The Pursuit Of Leisure

100% correct, 50% of the time. A tongue in cheek look at culture both high and low.

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Super Bowl Prediction

I'm 4-6 so far but if you pick the Super Bowl winner right that counts for a lot. Or at least that's what I am telling myself.

Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Arizona Cardinals

After the way the Cards beat the Panthers and Eagles it would be crazy to be shocked if they win this game. But I would be surprised if they did. They are going up against the best defense in the league, which is both very fast and very aggressive. I think Troy Polamalu can help cover Larry Fitzgerald and "limit" him to just over 100 yards and 1 TD. I also think if the Steelers are up late in the game he may return another interception as he did against the Ravens.

The Steelers won't blitz Kurt Warner that much but they will get to him. He will put up yards but I don't think the cards will be able to run it at all. Contrast that to the Steelers offense, which will run all day and get big plays from Big Ben when they need them. Which is all Roethlisberger does. It's insane not to consider this guy an elite QB. The system he is in does not require him to throw 35 times a game for 300 yards but he absolutely could if he had to and he always makes the throws he needs to. Always. Put him in another more pass happy system and his numbers would be huge. If winning his 2nd Super Bowl title in his first 5 years doesn't convince people I don't know what will.

Steelers 30 Cardinals 20

Monday, January 19, 2009

The Arizona Cardinals Are Going To The Super Bowl.

The Arizona Cardinals Are Going To The Super Bowl. The Arizona Cardinals Are Going To The Super Bowl. It just doesn't sound right at all does it? It sounds like a satirical headline on The Onion or maybe it's just a sign of the Apocalypse. Americans electing a Black President surprised me less than this. What's next, the Lions getting their next year?

At the very least it will make watching the game in Vegas with Diamond Joe a hell of a lot more interesting. The Steelers have a huge following and all the people who don't care about either team will be cheering for the Cards since they will be a lovable underdog.

Rickey is Proud of Rickey

- I'm a week late on this but who are the idiots that left Rickey Henderson of their ballot for the Hall of Fame? I never really understood the whole "making them wait a year" mentality. If the guy is good enough to get your vote he should get your vote and Rickey was definitely good enough to get your vote.

I had a very spirited debate with friends last week about where Rickey stands on the all-time greats list. My argument was that it is extremely tough to judge Rickey because he was the most unique player in history. Nobody had his combination of speed, defensive ability, eye at the plate, ability to disrupt pitchers and power. I left the argument at him and Barry Bonds (pre-'roids) as the two best outfielders of the past 25 years.

- I'm not knocking Jim Rice as a Hall of Famer but there is no way in hell he was a better player than Andre Dawson (time for my annual rant about Dawson not getting in). Dawson was the ultimate 5 tool guy. The most underrated thing about him was his defense. He could track down anything and nobody ran on him. Think how good his career stats could have been if he played his whole career on natural grass and at Fenway the way Rice did. The Hawk would have hit 55) home runs. The cement tarmac they called Olympic Stadium crippled Dawson's knees and stunted his career numbers. He shouldn't be punished by voters for that.

- I've watched the Suns play 5 or 6 times this year including their win against the Raptors yesterday and as much as I love Shaq, he is not playing as well as people suggest he is this year. He is putting up all-star numbers but he is not playing much defense anymore. He is really just using his size to move people from the basket, not covering weak side and moving away from the basket the way he used to. That's not a criticism, just an observation. You would expect it from a guy his size who is 36 years old.

- The Raptors are a mess and I don't think they'll make the playoffs. The problem is that Jermaine O'Neal needs to be coming off the bench but with his salary has to start. Andrea Bargnani is finally coming around and playing very well and putting him back on the bench makes no sense. That's why I love the Shawn Marion for O'Neal trade rumors. I don't like Marion that much but he will score and rebound for the Raps and give them another option. But more importantly his contract is done at the end of this year and bringing him in allows Bargnani to be in the starting lineup.

- Now that Andruw Jones has been bought out by the Dodgers after eating his way to a disastrous year that makes him arguably the worst big name free agent signing ever, can we ask if he has been lying about his age for 13 years? His drop off is pretty consistent with guys in their late 30's not a guy born in '77.

