I understand that The NY Mets not making the MLB postseason is old news with everything that's gone on since, but still, it was a legendary collapse. Sean Block, esteemed friend of CSR and a Mets fan, wrote this brilliant little two-cents piece (unfortunately, I am late to the party as it was obviously written prior to the Yankees playoff loss - but it's still a great read). I liked it so much that I'm sharing it with you. Hopefully, this won't be the last you hear from Mr. Block.
- John
"Your Season Has Come..." - The slogan for the New York Mets 2007 campaign. That is where the problems started. It was a guarantee of World Championship success concocted in February before any sort of pitching rotation was figured out. It was a guarantee of success regardless of the age and physical conditioning of the highest-paid players on the club. It was a guarantee of success for basically the same team that failed the previous season.
I don't blame Omar Minaya for not improving on the 2006 team. I am a believer that if it isn't broke, don't fix it. The 2006 New York Mets were the best team in Major League Baseball in 2006 (that argument is for another day, but they were). So a couple of small moves should have gotten them over the hump - a Moises Alou batting in the six hole, sufficient replacements for departing members of the best bullpen in baseball, young franchise players with another year under their belt. They were a team that was hurt and hungry from a heart-breaking defeat. Those that wanted Alfonso Soriano or Barry Zito wanted to buy a championship. I hate that. I liked the 2006 team. I really, really liked them. I liked the players and their attitude and they had a magic that doesn't happen at all in professional sports in today's climate. I wanted to see that team win. I didn't want a mercenary coming in for a big paycheck. That is pre-2006 New York Yankee philosophy, a philosophy that brings regular season success and post-season head-scratching.
The difference between the 2006 New York Mets and the 2007 New York Mets can be summed up in one word: HEART. 'Heart' meaning fight, attitude, desire, hustle, loyalty, yadda, yadda, yadda. I can go through the entire season and pick apart everything but it's a dead issue. It's over. Your Season Has Came and Went. Good riddance. It is horrible, but it is not painful. The National League Championship was painful. This is more like putting a bullet in the head of a rabid dog that has bitten a neighborhood kid. How to deal with the letdown? I know that the Yankee fan is going to let the Met fan have it. Actually, any fan of any team other than the New York Metropolitans is going to let the Met fan have it. The Met fan doesn't deserve it. Pardon my French, but the New York Mets fucked their fans.
And you know what? The Yankee fan is in the right. Mets fans were quick to bury the Yankees in May. They were quick to announce that the Mets were the new kings of New York. It was almost like the Met fan was happier that the Yankees were not in first place than they were that the Mets were in first place. I love the Mets, but going to Shea for game 2 of the NLCS and witnessing the crowd chant "Yankees suck" after a moment of silence for Cory Lidle made me realize that Mets fans are the worst. I don't like Mets fans and I hate going to Shea. After this collapse, the whole franchise has left a sour taste in my mouth.
If the Met fan took a moment to notice, they would realize that the Yankee fan generally ignores the Mets. The Yankee fan is not concerned with the Mets. Maybe the Yankee fan doesn't respect the Mets, but what reason have they to show the Mets respect? What have the Mets done to earn respect? Granted, they were headed in the right direction beginning in 2005. They were earning respect and they were building a club that would be much like the Atlanta Braves and possibly the Yankees themselves. They would have been a club that consistently won with a mixture of proven veterans and promising rookies. The whole formula was beautiful, but for some reason, the HEART disappeared and any respect that the franchise was achieving has been thrown out the window.
Unlike the Yankee fan, the Met fan is quick to compare the Mets to the Yankees when the Mets are doing well. It's as though fans think of the Mets as the Yankees' kid brother and they watch baseball with the sole purpose of seeing the Mets be better than their older brother. To be blunt, it's pathetic. I admit, it is horrible to watch the Yankees succeed every year and it is especially horrible to watch it this year, but that's reality. If the Yankee fan you work with or live with or hang out with is gloating, well it's because the Yankee fan has every right to gloat this time. I never see a Yankee fan gloat unless they are prodded by a wise-ass Met fan that thinks all the success the Yankees have is unfair and is at the expense of the Mets. The Yankee fan stuck with their team and their team pulled themselves together - as they do every year - and battled adversity. The Mets were cocky and arrogant and played like they deserved the post-season before the calendar turned to June. They fell apart and it's their own fault.
They fucked their fans. To be fair, I think fans should boycott the first Shea Stadium homestand next season. No fans should show up. The Mets should play to an empty stadium to show that this attitude will not be tolerated by the people paying money to support them. It's a ridiculous idea, I know, but it would send the message. The only way to hurt them is by hurting their pockets. This performance doesn't deserve support. This franchise doesn't deserve fans. The New York Mets need to win their fans back. That must be their top priority. Your Season Has Come indeed.
However, the Wilpons will land a huge free agent and there will be a huge trade because this team must succeed. They'll have a new stadium in 2009 and a real shitty television channel to worry about. They will create reason for excitement next season. They will drum up profit anyway that they can. It is a business after all. Personally, and I may sound like I'm not a true fan, but if any of the following players are on the Mets in 2008, I am boycotting the team: Carlos Delgado, Tom Glavine, Orlando Hernandez, Shawn Green, Guillermo Mota, Jose Valentin, Moises Alou and/or Aaron Sele. I look at the Mets as a business instead of as my favorite baseball team at this point in time. If I went out to eat at a restaurant and I got fucked the way the Mets fucked me over in the last four months, I would never go out to eat at that restaurant again. How is the New York Mets franchise any different than a restaurant? They are both businesses that are vying with other businesses for my patronage. I commit time and emotion and money to this team and this is what I get? It's not a question of other teams being better. It's a question of whether or not the Mets gave a crap. And the answer is NO, THEY DIDN'T. They had NO HEART.
