Netflix DVD Pick of the Week: Waking Sleeping Beauty (7/10)

How much are you willing to show to get the point across? And how much are you willing to hide and conceal to not affect the impact of your documentary? This is the biggest issue with Waking Sleeping Beauty, a well-produced and well-paced work that in a rare sense doesn't provide any actual interviews. Instead relying on archive footage that spans an entire decade, this technique allows for the documentarians involve to tell the story without suffering too many artistic setbacks.

But nonetheless, it still feels like an incomplete movie.

Waking Sleeping Beauty is a heart-wrenching and interesting movie that pulls back way too many punches to be considered outstanding or groundbreaking. It covers the rock bottom period of the Disney Animation Studio (Losing to Care Bears movie?!?!) and chronicles its rise to the top with The Lion King—while monitoring all the setbacks, tragedies, controversies, and obstacles that were in the way. But here is where it gets interesting: this film was made in 2009, and the Disney Renaissance period it decided to cover was only 1988-1994, totally neglecting the 1995-2000 period that always gets forgotten or flies under the radar.

You will see most of your books and movies about the Renaissance period cover Little Mermaid to Lion King, but then neglect Pocahontas, Hunchback of Notre Dame, Hercules, and Mulan; four movies that had just as much impact in the Disney company and the animation studio than the other movies mentioned. Even Toy Story, the Disney film that would revolutionize the entire movie industry was just a mere blurb in this documentary. And there is still no love for Tarzan, a 1999 $450 million and Academy Award-winning success.

Waking Sleeping Beauty does beautifully and in detailed fashion discuss the everlasting battle between business and art, as the business aspects of Disney were crumbling and it ushered a new era of businessmen and bosses that would clash with the ragtag animation group that was heavily leaning on the Disney Way. As the movie progresses, it chronicles Disney's rise to the stratosphere and all the bubbling tension underneath. The amount of archival footage is a near miracle especially considering Disney's tight lip policy. Some can wonder just how much of a hand the company had in making this, which could also explain the lack of mentioning as to just what happened to Jeffery Kratzenberg—whom would become Don Bluth part 2 and challenge the Disney studio with one of his very own in the mid-1990s.

It might be me coming off as picky to knock on a documentary that wanted to focus on a specific time period. But it is rather unfair to the audience that would be interested in this type of movie in the first place---film and Disney buffs. It is only 85 minutes, you could have added 30 minutes of post-Lion King details which would include the death of Don Bluth animation, the rise of Pixar and Dreamworks, and the slow downward spiral of Eisner's interest in the animation industry (He nearly killed it altogether, this should be worth noting).

Those that would watch this in the first place are more informed than the average moviegoer, so therefore, should have been more detailed and should have included more. In an era where Ken Burns meticulously exercises every detail in his works, Waking Sleeping Beauty executes its material well---but just wasn't enough material.

Netflix Instant Watch Pick of the Week: Hilarious (8/10)

I am not a fan of Louie. I think the show is rather slow, bloated, lifeless, charmless, and utterly pretentious. It doesn't have a consistent pace of any sort, and doesn't really maintain my interest. I think part of its exposure is that Louie does so much of the work in the show, straight to the editing. I don't think any of it is well-deserved. Hilarious by Louie C.K. however, is stand-up art. His routine, which doesn't translate as well on television, works perfectly here as he engages with the audience, shocks the audience, and leaves them consistently laughing throughout the entire movie.

There isn't much of a rhythm and flow to Louie C.K.'s comedy unlike that of Gabriel Iglesias and even Kevin Hart. His topics jump from one end of the spectrum to the next, and that is what makes his comedy appealing—the unpredictability of it all. There will be physical humor in the form of an elongated sequence in which he---well, you'll see; and then there will be excellent real-world observations like America's inability to accept that the evolving technology is nothing short of amazing. He observes the real world, talks about his family, and discusses his private life as well. But within these typical stand-up topics you'll get plenty of angry raunchy humor that is inches away from just being purely anarchic.

Louis C.K. is a new-age George Carlin, one that uses exaggeratory words, phrases, and statements to make his point—and will not be afraid of an abundance of strong words to help deliver the message. The beauty of Hilarious is that you can step in at any given point in the movie and never truly feel lost. His stage is very simple, the camera work is very simple, and it's just Louis C.K. running the show and absorbing all the attention. Even his wardrobe is extremely simple: t-shirt and jeans. It adds to his comedy—he looks like a simple middle-aged man that can spark interesting topics while throw in some toilet humor just in case you get bored.

Louis C.K.'s best comedy mainly and solely comes from his stand-up as opposed to his extracurricular activities----just like Kevin Hart. And Hilarious is easily one of his best works, and never veers you away from the stage. It is pessimistic, crude, rude, exaggerated, and quietly out-of-control. And it works in every possible level. The ultimate joke is that Louis C.K. is a very intelligent man, but he will never pass off as that with his persona, his choice of words, and uncaring attitude. While his show is nowhere near to be decent, you can't argue against his stage presence in the least bit—he is among the best in the business.

The Self-Inflicted Rock Bottom Post (The long-delayed life update)

Here is where I am at now: Currently at the heavily-congested Downtown Disney, inside the Starbucks, typing all this down. Why not at home? Because I don’t currently have a home. I am at a hotel; a heavily-congested, rather-cramp, and secretly bug-filled hotel. Little ants ramble in the background. There was a spider that had been making a web on my t-shirt while I was sleeping the other night---I am not making that up. It comes with free breakfast (the hotel, not the spiders), and its in the thicket of the once-mighty-but-now-just-a-faded-memory east side of 192. The wi-fi gets iffy every so often and I feel a bit claustrophobic from time to time. I sleep on a mattress on the ground for the time being. My ability to write has been severely diminished because I don’t have the space and time necessary to actually write. It has been an interesting year to say the least, and one that has brought upon a lot of complications, a lot of lessons learned, and an entire layer of uncertainty that has been extremely difficult to shake off.

I am typing this to practically explain where I have been mentally and physically in the past year, maybe year and a half. It has been a trip, it has been a ride, and I think typing this all out will allow me to move to the next step…..which only God knows what that is going to be. And only God knows where this extremely long post is going. But here goes nothing.

To sum it all up: I have made an extremely egregious series of mistakes that didn’t produce any consequences until the collision with this year’s events, and now before you know it I am currently homeless and will be living by myself behind Universal Studios for the time being. Even that might be a mistake, but we shall see. But over the years there have been decisions I have made and decisions that I have not made that ultimately led to this day:



August 10th, 2014



I got out of a rough day at work and headed to my apartment to prepare for my next work day before the day off I was going to use to start moving my stuff. I had made an agreement with the roommates that the move date was going to be the 16th since they had needed more time to find a place for the future. Times were tough, and apartments were not getting any cheaper. However when I arrived home I was met with the awful discovery that one of the roommates had changed the move-out date to the 12th and decided not to notify anybody. Now, I had less than 48 hours to pack up, make the phone calls, figure out if I got my necessary loan, and move out everything and turn in the key. It was quite possibly one of the more selfish acts I had ever witnessed in my life, it was a poor decisions that affected everyone—even him when karma knocked on the door and didn’t give him the apartment he needed in September. Unfortunately, the brother was also affected. To this day, they don’t really have a place.

The original idea was to move with my best friend whom lives in the outskirts of Downtown Orlando in a nice hidden area. But a nice hidden area always has the catch of being farther away than you would desire. It would be a 40-45 min drive to work every single day. Turns out the next week I would be working 6 days, 70+ hours, because of the lack of people working the location. That would be a lot of gas, a lot of tolls, and because the move was so unexpected, might be a hassle because I just didn’t have enough time to prepare a way to distribute all my things and keep my presence to a minimum in the temporary household. So with that I joined family (also looking for a house) and we decided to move to a Howard Johnson for the time being until a) I can move and b) they get the house.

