2010: A Last Post

This has always been a difficult blog for me to keep up.  From the title of the blog I always intended that it be my views of politics and popular culture from the Northwest.  I've had a hard time hitting my stride, but I must say that I've really enjoyed posting the last six weeks or so.  So here is my mini-manifesto on what you can expect to see on this blog this year.

 1.  Baseball, particularly Mariners baseball.  I'm a homer, I admit it.  I don't follow other teams real closely.  I simply don't have the time or energy.  But the home towne team is important to me.  I remember when Seattle had a team and watched it move away and the emptiness I felt as a local baseball fan.  There is a lot of anger in the M's community right now, but I will never turn my back on them because I remember . . . I'll also do my best to recognize baseball birthdays and baseball obituaries, and not just the hall of famers.

 2.  I love movies.  Old ones, new ones, good ones bad ones.  I'll review them, offer suggestions, do best of lists.  Some may be obvious, others may not, some may be just weird. That's okay, it's something I'm passionate about.
 
3.  I am also a music person.  I used to think I knew a lot about music, now I just feel old.  I have some perspectives others may not have and I'd like to share them with you.  Maybe we can swap some dialogue (which is why there is a comment box.)

 4.  I'm really a book person.  I love to read, and I read every day even if its just for fifteen minutes or so before I sleep.  I'll continue to keep a what I'm reading box, and will, periodically make some suggestions.  I like to set goals for myself, so I'll tell you up front I hope to read twenty-six books over the course of the year, one every other week.  I'll review those that are worth your time.  I'm not really in my book acquisitions so they aren't likely to be the next big thing, but you may find them interesting. 

5.  Finally, I may occasionally have something political to say.  It will be about a current issue and won't be ideological bashing (I hate that.)  I confess to being center-left which I guess puts me in a minority, but I do believe the country is pretty screwed up at the present, and I can offer my views as well as the next guy-including those in power. 

 If you're a regular visitor to From the Upper Left Corner, thanks for your support.  I love writing, but knowing that others read what I've written is inspiring.  Don't hesitate to comment.  I love to read 'em.

Review: Tron Legacy

In 1982 Space Invaders and Asteroids were in 7/11's, bars and video arcades sucking quarters.  The first Ataris were appearing in homes, and the personal computer was still just wishful thinking for most of us.  When Disney's Tron made its appearance on the big screen the same year, home computing was still a mystery for the average dude, and who had ever heard of the internet?

Tron was was an obscure offering at the time. Or maybe it was just obscure for me. It offered a story of an early computer geek who traveled inside the cyberspace on to "the Grid" creating an alternative world inhabited by "programs" controlled by users.  The electronic reality would be governed by heroes imagined by creator, Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges.)  The movie's charm was as much its early CGI as it was its unfathomable story.  But it did have some loose ends to be drawn up by a future sequel.

 Fast forward nearly thirty years to the release of Tron Legacy. Video arcades are a thing of the past, replaced by personal game consoles. Personal computers are ubiquitous. The  grid is no longer a mystery.  We all spend too much time on the 'net.  The grid is something our enemies use to wage war against us, and we against them. The grid is the home of the social network and identity theft, of the blog and Wiki leaks, of Amazon.com and You Tube. The world of computers is no longer new, we know how they work, how they crash when we most need them, the sadness of losing our data to viruses, how we spend every waking hour playing World of Warcraft. Computer neophyte no longer, I brought a certain cynicism to the theater with me.

 Tron Legacy begins with Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges') son Sam (Garrett Hedlund) searching for his father who mysteriously disappeared into the Grid.  When Sam follows him he immediately encounters a world a world far more dangerous than what his father shared with him.  He meets the guardian/ruler of the Grid, CLU, with Bridges' 1982 visage.  CLU rules the Grid much like a Roman emperor, providing bloodsport for the masses of programs in the form of disc battles, light cycle races and other bloodsport in which the loser is de-programmed or destroyed.  Sam escapes the games with the help of Quorra, an Iso, an actual creation of the Grid that were systematically eliminated by CLU, and she takes him to meet his father.  CLU also is after Flynn because he wants his personal data to take an army off the grid and into the real world.  Why?  World conquest, of course, duh.

The second half of the movie is chasing hither and thither to the portal between Flynn's arcade and the grid.  Lots of chasing, lots of de-programming, some explosions and a climactic good-bye between Sam and Flynn.  Very nice CGI.  Yawn.

 This is not one of Jeff Bridges' finest performances, and I'm a fan.  Only Michael Sheen's character Zeus, is interesting or out of the ordinary.  There is something too about Quorra, Olivia Wilde, maybe there is a certain tabula rasa naivete about her character, or that she is just beautiful.  In any case, if you love great performances, you've come to the wrong place baby.

I looked forward to this sequel.  Maybe because the original Tron was interesting and different, and the concept of the Grid was something different than Star Wars  and the other computer driven movies that were still new in 1982.  Now it seems silly and too disjointed with our computer-driven reality.  If you like CGI effects, there's lots here to like.  If you want a great story, try True Grit. 

Two and a half stars out of five.