We, and I say 'we' as in the Met fans, don't deserve this. We will never hear the end of it - mostly because of the years of shit-talking Met fans who are more concerned with the Yankees losing than they are with the Mets winning. This is the worst collapse in baseball history and the fan - the poor working-class schlub - is the guy that gets hurt the most. Not the million dollar ballplayer who says, "It's very disappointing. We'll have to do better next year," and then drives off in his Corvette or Lincoln Navigator to his huge piece of property in a beautiful neighborhood... or goes on a vacation to a private, tropical island... or buys a private, tropical island to make himself feel better. It's the fan scraping together seven bucks to buy a beer at Shea Stadium that gets hurt. It's not the Wilpons who were able to sell more tickets to Shea than at any other point in the history of the stadium. It's the fan charging tickets on a maxed-out credit card because they want to see Jose Reyes hit a triple live and in person. It's not Omar Minaya who has the luxury of throwing his coaching staff under the bus before his job is ever in jeopardy.
I have ideas as to what the franchise should do. Like every other fan, I think that I would be a better General Manager than anybody that is actually a General Manager. But I don't know what the job entails. It is a tough position and especially with baseball, many things are hit or miss. The New York Mets, like any other big-market ball team, are a business. And if they don't provide the product that I want, I will boycott that business. I did it when Steve Phillips threw Bobby Valentine under the bus and brought in Mo Vaughn and Robbie Alomar and Roger Cedeno and all those other chumps in 2002. I am more than happy to boycott the 2008 New York Mets if a serious change in direction is not made.
Baseball is just a game and the beauty of it is that there is always 'next year.' That's not going to work for me. Here's my advice for fans of the New York Mets:
1. Stop worrying about talking shit about the New York Yankees. They are a proven winner. They are much more successful than the Mets and they always will be. They've had a large historical head start and maybe one day the Mets will have the legacy that the Yankees do, but this will not be in our lifetime.
2. Boycott Shea for the first homestand. It's punishment for the bullshit the team put us through this year. They deserve to take a financial hit and we deserve to send the team a message.
3. Look at the team as a business and not your heart and soul, because the team is a business and has no heart and soul.
I'll conclude this long-winded essay on the 2007 New York Mets with the lone bright spot in the entire season: David Wright. He has matured into a leader and he will be captain of the team sooner rather than later. He strapped the team to his back at many times late in the season and he pushed them up a mountain. He will be the greatest everyday player in Met history. He deserves the money he makes and if it weren't for Jimmy Rollins, he would be the MVP of the National League. He will, and I repeat WILL, win them a World Series. Unfortunately, unless things change, I don't think it will be until Shea Stadium is dead and buried.
[Sean Block]
Showing posts with label Rants. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rants. Show all posts
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Saturday, July 7, 2007
R.I.P. MTV (1981-2007)
A lot has been said for years, especially on angry blogs and message boards about MTV (and their sister networks) abandoning music. But now MTV is officially dead. How do I know this? Well, take a look at this list of artists:
Red Hot Chili Peppers, Metallica, Beastie Boys, Foo Fighters, Kanye West, Linkin Park, Fall Out Boy, Snoop Dogg, Smashing Pumpkins, Shakira, Pharrell Williams, Chris Cornell, Pussycat Dolls, Black Eyed Peas, Ludacris, Kelly Clarkson, AFI, Alicia Keys, Akon, Rihanna, Taking Back Sunday, Bloc Party, Wolfmother, M.I.A., Joss Stone, Kasabian, & Xzibit
And also consider these VH-1 acts:
Madonna, The Police, Dave Matthews Band, Bon Jovi, John Mayer, Roger Waters, John Legend, Lenny Kravitz, Duran Duran, Genesis, Jack Johnson, Crowded House, Keane, James Blunt, Enrique Iglesias, Snow Patrol, Damien Rice, David Gray, Macy Gray, Melissa Etheridge, KT Tunstall, Corrine Bailey Rae, & Spinal Tap
All of the above artists are set to play the Live Earth concerts today, and MTV, VH-1, and all of their satellite stations are airing ZERO coverage! I thought I read it wrong, but here it is on my cable box: Bravo & the Sundance Channel, with a 3-hour highlight show tonight on NBC. Where the fuck is MTV?? Well, all their coverage is relegated to a special corner of their website, claiming that "If you're looking to see Madonna and Metallica light up the United Kingdom's Wembley Stadium, Linkin Park rock Japan or Pharrell throw down in Brazil, you know who to hang with — us." Riiiiiiiight, but if you switch over to them, they're airing marathons of America's Next Top Model, Real World, Cribs, & Wildboyz!!!! MTV Hits at least has videos. VH-1's playing random nothing, while VH-1 Classic has the outdated One Hit Wonder countdown from like 5 years ago. YES, MTV execs, all these things are more important than global warming AND dozens of live sets by the biggest musical artists on your networks. Good show, assholes! Actually, it's kind of fitting that MTV should die just before its 26th birthday, since that's usually how old people are when they lose interest in the channel's programming.
I remember when MTV forced kids to care about their world, and now that those kids have grown up are doing something worthwhile about it, MTV turns their backs because they figure today's children are too young to care; they'd rather watch idiots be rude and selfish (that goes for all 4 of those aforementioned shows, and on down the schedule).
Of course, that doesn't mean that it'll be good - not all artists are good live (I'm looking in your direction, Shakira), and ex-MTV jocks Dave Holmes & Karen Duffy's hosting skills are definitely rusty. That being said I just watched Snow Patrol being adequate enough, Linkin Park tearing through "Faint" (still their only great song) while Tokyo fans go apeshit, and Damien Rice & David Gray playing an excellent acoustic set together, and I wonder who wouldn't want to see this? This is music. And MTV just isn't anymore. It's dead, so pour out a little liquor.
