Wednesday, March 01, 2006

I'm On The Hunt I'm After You: The Game 6 Review

First of all, my new profile pic is of "the twins," Fenway Park's most intriguing ticket-takers. Check them out next time you enter at Gate A. (Or the gate at the other end of Yawkey Way. Sometimes they'll switch it up on ya.) Me and Pat will often try to enter the park so that each of us has our ticket scanned by a different twin.

Tonight, I was out "a-huntin' for chick bloggers," at the "press screening" of the forthcoming movie Game 6 down at 48th and 7th. I bagged one named Rebecca. Here she thinks she's getting away:


But I'm an expert hunter. I hunt them down "all over the city," remember. I caught her. I'm no slouch*:


After I said, "I'm Jere...I'm a blogger, too," she told me that I was "A F'EN Loser!!!" Then she sat next to me at the movie.

I also made another big score when I successfully hunted down dude blogger Brooklyn Sox Fan at the same event. It was good to talk with him, he definitely knows his Sox.

Game 6 is what it is, and doesn't try to be more than that. Keaton does what he can with the lead role. But that role is just another Sox fan who "loves to lose." I don't get it. To me, despite what Michael Kay thinks, it's not that we loved losing, it's that we loved (and still love) the Red Sox despite their losing. That's the special thing about us and Cubs and White Sox fans. That we did what Dunbar fans could never do: Deal with long periods of losing. How many Dunbar fans simply switch to the Mets when necessary? And that's after only a couple of years of losing. And again, I'm not saying all, but a lot. Which takes me back to Game 6. Brooklyn Sox Fan and I agreed that this movie would have been better had the game it was centered around was the Bucky Fucking Dent game. There was something so odd about that whole '86 Series, where the opponent was the New York team that we didn't mind in the first place. Dunbar fans didn't know what to do. My yankee-fan friend Mike always said he rooted for the Red Sox in that series, because the Mets had taken over New York, and therefore become an enemy of Mr. Dunbar. But the parents of his generation probably gritted their teeth and rooted for the newfangled Mets, becuase they were playing the Red Sox. (Remember, I'm talking about the true yankee fans who didn't just jump on the Mets around August that year.)

So to have made it a real Sox-yanks heartbreaking moment would have been more fitting. In fact, that game wasn't even mentioned, and the yanks themselves were only mentioned a few times. The only specific events in Red Sox history Keaton's character mentions are the "Pesky holds the ball" game, which he seems to dwell on quite a bit (their point was that it was essentially his earliest memory), and also didn't involve the yanks, as well as the final weekend of '49. The Dent game was more of a classic "here we go again" Red Sox moment, which would've worked better with the character. He was a little too depressed going into game six. Even having the play be on the day of game seven might have worked better, because it was only at that point that most Sox fans were in "we know what's gonna happen now"-mode.

The basic plot is that this Sox fan living in New York is dreading going to the opening of his own play, since a psycho critic who ruins careers will be there. But it's also the night of game 6, so he also has the option of watching that instead.

The little catch phrase of the movie is "This could be it." It's a line in his play, but also the theme of the night, of course, as the Sox are one strike away. In fact, Vin Scully says that line, only it's not really him. They had someone overdub the line between actual Scully lines from the NBC telecast. Besides that, though, the technical baseball stuff was all pretty accurate. In fact, my reported Gedman gaffe from the trailer was actually Greenwell (who would soon after become my favorite player). So I was wrong there. Keaton was rightfully reacting to Greenwell's pinch strikeout after Clemens was removed. (Although it did sound like he said "And we've got Davis on the bench." He was probably saying "Baylor.") Hey, they both had that left-handed helicopter swing, both taught by Hriniak, using the Lau method, and in my defense, I was watching a tiny trailer on a computer screen.

Speaking of Gedman, he was in the movie a lot. Getting mentions from Scully, having his uniform in the locker room shown, and of course, shown a lot on replays of the wild pitch.

The movie has a nice little ending. Robert Downey does a pretty good job. I guess. As does Catherine O'Hara, but she seems to be in only one scene. Lilith has as much air time as she does. The 80s-punk daughter is a bigger role than either of them.

See it on DVD.

Also, my blog turned two years old yesterday and I totally forgot. Oh well.


*If you're totally confused about this hunting talk, read the comments on this post. I'm not a hunter. I do not hunt living beings. Only Gedman autograph bargains.

