Big_E

There have been other tournaments here -- best song, greatest band...what about the Greatest Guy Movie of All Time?

We all know what a guy movie is -- the ones our women roll their eyes at when they see us watching them. They don't necessarily need a lot of action (Caddyshack, for example) but they are usually also the ones we quote the most often. At a party, someone could say, "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer", and every guy in earshot will not in agreement.

"Guy movies" show character. It could be as different as "Goodfellas", "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" and "Bridge on the River Kwai" (a trifecta of movies I love and my wife hates, so they must be good "guy" movies...)

It was once said that a man could live his life by the advice given in the Godfather. I doubt the same could be said about "Sex in the City".

So nominate your favorite "guy" movies, I'll put them into a Top 16 and see where we end up. I'll take nominations until the end of the week, then post the tournament next Monday.

I will start with some of my favorite movies: Goodfellas, Godfather I, Reservoir Dogs, Bridge on the River Kwai, The Shawshank Redemption, Caddyshack, The Blues Brothers, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.

On April 18, 1923 the home office of major league baseball...the Cathedral in Da Bronx...The Stadium (as there is no other "Stadium") opened for the first time. Babe Ruth hit the first home run, and the Yankees defeated the Red Sox, 4-1.

Happy 85th Birthday!

Where in the world is AV?

One of this site's most popular posters, Amerigo Vespuci -- known by all as "AV" -- has been missing from these boards for the last five days...

Is she OK? Is she sick*? Overworked? Abducted by aliens?

I hope she's alright and returns to grace us with her presence, and tease us with her postings, very soon.






* - Yes, I've read her blog, I know what she is going through, I mean in a flu or other such illness type of way.

Today I woke up to a new logo next to my name -- TOP 100.

Thanks to everyone who has read and replied to my blogs (especially AV who is responsible for helping make my "The Moment of Truth" entry my most popular blog to date), who has rated my posts and has listed me among their favorite members.

Hopefully I can keep this rating, and with all of your help, even someday move into the TOP 10.

Thanks again!

OK, I admit it, I am a video voyeur. I love watching "reality" television, watching people humiliate themselves or torture themselves for cash.

One of the new reality shows this year is "The Moment of Truth". Before the show, contestants are asked a series of questions (over 50 questions) while hooked up to a lie detector. Then the show picks 21 of them to ask on TV.

This is where the show loses all credibility.

They never say that the producers pick the questions randomly. They never say they are picked by a third party. Quite simply, I believe the people are being set up to humiliate themselves, then lose everything if they try to go for too much cash. You can walk away at any point, and keep the cash you have won.

You win cash by answering questions truthfully, as determined by your previous lie detector test. Be truthful about the first six, and you get $10,000; next 5 get you to the $25,000 level. The rest of the levels (if I remember correctly are): four more right answers gets you to $100,000. Three more and you win a total of $250,000. Keep going, answer two more questions and you win a total of $350,000 and finally, answer the last question honestly and walk home with $500,000.

That's 21 total questions. Nobody has gotten to the top, and I don't think anyone will. And I don't trust the show.

The questions they ask are highly personal.

"Since being married, have you had sexual intercourse with someone other than your husband?"
"Have you ever stolen from your job?"
"Do you regret breaking up with your ex-boyfriend?"
"If your ex-boyfriend asked you back right now, would you go with him?"
"Have you had sex with any of your friends' wives?"

All of these questions have been asked of previous contestants. All were answered truthfully. Then they lose (when they get past the $100,000 level) on things like "Do you think you are a good person?", or "Have you ever touched a client more than you had to while giving her a massage?"

What????

They already admitted to a host of embarrassing deeds, then lose on something simple? And on this show, unlike most others, there are no "safe levels". On most shows, once you pass the $25,000 level, even if you're wrong after that, you still win the $25K.

Not on "The Moment of Truth". One wrong answer, and you drag your defeated ass home with no money, probably no spouse, and no job.

This is why I don't trust the show. They could either cheat, and say the person is lying when they're not (unlikely given the fact that it's a federal crime) OR they deliberately pick questions that the contestant previously lied to, just to get them to lose all their money.

Either way, I think they're cheating. But that won't get me to stop watching. Like I said, I'm a video voyeur, and I love seeing these people humiliate themselves for the almighty dollar. But I don't know if I'll ever believe that this show is on the level.

Over the next couple of weeks, I will share my rankings for the top fantasy baseball players. These rankings are based on a standard 5 x 5 rotisserie league, with a $260 salary cap and 23 active players.

Starting off: Catchers

1. Russell Martin, LA Dodgers. Martin has quickly moved up the rankings to become the top fantasy catcher. He hit 19 HR last year, knocked in 87 runs, batted .293 and stole 21 bases. Those would be good numbers for a 2B (Robinson Cano, for example, hit .306, with 19 HR and 97 RBI but stole only 4 bases) but for a catcher, it puts him in the elite class. Usually I don't like spending a lot of money on catchers, but for Martin expect to pay at least $20. He's worth it.

2. Victor Martinez, Cleveland. Many magazines will still have Martinez ranked #1, and really, you can't argue against it. He's been the top-ranked catcher for the last few years, and last year's 25 HR, 114 RBI, .301 season did nothing to dispel that. But he also had zero SB, and has only one stolen base in nearly 650 career games. His HR and RBI were both career highs for the 29-year old, and I don't expect him to match or exceed them this year. Also worth at least $20 on the open market, Martinez "earned" $24 last year.