Red Hot Chili Peppers, Metallica, Beastie Boys, Foo Fighters, Kanye West, Linkin Park, Fall Out Boy, Snoop Dogg, Smashing Pumpkins, Shakira, Pharrell Williams, Chris Cornell, Pussycat Dolls, Black Eyed Peas, Ludacris, Kelly Clarkson, AFI, Alicia Keys, Akon, Rihanna, Taking Back Sunday, Bloc Party, Wolfmother, M.I.A., Joss Stone, Kasabian, & Xzibit
And also consider these VH-1 acts:
Madonna, The Police, Dave Matthews Band, Bon Jovi, John Mayer, Roger Waters, John Legend, Lenny Kravitz, Duran Duran, Genesis, Jack Johnson, Crowded House, Keane, James Blunt, Enrique Iglesias, Snow Patrol, Damien Rice, David Gray, Macy Gray, Melissa Etheridge, KT Tunstall, Corrine Bailey Rae, & Spinal Tap
All of the above artists are set to play the Live Earth concerts today, and MTV, VH-1, and all of their satellite stations are airing ZERO coverage! I thought I read it wrong, but here it is on my cable box: Bravo & the Sundance Channel, with a 3-hour highlight show tonight on NBC. Where the fuck is MTV?? Well, all their coverage is relegated to a special corner of their website, claiming that "If you're looking to see Madonna and Metallica light up the United Kingdom's Wembley Stadium, Linkin Park rock Japan or Pharrell throw down in Brazil, you know who to hang with — us." Riiiiiiiight, but if you switch over to them, they're airing marathons of America's Next Top Model, Real World, Cribs, & Wildboyz!!!! MTV Hits at least has videos. VH-1's playing random nothing, while VH-1 Classic has the outdated One Hit Wonder countdown from like 5 years ago. YES, MTV execs, all these things are more important than global warming AND dozens of live sets by the biggest musical artists on your networks. Good show, assholes! Actually, it's kind of fitting that MTV should die just before its 26th birthday, since that's usually how old people are when they lose interest in the channel's programming.
I remember when MTV forced kids to care about their world, and now that those kids have grown up are doing something worthwhile about it, MTV turns their backs because they figure today's children are too young to care; they'd rather watch idiots be rude and selfish (that goes for all 4 of those aforementioned shows, and on down the schedule).
Of course, that doesn't mean that it'll be good - not all artists are good live (I'm looking in your direction, Shakira), and ex-MTV jocks Dave Holmes & Karen Duffy's hosting skills are definitely rusty. That being said I just watched Snow Patrol being adequate enough, Linkin Park tearing through "Faint" (still their only great song) while Tokyo fans go apeshit, and Damien Rice & David Gray playing an excellent acoustic set together, and I wonder who wouldn't want to see this? This is music. And MTV just isn't anymore. It's dead, so pour out a little liquor.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
The Tragedy of Chris Benoit, and The Tangled Web of Pro-Wrestling
On Monday night, following the breaking news that WWE superstar Chris Benoit had died in his home over the weekend with his wife and mentally-challenged son, Vince K. McMahon Jr. broke down the fourth wall between him and his audience. Vince was supposedly dead, a victim of a very poorly staged carbomb which was unfortunately widely reported on in the news media, but now, he was simply the boss paying tribute to a model employee; not many fans of pro-wrestling would argue that Chris Benoit was one of the greatest of all-time. He was infinitely more athletic and skilled than the Hulk Hogans and Steve Austins of the world, and when he finally won the Big One, the World Wrestling Entertainment Heavyweight Championship, it was considered by fans to be long overdue.
If asked, Vince would probably answer that Benoit's accomplishments over a 20+ year career were even more significant in the wrestling world because he didn't have the looks or charisma that someone like The Rock had, or the size that any number of famous monster champs had. Hulk was 6'6", Triple H & The Rock were 6'4", even Steve Austin was 6'2". Chris Benoit was 5'10" on a generous day, probably closer to 5'8", but he stilled suplexed the 7'2" Big Show out of the ring to win The Royal Rumble battle royale and his subsequent title shot at Wrestlemania 20. Of course we know it was all fixed, but you jump in the ring, the first of 30 men, last a whole hour, and finally get tossed around by a 500lb. giant, and let's see how you do... 40lb. forearms dropping on your back still hurt even if the punches are pulled. Benoit was a tireless worker. He busted his hump for the love of the business, and that was his persona; he didn't need to crack wise on the mic. He was vicious in the ring, first earning the nickname "The Crippler" because, well, he crippled a guy. Later, he was the "Rabid Wolverine" (no doubt because he reminded more than a few people of the X-Men hero after a haircut), and his gimmick was simply that he was missing a tooth, obviously knocked out in the heat of battle.
All the reports and interviews with co-workers are noting that his real life personality was the farthest thing from his frenzied in-ring character. He was a good friend to countless people, and selfless in helping others achieve their dreams. Now, as all the horrible details of this tragedy are reported by the GA Police department or leak out from every loose mouth in the news media, the WWE is faced with the unfortunate position of having paid tribute to a man that appears to have murdered his wife and son. They've pulled back, and put the PR machine on overdrive. It's sad really; I think what everyone is forgetting is that no matter what he did, that 3-hour tribute show was not for Chris Benoit the man, but for Chris Benoit the entertainer, the performer, the employee. It's not about who he was, but what he did in the ring, and that's separate from the darkness that surrounds his former home right now. After 20 years in service of the fans, Benoit deserves a respectful thanks and a moment of silence.
But the country at large probably won't give him that, because pro-wrestling is the new travelling circus. A lot of the fault lies at McMahon's feet. Vince's decisions in storylines have made the Entertainment in "Sports Entertainment" laughable on a regular basis, and whatever Sports are left, they mostly involve guys getting hurt for the viewing pleasure of others (falling right in line with our Jackass culture). Young men gather around the water cooler to talk about the weekly happenings in hushed tones because they don't want to admit they watch. It's become an embarrassment. I know this is true because I used to be one of these young men. I haven't watched in about 18 months, and I'm sure I haven't missed anything other than the departure of Kurt Angle (more on him later), but when I did watch and later talk about it, I usually looked around to see if any women were around before I let loose with my theories on whatever championship belt feud was going on. I didn't want to admit that I watched, but I still did. I could say that when I started watching in 1996 or 1997, it was a way for me to spend time with good friends that I didn't see enough; we just got together every Monday. It was easy. But then, I can admit, I got into it, despite later realizing that Vince McMahon and his creative team haven't had a fresh idea since those late 90's glory days, and that watching the shows every week was kinda like eating pizza everyday for lunch; ya know, everyone loves pizza, but after a while, enough is enough. By 2004, I was routinely nodding off throughout the shows.