Comments:
Good job, Jere. Keep on hunting those chick bloggers....I'd even hunt a Sawx blogger if she looked like that. I sense that you and I have a little Neanderthal in both of us. Joke there! Anyhow, good to see that you have a sense of humor and you've dedicated posts to my comments. I probably gave you a week's worth of material. Manny's back and he brought his butchering of the English language with him -- good for him.

I'd like to ask this question, why are Sawx fans so bitter whenever a player leaves Boston? Right now everyone loves Manny, but I bet Shaugnessy has his scathing 'Manny murdered little children' article already written. I saw the reaction with Damon, Nomar, Pedro, Vaughn, and Roger. People leave their jobs everyday and that was the choice these people had, why does it turn into "I love X player" then it turns into "We hate X player, he's a dick, he raped my mom"?
 
That 2nd pic. Was that look surprised confusion, or was Reb in the middle of a sentence? And I plan to see the movie when it's released on DVD. As for the question above from Baggie, I'll let you handle it, Jere, since it was addressed to you. Hope your shirt hunting was as successful as your girl-blogger hunting. That dame is stunning!
 
hey anonymous chick-hunter yankee fan (you should leave a name, even if it's a fake one, as there are a lot of yankee-fan commenters here and people might get confused. Surely you would not want to be confused with the guy who always uses "your" for the word "you're"...)-
//Right now everyone loves Manny, but I bet Shaugnessy has his scathing 'Manny murdered little children' article already written//
everybody does not "love manny" right now; merely we hope he makes up for his antics at the plate this year. I bet CHB has an article like that written, too, and BTW do you know what CHB means and why so many sox fans refer to him that way? Dan Shaughnessy is more vilified by informed sox fans than any of those ex-players you mentioned.
All the ex-players you mentioned (except for Nomar) left for better offers in free agency... MUCH better offers. Personally I don't resent them for that; management pushed them out the door, and I believe history will show clemens as the only really bad move, value-wise. Pedro is already beginning to show the chinks in his armor, and Damon will be good for awhile, but never as good as he has been, and not for as long as king georgie seems to expect.

the attitude turnaround on Damon seems to have caught a lot of yankee fans by surprise, which means (shocker) that they have not been paying attention. His hitting last year is the only thing that saved him from complete mockery among sox-bloggers. He is most popular with pink-clad pseudo-fan girls who think he's cute, not real fans. His shoulder, which at the end of last year affected all areas of his game, will continue to nag him, marking the beginning of the end of his prime. He will never be that good again, and the money being spent on him is laughable. Yankee fans either don't believe us or don't want to admit it... they want us to be HURT by Damon's departure, and it's just not happening. So you say we are turning on a dime, and we are not.
 
oh, I'm sorry, anonymous, you DO confuse the your/you're.
 
Damon, Nomar, Pedro, Vaughn, and Roger:

I still love Nomar, still love Mo, still love Pedro.

Roger I didn't mind when he left, because he went to Toronto. Then I hated him when he went to the yanks.

Damon I hated when he went to the yanks.

Do you see the pattern now? Just my personal feelings.

And Reb, I was hurt by the Damon thing, cuz I was a huge fan, even with the arm problems. Hurt that he went to the rival, not hurt that he had to go because we couln't afford him and it was smart not to over pay him.
 
Wow...good answers. I'm glad I didn't chime in when I was on very early in the AM. Hey Jere, luck with the shirt?? Thanks. Can't wait to wear it. And hi Reb.
 
Oh, amd MOST importantly, happy 2nd anniversary, on what will be a hugely successful long-term run. In fact, as long as you want it, readership will grow and grow. I just had my 3 month anniversary, just a little kid, and I'm still a little flustered that the stats are steady, with a slight upturn. Maybe when the season starts for real and the emotions, good and bad, are transcribed to the screen, will I start to soar, or at least hover a couple feet off the ground.
 
I don't understand why we would be expected to like any turncoat; I didn't see a whole lotta skankee fans cheering their ol' Wellsie last year, did you?

This is a business, and part of the business is that fans are going to be loyal to their team. It hurt to see roger on the dark side, hurt a lot, but I resent him more deeply for his comments 16 months ago about Red Sox Nation, because they weren't about business; they were personal.
 
The shirts are in custody, Peter. My mom and you will receive them shortly. (A large and a medium.)
 
