Benjamin Grimm

Totals for July, through July 17 (14 games):Look who's leading the Player of the Month race! NameTotal1Zambrano15.292Reyes14.233Wright13.374Martinez11.845Cameron11.756Beltran10.127Benson8.558Glavine7.219Anderson5.9910Floyd5.9611Piazza5.7312Heilman3.7013Woodward3.3714Castro2.9015Bell2.8616Offerman2.7017Looper2.5818Hernandez2.4519Cairo2.2420Ishii2.0721Mientkiewicz1.79Koo1.7923Ring0.6724Graves0.5025Padilla0.2726Daubach0.14Season totals through July 17 (92 games):Floyd's lead is still strong, but Wright is closing the gap. NameTotal1Floyd86.152Martinez76.473Wright75.684Reyes70.345Beltran59.876Piazza54.447Cameron49.238Zambrano48.309Glavine43.0010Mientkiewicz36.9911Benson34.6112Heilman27.8713Diaz26.2814Matsui23.0715Anderson22.7316Ishii22.0817Looper17.5018Hernandez16.6919Bell15.3920Castro12.7221Woodward12.6822Koo12.6123Cairo11.8724Seo10.3025Aybar8.5326DeJean7.3227Ring5.7728Daubach4.7929Offerman4.7430Graves3.4631Heredia2.6132Valent2.1733Matthews1.5134Padilla0.27

Totals for July 16 (7 votes):NameTotal PointsAverage(PointsAwarded)Zambrano 33.50 4.79Mientkiewicz 12.50 1.79Beltran 6.75 0.96Cairo 6.75 0.96Wright 4.75 0.68Floyd 3.25 0.46Heilman 2.50 0.36Totals for July 17 (13 votes):NameTotal PointsAverage(PointsAwarded)Martinez 46.50 3.58Cameron 29.25 2.25Reyes 26.75 2.06Beltran 6.50 0.50Woodward 5.75 0.44Wright 5.50 0.42Padilla 3.50 0.27Cairo 3.25 0.25Koo 1.50 0.12Offerman 0.75 0.06Floyd 0.50 0.04Bell 0.25 0.02

Totals for July 14 (8 votes):NameTotal PointsAverage(PointsAwarded)Wright 24.75 3.09Benson 21.25 2.66Piazza 18.00 2.25Beltran 7.50 0.94Offerman 3.50 0.44Looper 3.25 0.41Hernandez 1.75 0.22Totals for July 15 (9 votes):NameTotal PointsAverage(PointsAwarded)Glavine 44.50 4.94Wright 32.50 3.61Reyes 6.75 0.75Cairo 6.25 0.69

Flame generated by cosmically altered DNA does.

Your new standings column makes a lot of sense.I wish I had thought of it!

I couldn't either.But when I typed a space before the C it allowed me to save. And it stripped the leading space.

C

Was tempted to vote B but voted C instead.

That being said, I'm looking forward to your take on Fantastic Four.