Saturday, January 17, 2009

Conference Championship Weekend

Well I was 2-2 last week but I have to admit that when I guaranteed I would get at least one game right I was 99% certain it was going to be the Cardinals losing to Carolina. And with that.....

AFC Championship

Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers

I think the hardest thing in the NFL to do is beat the same team three times in one season. The Steelers won the first two meetings with the Ravens by a combined seven points and I think this one will be close too. Everyone knows the Ravens have a great defense but what has been little talked about is that the Steelers defense is better. The Ravens have some better individuals like Ed Reed but as a collective unit the Steelers are better. The Steelers are also the better offensive team because they have a more reliable running game (not that the Ravens isn't reliable) and a proven QB. But I don't think Joe Flacco is going to hurt the Ravens at all. In fact I think they should give him more freedom to throw because he's proven he can do it. As hard as it is to beat someone three times everything tells me to go with the Steelers.

Steelers 17 Ravens 13

NFC Championship

If there is one thing you can count on in the NFL it's that once every 76 years the Cardinals will have a great year. You can bank on it. They are as reliable as Haley's Comet. Another thing you can count on is the Eagles leading their fans to the brink of delirium and then throwing up a brutal game to break their hearts. I think this is that game. They are playing in 'Zona, which is an extremely fast track, Cards receiver Larry Fitzgerald (who has proven himself the best WR in the league without question) is better than Asante Samuel who will be covering him and Kurt Warner has been playing with an "I want to go to the Super Bowl to shove it up the ass of everyone who said I was done the past 7 years but I'm too great a guy to say that" thing going right now. And the Cards D has suddenly come to life.

I think the Eagles can keep it close because they do have a strong D that can get to Warner a few times and get pressure on him. I also think Brian Westbrook is going to have a big game more so catching the ball than running. I just don't think it will be enough. The Cardinals are going to the Super Bowl. I assure you that is the first time I have ever written that sentence. Or even thought it for that matter.

Cardinals 31 Eagles 24

Friday, January 09, 2009

NFL Playoffs Roll On.

After last week's pitiful 0-4 performance I have nowhere to go but up. I personally guarantee I will get one of this weekend's games right.

AFC

Baltimore Ravens at Tennessee Titans

Congratulations Titans! You worked your ass off all year to gain home field advantage int he playoffs but instead of drawing the Chargers you have to get beat on your home field by the Ravens. The Ravens defense is so damn good right now I don't see any way in hell the Titans can put more than 10 points on the board. And with the Ravens defense making life hell for Titans QB Kerry Collins they may score 7points of their own, which means the Raven offense only needs to score 6 points. The Ravens are going to average each possession starting at about their own 35. I think this could get really ugly.

Ravens 27, Titans 10

San Diego Chargers at Pittsburgh Steelers

The Chargers new sparkplug Darren Sproles may have run all over the place against a small fast, injury riddled defense like the Colts last week but there is no way in hell he can come anywhere close to that performance against the physical Steelers D. And I don't think the Chargers defense is capable of stopping the Steelers either. The Chargers were 4-8 after 12 games this season for a reason and this game will prove why.

Steelers 31, Chargers 13

NFC

Arizona Cardinals at Carolina Panthers

The Cardinals were God awful every time they headed east this year and the Panther were a perfect 8-0 at home. The only chance the Cardinals have is if Edgerrin James continues to think it's still 2003 and plays great. He won't.

Panthers 34, Cardinals 20

Philadelphia Eagles at New York Giants

Can anybody figure out the Eagles? They have to be the scariest team in the league to be betting on right now. The difficulty here is that the Eagles play the Giants better than anyone and that has to scare Giants fans. I keep coming back to this though, after winning the Super Bowl last year the Giants proved they can win big games, while the Eagles have done nothing but prove they can't win big games the past 10 years. And a Super Bowl winning coach vs. Andy Reid? Based on that I gotta go with the Giants.