3. Joe Mauer, Minnesota. Before Martin burst upon the scene, Mauer was your do-it-all catcher. Decent pop (13 HR in 2006) he will also give you around 9 SB a season to go with 70 RBI and a .290 BA. If your league starts a run on catchers, don't be suckered into overbidding for a guy like Mauer. Most magazines rank him in the $18-20 range, but truth is, he only earned $13 last year. Let someone else over pay. If you spend more than $15 on Mauer you most likely won't get your money's worth.

4. Jorge Posada, NY Yankees. Posada had a monster year last year, with 20 HR, 90 RBI (both his typical averages) but an outstanding .338 BA and 91 Runs. The .338 BA was 50 points higher than his career best, and the 91 runs scored was the most he's had since 2000. Posada also turns 37 this August, and with over 1300 games behind the plate his numbers are due to go south this year. Oh, he'll get you your usual 20 HR, 85-90 RBI. But expect more of a .280 BA and 75 Runs scored. Posada earned $28 in 2007 -- with no speed and a BA 40-50 points less, he'll probably be worth $14-15 in 2008. Still good for a catcher, though.

5. Brian McCann, Atlanta. With 42 HR and 185 RBI over the last two seasons, McCann is easily a Top-5 catcher on draft day. He's only 24 years old, and should start to peak within the next couple of years. He's not quite the "name" catcher as the top 4, so you might get him a little cheaper than you should. You might get into a bidding war with someone over him, especially if the top 4 are gone, so expect to pay in the $15-16 range for McCann. He'll come close to earning it back -- he was worth $16 last year and could improve on that slightly this year -- but don't go over $16 for him.


These next guys will probably go in the $8-12 range on auction day, and will earn anywhere from $5-13 on the season. Some are on the way up, others on the way down. But still a solid bunch for your #1 catcher.

6. Kenji Johjima, Seattle
7. Bengie Molina, San Francisco
8. Ramon Hernandez, Baltimore
9. Ivan Rodriguez, Detroit
10. Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Texas

The last of the guys worth looking at will set you back $4-8 in your auction, and are worth a bid if your strategy is to not spend too much on your #1 catcher.

11. Paul Lo Duca, Washington
12. Jason Varitek, Boston
13. Josh Bard, San Diego
14. Ryan Doumit, Pittsburgh
15. A.J. Pierzynski, Chicago White Sox

All the rest are projected to be #2 catchers in your league, worth no more than $1-3 on draft day.

Comments?

There are many things that make Yankee Stadium unique among baseball stadiums. Besides the history, the championships, the 'mystique and aura', there are "The Big Bat", Monument Park, and Bob Sheppard.

Bob Sheppard, for those people not familiar with him, is the "Voice of Yankee Stadium".  He has been the public address announcer for the Yankees since 1951, and for the New York Football Giants from 1956 to 2006. Since joining the Yankees, he has announced over 4,500 baseball games, and has worked 22 World Series. The first Yankee lineup Sheppard announced contained 5 future Hall of Famers: Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Johnny Mize, Yogi Berra, and Phil Rizzuto. The Yankees played the Boston Red Sox that day, so Sheppard also introduced Ted Williams and Lou Boudreau, for a total of seven future Hall of Famers.

Sheppard was originally a speech teacher in both the New York City school district and his alma mater, St. John's University. His training shows in the perfect enunciation of each word. His slow, deliberate style was best described by Reggie Jackson, who  referred to him as "the Voice of God."

Mr. Sheppard has been in poor health lately, and missed parts of the 2007 season, including the playoffs.

It was announced today that Mr. Sheppard --who is approximately 97 years old -- signed a two year contract with the Yankees. Although he might miss the first month or two of the season, that is still great news for Yankee fans, who will get to enjoy his work not only in the last year of the current Stadium, but in the first year on the new Stadium as well. I wish him good health for many more years.

Welcome back, Bob!

...until Spring Training starts!

Pitchers and catchers report tomorrow (and oh yeah, it's Valentine's Day, too).

The long, baseball-less winter is nearly over, and although I loved football season this year (Super Bowl Champs!) nothing beats the crack of the bat, and seeing Yankee Stadium just appear like magic when you come around the corner. Standing there majestically, the great Cathedral in the Bronx has been my home-away-from-home for over 30 years.

I will be sorry to see the old ballpark go, but I am happy that the team is staying in the Bronx, and that the Steinbrenner family will own the team for a long time. As much as I hated George in the 80's you could never doubt his dedication to winning, and his willingness to spend whatever he thought was necessary to bring a winner to NY.

With A-Rod, Posada, Pettitte and Rivera back on the team, and a new Joe in the dugout calling the shots, this summer holds the promise of many final good memories for the current Stadium. Hopefully the old park will get one more October in the spotlight, one more chance to shine in the World Series and a 27th World Series trophy to add to its bursting trophy case.

Whatever this summer holds, I know I will get at least one more chance to say goodbye to my favorite ballpark, before we pack up things and move across the street.

Winter unofficially ends tomorrow. Spring Training is almost here.

PLAY BALL!