2009's Top Five Albums

While it might not be the most timely list—as the majority of music blogs will issue their yearly lists just at the new year—I assure you the wait was worth it, for the extra six months have allowed me to really sink into these albums and jockey them into their final positions, which I trust now to be accurate.

5. xx - The xx
Label: Young Turks
Genre: Indie Pop

The soft, echo-laden palpitations of a single guitar string sets the gentle and upbeat pace for the opening track of xx, which is quickly accompanied by wonderful electronic drum kicks that one can't help and snap their fingers to.

The lazy vocals of London-based the xx don't appear until 'VCR', but successfully add another layer of simplicity that runs alongside the band's overall minimalistic aesthetic.

The album strolls along to provide some really nice tracks, including their hit single 'Crystallized', but eventually the xx's pace slows down to create a sleepy space that becomes uninteresting. 'Infinity' is one of the album's truly slower moments that overcomes the temptation of being forgettable; it's probably the drum claps.

I really love 7 of the 12 tracks on xx, which presents a pleasing simplicity to indie electro-pop that is captivating but remains undemanding.

'Crystallized' by The xx.

4. Grizzly Bear - Vectatimest
Label: Warp
Genre: Folk - Indie

There are no bells and whistles here. No electronic beats. No head-bobbing loops or Easter egg samples. And only rarely traces of electric guitar can be found. This is Veckatimest.

Grizzly Bear have a specific style that can't be missed, which stems from the crooning voice of Ed Droste and the band's use of acoustic space.

If the quick touches of piano chords that act as the backbone of the album's single, 'Two Weeks,' are meant to lure the tired eardrum, they certainly do their job. But if one ventures to buy the album, hoping for more sounds similar to the cooing fun of 'Two Weeks', they may turn away disappointed. Grizzly Bear's second album under Warp shares mostly quiet moments with its listeners, as folk bands do, thwarting the teenage musical credo that 'louder is better'.

Vectatimest may best be enjoyed from the record player at your house as you sit in a recliner leisurely working a crossword puzzle with the windows open, trees rustling in the passing winds, and the ambiance of the sun filling the room.

Re-listening to this album as I write this review, I'm surprised by how many good tracks I have overlooked. I was always caught up in 'Two Weeks' and 'While You Wait for the Others', but there is certainly more to be had.

'Two Weeks' by Grizzly Bear.

3. jj n° 2 -jj
Label: Sincerely Yours
Genre: Indie Pop - Electronic

Much like books, albums often get judged by their covers. For a long time, I fell victim to judging the cover of jj n° 2, thinking any band with a marijuana leaf on its cover will not contain any kind of music that I'd be interested in listening to.

I'm glad I finally came around on the artists known as jj, who I assumed to be a rap artist, when in truth was a Swedish indie group.

So one can imagine the surprise I found when first hearing the delicately light sprinkle of keys and airy vocals that begin the album on 'Things Will Never Be the Same Again' and flow throughout.

It's hard not to imagine a refreshing breeze while listening to the brisk 27-minute album, especially on tracks 'Are You Still in Vallda' and 'My Hopes and Dreams', when the acoustic guitar is brought in to set the music to a gallop.

Of the Top Five, jj n° 2 is the only album, partially because of its length, that I will listen to from front to back without thinking twice about it. All the songs are great to sing or whistle along to, and are perfect for a cool summer's drive through the city or along the coast. Your choice.

'Things Will Never Be the Same Again' by jj.

2. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion
Label: Domino
Genre: Post-Rock Experimental

Animal Collective—one of the best bands of this generation at challenging themselves to evolve their craft by introducing musical components that are on the cutting-edge of the genre—brought Merriweather Post Pavilion into the world just at the turn of 2009, in what some consider the band's most accessible album.

This instantly became my record of 2009, with 'My Girls' and 'Brother Sport' leading the way as the songs of the album, boasting of electronic repetitions that climax into well-oiled sound machines.

Animal Collective recorded this album as their 'outside' album—full of songs purposefully vast to without-a-doubt fill even the corners of Baltimore's legendary outdoor concert venue, from which the album gets its name—and is subtly touched by singing crickets atop marshy electronic textures to capture the essence of a midsummer's night.

While the two aforementioned tracks are clearly the standouts, I really like 8 of the 11 songs from the album, 'Bluish' being the best of the rest. Again, this would be my album of 2009, and will likely always remind me of Memphis.

