Yet Another Delayed Movie Post

Maybe I need to hire someone to write blog posts for me so there aren't these gaps between posts. Anyone want the job? Keep in mind that I can't afford to offer you actual compensation so you'd be, in effect, an unpaid intern. The good news is that some of these are Oscar nominees so if I work really hard this will be posted before the awards are given out.

Three late-year releases took on serious events in different ways. The Big Short tried to inject humor into the story of the 2007-2008 financial meltdown caused by Wall Street shenanigans and the federal government's failure to regulate the financial industry, with wry narration and interludes where celebrities explain financial concepts. The most-discussed of the latter is actress Margot Robbie in a bubble bath (playfully sexy if you're into women in bubble baths). Amusing, but ultimately what happened is still too confusing, and it fails to enlighten or enrage viewers into pressuring politicians to prevent another fiscal disaster. My grade: B-minus.

Concussion is much more earnest. The National Football League would have you believe this movie is a menace to the sport's existence. The real menace: the fact that as more and more players are discovered after their deaths to have suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), parents may not allow their kids to play the sport, meaning the pool of talented athletes dries up. The NFL need not worry. The movie didn't have much impact. It's a good movie, but gets a demerit for depicting an incident involving ex-Eagle Andre Waters -- who killed himself and whose autopsy found he had CTE -- that didn't occur in reality. Despite Roger Goodell's awful record as commissioner, players beating women and children, killing dogs (and people, for that matter), fighting in bars, etc., and all the concussion worries, TV ratings and revenues continue to rise. The money will ensure the kids keep playing football. Unlike some of the financial institutions bailed out in the aftermath of the events in "The Big Short," the NFL may actually BE "too big to fail." My grade: B.

By far the best of these three is Spotlight, about the Boston Globe's 2001-2002 investigation into the cover-up by the Boston Archdiocese of sexual abuse by its priests. The film focuses not on the crimes themselves, but all the work the editors and reporters do to get the story published, even as their work on the project was temporarily derailed by the September 11th attacks. The film is superbly acted all around, and the story is so compelling. Yet it also makes me a little sad. Good investigative journalism requires dedication, passion, a desire to fight to find the truth -- and resources. Sadly, the state of the newspaper industry is such that we're going to see fewer and fewer reports such as this, unless the NFL wants to finance it. My grade: A-plus.

As for the rest...

Sisters was a little disappointing at first, even though Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are a winning duo, playing sisters throwing one last party before the house they grew up in is sold. It took quite a while into the film before I started seeing the humor in it. My grade: C-plus.

Joy is carried by the wonderful Jennifer Lawrence in the title role, telling the story (with some embellishments, naturally) of the woman who invented the Miracle Mop, among other items, becoming a QVC mainstay and a wealthy woman in the process. The film is really uneven, though. My grade: B-minus.

The first film I saw that was released in 2016 is Hail, Caesar!, a comedy with an mostly all-star cast from the Coen brothers set in the 1950s, when the Hollywood studio system still ruled, where "fixers" (in this film, Eddie Mannix, played by Josh Brolin) keep scandals such as pregnant, unwed starlets and homosexual actors under wraps. (Oh, the 50s! The era the GOP nuts want to take us back to!) It drags a bit at times but is mostly entertaining, especially the film-within-the-film segments. Do not miss the song-and-dance number starring Channing Tatum and a bunch of guys in sailor suits for a film called "No Dames!" My grade: B-plus.

Next time I do a film post: Deadpool!

Quick Review: Star Wars: The Force Awakens

So just before Star Wars: The Force Awakens began I posted this question to my Facebook and Twitter: "Star Wars will be a reboot/nostalgia exercise. But will it be great (Creed), awful (Terminator: Genisys) or in between (Vacation)?"

Now, I enjoyed the original trilogy a lot, but I was never that obsessed with it. I never bothered to see Episodes 1 through 3 (especially when I heard about Jar Jar Binks) or got into any of the spinoff products (cartoons, novels, comic books...). So for me the hype for the new installment got to be a little much, and the endless ads touting everything from autos to fast food to jewelry were an extreme turnoff. And the extreme obsession over spoilers! IF YOU DON'T WANT SPOILERS, STAY OFF THE INTERNET! But, because I am kind, I won't post any details that will spoil your experience. This time.