We are doing quite well considering the circumstances but there is an ugly truth swirling around that might be getting noticed but isn’t being said:




I’m not happy.






I have not been happy for a very long time. And even with good moments that had occurred throughout the year (not saying it was all clouds and rain), my overall demeanor is shattered, is scarred, and it’s really jaded. And then you need to throw in the death of a celebrity, which I swear up and down didn’t think would affect me as much as it did. But Robin Williams passing away struck a horrific nerve and opened up a door of the harsh reality that there is a heavy, heavy, heavy chance that I not only have the traces of depression, I just might actually be suffering from a small case of it. Now, I call it small because I have never ever, ever, ever, ever, ever considered harming myself or committing the final dark deed. But the signs are there. Some of them. I know loss of appetite is a sign, and trust me that will not occur to me.

But Robin Williams lived his life essentially with the same demeanor of insanity and going the distance to entertain a crowd, entertain the people he loved. So if his routine was always the same, how long was he in depression? That’s the most jarring thing. We saw the downward spiral of other celebrities like Michael Jackson, Britney Spears (who recovered), Whitney Houston, and Amy Winehouse. But Robin Williams? He did nothing wrong, he was an amazing entertainer, and everyone loved him. He had a wife, kids, money, success, fame, and everlasting support. So…..how long has this thing been creeping underneath him?

So I evaluated my life, my mannerisms, everything I do. And I am not saying I am Robin Williams---but what I am saying is that I honestly have not changed much at all in the past couple years, the circumstances around me has—but my character has been consistent. So….how can I possibly stop the sinking if I am still riding the ship the same way?

How can I stop the wounds from getting deeper if I keep making the decisions that leads to me going through the same thorn bushes of life? The truth is I have played the victim for such a long time and I have been so convincing to everyone that I am just an innocent victim that I didn’t notice that there is a good chance that some of the things I have been doing over the years have been doing more harm than good.


I got comfortable.

I built myself a simple bubble of success.

And that bubble never shrinks, never expands, but the air is starting to get thin.

I have spent so many years being a footnote in people’s lives that I started doing the same towards others. And you and I both know I never discuss relationships, and that’s simply because I never took the issue seriously. I never truly bothered to analyze that aspect of my life because I have been wronged so many times (only one person in my entire life knows each horror story), I subconsciously decided to deride others in the same manner. And after spending the countless hours on the road trying to get my last few things out of the apartment that had remained empty from visitors 75% of the time I have noticed that there have been 2-3 instances in which I could have actually pursued and had something meaningful, something wholesome, something decent, if I had just actually put forth the effort.

And I didn’t, and I am paying the price for it right now, as I prepare for an empty apartment with minimal belief of improvement.


I am not going to throw names in this equation that is this article because I didn’t seek the permission to write about anyone so I will be vague while being detailed about what’s been happening to me: my life peaked in the spring of 2013. I honestly had something going, I had something nice, and all I needed to do was to actively pursue, actively attempt to seal the deal, and actively seek out and take the step and announce that I truly was happy and wanted to keep what I had going. I had someone that truly cared about me close by, and I honestly did find someone that could have made up for all my dark dots that scattered my previous years.

Life is funny because you can forgive the stupid little things that people do, but you won’t forget. I won’t forget the abundance of lies that led to my disastrous trip to New York in 2009. I won’t forget the time that one of my close friends’ female friends each refused to help me find a way home even though it was 7 minutes away by car—leading to me in embarrassing fashion to take a taxi home. I won’t forget the time that we dated and had a fight, and it led to you suddenly trying to flirt (awkwardly) with one of my friends at work in front of my face. I won’t forget the countless times I had people come back to visit Orlando for several days…only to not make the effort to actually see me. I have a good memory, which is a gift and a curse. I can still tell you how it sounded when the car going 70 collided against my dad on that one fateful morning that we ran a yellow light….


Either way, at that point I did reach the point that I had been trying to reach for such a long time: special gal, good job, and my finances didn’t suck. It was comfortable. I took that flight, which was the easier solution.



The flight comment is a reference to the movie above, which is one of the greatest movies I’ve ever seen of the romance/drama/indie genre: Before Sunset. To make a long story short, it’s about two people that reunite 9 years after a fling they both had engaged in one a special evening that they had shared together. Now the main character, Jesse has a difficult choice: he can take the easy road and head back home to his wife and son—even though his marriage feels incomplete or decide to stay in Europe and practically leave everything he had built up behind. Not telling you what happens in the end—even though the fact that there is a next chapter in this saga pretty much confirms his decision. But…I “took the flight.” I took the easy road, and it was a road that ultimately was a lot less fulfilling then I could have ever imagined. Summer of 2013 there was an emptiness to that apartment that I could never have enough words to describe.



That’s where I messed up, royally: I got comfortable. Got lazy. Didn’t abide by one of the main rules I claim I follow in life: “Nothing in life worth having ever comes easy.”

I screwed up. I may have screwed up in similar fashion the year before, and the one before that, and once a couple years before that. I had dated a select few, and for the most part they were wonderful women. Let me rephrase it, they were all wonderful, I can’t lie. My pickiness does help in some cases. However, this one mistake was legit, this one was a certified 1,000% mistake. And its one that I may never be able to recover from. I didn’t fight. I didn’t do much of anything. I was too prideful, too proud to realize just how weak I was becoming the second I found myself back in square one. It was a pitiful feeling, and everything was spiraling downward from there on. And even with my noted (I am a mild legend in Art of Animation’s food court for my January 50+-hour giveaway in 24 hours and my stories about surviving Tennessee driving) drastic attempts at reconciliation, I might never get that life back. And if I do get it back, it will definitely take years of recovery. I don’t deserve that second/third/fourth chance. I don’t. I know this, but was too proud to tell. She knows this, and was kind enough to tell me.

Now I am not seeking sympathy for any of this. And I am not saying that it was all me, because there definitely have been some unnecessary roadblocks in the past two years that has led to me being where I am: but for the first time in my life I feel like I truly hit rock bottom. Every decision I have made in my life has led up to this; so if at 27 years old I am living in a rather small one-bedroom apartment still working in the same position after 11 years---I have definitely done some things wrong. And the realization hit in summer of 2013 when I had a mini-breakdown after getting my 10-year plaque 5 minutes after folding the 1200th pizza box…..


So why not move back with family? It has nothing to do with them, for they have been supportive 150% and I am by far not an easy person to handle. I have each of my mom’s characteristics and that is a loaded personality full of absolute insanity. I need a reset button, I need to figure everything out going forward, because there have been dozens of things I have done wrong that led to this moment in time.


I never said how sorry I was.


I never said how much I truly cared.


I never truly pursued my love for movies, for video games, for sports, for baseball, for business, for writing, for certain people, for anything for that matter.


I have done the work. Just not enough of it.


I have made the effort. But gave up too easy….although I can have system force to blame (Only Omar will understand that joke).


I have never planned that far ahead.


I have never actually taken the major risks.


I have never ever actually had to do anything major.


Because I love Florida. I do lov---well, like my job at Disney. And I am a simple creature with simple likes. But until I swallow my pill of pride and actually launch myself to the next step this is all I am ever going to be: a semi-depressed but slightly-content individual that works for Disney 60-70 hours a week and writes articles that nobody reads on the side. I am not saying that I have wasted my life writing the over 1,000 articles and 5-10 movie scripts and 30+ movie ideas I have whirled in my head and sometimes put down on paper----but what good is it to be good at something if it doesn’t lead to the success you might deserve? What good is it to go out with someone you care for and yet never deliver the necessary words? I have been a person on a dangerously small bubble that never feared it would burst and now feel exposed and broken now that everything has come crashing down.


I am a person that lived in flammable conditions without fire insurance.


I lived without a true plan. I like to say I plan things, but that’s all a big lie.




