Month: August 2013

Fresh Buffa Movie Reviews

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These are two of the better films I’ve seen in 2013.  Here is your Buffa review write up.

The Spectacular Now

Rating-R

Running Time-95 minutes

Directed by James Ponsoldt

Cast-Miles Teller, Shailene Woodley, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Andre Royo, Kyle Chandler and Mary Elizabeth Winstead.

Plot-This is the tale of Sutter Keely (Miles Teller), a high school senior and effortless charmer, and of how he unexpectedly falls in love with “the good girl” Aimee Finecky (Shailene Woodley). 

Buffa’s Take-Remember the name Miles Teller.  The young actor gives a breakout performance in this sly touching and deeply revealing tale of young love found in the midst of the transformation from teenager to the land of isolated aduts.  Teller’s Sutter Keely is the center of the story, the high school party animal who carries an antique set of hidden demons behind his easy going charm and outgoing personality.  Sutter talks fast and thinks in a reality based only out of the NOW and has little regard for his future.  In a nutshell, he is off the ground.  Only when he meets the sweet, smart, strong and grounded Amy(Woodley, effortless feeling flowing from her pores) does Sutter began to slow down.

Director James Ponsoldt teamed up with the writers of the superb 500 Days of Summer(Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber) to adapt Tim Thorp’s novel and the result is an engaging blend of true end of innocence romance and misery that never tugs too hard on your heartstrings and doesn’t dwell into sentimental manipulation.  This material lives and dies on the abilities of the two central young actors to pull off tough roles.  The good news is they are both sensational.  They don’t just play a part.  Great actors lend a piece of themselves to a role and that happens here.

Teller will instantly remind you of a taller stockier Shia Laboeuf until the final third of the film when he has to really transcend and give a performance that stretches outside the land of gimmicky facial expressions and energy.  Woodley wooed us in The Descendants but will have her coming out party in 2013 and this is the perfect start.  Amy is exactly what Sutter needs and the final act of the film reminds you how tough that is to make work even in the land of make believe.  Sutter parties and is a legit alcoholic who lives under a disguise of carelessness that slowly gets broken down.  The matter in which his defense becomes undone isn’t exactly how you’d think and that comes from the true work of the actors.  Leigh and Chandler lend their versatile talents to smaller roles, The Wire’s Royo has a few good scenes but this is a two act show.

The Spectacular Now is fully embodied raw pride on display while carrying a few surprises and swimming in the same heartfelt storytelling sea as 2012’s gem Perks of Being a Wallflower.  The similarity is the central character’s dilemma and their rise/fall tale isn’t sent through the smooth Hollywood washer machine and instead left out in the cold air for the audience to take at their own expense.  Sutter doesn’t cry out for help and Teller doesn’t simply work a job.  He steps into the shoes of a teenager who lives like a young man but has the cynicism of an older man.  He knows what he is and tries to keep people at a distance.  When this film gets close to being sentimental and edges towards familiarity, it wields its heartbreak city dialogue and imagery at your throat.

Miles Teller doesn’t just act in the third act.  He breaks your heart with his deft ability to underplay explosive dialogue and does it effortlessly.  I’m not saying the kid will win awards one day, but as Sutter Keely, he carves a spot in your heart the same way Michael B. Jordan does with Oscar Grant in Fruitvale Station.  Sutter has a real problem and the saddest thing is, he knows what it is and can’t win.  Woodley is great as well.  She is a gifted actress who comes off here as sweet natured and fragile but Amy knows what exactly what she wants and how to get it.  When things get dark in the third act, Woodley steps up her game and matches Teller scene for scene.

This movie is the kind of flick The Way Way Back wanted to be and failed (at least to this film-addict).  The Spectacular Now will leave you thinking about what went through your mind after high school and where your life has led you to.  It’s not award worthy material but instead a genre film that is done with originality and a blunt force conviction.  You may think you know where it’s going but it has a few “gotcha” moments along the way.  I’d see it again and may just join the advertising campaign.

Buffa Rating-5/5

 

Drinking Buddies

Rating-R

Running Time-90 minutes

Written, Directed and Edited by Joe Swanberg

Cast-Olivia Wilde, Jake Johnston, Anna Kendrick and Ron Livingston

Plot-Long time co-workers/best friends are faced with change and battle attraction when their spouses happen to meet.

