Manny Being Manny

His latest adventures out of left field. This was from Friday night.



Also, there are some disturbing rumors that Manny purposely left his bat on his shoulder & struck out in a critical situation vs. Mariano Rivera earlier this month. I remember watching that at bat & being totally amazed that Manny didn't swing. And now it makes total sense.

The Red Sox can tolerate Manny being clownish & incompetent in left field -- clearly we have already stomached it for this long. But if he goes into pouty & surly Manny mode, it won't be much longer for him in Boston. He will go the way of Nomar.

REVIEW: The Dark Knight

Just Watched:
The Dark Knight

My Rating:
5 Stars

(CONTAINS NO PLOT SPOILERS)

My sister and I trekked on over to the theater 30 minutes early this morning to watch the latest installment in the new Batman series in an empty theater.

Yeah, that's right. I watched the Dark Knight with literally 4 other folks in the theater. We came for the 10:00 AM matinee show. And since I didn't know what to expect crowd-wise, we showed up over a half hour early. Turned out there wasn't a rush. I have no idea why not. Given the rating, it's pretty obvious that I thought this movie was a grand slam.

I just love how Nolan's vision of Batman brings a greater sense of realism to a world of fantasy. In "Batman Begins," it is realistically explained to us how & why a billionaire orphan decided to create a persona in which he dresses up in a bat suit and fights crime. Unlike Superman or Spiderman, you come to believe that Batman could actually exist. "The Dark Knight" furthers this realism, as Bruce Wayne is beginning to fatigue in his quest of turning fear onto those who prey upon the fearful. And in the midst of the realism, real life issues can be examined in morality play fashion with greater credibility & more dynamism. The implications of the Dark Knight could be unpacked and applied to America's War on Terror, or the drug war, or fighting crime in general. In that sense, the latest Batman movie could be considered didactic. That made it an enriching experience for me.

An Amused Terrorist

Heath Ledger's death is even more heart-breaking to me now. He stole this show. Much like Captain Jack Sparrow in "Pirates of the Caribbean" or Doc Holiday in "Tombstone," Ledger's portrayal of The Joker dominated every scene that he was in. His performance was that good.

I'm not going to make a stake in the "Ledger vs. Nicholson" debate, but I will say this... Nicholson's Joker was more of a "King of Kings" type of Mob Boss -- the one who was crazier & willing to go to greater lengths than the other bosses, but he was still just a mob boss. Ledger's Joker, however, is different. Ledger's Joker is a terrorist. He is a sadist in that he delights in inflicting pain. But, as an odd twist, he is even more a masochist in that he seemingly takes more delight in receiving pain. He loves to mock the idea of civilization itself, so his terrorist activities are aimed at disrupting order & perceptions of security.

The senses of humor are different, too. Nicholson's Joker seemed to try to win you over -- it was as if deep down he wanted you to like him in his own twisted way. Ledger's Joker is different. He doesn't want to be liked; he wants to be feared. And his sense of humor reminds me very much of Andy Kaufman's. When you watched Kaufman perform, sometimes you got the impression that his jokes were only for himself: that his elaborate acts were designed to amuse Andy primarily, and maybe the audience indirectly. That's what the Joker's humor is like in "The Dark Knight."

I don't understand why Heath Ledger wouldn't be up for an Oscar nomination. His performance is just so good.

The rest of the film is so outstanding, as well. The musical score is inspiring & makes your hair stand up. The cinematography is eye-catching, and each scene is full. Although, having tripped to Chicago recently, it is a little difficult to not see Chicago (where TDK was filmed) and imagine Gotham City -- so much of Chicago is recognizable. If I had one other complaint, it would be that Maggie Gyllenhaal just didn't fit in the role of Rachel Dawes; the disconnect from her to Katie Holmes is distracting. Nevertheless, I'm willing to overlook these minor defects and enjoy how great this show was.

I don't want this series to end. I want Nolan & Bale to keep making more and more Batman movies. The two that they have made have been pitch perfect, and I don't think I can get enough. 5 Stars.

Sense of Entitlement

I haven't written anything in a couple of days. There's no reason for that in particular. I just haven't. So I thought I'd comment on THIS GUY.