Aaron Michael Heilman graduated from Logansport (IN) High School...Was an All-State selection in baseball...Was a management information systems and philosophy major in the Mendoza College of Business at the University of Notre Dame...Graduated in 2001...As a senior at Notre Dame, Aaron was 15-0 in 15 starts...He finished sixth in the nation with a 1.74 ERA...In 114.0 innings, he allowed 70 hits, 28 runs, 20 earned, with 31 walks and 110 strikeouts...Also collected 12 complete games and hurled three shutouts...Was named a first team All-American by Collegiate Baseball Magazine all four years at Notre Dame...Compiled a 43-7 record with a 2.49 ERA in his four seasons with the Irish...In 83 games, 43 starts, he tossed 26 complete games, with six shutouts...In 393.2 innings, he permitted 295 hits, 109 runs, with 114 walks and 425 strikeouts...Is one of only 15 Division I players to reach 40 career wins...Led the nation with a 1.61 ERA as a freshman pitching out of the bullpen...Named Co-National Freshman of the Year by Collegiate Baseball...Set the Big East single-game record with 18 strikeouts on April 15, 2000 at West Virginia...Was named the Big East's Pitcher of the Year in 2000 and 2001...Played for Team USA in 1999...His father Joe ran track and field at Indiana State University and his sister Michelle played softball at St. Joseph's College...Was selected by the Minnesota Twins in the 31st round of the June, 2000 Draft, but did not sign. Sounds single to me.Ramon Abraham Castro and his wife, Brenda, make their home in Vega Baja, Puerto Rico with their daughters, Mairym, Natali and Misoti. Was scouted and signed by Frankie Thon (Astros). Attended Vega Baja (PR) High School and became first player out of Puerto Rico ever selected in first round of June draft when Astros took him with 17th overall pick in the 1994 draft... rated by Baseball America as the 12th best position player available in that draft. Is a participant in Adopt-a-Classroom. Him having a wife named Brenda makes me like him for being married. (For some reason I'm speaking NYPD Blue.)I did a Google Image Search on "Brenda Castro" and found this lady:That's probably not Ramon's wife, but it might be fun to pretend that it is. Especially for Ramon.

Cameron and Benson, despite their late starts, are in pretty decent positions at 7 and 11, respectively.Mientkiewicz in the top ten is surprising. It won't last. I wouldn't guess that Glavine will stay in the top ten either, but I don't see anyone who's a sure bet to displace him. (Assuming Benson is the one who knocks Mientkiewicz out.)

Totals for July 1 (7 votes):NameTotal PointsAverage(PointsAwarded)Cameron 15.50 2.21Woodward 13.00 1.86Anderson 9.50 1.36Wright 9.00 1.29Glavine 6.25 0.89Looper 4.50 0.64Floyd 4.25 0.61Reyes 4.00 0.57Heilman 2.75 0.39Hernandez 1.25 0.18Totals for July 2 (5 votes):NameTotal PointsAverage(PointsAwarded)Reyes 11.00 2.20Benson 10.50 2.10Wright 10.00 2.00Bell 9.00 1.80Beltran 7.50 1.50Offerman 1.00 0.20Anderson 1.00 0.20Totals for July 3 (7 votes):NameTotal PointsAverage(PointsAwarded)Zambrano 36.50 5.21Heilman 7.50 1.07Woodward 7.50 1.07Cameron 7.25 1.04Piazza 6.00 0.86Beltran 5.25 0.75Totals for July 4 (7 votes):NameTotal PointsAverage(PointsAwarded)Cameron 16.50 2.36Reyes 15.50 2.21Ishii 14.50 2.07Hernandez 8.00 1.14Offerman 5.50 0.79Beltran 3.50 0.50Looper 3.25 0.46Anderson 1.75 0.25Bell 1.25 0.18Wright 0.25 0.04Totals for July 5 (7 votes):NameTotal PointsAverage(PointsAwarded)Martinez 25.00 3.57Anderson 17.50 2.50Wright 11.00 1.57Floyd 9.00 1.29Reyes 4.00 0.57Graves 3.50 0.50Totals for July 6 (8 votes):NameTotal PointsAverage(PointsAwarded)Heilman 15.00 1.88Anderson 13.40 1.68Castro 12.60 1.58Glavine 11.00 1.38Beltran 9.00 1.13Cameron 8.50 1.06Floyd 4.00 0.50Looper 3.20 0.40Wright 2.50 0.31Reyes 0.80 0.10Totals for July 7 (7 votes):NameTotal PointsAverage(PointsAwarded)Benson 26.50 3.79Piazza 16.00 2.29Beltran 9.50 1.36Bell 6.00 0.86Looper 4.50 0.64Hernandez 3.50 0.50Reyes 3.00 0.43Floyd 1.00 0.14Totals for July 8 (7 votes):NameTotal PointsAverage(PointsAwarded)Zambrano 37.00 5.29Reyes 11.00 1.57Castro 9.00 1.29Floyd 3.50 0.50Beltran 3.00 0.43Wright 2.50 0.36Cairo 1.50 0.21Offerman 1.50 0.21Daubach 1.00 0.14Totals for July 9 (6 votes):NameTotal PointsAverage(PointsAwarded)Floyd 14.50 2.42Cameron 13.00 2.17Koo 10.00 1.67Offerman 6.00 1.00Beltran 5.50 0.92Reyes 5.00 0.83Ring 4.00 0.67Piazza 2.00 0.33Totals for July 10 (8 votes):NameTotal PointsAverage(PointsAwarded)Martinez 37.50 4.69Reyes 23.50 2.94Beltran 9.00 1.13Cameron 5.25 0.66Hernandez 3.25 0.41Cairo 1.00 0.13Looper 0.25 0.03Castro 0.25 0.03Totals for July (10 games):Cliff Floyd, way down there in ninth place.Victor Zambrano in the lead for Pitcher of the Month. NameTotal1Reyes11.422Zambrano10.503Cameron9.504Martinez8.265Beltran7.726Anderson5.997Benson5.898Wright5.579Floyd5.4610Piazza3.4811Heilman3.3412Woodward2.9313Castro2.9014Bell2.8415Glavine2.2716Hernandez2.2317Offerman2.2018Looper2.1719Ishii2.0720Koo1.6721Ring0.6722Graves0.5023Cairo0.3424Daubach0.14Season totals at All-Star Break (July 10, 88 games): NameTotal1Floyd85.652Martinez72.893Wright67.884Reyes67.535Beltran57.476Piazza52.197Cameron46.988Zambrano43.519Glavine38.0610Mientkiewicz35.2011Benson31.9512Heilman27.5113Diaz26.2814Matsui23.0715Anderson22.7316Ishii22.0817Looper17.0918Hernandez16.4719Bell15.3720Castro12.7221Koo12.4922Woodward12.2423Seo10.3024Cairo9.9725Aybar8.5326DeJean7.3227Ring5.7728Daubach4.7929Offerman4.2430Graves3.4631Heredia2.6132Valent2.1733Matthews1.51