'My Girls' by Animal Collective.

1. Bitte Orca - The Dirty Projectors
Label: Domino
Genre: Indie Pop - Alternative

The one word that comes to mind when first listening to a Dirty Projectors' album is 'disjointed'.

It's immediately difficult to appreciate the band's herky-jerky vocals, which provide three layers among themselves in addition to the instrumentation that too has a stop-and-start tempo.

But the more and more I listen to Bitte Orca, the more I understand it and see how the pieces fit together.

Granted, there are a few tracks—near the back of the album oddly enough—that are enjoyable from the get-go, and were the only reasons I continued to explore the rest. I even admit to bashing the album's first half before I had allowed it the sufficient playing time it requires.

Starter tracks for the curious would be 'Stillness is a Move', 'Two Doves', and 'No Intention'. Then I would suggest listening to Bitte Orca as a whole, where you will cultivate an even further attachment to the songs above, which act like a reward to your ears after braving the first tracks—which, I can honestly say now, are pretty good too.

'Stillness is a Move' by the Dirty Projectors.

Tridge Time!

Forget about the Colossus of Rhodes or the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Ancient pyramids? Please! Here in Midland, MI we've got the Tridge!

That's right, you're seeing things correctly. It's a three-sided bridge. What?!

This attraction just behind the main drag downtown is the summer hang out, which I finally was able to leisurely visit when mom came into town on Memorial Day weekend. Full of bikers, roller skaters, hobos, and ducks, the Tridge attracts a variety of crowds.

For the full effect, click on this long picture above.

So to those of you who didn't get excited for Midland from my first post about the city—when I highlighted Big Boy and left-turn traffic signals—perhaps the Tridge will wet your appetite for some Michigan lovin'. There's even bronzed statues! See you soon!

Three Wise Men

Ladies and Gentlemen, I'm proud to use this blog post to introduce the press box cast, or the three men that are always at my right.

Here we are in the press box every night. We'll go from right to left.

Me - I can officially call the press box at Dow Diamond 'my press box', whereas the one in Memphis most definitely belonged to my boss Kyle, and he made sure we knew it. But this one, in Midland, is mine. It's up to me to provide the press with information, additional seating, limitations, and food. The press will always sit in the available seating to my left, while the men on the right score the game. I mediate.

Terry - The coolest guy in the press box goes by 'Coach'. He's a former high school baseball coach with more stories than Aesop, a former radio broadcaster with a voice to prove it, a grandfather figure to us kids in the press box, and the Great Lakes Loons Official Scorer (OS). He always asks me what I would do in certain baseball situations that are transpiring on the field, and usually I haven't the slightest idea. Remember, this is only my second year viewing baseball as a relevant sport. Needless to say, I learn a lot about the game from him.

Being an OS seems like a cool job to have, but it's not easy. Several times the coaches and managers give him harsh looks from the dugout for making what they think is a wrong decision (usually hit or error decisions). Then at the end of the night, he delivers the box scores to both clubhouses where the coaches will yell at him to change his ruling. Sometimes he caves, sometimes they cave.

Never have I realized how subjective baseball stats can be until I worked in a press box. The OS has the power to charge a run to pitcher or not, purely based on his take on what transpired below. He does have a manual to go by, but subjectivity still exists.

Eric - Eric, who I sense is an engineer at some capacity, works the scoreboard. After each pitch, he presses the button that shows the players/umps/fans what the pitch count is. Eric is also there to help Coach make the tough rulings.

Larry - Larry is a really friendly guy, just above 30, and operates the Daktronics program which is similar to what I did in Memphis. I'm not sure where his information goes, maybe the production room, but he also helps Coach with the tough decisions.

The Intangibles - (A) My Walkie-Talkie: This keeps me in touch with what everyone else is running around doing. If a kid is missing, I'll know. If an on-field promotion is running long, I'll know. If I am needed to dress up in a Pizza costume, I'll know.

(B) The TV - Since we work just about every night, it is likely that we'd miss out on many nightly sporting events. With the TV behind us, we can tune in to any of these. Usually, the Detroit Tigers are on, as is the case in the photo.

And here is the view from my seat. This is actually a high school game, you can tell because no one is in the outfield seating areas.

My Take: Mancino's

Thanks to Michigan, I can now say that I've eaten a grinder.

Mancino's is apparently a Michigan staple, located in over 45 cities of this state of Great Lakes and white-tail hunters. It's basically a sandwich place...or...grinder place, if you will.

