Transformers-Revenge Of The Fallen

Just another kick butt Transformers movie.  I decided that I’d hook up with some buddies at our local movie theatre and see the highly anticipated Tranformers Revenge of the Fallen  flick.  Boy was I glad I did.

ROTF is wall to wall action.  It is visually stunning with all of the CG that Michael Bay put into each shot with the Autobots and the Decepticons.  From the main character Sam Witwicky’s house, to his college dorm, to Shanghai, China, Bay’s ability to set up a shot really shined in this film.  Many reviews that I have read talked about how crappy the overall piece is, and I think they are mistaken.  Here are a few things that really impressed me about ROTF:

-The Autobot characters are bigger and badder then ever.  Bay introduced several newbies that payed homage to the Transformers cartoons of old, but had a new spin to them.  My favorite new character was Sideswipe, who was the new Corvette Stingray(Wow by the way).  Swipe had attitude and speed, but unfortunately, we didn’t get enough of him.  You could tell a little bit that merch sales might have had a say in who’s rolls were the biggest, because we saw a lot of Bumblee and Optimus.  Bay also brings to life Arcee, the three female motorcycle Autobots.  There is a nice chase scene with Sideswipe and Arcee chasing a Decepticon in China, that has the girls of Arcee riding on one wheel peppering their enemy with machine gun fire.  You gotta love that.  There is also the Twins that provide some nice slapstick humor, but get plunged into action Autobot style toward the end of the movie.  I think that I would have liked to hear a little bit more from the new and old Autobots.  Ratchet and Ironhide play big rolls, but there isn’t as much talking from them.

-The Decepticons are bigger and badder then ever.  I’ll say this, the Decepticons dole out some serious ass beatings to the humans.  The give equal the amount of punishment to the Autobots, including one extremely well placed sword blow.  I think the coolest blast from the past is Ravage, the Decepticon dog.  Ravage helps set traps and do recon and is 100% mean.  It was cool to see Bay’s interpretation of him.  Devastator makes an appearance, and just watching him get assembled was awesome.    It was almost to fast in the movie, but it was a real production.    Megatron does his thing, but has several funny lines insulting Starscream, just as he does in the cartoon.  As for The Fallen, well he hammer’s people.

-As for the storyline, its not nearly as bad as everyone says it is.  I think Bay pulls it together nicely, but gives the people what they want. Ultimately, the robots are on display, and his ability to have them shape change and battle are what people go to see.  If your going to see this movie for anything else but that, you might be let down.  The plot fits the action perfectly, but its not as robust as your typical movie drama.  He does give both human and robots some classic lines, with more humor then the first movie.Michael Bay has never been a guy that is gonna give you a Goodfella’s type script, but he’s going to massage the script to the action and make it fit. I believe that he accomplishes this nicely.

So why go and see Transformers Revenge Of The Fallen?  Wall to wall action, stunning visuals and special effects.  Megan Fox and Shia Labeouf don’t hurt either.  Go and see the movie to plug into your youth and remember what an awesome cartoon Transformers was.  I fits nicely next to the first movie and definitely out does its action. Just go because, well, it’s more then meets the eye…

Roll out!

Indians pitching staff

Absolutely disgust me…

http://mlb.mlb.com/stats/sortable_team_stats.jsp?c_id=mlb&baseballScope=mlb&statType=2&sitSplit=&timeSubFrame=2009&groupByTeam=true&Submit=Submit&timeFrame=1

Last in the league in ERA, leading the league in walks given up.  Hmm, me think’s that is a problem…

Play offs missing something

To me its really obvious, but it might not be for everyone else. I gotta say, seeing the Ehlo shot hurts, but I miss the guy…

NBA Game 1

Sorry folks, I’m taking the Lakers.  Dwight Howard is gonna get his points, I certainly don’t think that Andrew Bynum can stop him.  Phil Jackson is gonna run A LOT of bodies at him, and use up fouls.  Even if Jameer Nelson plays, he probably won’t be as effective as he’s been in the past against the Lakers.