So anyone that asks me what I have been up to, what is new with me, what is exciting that is coming up, I never had an answer: because I never set off for anything. I never actually explored for new beginnings, new opportunities. I never took on an actual major challenge. I didn’t do much of anything these past couple years, even when chances for life improvement did occur. Never took them. And like I have been saying all along, the tab had been running for a long time and now it is time to pay the bill.

So this is where I am at: the Starbucks in Downtown Disney unleashing all the details I could possibly give without spoiling too much—I will save the nitty gritty details for the select few that know me best. I have an apartment lined up, but that’s about the only major revelation I can tell you. Maybe things will improve, maybe things will get better and I won’t feel as low as I have been feeling. But it starts with me. I need to change. I am not saying that I am a terrible human being, but I have let too many major opportunities slip and the slope needs to stop. I am not sure how, but its something I will figure out.

This is not a gloom and doom post, this is a life update. And if you had skipped everything and went straight to the bottom then I will keep it simple: I have begged, borrowed, and dealt my way through a comfortable life (you’d be extremely surprised what sarcasm, wit, humor, and a few sly words can get you---I semi-talked my way to getting a free frappuchino in the midst of writing this post) but didn’t seek the extra necessary steps. I was always barely afloat. And now there is too much weight and I am sinking. But I am strong enough to get back to shore---its just a matter of finding the lifeline.

I am not doomed forever. But the life I live needs to end…..now. This chapter needs to end…soon. I need to collect the few chips I have left, and move on to the next table. Alright, enough analogies.

“Nothing in life worth having ever comes easy.”



I need to heed these words, starting now. Thanks for reading.


















P.S. No, I am not going back to school………….

The Current Sad State of Comic Book Villains in the Movies

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Spoilers Are Everywhere. You Have Been Warned
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So Guardians of the Galaxy was a pretty good movie. That being said, I have to research to remember the name of the villain. The villain was practically a throwaway, never really menacing, never really making his mark in the film. Even Thanos, the eventual villain of the upcoming Avengers didn’t do much. Neither did The Collector. Um, as a matter of fact none of the enemies really left much of an impression. This is probably the one main weakness of Guardians of the Galaxy….and Thor: The Dark World…..and Iron Man 3….and Iron Man 2 (I lie, that one had a lot of weaknesses).

If you really think about it, the last 15 years have given us dozens of terrible to mediocre to even incredible comic book films that nearly all have one thing in common: their villains are whether weak or forgettable. Hey, quick question: what is the name of the villain in Thor: The Dark World? No, I am not talking about Loki, who ranges from villain to sympathetic anti-hero within his story arc. I am talking about the main baddie, and while you are at it name his second-hand man without researching it. Give up? Alright, move on.

The increase of comic book movies have unveiled the sad fact that nowadays there has been less focus on villains and a heavier focus on the heroes and their inner dilemmas. I know this is more a creative choice amongst the folks within Disney, within Marvel, and within DC, but this isn’t a direction I personally enjoy. And I bring up Disney because with the exception of Princess and the Frog’s Dr. Facilier they haven’t nailed the concept of a good villain in quite some time (Not like the good ol’ Disney Renaissance days) and own Marvel.

So in order for me to explain just why the current disappointing status of comic book villains is bogging down the comic book movies, let me give you the good examples and intertwine them with my complaints of The Mandarin, Bane, and whatever the hell that villain in Guardians of the Galaxy is called.



Spider-Man’s Green Goblin. Now I to this day still don’t accept the new Spider-Man movies simply because of my fond memories of the first two in the Raimi trilogy. What makes the first two Spider-Man movies work is the ying to Spider-Man’s yang (stop laughing). The original brought us the vindictive, rough, scary Green Goblin. And one of the smartest decisions made by pre-Disney Marvel was hiring the experienced and skillful horror director Sam Raimi into the series. And what Raimi did was added horror elements to the movie. And all the horror came from Green Goblin constantly attacking out of nowhere, wrecking havoc on the newspaper bugle, on poor Aunt May’s house, and even during a massive fire.


And something that Marvel isn’t afraid of doing is giving the hero a good whipping. And that my friends is what separates Bane’s ho-hum PG beatdown of Batman and Green Goblin’s utter near-destruction of Spider-Man in the climax. Batman was whipped pretty bad but never looked bloody, never looked bruised, and the fight doesn’t really ring in the ears. Even the part where Batman’s body breaks didn’t have as much of a crunch as it should have.

Spider-Man however was a different beast. Spider-Man was flung around, had his face smashed an assortment of times, and had his mask practically shredded from his face. You felt every hit because Marvel allows it. Superman could never have a bad hair day---look at how nice he looked despite his final fight that had him thrown from building to building a merciless amount of times. Now look at Spider-Man before Green Goblin nearly delivered the death blow. I feared Green Goblin, I never really feared Bane. Doc Ock also gave Spider-Man some good licks in Spider-Man 2 (Still one of my picks for top comic book movie ever).



Spider-Man 2’s Doc Ock was just as effective and not just because there was a bit of sympathy for him, but instead because he had been popping up multiple times throughout the film. Spider-Man had to fight him three times, as the threat of his appearance was always there. And even before he became the enemy, Octavious had lots of time shared with Peter Parker. The lead villain in Guardians had just one actual showdown against the Guardians while making a second appearance and had a short encounter with Drax. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 saw us with Green Goblin just once, and Rhino…just once. You can’t be menacing if you show up……once (Silver Samurai, Deadpool, Two-Face, Scarecrow, I’m looking at you). A good villain will be a consistent presence, a constant threat, always a step or a scene away.

This is where Spider-Man 3 got it wrong---although to this day I will always accuse Reimi of sabotaging this film since he didn’t get to make the film he wanted. Sandman? Twice. Venom, one of the most popular villains in the entire comic book universe? Once. And God it was a weak appearance. I shall never bring it up again…






….what it could have been….







…………………ugh………………





But even though Venom was bad…why doesn’t anyone ever talk about the travesty that was X-Men Origins’ Deadpool?!?!?!!?



We are getting closer to the ultimate cinematic comic book villain. A good enemy has close ties, a close bond (or anti-bond) to the hero. And we have our next two examples coming from the first two films of the rebooted Batman franchise. Ra’s Al Ghul from Batman Begins is an excellent example of a memorable enemy that has a lot of screentime, is a consistent threat, but also has that essential connection to the hero that makes him compelling. And if you hire a great actor to play the villain: extra points. Liam Neeson as Al Ghul is a perfect example of an excellent performance that lifted the movie to the next level. Al Ghul not only has an agenda that threatens the entire planet, but he also trained our hero to become as skillful as he was. Al Ghul could match Batman on wits and strength (Which led to the ONLY good climactic battle in the entire Batman Reboot trilogy. Don't argue this one). The second example will be brought up later.

Now, not every movie can pull off the closeness of the connections between good and evil. See: Fantastic Four, Fantastic Four 2, Iron Man, Spider-Man 3 (Yea….............), Captain America: Winter Soldier (One of the better ones, but would have worked if "they" had not been so predictable). So just pitting them on a random connection doesn’t automatically make it appealing, you need to add weight to the connection in order to make it captivating. Al Guhl is there from the start to the very finish, and his cameo in Dark Knight Rises was an ugly tease—because that movie could have definitely used some more Neeson, among other things.

Lastly and most importantly, the villain needs to be the exact opposite in terms of character, belief, outlook on life, mannerism, and style of living from the hero. The enemy and the hero need to be like magnets and completely repel each other. This is where Iron Man 3 horrifically failed—they turned The Mandarin into just another Iron Man villain when he should have been the biggest foil and adversary in the Iron Man series. The Mandarin was supposed to be the magical enemy that is the total opposite to the technologically-driven Iron Man. And then we have Bane, whose young brute unstoppable strength was supposed to be the total opposite to Batman’s aging think-first-act-later style that needed to do now that he was older. Instead…well….Bane was just a lovestruck fool that was working for someone else.





ugh.......................nooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Everything that could have made Bane great was demolished in this scene alone. His 1% vs. 99% mercenary schtick could have really worked...but it all turned out to be an act.............

ughhhhhhhhhhh.................................