I can't tell you how many hours I've spent playing this game with my son.

For Anaheim I'll guess Appier for Vaughn.

I liked the portrayal of the Thing. I didn't see much of his sense of humor, but they handled the tragic aspect of the character very well. I really felt that I was watching Ben Grimm on the screen. (I only wish the costume included the famous eyebrow-ridge thing.)I was okay with Johnny. In the comics he's always described as an irresponsible hothead, but his actual behavior often doesn't bear that out. The movie played to that aspect of his personality much more than the comics do. But as I said, I'm okay with that.Sue was portrayed okay, too. They did the big sister thing. (I would have liked a "Be careful, Johnny" or two, though.) At times she seemed like the Sue Storm I know. Not the early, timid Sue, but the spunkier one who evolved later.Reed was awful. They really missed the boat on him. He was indecisive and befuddled. That's not Reed Richards. He's a guy who knows everything, and what he doesn't know he figures out immediately. His all-encompassing knowledge may seem absurd at times, but it's part of the fun. Nothing in the movie made it seem like he was the leader of the team. His pushing himself to the point of exhaustion trying to cure Ben did ring true, though. I just wish he had a 5 o'clock shadow in that scene. Kirby always used stubble to show that Reed was so devoted that he didn't take time to shave.I thought Doom was worse than awful. I saw very little in that movie that made me feel like I was watching Dr. Doom. Victor Von Doom is a far more interesting character than the movie indicates. He (and Reed) should have been older. He shouldn't have been making quips during battle. I didn't like the changes to his origin. (The whole Latverian gypsy thing is too good, and too classic, to discard.) He came across as a lame movie bad guy with a corny name and an iron mask. I had no beef with the special effects. My only disappointment is that they never showed Ben transforming into the Thing. Reed looked good using his powers, and so did Johnny. The climactic battle was disappointing. Alicia was such a marginal character I don't know why they even bothered including her. Either some scenes were cut, or they're planning on a bigger role in a sequel, if there is one.A more minor beef is that the Baxter Building didn't look like it should have. Instead of the modern skyscraper it was an older, more ornate building. It looked more like downtown than midtown. I would have liked seeing a computer-generated Baxter Building in the style I know and love.Overall, I can see what they were trying to do, and in most cases I applaud them for trying to do it. I can understand why someone who doesn't know the FF would find it a confusing and weird mishmash. (Of course, good filmmaking would have made the movie as appealing to the novice as it is to the fan. They seem to have failed in that regard.) They introduced a lot of the themes that make the FF what they are. Sometimes in came across properly, other times it didn't. In a sequel, if there is one, hopefully they'll hit the ground running and tell a solid story, without the necessity of all the introductions. I think they could have streamlined the origin a bit more; the movie would have been better. And I do hope that there is a sequel. If so, they should have the FF as an experienced, fully functioning team, with Reed as an authoritative leader, with Ben still tragic but sometimes jovial. And Doom, if he comes back, should be in full meglomania mode, as the conqueror of Latveria.The Baxter Building