I think this series comes down to defense and rebounding.  Bynum must put a body on Howard constantly and do his best to hold on.  I wouldn’t be asking Andrew to look for points very much in this series.  Just rebound and play defense buddy.  Let Gasol, Odom and Kobe do the work on offense. 

The Lamar Odom and Rashard Lewis matchup should really be a nice one. Both players are similar, but Odom plays with his back to the basket more.  Will that increased physicality hurt Lewis’ enegery on the offensive end?

Then there is Kobe.  The NBA’s best closer.  The guy is on a mission to cap off his season and solidify his legacy as an NBA champion.  Its been a long time coming for Bryant, who hasn’t won a championship since the Diesel left.  If that continues to happen, people will always talk about the missing link.

My prediction:  Lakers in 6

Grady Sizemore

I was reading today that Sizemore’s elbow might need to be scraped out if it doesn’t get better in the next few weeks with rest. That would mean 4-6 on the DL…Not good for Cleveland Indians fans.

www.clevelandindians.com- look for news here…

Hockey Regionality

So my boss got all up in my grill a few weeks back in Chicago for not writing about hockey more.  I told him that my honest answer is that I don’t really know anything about it.  Therefore, it would be unfair to the players, league, fans, and teams for me to write, give opinion or outright bitch and moan about it, since, well, I got nothing.

So, I guess I do know one thing.  Hockey, although its considered one of the big 4 sports(NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL), it will never gain the same popularity as its other three brothers because its really only played in pockets all over North America.  I grew up in Northeast Ohio, which is very much a football and soccer dominated area.  Baseball and basketball come next, then probably golf and tennis if you had to keep things in general terms.  In fact, my high school didn’t pick up hockey at all until after I graduated in 2000.  So my exposure to hockey was very limited.  The most hockey I played was with a crappy plastic stick in Gym class.  That the 4-5 kids that ever played hockey dominated because they knew how to scare the crap out of us with a wrister.

What people don’t know is that much like baseball, things happen a lot quicker in person.  The television really kills the game.  I’ve been able to attend a handful of collegiate and pro hockey games, and there is no doubt about it, those guys are really athletic.  You can tell right away that their skating technique is so much different then Joe Blow who skates for fun.  It’s a powerful lunge that stems from their hips, not just a step-and-glide like your parents taught you.  Most of the defensemen look like lumberjacks carrying their sticks, and most of all, they’ll bash your face in whenever they want, and you’ll like it.

The NHL does a poor job marketing and exposing their game.  They can’t get a network to pick it up for more then a year.  Their teams in non-hockey markets don’t get the viewership they need, and corporate sponsors know all of that.  Not to mention that people, just aren’t compelled to watch.  The stars aren’t visual and aren’t in  your face.  I actually find that quality a little endearing.  There is to much me first and look at me going on in the other leagues.  The NHL needs to look at exposing thier big match ups and making us care. I want to care about hockey. 

Not to mention that youth hockey isn’t the cheapest thing going for people.  Kids grow out of equipment every year.  You grow out of a baseball mit about two times depending on your position.

They recently just had one of the best match ups in the play offs they’ve seen in years, that brought their two best young players in a long time to prime time center ice, Pittsburgh’s Sidney  Crosby and Washington’s Alexander Ovechin. Crosby, who’s drawn comparisons to Wayne Gretzky is the golden boy of the league.  Ovechin can flat out play, but is stuck in a bad market.  Each played extremely well, and duelled each other to the bitter end.  But the NHL left it up to ESPN to create the chatter about the game.  That to me is a tragedy.  Heck, people think there’s more drama in the Little League World Series and they don’t even know the kids.

Bottom line for the NHL, its time to step up and take your game seriously.  Work on your salary cap, get a great marketing campaign and network partner involved, expose the match ups and get tickets sold.  Easier said then done I know, but no one seems to want to say it.

