Another stellar episode...of Friday Night Lights last night. They played in a monsoon in a cow pasture and Dillon won to "go to state" and it was all intercut with an attempted rape sequence. Can't say I've ever seen that before, but it was surprisingly powerful in the face of being creepy and I think that pretty much sums up the first season of the show.
Let's face it, this is a soap opera with football. The melodrama is always on the brink of overwhelming you but it never quite does...because there's football. Bi-polar disorders, rampant infidelity, paraplegic self-pity, rape, algebra, it all sounds like a bit much...but there's football. Hell, the Killers were prominently featured last night...but there was football...and Texas.
I don't think you can underestimate the importance of the setting. Where else could this show take place? Greasy Whataburgers, Wranglers and oil derricks add a lot of flavor.
All in all, a great hour of my life and the good news is, according to the post-show promo for next week's episode, we've got an "exceptional" one on tap for next week.
Who says these games don't mean anything?...Ladies and gentlemen, your 2007 Mayor's Cup champions...the Boston Red Sox. By defeating the Twins last night 5-4 Boston won the preseasons series with Minnesota and the cup that comes with it.
How come nobody knows about this? Watching the game last night was the first I'd ever heard of it. Apparently because the Twins and Sawx both reside in Ft. Myers for the Spring and play each other twice a week, they created a traveling trophy and now it will reside in the Bean for all of 2007.
The Dice-K signing is already paying dividends.
Speaking of Spring Training games...I have no desire to go to one. Watching that game last night, the crowd kinda freaked me out.
First off, being Florida, the median age was about 57. Secondly, everyone just kind of sits there silently. Sure there are some snow birds who genuinely care about seeing a bunch of non-roster invitees get their ABs but it seems like most people were just there to watch and not cheer.
It looked like a video game baseball crowd, just a mash of beige colored flesh and blue and red t-shirts that occasionally created a dull roar, which I suppose is fitting; pretend baseball games get pretend crowds, just like on the PS2.
Spring isn't just for the players, it's for me too. I need it to get ready as a fan and sorting out who I actually have to follow and who I don't is the manager's job. I don't need to see the auditions.
An armistice for Uncle Sam's Army...In a painfully ugly game, the U.S. finished with a nil-nil draw in their friendly with Guatemala last night, putting an end to the three-game winning streak that had enraptured the nation during a lackluster N.C.A.A. Tournament. (Yeah, it's true. Where were you?)
The lone bright spot for the Yanquis that my untrained soccer eye could see was Eric Wynalda. The former national team player has continued to provide honest, sometimes scathing, analysis during the games, displaying his passion for U.S. Soccer while keep them in check with frequent critiques.
Even better, however, is his readily apparent disdain for every other team in CONCACAF. Seeing yet another Guatemalteco fall to the pitch like his Achilles had just been slashed by an American spike was entertaining for two reasons: 1) flopping is funny, and 2) waiting to hear what Wynalda would say. (And don't even get him started on Mexico).
In a somewhat related note, this football game in Texas was not played in a pasture. Ironically, it looked like it was played in a large high school football stadium.
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