Archive for October 10th, 2006

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Lost Season 3: "A Tale of Two Cities"

October 10, 2006

I know I’m late but with the Yankees out of the playoffs so soon I have plenty of time to do this. I’m going comment, question, whine and drool over this season of Lost. Spoilers go without saying.

What I Liked:

  • Great opening. Better than last season’s opener with Desmond. I knew they were on the island but it was great seeing the plane crash from their perspective and seeing Henr…I mean…Ben take charge immediately.
  • As much as I like the mythology and mystery surrounding Lost, I think I prefer the character studies more. I felt this was one of the better flashbacks in terms of how it related to the characters current situation. I feel like Jack could possibly change. Which is good because he’s a dick.
  • The breakfast with Kate and Ben. I’m glad that Ben is going to continue to be as creepy as he was in Season Two.
  • Elizabeth Mitchell as Juliet. She is a great addition to the cast and clearly is going to have something with Jack this season.

What I didn’t like:

  • There wasn’t anything I really disliked but if I had to pick something I would say the Sawyer in the cage portions of the episode.

Answers:

  • I guess Goodwin and Ethan were the two deceased infiltrators’ real names
  • We know what drove Jack’s father back to the bottle
  • Considering the CD, CDs, ovens and, oh yeah, Jack’s entire history in a file, The Others have contact with the outside world
  • Walt was right. The whole “Others” act was just that an act.
  • Kate looks great in a dress
  • The Others are responsible somehow for the bears that attacked Walt and Sawyer in season one and the shark that stalked Michael and Sawyer in season two.
  • Henry Gale’s real name is Ben. How anti-climatic. Why couldn’t be something menacing like Rasputin?
  • There’s a Hydra station.

Questions:

  • Obviously, what is the deal with The Others? Are the know longer connect to the Dharma Initiative as Juliet hints?
  • What was the relationship between Ben and Juliet? Obviously, there was a reason he wasn’t invited to the book club in the beginning and, whatever it was, I’m sure it worse since he was willing to let her drown with Jack in the aquarium.
  • Is Mr. Friendly gay or is there some sort of Others stick with their own type credo behind him telling Kate she’s not his type? (Making the potential Jack/Juliet pairing even more interesting…plus her name is Juliet)
  • Why was Karl locked up across from Sawyer? Was he a plant to elicit information and reactions from Sawyer or did he actually do something?
  • What happened to Kate from the time she had breakfast with Ben to the time she was brought to the cage? When she reached out for the biscuit that Sawyer threw, her wrist were deeply bruised as if she was struggling to free herself.
  • What is there left to find out about Jack’s backstory?

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So Now What?!?: 2005-2006 Edition

October 10, 2006

Now that we know Joe is staying, what’s next?

Joe Torre He shouldn’t have been fired but I have my concerns. One of the hardest things to do in sports is to win championships with a team, go through a dry spell, and then win championships again. When I asked a number of friends, Erwin came up with Casey Stengel. So history is not on Joe Torre’s side.* Also, he made some boneheaded moves during the playoffs. He should not have started Gary Sheffield. There was enough power in the lineup that we could have lived with having Craig Wilson play first. Shit, I would have rathered Giambi play first, Hideki at DH and Melky in LF. I know Giambi was hurt but at least he would have first base instincts. The musical chairs with A-Rod was a joke. Having him bat sixth was one thing but 8th was just a big “Fuck you”. I would not have left Jaret Wright out there after the score became 3-0 knowing Cory Lidle (who, while shaky, has better stuff) was just sitting there clipping his fingernails. That said, if Lou Pinella is the best alternative, I’ll stick with Joe one more year before we can convince Tommy Lasorda to come out of retirement.

Alex Rodriguez Unless we can get someone like Dontrelle Willis or Carlos Zambrano with some choice prospects, I say we keep him. He had one “bad” year (or as bad as you can call .290, 35 HR, 121 RBI, .392 OBP, .523 SLG) and I’m not ready to give up on him yet. He does need to be quiet when it comes to the press. Joe Torre needs to stop humiliating him (putting him sixth behind Hideki and Sheff who had barely played this season, then starting him 8th was crazy). That Sports Illustrated article should have NEVER happened. I also think it’s time for Derek Jeter to man up and support A-Rod publicly. He always talks about team this and team that. He knows that him supporting A-Rod would help the TEAM. If he doesn’t, someone needs to let him know that’s part of being “The Captain”.

Gary Sheffield It’s been a great ride but I’m sorry, you’ve got to go. Bobby Abreu, while not the RBI machine you are, is the kind of scrappy hitter the Yankees need right now. Plus, we owe him way too much money to keep both of you. I suggest a sign and trade so he doesn’t get pissed and offer his services to the Red Sox for nothing.

The Pitching We’re stuck with Randy Johnson. Mike Mussina isn’t worth 17 million dollars and I hope him and his agent are smart enough to realize it. A one year deal will suffice. Lost Jaret Wright (as is the tradition of getting rid of the guy who loses the last game in the playoffs). Go after Barry Zito (who only sucks when he plays against us) and Daisuke Matsuzaka. Let’s see what Philip Hughes has got. And sign every available closer and relegate them to setup men. Carl Pavano should become a setup guy only because I don’t want him to leave without at least earning some of his money.

Steinbrenner Stop trying to buy the biggest, oldest bat on the market. We had a good thing in the late 90’s with stars and role players. We have guys in our lineup who would be the anchor for a lot of other teams, however there is no one rowing the boat and all the weight is making the ship sink EVERY YEAR. Let Cashman do his job (and, on the side, call Gene Michael and ask him if he’d be interested in Cashman’s job in 2008).

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