Giants 21, Eagles 14

Palin's Opinions

I'm not going to start ripping on Sarah Palin because I don't really see the point anymore but I did have a couple of thoughts about her comments about the coverage she received.

Was there a media bias against her? Of course there was. There is usually a media bias against any Republican so that can't have come as a shock to her. As to whether Caroline Kennedy is getting more favorable media coverage, Yeah she is and for three main reasons. First she's a Kennedy and the US still thinks of them as royalty, second she's a Liberal, and finally she's only running for the Senate, not VP. The VP nominee is obviously a hell of a lot more high profile than a Junior Senate seat.

Did Tina Fey exploit her? I don't think so. Comedians have been been portraying politicians for decades so she was fair game in that respect.

The question of class is probably the trickiest issue she brought up. Personally I don't think class was the reason she got a hard time but I do think the beating her family took in the press was overly harsh. But that is the GOP's fault, not the media's. The GOP are the ones who portray themselves as the Family Values set and are sanctimonious about it. The GOP are the ones who go crazy every time a Democrat has family issues. By setting themselves up as hypocrites of course they are going to get beat on, it's their own fault. And again Palin should have known this when she decided to take the nomination as VP.

Thursday, January 08, 2009

Mini-Movie Review: Slumdog Millionaire



I saw this movie almost three weeks ago but wanted to give it a review. This review isn't the full one it deserves but I wanted to say something.

This is a fascinating movie that revolves around a boy from the slums, Jamal, who appears on the Indian version of Who Wants to Be A Millionaire. On his first night on the show he gets to the last question and is to appear the next night for his shot at glory. The host, assuming a "slumdog" can't possibly have this much knowledge, has him arrested and interrogated by police because he is convinced he is cheating.

During the interrogation they go through each question and Jamal explains how his life events have given him the answers to each question. By showing the circumstances of Jamal, his brother Salim's and his lifelong crush Latika's difficult and tortured upbringing, director Danny Boyle has created heroes you can identify with and cheer for. Watching Jamal go one way was Salim take the other fork in the road is a bit cliched but works very effectively.

The most fascinating thing about the movie is the juxtaposition of the young brothers growing up in the slums of Bombay then returning to the thriving economic center of Mumbai, where their former slum is now full of skyscrapers.

The acting is fantastic, the music top notch, and the characters all extremely likable. This movie will get a lot of attention at awards season and deservedly so.

9/10

Wednesday, January 07, 2009

Amy Adams



The first Pursuit of Leisure hottie for 2009 is Amy Adams. This gorgeous Academy Award nominated actress has classic 1950's looks and is tremendously talented. Her role in Junebug was the only thing that got me through it. She was also excellent in Catch Me If You Can and quite funny during her arc in The Office. I look forward to seeing her in years to come because with combination of looks and talent she will be around for a long time.


Note: I had wanted to have Tina Fey in this slot for a while but never got around to it. Then she got absolutely huge in the fall and it seems like a cliche to add her right now. But I assure you she will be up here when the hype dies down.

Good Luck Mats!

I will always be a huge Mats Sundin fan and supported all through the trade deadline mess last year.

While it kills me to see him in a uniform other than Leaf blue and white I will be cheering for him when he takes the ice for the Canucks tonight. I don't see him getting a Cup with Vancouver but I hope I'm wrong. I would like to see him win it more than any other player in the league.

Back to TV.

- I have to say that you can count me among those who are pretty damn disappointed with Heroes so far this year. They just have way to many characters and story lines going on right now and they actually took away a character I really thought had great potential last year (Monica, the girl who could pick up people physical abilities just by watching them. And don't think that I wouldn't be in the NBA right now if I had that power). The whole good to bad and bad to good switch of some characters didn't work either.

The last episode of 2008 may indicate they are going back to what made the show great though. Peter was great as a Hero and Sylar kicks ass as main Bad Guy so hopefully things will improve.

Full marks though for adding Brea Grant to the show as Daphne/Nemesis. She's just cute as hell, maybe the cutest character on TV. Unfortunately they had to kill off hottie Kristen Bell so that kind of cancels it out.