What makes this place special is the grinder bread, which is basically toasted while cheese is on it, making the two ingredients impossible to separate, but I can't imagine why you would want to. The combo makes for a tasty top to your club, italian, or chicken grinder.

Can you envision it? If so, then my first-ever restaurant review has been a success. If not, then I best buy an arbitrary cooking book from which to steal more appropriate Epicurean verbiage.

So I've got a great place to get my fill of unnecessary grease, but what's in it for you? Well, I am happy to report that the store is moving south, slowly.

According to their website, there is one, just one, Mancino's in my home state of Tennessee.

Drum roll please. It's in Knoxville. 9209 Middlebrook Pike. Someone close, please go and tell me of your findings. Or wait until I visit K-town again, and I will show you a piece of the Midwest, which somehow fell below the Mason-Dixon.

Meeting the Greats

Last season in Memphis, I had the opportunity to meet several famous faces. St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols, Manager Tony La Russa, MLB saves leader Trevor Hoffman, '7th Heaven' superstar Stephen Collins and Memphis Grizzlies basketball player Rudy Gay.

One the many perks of the job.

Well, barely two months in, I've already met Ken Griffey, Sr. and last week Tommy Lasorda came to town for three days.


He was there to inspire the young Loons team by swearing at them. And getting really loud when he did it.

It was pretty fun to be able to be in the clubhouse for that. While I probably should have been scared, I was more just trying not to laugh. It was a ridiculous sight.

On the second day, I helped a Detroit radio station get him on the air. So I kind of prepared the phone lines and communications for him.

On the final day he came into the front office and sat around, telling stories to all of the staff. He loves telling stories and repeating them.

Most stories ended with punch lines that would have been popular in the '50s, but coming from him were still acceptable. Here is a sample:

"Me and my wife dance three nights a week," he said. "I go Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays; she goes Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays."

I could probably find that in one of my dad's old joke books. Until I do, that joke is Tommy's.

Where I Spend My Nights

From 9 a.m. to midnight, I reside here at Dow Diamond. It steals a lot of my hours. But trying to find ways to better establish the fan-to-team connection (through publications, internet postings, Facebook, Twitter, and prompting the media) is hardly a drag.

All in a day's work, right?

Plus three of those hours allow me to kick-back and watch the 2013 LA Dodgers play the 2013 Detroit Tigers. I've got the jump on most of the nation when you think about it and consider the ballpark as a crystal ball. Now I just need to find a place that pays a fare rate. Michigan might be that place come September. We'll see.

Are you good with names?

Well, you have to be at the start of the baseball season.

At the end of each game, I escort different media members (whose names I have to learn too) down to the clubhouse for players interviews. They wait outside the clubhouse and tell me who they want to talk to. They'll say 'can I have Jerry Sands?' or 'how well does Luis Vasquez speak English' and depending on my response, I will have to go in and find each player and bring them out.

This is especially hard after the home opener, because all of the media is there and I've only briefly met the players. And I use the term met loosely.

Anyways, that's just a little taste of my daily routine. I would say I can identify 85% of the team, though it should probably be 100% at this point.

Here are the guys at team photo day last weekend.

I actually run another blog called 'From the Nest' that is the Great Lakes Loons official blog that I started. I update it more than this one simply because I can do it at work and I find the content more interesting. Here's a link to it, I think a lot of you will like it.

The Apartment House

Unlike the Memphis Redbirds internship that provided housing to the interns, the Great Lakes Loons did not. They generally only hire locally, so I was left to find my own housing. I'm actually the first out-of-state intern they've ever brought in, a fact soon to appear on my updated resume.

So when out apartment shopping with mom, this pre-furnished house topped them all.

The house is divided into four separated living quarters that each have a full-bath, bedroom, kitchen and living room. Two people live upstairs and two live downstairs. I live downstairs and my entrance is here at 701.

All I brought up was a recliner (pictured), desk, table and air mattress, so any apartment would have been pretty barren. And I have to believe that having a real bed adds years to your life.

So this is the view of the living room, immediately to the right when you walk in the front door. Through the square decorative space (notice the Monavie) is the kitchen.

Joseph Conrad's 'Heart of Darkness' patiently waits to be read beside my trusty Webster's NWD. I'm at part II of III and may have waited too long and need to start over. We'll see.