I really didn't want to see it on the opening weekend, knowing the theaters would be crowded and not wanting to seem to reward the previously mentioned ad campaign. But bus and movie schedules, plus my desire to not miss too much of the NFL, combined to put me in one of those crowded theaters.

I look at it as one of those Colorforms sets from way back (and today, as their website makes clear). You take vinyl pieces and slap them on plastic backgrounds. There are many scenes in SW:TFA that are very similar to those in the original, but instead of the original characters, newbies are slapped into their place. And, bit by bit, those originals appear to tie events together and propel the plot towards the next film.

So as for that scale I established: it certainly tapped into the nostalgia. As for updating or bringing a new perspective on things, not as well as "Creed" but definitely better than "Vacation." If you're one of those superfans, you'll love it. Me, as I said, I'm not one of them, so... My grade: B.

Boycott the NFL? What Says Lurie? Philly Media Asleep?

I've been increasingly disgusted with the NFL lately. Although I love football, the NFL and I have issues, such as their overreaction in stadium security which won't let me carry my little drawstring bag* with my phone charger, reading material for the subway/El, etc. into the Linc -- if I even actually got an Eagles ticket, which I can't afford anyway. And their claim that they want to make the game safer and reduce or prevent serious injuries, particularly head injuries, is completely at cross-purposes with their insistence that there be weekly Thursday night games, as well as their consideration of future expansion of the regular season from 16 to 18 games.

But that's nothing compared to the initial outrage over the pathetic two-game suspension originally given Ray Rice by commissioner Roger Goodell, and the league's response to the punishment's total inadequacy (especially when compared with longer bans given players who committed the horrible crime of smoking pot), followed by the responses of Goodell, the NFL and the Baltimore Ravens once TMZ acquired the video of Rice viciously punching his then-fiancee, now-wife in the elevator at the newly-defunct Revel Casino in Atlantic City, followed by the league's totally inadequate responses to domestic violence caused by other players (you MUST read this).

And on top of all that came the news that Adrian Peterson of the Minnesota Vikings was charged with child abuse, after beating his four-year-old son with a tree branch until the child bled. For those who somehow think there's nothing wrong with such discipline, think about it. Pause on these words, stare at them for a minute or two until it sinks in: HE BEAT HIS CHILD AND DREW BLOOD. HE MADE A FOUR-YEAR-OLD BLEED!

That was followed by the Vikings' flip-flops on whether he should be allowed to play, deactivating him for one game, then announcing that he would be reinstated, then reversing course after team and league sponsors began distancing themselves from this mess.

And then came today (technically yesterday, since this won't be finished until after midnight).

Comparison: ESPN vs. NFL

ESPN says Stephen A. Smith will not appear for a week on their TV show "First Take" or his radio show because of comments he made that implied some women provoke domestic violence. The comments were in the wake of the NFL suspending Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice for two games for beating up his fiancee (now his wife).

So...knock out your woman and drag her unconscious body out of a hotel elevator? Miss two games.
Talk about it in a stupid manner? Miss ten "games."

I'm so glad the NFL and Roger Goodell have educated us on the correct levels of punishment for dastardly acts.





(These two clips should actually be connected into one, as they were part of the same scene. This won't be a problem in a few months.)

Why I Love Scumbag Warren Sapp

I saw a headline last night on Yahoo's home page about former NFL and "Dancing with the Stars" star Warren Sapp, who left no tip on a $70 bill at a sports bar. He claimed he got terrible service and the waitress called him and his friend "boys." She says that she gave him fine service and she only used "boys" in the context of asking what they wanted to drink ("Hey, boys, what can I get you?"). As I dislike Warren Sapp, who's had a string of on- and off-field incidents showing him to be a jackass, I have little doubt that her side of the story is more accurate.