Rob Johnson traded to San Diego

This was inevitable.  The Olivo signing which should be completed soon, meant the M's had little reason to hang on to Johnson who was designated for assignment last week.  It's a moral victory for Johnson and the Mariners that a trade was arranged with the Padres even if it is for a player to be named later, cash, or a bag of balls.

Rob Johnson corrals a foul pop against the Devil Rays.  Here's  hoping he locates the rest of his game with the Padres.

 I always had hopes for Johnson.  He seemed to slowly adjust to hitting at each level of the minors, but demonstrated the skills needed to be a good catcher.  When he arrived at the major league level, pitchers clearly liked throwing to him over Kenji Johjima. He earned their confidence and there was every reason to hope that Johnson would develop in the Mariners starting catcher, or at least an adequate placeholder and eventual backup to Adam Moore.

Last year, however, after multiple surgeries, he clearly did not have the physical ability to block pitches in the dirt, or prevent passed balls.  His hitting was execrable with a line of .191/.293/.291, an OPS+ of 63. Calling a good game just isn't enough and the M's sent him down to Tacoma in August. 

Catching is simply a wasteland for the Mariners, as I've stated before.  One worries about their ability to take catching prospects and develop them properly.  Jeff Clement, Johnson, and Moore have all been hailed as Mariners catchers of the future, but they went outside the organization to sign Miguel Olivo to be the M's starter for 2011-12.  I still have hopes for Moore, but it should be a concern for the organization. 

Ryan Divish has some useful Johnson insights in the News Tribune. I wish Johnson well with the Padres. 

More Thoughts on the Hall of Fame

Yep, more HoF ideas here, sadly they aren't mine. Monday Rob Neyer of ESPN posted a link to some interesting thoughts on Hall of Fame voting.  While blogger, the Common Man clearly has some interesting thoughts about who should be in and who shouldn't, what is more interesting is his view on principles that should govern voters thinking.  It's good stuff. As a person who likes rationality above almost all things, it is a way to look at voting.

Walt Dropo Dies at age 87

Walt Dropo died of natural causes at age 87 at his home near Boston.  Dropo was a prototypical 50's power hitter, the 6'5" 220lb "Moose from Moosup" was a three sport star at the University of Connecticut before signing with the Boston Red Sox.  A great article about his his connections to UConn appears in ctpost.com

 Dropo had a brilliant rookie season in 1950, hitting .322 with 34 dingers and 144 RBI's.  He won the AL Rookie of the Year award. 

 Unfortunately his first hurrah would be his best.  Dropo struggled his sophomore season and spent most of 1951 the minors trying to find his swing.  Dropo played in the majors until 1961.  A slow, big man capable of occasional power, Dropo played first base with the Red Sox, White Sox, Cincinnati Redlegs, and Detroit.  He had all the stockings covered.  Dropo's best years were 1950 and 1952.

Red Sox vice president for publications and archives, Dick Bresciani, remembered Dropo as an important member of the Red Sox in the post-war era and a valued member of the Red Sox community. 

"He was an outstanding gentleman and did a lot of good things for our organization in the community when his playing days were over," Bresciani said.

My Hall of Fame Ballot

I've included my official MLB Hall of Fame ballot.  No, it's not real, something about having to be a member of the Baseball Writers Association of America.  Sounds elitist to me.  Nevertheless I've included my ballot with my choices highlighted.

 Roberto Alomar                                 Bert Blyleven
 Jack Morris                                       Barry Larkin
 Lee Smith                                          Edgar Martinez
 Tim Raines                                        Mark McGwire
 Alan Trammell                                   Fred McGriff
 Don Mattingly                                   Dave Parker
 Harold Baines                                   Carlos Baerga
 Jeff Bagwell                                      Brett Boone
 Kevin Brown                                    John Franco
 Juan Gonzalez                                   Marquis Grissom
 Lenny Harris                                     Bobby Higginson
 Charles Johnson                               Al Leiter
 Tino Martinez                                   Raul Mondesi
John Olerud                                      Rafael Palmeiro
 Kirk Reuter                                      Benito Santiago
 B.J. Surhoff                                      Larry Walker

I've joined the Blyleven converts.  If I can argue that Felix Hernandez should win the Cy Young Award, it seems to me Bert should be in the Hall.

Roberto Alomar is a no brainer and should have gotten in last year.

Alan Trammell was so good for so long the only thing that seems a mystery to me is how his double play partner, Lou Whittaker, could fall off the ballot so quickly.

Barry Larkin was very good on some bad teams.  

Bagwell's career was not long, but he amassed 449 home runs played mostly in a pitcher's cavern.  He had a career OPS+ of 149, played a good first base, and somehow managed to steal 202 bases.  He should be in, though I doubt he'll make it this year.

 Larry Walker was a graceful right fielder with a great arm.  He was a dangerous hitter with a career 140 OPS+ and  389 career home runs.  Rookie of the Year with Montreal in 1990, Walker went on to be NL MVP with Colorado in 1997.  Often injured, one wonders how much better he may have been healthy.  Again, not a shoo in on the first ballot.

