Some Random Takes...

In addition to the regular blog every week, I'm also going to provide a blog of some quick takes on sports and movies I've seen and observations in general of the things I see around me.

Blyleven is in
I say good for Bert. Baseball for years has made their hall of fame about statistics. They talk about benchmarks like 3000 hits and 500 home runs and 300 wins. If it's about statistics, it's pretty hard to ignore the numbers. 242 complete games, 5th on the all-time strikeout list, a no-hitter, and 2 world championships. Impressive to say the least but I'm still rubbed the wrong way about the manner Blyleven has gone about this. I have a problem with people who openly campaign for an award or an honor. An honor is something that is granted to you, bestowed upon you and it shouldn't be something you have to lobby for. Bert's squeaky wheel has finally gotten the grease and again I say he deserves it but next time maybe some humility. If you wanna keep campaigning maybe shine a light towards Jack Morris.

The Kings Speech & The Fighter
I have seen some amazing films this year. I have stood firm all year that "Inception" and "Toy Story 3" were in a fight for Best Film of the year. I've been forced to amend my statement. First, I saw "The Fighter". A powerful true story based on "Irish" Micky Ward and his brother Dicky. The movie is a gritty depiction of their once strained relationship in the early parts of Ward's boxing career. While Mark Wahlberg is his traditional, likable self, he is carried by his supporting cast. Christian Bale as his brother and Amy Adams as his girlfriend. Both should and probably will receive Oscar nominations and should have a good chance to win. I then saw "The Kings Speech". The profoundly interesting story of King George VI and his fight to cure his speech impediment with the help from a commoner speech therapist. Impeccably acted from top to bottom with tour de force performances by Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush.  It's an acting clinic from beginning to end and it makes you laugh while offering you insightful characters to study. It could be the best film I have seen in years.

Vikings Dead.
And not a moment too soon. Is it me or did this season take an ice age to complete. They say smoking takes 3 minutes off your life every time you burn a heater. Well if that's the case this season was liking smoking a carton of Parliaments! I swear to you that I have lost years from my life the past few seasons with this team. They were like that girlfriend in high school that was just a drama machine and wanted to argue about everything and turn everything into a production that eventually you are just driven to the point where you holler at her and swear your going to break it off and move on but you can't because she starts crying and whaling about how she will change and be better and you cave because you're a pansy ass and can't bear to be the douchebag ex that she talks about to her friends for the remainder of time. There. Now I feel better.

More quick takes next week along with some bold playoff predictions.

A New Year, A New Chili

A lot of folks around this time of the year like to sit around and take stock of themselves. This period of self-improvement or self-loathing depending on how you look at it is meant to bring forth some sort of meaningful change. For most people the new year provides us with the motivation needed to quit smoking or lose weight or give up watching MTV. I'm no different. I too have set some modest goals for myself moving forward in 2011 and that's the subject of "The Chili" today.

First off, about the blog itself, I could have renamed "The Chili" to "The Broth" last year. I didn't devote the time and attention to it that I wanted to. Six entries is no way to do things and for that I am sorry. Folks have been asking when I would start blogging again and up until about Christmas I wasn't sure I would do it again. I told myself that the only way I would do it is if I made a commitment to it. Call it my third job. Expect me to give you two installments a week. One will be a more central themed blog and one will have a bunch of random quick takes. I'm hoping it will keep my creative juices flowing and keep you entertained.

Another resolution is that I will finally after years of procrastination and neglect on my part address my weight problem. I did a stand-up set a few weeks back and someone was nice enough to record it for me and my plan was to post it on my facebook and stuff but I couldn't bare to watch it. I was embarrassed to look at myself. I looked like Chris Farley and not the happy-go-lucky "Tommy Boy" type but rather the near death, get me a 8-ball and ham sandwich Chris Farley. It was sobering to say the least. You just never think you are that big, you look around and you say things like "ahhh that dude is bigger than me, Good thing I'm not that guy" but upon furthur review I AM that guy and it's sad and it's going to change this year. I have made the life and death committment to do like friend Jeff would say and "Get it Fixed".

The key to making it all work is to not try and change a hundred things all at once. Odds are you'll do everything half-assed and give up by March. Better yet, just take two things you want to see different and bust your ass to get those things accomplished. Nothing beats a resolution made.......except a resolution realized.