Steinbrenner was very much the classic opera villain, open in his motives and his preferences and totally unafraid to sing an aria about it. He did have a will to win, a tremendous one, but not so tremendous that he was willing to trust the job to anyone else or accept a path to victory different than the one he imagined. He was bigger than the team and crushed anyone who thought otherwise. It was great spectacle.
The sons are disappointments in that they're of a class with the Dolans (Cablevision; the Knicks and Rangers) and the Wilpons (Mets) -- that sort of more common corporate villainy that makes them indistinguishable from their local peers. They are the sons of greater men, complete with the entitlement of the scions of the super-wealthy as well as not being terribly clever.
Neal is not as attached to his hat as Raylan is to The Hat. (He is more a clothes horse.) But I will pimp White Collar as some lovely, clever fun. Buddy cop show with twists, a great on-screen marriage, solid supporting cast, and it's shot in NYC.
Watching the deification of Steinbrenner over the last 24 hours has been astounding. They threw him out of the game not once but twice for heaven's sake. I read Bill Madden's book when it came out and what he got away with is beyond belief. But he was a genuine NY personality (you know...for someone who wasn't a New Yorker) and thus will be missed for his front page shenanigans. His sons are so utterly dull in comparison.
On the reading front, I'm dying to get my hands on The Rembrandt Affair (I love Silva), but the waiting list at the library is already insanely long.
He and Marge Schott used to be the unholy couple of baseball...
I put The Rembrandt Affair on my wishlist, since I figured I'd have a better chance of getting it for my birthday than from either NYPL or QBPL. On a lark, I checked NYPL today: "245 holds on first copy returned of 1 copy." (I'm sure they'll order a couple dozen more copies, but still.)
I'm not into baseball--couldn't even get into watching the one cousin play for Mississippi State--but I remember the whole "Steinbrenner vs. Martin" saga. You couldn't read the sports page without it being front and center, and you didn't need to know anything about the Subway Series to quickly recognize that he was the equivalent of football's Al Davis in just about every way.
It sounds like the end of an era. I hate when that happens. :(
Memphis Blues: No cut because no spoilers because I could barely last five minutes.
It's actually Memphis Beat, but that's okay because this show doesn't deserve to be remembered. I watched one episode just to see how badly my home area was going to get slandered, and while the slandering actually wasn't that bad (No air conditioning in the precinct--really?), the plot was terrible. Jason Lee has nothing to work with there. I hope he moves on fairly quickly.
Steinbrenner, as elaborated in the comments above, was certainly a master showman and a force. I found him entertaining because he wasn't involved in my team, but... Yes. An era is definitely over.
Bad Memphis show is Bad, no matter how I screw up the name... :)
[comment on on of the photos from 'Line of Sight': Why, yes - real men *do* hold hands. That's what buddies do. They help each other get through what needs to be done.
It's really a splendid collection of photos, none of which seem to make it into the regular DoD collections (i.e., they're never available for Friday posts)... There was the Cutest Marine Baby Ever as well.
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The sons are disappointments in that they're of a class with the Dolans (Cablevision; the Knicks and Rangers) and the Wilpons (Mets) -- that sort of more common corporate villainy that makes them indistinguishable from their local peers. They are the sons of greater men, complete with the entitlement of the scions of the super-wealthy as well as not being terribly clever.
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As bad as being owned by a pension fund can be, I'm not sure anyone would trade it for, say, Harold Ballard. Speaking of cartoon villains....
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I refuse to apologize for introducing you to the Hat. I might even consider introducing you to a different hat, worn by Neal Caffrey.
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On the reading front, I'm dying to get my hands on The Rembrandt Affair (I love Silva), but the waiting list at the library is already insanely long.
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I put The Rembrandt Affair on my wishlist, since I figured I'd have a better chance of getting it for my birthday than from either NYPL or QBPL. On a lark, I checked NYPL today: "245 holds on first copy returned of 1 copy." (I'm sure they'll order a couple dozen more copies, but still.)
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It sounds like the end of an era. I hate when that happens. :(
Memphis Blues: No cut because no spoilers because I could barely last five minutes.
It's actually Memphis Beat, but that's okay because this show doesn't deserve to be remembered. I watched one episode just to see how badly my home area was going to get slandered, and while the slandering actually wasn't that bad (No air conditioning in the precinct--really?), the plot was terrible. Jason Lee has nothing to work with there. I hope he moves on fairly quickly.
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Bad Memphis show is Bad, no matter how I screw up the name... :)
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A wonderful site - I just subbed to it.
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