 Once again I voted for Edgar Martinez.  Hopefully as the writers think objectively about his achievements and lose their prejudice against DH's he'll at least improve over last year's 36.2%.  Hell, Don't Ask, Don't Tell was axed yesterday, maybe the writers can take that next step too.

Brett Boone is on my ballot because, well, he's Brett Boone.  He had the most memorable season I can ever remember seeing, in 2001.  It's my thank you to him for that.  I assure you Boone won't be on the ballot next year.

No Mark McGwire or Rafael Palmeiro.  I know there are those who want to rehabilitate the image of known steroid users, but I'm not there yet.  I'm sure at some point the writers will relent and begin voting them in, but I'm certainly not there yet.  Despite McGwire's admission and apology last year, which I believe was heartfelt and honest, he still didn't connect drug use to performance.  Palmeiro is merely despicable, insisting in front of Congress he did not take steroids and then found using the following season.  No time for that shit.

Here is a link to statistics for those on the Hall of Fame ballot by Baseball-Reference.com 

December is a Tough Month for Baseball

Heeny Majeski

 Johnny Gee

Eddie Joost

Johnny Pesky

Thornton Lee

 Danny Gardella

 Van Lingle Mungo

 The opening lines to David Frishberg's elegant jazz song Van Lingle Mungo introduce us to his theme.  It's a paean to players, most not well known from the 30's to the 50's and is a mellifluous recitation of their names.  Some are well known, most are not.  The names, chosen for the way they fit together, are products of ethnicity and the hard-scrabble economics of the times. Four are in the Baseball Hall of Fame, but most struggle just to be remembered.

 Whitey Kurowski

 Max Lanier

 Eddie Waitkus and

 Johnny Vandermeer

 Bob Estalella

 Van Lingle Mungo

  

Unfortunately it's been a bad month for those of us who love baseball's past.  Ron Santo, Bob Feller and Phil Cavaretta have all passed away this month, and there's still 12 days to go.

Santo died December 3rd due to complications from diabetes.  Santo was the best third baseman in the National League for the time he played 1960-74.  He was an excellent hitter by anybody's standard, a great defensive ballplayer, extremely durable even though he battled diabetes his entire career.  Yet he died as one of the best players never to make it to the Hall of Fame.  Chris Jaffe at Hardball Times wrote a wonderful article about Santo, so I won't share what's already been done.  Let's just hope the newly constituted veterans committee at BBHOF gets its shit together and puts Santo's plaque where it rightfully belongs.  A great player, long time much loved Cubs broadcaster, and by all accounts an incredibly nice man, Santo is deserving recognition. 

Augie Bergamo

 Sigmund Jakucki

 Big Johnny Mize and

 Barney McCoskey

Hal Trosky

 Bob Feller died on December 15th at age 92.  Simply put, he was one of the greatest pitchers to ever play the game.  He's part of that lineage of great hard throwers that goes from Walter Johnson to Feller to Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens with lots of slightly less distinguished lights in between.  His 266-162 record was interrupted by the bombing of Pearl Harbor.  He enlisted in the Navy on December 8, 1941 and lost four years of his career to World War II at age 26, his years of peak performance. He lobbied for combat service and was a member of an anti-aircraft gun crew on the U.S.S. Alabama.  He was intensely proud of his service and rightfully so.  The best memorial to Feller is on Joe Posnanski's blog. 

 I do have a minor beef with Feller.  Great pitcher.  We see it in the newsreels, we see it in his numbers, we hear and read the anecdotal evidence from his peers.  We know his service, and we honor it as we do for all those of his generation who went off to free the world from fascism.   My complaint is with Feller's tireless self-promotion. Bob we already knew you were great.  My advice--don't be fighting with Walter Johnson over who was the best right hander when you get to baseball heaven. 

Augie Galan and

Pinky May

Stan Hack and 

Frenchy Bordagaray 

 Phil Cavaretta

George McQuinn

 Howard Pollett and 

 Early Wynn

Roy Campanella

 Van Lingle Mungo

Phil Cavaretta played twenty seasons for the Cubs from 1934-53 and two more years for the White Sox.  Not blessed with a lot of power, hitting only 94 homers in his long career, he was a good hitter and a nifty first baseman.  Cavaretta led the Cubs to their last World Series appearance in 1945, and was the National League Most Valuable Player that year.  He died from a stroke yesterday at age 94.  A brief memorial to Cavaretta is on Chicago Breaking Sports News.

 Augie Bergamo

 Sigmund Jakucki

 Big Johnny Mize and

 Barney McCoskey

 Hal Trosky

 In many respects we mark time with names of those who die.  Our family and friends we know and love, those who die in our wars, victims on the evening news, and those we don't know but wish we had.  I love baseball and it's history, the stories and stats, but it's really about the players and baseball lost three of those we know well.

 John Antonelli

 Ferris Fain

 Frankie Crosetti

 Johnny Sain

 Harry Brecheen and

Lou Boudreau

 Frankie Gustine and 

 Claude Passeau

 Eddie Basinski

Ernie Lombardi

 Huey Mulcahy

 Van Lingle Mungo

 Van Lingle Mungo