Buffa’s Take-Olivia Wilde and Jake Johnson are so good as Kate and Luke that you nearly forget you are merely watching actors play best friends.  As the sentence finishing and lingo infused duo of a brewing company who have been drowning a burning attraction for years with laughs, food and a LOT of beer, the actors are pure revelations.  The material is simple enough.   They are friends and their spouses and co-workers are simply waiting for the dynamite stick of romance to drop.  Whether it does or not is writer/director Joe Swanberg’s magic trick that will keep you looking until the final pin drop.  This isn’t your normal romantic comedy people.  Please don’t write it off as just another “they will get together in the end and the latest coolest pop ballad will fill the background with a smooth digestive flavor”.  Drinking Buddies moves in mysterious ways and the reason  it works so well is the top flight acting crew assembled, anchored by the new kids on the block to real drama and that’s Wilde and Johnson.

You may know the two.  Wilde is the drop dead gorgeous beauty who battled aliens with Daniel Craig and romanced Ryan Reynolds while Jason Bateman was stuck inside his body.  Johnson spins bottles with Zooey Deschanel on Fox’s New Girl and has dabbled in supporting roles in films such as 2012’s Safety Guaranteed.   Here, the two are joined by the always reliable Kendrick and Livingston (so cool on screen that he appears to be floating through air while making his lines up as he goes).   This is a four part play set inside a movie.

For the first time in a fair stretch of attempts, the heavy parts of this comedy are handled with care and never reach sentimentality.  The bar scenes are realistic.  The awkward moments of sexuality are strangled by conviction.  The actors feel like they know and love the parts they play.   When a genre is treated right, magic can happen.  Drinking Buddies surprised the crap out of me.  This is due to a nail hitting script from Swanberg and his ability to let two unproven actors take on difficult roles.

Wilde has never been this good and I can’t say I am surprised.  She was the beauty with talent, something that separated her from Jessica Biel, Jessica Alba and Megan Fox.  She barely wears any makeup in the role, drinks convincingly like a fish and plays a strong flawed woman who never shows you every one of her cards.  She is a mystery even to herself.  Johnson has never been better and puts his easy going charm to good use here and doesn’t let it hide his sudden moments of self-confliction.   When he stands still and just stares into the character’s eyes through the camouflage of his beard and Old Style baseball cap, it penetrates your senses and the screen.   This isn’t high art kids, but for a movie with this name and expectation, it comes damn near close.

Drinking Buddies is a movie I didn’t want to see end.  You think you know where it’s going in the first third of the film only to be led down a different road as the brilliantly paced 90 minute running time comes to a close.   It doesn’t run towards its conclusion but slowly walks to it.  This is as honest of a romantic drama as you will see in a long time.  I haven’t seen a genre film done so effortlessly heartfelt with a heavy dose of reality.  This movie has soul to spare.  Every romantically involved script feels like a decision is being handed down at the end on the fates of make believe characters.  In Drinking Buddies, whether you like the end or not, you must admire the authenticity.

Buffa Rating-4/5

 

Find more fresh views and reviews on the movies at http://www.film-addict.com.

 

5 Reasons Ben Affleck as Batman Works

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Imagine Matt Damon picking up his phone tonight.  He looks at a text from Ben Affleck.  “How about them apples!”  A fictional thought for sure but the news from Warner Brothers tonight is that Affleck is the new Batman for the 2015 team up with Superman and Batman and the sequel to Man of Steel which will be directed by Zach Snyder and also star Henry Cavill.   This move carries a bold flavor and Warner Brothers is surely banking on an actor that has scored them three hits in a row, including a best picture and director Oscar with last year’s Argo.  Affleck has been a home run hitter for the studio and this makes the move easier to understand on many levels.  The box office prediction for this movie in the opening weekend just bumped up around 50 million.  There isn’t a career in Hollywood that’s hotter than Affleck, and that’s whether or not Runner, Runner with Justin Timberlake scores high or not.  In five quick points, I will tell you why I like this move yet understand the risk at stake and the bold flavor on the table.

*It’s been a long time since Daredevil folks.  Give him a break on the past that he has done more than enough to bury.  Since he got married and took a break, Affleck has rarely swung and missed.  He said he never would return to tights, but he also didn’t think he would have this kind of comeback either.  Comic book geeks will hate almost every single move.  They didn’t like Michael Keaton or Christian Bale and look at their work.  Give Affleck peace of mind.