No one should take joy in anyone losing their job. But I'm glad to see some punishment for that former officer. Brazen sense of entitlement is conceited & ugly.

The Josh Hamilton Redemption

It was one of those special sports moments Monday night. It was one of those moments where you answer the phone when your buddy calls, and your first words aren't, "Hey man," but they are rather, "Are you watching THIS!" And you don't say it in an inquisitive way -- I already knew Jordan was calling precisely because he was watching it. I almost had a, "You had BETTER be watching this" tone in my voice.

Josh Hamilton put on a show in the Homerun Derby at Yankee Stadium Monday night. But you have to know his story to understand what made it so exhilarating: a life and talent marred by drug abuse only to find faith in Christ, clean up his life, and climb back to the top of his sport.

I'm glad I was able to watch it. I'll remember it alongside other meaningful baseball memories (Cal Ripken's 2,131st consecutive game, the Red Sox '04 comeback, even Jon Lester's no-hitter this year, etc.). Every homerun he hit felt like he was beating back evil, cynicism, and the powers that would enslave us all. I know that I didn't keep dry eyes through the whole event -- it, uhhh, got a little dusty in my living room that night. ;)

Peter Gammons put it in perspective, as he so often does so well, telling us that out of the ash heap heroes emerge:

Baseball has always been able to turn the page because of someone and something always grew up out of the rubble, and Josh Hamilton began the process of turning the page on Monday night. It is unbelievable what he has done, and now the nation knows it.
[...]
(On Monday we watched) 55,000 New Yorkers standing and chanting Josh Hamilton's name. We are reminded that baseball can help us remember what we stand for, not against, what we believe, not what we fear, and that while we learn from the past, what we all want is to open the door to the future.

Or, as Rick Reilly said, it was a lousy night to be an atheist.

A few months ago I mourned the eclipse of the Great American hero. Some of you had some well-wishing sentiments, but I was genuinely disheartened about this. And I clarified my dismay:

Still, despite each of you guys' well-put words, I still find myself dejected over this sad state of affairs. It isn't because I just realized that there is hopelessness where I had always expected there to be hope. I think it is more that I wish to see my faith played out on that stage of public celebrity. I want to see some light shine through. I want to see some evidence in the world -- that I can point to... that I can show to others -- to say, "Here is where the Reign of God is breaking in & making a difference. Here is where the beacon on a hill is shining."
[...]
I know that Christ has forgiven us of all our sins (lowercase-"s"). But what about the (uppercase-"S") Sin problem here, while we're still on Earth? The cross has salvific power for eternity, and Scripture is witness to that. But also, the logic of the cross overcomes the problem in the here & now of the power of Satan in our lives. It's not enough to just have our record expunged. I want my heart washed clean, too.

And, so, it would be marvelous to find more examples, that are in public view, of humanity overcoming. I know some of you are still going to argue, "You're looking in the wrong place." I don't think I am. I'm just looking for that city on a hill. And I suppose my point in all this is that it's hard to find in celebrity. I want to be able to point at someone and say, "See, Christ works even THERE!"

If it is true that "to write is to pray," then I praise God for answering in such a fun way! I have my hero, and he is bonafide.

Thank God for heroes.

I like to imagine that we will have a "Josh Hamilton Day" in Heaven. And I can just imagine us on that day, pumping our fists to the rafters as we joyously sing "This is How We Overcome." That's something worth looking forward to.

Corruption in the NBA

I wrote a couple of months ago about the present sports decade of cheats. The NBA, especially, appears to have some serious integrity issues.

I saw this story on ESPN's "Outside the Lines" on Sunday morning before church. I'm not an NBA fan, per se. But anytime there is another scandal or anything slimy or deceitful about any sport it's just sad. And the reason it's sad is that it feels like everyone shares in the shame -- including us fans. It is as if we're complicit in this system of greed & corruption.

Here's the story...

It'll Jump Up and Bite You

There's really no dignified way to grieve except in private. And yet it appears there's no healthy way to cope except in community. So in the interest of being as respectable & authentic as I can, here I am.