The following is a view back into the living room, showing you the other side. It's as if I'm sitting at the kitchen table, see my recliner?

To the right of the couch is my bedroom doorway and the bathroom is back there too. No photos though because I had to throw everything into those rooms in order to have a clean looking living room. Camera tricks.

Here is the kitchen, furnished with everything: plates, silverware, toaster, microwave, window.

Above is my book/entertainment shelf, unfortunately I haven't accomplished any real reading since I've been here. My supervisor gave me the TV to use and so I do, more often than I should. And now with the baseball season underway, it's hard for me not to "do my research" by watching every at-bat I can. Go Cards!

Here is a more informative photo of the house. One that you can use for reference when you come to visit Midland.

Hope you enjoyed the tour.

Top 10: An Introduction to Midland

So now that I've moved to Midland, Michigan, I have compiled 10 things that caught my eye that initial first weekend. Everyone enjoys lists, so here you go. The Top 10 things I have noticed that have introduced me to Michigan.

10. Modern Exploring - Apparently Midland is the 'City of Modern Explorers', a title not yet recognized by Wikipedia. I like to think that I'm a modern explorer. What's Michigan?

9. Dow Rules - Midland is notorious for being the hometown of both Alden B. Dow (architect) and Herbert H. Dow (founder of Dow Chemical). Dow Chemical's HQ is here in Midland and in an effort to lure people to work in this small town, Dow has distributed a lot of money to revitalize the area. Building Dow Diamond, my new ballpark, in 2006 was one of those efforts. The influence here stretches far and wide, so much so that even one of the high school sports teams are called the Chemics.

8. The Left Turn Box - Probably the first thing anyone would notice would be the different traffic signage. Here they have left turn lights unlike anything I've ever seen. I'm not sure how they work either. I've seen people turn left on green, yellow and red (like the picture), which begs the question: why have them at all? So, if the car in front of me goes, I go too.

7. Wildlife - It doesn't take long to see that people here in Midland love their butterflies. On an events calendar I was flipping through, I ran across a lot of butterfly-related activities planned for 2010. Get excited. Other animals I have seen include deer (Michigan state animal), raccoons (mostly as roadkill), squirrels (at my house) and seagulls. No loons though.

6. Language Barrier - To my pleasure, it didn't take long for me to hear my first little friendly mid-western colloquialism. I was eating at Pizza Hut when I heard the manager behind me use the 'you betcha' at another table. So nice. I'll need to watch Fargo before I leave here.

5. Tree House - Driving around I found this great tree house. You know this kid is the king of his street. Is that a chimney?

4. Nice and Safe - Probably number one on my mom's list is the fact that Midland is a nice and safe place for me to live. Many people leave their blinds wide open and their doors unlocked. Midland is part of a tri-cities area and Saginaw is apparently the worst of the cities. It's funny to hear a Midlander talk about Saginaw, they're very careful about how to talk about it, as if it's not allowed. All they are trying to say is, 'Midland is nicer and safer.'

3. The Tracks - The city of Midland has converted an old railroad into a bike/running path called the 'Rail Trail'. Without any prior knowledge of its origin, one is alarmed by its straightness. I'll need to get my bike up here.

2. Sports News - They cover high school hockey on the local news, pretty sweet.

1. They exist! - And finally, I had my first encounter with a Big Boy. I thought this was just something created for the Austin Powers movies, but as it turns out, it's a real restaurant. I'll let you know when I eat there. The Big Boy statue is much smaller than the Powers movies led me to believe.

The New Place I Call Home

Well, for those who haven't heard, I have recently moved to Midland, Michigan, for another sports internship. By the grace of God, I have been hired by the Great Lakes Loons to be their Media Relations and Communications Intern (time to update the resume). The Great Lakes Loons are the Los Angeles Dodgers Low-A Minor League Baseball team.


All 30 big league teams have a farm system. The different levels are listed here:

Major Leagues
Triple-A Minor Leagues (like the Memphis Redbirds)
Double-A Minor Leagues
Single-A (Advanced) Minor Leagues
Single-A (Low) Minor Leagues (like the Great Lakes Loons)

The Major League draft is in the middle of summer and in the middle of the baseball season. Those drafted are the immediately thrown into a short season league, listed below.

Single-A (Short Season) Minor Leagues
Rookie (Advanced) Minor Leagues
Rookie (Low) Minor Leagues

Then there are even independent leagues, that use players not currently signed with any major league baseball organization. So all in all, there is a lot of baseball going on out there.