One of the reasons the shows' quality declined is because Vince McMahon has a documented love for pushing the "Big Man" to the fore, with no regard for their skill level. Hulk Hogan is the classic example. He was 6'6", 330lbs., and looked like he was straight off Venice Beach, CA. He was better looking than the likes of Andre The Giant, and was memorable on the mic. But he couldn't really wrestle beyond the basics. He pulled out the same old moves for his entire career. Shit, he showed his most varied set of maneuvers in Rocky III. Since then, it's been a parade of larger-than-life men, with rippling physiques, which has repeatedly brought up the Steroid question. Look at a raging freak like Gene Snitsky, with his back acne (a noted side-effect of steroid use), or Adonis-types like Scott Steiner or Chris Masters, who have so many muscles they can barely move. Guys like this have nothing to offer beyond their size, and where do you think that size came from? McMahon and his company have denied denied denied for so long, but after Internet news sites reported on a new WWE steroid policy a few years ago, you saw Masters, Snitsky, and others shrink and lose definition. Hmmmm...
Now, along with the Benoit tragedy, comes the discussions. The comparisons to major league baseball's current troubles have started already, with some crying for government intervention. Government officials would probably shy away, stating that since pro-wrestling, with its outcomes being predetermined, is not a competitive sport, there is no playing field to level. Others would state the alarming figure, one that will surely be repeated frequently in the media for the next few days: in the past decade, 60 current or former pro-wrestlers under the age of 45 have died. This is a frightening statistic. Steroids may not be the cause of death, but turn the whole stat on its side, and see that the steroids AND the deaths are the effects of the business.
Like in baseball, when people talk about steroids, they point out the mass, the muscles, the mysterious growth of Barry Bonds, Jason Giambi & Mark McGwire. But also like in baseball, the problem with steroids in wrestling might be more covert than that. Pitchers use steroids as much as power hitters, but the pitchers use it to heal faster. This is most likely the way in which a lot of pro-wrestlers use steroids; they're hurt on such a regular basis, they need something just to keep going. Wrestling personality and Steve Austin's ex-wife, Debra Marshall was quoted today as saying she saw Austin take steroids, and considering the time in his career when they were married, it is likely that he used the steroids for this purpose. This goes hand in hand with the well-documented and widespread addiction to painkillers across the pro-wrestling business. According to current TNA Wrestling star Kurt Angle, in his various radio interviews following his departure from WWE, Vince McMahon regularly encouraged his wrestlers to perform injured, and so the wrestlers, trying to keep favor with the boss, get addicted to whatever will keep them upright. It could be steroids or painkillers, or it could be booze, weed, or cocaine. It could be all of those things (See: the tragedy of the late Eddie Guerrero, Benoit's good friend). And one thing that came out in the reports for a lot of those 60 deaths is that the wrestler was severely depressed, a result of the drug abuse and hard profession. It is verging on an epidemic in the business. Could you look at Benoit's career, and blame the profession, the life, "The Sickness" as wrestlers call it, for his actions?
To make matters more complicated, there is the ongoing scientific investigation into the connection between multiple head injuries in NFL players and their effect on the player's mental state. Former wrestler Chris Nowinski had to leave the wrestling business because of a severe head injury, and now, according to a NY Times story, he dedicates his time to investigating chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a condition that can cause memory loss, depression and "bizarre, paranoid behavior". Despite a 2003 report of spousal abuse filed by Benoit's wife, Nowinski doesn't believe that Benoit snapped in a fit of "'roid rage" - he instead believes that it was "repeated, untreated concussions that might have caused his friend to snap."
This story will not end until the entirety of this chain is addressed. Is it steroids, painkillers, and drugs, because Vince McMahon pushes his talented employees too hard? Did Benoit take too many chair shots to the back of the head (Nowinski says yes, "[Benoit] was stupid")? Could it maybe be that 20 years of acting as a violent character, along with the other factors, would readjust your reality? Whatever the answers to these questions are, Vince McMahon needs to stop the PR machine from shielding his organization, walk out into the fray, and try his hardest to assist in solving this equation. Otherwise, his whole world will crumble around him, and he'll be holding many more tributes to lost employees.
- NY Times story, including the bit with Chris Nowinski
- Monday Night Raw intro, featuring Vince McMahon's original statement, and a 4-minute highlight reel of Chris Benoit
- Vince McMahon's...repositioning
If asked, Vince would probably answer that Benoit's accomplishments over a 20+ year career were even more significant in the wrestling world because he didn't have the looks or charisma that someone like The Rock had, or the size that any number of famous monster champs had. Hulk was 6'6", Triple H & The Rock were 6'4", even Steve Austin was 6'2". Chris Benoit was 5'10" on a generous day, probably closer to 5'8", but he stilled suplexed the 7'2" Big Show out of the ring to win The Royal Rumble battle royale and his subsequent title shot at Wrestlemania 20. Of course we know it was all fixed, but you jump in the ring, the first of 30 men, last a whole hour, and finally get tossed around by a 500lb. giant, and let's see how you do... 40lb. forearms dropping on your back still hurt even if the punches are pulled. Benoit was a tireless worker. He busted his hump for the love of the business, and that was his persona; he didn't need to crack wise on the mic. He was vicious in the ring, first earning the nickname "The Crippler" because, well, he crippled a guy. Later, he was the "Rabid Wolverine" (no doubt because he reminded more than a few people of the X-Men hero after a haircut), and his gimmick was simply that he was missing a tooth, obviously knocked out in the heat of battle.
All the reports and interviews with co-workers are noting that his real life personality was the farthest thing from his frenzied in-ring character. He was a good friend to countless people, and selfless in helping others achieve their dreams. Now, as all the horrible details of this tragedy are reported by the GA Police department or leak out from every loose mouth in the news media, the WWE is faced with the unfortunate position of having paid tribute to a man that appears to have murdered his wife and son. They've pulled back, and put the PR machine on overdrive. It's sad really; I think what everyone is forgetting is that no matter what he did, that 3-hour tribute show was not for Chris Benoit the man, but for Chris Benoit the entertainer, the performer, the employee. It's not about who he was, but what he did in the ring, and that's separate from the darkness that surrounds his former home right now. After 20 years in service of the fans, Benoit deserves a respectful thanks and a moment of silence.