- I'm glad Scrubs is back for one last season, this time on ABC. We'll see how the addition of Courtney Cox goes though. She is funny but she is starting to look just awful. She has not aged well at all.

- Ms. Skeelo and I are really enjoying The Mentalist. I have liked Simon Baker ever since his small role in L.A. Confidential so I am really glad he has a hit show. I also think Robin Tunney is extremely underrated as an actress and she is great in this show too. And don't forget the gorgeous Amanda Righetti. I'm glad she has a role that doesn't require her to run around half naked the whole time (though the odd shot of her in a bikini or club outfit would be appreciated).

- Something has been bugging me about The Family Guy for a while and I couldn't quite put my finger on it. I have always thought that since the show got back on the air that it has been extremely overrated. I really like the show but it is hardly great(The Simpsons in it's prime was 10 times better). Then Ms. Skeelo recently pointed out the difference and she was bang on. While Homer Simpson was always a good guy at heart and a very likable character, Peter Griffin is a complete asshole. He's obnoxious and doesn't give a shit about any member of his family. That's the main reason the show isn't great. That and the jokes go on way too long.

- Happy 53rd birthday to David Caruso who plays Ms. Skeelo's all time favorite TV character, Horatio Cane.

One of my goals in life is to own a 24 hour CSI: Miami channel. I'd make a fortune off drunk college kids playing drinking games while watching Horatio.

Monday, January 05, 2009

The Yankees Spending Spree.

Before I start, yes I do realize I went 0-4 in this weekend's NFL playoff predictions. Oh well. Let's just move on.

You know the funny thing about all the money the Yankees spent on CC Sabathia, AJ Burnett and Mark Teixeria? They are still the best third place team in baseball. In fact I would argue that they are not even as good as they were last year when they only won 89 games and missed the playoffs for the first time since 1993.

Start with CC who I actually think was a great pickup. He will likely win 20 games next year but Mike Mussina won 20 last year and he retired. So they are really only replacing Mussina's wins with CC's. I think CC will be great for three years then opt out of his contract and go pitch for the Dodgers. I wouldn't be too worried about his weight either. There isn't much corelation between being fat and pitching poorly - just look at David Wells. CC has great mechanics and is not injury prone.

Now for Teixeira. I really like the guy but is he that much better than Jason Giambi? He's certainly better defensively and hits for a higher average but it's not like he makes them 7 wins better than Giambi at first place. Personally I think it was ridiculous the amount of money they gave him. Do you really think of Mark Teixeira as one of the most feared hitters in baseball? Do you think he is going to making opposing managers sweat at the end of close games the way Pujols, Manny, ARod or Ortiz do? Hell no. Then why is he the third highest paid player in baseball? Another tip of the cap to Scott Boras for that one.

Finally AJ Burnett. I love the fact that the Yanks were stupid enough to give this guy $17.5 million per year. If they honestly think this head case will stand up to the pressure in the Big Apple they are nuts. I guarantee you Burnett will never win nmore than 12 games as a Yankee and get lit up almost every time he pitches in Fenway.

The Yanks still have a piss poor middle relief, a big question mark in Jaba Chamberlain (who I don't see as an innings eating starter), an aging Mariano Riveira, no offense from behind the plate because of Posada's surgery and an awful defensive outfield with Bobby Abreu not coming back.

Meanwhile the Rays add David Price, who will likely win 15 or more games, to their rotation and have Evan Longoria and BJ Upton and other young guys who should better next year. (Quick update: Now the Rays have added Pat Burrell who should hit 40 home runs in that banbox in Tampa next year) And the Red Sox have not lost anything and have a full year of Jason Bay.

Don't get your hopes up Yankee fans. Your team is still going to be watching the playoffs from home next year.

Saturday, January 03, 2009

Marbury and KG Reunited?

The only thing better than watching Stephon Marbury sulk through the season with the Knicks would be watching him ruin the team chemistry on the Celtics. I can't believe the Celtics are actually considering this given how Marbury has the distinct ability of making every team he goes to worse, no east task for a guy with his ability.