So yea, hopefully I can do a better job at updating this season. We'll see. More from Michigan ahead.

2010 Oscar Projections

Reactionary Intro (3/10): So, it saddens me to report that the following was the worst of my five Oscar predictions. Bummer. But honestly it is for the best. I chose my picks based on rewarding the new technology introduced in film (like Avatar). Hollywood did not. Thus, we may be able to conclude that the 3D craze will not take over the world as we feared. No more headaches!

Below I've color-coded my results. Green lettering is good. Red lettering is bad (lots of red). Lt. Blue lettering are new comments.

Initial Intro: So I realize I'm writing this the day of the Oscars and leaving you hardly any time to read it before all of the awards have been received, but it must be done. So now I embark on my 5th consecutive full-on Oscar Projection.

Previous Years and Results
2006 - 5/10* - 42% overall
2007 - 6/10* - 54% overall
2008 - 7/10* - 42% overall
2009 - 5/10* - 42% overall
2010 - 3/10* - 42% overall

Again the * represents 'star category's, which are what I have designated as the the 10 most anticipated categories of the Oscars and in turn the most ready to be predicted by viewers.

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT: Taking it a step further this year, instead of reading each films' synopsis, I went to Youtube to watch the trailers. I would most like to see 'Rabbit a la Berlin' (which is the story of the Berlin Wall from the perspective of rabbits), but I think that 'Music By Prudence will win'. It stars a girl handicapped by Arthrogryphosis, who has overcome her disability to be an inspiring musician. This offered the strangest moment of the night, when an estranged producer interrupted the film's director's acceptance speech. Hear it from the two involved here.

BEST SHORT FILM (animated): These are always great fun. Three of them are currently on YouTube for viewing, all three having an old lady theme. Of the three available, I liked French Roast the best and it has a strong message that points the finger back at us. But this will not win. Why? Because it is up against 'A Matter of Loaf and Death', which is sure to be another Wallace and Gromit classic. The claymated duo won best animated feature in 2006. They produce quality films and use the stop-motion technique, which requires several patient and tedious steps. And not to be completely passed over is 'Logorama', which features all of your favorite advertising brands living in a world with themselves. 'Loaf' wins though.

BEST SHORT FILM (live action): I'm not sure how to best to predict this category yet, but last year I went with the light-hearted feel-good short film and ultimately lost to a somber short set in Nazi Germany. So if it is history they like, then I will choose 'The Door' to win this year, which tells how a father copes with the sudden Chernobyl disaster. No history trend. Still not sure how to predict.

BEST ORIGINAL SONG: 'Crazy Heart' is centered around a life in music. Their song, if any, should win. Right? Sound logic.

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE: The Academy's recent trend favors scores that complement a film that has serious subject matter. And only the 'Hurt Locker' has that. So despite not remembering any music in this movie, I choose it to win. Worst logic of the post.

BEST COSTUME: There are two choices here. You can ride the period piece wave, which has won the past three years, by choosing 'The Young Victoria'. Or you can say it's time for a change and choose 'Nine' which has similar costumes to that of previous costume winners 'Chicago' and 'Moulin Rouge'. I'll go with 'Nine'. The trend continues, frills always win. I should have known.

BEST MAKE-UP: No trend to follow here, so I choose 'Star Trek'. Did you see Nero?

BEST ART DIRECTION: Reinforcing my costume choice for 'Nine', I'll give them Art Direction as well.

BEST SOUND EDITING: Tough category to predict, I'll go with 'Up' though, for all of the sound had to be created separate from the filming, because there was no filming. And I think a house was lifted by balloons in that, how do you create sound for that? 'Hurt Locker' begins to ruin my night.

BEST SOUND MIXING: I honesty don't think 'Star Trek' has a chance in this one. 'Avatar' will be my default choice. Btw, if you're doing your own Oscar Pick'em, you too should make 'Avatar' your default pick. It's going to win a few.

BEST VISUAL F/X: Avatar, no contest, take it to Vegas.

BEST DOCUMENTARY: I have seen 'Food, Inc.' and 'The Cove' from this category, and the other three docs look pretty interesting too. If it is between the two I've seen, which I will claim it to be for the sake of my prediction, 'The Cove' will win. It depicts the destruction of dolphins and the dangers the mass slaughters present to us globally (23,000 dolphins are killed in one small cove in Taiki, Japan every year). And the activist the film centers around was the dolphin trainer for Flipper. Very interesting. 'Food, Inc.' was good too, eat organic, support your local farmer.