I posted the story's link to my Twitter with a comment: "Once a scumbag, always a scumbag."

An hour and a half later I went back to Twitter and saw that I had a bunch of new followers. The count went from 480 to just over 500. My post was getting retweeted and favorited a lot. I even had comments from strangers (taking both sides) and entire discussions on Sapp and on tipping in general. With my Twitter handle included in the posts, I can follow these discussions without even participating because of the Notifications function. Some of the discussions are actually intelligent, while others have been, sadly, racist.

Meanwhile, one moron seems to think I wrote the Yahoo article:

As of right now, 17 hours later, that post was retweeted 151 times (not including those who do it manually) and favorited 324 times. Other posts in the resulting discussions have been favorited as well, so I keep getting those notifications.

And strangest of all, the new followers have continued to add up. I am now up to 683 followers. This freaked me out so much last night that I changed my Twitter password, fearing I might have been hacked. Nothing suspicious has happened, though, like sending tweets or DMs without my knowledge, so I think all is well in that regard.

I have no idea if these people (at least the non-spambots) are actually interested in me, or if they'll hang around for a while. But if they do, that's fine with me. Hopefully they'll check out the blog as well.

Thanks, Warren Sapp!

Super Bowl: Heroes, Villains

Yes, I still want to keep this blog thing going, believe it or not.

Every time one of the major sports is about to decide its champion, and there's no Philadelphia team involved, I have to figure out which team I want to root for. In general, I like to root for the underdog, or David over Goliath. Teams that haven't won before or cities that haven't won in a long time, whose fans seem deserving of the success. Players I like (or dislike). So, no rooting for New York teams, the Dallas Cowboys, etc.

More and more there's a problem, though. Between the general arrogance and surly attitudes of many modern-day players and the rise of performance-enhancing substance usage and, in recent years, the outspokenness of players on gay issues and teams' participation in projects like You Can Play or It Gets Better, it's increasingly impossible to decide which team to support.

For Super Bowl XLVII (and boy, isn't it going to be weird when it's just Super Bowl L in three years), featuring the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers, there's been particular attention paid to gay stuff. On one hand, the Ravens' Brendan Ayanbadejo is an major supporter of equality, speaking out and helping same-sex equality become law in Maryland. On the other hand, his teammate Matt Birk holds anti-gay views based on his religious beliefs. Point: the 49ers' Chris Culliver made stupid anti-gay remarks this week. Counterpoint: the 49ers repudiated his remarks and his coach and some of his teammates spoke out against them. Plus: the 49ers are the only NFL team to release an It Gets Better video. Minus: Two 49ers who were in the video denied being in it, until they were shown the video featuring them, and the video's now been pulled from the It Gets Better website. It seems possible the 49ers were unclear or misled their players about the video's purpose.

Kaepernick

And that's not even getting into the media's canonization of Saint Ray Lewis, playing his last game, conveniently sweeping under the rug his involvement in the murders of two men, men whose murderers have gone unpunished thanks to the actions of Lewis. Oh, and there's that whole deer-antler-spray thing (getting back to performance-enhancers).

I suppose, with all the pro-gay and anti-gay stuff kind of canceling each other out, the Lewis factor would push me toward the 49ers. But the 49ers have already won five Super Bowls, and the Giants have two World Series wins in three years. So that pushes me back towards Baltimore.

See what I mean?

So I can't say how I'll feel about whichever team wins. I will say, after some wavering, I think the 49ers will win. It really depends on their quarterback, Colin Kaepernick, continuing to handle the pressure despite having little NFL experience before taking over midseason. If he doesn't play like a rookie, the 49ers will win. And, if you don't mind tattoos...

Things I'm Not Buying

Two categories here...

Things I'm Not Buying...Yet...

