February 22, 2016
This week: MLB Spring Training, Deadpool, Survivor and The Amazing Race, and more...
Pitchers & Catchers reported..... - ...and all is right with the world. I enjoy plenty of other sports, much to my wife's chagrin. I enjoy college and pro football. I'm intrigued by international soccer, although my comprehension is on-par with an advanced third grader who sits in the front row. I've loved MMA for over 10 years but watching it has become taxing due to the late starts on a Saturday night. But baseball is my passion. I thoroughly enjoy all the nuances and intricacies of the game; the cerebral component of the competition is very appealing to me. This time of year is always so exciting for me as MLB gets back into the swing of things. I've had the great fortune to attend Braves Spring Training each of the last four years (maybe five, I can't honestly remember) with the blessing (and sometime attendance) of my wife. If you've never been I strongly encourage you check it out. The atmosphere is very easygoing and mostly all of the players are approachable and at arm's length. I'll go in-depth on the Braves later this month, but my overall opinion of this upcoming season is that they're gonna struggle to win 75 games but that's still an improvement of 8 wins over last season, so I'll take it. The prospects and young talent are getting alot of attention coming into camp, but the veteran presence at every position could move the needle closer to 80 wins. But lots of reclamation projects need to turn in the right direction for that to work out.
Deadpool review NO SPOILERS - I hate when someone says "this isn't gonna ruin the movie, lemme just tell you this one part". ARGH!!! There's a reason I don't watch the trailer for certain films. Trailers are designed to attract the moth to the flame, but with some movies I don't need that carrot on a stick (I like to mix metaphors). So, I'll tread lightly with my review for Deadpool. I LOVED it. Funny, irreverent, graphic, and a major departure from any other comic book movie you've seen. Consider this your word-of-mouth endorsement. Go check it out, you won't be disappointed. I'm already angling to get another night off from Dad Duties to see it again.
Jeff Probst and Phil Keoghan are back - Survivor and The Amazing Race returned this past week and thus far been pleasing and entertaining. They may tweak their games/race here and there each season but for the most part they both have a very successful template for success and they don't stray too far off the path. Jeff Probst is such a powerful, integral part of the show's production that I pondered aloud to my sister if the franchise could survive (haha) without him. After some discussion we agreed that they could pass the torch (I'm on a roll) to someone within the fraternity of the show (i.e., a former player). I think Colby Donaldson would be an obvious choice for an audition. Recent winner Jeremy Collins also has some strong attributes that make him a contender. My sister thinks former winner Parvati Shallow could transition from the work she's done on CBS.com to become Jeff 2.0. The most important quality to replace is Jeff's scrutinizing probing (that's my last one) at tribal council. He has a gift for really stirring the pot and seeing what comes to the top. There's no reason to think Jeff is leaving, but its fun to entertain the idea of him stepping down and filling that role. Its like debating Nick Saban's successor. The Amazing Race's best seasons have avoided the cheesy melodrama of Big Brother and the backstabbing alliances of Survivor. They've done their best work when they've carved out their own lane in traffic with honest, fair gameplay between teams without a bunch of cliques and in-fighting. After two episodes, this season appears to fit nicely in that template. The teams are friendly, fair, and competitive; just the way I like it.
Open forum discussion time - What does Facebook look like in 10 years? 20 years? Does it truly have the staying power that we all presume it does? Or does it plateau or even lose subscribers over that span and become MySpace, LYCOS, or HotOrNot? Is Facebook gonna be the air conditioning of our generation? That invention that you never knew you couldn't live without. Or does it fizzle out like Crystal Pepsi? Lots of questions on the same topic. Discuss in the comments section.
The worst fight in MMA history - Chad Dundas of Bleacher Report did a much better job documenting and lampooning the "fight" between legendary street brawlers Kimbo Slice and Dada 5000, so I'll share it with you here. It just as funny as the fight itself. I watched it the next morning without knowing the outcome and quickly realized that fast forwarding was the easiest way to power through that travashamockery of MMA fighting. Even on FF I was still laughing out loud at how comical this fight was in front of an arena of fans. Thankfully I can comfortably mock this fight knowing that Dada 5000 is recovering nicely after nearly dying in the hospital after the fight. NOTE: Watch the birth of "travashamockery" here.
This was an awesome promotion - This guy got to swing for the fences for an upgrade to his season tickets that he'd already bought. His clean, powerful swing put him in box seats. Well done, sir.
Housekeeping - My original intention with The Chatter was to be a weekly post about sports & entertainment musings. I set a self-imposed deadline of Friday night. Then it migrated to Saturday.......night. Then Sunday came and went and here I am Monday morning working on the rough/final draft. The reality is that carving out 2 hours a week to write can be challenging, but I truly enjoy the exercise of crafting my thoughts in the written word and sharing them with the handful of folks that I think will enjoy them. I mention this because as my deadline migrates I have every intention of getting back to that Friday night commitment which means you'll either see a reallllly long break (see: NEXT Friday) or another installment sooner than normal (see: THIS Friday). Thanks for the support and I'll see you Friday ;)