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM: I didn't see any of these films this year, though I wanted to see 'Up', 'Fantastic Mr. Fox', and 'Coraline'. I would have chosen Mr. Fox to win because it is Wes Anderson's interesting alternative to the Pixar film that is usually the clear favorite. However, since 'Up' is the only animated film also nominated for Original Screenplay and more tellingly Best Picture, it's obviously going to win.

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM: I've narrowed it down to three: 'Ajami', 'Un Prophete' and 'The White Ribbon'. Though I haven't seen any. I'll go with the favorite. 'The White Ribbon'. I narrowed it down to losers. A good class for foreign films I guess.

*BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: Do I base this prediction on new technology or traditional merit? I'd like to say traditional and go with 'The Hurt Locker', but 'Avatar' is making the claim for every future movie having a 3D component. Technology wins, 'Avatar' wins. If it doesn't though, watch for James Cameron's odds at winning Best Director to decrease. I was wrong for going with technology, but right about Cameron's odds.

*BEST FILM EDITING: I seriously have no idea. I'll say 'Avatar' because the editor was working with a foreign world and had to figure out what which takes depicted it the best.

*BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: The screenplay nominees traditionally exist to narrow down the Best Picture category to two films: the winner of adapted screenplay and the winner of original screenplay. Though, a third film can and has won before (note Avatar's screenplay is not up for an award, but remains a favorite for Best Picture); it happens about 1.5 out of 5 years. 'Up in the Air' for adapted. By this logic, the Best Picture race was between Precious and Hurt Locker. I'm glad it was Hurt Locker.

*BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: This is tough. As a guy, I like Quentin Tarantino and the films he puts out. He has never won an Oscar for himself and he has three chances tonight (screenplay/director/picture). Will he win any? I'm pulling for him, but this category may be his best shot. I'll take 'Inglourious Basterds'.

*BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Didn't see 'Precious', but Mo'Nique has been cleaning house this awards season. She'll do it again.

*BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Christoph Waltz makes the Best Supporting Actor category the easiest category to predict for the second year in a row (Heath Ledger won last year). Waltz was phenomenal.

*BEST ACTRESS: So Sandra Bullock has been winning a lot of awards for 'The Blide Side'. I only remember her crying once in the film and it wasn't emotionally demanding for her (no yelling, more fighting back tears, trying not to be caught crying), but it will be her accent and likeness to Mrs. Tuhoy, the real-life person she played, that will win it for her. And popularity I guess. However, I'm going to go against popular opinion and choose Carey Mulligan from 'An Education' as my surprise sleeper pick.

*BEST ACTOR: This for some reason is the hardest category for me. I think I liked Renner the best in his role, but I can't see him winning. If the Academy Awards is just a popularity contest, then I have no problem picking Jeff Bridges, who has won many awards for his part in 'Crazy Horse'. But George Clooney was fun to watch in 'Up in the Air' too. I'll go with Bridges.

*BEST DIRECTOR: Rooting for Tarantino, James Cameron will get the win.

*BEST PICTURE: Rooting for Tarantino and I will hold to my guns. 'Inglourious Basterds' wins Best Picture. The lesson, never make it personal.

Kudos to my friend Wes who went 19 for 24 on the night.

7th Heaven Fans...get jealous

So there were many good days in Memphis, but none compare to the day I got to enjoy a Redbirds game with my new friend Stephen Collins, whom you may better know as Rev. Eric Camden from the popular TV series '7th Heaven' that ran from 1996-2007.


There we are (L to R): my coworker Ben, SteCo and me. We watched a whole Redbirds game side-by-side. He must have bought that hat too; what a guy!

But how? And why? Well, while the media department of the Memphis Redbirds were hard at work, we received a phone call from none other than Stephen Collins. He kind of had to explain his relevance, saying 'You know...Rev. Camden...from 7th Heaven?...the TV show.' I confess, I didn't know the guy, but that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy his company in the press box.

He explained to me during the game that he was in the middle of a long road trip that started at his home in LA and was headed for Asheville where his daughter attends college. So along the way he had been calling up local minor league baseball stadiums and flexing his celebrity muscle to earn free tickets and press box credentials.