1) The explanation that Manti Te'o is the victim of a hoax. There are too many inconsistencies -- the reports that flat-out said he met this girlfriend of his, who supposedly died of leukemia but as it turns out never actually existed, in person; varying reports saying she died just before the death of his grandmother, while others said she died after the grandmother died; and lots of other things in the Deadspin report. Also, the fact that Notre Dame hired an outside firm to conduct an investigation but isn't releasing the name of the outfit that they hired to conduct it, or the firm's report itself, seems a bit questionable. It'll be interesting to hear what Te'o himself says, and if the media does some digging of its own -- especially the "mainstream" media (such as ESPN), who ought to be angry that their outlets once again got scooped by a website.

2) Chip Kelly as Eagles' head coach. Sure, he ran up tremendous offensive numbers at Oregon and had a 46-7 record there. And sure, some of his offense's tactics are being adapted by NFL teams such as the New England Patriots. But can Kelly's offense in full work in the NFL? There are much better defenses in the NFL than in the Pac-8, or 10,  or 12, or whatever number they are now. And Nick Foles may not be ideally suited to such an offense. Will Kelly water it down immediately or will he try it in full at first, then dumb it down if it doesn't work? And even if he can get the offense in gear, the Eagles' defense is a huge mess. Kelly and the guy who ends up becoming defensive coordinator have a lot of work to do. Lots of WIP callers are, as usual, overreacting, saying the hiring of Kelly is a disaster. I'm not willing to go that far. But I am skeptical. And it bothers me (whether it should or not) that he initially decided not to take the job, and then changed his mind. According to one report I saw a mutual friend of Kelly and Eagles' GM Howie Roseman supposedly told Roseman that Kelly's mind could be changed.

3) The return of the NHL. I don't know if it's the recent lessening of my intense level of interest in sports in general or because the NHL was a joke for being shut down by a union-management bitchfest to begin with, but I'm not overly excited about the return of the Flyers. Maybe seeing a game will help in that regard. I don't know.

Things I'm Not Buying...At All...

The likelihood that extensive reform of gun laws will actually occur. Even if Democrats unite, it won't pass Congress without Republicans, and they are enslaved by the NRA and the Tea Party maniacs. I still believe everything I said here.

Why The Mayan 2012 Thing Needs To Happen

I saw an article online today and the title of this post came to mind. I thought that maybe the whole end-of-the-world event supposedly predicted by the Mayan calendar should actually happen. Then I kept reading, and found more things that solidifed my view. What were these things? Did Mitt Romney get caught saying something stupid again? Did another pro athlete say or do something homophobic? Did the NFL's scab referees make another bad call? (Oh wait, they're gone now. Our long national nightmare is over.)

Not quite. Just sample the headlines:

Honey Boo Boo Declares, 'Everybody's A Little Bit Gay'

Ke$ha: I had sex with a ghost

50 Cent tweets four-step plan to stop masturbation

Now, far be it from me to discourage Ke-dollar sign-ha from having ectoplasmic orgasms. I just dislike her and don't want to see her or hear about her. But for 50 Cent to cite the Bible as a reason to not masturbate while he's probably out banging groupies every night, well, that's unacceptable. Sorry, man-whore, but masturbation is all some people have. (Looks around nervously, walks away slowly...)

And the simple fact that my sacred blog has now been tainted by the inexplicable phenomenon/unadulterated mess that is Honey Boo Boo is reason enough. Come on, Mayans, put us out of our misery!

The Comcast Xfinity Mega-FAIL

So there I was late on Sunday afternoon, in front of my computer, which is in my basement. I think I've mentioned that before, but in case you weren't aware, keep this in mind as you continue to read. I was scrolling through my Twitter feed when I noticed that none of the pictures people were posting, via Twitpic, Instagram, etc., were opening when I clicked on them. I looked at the cable modem and the little light on the side that indicates a signal is available, was out. I had no Internet service.

I tried cutting the power to my modem and rebooting, but it didn't help. I figured Comcast, or Xfinity, or whatever they're calling themselves this week, was having a temporary glitch. (I'll just use Comcast the rest of the way, because Xfinity is a monumentally stupid name.) So I went up to my living room to watch the rest of the NFC playoff game (by the way, as well as the New York Giants played, the Green Bay Packers really, really gave the game away with flat-out awful play). When it ended I watched "The Simpsons," and then went back downstairs to try the computer again.

