The Stories of DTS

Showtime's Masters of Horror

A couple months ago I commented on Showtime's new series called Masters of Horror.  Well, here is the 411 on the adaptation of Joe Lansdale's short story, Incident Off and On a Mountain Road.  On that site, you can read a synopsis and watch clips from the show.  Set your Tivos and DVRs for October 28.

Lots of Drama

Game 5 of the Yankees/Angles series did not disappoint.  The Yanks brought the lead run to the plate in the 9th but got no closer.  The Angels go on to play the White Sox in the ALCS.

The game could have been cleaner.  I honestly think the Yankees got hosed when the home plate umpire comes out of nowhere to call Cano out for running out of the baseline.  If Cano did, it was by a tiny amount.  Regardless, it should not have been called.  On top of it being a bad call, Fox did its usual horseshit job of covering it.  First, of course, they leave the shocked viewer to break for a commercial.  Second, of course, Fox come back late from the commercial break just in time to see the first pitch to Vlad Guerrero.  I don't ask for much, but please give me some closure before the game continues on like nothing happened.  I'm a fragile soul this time of year.

Long Ass Game, huh?

So, the Braves and Astros played themselves an 18 inning game today.  I should have kept a diary while watching that one, as I made clever comments and astute observations the entire time.  Oh well.  Just a couple notes.

Minute Maid Park is a joke.  I find it troubling that the homers hit by Berkman, Ausmus, and Burke would not have been home runs in any other major league park [Ed. note -- the Ausmus homer was legit -- I just watched a replay and it was farther in left-center than I'd remembered].  It bothers me that the LF umpire has to stand in the 3B umpire's shadow because the LF wall is so close.  The distance is posted as 315, but word is it's actually shorter than that.  The thing that bothers me most is that it was built like this simply to create the cheap home run.  There is no structural reason.   

Cards 3, Padres 0

Game 3 started at the ungodly time of 10:09 pm.  Normally, I'd be okay with that because it'd be after the kids are in bed and I'd be able to watch the game uninterrupted, however, after getting only four hours of sleep the night before and chasing the two kids around all day while my wife worked, I was exhaused by game time.  A few Pepsis weren't making a dent in my tiredness either, so I decided to try to keep a diary of my thoughts and observations during the game.  Maybe that'd keep me awake.  It worked for awhile.  Here is a practically unedited transcript of my scribblings:

10:00 -- Pizza guy comes.  My wife ordered it and I, of course, will eat most of it.  I tell her that Woody won't last four innings tonight.  She says "Who's Woody?"

Ugly Angels and Yanks

That was ugly -- a nice 11-7 win for the Angels in Game 3 of the ALDS to take a 2-1 lead.  What was ugly, you ask?  The fielding?  At times it was rough, but the field was wet and there were a couple gems, so no.  The pitching?   There were a lot of hits, but seeing Shields and K-Rod make up for that.  No, the ugly to which I'm referring is the starting pitchers.  Randy Johnson and Paul Byrd are just plain ugly.  Difficult on the eyes, as they don't say.

It was, of course, nice to see the Yankees lose.  I've been thinking about why I dislike them so, and I think I've got it.  First, I think it's good for baseball to have a team that draws the ire of its fans.  And, I like things that are good for baseball.  I love to root against them, and given the ratings the Yankees get, I'm not alone.

Guess Who's Back, Back Again...

Because the plight of the Royals has been raised in recent comments, I thought it relevant that David Glass, owner, has announced the Allard Baird, GM, will be back next year.  I don't follow the Royals that closely, but I would like them to be good.  Maybe then the Chefs would stop getting so much press and people around here could focus on what's really important -- baseball. 

Baird has failed, but I don't blame him entirely.  Glass doesn't invest in the team and leaves Baird's hands tied.  He is set up to fail.  Still, I wish he'd been canned, because with canning comes hope.  This franchise needs some hope. 

For recent Royals analysis, check out Rob and Rany's latest installment.

Cards 2, Padres 0

Cards won again today taking a quick 2-0 lead over the Padres.  They're facing Woody Williams on Saturday and all I can say is I hope Woody wears pads because he's going to get shelled.  I don't know that Morris will pitch well, but I'd be very surprised if this series makes it to Sunday (of course, last year Jose Lima shut out the Cards in Game 4 of the NLDS -- crazy things do happen).

I don't mean to pick on the Padres, but they really are bad.

Yankees and Angels

Baseball postseason is by far my favorite sports time of year.  You can keep your March Madness, Bowl Season, Super Bowl, WNBA Opening Day, and Midget Tossing Championship.  For my money, it's all about October.  A couple seasons ago I went to bed before a playoff game was over and missed the Ramon Hernandez game winning bunt in the 12th inning of Game 1 of the ALDS.  The next morning I awoke early, turned on SportsCenter, and was devastated to see what I missed.  I vowed then and there never to miss another inning of postseason baseball.  I quickly realized that staying employed was more important, so I vowed to never go to bed before the end of a playoff game.

So, here I am.  I had to do actual work tonight, but still had the Yanks/Angels on and never looked away for long.  I stayed up even though I hate the Yankees and Angels.

Cards 1, Padres 0

The Cards held on to beat the Padres 8-5 today to take game one of the NLDS.  Hooray!  The Padres, at 82-80, represent all that is wrong with the lenient playoff structure the league implemented in 1995, but it is what it is and the Cardinals have to beat them to advance. 

Over at Hardball Times, Brian Gunn penned (keyed?) a great piece on the Cardinals.  Brian, formerly of Redbird Nation, is an excellent writer and diehard Card fan.  Oh, and fun fact time:  his sister-in-law happens to be the cute receptionist on The Office.  In the article, Brian considers whether the Cardinals finished the season too flat, and more importantly, whether that matters now.

The End is Nigh...

According to the SF Gate, Arrested Development may be finished.  If this is true, I hope it opens the door for one of those shows about the dopey husband and his hot wife, who gets tired of his crazy antics but loves him just the same.  Boy, that would be swell.