Now Dark Knight’s Joker was perfectly done, and this is why he is arguably the most recognizable villain in the last 15 years. He has it all: he looks very different, he talks different, he thinks extremely different, and is the total polar opposite of Batman. He is menacing, he shares a lot of screentime with the hero and also has plenty of time on his own to wreck chaos in front of the audience. There is no random baseless twist to him, which were things that bogged down The Mandarin, Bane, Sandman, among others. Worst of all, it seemed like Batman never, ever had the advantage. It was a psychological horror that you just don't get in most movies, let alone comic book movies.

Joker was Heath Ledger’s performance and idea pretty much all the way. Through the mix of research, method acting, choice of wardrobe, and moments of unpredictability Ledger sunk into the role of the Joker in a way that Oscar-winning actors sink into their dramatic roles: full-force and fully embedded in the character’s mind. Dark Knight’s Joker not only fits the criteria, but set the bar to how a really good comic book villain should be: great actor/actress, plenty of screentime, and with a touch of sheer terror that can frighten the most avid moviegoers. Seems like a simple recipe---so why is it not being copied?

Loki belongs in a special category, because he has been in three different movies and was the villain in two of the three, while playing a slight anti-hero in the third. He fits the bill in some aspects (sympathetic, plenty of screentime, fantastic actor) but falters in others (Not enough screentime/battling in The Avengers and The Dark World, not really menacing enough). Loki is more like the Jack Sparrow of the cinematic Marvel Universe. Maybe in the third Thor movie the tables will turn, but for now I can’t call him the ultimate villain when he hasn’t even defeated a single main character. Yes my friends, Loki is in Jack Sparrow territory: not good by any means, but doesn’t quite threaten the environment within the movie like Joker. Final note though: if Ledger had been alive I’m sure his Joker would have carried a similar story arc as Loki—showing up in multiple movies and potentially even other DC franchises.






If you want what I consider to be the ultimate villain within the comic book films, it would have to be The Incredibles’ Syndrome. I totally comprehend that The Incredibles is the cop-out answer in the entire article but hear me out: Dark Knight’s Joker is the best amongst the comic book villains, but Syndrome is the top prime example of how a comic book villain should be. Stop screaming everybody, I know the article took a major curveball. But The Incredibles is heavily inspired by Fantastic Four and the entire culture of comic books.



Let’s look at Syndrome, shall we? Slightly charismatic, very menacing, selfish, a ruthless killer (did we see all the superheros that were killed in the infamous computer scene?), a constant premise, a devastating threat, and worst of all has an origin story that does unveil a lot of sympathy towards the tortured soul. He is a boy that became the biggest adversary in the movie because his superhero idol let him down and crushed him. The hero crafted his worst enemy. It became a fallen idol story, a Man vs. God complex that makes The Incredibles secretly the darkest Pixar movie of them all (Buddy is upset that he wasn’t as gifted as the superheros that had roamed the world he lived in). He doesn’t just randomly pop up, you see the transformation for yourself. He has the richness and smarts of an Iron Man, but a chaotic taste for disaster like the Joker. That's a devastating combination.

High death count, plenty of time, and was evil enough to even attempt to steal a child in revenge for not having his day to become a hero in the eyes of the public---of course after letting the robot he created blow up some buildings and threaten the lives of millions. And then after having his one day of killing and eventual faux saving of the town? Selling all his amazing weapons and inventions to allow everyone to kill each other. Syndrome is bad news six ways to Sunday, and much more rounded than your current run of enemies.

Come on DC and Marvel, you have good baddies in your universe, please use them and represent them well. We need the modern-day comic enemies to be more like Joker, Green Goblin, and Syndrome…and be less like…



Like……



…………………….



…..





Ronan the Accuser. Ah! That’s his name!

When 63 Years Isn't Enough

Yea, I usually don’t get personal here, but here goes nothing.



I have always said that if (big “if” by the way) I ever have a daughter, her name would be Selena. And that’s because Selena was the first celebrity I remember being truly sad over when she passed. Young, in her prime, absolutely beautiful and delightful to her fans, amazing voice, and gunned down over some money. I made it my mission in life to never make money a reason to end a friendship or a relationship (and trust me, that decision has cost me literally thousands of dollars over the years). It’s never worth it. Fighting and killing over money is never worth it. Especially if it means potentially ending talent like Selena. That singer will remain a part of my childhood life forever and her death will always haunt me.



Which leads me to today.



Death is a natural part of life, and lots of celebrities have disappeared over the years. Sometimes it’s hard to keep track and remember who passed and who is still on this earth. Whitney Houston’s passing remains rather unnerving to me, even if her downward spiral had been happening for a decade. And not to be cruel, but it’s hard to truly be bummed over the passing of people you hardly know. You can feel for their families, you can feel for their closest people, but the connection could never be that strong.

But there are exceptions.

My first exception (Post-Selena) to this rule was Charles M. Schultz, since his Peanuts comic strip inspired me to become a cartoonist back in my elementary/middle school days. I loved his cartoons, I loved his comics, I loved his characters. And when I saw that final comic he drew, which might as well have been a note of defeat, it broke my heart. He died one month from cancer after that final comic was published. I will never forget having to re-write that sad news in my seventh grade history class with Mrs. Workman providing the details.

My second major exception was Steve Irwin. That man was my Superman, traveling from country to country to capture and talk about all the different types of animals you can find around the world. He was constantly in great danger, constantly inches from death, yet there he was trying to show us the beauty of Mother Nature. He also was quite the adventurer, especially if it means saving lives. There was an episode which featured him trying to save reptiles during an awful wildfire. Then there was the time he headed out to sea to rescue a crew after their boat had stalled. And to see him die over a freak accident, and leave behind his beautiful family…it hurt. I watched his rise from random Animal Planet show into an international phenomenon, and watched the job he loved take his life away.

The third major exception to this rule occurred today. Not just any person passed, it was Robin Williams. This man provided us with laughs and enough genuine moments to fill a dozen lifetimes throughout his diverse and unpredictable career. From the 70s in an obscure sitcom straight through just this year in which he returned to his roots in television, Robin Williams was a busy man. He did comedies, he did dramas, he did random indie movies, he occasionally dipped into dark comedies, and of course mixed in his stand-up specials in between. He was a very caring and giving individual that loved people, loved interacting with people, loved entertaining people.

His jokes would fly at such a spitfire pace you wonder why he is in such a hurry. You wonder how he was able to work out such a rapid line of dialogue while mixing in impressions, voices, and physical comedy to boot. Could you see anyone else pull a Mrs. Doubtfire or Genie? Robin Williams saved films from dipping into total disaster. Although I was extremely anti-Happy Feet, Williams gave the movie a huge dosage of life the second he stepped in. And even in his weaker movies, you saw the energy, you saw the smile, and you saw the effort to deliver the material. And of course with Aladdin, arguably the first animated role that deserved an Oscar nomination at the very least, he elevated that movie into a phenomenal quality high that never wavered the rest of the film. Aladdin is nearly underrated by Disney nowadays because of the focus on princesses---but I rank Aladdin higher than Little Mermaid, higher than Frozen, Tangled, and anything else Disney Renaissance except Beauty and the Beast. Robin Williams’ Genie is a major, major reason why.

And then came his dramas. Good Will Hunting. Dead Poets Society. Awakenings. Insomnia (very underrated). What Dreams May Come. The list goes on and on. He won one Oscar even though he deserved more----with Mrs. Doubtfire being a great example.



But I have heard that the man that makes the most jokes in the room also happens to be the loneliest and saddest.