Now I know a custodian....cool! And thank you.
 
Becca, I like "Anonymous", it has a much nicer ring to it….don't you think? However, I understand it is YOUR opinion to think otherwise. Oh yeah....it's nice to know that YOU'RE a Sawx fan and YOU'RE very pretty. Most of the time the two are mutually exclusive. :-)

Anyhow, as far as fatboy Wells goes....as a Yankee fan my beef with him wasn't with him going to the Sawx but with his lack of communication prior to Game 5 of the 2003 World Series. He failed to tell Mel that his back was barking. If he had, then that would have allowed Torre and co. to use Pettite on short rest instead of sending him on a plane back to NY. Instead they were left with using Jose F'en Contreras. For that, I booed Wells when he came back and pitched against the Yanks when he was playing with San Diego. I wished nothing but the worse for him when pitched for the Sawx, and it wasn't because of the color of his uniform but it was with how he went out as a Yankee. Most intelligent Yankee fans feel the same way as me, keyword being 'intelligent'….I agree with Jere, Becca, and anyone else who cares to pile on that I am not on that distinguished list of 'intelligent' Dunbar fans.
 
Oh yeah, forgot to mention: I eat my own farts. Jeter roolz!!
 
Wow....someone else is using my 'anonymous' pseudonym. Maybe I should get an account....
 
Becca?? Oh no. heads roll!
 
BTW, in that '86 Season, which inspired the book, "The Bad Guys Won" about the '86 Mets, we in NYC had to listen to some guy on TV, come up with such phrases as "That was a Linda Ronstadt-Type Fastball; It 'Blue Bayou'", or "One thing about ground balls; they don't go out of the ball park." WWOR was a Superstation @ the time, & as I found out, much of the Boston area, viewed that station, with that guy on TV.
Let's just say that this guy is NOT Vin Scully.
I gotta do some of this "Sox Chick Blog Hunting", myself. It'll keep me young @ heart.
 
Just be grateful that the '86 World Series was NOT on FOX.
 
It should be understood that Red Sox & Mets Fans, are actual & natural allies.
Both chant "Yankees Suck" with clarity;
Both fan bases agree that Tim Mc Carver is a dim bulb;
both are welcome in each other's ball parks;
We gladly trade e-mail addresses & phone #s;
NONE of us likes the sound of John Sterling's voice;
I wore my Red Sox Cap in Shea Stadium, with no problems, except from Yankee Fans, whose Mommies didn't let their spawn, go up to The Bronx;
Red Sox Friendly Pubs, during Mets-Yankees Series, put on the WB 11 & NOT the HN Network;
There was an IDIOT claiming to be a Mets Fan, who told me that I should root for The Yankees vs Boston, in honor of '86;
I wondered from how high up in Shea, did he fall on his head?
I am grateful to see people from New England, @ Shea Stadium & how knowledgeable they are about Baseball;
How grateful are the 2 Allied Fan Bases that Dora(A-Rod Spelled Correctly) is with NEITHER Club;
That I got my "Ebbett's Field Experience", in a Ball Park on Landsdowne Street & partied the night away, 3 times;
Those Mets Fans, who root for Yankees vs Red Sox, in honor of '86
are a bunch of Yankee Fans, anyway &
Lou Gorman helped build both teams into the '86 World Series;
One Red Sox Pub, @ East 25th Street & 3rd Avenue, called "The Hairy Monk", serves the freshest Sam Adams Lager in all the world, outside of Boston, as well as the nicest bottles of the Mets longtime sponsor, Rheingold Beer;
I enjoy, immensely, the NESN Feed of DO & The Remdawg+ Joe & Jerry on WEEI, as well as Gary Cohen & Keith Hernandez on SNY;
EdColeman, Tim Mc Carthy & Howie Rose, are easy on my ears;
Not every other word is "Brought To You By", like on one of Mr Dunbar's Radiocasts;
"Let's Go Red Sox"; "Let's Go Mets";
"Thuhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Yankees SUCK."
 
The unique voice of Michael Leggett, ladies and gentlemen.
 
BTW, I'll be on the lookout for people who tell me that they root the NY Mets, who tell me that they, as true(Read IDIOTIC) New Yorkers, root for the Yankees vs the Red Sox.
My lecture will be a stern one, indeed.
 
Watch for So-Called Fans of that stripe.
 

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