It will have been three months this Friday that Mom passed (which was, incidentally, on a Friday). I mark that thought not because it is meaningful to me, but because it isn't so much. I won't plan on being an emotional basket-case this coming Friday. You don't plan your crying fits when in mourning. They come upon you.

And so it was this evening as I laid down that my thoughts drifted to Mom. And the tears welled up, the thoughts & emotions strengthened, and then the dam broke. I had to get up and have a good cry.

This doesn't happen too often -- maybe 2-3 times a month? At least it hasn't been an everyday occurrence for me. Others may cry more. But it does appear to be an important release from time to time to let myself cry.

Most of the time it is short & I don't really lose my composure. For example, there have been a couple of times where I was reading something that reminded me of Mom, and so I let a few tears stream down my face. But I wiped them off and then continued on with my day as if everything was normal.

Other times, though less often, a longer cry is necessary. Tonight was one of those nights. I lost a little sleep, I meditated on the void, and I let the emotions out. I miss her very much. And even though my emotions aren't as strong as they were immediately following her passing, it seems that as time passes I realize that I miss her even more than I thought I would, or thought I did originally.

Anyway, I chronicle this here for my own posterity and for those of you who've never had to deal with loss. If you're interested in some of my thoughts/feelings at other points in the last few months, just click on the label below.

Keeping The Main Thing The Main Thing

What are the main issues that our Presidential candidates should be addressing? Dr. Thomas Sowell provides a sobering perspective about what he thinks should be at the forefront of our political consciousness: national security.

In his original article, he also provides a single option in response to this issue. I find his approach to that conclusion intellectually dishonest & manipulative. So I'm going to post the better excerpts of his article here with the political barbs sanitized out.

BTW, I don't believe that this issue is one upon which the Republicans necessarily have a definitive advantage in policy debate. I ask these questions:

• Are we safer now than we were 8 years ago? Militarily? Economically?
• Are we hated less? Are the fires of anti-American sentiment being trampled down?
• Or are we ourselves stirring up these fires with our own overly-aggressive foreign policy?

These questions & their answers are legitimate issues that we must consider as a nation.

Here's the excerpt:

While [...] posturing is going on in politics, the biggest national sponsor of terrorism in the world-- Iran-- is moving step by step toward building a nuclear bomb.

The point when they get that bomb will be the point of no return. Iran's nuclear bomb will be the terrorists' nuclear bomb-- and they can make 9/11 look like child's play.

All the options that are on the table right now will be swept off the table forever. Our choices will be to give in to whatever the terrorists demand-- however outrageous those demands might be-- or to risk seeing American cities start disappearing in radioactive mushroom clouds.

All the things we are preoccupied with today, from the price of gasoline to health care to global warming [to social security], will suddenly no longer matter.

Just as the Nazis did not find it enough to simply kill people in their concentration camps, but had to humiliate and dehumanize them first, so we can expect terrorists with nuclear weapons to both humiliate us and force us to humiliate ourselves, before they finally start killing us.

They have already telegraphed their punches with their sadistic beheadings of innocent civilians, and with the popularity of videotapes of those beheadings in the Middle East.

They have already telegraphed their intention to dictate to us with such things as Osama bin Laden's threats to target those places in America that did not vote the way he prescribed in the 2004 elections. He could not back up those threats then but he may be able to in a very few years.

The terrorists have given us as clear a picture of what they are all about as Adolf Hitler and the Nazis did during the 1930s-- and our "leaders" and intelligentsia have ignored the warning signs as resolutely as the "leaders" and intelligentsia of the 1930s downplayed the dangers of Hitler.

We are much like people drifting down the Niagara River, oblivious to the waterfalls up ahead. Once we go over those falls, we cannot come back up again.

[...]

There is one big difference between now and the 1930s. Although the West's lack of military preparedness and its political irresolution led to three solid years of devastating losses to Nazi Germany and imperial Japan, nevertheless when all the West's industrial and military forces were finally mobilized, the democracies were able to turn the tide and win decisively.

But you cannot lose a nuclear war for three years and then come back. You cannot even sustain the will to resist for three years when you are first broken down morally by threats and then devastated by nuclear bombs.