But the country at large probably won't give him that, because pro-wrestling is the new travelling circus. A lot of the fault lies at McMahon's feet. Vince's decisions in storylines have made the Entertainment in "Sports Entertainment" laughable on a regular basis, and whatever Sports are left, they mostly involve guys getting hurt for the viewing pleasure of others (falling right in line with our Jackass culture). Young men gather around the water cooler to talk about the weekly happenings in hushed tones because they don't want to admit they watch. It's become an embarrassment. I know this is true because I used to be one of these young men. I haven't watched in about 18 months, and I'm sure I haven't missed anything other than the departure of Kurt Angle (more on him later), but when I did watch and later talk about it, I usually looked around to see if any women were around before I let loose with my theories on whatever championship belt feud was going on. I didn't want to admit that I watched, but I still did. I could say that when I started watching in 1996 or 1997, it was a way for me to spend time with good friends that I didn't see enough; we just got together every Monday. It was easy. But then, I can admit, I got into it, despite later realizing that Vince McMahon and his creative team haven't had a fresh idea since those late 90's glory days, and that watching the shows every week was kinda like eating pizza everyday for lunch; ya know, everyone loves pizza, but after a while, enough is enough. By 2004, I was routinely nodding off throughout the shows.
One of the reasons the shows' quality declined is because Vince McMahon has a documented love for pushing the "Big Man" to the fore, with no regard for their skill level. Hulk Hogan is the classic example. He was 6'6", 330lbs., and looked like he was straight off Venice Beach, CA. He was better looking than the likes of Andre The Giant, and was memorable on the mic. But he couldn't really wrestle beyond the basics. He pulled out the same old moves for his entire career. Shit, he showed his most varied set of maneuvers in Rocky III. Since then, it's been a parade of larger-than-life men, with rippling physiques, which has repeatedly brought up the Steroid question. Look at a raging freak like Gene Snitsky, with his back acne (a noted side-effect of steroid use), or Adonis-types like Scott Steiner or Chris Masters, who have so many muscles they can barely move. Guys like this have nothing to offer beyond their size, and where do you think that size came from? McMahon and his company have denied denied denied for so long, but after Internet news sites reported on a new WWE steroid policy a few years ago, you saw Masters, Snitsky, and others shrink and lose definition. Hmmmm...
Now, along with the Benoit tragedy, comes the discussions. The comparisons to major league baseball's current troubles have started already, with some crying for government intervention. Government officials would probably shy away, stating that since pro-wrestling, with its outcomes being predetermined, is not a competitive sport, there is no playing field to level. Others would state the alarming figure, one that will surely be repeated frequently in the media for the next few days: in the past decade, 60 current or former pro-wrestlers under the age of 45 have died. This is a frightening statistic. Steroids may not be the cause of death, but turn the whole stat on its side, and see that the steroids AND the deaths are the effects of the business.
Like in baseball, when people talk about steroids, they point out the mass, the muscles, the mysterious growth of Barry Bonds, Jason Giambi & Mark McGwire. But also like in baseball, the problem with steroids in wrestling might be more covert than that. Pitchers use steroids as much as power hitters, but the pitchers use it to heal faster. This is most likely the way in which a lot of pro-wrestlers use steroids; they're hurt on such a regular basis, they need something just to keep going. Wrestling personality and Steve Austin's ex-wife, Debra Marshall was quoted today as saying she saw Austin take steroids, and considering the time in his career when they were married, it is likely that he used the steroids for this purpose. This goes hand in hand with the well-documented and widespread addiction to painkillers across the pro-wrestling business. According to current TNA Wrestling star Kurt Angle, in his various radio interviews following his departure from WWE, Vince McMahon regularly encouraged his wrestlers to perform injured, and so the wrestlers, trying to keep favor with the boss, get addicted to whatever will keep them upright. It could be steroids or painkillers, or it could be booze, weed, or cocaine. It could be all of those things (See: the tragedy of the late Eddie Guerrero, Benoit's good friend). And one thing that came out in the reports for a lot of those 60 deaths is that the wrestler was severely depressed, a result of the drug abuse and hard profession. It is verging on an epidemic in the business. Could you look at Benoit's career, and blame the profession, the life, "The Sickness" as wrestlers call it, for his actions?
To make matters more complicated, there is the ongoing scientific investigation into the connection between multiple head injuries in NFL players and their effect on the player's mental state. Former wrestler Chris Nowinski had to leave the wrestling business because of a severe head injury, and now, according to a NY Times story, he dedicates his time to investigating chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a condition that can cause memory loss, depression and "bizarre, paranoid behavior". Despite a 2003 report of spousal abuse filed by Benoit's wife, Nowinski doesn't believe that Benoit snapped in a fit of "'roid rage" - he instead believes that it was "repeated, untreated concussions that might have caused his friend to snap."
This story will not end until the entirety of this chain is addressed. Is it steroids, painkillers, and drugs, because Vince McMahon pushes his talented employees too hard? Did Benoit take too many chair shots to the back of the head (Nowinski says yes, "[Benoit] was stupid")? Could it maybe be that 20 years of acting as a violent character, along with the other factors, would readjust your reality? Whatever the answers to these questions are, Vince McMahon needs to stop the PR machine from shielding his organization, walk out into the fray, and try his hardest to assist in solving this equation. Otherwise, his whole world will crumble around him, and he'll be holding many more tributes to lost employees.
- NY Times story, including the bit with Chris Nowinski
- Monday Night Raw intro, featuring Vince McMahon's original statement, and a 4-minute highlight reel of Chris Benoit
- Vince McMahon's...repositioning
Monday, June 18, 2007
Random Thoughts on HBO's Sunday Nights (and now, Mondays too)
01. The Sopranos
I've done a lot of thinking about the finale while the rest of the world has seen fit to complain ad nauseum. And ya know...yes, it was a big fucking copout. I've heard now that the partyline being floated by HBO and creator/writer David Chase is that the show is primarily about family and not the mafia, so shame on the public and their bloodlust for wanting a massacre. OK fine, good point and all, but that's not why I'm unhappy with the ending. I'm unhappy because it just sucked. It was poorly written, as was most of the whole last season. The choices of the writers in the story arc were less than good, paramount among them killing Christopher. Plus, what were the points with Tony's Grand Canyon third-eye awakening and AJ's aimless depression subplot; in the end it was a cocktease from all angles and didn't matter for shit. The rumor in the ether of the message boards was that everyone in the diner was related to victims of Tony's violent business throughout the entire series, but HBO debunked that; said it wasn't the case. But fuck, THAT would've been a cool ending. Too bad David Chase didn't think of that.