Mental illness might be a bit strung out and exaggerated by the Walgreens Era of diagnosing every single little thing in favor of selling some pills and profiting off of the paranoia (Pill companies should be just as liable as cigarette companies) but it is not all myth and placebo excuses for increased sales. Mental illnesses do indeed exist, and it is a fate worse than death because it can linger with you for your entire life….and sometimes you might not even know it. Cancer can be defeated. AIDS can be contained. Diabetes can be maintained and controlled. But mental illness? Good luck. I have witnessed Alzheimer’s first-hand and it is probably the worst thing a person could ever experience---because not only do you mentally die before physically passing on, but it also takes its toll on the people surrounding you.

Depression is just as devastating, because there is no cure. You can win, you can earn lots of money, you can become famous, you can become universally loved, you can have it easy, you can have it all, and you can go through the prime of your life without any issues-----but still have it. You can be at church every Sunday, religiously preaching, singing, and enjoying life---but still have it. You can have kids, a wife, and a stable career that will set future generations up-----and still have it.

Depression cannot be controlled by pills, I don’t care what others may lead you to believe. You can barely even diagnose it correctly. All you can do is watch for the signs, and pray you can get out of it. Some people can snap out of it, while others, like poor Robin Williams, will spend life with it, the eternal sentence for the crime of being alive. The way Robin Williams dispersed his energy almost made it seem like it was compensation for something, and after reading that he killed himself, the theory might hold some truth. And the entire ordeal becomes interesting because of the fact that a good portion of his movies dealt with the pains of depression, mental illness, and suicide (See: Dead Poets Society, Patch Adams, What Dreams May Come). Perhaps those roles played too close to home.


He was in rehab constantly, battled drugs and alcohol for years upon years. Even with his success, the demons would battle, his demons would come and go, the demons would weigh down his success, and the demons would ultimately consume him. Even with his obvious talent and obvious reception of love from fans all over the planet, it couldn’t fill that empty spot. He had time. His time still wasn’t up. That’s what stings more than anything else. He wasn’t just a depressed teenager that had yet faced the world, the man was in his 60s and felt like it was time to go. Physically he was healthy, had movie projects lined up, his daughter had just turned 25, although his show had been cancelled he was once again in the positive spotlight. He had momentum going. The question remained that how can a man deliver so many delightful moments yet remain emotionally dead inside?

Aladdin I hold near and dear to my heart because that was one of the first movies I watched in theaters as a kid. I remember being immediately drawn in to the story, and immediately becoming a fan of Genie. He was such a great character, but in an example of life imitating art, this would represent Robin Williams’ life. Williams had “phenomenal cosmic power,” as in his comedic talent—but the little living space was his struggles to fill the void. Those gold shackles around him that chained him up to the lamp was the depression. No matter how much he helped others, no matter how much happiness he distributed, he must have still felt trapped. He must have still felt like he wasn’t free. Even after all the wishes, he couldn’t go anywhere he wanted. Depression restricts you mentally and physically, it binds you and constricts you and never lets you go.




So that final moment in Aladdin is just now taken on a new meaning, that beautiful scene when Aladdin finally grants the Genie his freedom after the thousands of years of him being trapped. Now, I am never condoning suicide under any circumstances, but I could never ever imagine being in the shoes of a man in his 60s that had success at his feet and yet still felt like leaving this world was his ticket out of the darkness that was consuming him. His freedom may not be your definition of freedom, but he is free from this world and has moved on to the next one, whatever that may be. Whatever God has planned for him, will be the sentence for what he left this earth.

And he left this Earth in defeat, and also left his children, wife, and endless amount of fans. But he granted so many wishes along the way, it’s hard to ignore the contributions. Some of his movies changed people, some of his movies created childhood memories, and others just straight-up entertained. He was a fine entertainer, a damn good entertainer, and made the world a better place through his laughter and ability to create laughter, sometimes out of nothing (Example: The script to Flubber).

It is easy to be upset at him, I understand. It is very easy to be disappointed, I understand that too. But depression blurs the line between what is right and what is wrong. It blurs up life in general. Your days are darker. Your emotions are darker. And no matter what happiness you can disperse, you can never quite deposit the gunk of emptiness that slowly sucks you up like a black hole.

But this isn’t a post about simply giving up just because you have depression. This post is about how even the most gifted, the most wonderful of men can be taken down from a disease that has taken millions of souls over the years. But just because it defeated him does not mean it will defeat me. There is always tomorrow, there is always the next day, and there is always time for the next opportunity. We all have our time limit, but cutting it short will prevent us from having the chance to truly embellish ourselves in the world that we live in, the world that is millions of years in the making.


The world is a beautiful place, and we must spend as much time on it as possible. And Robin Williams is one of the reasons why the world was such a beautiful place, and although it will remain beautiful after his death, it won’t be the same. We’ve never had a friend like him, and we quite possibly never will.



I will miss you Robin Williams. The planet will miss you. And we will never forget all that you’ve done. And yes, we will (somehow) move on. And yes, we will cherish all the memories: from your stand-up straight down to your cameo in Whose Line is it Anyway.

Genie, you're free. pic.twitter.com/WjA9QuuldD
— The Academy (@TheAcademy) August 12, 2014

You’re free. But thanks for being here with us for 63 years.



We just wished there was more time.




R.I.P. Robin Williams.

Empty Stats, Tough Love, Shadows of the Spurs, Trading Potential: The Insane, Ever-changing, Potentially Wasted Offseason of the 2014-2015 Cleveland Cavs

At Disney’s Hollywood Studios, we needed an event to draw in new tourists and locals since for the past four or so years we had become the least-visited theme park and arguably the least-liked of the parks. Frozen came out of nowhere last winter and scored Disney over 1.5 billion in the box office alone. If you don’t want to become absolutely furious with envy, I suggest you not look up how much they’ve made in merchandise. Either way, they decided to last-minute throw a Frozen event that occurs every day in the remaining days of summer and running through September.

It was last-minute because the parade is rather short, the fireworks are different every night, and also because very few outside of Florida knew it was even happening. Nonetheless, the park did pick up in attendance for the month of July and even early August. A cast member, an obvious Disney fan that doesn’t really question the decisions of the House of Mouse, gleefully pointed out that ever since the Frozen event began, the attendance of the park went up 30%.

This stat does make sense, and it does ring true as Hollywood Studios did indeed see a hike in numbers. But this stat my friends is what I call an empty statistic. An empty statistic is one that is used to prove a point but at the same time negates the other factors. In the case of the 30% increase, we can attribute it solely to Frozen, or we can attribute it to:

1) Disney in general getting a spike in attendance for the summer regardless
2) Magic Kingdom’s new Fantasyland is actually drawing everyone in
3) Universal’s Harry Potter expansion is occurring around the same time
4) Magic Kingdom’s increases in block-out dates to locals and cast members forcing this crowd to seek elsewhere for Disney enjoyment

Now, the previous three paragraphs have nothing to do with the point of the article, but it does connect to my argument that Kevin Love is not as big a deal as people make him out to be and that Cleveland traded far too much for the man without even giving the current team a chance to flourish, make history, and even potentially alter the game of basketball forever.



My friends, Kevin Love is an entourage of empty statistics.

Yes he can be a 20-15 guy every game. Yes, he has definitely acquired extremely good numbers for a forward, and is a good 3-point shooter for a man his stature and size. It reminded me personally of another person that didn’t play his body type: Penny Hardaway at his peak---a tall man approaching 7 feet that still managed to play, run, shoot, and defend like an all-star guard.

And yes, Kevin Love did set a nice record last season by becoming the first player e.v.e.r. to hit 2,000 points, 900 rebounds and 100 3-pointers in a single season. Did you read that? The first player ever. Big man that can nail the 3 and rebound better than anyone else out there? How can you say no to this? How can one possibly be against potentially nabbing this man?