Okay, I've seen the movie, and I'm going to be generous with my vote.FIVE stars out of ten.I was preparing myself to be disappointed, and it wasn't as bad as I had feared.

Website: Overheard in New YorkJane Hirt: "What does Fantastic Four stand for? Was there a Fantastic 1, 2 and 3?"My four-year-old daughter is struggling with that same question. Numbers at the end of movies denote sequels.If they do a sequel, it'll really get confusing: Fantastic Four Two.Maybe they'd have to call it FF2: Doom's Revenge or something like that.

Change of plans: it looks like we'll be going to a 7:20 showing tonight.I've read a few more reviews. None have been positive (I'll have to see if I can find Gene Shalit's online anywhere) but some have been less negative than others. My expectations are very low. I'm a bit annoyed that when Reed, Sue, Ben, and Johnny finally get the spotlight on them, it's going to be a major flop.

I had planned on seeing this movie opening night, but the local times aren't convenient. There's a 5:10, that I probably can't get to, and a 7:45, which will end at about 10, leaving the kids pretty sleepy. So we'll be going tomorrow (Saturday) morning.

The Daily News and the Philadelphia Inquirer both gave the FF one and a half stars.My expectations are low. Any thrill I get out of the movie will be a pleasant surprise.I think this thread is forking...

seawolf17 wrote:I wasn't a Mets fan yet in '82... was Foster hated at the time? I would have assumed that would have been an exciting trade when it went down.It was a very exciting trade when it went down. He was coming off a great season: 22 homers and 90 RBI in the abbreviated 1981 season.But as a Met, especially in 1982, he never got started. (His 1983 picked up a bit, but by then the damage was done.) I don't remember at what point in the season our expectations went sour. According to Professor G in the link I posted, it was around the middle of the season. That may be right.Foster's arrival was greeted as enthusastically in 1982 as Beltran's was this year. And their numbers, at the same point in their Mets tenure, are similar.I don't get the sense, though, that the fans are even close to turning on Carlos. And I don't think it's because Mets fans are content with a .500 record. The Mets were right around that mark on July 1, 1982 as well. Beltran is getting a lot more slack than New York usually gives.

I think the Pirates have invaded this thread.

Tollman kind of rings a bell.So does Frank LaCorte, vaguely.

[url=http://www.leaptoad.com/mets/gamedetail.php?gameno=3330&tabno=B]This game memory[/url] hit the UMDB today. A fun anecdote about Tom Hausman, and a tie-in to our conversation about George Foster.

I've been more dreading Fantastic Four than anticipating it.I was hoping they'd do it right, but most indications are that the creators didn't respect the source material. I'm desperately hoping that it turns out great (Gene Shalit gave it an A+) but I don't expect it.