02. John From Cincinnati
The first thing this show taught me was how to spell Cincinnati. The second thing it taught me (well, reminded me more like) was that I really like Bruce Greenwood. He is the traditional character actor routinely saddled with boring characters (troubled fathers, the US President), and Mitch Yost is just on the good side of boring. His best role is still his breakthrough in the 1994 arthouse hit Exotica, and at least I remember loving him on the forgotten mid-90's UPN show, Nowhere Man. Among all his forgettable political thrillers from the late 90's to today, his best work was in the sorely underrated submarine ghost story Below, co-starring some more of my favorite character actors (comedian Zach Galifianakis, Rushmore's Olivia Williams, a couple of the Lock, Stock guys). 2A would be a similar respect for Matt Winston, who leads the motel subplot on the show. He is less than a character actor in the Hollywood world, he is a character type; in the credits, when you see "Spanish man" or "elderly lady", Winston is that kind of actor. And yet, you remember him from somewhere (for me, it's as the "Seminary Student" hosed down in Fight Club). Somehow, he exists wholly in scenes with the great Luis Guzman and Willy Garson, and yet Winston is the focus, and credit due, big time. He is always cast as the "fairy", but he more than owns it here. The third thing that I've learned is that a quirky better-than-average drama can succeed on the back of one character, and that would be the titular John. He speaks only in shuffled phrases that he's heard from others, and he has the curious stare of a 4-year old that knows he's done something wrong and is waiting to see if a parent has noticed. He's got me hooked, and I have a feeling that the rest of the show is going to improve, snowballing after his lead.
03. Flight Of The Conchords
Hey ya know - I've learned that I'm not a big fan of the Australian/New Zealander accent. I had no idea. Thanks guys... PS, pssst, you're no Tenacious D, and their eventual movie kinda stunk.
04. Big Love
I don't love Big Love. Not the way I loved Six Feet Under, or the way I love The Wire. Of course, that's not entirely fair seeing as those are two of my Top 5 shows of all time, but I don't even love it the way I loved Carnivale. I do like Big Love, and there is a remarkable consistency with which it holds my interest. The three wives are played by three spectacular and well cast actresses, and Bill Paxton is never less than good in his own way. I gotta also say 'big ups' to the season premiere for showing a little more of the actual Mormon faith than I remember seeing in the first season. So, I'm in for season 2.
05. Entourage
I wasn't crazy-go-nuts over the first season. I was however totally into the second season. I can't figure how Adrian Grenier didn't become a star like Vincent Chase after that (The Devil Wears Prada was a smart move though). Then came the first part of season three last fall. It was a mess. Dom the bodyguard? No thanks. I love the characters too much to have abandoned ship, so I stuck it out, and fuck me if I wasn't rewarded. This spring, the episodes have been excellent, spreading more of the story love around instead of giving Piven all the good bits. And to top it off, no season finale - the show will run through the summer. How's that for a reward? Tonight's Pablo Escobarific episode bodes well for my summer Sunday nights.
I've done a lot of thinking about the finale while the rest of the world has seen fit to complain ad nauseum. And ya know...yes, it was a big fucking copout. I've heard now that the partyline being floated by HBO and creator/writer David Chase is that the show is primarily about family and not the mafia, so shame on the public and their bloodlust for wanting a massacre. OK fine, good point and all, but that's not why I'm unhappy with the ending. I'm unhappy because it just sucked. It was poorly written, as was most of the whole last season. The choices of the writers in the story arc were less than good, paramount among them killing Christopher. Plus, what were the points with Tony's Grand Canyon third-eye awakening and AJ's aimless depression subplot; in the end it was a cocktease from all angles and didn't matter for shit. The rumor in the ether of the message boards was that everyone in the diner was related to victims of Tony's violent business throughout the entire series, but HBO debunked that; said it wasn't the case. But fuck, THAT would've been a cool ending. Too bad David Chase didn't think of that.
02. John From Cincinnati
The first thing this show taught me was how to spell Cincinnati. The second thing it taught me (well, reminded me more like) was that I really like Bruce Greenwood. He is the traditional character actor routinely saddled with boring characters (troubled fathers, the US President), and Mitch Yost is just on the good side of boring. His best role is still his breakthrough in the 1994 arthouse hit Exotica, and at least I remember loving him on the forgotten mid-90's UPN show, Nowhere Man. Among all his forgettable political thrillers from the late 90's to today, his best work was in the sorely underrated submarine ghost story Below, co-starring some more of my favorite character actors (comedian Zach Galifianakis, Rushmore's Olivia Williams, a couple of the Lock, Stock guys). 2A would be a similar respect for Matt Winston, who leads the motel subplot on the show. He is less than a character actor in the Hollywood world, he is a character type; in the credits, when you see "Spanish man" or "elderly lady", Winston is that kind of actor. And yet, you remember him from somewhere (for me, it's as the "Seminary Student" hosed down in Fight Club). Somehow, he exists wholly in scenes with the great Luis Guzman and Willy Garson, and yet Winston is the focus, and credit due, big time. He is always cast as the "fairy", but he more than owns it here. The third thing that I've learned is that a quirky better-than-average drama can succeed on the back of one character, and that would be the titular John. He speaks only in shuffled phrases that he's heard from others, and he has the curious stare of a 4-year old that knows he's done something wrong and is waiting to see if a parent has noticed. He's got me hooked, and I have a feeling that the rest of the show is going to improve, snowballing after his lead.
03. Flight Of The Conchords
Hey ya know - I've learned that I'm not a big fan of the Australian/New Zealander accent. I had no idea. Thanks guys... PS, pssst, you're no Tenacious D, and their eventual movie kinda stunk.