Just an FYI if you don’t know, a great rematch of last years cup is set to get going. The Detroit Redwings and the Pittsburgh Penguins will look to get the rivalry fired up again.  The Wings are a little banged up, and the Penguins are far and away better then that “deer in headlights” team that skated last year.

Never ending story

I never thought that I’d say or think this but, Brett Favre needs to retire.  The little experiment with the New York Jets was nice, as every great quarterback deserves another shot, but now we are just getting silly.  This week Vikings coach Brad Childress spoke with, and even had dinner, with Favre.

Why Brett, why?  We all know that you love to play the game, and we all enjoyed the fun while it lasted, so don’t ruin your legacy.  Your probably already one of the top 10 of all time, who is adored by so many.  This is his opportunity to start on his road to Canton, where everyone wants to finish their career.  Allow the National Football League to start playing your highlights and let the era end.  Why risk the chance of having another 20 INT season and everyone saying that you”played one too many.”  Just let us remember the gun slinging QB, that probably should have played linebacker, that won multiple MVP’s and a Super Bowl.  Don’t let the record keep playing.

Sure, Montana had a nice run with the Chiefs after he left the 49ers, but he wasn’t there long.  He was in and out, and we’ll remember him as a 49er forever.  In addition to that, it looks like you are just circling the wagons so that you can take two more shots at the Packers again, the very team that helped you get to the status you are at today.

I’ll admit, the Vikings do look like a nice fit on paper.  Good defense, play in a dome, Adrian Peterson, now Percy Harvin, did I mention Adrian Peterson.  I’m sure that Childress would do his best to protect Favre with lots of carries for AP and not so many deep throws down field.  The game is won and lost on third down though, and his completion percentage there was less then stellar.  I heard that on ESPN so it has to be true right?(The research department has been cutback here at Frankly Sports) Not to mention, he’ll still have to play outside eventually in the play offs.  Which is where he looked terrible last year.

So, Brett, please take what the league has given you.  Put it in your boat, and go fishing in Mississippi.  You’ve earned it, and all your fans will love to miss you.

Some draft day movers and shakers

I thought I would give everyone some draft nuggets to think about as well as who I thought some of the movers and shakers of the draft are.

-LOOMING STORY Lines-

Detroit Lions-Who will they take and will they be a bust? Georgia’s Matthew Stafford has always been one of my favorites.  You have to feel pretty strongly about guy who plays almost 40 games in probably the toughest football conference in the SEC.  He’s polished, poised, and can make all of the throws.  He’s a new face for a franchise that desperately needs some relief. They have TONS of other needs, such as offensive line and secondary, but moving some of those back ups out for some lower picks, cash and free agents might help in the long run. I suppose they could always trade it, but it doesn’t sound like a lot of people want it these days.

Cleveland Browns-There are a lot of arrows pointing towards Cleveland dealing on draft day.  Brady Quinn seems to be the central name in the trade rumors, but most sources are saying they are just that, rumors. It sounds like the Browns are listening to offers, but haven’t officially put him on the market.  You could argue they were just feeling around to test the market value for a future date, or even to see what Derek Anderson might warrant.  Don’t be surprised if Mangini deals Braylon Edwards.  I don’t think that one tough year is enough to move a guy after he went to the Pro-Bowl, but if you see Michael Crabtree come of the board to Cleveland, that might be curtains for Edwards.

Movers-Marc Sanchez seems to be rising exponentially these days.  Some experts have him going as high as 4th overall to Seattle, others have him down near 12.  Sanchez is fairly polished, but I wonder about his experience.  He played in only 16 games at USC, and NFL defenses will be a lot different then he’s used to.  No matter where he ends up, he’ll bring great energy.

