Battleship the Movie

I very much enjoyed the Battleship movie this weekend.  I didn't go in with any expectations which might have helped.  First please don't expect any Academy Award worthy performances out of this movie.  Do expect action after the pre-requisite setup.  It would be so much easier to punch holes in the movie as opposed to writing about what I enjoyed about the movie but I'll give it a shot.

First I just enjoyed the movie.  A great gauge for me is if I'm looking at my watch while watching the movie.  Even though this was a two plus hour movie I thought the time went by very quickly.  I was also sucked in by the rock-n-roll music placed in just the right places as the action ratcheted up.  I will ding the movie for not getting the famous tag line "you sank my battleship" into the movie in some fashion.  But if that is the worst I'll throw at the movie it is all good.  Again if you are a fan of action this movie has.  Just don't expect much substance to go along with it. 

Attended Last Night's Braves-Cardinals Game

Last night I was able to attend the Atlanta Braves game in St. Louis against the Cardinals.  The Braves won 9-7 in 12 innings.  First the experience was great.  I live and work in Illinois.  I took the metrolink train directly from work to the stadium.  I attended with a group of friends from work and their families.  They all rooted for the Cards while I was the lone Braves fan amongst us.  I wore my Chipper Jones jersey and Braves hat but was definitely not the only Braves fan in the stadium.  The train let us off right at the stadium which was built in 2006.  I was blown away.  It looks great and I can't say I was dissapointed by anything.  Ok maybe the prices for food but that is part of the experience.  The concorse areas were very open and I never felt confined as you might in some of the older stadiums.  The game was sold out with over 45,000 in attendance.  The seats were comfy and while we were in the upper deck they would fall in the "not a bad seat in the house" category.  The fans around me were very good natured about me being a Braves fan and added to the fun. 

Prior to the game the Cardinals retired Tony LaRussa's #10.  This was a great bonus to being at the game.  I am someone who enjoys the game in all it's glory and history and appreciate others who aren't directly related to teams I root for.  Tony is right there near the top when it comes to managers.  He's won three World Series Championships and I think the two with St. Louis really stand out as those teams won't be looked at as the most dominant in history.  Last year's title specifically was a great example as he had to deal with ace Adam Wainwright being out for the season, no defined closer for a good part of the season, injuries to Matt Holiday, and a defense that won't make anyone write a book.  The front office did a great job of bringing in players like Edwin Jackson, Rafael Furcal, Arthur Rhodes, Octavio Dotel among others which were a huge part of why they won.  Still they had an amazing September to just get into the playoffs and then won three playoff series against favored teams (Philadelphia,  Milwaukee, Texas) culminating in an exciting seven game World Series.  I know he wasn't always the most popular guy even amongst his team's fans but he was a great manager who deserves the accolades he gets.  What I enjoyed the most was seeing some of the great players he's managed over the years in attendance.  Dennis Eckersley, Dave Stewart, Tom Seaver, and opposing manager Joe Torre were the highlights for me.  Too cool!

The game itself was a great one.  Atlanta took an early 5-1 lead but the Cardinals came back powered by four homeruns, two by Carlos Beltran.  He also added a double and a triple.  What a monster night.  I really questioned why Atlanta pitched to him in the 5th with first base open and runners on second and third.  Yes Allen Craig is having a nice year but he isn't Carlos Beltran who happened to be killing you at the plate that night.  He promptly hit a triple.  The game went back an forth until the game was tied at seven after Beltran's second homer in the eighth inning.  Johnny Venters blew the save but the Braves bullpen still had a good night giving up that one run in 7 2/3 innings of relief.  Livan Hernandez made it interesting at times to include loading the bases but got the win.  Finally in the 12th inning Chipper got on with a leadoff walk.  While you love having your leadoff guy on in that situation knowing Chipper couldn't be pinch ran for and he doesn't have much speed I knew we needed some help.  That came when the next batter, Jason Heyward, hit a two run homerun putting Atlanta up for good.  Craig Kimbrel then came in for his 11th save. 

Last night was also a pleasure I was able to see Chipper play in his last season.  He received a standing ovation in his first plate appearance by Braves and Cards fans alike.  I joked by thanking my friends for the #10 that had been mowed into the outfield in honor of Chipper (maybe it was for LaRussua...).  It was even better as Chipper went 2 for 4, knocking in 1, walking twice and scoring twice.  All around as a Braves fan I couldn't have asked for much more.  It was a great game and great experience.  