Simple. Look at his playoff appearances. Wait, you can’t find them? Seriously? Well now, there is a simple explanation of this: HE HAS NO APPEARANCES!



How on earth are you giving up so much for a man that has actually delivered so little? Yes he has played for an organization that has been turbulent and disastrous for a while, but to be the leader and the best player of your team and still not manage to win more than 40 games is rather ridiculous, and it does say something about his character and ability (and inability) to lead a team to victory. Numbers don’t mean squat if you can’t even take your team to the chance to enter the promised land. Flip Saunders and Rick Adelman were coaches of this team under Love and despite their proven record (Have you see the Sacramento Kings post-Adelman?) could not help him reach the playoff plateau. His good stats hide the fact that he still hasn’t helped produce a winning team.

I wrote about this syndrome I made up a long time ago, and it’s called the Scottie Pippen Syndrome. I accused Carmelo Anthony of being the heaviest carrier of this disease, with players past and present like Dwight Howard, Russell Westbrook, and Tracy McGrady (My favorite example: one season he had a beautiful 28 PPG/6 RPG/5 APG/1.4 SPG---and helped deliver the Magic a wonderful 21-61 record.....) containing traces of it. Even Shaquille O’Neal, one of the most dominating centers in the history of the NBA has some Pippen in him. These are all obviously talented players with a lot to offer---but it will never be enough to actually propel a team to the championship without the major help of a second player or a partner. Kevin Love is definitely heading in that direction.

Of course, now you can debate that the solution to talented-yet-disgruntled Kevin Love is by pairing him up with LeBron James. But is this hazardous player with good numbers but questionable teammate skills enough leverage to take Cleveland to a championship? Are we risking too much and sacrificing too much and not seeing the bigger picture? Let’s say LeBron goes down this season. Let’s say he gets a season-ending injury. Is the Love/Irving combination going to keep Cleveland afloat? Kevin Love just might be the best scoring/rebounding presence in the power forward position since Shawn Kemp and early 90s Charles Barkley---but he definitely lacks that edge and intimidation required to compensate the lack of leadership ability.

Now consider what could have happened, and what can still happen if Cleveland develops cold feet on this trade for Kevin Love (by sending Minnesota Bennett and Wiggins):



Anthony Bennett: 6’9” 259 lbs, Age: 21 (Power Forward)
Andrew Wiggins: 6’8” 200 lbs, Age: 19 (Shooting Guard)
Kyrie Irving: 6’3” 193 lbs, Age: 22 (Point Guard)
LeBron James: 6’8” 250 (and slimming), Age: 29 (Forward)


Look at this potential starting lineup. You have Bennett and Wiggins, both players that not only have proven themselves to be amongst the better young players in all of basketball, but have even played together previously before even wearing the same team uniform (How about them Canadians, eh?). We have nearly every position filled with the exception of a center, and the average age is 22---which is being curved higher because of the top player in the NBA in LeBron James!

Now look at the height, age, and weight. LeBron is rumored to have been losing weight, and if he does succeed then the mighty four here will have roughly around the same weight class (with Irving just a bit outside) and the same height range (Once again Irving on the outer loop). These are players who grew up watching LeBron James play in the NBA, these are players that have modeled their playing skills after seeing players in the early LeBron era. Wiggins plays like a young McGrady, Irving has some Chris Paul characteristics (with just a bit more hostility), Bennett even has some Kevin Love numbers in college by producing high numbers in low minutes and with a good 3-point shooting ability to boot.

So now the question is: would you rather have the Irving/James/Love combination? Or would you rather see if you can keep the rookies and allow LeBron to morph them into Mini-LeBrons to help out their leader seek the first title in Cleveland since a time before television reruns? I mean does combining a bunch of great players from different teams into one team increase your chances? I mean, let’s look at the previous examples:

Los Angeles Lakers (Adding Malone/Payton Era): 0 Rings, 1 season
Boston Celtics (Pierce/Garnett/Allen Era): 1 Ring, 6 seasons
Miami Heat (Big Three Era): 2 Rings (one Lockout season, the other…1 3-pointer away from losing it altogether), 4 seasons


11 seasons. 3 rings. Hey want to know who earned 4 rings in that same timeframe? The San Antonio Spurs. Isn’t it time to start seeing what the Spurs are doing as opposed to the sexy technique of rounding up a bunch of popular players with excellent numbers together? Shouldn’t it be time to start rounding up an ishload of key role players to compliment the young talent you already possess? Isn’t it time to just allow for a team to grow and morph into a basketball family that runs like an exclusive club—forcing you to alter your game to their ways in order to be accepted and ultimately share in the victories?

The San Antonio Spurs did not just beat the Heat, they destroyed them. They did not just become the champs, they blasted the door down holding the blueprints as to how these superteams can be stopped. The Spurs allowed LeBron to go out of control while sniping at the weaker players and slowly killed them on the inside. They exposed their fatigue, they exposed their one-trick pony ways and spaced the floor to a size that could not be contained. The Spurs were firing from practically everywhere and no matter how good LeBron’s numbers were in the Finals---when the opponent has nearly every player in double-digit points you are doomed.

The concept of empty statistics once again plays heavy here. LeBron James on Game 5 had 31 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists. Amazing Finals numbers, right? Yea, except for the part that your team lost by 17 and could have been worse if the Spurs had not finally eased on the accelerator in the third quarter and started celebrating. Kevin Love is not the answer to this devastating Spurs team that is still intact come October. Kevin Love can score, so what? All the Spurs have to do is space the floor even more, force Love away from the perimeter and the rebounding zone by playing smaller ball, and the rest is history.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have a golden opportunity to take the 3 #1 draft picks recovered within the past half-decade and send them all under LeBron’s wing. Cleveland has the chance to take a slew of young stars given to them by a merciful Draft Lottery and become the fastest, most relentless, and most intense team in the NBA. They have a chance to have four players run, play, and maneuver at the LeBron pace. They have only a few inches and about 50 pounds range between them---can you really argue that it’s impossible to make these youngsters transform into LeBron-like figures? The Cleveland Clones would be able to manage themselves if they were to lose LeBron for the year. And what if  instead one of the rookies went under? Well, the NBA would still have to deal with LeBron and two clones instead of three.

Under the Love Connection, the Cavaliers will become an effective yet predictable team that will use Irving/LeBron for all the scoring and pacing, while Love picks up the rebounding pieces with Anderson Varejao. Good team, good team. But Frontcourt Basketball has lost its effectiveness, as we are seeing taller and bigger players become better shooters from outside the paint. While some can argue that the ridiculous offensive explosions of recent seasons can be attributed to the more sensitive fouls; its players like Love, Durant, among others making the game more expansive with all the outside shooting. The 2014 San Antonio Spurs won handedly with Splitter as their center----who averages 8.2 points a game. Speed, cutthroat shooting, and momentum destruction is what wins the games, and under Love I don’t see this type of play occurring in Cleveland.

However under the LeBron and His Minions strategy I do see a chance. Love or hate LeBron James, the man does know how to play any NBA position besides the 90s-Center position (You know, the Hakeem/Shaq/Ewing style of play). Can you imagine Irving become Point Guard LeBron, Wiggins become Shooting Guard LeBron, and Bennett become Power Forward LeBron? Can you imagine the slew of young stars run and gun in the way LeBron does his business? The floor would be wide open, as there would be nowhere to hide from the onslaught. Each of these players have the stamina and the speed to go at LeBron’s kinetic pace. You need to form a team best-suited to take down the best team. With Love, the Spurs are still the best. However give it a season, and we will see a new era of dominance as long as everyone is on the same page. And boy can LeBron shut up all the haters if he not only wins a title with Cleveland but crafts the next generation of winners with Irving/Bennett/Wiggins.