We mostly discussed baseball and exactly how I scored the game on the internet, but he also told me stories about his brother and somehow recommended the baseball musical 'Damn Yankees' for my viewing pleasure: still pending on my Immediate To Do List.

In between one of the innings, we played the '7th Heaven' theme song and got him on the video scoreboard. It was our way of showing the fans just what kind of crazy Hollywood pull the Memphis Redbirds were capable of. Good times.

Nearing the end of the game, I asked him the question that everyone was dying to know: "What is your favorite episode of '7th Heaven'?" Any guesses blogosphere?

Well, he considered the question a moment and then went into vivid detail about the episode entitled 'One Hundred', which he claimed brought out a lot of great performances from the actors and gave the audience a nice surprise ending, literally. He also liked it because the story called for many of the minor actors of the show to be on set, creating a reunion of sorts. Among the actors included Ray Walston, who played Mr. Applegate in 'Damn Yankees'.

After the game had ended and most of the fans had cleared out, SteCo told us he was going to make a brief round of the concourse. Minutes later, a little SteCo was seen below chatting on his cell phone, with Mrs. Camden no doubt, and taking photos of the field.

Then he disappeared, out of our lives.

Not to fret though because I have good news! It turns out '7th Heaven' is still in syndication on the Hallmark Channel. And even better, the episode 'One Hundred' will be airing this Friday, March 5th at 4:00PM CT. So plan to leave work early for this one. Or at least DVR it. I'm not gonna miss it. This one's for SteCo.

2010 Oscar Nominations

Well in case you missed it, the big difference in this year's Academy Awards is the fact that there are 10 movies up for Best Picture, the first time since Casablanca beat out nine others in 1943. For better or for worse? Time to consider.

The initial press release about the expansion dropped June 24th of 2009, with Sid Ganis, President of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, offering these statements.

“After more than six decades, the academy is returning to some of its earlier roots, when a wider field competed for the top award of the year. The final outcome, of course, will be the same – one best picture winner – but the race to the finish line will feature 10, not just five, great movies from 2009.”

For a refresher, 2009's Best Picture nominees included: Slumdog Millionaire, Benjamin Button, Milk, Frost/Nixon, and the Reader. A pretty weak class. And when these nominees came out, many were alarmed at what wasn't included. The LA Times headlined ''The Dark Knight' snubbed in best picture race.' The summer film that gave Christian Bale his second take as Batman was nominated for eight awards, but not Best Picture.

In his next statement Ganis, without directly referencing last year's unwarranted exclusion of Dark Knight, admits to the unfortunate Best Picture exclusions, blaming the five picture limit.

"Having 10 Best Picture nominees is going to allow Academy voters to recognize and include some of the fantastic movies that often show up in the other Oscar categories, but have been squeezed out of the race for the top prize.”

Once I found out about the nomination expansion, I considered it positively. Not only would it up my February movie in-take, but it would offer me a trustworthy list of quality movies to see. I supposed then that 2009's 'bonus five' would have been Dark Knight, The Wrestler, Revolutionary Road, Wall-E, and Frozen River.

I was on board with Ganis, who concluded the press release with personal optimism by saying, “I can’t wait to see what that list of ten looks like when the nominees are announced in February.”

Well, unfortunately for Ganis and myself, 2010's list of 10 brought in some questionable nominees, that I admittedly won't be seeing.

To my pleasure, the list includes: The Hurt Locker, Inglourious Basterds, Up In the Air, An Education, and Up.

To my displeasure, the list includes: The Blind Side, Avatar, District 9, Precious, and A Serious Man.

Including The Blind Side and District 9 would be like including Wanted and Defiance, respectively, among 2009's nominees. Just out of place.

It seems to me, the Academy have kept their initial list of five nominees, and then slacked off when deciding the other five.

So if you must see any of these movies, those most likely to win Best Picture will be: Avatar, Inglourios Basterds, The Hurt Locker and Up In the Air. See these, then dabble with the others at your own risk, pleasure, or leisure.

My Oscar predictions next week. The Oscars will hosted by Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin on March 7th, 2010.

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And not to completely ignore my eight-month blogger absence, I am back in Nashville now and looking for another gig in sports. I had a ball in Memphis and know that this is where I want to be. That is, in a press box somewhere, working for a team. I will fill you in with a few stories from Memphis (since you know nothing of June-Sept.) as well as my future pursuits as I begin to commit myself to blogging again. For those still out there, get excited. The goal this year is to amass over 2009's 12 posts.