bowl?), but being 2-0 to Cliff Lee has been a tough row to hoe; a path to a loss.
But, Lee missed his location more times in those 4 2/3 innings than he has in the last three starts against the Yankees over the last two post seasons. And give credit to the oft-anemic bats of the Giants; they took full advantage and piled on the Rangers.
Prevent defense made the final score of 11-7 seem closer than the game was from the 5th on. But, and the Rangers showed me this after the 1st game of the ALCS, don’t count these guys out. Losing with your #1 – and watching the infallible seem all too human – has to sting, but the Rangers are a “plucky” bunch. Matt Cain really needs to stick it to them in tonight’s game 2.


So, with time to kill since there’s only one freaking baseball game – at best – per day ‘til the end, I turned to Netflix last night. “Get Him to the Greek” was last night’s distraction. Stated upfront: I am not a big fan of this entire Apatow, et al oeuvre, but I do like Russell Brand quite a bit so I came at it with as open a mind as I could.
Russell Brand was great as the washed up Brit rock star and Puffy was a hysterical, scene-stealing revelation as the record label head and their two performances nearly held the movie afloat. At least when they were on screen, it was interesting and funny.
And nothing totally against Jonah Hill as the lead, but his nebbishy, fat ass cannot carry a picture. Some of it wasn’t his fault entirely; he’s kind of an unlikeable character. He’s given a job to do, and it’s obvious that Sergio (Puffy, the crazy boss) knows what he’s talking about, but Hill’s character goes along on his own misguided path.
Worse still is the relationship between him and his live-in, too cute for him, girlfriend. I see the whole bait ‘n switch aspect to their relationship as we find it in the beginning of the movie. She no longer goes to the gigs with him that are both his passion and his profession, but fully expects him to give it all up for her. They have obviously grown out of the relationship; someone should end it – and even when they sort of do, it doesn’t help the growing dislike of Hill as he falls into bathroom sex with ho’s etc.
I’m not judging, per se, it’s only a movie and a comedy at that, but this relationship has been set up as the “one that matters” and it’s obviously not. Yes, this is a bro-mance first and foremost and it’s the rare one that actually has the two guys wind up in bed having sex. I don’t think too many of these flicks actually let the bro’s consummate. The fact that the girlfriend is present and accounted for is just to make it “not gay.”
Odd movie.