While the bench would still need the San Antonio depth, I’ll be hard-pressed to find a better Starting Five than LeBron, three #1 NBA Draft picks still itching for an opportunity to prove themselves, and the severely energetic Varejao. It would be the Golden State Warriors on steroids and with added size and Finals experience. Can anyone in the East stop a team with a smoothie of Warriors speed and shooting, 2012 Miami Heat depth, and Spurs-quantity Finals experience? (Do remember we have also Mike Miller, Brendan Haywood, and potentially even Ray Allen in the lineup) I think not. And keeping those rookies would make the 2014-2015 Cleveland Cavaliers a very exciting team to watch, and one to absolutely fear as long as everyone knows their role and doesn’t attempt to overstep.

With Kevin Love and his empty statistics, it would just be the latest attempt to form another Big Three. But keeping the youngsters and allowing for LeBron and co. to train them, it would be a starting lineup potentially being even deeper than anything LeBron experienced in Miami. Seriously. The Cleveland Clique could not be stopped. Irving/LeBron/Wiggins has speed, and Varejao and Bennett can definitely catch up without issue.

Cavilers if you reading this, re-consider that trade. That’s a lot of potential being traded for a player that still couldn’t propel you past San Antonio----LeBron’s worst enemy (5-11 against them in the NBA Finals). You still don’t even know what Wiggins is capable of. You technically have no idea what Bennett is capable of either. They need a chance. Do recall that before the Pistons had that amazing team in the early 2000s, the Orlando Magic had Ben Wallace AND Chaunsey Billips on their roster at the same time giving them limited minutes, and traded them away for scraps.



With all those picks playing together under the leadership of LeBron however……….it would be very interesting to see the results.



The Cleveland Clique deserves a chance.

The Similar Structure (But Wildly Differing Paths) of the Rays and the Athletics

It was a Monday. August 4th.


Grant Balfour was doing his usual Balfour thing, increasing drama in late innings when they weren’t exactly necessary. 10th inning was getting rather dicey as the Athletics bats were starting to awaken just in time for the potential victory. After a hit, stolen base, and two walks, Joe Maddon steps out to argue with the umpires. He seemed absolutely pissed at the strike that never was called which led to a 3-2 count that we all knew was one step closer to getting the bases loaded with one out----and the winning run just 90 feet away. The checkswing could have gone either way but Maddon was having none of it. He was immediately tossed.

He storms off, and moments later the Athletics would win the game. Not much controversy, as it wasn’t as egregious a call as Maddon made it out to be. But the truth is, how much of it is Maddon being mad at the call but instead being mad at the predicament he has been placed on? There is far more to the tale here than just a simple baseball game between two teams aiming for the playoffs.

We are seeing the Oakland Athletics and the Tampa Bay Rays, two teams that get more from their budget than any other team in baseball. We are seeing two teams that barely see money getting tossed around—combine their payrolls and it will still be less than the Red Sox, Phillies, Yankees, and (especially) the Los Angeles Dodgers. We are seeing two clubs most likely to leave their current city---with the Athletics potentially moving to San Jose, Portland, or San Antonio and the Rays getting extensive attention (secretly) from Montreal and Orlando. But most importantly, we are seeing two clubs in similar dire straits going in opposite directions.


The Oakland Athletics have a legitimate shot at winning the entire thing this season—and breathing life to the city trying to keep them.


The Tampa Bay Rays however just lost the best pitcher in the history of the team, and the man had not even turned 30 yet.


We were seeing the Tampa Bay Rays’ current closer struggle against the team that wasn’t willing to shell out the big bucks to keep him despite the fandom, and despite what he had accomplished for them the couple years before. Now with Balfour blowing another game, Oakland seems like the smarter team.

We are seeing a fanbase that is louder, more rambunctious, and also more plentiful in number despite the economy not being as successful as in the Bay in Florida. We are seeing a team that despite a piss-poor stadium that constantly has plumbing problems drawing 24,000 fans a game---7,000 more than the Rays.

We are seeing an Oakland team that managed to swindle Jon Lester from the Red Sox, Sam Fuld from the Twins, Samardsija from the Cubs, and a few more in the crazy 72-hour timespan. The Rays got….Smyly. They lost…David Price, one of the best players to ever wear anything Tampa. We didn’t upgrade our dying bullpen. We didn’t upgrade the depleting offense. It was almost a white flag being flown, while seeing Oakland stockpile up for September and October.

We are seeing Andrew Friedman do his best impression of Billy Beane but still fail in executing like the legendary GM. With just 8 million more a year, Billy Beane has taken two straight AL West crowns while slowly march his way to a third straight title. As a matter of fact if it had not been for Justin Verlander, the last two years could have had Oakland enter the World Series picture. And the 2014 team just might be the team that finally gets over that hump as they are the best team in the American League.

In the meantime, we see Friedman sprinkle bad decisions all over his usual fare of good risks and gambles. Grant Balfour was a very poor gamble that is haunting us dearly---while watching our closer from last year Fernando Rodney pull an All-Star caliber season in Seattle. And our closer before that? Rafael Soriano, having a successful career with good stints with the Yankees and the Nationals. Nowadays the focus is shifting from grabbing utility players from everywhere and merging them into a contender in favor of grabbing young studs, and hold them as long as possible and develop them before they move on to larger contracts. Only time will tell if the long-term contracts of young, not-yet-fully-proven players will lead to a well-rounded, experienced, veteral young team with World Series numbers behind them. As of now, Florida now waits to see if the Miami Marlins and their crappy owner actually makes the postseason.

Joe Maddon was most likely furious that after a season marred by injuries and mediocre performances that would be eventually be turned around by a nearly-unbelievable torrid run, management didn’t pull off a miracle of small moves to give the Rays much-needed help to gun for the second Wild Card. Maddon saw his team sit on the bottom of the standings before winding up just 3 games off the second Wild Card spot. Friedman didn’t want to risk keeping David Price and aim for a longshot playoff spot when at this point he was at his most valuable---and during a playoff race that sees over a dozen teams with a legitimate shot at extending their season. Ironically, the Rays were one of those teams.

Maddon is the most optimistic manager and easily the most oddball of the bunch. He makes calculated puzzling moves, he mastered a few strategies like the outfield shift that gets imitated left and right by other baseball teams, and rarely ever sounds defeated even when the Rays are at the tenth straight loss. He looks at the bright side of everything, which is the exact opposite of what we are used to in Florida coaching (See Urban Myers' run-for-the-hills approach when it got tough and Stan Van Gundy's inability to be happy). Maddon is a perfectionist, but knows that we live in an imperfect world, an imperfect sport, with an imperfect playing field. He brings out the best in everyone, and weeds out as much talent as possible from players that don’t get a chance in other cities. Ben Zobrist would have had a decent career with any other team; with the Rays however he is an All-Star with some of the best WAR numbers in the league. B.J. Upton is a disaster with Atlanta, he at least had a role in Tampa.

That being said, Joe Maddon’s hand for the 2014 season just went from a 3-of-a-kind to a pair of Jacks, and he has to somehow bluff baseball and convince them he has a winning combination. While Bob Melvin is a fantastic manager, he gets better cards to play with. Beane is a fantastic GM that guarantees Melvin a good hand no matter what players he loses and receives in the off-season. That is why the Athletics have become a consistent threat year in and year out; while the Rays always remain a force to be reckoned with as long as Maddon is back there concocting his magic.

Joe Maddon wasn’t seeing red at the checkswing, he was seeing red at the superior team developed with similar payroll once again getting the better of his squad that had just lost one of their best men. Maddon is getting sick of playing with a pair of Jacks, even if he will never admit it.



And who was on third base, 90 feet away from winning the game?







Sam Fuld, an ex-Ray.





Of course. The River Card.

Goodbye, David Price

It was Game 7 of the 2008 American League Championship Series.

