Beltmann

I've been following this news all night... what a strange and awful journey from initial shock to being convinced it is a hoax to being convinced it is true. Rest In Peace, Mr. Bennett. Your contributions to the world of music have meant--and will continue to mean--a great deal to me.

Is Sugar, which charts a season in the life of single-A Dominican pitcher Sugar Santos, the best baseball movie ever made? If you prefer your baseball movies to be realistic, honest, unsentimental, and overflowing with details about life in the system, it might be. (At the very least, it's light years better than Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck's last feature, Half Nelson, which was wonderfully acted but also a total crock.)

As it turns out, it lasted another hour. Gallardo looked off all night.

It's been fun. After that awful 4-9 start, the Crew has gone 21-5 and looked like a real ball club. The starting pitching continues to surprise me; I wonder how long it will last.

I may actually be depressed about this. For the first time, it was joy to watch Rickie play... all those years of futile rooting seemed to finally be paying off. Gallardo last year, Weeks this year. Maybe Gamel can help offset the loss. That homer tonight was a line drive rocket.

I did not agree with every word of your post, but I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. Intriguing observations and insights. Thanks for posting it!

Everyone feels that way, of course. Trouble is, the heart will always let us down. No adaptation will ever equal the movie running in our minds. Ironically, it's the head that can protect our love of the material, by giving us an avenue to let go of our preconceptions and try to enjoy an adaptation as a possibly interesting version of the story--the version running in someone else's mind. Some books are so dependent upon their literary qualities that they just can't be adapted without losing their core. For example, I can't imagine how Updike's In the Beauty of the Lilies could be turne

I don't go to parties, ass. People get me down.

The day after the leak, three of my former students emailed me to ask my opinion. I guess they took something away from American Literature!

Happy birthday, Jesse! Thanks for everything over the years!!

Viggo Mortensen, one of Hollywood's true artists, working with John Hillcoat, the man responsible for the dirty, barbaric, smart The Proposition? I'm not going to let a trailer--made by ad men, not the filmmakers--to ruin my high hopes. I'll reserve judgment until I see the actual movie. Besides, fidelity is vastly overrated when it comes to screen adaptation. A filmmaker's first loyalty should be to making good cinema, not necessarily a faithful recreation of the book. What makes a great book great is usually its literary qualities, but what makes a great movie great is usually its cine

And this is hardly the first thread hotly debating the chronology of Wilco albums. But many controversial subjects require lengthy, intense discussion between those who are right and those who are simply wrong.

Thanks for bringing up the most traumatic event of my childhood. The high fastball from Bruce Sutter that fanned Gorman Thomas to end Game 7 was child abuse.

I tend to agree, but I'm open to the idea that 3D has artistic potential, and might eventually be used to deepen the storytelling rather than merely provide window-dressing. No one has figured out how to do that yet, but as it evolves, someone might.

"All Wilco All The Time"

My dad managed a record store for a while, but had (and continues to have) a rather narrow wheelhouse. Still, that wheelhouse had some great stuff in it. As a kid I had a steady diet of Elvis, Buddy Holly, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, Carl Perkins, Chuck Berry, Les Paul, Jerry Lee Lewis, Patsy Cline, etc. I was introduced to the music, but also all the history and backstories, too. I believe that foundation is what helped me survive my Pseudo Echo era with no permanent scars.

Among my first purchases as a kid: Europe, Mister Mister, Pseudo Echo, and, um, Bruce Willis.

This will occupy my time as I recuperate from my broken leg. Damn that out-of-control race car.

My resolve is weakening as well. But I can distract myself with other stuff, like the new Eels.

Brewers at Cincy, and scored 5 in the first, then 4 more before an out was recorded in the 2nd--thanks to a Ryan Braun grand slam. Nice.

I'm definitely at my least rational when watching sports.

Eric Bachmann - To the Races. Can't get enough of it. Love it. Plus, our names are only different by three letters!

And yet the footage is often surprisingly dark. I don't want to squint to see a concert film.

Count me in, too. I love Trace, but Okemah gets more spins. I didn't care for The Search at all...