The Avengers Movie Review

I along with a gazillion other folks went to the Avengers movie this weekend.  I am a comic fanboy so I've really been looking forward to The Avengers.  The added bonus was being able to go with my four youngins and beautiful wife.  She's still lost despite the son and I's many inputs trying to help her digest everything going on.  We went to a 3:55 showing yesterday in the small town in which we live.  That means we didn't have to fight the huge crowds in larger venues.  The link below shows just how many folks watched the movie this weekend:

"The Avengers" Is The Biggest Movie Opening Ever

The move itself was very fun.  Not a ton of surprises but you get what anyone could want with lots of fighty fighty.  Thor vs Hulk, Iron Man vs Thor, Loki vs Captain America, bad guys versus everyone, and much more.  What else could you want?  I liked the plot as it wasn't too out there for the average viewer nor too distorted as to make a comic book fan leave the theater wondering "what were they thinking".  Each character received plenty of screen time to include the more minor characters of Black Widow and Hawkeye allowing time to provide them some back story.  Many good one liners as you'd expect.  My favorite scene is the Loki-Hulk fight near the end of he movie.  I won't spoil it with details.

Not a perfect movie but I think the large majority of those wanting to see the movie will enjoy it.  Won't be too many folks leaving disappointed.  Someone smarter could dive into the nuisances of the movie but I'm not the smart one.  For me The Avengers was entertaining and I highly recommend it to everyone.   

2012 NFL Draft

It is done.  All 32 NFL teams have made their picks.  I am by no means an expert on the college players taken but do want to take a few words and address what my teams did to address their needs and of course touch on any other draft notes I think are worth touching on.  Buffalo was all over the place but I like their picks.  The first round brought a cornerback in Stephen Gilmore (pictured) who should help in today's pass happy league.  On defense they also picked up two linebackers as well as another defensive back.  On offense they went heavy on the offensive line drafting three to hopefully help protect Trend Edwards and open up holes for Fred Jackson.  Their last pick is a kicker with a big leg who would be a kickoff specialist.  Good idea but I'm never quite sure if these types of players are worth taking up the roster slot.  Overall I'm happy with their picks and think they address the needs of the team.

The Falcons big splash in this draft was trading for Asante Samuel of the Philadelphia Eagles for a seventh round pick.  They will have to suck up his contract and he isn't what he used to be but he is still a guy you can put on the outside by himself to defend any wide receiver.  Great pickup considering the price.  Atlanta went offensive line with their first two picks with a center and tackle.  They then took a fullback.  I like that as Michael Turner can always use another blocker to help free him up for runs.  They then went with two defensive lineman and a safety.  Atlanta didn't have a first round pick due to last year's draft day trade for Julio Jones but I thought the Falcons did well addressing concerns the team has at this point.

Since I'm near St. Louis and hear about them quite a bit through local radio and my buddies at work I'll look at their draft.  Not getting receiver Justin Blackmon in the first round was huge to local fans.  They zeroed in on him since day one wanting weapons for Sam Bradford.  The fact they traded down and went with the very unsexy pick of defensive tackle Michael Brockers had fans questioning their new coach.  If he hadn't addressed receiver in the second round I'm sure fans would have been jumping from rooftops. I would have liked to see them stay at the number six position in the first round and taken cornerback Morris Claiborne.   Otherwise the team's needs were addressed pretty well.  Still the conversations on Monday should be interesting.

The Redskins pick of QB Kirk Cousins in the fourth round made no sense after picking up RG3 with the second overall pick.....Cleveland taking another quarterback in the first round seemed to be a reach.  I understand if Colt McCoy isn't the answer but I have a hard time believing Brandon Wheeden is and I thought they could have addressed some of their many other needs.....New England finally traded up in a draft and went defense with their two first round picks.  They also took the Nebraska cornerback who was arrested for assaulting a cop in the seventh round.  He was projected as a second round pick so there could be some big upside to this pick.  Belicheck's defensive draft picks have not worked out that great as of late so he needs these guys to pan out..... The Titans draft a kid at tight end who has never played the position.  Taylor Thompson played defensive end his entire career at SMU.....

Hawks vs Celtics - NBA Playoffs Round 1

The Atlanta Hawks are the fourth seed in the NBA's Eastern Conference and will have home court advantage against the Boston Celtics in their best of seven series.  Boston won the season series two games to one.  Both teams averaged 86 points a game with all three games being close.   Atlanta made the playoffs for the fifth year in a row this year, three of those making it to the second round before losing.  Atlanta is led by Joe Johnson and Josh Smith with Jeff Teague running the point.  Marvin Williams, one time starter, is now providing much needed points off the bench. 