The Tampa Bay Rays had started their very first year of new colors, new attitude, and fresh new start. And it was working like a charm. Rising out of practically nowhere they took the AL crown and wound up in the playoffs, extremely unfamiliar territory for the Tampa Bay area. Florida was buzzing heavily as the butt of most David Letterman jokes was suddenly becoming a formidable threat. The only thing standing in the way of their first World Series berth was the dreaded and defending champion Boston Red Sox.

It was a tough, tough series and the deciding seventh game was going to be held at the Trop. On the top of the 8th all the bases were loaded with two outs, and Joe Maddon decides to go with a rookie pitcher that had just been called up just a few weeks ago.


David Price.


With nerves of steel, he strikes out the next batter, ending the threat, and bringing the Rays closer to the World Series. They prop him back up in the 9th inning and he manages to record consecutive outs after the leadoff man walked. The David Price legend was born.

David Price and Evan Longoria became the faces of the “new” franchise as they took Tampa to consecutive winning seasons, and coupled that with playoff births in 2010, 2011, and 2013. While Longoria was the calmer more relaxed superstar that year after year propels his team to successful heights, David Price was the powerhouse of emotion that showed the world his love for the game.

82-46 record. Over 1,000 strikeouts. CY Young Winner in the 2012 season. 4-time all-star. He has a grand repertoire of pitches including a devastating fastball and cutter. He has the ability to go deep into ballgames, and doesn’t back down from the more intimidating hitters. You have to practically pry the ball from his hands if you dared trying to take him out when there was still juice left in the tank. Best of all, he loves the big games; the playoff games and the rivalry games---even though he isn’t as clutch as we’d like.

David Price did give up 6 runs in the infamous final day of the 2011 season. He lost to Cliff Lee—twice in the same playoff series in 2010. In 2012 he lost another crucial playoff game---again against the Texas Rangers. But we were seeing someone that was rising in the ranks as a premiere pitcher. Even during 2012, his worst season, he still had glimpses of amazingness. He would finally break through the postseason curse in 2013 when he defeated the Texas Rangers in Game 163, in Arlington. Despite the rough clutch history, he will still be out there ready for his next shot at a win.

But of course, let’s not forget his love to take down the dreaded Red Sox. The Red Sox don’t like David Price, and Price despises the Red Sox. And he is the spark plug of the rivalry as he is usually involved during the larger rivalry-defining moments. One of my favorite David Price memories was his July 29th, 2013 game against the Red Sox.

David Price was on his way to a dominating complete game when a rain delay paused things in the 8th inning. When the game resumed, Joe Maddon cautiously pulled Price from the game after facing a batter---leaving an absolutely furious Price in tears on the bench because he wanted to finish the game so badly. His face said it all: he wanted the Red Sox on a platter. Ultimately the Rays won the game after a very close play at the plate that carried a lot of controversy, but Price’s reaction to exiting game shows why he was one of the most valuable assets in the game: he loves pitching, he loves winning, and loves finishing what he started.

The Rays could never afford to keep him, not if he wanted A-list money like Kershaw. And he is indeed one of the best pitchers in baseball and Lord knows how much more he would win if he had the run support of a superior offensive squad. The clock was ticking and we did indeed know that deep down Price was going to wear another uniform. The free agency is still wild and out of control and the concept of “buying championships” still rings in the air—despite all these low-budget teams making good progress like the Rays, Athletics, and even the money-strapped Miami Marlins.

What hurts more was that we couldn’t get much more out of him because we can barely afford most of the players out there. All we can afford is prospects or players with most of their salary being paid by the team that wants them gone. David Price was arguably the first pitcher Rays fans were watching evolve from rookie into pure all-star quality. Surely there was Scott Kazmir for that 1-2 season run but he topped out too soon (although his resurgence is a very nice story). David Price however looked like the best was yet to come. Do remember it took Pedro Martinez 6-7 years before he became the legendary pitcher that we all know. Not saying he will be a Pedro but with a little extra tweaking he can be a Top 3 pitcher for the next several years, if he isn’t that already.

One of my personal fundamental rules in sports is that you never trade the face of the franchise, or one of the faces of the franchise unless you hit rock bottom. Cespedes left Oakland and although the team might be better for it on paper, who knows if the heart of the team is still there. The absence of David Price from the Rays locker room on the other hand, is going to be a hole left on the team that may not be filled up for quite a while. Price is one of the special pitchers that you don’t see every day. He will be fantastic no matter where he goes---although I can definitely see him thriving with the Cardinals. The Rays on the other hand, I am not really even sure what the future is going to bring. Who can take his place as the leader of the pitchers? Chris Archer doesn’t seem ready, Hellickson and Cobb are too quiet, and Matt Moore spends too much time on the DL.

To be quite frank, you will be missed David Price, and I am not sure we will find another guy like you within the next decade to play in this organization; whether it’s here in Florida or up in Montreal. But wherever you go, I will surely be there rooting for your success.




Unless you join the Yankees…………………………………………….

Guardians of the Galaxy: 8/10

The Marvel enterprise has been practically saved by Disney as it's become more structured, more organized, more successful, and less prone to ill decisions since the buyout from the House of Mouse. Love or hate them, Disney knows how to draw up profits from any smaller company----just ask Pixar. And Guardians of the Galaxy is pretty much the assertion that the Marvel universe and comic book movies are here to stay as they took even one of the more obscure and pulp cult hit comics and transformed it into a big budget hearty fest of entertainment.

Guardians of the Galaxy is a film that works but should not work because of the content and the heavy tongue-in-cheek humor, as well as containing a cast that hardly has the appeal of an Iron Man or a Captain America. For crying out loud, we have a regular joe, a tree, a raccoon, and a condensed version of the Hulk amongst the main characters. The comic book it's based on is meant to be a Scott Pilgrim type of cult hit that engages with a specific niche audience, but I assure you that it stands perfectly on par with the other Marvel films without overkilling itself.

What mainly allows for newcomers and veterans to the franchise to warm up to the characters and the premise is the major focus on character development, fresh script, and also providing a beautiful blend of sci-fi action and rambunctious humor that dances along the PG-13/R line. Although the diehards were probably hoping for Disney to truly let this movie get unleashed, they should be satisfied with the fact that this movie is definitely the dirtiest, rowdiest, and most gutterball of the Marvel bunch. James Gunn holds very little back as we see plenty of dark humor sprinkled on nearly every scene.

The outstanding cast also allows for the movie to flourish. Chris Pratt (Peter), Bradley Cooper (perfectly voicing Rocket), Zoe Saldana (Rising up the sci-fi queen ranks), Dave Bautista, and even Michael Rooker (small role, but steals the show as one of the antagonists) portray their characters perfectly without missing a beat and intertwine themselves with the heavy amount of special effects without any issues. The production value here is top-notch as we've come an extremely long way from 70s Superman.

If there is something that Man of Steel (ugh.....) has proved, it's that special effects should not be the main hull but the icing of the cake. James Gunn does a fantastic job by giving everyone their moment to shine and allowing the audience to root for them. Unfortunately, Marvel still hasn't really given us a great villain outside the lines of Loki within the past decade, as we have several throwaway villains here that don't have much screen time or much personality either. Luckily the heroes and anti-heroes are far too much fun to watch to make up for the dullness coming from the evil side.

Disney/Marvel has quietly revolutionized the film industry by providing us a yearly dosage of films that are connected heavily amongst each other by putting them in the same timeline. It almost makes for a required viewing of each Marvel film in order to be caught up and anticipate the next major blockbuster. So in other words as long as Marvel plans on using the dozens of heroes within its repertoire and maintain it in the same universe, they will not run out of movie ideas for at least a couple decades.

Guardians of the Galaxy may have been a cult classic comic book with a quiet history. But thanks to a great script, great cast, and great direction and production value, this new franchise will fit and blend perfectly with Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, and whatever else Marvel decides (and is legally allowed) to throw in between Avengers movies.