Shakers-Percy Harvin, recently made headlines for his positive drug test at the combine.  He’ll pay for that.  However, it sounds like a lot of teams are struggling to decide what they would do with him after he got there.  Is he an RB, WR, Slot guy, Return man.  I think the answer is a resounding YES.  At the end of the day, I think Harvin is a lot like Reggie Bush. Line him up where ever you want, just get him touches.  He’ll definitely be a return man, its just where else can he be, and hold up doing it.  It will be interesting to see how far he’ll drop as teams look to get away from questionable off the field attitudes.

Aaron Maybin-Pass rushers are at a premium these days.  Maybin looks like he’d be a nice 34 outside LB, or a pass rushing specialist.  I think he probably came out a year early, but he’s tested well so far.  Stay tuned on that one, he could be a bust.

Sure bets-Aaron Curry can flat out play. His 101 tackles last year tells you so.  He’ll have to get a little better in pass coverage, but just stick this kid on the field and he’ll stop offenses.  Its just what he does.

Michael Crabtree-He reminds me of Andre Johnson.  Big, strong, fast, and always makes the play you need(Insert catch vs. Texas here).  Crabtee is gonna be good in the NFL for a long time.

On the BUST radar-Josh Freeman of KSU.  He’s big and strong.  Played in a pretty deep QB conference, but he’s so raw he could go either way.  He’s got a huge arm, is somewhat inaccurate.  He could have Ryan Leaf syndrome.  His athleticism allows him to do a lot of different things though, just as it did for the Wildcats.

Draft day is always great because you get to see the future of your team take shape right in front of you. Coaches actually make comments on where, when and why guys got picked when they did.  GM’s talk contracts and you get more highlights then you can handle.  So call your boys over, get some pizza and wings on order, stock the fridge full of beer, and send your lady out shopping, its Draft day baby!

Quickie about the Indians

I never thought I’d be so content with the Cleveland Indians splitting a series with the Yankees, but the 20+ runs in the Yankees home opener, in their new park, really did the trick!

Barack on campus

Last month it was well documented that the University of Notre Dame invited President Barack Obama to speak at their graduation commencement ceremony on May 17th. Presidential commencement speeches happen every year, but this year it was a little different.  This year, President Obama said yes, and religion that the University rests its laurels on spoke up, and spoke up indeed.

Several prominent Catholic spokespeople have cried out against the invite of the president.  Most speaking to the fact that Mr. Obama’s political platform doesn’t correlate with that of the conservative view of the Catholic religion and Notre Dame.  That his views on abortion and stem cell research set the wrong example for the graduating students.  Some are even asking that the Domers recognition as a Catholic university get revoked.

While I can see the point that the good folks of the Catholic faith are trying to make, I think that perhaps they should take a step back on this one.  Yes, its true, the conservative views and President Obama’s do not match up. However, he’s still the President of the United States of America and you need to respect that.  I’m sure that he’s not going to stand up there and stump about the rights and wrongs of abortion, he could, but he won’t.  One would imagine that he’ll talk about being open to new ideas and breaking through barriers, just as he’s trying to do in politics, and has already done with race.  I think that this is much to do about nothing.

Some students have come out and said they are excited about Obama’s speech as its not everyday you get to see the President.  That they are more worried that the protesters will make a spectacle of the day, rather then have it be part of a showcase of their day, of their hard work, and tears for the extremely important accomplishment they have achieved.  In the student newspaper it was 70/30 for the President.  In letters from the alumni, it was about 50/50 some Notre Dame websites reported.

I think the bottom line is that this could end up to be a black spot on catholicism and its politics, rather then the University of Notre Dame.  Now, I’m catholic, and a huge Notre Dame fan, so I feel comfortable commenting on both.  Catholicism has always been under fire for sometimes being too old fashioned and not “catching up with the times.”  While some diocese are more progressive then others, it still causes people to be critical at some level.  As people are to all religions.  I can appreciate the fact that they are standing up for the basis of morals that Catholics believe in, I just think there might have been a more eloquent way of doing it.

Either way, Notre Dame has not desided to rescind the invite as of now, and it still seems to be business as usual for the commencement speech.  Maybe, those alumni dollars could be a little bit less for next year though.