Boston's Ray Allen is a game time decision.  Still I believe the Celtics have more weapons.  The "Big 3" of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Allen are aging but still provide a formidable lineup.  Rajon Rondo runs the point and can put up big points when needed.  Brandon Bass is also having a career year adding some needed youth to the group.  Glen Rivers has showed some creativity by moving Garnett to center at times causing match up issues with the slower bigs in the league.  As a coach I think he is very good at making the right moves to put his team right there for the win. 

Still the Hawks are younger and I believe overall more talented. Star center Al Horford is out with an injury having only played 11 games this year.  While I don't see it as a positive it has provided JoshSmith some extra space in which to work on offense.  Johnson is averaging 18 points a game and hitting the three well (.388).  Point guard Jeff Teague made big strides this year more than doubling his points and assists per game totals.  This team has lacked good point guard play in the past so he may be the answer they've long been searching for.  He also shoots well from the floor (.477).  Again, Marvin Williams has moved to the bench and found a three point shot the Hawks have not seen from him in past seasons.  While center Zaza Pachulia won't make anyone forget about Horford he has filled in admirably. 

This series worries me.  Atlanta played well this season but I don't think they are really feared.  As in past years they haven't shown maturity in their play and it comes back to haunt them in the playoffs when they tend to fall on their face even if they do make it to the second round.  I think they are looked at as a team that will never make it past the second round as they are currently constructed but that is another post.  I think Boston's veterans will push them past Atlanta in the first round.  Heck the Celtics weren't even worried about home court advantage as they rested their starters late in the season.  Atlanta can definitely play with Boston and athletically play with almost anyone.  They can also spread the defense a little better this year but I think it will come down to the veterans of Boston performing at a better level come crunch time.  I shouldn't be such a defeatist and I hope I'm wrong but it just seems like a tough road ahead.

2010-2011 Paninin Rookies and Stars Basketball Cards

Picked up a pack of these cards today and I'm glad I did.  I've never seen them before but thought what the heck?  The card front has a "decorative" background with the player photo in the forefront.  I'm normally not a fan of cards like this but this design is something I like.  The series logo is in the upper left and the team logo is in the upper right.  The player's name goes vertical on the left side of the card while his position is also vertical in the bottom right of the card.  Not sure exactly what catches my eye on these cards but the players and the team colors really stand out against the muted black and white background.  

The backs once again have a muted background with a portion of the photo from the front in black and white at the top.  Color in the form of the team's primary color is added for a splash.  Included are the players stats from the last year and the player's career totals.  Height, weigh, birth date, draft position and college are just above that.  Below the stats is a paragraph about the paragraph that I found not to be the normal shtick.  Not saying you this is Pulitzer prize material but just a little bit different.  Would have liked to have seen a different photo on the back as well as stats from additional years but otherwise it is a solid looking back.

The only insert was a Kobe Bryant card from a series that featured him.  I wasn't impressed.  It had two words on the front that took up 75% of the card leaving little room for his picture.  Nothing special.  The rookie cards were posed shots as opposed to the action shots for other players.  I really like these cards.  Sometimes I can't pinpoint exactly why but I'll definitely pick up some more. 

Easter Weekend

I'm a little late on this but Easter weekend was a fun weekend for us and I just wanted to share.  Friday was a day for errands but still fun as I got to hang out with my daughters who live with their mom about a half hour away.  They were up for the weekend.  We celebrated the 17th birthday of our 3rd oldest daughter that Saturday.  We ate out at Olive Garden which didn't disappoint.  Afterwards we did the presents and cake and ice cream which no one is ever hungry for after the large birthday meals.  A tradition gained when I married my wife is we hide the birthday presents and the child whose birthday it is then searches for them as their brothers and sisters do the hot/cold thing.  Kinda corny but they still get a kick out of it as they've gotten older.  Our daughter is headed to Florida with the school band this week so we stuck to money for her gifts which is something I'm not a fan of.  I love finding gifts the youngins have asked for but I think they'll love.  The kids all ended up at movies late Saturday night but otherwise we just hung out. 

For Easter the kids were up by mid-morning.  They then did the egg search thing.  Yes even at their ages - the oldest was 20 youngest 11.  They each got an Easter basket with tons of candy and a nice gift.  I did have some leeway on the gift so that was fun.  Just a wonderful time.  Maybe nothing too special but we really did have a great weekend and I couldn't keep it to myself.