Chasing Amy

Watched the end of Shaft when I got home tonight. Started wondering why they never made more of them. I really dig that movie.

Now Chasing Amy is on - which is easily my favorite Kevin Smith movie - and I'm bummed that I'm going to sleep soon and am gonna miss the end of it.

It also made me realize that I'm pretty sure I don't own this movie on DVD.

Which continued a thought I had a few days ago that it seems far more likely that you may not own a movie that you really like as opposed to owning a song that you really like. That may be a matter of pure economics but I found it kinda interesting. That whole thought process popped up while I continued my work on my Top 25 Songs Of All Time list. At some point, I wondered if it was possible that I didn't have a song or two that I might want to consider for the list - mostly oldies, I'd imagine. But as I thought more about it, I figured it was very implausible that I wouldn't have dropped the $1.29 to buy almost every song I mildly enjoy - although I do run across a few from time to time.

But movies on the other hand. I can name quite a few movies - starting with Chasing Amy and including Casino which I also saw most of it recently (two of my favorite movies, by the by) that I don't own on DVD. Of course, I hardly ever watch anything on DVD anymore so...

...but that's a story for another time.

So, think about it, kids, and you tell me... is it harder to own every movie you love on DVD or to own every song you love on

Are You Ready?

Just finished watching the UFC 100 Countdown special

and I'm pretty stoked about this weekend's event. I'm

fairly sure I'm going to drop the cash for it whcih'll make

it the first UFC PPV I've bought since the first Lesnar/Mir

fight.

This is actually the first MMA fight in quite some time that

I'm excited for so here's hoping it's a good one.

Oh, and if the MMA gods are smiling, GSP will get stomped

into oblivion too!

Wasn't There A Carl's Jr Commercial Like This?

No, this really isn't just an excuse to post a picture of Megan Fox.  I truly adore this story.

In the ongoing saga of the "he said, she said" between the lovely Ms. Fox and director Michael Bay, Page Six revealed today that apparently the audition process between the two for the first Transformers movie involved her washing his Ferrari while Michael Bay videotaped it.

Yep, you read that right.  Michael Bay shot his own "Cheerleader Car Wash" scene from Bring It On at his house - with Megan Fox.

Now, I'll let you write your own erotic fiction about what happened from there - which I'm sure is actually all over the Internet by now (I'll let you Google it and find out.)  But the story gets a little better as when reached for comment, Megan confirmed the existence of such a tape but remarked that she wasn't sure where it had gone.  When Bay was reached for comment, he said the same.

Uh huh.

I know if I had video of a young and desperate Megan Fox washing my car, I'd probably misplace it as well.  Wouldn't you?

Asthma! I Knew It!

Without a doubt, this is the coolest thing you'll see all day.

Funny Videos | Funny Cartoons | More Video Clips

Game Over

I hate being the depressing guy but I read this story from the LA Times today during my lunch break and it made me feel pretty sad for someone that I didn't think I could possibly manage to feel sorry for.

Everyone knows the story. Eric Gagne was the hero of Dodger Stadium at a time when we didn't have many heroes. It was such a fairytale story, really. The mediocre starting pitcher turned into a reliever out of necessity that quickly became a closer when it became obvious that his hockey player mentality was better suited for it. Then the real magic began. He turned from a starter-turned-closer into the best closer in baseball. His fastballs exploded with velocity and movement. His changeup seemed almost unfair to the people who were forced to stand at the plate and have their knees buckled by it. The blaring sound of "Welcome To The Jungle" and the idea of "Game Over" flashing across the Diamond Vision kept Dodger fans in their seats all the way through the ninth inning, completely destroying the "Ha ha - Dodger fans show up in the 3rd and leave in the 7th" that has haunted us for so all.

It all seemed so perfect. Too perfect. It was a too good to be true scenario and in the end, it turned out to be exactly that.

Gagne signed a big contract after three huge years... and then physically collapsed. No one wanted to even whisper the thought at the time but as the physical downfall dovetailed with baseball's new drug testing policy, the thought crossed everyone's minds.

The contract came and went with little fanfare as he was barely able to throw a pitch for the team during it. Everyone was convinced he'd take a paycut to "make it up to the team" during contract negotiations and when he didn't, he quickly became the object of much scorn throughout Southern California.

Fast forward a bit to the arrival of the Mitchell Report and the news that Dodger fans had dreaded all along. Evidence that Gagne had received shipments of HGH. And even worse, fellow Cindarella story teammate Paul LoDuca seemed to be the man who started him on that path. We even got salt rubbed in the wounds with an e-mail from a Boston scout clearly stating that "steroids is the problem."

Sigh.

And so it goes. After reading that, I never thought I could feel pity for Gagne's career again however when he was released during spring training, I thought that a pity signing might be in order. What could it hurt after all?

Occasionally, you'd hear a whisper about him rehabbing his latest injury but this is the first full-length story I've seen on him in a while. It really is a sad story and while part of me still has a lot of bitterness towards him, this story goes a long way towards soothing old wounds.

Here are a couple excerpts that I found most interesting...

On the day Manny Ramirez would make his comeback before tens of thousands of adoring fans -- in enemy territory, no less -- Gagne sat at a table for two at a riverfront cafe, in this weathered city more than 400 years old, and more than 400 miles from the nearest big league outpost.

He wore a black Ed Hardy T-shirt. He ate his poutine -- the Quebec delicacy of fries topped with gravy and cheese -- in peace. No one asked him for an autograph.

This is a long way to go to get away from the Mitchell Report and start over.