04. Big Love
I don't love Big Love. Not the way I loved Six Feet Under, or the way I love The Wire. Of course, that's not entirely fair seeing as those are two of my Top 5 shows of all time, but I don't even love it the way I loved Carnivale. I do like Big Love, and there is a remarkable consistency with which it holds my interest. The three wives are played by three spectacular and well cast actresses, and Bill Paxton is never less than good in his own way. I gotta also say 'big ups' to the season premiere for showing a little more of the actual Mormon faith than I remember seeing in the first season. So, I'm in for season 2.
05. Entourage
I wasn't crazy-go-nuts over the first season. I was however totally into the second season. I can't figure how Adrian Grenier didn't become a star like Vincent Chase after that (The Devil Wears Prada was a smart move though). Then came the first part of season three last fall. It was a mess. Dom the bodyguard? No thanks. I love the characters too much to have abandoned ship, so I stuck it out, and fuck me if I wasn't rewarded. This spring, the episodes have been excellent, spreading more of the story love around instead of giving Piven all the good bits. And to top it off, no season finale - the show will run through the summer. How's that for a reward? Tonight's Pablo Escobarific episode bodes well for my summer Sunday nights.
Saturday, March 3, 2007
WHERE BROOKLYN AT??!!?
OK, if you ask my friends, they can tell you that I love to rant about music, but this goes to the next level. I am really pissed off now. I know that...I think it was Brian Eno - cuz when in doubt, Eno - but I think Eno said that greatest hits albums were only for housewives...or some shit, I'm totally messing up the quote...The point is that greatest hits albums are crap, and real fans shouldn't get all bent out of shape over them since it's usually the record companies that throw them together (Speaking of: if anyone that works at said companies ever reads this, hire me to compile hits collections; I'd stick to the artist's vision & will give you good product - but I digress). I like to get bent out of shape anyway.
What happens when the record company head is the artist's "best friend", and the artist is dead?? You get the fucking rape of a great and vibrant career for truckloads of dollars.
I'm talking to you, Sean Combs, you motherfucking whore. You are a vaccuum in which art cannot breathe.
Stop ruining Christopher Wallace's artistic legacy. He was the greatest MC that Hip-Hop has ever known. His only competition would be from The R - Rakim, and it's close. I believe that Eric B. & Rakim's "Follow The Leader" is the greatest single MC recording in the 28 year history of Hip-Hop on wax. But Biggie's command of the English language, his ability to pull it & shape it & mold it, is second to none, and the variety of his elocution and rhyme schemes, his acute attention to detail, and his unique inflections, are what him make number one to me and alot of Hip-Hop fans. And this tremendous talent should be celebrated, not pissed on to prop up your own suffering career.
I read yesterday of the upcoming release of the long overdue Notorious B.I.G. Greatest Hits collection. Now, Pitchforkmedia was correct - you can have his two proper albums for $40 and be done with it. But I believe that hits collections are for the next generation, as introductions; all anthologies should be compiled with that in mind, not immediate dollar signs. Look at Al Green's Greatest Hits. At its core, it has remained the same for three decades, but gets added onto to further define its value. It is the ideal example. Why can't Biggie have that?? Let's look at the tracklist...
Juicy, Big Poppa, Hypnotize, Warning - OK, the hits. Check. But where is the monster hit "Mo Money, Mo Problems"? Could it be because Diddy is trying to have people forget the shiny jumpsuits, or is it because Mase left him for 50 Cent?
Ten Crack Commandments, Unbelievable - Universal genre favorites. Check.
One More Chance (Remix), Who Shot Ya - Ooh very good, hits not found on the original albums, so you get added fan dollars. Check. See, there is a way to do this with integrity AND dollars in mind.
Notorious Thugs, Niggas Bleed, Fuck You Tonight - Hmmm, I don't know what Mr. Puffy is going for here...I guess padding the collection with tracks from a bloated double CD, when this collection definitely doesn't need them. Now, I can see the argument for "Notorious Thugs", because alot of Hip-Hop heads feel this is an exceptional example of what I praised Biggie for before. He adapts his entire skill set to fit Bone Thugs-N-Harmony's quick stutter-step flow, and succeeds at a ridiculous level. But that doesn't change the fact that Bone Thugs take up too much of the track. Where's "I've Got a Story To Tell" or "You're Nobody 'Til Somebody Kills You"? Where's "Sky's The Limit" (which was a single), or "Going Back To Cali"? If you're going to pull material from Life After Death, where are the iconic tracks? Where is the fucking immense "Kick In The Door"?? That should be front and center here...
Get Money (by Junior MAFIA) - Well, here ya go. Lose this song and add "Kick In The Door"; they share lyrics, but 'Kick' is (a) a better song, and (b) all Biggie. Replace "Get Money" with "Players Anthem" which is better anyway. Besides "Get Money" was always more about Lil' Kim anyway.
Dead Wrong (feat. Eminem) - Sean. Please. This is obvious whoring - there is no reason to have the later version of this song featuring Marshall on a Biggie Greatest Hits other than to maybe catch a couple extra bucks. His tacked-on appearance, while very good, was a novelty to begin with, and was played out as it should've been when it was originally released in 1999. Why not release a good quality version of the original B-side so that the fans will actually pay for not having to listen to the shitty vinyl rips that have been floating around the internet for years & years? I'd also add (actually, open the disc with) the 1993 freestyle of Biggie completely slaying Tupac (the one that begins with Biggie yelling 'Where Brooklyn at??'). While you're at it, please also add the great "Party & Bullshit", Biggie's first single. Its absence here is inexcusable.
Notorious BIG, Nasty Girl, Running Your Mouth, Want That Old Thing Back - This can now be called sick, and Diddy is dangerously close to necrophilia. These posthumous cut-&-paste jobs, two from previous collections and two "new" abominations, sink to a horrible low and are exactly what I'm talking about when I call Sean Combs a whore. They are shameless and, even worse, as far from essential to the legacy of The Notorious B.I.G. as one could get. They are not celebrations of Biggie. They are musical leeches sucking his soul dry. Meanwhile, classic cuts, like the ones I've mentioned already, or even better tracks from Biggie's near-flawless debut such as "Things Done Changed" or "The What" get left behind; "Everyday Struggle" and "Gimme The Loot" might actually be his best songs - the former the shining light of hope in the middle of his nihilism, the latter a masterful crime narrative in which Biggie rhymes as two separate people with two flows, at two pitches - and they are still nowhere near this "Greatest Hits".