No luck. No Internet connection. Which means, because my phone service is VoIP, I had to rely on my cell phone as I called Comcast. I was on the phone for an hour as their representative tried various things or had me try various things. Because my cell phone gets no signal in the basement, I kept having to run up and down the stairs each time the guy did something. First he sent a signal to refresh my cable modem, then tried something else, then asked me to push the reset button, then asked if I had a wireless connection of some kind. Then he asked if my modem was connected to a splitter or if it was connected directly to the main wire. Since I have an extra TV outlet in the basement, there is a splitter. One line then goes to the TV, the other to the modem. So I suggested I try switching out the cable going from the splitter to the modem, because my TV service was fine; I thought that stretch of wire might be causing the problem. I took off the old cable, put on the new cable, and...still no luck.

The rep finally said he'd have to send a technician out, but because of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday the earliest someone could come out was Tuesday. I told him I didn't want to go two days without service. He said that they have some people to work emergencies, but that in my area of the city they didn't have anyone to cover it (really!). He said he could set up a service appointment for 5 pm-7 pm Tuesday. I explained that I could not miss work and, because of my lengthy commute, wouldn't get home until 6 pm at the earliest. He said that the best he could do was put a note on the schedule to make my stop the very last stop of the day. So I told him to do that, but if everything didn't go perfectly that I'd cancel my entire Comcast service, noting that I've been a customer for over 20 years.

Weird Christmas

I was watching the NFL Red Zone channel, the one that switches between every game going on, and it dawned on me: it's Saturday. And it's Christmas Eve. And I'm watching NFL games. There's a bit of a surreal feeling to the day (although this has happened before, of course). And for me, the holiday season itself has been unusual.

Normally I'd be trying to get through my stash of Christmas movies or TV shows (as listed here). This year, I haven't watched even one. The only Christmas shows I've watched were new holiday episodes of "Glee" and "Community." The "Community" episode was excellent, as it basically attacked "Glee" all night. I have listened to every bit of Christmas music in my iTunes, but that was in part because for the last week or so I've been taking my iPod to work and listening to music during the day. Having a job and a commute that's over an hour each way has really cut into my time. Besides the holiday TV problem, and the difficulty I've had in finding time to go to movies, I only added 12 new posts to the blog last month and just nine so far this month -- and a number of those are quick "post a picture and add a brief comment" posts. It's really frustrating.

I think I'd have an easier time if I had bought an iPad or other tablet PC, and gotten a 4G data plan to go with it, instead of the laptop I bought in September. That way my time on the bus and El (at least before it goes underground) could be more easily spent surfing the web, reading Twitter, etc., and that would allow me more time at night to blog and such. The more I think about it, the more I want to buy a tablet, but now I have this perfectly good laptop.

But I digress.

Eagles Getting What They Deserve

My tweet right after yesterday's latest Eagles debacle was quoted in the weekly NFL wrapup on the Outsports Jock Talk Blog. In case you missed it: "I'll keep saying this til someone listens: Eagles' woes due to bad karma for not addressing DeSean's anti-gay slur."

Obviously there's no scientific proof of this, but it's as good a reason as any. DeSean Jackson called somebody a "gay-ass faggot" on Sirius/XM radio during the summer, while the NFL lockout was still on, offered only a half-assed phony "apology" afterwards, and neither the league nor the Eagles took any action in response -- even after the lockout ended and teams were free to talk to their players again. (I hope you're not tired of reading my posts about it.) Sure, there are lots of problems, but there have been a few bad bounces as well, so why couldn't it be bad karma?

The much-hyped "Dream Team" is floundering. The only sure thing right now on offense is LeSean McCoy, and too often the Eagles don't get him the ball often enough. Michael Vick is struggling (and now has two broken ribs) and the offense is at times fine and other times pitiful. The defense is kind of a mess, especially in the fourth quarter of games. FIVE games lost after having the lead in the 4th quarter is shameful. Andy Reid is his usual arrogant-while-saying-nothing self (although he's somehow 6-for-7 in coach's challenges). And Jackson was suspended for the game yesterday for missing a meeting Saturday because he overslept.