This is home. These are the people who nurtured him, who dropped coins into a bucket to help pay his way to college, who packed the stadium here and gave him a standing ovation just for coming home to pitch, for the Quebec Capitales of the independent Can-Am League.

L.A. was home too, once upon a time. We wore goggles and goatees, sweat-stained caps and "Game Over" shirts. We went nuts for the record-setting 84 consecutive saves and for the Cy Young Award, for "Welcome to the Jungle" and for the best show in town.

"The electricity was unreal," Gagne said. "I never thought that was possible in baseball.

"Those were the best days of my life. I think about them every day."

Or this one...

The details might be sparse, but the remorse is genuine.

"I've been straightforward about everything. It [stinks] that I can't be about this," he said. "I'm not looking for sympathy anyway.

"I have to live with this the rest of my life. I'm going to have to explain this to my kids. It's going to be on my resume the rest of my life."

He volunteers that he is a role model for kids -- and not just his four kids, none older than 8. He is a model for what not to do, whatever that might have been.

"I hope I serve as an example," Gagne said. "You don't want to be in my shoes.

"This is hell. I've still got to talk about it."

His three best seasons, the ones in which he recorded the 84 consecutive saves, were the last three before baseball instituted a drug policy and initiated mandatory suspensions for first offenders.

Did Dodgers fans -- the ones that paid good money for tickets and "Game Over" memorabilia -- get an honest performance in return?

"To me, yes," Gagne said. "I can guarantee I worked harder than anybody.

Or one last one...

Gagne is in Quebec to revive his career. He is trying to work his way back from a partially torn rotator cuff, with four appearances so far and a fastball Laplante put at 84-87 mph. He should get stronger, and presumably better, and if so he could get a minor league contract in August, or a spring training invitation next year.

He is in baseball limbo here, not because of the Mitchell Report, but because of his shoulder. What was once a national outrage over baseball's steroid era has evolved into a national fatigue.

If Ramirez hits, Dodgers fans cheer.

"Everybody makes mistakes," Gagne said. "You keep going. You do what you do. What Manny does best is hit balls. Manny is an entertainer. That's not just in L.A. It's anywhere. If you're a fan . . . you want to see something special."

There was no better entertainer in L.A. than Gagne, back in the day.

"That's why I keep going to the ballpark," he said. "I'm searching for that again."

Gagne relives it every day. His 5-year-old son scampers about in a Dodgers cap. His 3-year-old daughter is named Bluu -- yes, he said, for Dodger blue.

Like I said, a sad story. I might be alone in my pity for the man who once thrilled us all but... well, if Mr. Ramirez gets a second chance...

Something To Think About

Not to bring everyone down from their BBQ burgers-cheap beer-fireworks high but... well, as we are all prone to doing, sometimes we forget the reason why we're celebrating certain days off. Yes, there IS another reason other than having a day off work and an excuse to get drunk, kids.

I don't feel the need to give everyone a history lesson tonight but rather to remind everyone that there are some people out there in the world still fighting for their country. As much as we may disagree with why they're fighting, it doesn't change the fact that they're out there each and every day putting their lives on the line for all of us back home.

I helped a young man in the store a few months ago who was home on leave for a couple of weeks before shipping off to Afghanistan. He had just finished with basic training and you could tell he was a bit nervous about his new assignment. After a lengthy sale, I mentioned that it must be more than a little unsettling to have that just around the corner. He agreed and after more conversation, he simply shrugged and said, "I may not like why I'm going to be there but I'd rather it be me over there so that good folks like yourself can be a little bit safer." In the end, I thanked him for his service and expressed my hope that I'd see him again in the store soon.

When I read this article today on Yahoo about the troops in Afghanistan, I couldn't help but think of that young man and his willingness to put his life on the line for someone like me.

Readers of this blog know that I'm not a religious man but for those of you out there that are, please include that young man and all the others mentioned and unmentioned in the article above in your thoughts and prayers.

Happy 4th of July to one and all!

Manny's Back

July 3rd was the day that Dodger fans have had etched on their brains for 50 games now - the day that Manny Ramirez would finally return from suspension and hopefully pick up right where he left off.

Well, the Dodgers won tonight but Manny had very little to do with it.

The media's been out in full force for this return for days but especially over the past day or so. Lots of reporters that are full of piss and vinegar that Manny hasn't been strung up by his toes by fans across the globe. There's a lot of arguments for and against Manny right now with a lot of good points on both sides.

But there's something that I took away from them that kinda made me realize why I, personally, haven't been as upset about the situation as some others have.

I read someone saying that the fans are just too overexposed to the situation by this point. Bonds, A-Rod, Clemens, McGwire... you name it, we've seen their names and reputations and records dragged through the mud.

At some point, don't we all just become a little bit numb to it?

The Clemens one is the one that probably did me in. I've been a huge Clemens fan for his entire career. At one point in my childhood, I proudly held over a hundred Clemens baseball cards in my collection and proclaimed him to be one of my favorite players [as a non-Dodger, that was saying something.]

So, when a childhood hero is busted for Performance Enhancing Drugs, am I going to be affected as much when someone that I probably REALLY only like because I met him on my wedding day is?

The A-Rod one stings a little too because he was supposed to be clean. He was the guy who was going to "save" the record books from the taint of Barry Bonds. But in the end, all he did was prove Jose Canseco right... again.

In the end, it's starting to become more and more apparent that just about every high profile player from that period of time were "influenced" in some fashion. Can we hate them all? I guess but at some point, you have to start to wonder if there's a point to that.

He got caught, he did his time, he quasi-admits to it...

I guess that's good enough... sorta. Everyone deserves a second chance and all that jazz, right?

Right?