In the end, even if Diddy thinks he's being noble, he's doing his late friend a disservice by giving potential listeners the wrong impression of what the recorded legacy of The Notorious B.I.G. should be. Christopher Wallace deserves to be remembered as a pioneer in his arena, just as Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain, Bob Marley, and John Lennon are in theirs. He fills that space in the history of Hip-Hop. This compilation goes nowhere towards that goal, and Sean Combs' hand in this end result is wholly regrettable and borders on criminal.
Raz's Ratings
MUSIC: The Notorious B.I.G.'s Greatest Hits
What happens when the record company head is the artist's "best friend", and the artist is dead?? You get the fucking rape of a great and vibrant career for truckloads of dollars.
I'm talking to you, Sean Combs, you motherfucking whore. You are a vaccuum in which art cannot breathe.
Stop ruining Christopher Wallace's artistic legacy. He was the greatest MC that Hip-Hop has ever known. His only competition would be from The R - Rakim, and it's close. I believe that Eric B. & Rakim's "Follow The Leader" is the greatest single MC recording in the 28 year history of Hip-Hop on wax. But Biggie's command of the English language, his ability to pull it & shape it & mold it, is second to none, and the variety of his elocution and rhyme schemes, his acute attention to detail, and his unique inflections, are what him make number one to me and alot of Hip-Hop fans. And this tremendous talent should be celebrated, not pissed on to prop up your own suffering career.
I read yesterday of the upcoming release of the long overdue Notorious B.I.G. Greatest Hits collection. Now, Pitchforkmedia was correct - you can have his two proper albums for $40 and be done with it. But I believe that hits collections are for the next generation, as introductions; all anthologies should be compiled with that in mind, not immediate dollar signs. Look at Al Green's Greatest Hits. At its core, it has remained the same for three decades, but gets added onto to further define its value. It is the ideal example. Why can't Biggie have that?? Let's look at the tracklist...
Juicy, Big Poppa, Hypnotize, Warning - OK, the hits. Check. But where is the monster hit "Mo Money, Mo Problems"? Could it be because Diddy is trying to have people forget the shiny jumpsuits, or is it because Mase left him for 50 Cent?
Ten Crack Commandments, Unbelievable - Universal genre favorites. Check.
One More Chance (Remix), Who Shot Ya - Ooh very good, hits not found on the original albums, so you get added fan dollars. Check. See, there is a way to do this with integrity AND dollars in mind.
Notorious Thugs, Niggas Bleed, Fuck You Tonight - Hmmm, I don't know what Mr. Puffy is going for here...I guess padding the collection with tracks from a bloated double CD, when this collection definitely doesn't need them. Now, I can see the argument for "Notorious Thugs", because alot of Hip-Hop heads feel this is an exceptional example of what I praised Biggie for before. He adapts his entire skill set to fit Bone Thugs-N-Harmony's quick stutter-step flow, and succeeds at a ridiculous level. But that doesn't change the fact that Bone Thugs take up too much of the track. Where's "I've Got a Story To Tell" or "You're Nobody 'Til Somebody Kills You"? Where's "Sky's The Limit" (which was a single), or "Going Back To Cali"? If you're going to pull material from Life After Death, where are the iconic tracks? Where is the fucking immense "Kick In The Door"?? That should be front and center here...
Get Money (by Junior MAFIA) - Well, here ya go. Lose this song and add "Kick In The Door"; they share lyrics, but 'Kick' is (a) a better song, and (b) all Biggie. Replace "Get Money" with "Players Anthem" which is better anyway. Besides "Get Money" was always more about Lil' Kim anyway.
Dead Wrong (feat. Eminem) - Sean. Please. This is obvious whoring - there is no reason to have the later version of this song featuring Marshall on a Biggie Greatest Hits other than to maybe catch a couple extra bucks. His tacked-on appearance, while very good, was a novelty to begin with, and was played out as it should've been when it was originally released in 1999. Why not release a good quality version of the original B-side so that the fans will actually pay for not having to listen to the shitty vinyl rips that have been floating around the internet for years & years? I'd also add (actually, open the disc with) the 1993 freestyle of Biggie completely slaying Tupac (the one that begins with Biggie yelling 'Where Brooklyn at??'). While you're at it, please also add the great "Party & Bullshit", Biggie's first single. Its absence here is inexcusable.
Notorious BIG, Nasty Girl, Running Your Mouth, Want That Old Thing Back - This can now be called sick, and Diddy is dangerously close to necrophilia. These posthumous cut-&-paste jobs, two from previous collections and two "new" abominations, sink to a horrible low and are exactly what I'm talking about when I call Sean Combs a whore. They are shameless and, even worse, as far from essential to the legacy of The Notorious B.I.G. as one could get. They are not celebrations of Biggie. They are musical leeches sucking his soul dry. Meanwhile, classic cuts, like the ones I've mentioned already, or even better tracks from Biggie's near-flawless debut such as "Things Done Changed" or "The What" get left behind; "Everyday Struggle" and "Gimme The Loot" might actually be his best songs - the former the shining light of hope in the middle of his nihilism, the latter a masterful crime narrative in which Biggie rhymes as two separate people with two flows, at two pitches - and they are still nowhere near this "Greatest Hits".
In the end, even if Diddy thinks he's being noble, he's doing his late friend a disservice by giving potential listeners the wrong impression of what the recorded legacy of The Notorious B.I.G. should be. Christopher Wallace deserves to be remembered as a pioneer in his arena, just as Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain, Bob Marley, and John Lennon are in theirs. He fills that space in the history of Hip-Hop. This compilation goes nowhere towards that goal, and Sean Combs' hand in this end result is wholly regrettable and borders on criminal.
Raz's Ratings
MUSIC: The Notorious B.I.G.'s Greatest Hits
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)