There were reports that Jackson, unhappy with his lack of a contract extension, actually missed/was late for multiple meetings during the week and other players were also late. If that's true, then Reid has lost control of the team. Suspending Jackson might be seen as a good disciplinary reaction but I can't help but wonder what the Eagles would have done if their opponent yesterday had been, say, the New York Giants instead of the Arizona Cardinals. Would Jackson have been out for the game, or maybe just the first quarter?

The Eagles are now 3-6 and it would take a miracle for them to make the playoffs now. And, sad to say, I'm kind of happy about it. I was laughing at their follies a few times yesterday. I don't root for the Eagles to win or lose right now, but I can sure enjoy their troubles since they refused to address DeSean's comment during the summer. You might think that makes me a bad fan, but we'll have to disagree on that one. I'm just on hiatus until...well, I don't know. The media ignored the DeSean story except for a perfunctory report immediately after the story was broken and, even with his current T.O.-like behavior, shows no signs of mentioning it now. There's no pressure on the Eagles to do a thing. So I don't know when my stance will change.

2011 Daily News Sexy Singles: Shrinking

I'm still in a bit of a catchup mode after my California trip, which is why I'm writing about this subject just minutes before the Phillies take the field for their first playoff game.

I got home late on September 20th, so I had my subcription to the Daily News on hold until the 21st. When I got the paper on the 21st, I found that they were in the second day of their annual Sexy Singles event. I've written about it the last two years here: about how so many of their selections either work for local media outlets or the number of models/actors/athletes on the list, not to mention its inclusion (or lack thereof) of the LGBT community.

With the Daily News under new ownership and trying desperately to stay alive, you'd think that Sexy Singles would be a major deal, as it has been in the past. But it's been downsized. This year the feature ran for only two days, and with just 20 Sexy Singles. However, the more things change, the more they stay the same: by my count, 15 of the 20 fall into one or more of these categories: model, fitness instructor, was/is employed by local media outlets, or performer of some kind (including a ballet dancer, the current Miss Pennsylvania and "Top Chef" Jennifer Carroll).

The NFL is again represented, but not by an Eagle.

Wayne Simmonds Joins DeSean On My Dislike List

It looks like I'm down to two Philadelphia teams now. Granted, I'm not much of a fan of the NBA but I still root for the Sixers. But the NBA is in a lockout that seems to have no end in sight. That leaves the Phillies, who tied their franchise record with 101 wins, with one more game to try and break it before they begin postseason play on Saturday.

But wait -- what about the Flyers and the Eagles?

I've discussed my Eagles conundrum regarding DeSean Jackson enough times. If it weren't already obvious that neither the team nor the NFL plan to do anything about Jackson's anti-gay slur, it became a given when reports surfaced that the NFL and its players agreed that only eight players were subject to suspensions for actions that occurred during the lockout. So right now, for all I care Jackson can take his non-apology and go to hell, sans contract extension. And the Eagles, for all their arrogance in just about everything they do, can do the same. I have yet to wear an Eagles t-shirt or jersey this season -- that used to be standard practice on game days. I will still watch the games. I will not at this point root against them, but right now I can't root for them either. So their falling to 1-2 and last place in the NFC East after an absurdly lame defensive and coaching performance Sunday against the New York Giants didn't really bother me much.

The Flyers situation I'm faced with is a bit worse in two respects.

September 11

I'm not going to say much about the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks that claimed so many lives. There are many places for you to get every bit of commemoration, analysis, hyperbole, patriotic overkill (I"m looking at you, NFL and Fox), etc. While our nation was briefly united like it hadn't been in a long time, the feeling didn't last and so much has happened since and it's gotten much, much worse. So I'm avoiding as much of the 9/11 anniversary coverage as I can because, even if it's by accident, much of it will be tinged with politics. But I wanted to share some pictures. (Quick note: these are 10 old scans done back then by a friend, which is why they're so small. I may try and find the pictures and re-scan them and any others I took at the time.) I put them in a Flickr set.

