The baseball gods finally woke up and decided we were having entirely too much fun in New England. The Red Sox have no one to blame but themselves for last night’s implosion. Leading 2-1 late, their gifted young reliever grooves a hittable fastball to the notorious first ball hitting Altuve who didn’t need a trash can to tell him to swing and the game was suddenly tied. A lot of people will blame the home plate umpire who did have a horrendous night behind the plate including a missed third strike on a batter who would later drive in the winning run in the same at at bat. That umpire was bad all night long though and the Astros were the only ones who seemed to take advantage of it. When they figured he was calling strikes on pitches off the plate, that’s where they threw it while the Sox did not. It was a definite reality check for the over achieving Sox and it will be interesting to see how they respond today. If recent history is any guide they’ll respond well. Hopefully Houston burned out their “good” bullpen over the past few games.
The Missed Call
I
missed Facetime calls from both of my “kids” last night because I was in a
movie marathon, actually it was only one movie but it felt like three. The Last
Duel is based on a true story and tells that story three times through the viewpoints
of the main characters. Matt Damon plays a grizzled French knight at odds with
his former best friend Adam Driver who attacks Damon’s wife, Jodie Comer, while
her husband is away from the castle. While I understand the intent and the interesting
choice to tell the story this way, the movie became a bit of a slog by the time
the woman’s point of view finally rolled around. It was a searing comment on
the misogyny of the time. The most telling response is that women face a lot of
the same challenges 800 years later. As long as the movie is, it brings you in,
to be enfolded in the ancient times with Ridley’s Scott’s deft epic touches as
well as the acting, most notably Comer. It would be easy to get caught up in
the rivalry between Damon and Driver but this truly is Comer’s movie and she
dazzles. Ben Affleck plays the liege lord and object of Driver’s sycophancy and
does so with a degree of nuance I didn’t think he was capable of as his part
changes during the three points of view. The climatic duel is every bit as brutal
as promised as both characters pound the hell out of each other as Damon’s characters
acquires even more scars which he seems to collect. A great movie and eloquent comment
on the human condition and how little progress has been made in some areas over
the last 800 years.Ouch
RECURRING CHARACTERS
BR3 – granddaughter #3, BRS - Blog Reader the Sequel - second granddaughter; FBR - First Blog Reader - first
granddaughter, ABFA – Amazing Best
Family Athlete = my daughter in law; Wingman – my son in law; Wingmom – Wingman’s mom, of course; Keene Friends 1 & 2 – friends since
high school from my home town of Keene, NH; Soxfather - my brother in law; Great
Aunt - my elder sister; Cantankerous Friend – friend since grade school who likes to argue
about everything, poses as radical leftist to attract women; Kindergarten Friend – friend since kindergarten
whom I reunited with after many years; Pittsburgh
College Roommate– high school friend, also a “Minor Celebrity” in
Pittsburgh; Deckzilla – our backyard
deck which grew to monstrous dimensions once my wife got involved in planning; Maine and Virginia Musqueteras – two
close friends of my wife – her US sisters, my wife is the 3rd musquetera
(musketeer); Riggins - also known as
the Grandpuppy, son's dog; PanaGals
– female relatives /friends of my wife from Panama; Panamanian/Latin Mafia – inevitable group of Latino friends my wife
accumulates wherever we have lived & their spouses; Neighborhood Mafioso - wife's close friend and Panamanian mafia
member, Favorite Panamanian - the
wife (of course); First Friday –
celebrations to mark the First Friday of the Week; Curbside Girls – close friends of my daughter acquired during her
single days in Brooklyn
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