Edgy MD

No, not Big Boy. Part's on the wrong side. Here's who he looks like:

Yeah, good tone and stuff, but more plot holes than Blackburn Lancashire. They steal the whole revenge drama from Wrath of Khan, but this guy's bloodlust seems a lot sillier. If he's stumbled back in time, he can undo the disaster. Even if he's too bonkers to conclude that there's better things he can do with his time than hunt Spock, you'd think over a quarter of a century that enough members of his crew would have thought better and crept up on him from behind. I can accept Khan's crew following him into his madness. Why not? They've got nothing left. But this trenchcoat mafia dropout? No way. And how'd he get his hands on one of Khan's crawfish, anyhow? Anyway, the plot turning this into an altenative timeline from the original series? A brilliant stroke allowing them to bring back the characters, give them adventures, but liberate the producers from having to fret over reconciling with the details of the series. The notion that the core crew all managed to find their way onto the Enterprise anyhow in this alternative timeline, well, it's a stretch, but what do I know about parallel universes? Nuttin'. That's what.

Netflix has been begging me to watch that. No way. It's selling me too hard and I have my defenses up.

Of course he does. I think, when the rage dies down, we'll probably see that part of the thinking in going big in left, but not catcher, first, second, or right, is that the team is excited by the prospects that they have coming along at those positions, and they're looking to change on the fly over the next two years.

Netflix first. Slacker store second.

The last time Chris Rock went shopping for ideas to steal in Europe (and this movie is only kind of European), he came home with I Think i Love My Wife --- a bomb whose fallout is still raining down on his career.

Feet, baby. They can be beautiful thingies, too.

Her feet look like tootsie rolls.

Audrey Tatou is a kept woman who makes with a shmuck while she's drunk, thinking he's a richie. When she finds out he's a hotel waiter/barman/bellboy, she tries tossing him over, but he clings on.

Well Perez pitched at replcaement rate, so I've got no apologies for him. I guess some of those others were too close to replacment rate, but ERA+ isn't as accurate as OPS+ and I need to make adjustments there.

Fugit. Knock Wagner the hell out of there. He's artifically boosted by an arbitrary number. Two excelelnt innings are still TWO. Scheider becomes number two and Mixch number one.

I've got Pelfrey buried. I've got to double check ihim.

No, I did find some out of order. I don't know why it sorted wrong. Sorry.

What's to know? I crunched them around and ranked them. Publishing my total points are useful in knowing how big the gaps were between players.

Damien Magnifico is now friends with Starr Untermeyer Oh, I have such a feeling about you kids.

#MetTotal30Wright29,340.23***29Santana23,012.2528Beltran22,498.5827Castillo20,541.23***26Murphy16,813.1025Pagan15,844.4724Feliciano15,100.6023Tatis14,908.24***22Sheffield13,940.2321Francoeur13,884.7920Rodriguez12,562.34***19Santos9,232.37***18Stokes7,538.8117Church6,617.0916Cora6,313.3415Delgado6,274.4014Reyes, J.6,195.7813Figueroa5,299.5412Sullivan5,262.0911Nieve5,112.68***10Takahashi4,560.089Green, S.4,323.178Dessens4,160.29***7Parnell3,553.926Pelfrey3,547.495Castro3,529.694Hernandez, A.3,781.013Maine3,738.82***2Wagner2,902.991Schneider2,651.510Misch2,157.33-1Niese2,093.61-2Valdez2,090.50***-3O'Day1,859.30-4Thole1,765.78-5Redding1,528.65-6Putz1,450.93-7Evans1,120.99-8Reed1,091.44-9Fossum1,063.82-10Hernandez, L.1,053.60***-11Stoner868.17-12Green, A.101.13-13Perez85.41-14Broadway32.28-15Brown4.09***-16Switzer-81.93-17Martinez, F.-111.69-18Cancel-158.00-19Berroa-580.73-20Anderson-632.00-21Reyes, A.-884.70***-22Martinez, R.-1,084.80

Doomed young man torturing himself. And it wasn't me, so that helps. Kind of painful watching him continually crash himself into walls, though. (I find I disagree on what gets designated "chick flick.")

Cora didn't just show up. Considering all the examples we had befor Jose Reyes, I'd think we could be a little more tolerant about what shortstops tend to be.

Not that I believe in the notion of "meaningful games," but if there is such a thing, Anderson Hernandez didn't get into too many of them, arriving after the first week of August.

Them's some headscratchers.

He's probably one of the brats who ruined the MOFo.

Nelson is a prisoner of a minority-ruled racist state. As the ruling party's power and authority wanes, they wise up, release him, and yield to democratic rule. Nelson is elected president, but has to find a way to unify the bitterly divided country. The answer is... rugby! Should I go this weekend?

That kid really has no reference points before 1999?

Brief summary, anyhow. I found it moving, but it seemed to be aimed squarely at believers rather than doubters, making sure they hit a lot of expected notes --- Mary is given a blue wrap by her parents when she's about to ride off to Bethlehem, the introduction of each character is underscored by stating his or her name at the first opportunity, stuff like that. They even have the magi bearing the names we traditionally refer to them by, even though neither the names nor the number appear in scripture. Also, the score comes from a lot of variations on Christmas Carols --- the variations disguised enough that you don't recognize them instantly, but like a Hallmark Hall of Fame production, you appreciate the craftsmanship while rolling your eyes a little at the heavy-handedness. The other big influence seems to be Lord of the Rings --- as Herod's and Ceasar's troops come rolling into town as shadowy figures on impossibly muscular horses, beautiful, horrible, and indomitable. They are slowed down just enough to make clear how hopeless existence is for the meek in a world where such a power reigns. Cieran Hinds chews scenery as Herod, and he seems to be hired only because Christopher Lee was busy. Can't say I didn't cry a tear or two, because I did, alright?

Mary conceives. Herod not happy.