Kevin Garnett hates Marbury and can't possibly want him as a teammate so I don't see the justification here at all. The Celtics lack the depth they had last year but that is more up front than in the backcourt. After missing out on Dikembe Mutombo Marbury is a pretty poor place to turn.

If this actually happens it will make LeBron and the Cavs the happiest guys in the NBA because it will make them the best team in the East.

International Media Gets It Right.

As I said in late August Usain Bolt was the king of the 2008 Olympics. The international media apparently agreed by making him the choice as international athlete of the year over Michael Phelps.

I still get excited watching replays of Bolt destroying the World Records in the 100 and 200 races and so do his opponents, which is unheard of in track. Phelps was definitely the most hyped but Bolt was better.

Friday, January 02, 2009

Weekend NFL Playoff Preview

My record in last season's playoffs escapes me right now but I seem to remember it being pretty bad. As for my pre-season pick of Dallas over Seattle in the NFC Championship Game, let's just say that didn't turn out to well.

NFC

Atlanta Falcons (11-5) at Arizona Cardinals (9-7)

The Cardinals were 6-0 within their pathetic division but went 3-7 out of it. The Falcons are probably the best story of the year. The Cards are pretty good at home but the Falcons are half decent (well 4-4) on the road. If you can't tell I am stalling because I have no clue how this game will go.

It's easy to say that the Falcons are at a disadvantage because they have a rookie QB in Matt Ryan and rookie QB's aren't supposed to do well in the playoffs. I never really understood that logic though, and it certainly doesn't apply to this guy.

Winning the division is a great step for the Cardinals but it ends here.

Falcons 27 Cards 20

Philadelphia Eagles (9-6-1) at Minnesota Vikings (10-6)

This game bores the hell out of me because it seems both teams did their best to miss the playoffs throughout the year then back in at the end. The Eagles can't run at all and the Vikes can't throw at all so the plays will be pretty easy to call. I think Minny has a defense that is a bit better so I'll go with the Vikes. I also think Eagles coach Andy Reid and QB Donovan McNabb finally get run out of town after this game, whether they deserve it or not (Reid does, McNabb doesn't).

Vikings 21 Eagles 14

AFC

Indianapolis Colts (12-4) at San Diego Chargers (8-8)

The Chargers are a complete joke. A team wit this much supposed talent should not have to win 4 straight just to finish 8-8 and win their division. I think their big problem is a lousy coach (Norv Turner) and a jackass QB (Philip Rivers). I wouldn't be surprised at all if his teammates couldn't stand Rivers. He's not built to handle tough situations and this is a very big game for them. LaDanian Tomlinson looks like he is finally back to normal but we'll see. He better be because that is their only chance.

Peyton Manning has had an incredible year, in a lot of ways his best. He has had to carry this team this year and their 12 wins are incredible given how decimated their defense was and how bad their running game was. I see them as the scariest team in the AFC right now because of him despite how flawed they are. He's certainly not going to let the Chargers end his season two years in a row.

Colts 31 Chargers 17

Baltimore Ravens (11-5) at Miami Dolphins (11-5)

I think this will be the best game of the weekend. The Dolphins are for real and are playing with house money. The Ravens have their traditional tough defense and a better offense than people think. I like Joe Flacco, another rookie QB, a lot and think he is the perfect QB for the Ravens. He can throw down field if needed but seems pretty content right now to keep things simple (I hate the term "manage the game" so I don't use it).

This won will be decided by turnovers and I think the Dolphins will keep the dream season going for some reason.

Dolphins 19 Ravens 16



- Had I been on the ball with this site the past couple of months I would have made the case that Peyton Manning was the MVP this year. As mentioned above he absolutely carried this team to a 12-4 record and 9 straight wins to end the season. And all those wins were close ones that required comebacks are playing with small leads. This is one of those seasons that stats don't tell the whole story for Peyton so I am really glad that today he was awarded his third MVP award.

My New Year's Resolution.

To actually keep this site going a consistent basis. Last year's output was admittedly pathetic.

Please keep checking in as you like.