A month after the attacks, on Columbus Day weekend, I went to New York. Since Mayor Giuliani asked people to visit and spend money, I heeded the call. That Sunday I watched NFL games at a sports bar with some friends (as it happened, the USA began the war against Afghanistan that day). Earlier that day, I was one of many pathetic gawkers people trying to get as close as allowed to the World Trade Center site. I also took a few pictures of the skyline from the Empire State Building. It's an amazing view. I wish I had gotten to see the view from the Twin Towers while they stood. There's one picture of "The Wall of Hope and Remembrance" outside the now-closed St. Vincent's Hospital, one of the American flags at Rockefeller Plaza, and these two, taken at the West Village firehouse of Squad 18 of the Fire Department of New York. (At the time the firehouse was undergoing renovations so it was closed and the squad operated out of another firehouse.)

The sight of this memorial itself was moving, but when I saw this toy figure left there, perhaps by a child, you can imagine my reaction...

But let's end this on a happier note. In July 2010 Squad 18 went Gaga!

Eagles 2011: Meh

That's right. I said, meh. M-E-H, meh.

I'm supposed to be so excited for the 2011 Eagles' season because the lockout ended and they signed a bunch of free agents and one of them said the Eagles were the "Dream Team" and they gave Michael Vick a contract extension and the other teams in the NFC East suck and on and on and on. Super Bowl! Wooooooo!

As I see it, while they have a lot of promise, they also have question marks. Potentially major question marks. The offensive line. The linebackers. The safeties. Rookie placekicker and rookie punter. The offensive line coach-turned-defensive coordinator. Not to mention the same old head coach with the same old playcalling issues and the same old clock management issues and the same old "time's yours" demeanor.

So I see it as just another typical year: 10 or 11 wins, another NFC East title or at least a wild card, eliminated in the playoffs early. And with ownership still not inclined to replace Andy Reid, it's more "lather, rinse, repeat."

Beyond that, neither the Eagles nor the league have bothered to take any action or even so much as comment on DeSean Jackson's "gay-ass faggot" radio interview from before the lockout ended. It's been over two months since it occurred and nearly a month since I last wrote about this issue. Until something happens beyond the weak non-apology that was released via statement, I can't root for this guy. I don't want him to get that reworked contract he wants so badly. Frankly, if he got hurt I'd probably chalk it up to karma. And if the team and the NFL are going to ignore this, then I'm not sure how much I want to support them.

There you have it. My raison d'meh, if you will. Enjoy your football season.

Time For DeSean Discipline, Eagles And NFL.

Memo to the National Football League and the Philadelphia Eagles: I haven't forgotten.

Last month, when NightlifeGay.com took the Eagles and the NFL to task for not responding after DeSean Jackson's "gay-ass faggot" radio interview, I pointed out that the league was still in a lockout and that neither the team nor the Eagles could do a thing until the labor situation was resolved.

As you know, shortly after that the lockout ended. There is labor peace in the NFL. Players have reported to training camps.

DeSean Jackson, however, was a no-show at first.

Sticking With Stewart Bradley

So, in the wake of Stewart Bradley's signing with Arizona after the Eagles decided to let all of their own free agents go, I asked a simple question on Twitter...and got an answer from the man himself:

See? We're buds now! Okay, sure, he doesn't follow me back or anything, but still...so, yeah, I'll keep following him. And if he wants to leave me tickets at will call when his Arizona Cardinals come to the Linc that'd be cool. (For some reason I've spent the whole summer thinking that the Eagles were going to Arizona this year, not vice versa. I have no idea why.)

In all seriousness, I'm not quite sure why the Eagles didn't want Bradley back. The linebacker corps is a pretty weak group now. Lots of rookies. One, draft pick Casey Matthews, is listed as the starter on the depth chart over one of the holdovers. Under Andy Reid the Eagles have never given much importance to the LB position and it's cost them at times. Of course, they now have cornerbacks up the wazoo after their surprise signing of Nnamdi Asomugha, the consensus jewel among the free agents, so maybe they're hoping that opposing teams won't be able to take advantage of the linebackers. We shall see.

NFL Lockout Ends And I'm...Disappointed?

Saying goodbye to Stewart?

After months of posturing and disruption, the NFL owners and players finally figured out how to divide the billions and billions of dollars in revenue the league takes in. The lockout is over, and only one exhibition game had to be canceled -- the Hall of Fame Game in Canton, which is normally played in conjunction with the induction ceremonies each year. Now, because no league business (other than the draft) took place for months and months, there's this mad scramble by teams to decide which of their own free agents they might want back, which free agents from other teams they might want to try and sign, and so on, as teams rush to open their training camps.

There are reports that the Eagles have decided they don't want any of their free agents back, including linebacker/Daily News Sexy Single/would-be "Sex and the City" guest star Stewart Bradley. There's also speculation that DeSean Jackson might not report to training camp because he wants a contract extension. Considering what Jackson's been up to recently, I'm not sure I care if he disappears from the face of the earth.

Beyond that, though, I'm actually a little sad that the NFL is back. This is the most popular of the four major pro sports leagues, but also very unlikable in many ways.

My Relationship With Sports?

I'm in a weird place lately when it comes to sports. I've been thinking that I haven't done many sports-related posts lately. Actually, other than during the NFL playoffs, I've hardly blogged specifically on sports at all. I've had passing comments in my MixBlog posts, but very few posts on one sports-related topic. It's not like I've lost interest in sports. I'm still reading the sports section of the Daily News every day, I still read things online, I still put games on TV, etc. I'm just not blogging about sports. I'm not entirely sure why, but I have a theory or two.

Part of it is due to Twitter and Facebook...and, going back further, to message boards such as the one at Outsports and the old Usenet newsgroups. I've always found it easier to make a quick comment on a game or some team-related news (Twitter and Facebook are all about brief comments -- 140 characters or less in Twitter's case) than to do a long analytical post. Lately, that seems to be the case even more. For example, after the Super Bowl I've been thinking about the Eagles and their failures as an organization compared to the Steelers...and then Pittsburgh had to go and ruin things by losing to Green Bay. Although the points floating around in my head are still valid, I haven't been inspired enough to sit down and put it together.

(And, of course, the impending owners' lockout of the NFL players -- they have one week to miraculously settle their differences -- has a lot of personnel moves, through free agency -- on hold.)

The Flyers, on the other hand, are doing almost everything right. They're tops in the Eastern Conference and seem primed for another long playoff run. So maybe I'm just waiting for the postseason. This leads to another issue. I still find myself not watching hockey games from start to finish. Take tonight. The game began at 7 pm and I was still running through my Twitter and Facebook timelines until about 7:30 pm. Then I got away from the computer and started watching the game. When the first period ended, I watched

My Super Bowl XLV Prediction

I've really been going back and forth about which team I think will win the Super Bowl. Cases can be made for both the Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers. And considering that I was 2-6 in the playoffs before somehow correctly calling both conference final results, it's not like I'm confident whichever way I go. I don't even have much of a rooting interest one way or the other. I sort of lean towards wanting Green Bay to win because the Steelers have won it all more recently and because of Ben Roethlisberger's douchebag behavior towards women that got him suspended for the beginning of the season. But it's not like I have any real hate for Pittsburgh. They're not the Dallas Cowboys or anything.

Speaking of the team from Texas that sucks, it is sooooooooooo freakin' great that SB45 is being played at that monstrosity of a stadium in Arlington where the Cowboys now call home, and they didn't even sniff the playoffs this year. Put a stroke on the tally sheet under the "Yes, there is a God" column.

Anyway, who to pick? The Steelers can run the ball, the Packers can air it out (and Aaron Rodgers is on something of a roll), both teams are strong defensively, injuries have taken more of a toll on the Steelers...but the one thing that seems to stand out in my mind is that the Steelers have a lot more playoff and Super Bowl experience than the Packers. So...Steelers 23, Packers 21.