*Affleck is a true box office monster these days and will help ensure the movie backs up the proposed budget of 200 million plus.  He is a big name and will throw Cavill on his shoulders if the young Brit does little to separate himself from Clark Kent in the meantime.  This is Warner Brothers ensuring that this movie will reach a ton of fans and not just the comic crowd.

*Affleck will pull off a perfect Bruce Wayne.  The bigger question is his interpretation of Batman.  Judging from the Town, he will pull off the body and suave attitude easily.  The bigger deal is the voice of Affleck’s Batman.  It has to distinguish itself from his Wayne but can’t be as baritone as Bale or simple as Keaton.  The voice of Batman will be the juiciest factor of Ben Affleck’s portrayal.

* The age factor isn’t an issue.  Affleck will be 43 years old when the film comes out and has proven to keep in great shape.  There are men that can’t play a superhero past the age of 40 and others that can make it work when they hit 50 years old.  Robert Downey Jr. will play Iron Man until he is 50.  Downey Jr. was 43 years old when he first portrayed Tony Stark in 2008.

*Remember this.  Affleck has earned this.  He came back from the dead.  Rose from the ashes of Daredevil, Reindeer Games and Gigli.  He has earned the right to put his face on a summer blockbuster franchise and definitely makes the anticipation for the movie sky rocket.  For anybody who questions the move, remember Hollywood respects a comeback.  Warner Brothers gave Affleck a chance to revive his career with Gone, Baby, Gone and watched him make back to back box office hits with The Town and Argo, while all three were critically acclaimed.  If any actor in Hollywood deserves to take batting practice with a huge role, it’s Ben Affleck.  I respect the boldness of the move and think with Snyder, Nolan and a fine supporting cast involved, this will work out just fine.

Forget about the rest of the main players.  Bryan Cranston would make a great Lex Luthor.  Jim Broadbent would pull off a fine Alfred.  Jon Hamm could do a certain District Attorney in his sleep or the mayor.   Hopefully the Joker stays at rest.  The big news right now is Ben Affleck will play Batman in Warner Brothers’ upcoming DC team up Superman/Batman film.  It surprised me at first but at the ground floor of this news is a compelling new element to the film that was missing before.  Check back here for more updates and check out my column on Affleck’s comeback below.  Thanks for reading addicts!

Feed your fix at http://www.film-addict.com 

 

Thanks for reading,

Dan Buffa

 

 

Hand Me the Shovel on Jake Westbrook

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No matter what happens in this game, 7-5 Cards in the 6th inning, I can tell you one thing.   Jake Westbrook doesn’t deserve to be in this rotation any longer.   Today, he helped himself in a 6 run 2nd inning in pushing his team out to a 7-0 lead against the Brewers in a rubber match.  He ran into trouble in the 3rd and gave up a 3 run bomb to Aramis Rameriz, a registered Cardinal killer.  Why Jake felt the need to pitch to Rameriz even with 2 runners on will befuddle my mind for a long time.   In the 5th inning, after getting 2 outs, Westbrook regressed and gave up 2 more runs.  You see the leaks here and the problems.  It’s not hard with a guy like Westbrook.   He is bad news.   His elbow could be bothering him or he could just be breaking down.   A sinker baller can only stay around for so long before they learn another pitch to prolong their career or they just go away.   Westbrook’s return in 2013 was held in question by me last winter because of our young arm supply.  Then we lost Carpenter and Garcia and Jake was needed.  We didn’t resign Kyle Lohse and inserted 4 rookies into rotational stints this season.   The rotation is a big question mark because right now, this set isn’t a big threat in a postseason series.   Waino is your guy, Kelly is hot, but after that it gets worrisome.  Lynn is talented but has a bad mental makeup and blows leads.   Taking away his run support is like taking away a gunman’s firearms.   Shelby Miller is holding steady but may succumb to a pitch count or shoulder issue before we know it.   He gives you 5-6 innings every time out and avoid the big inning.  Then you have Westbrook.

In my mind, there’s no way Matheny can move forward with him in this rotation.  These games mean too much.  Every single one counts.  We may not catch Pittsburgh so we could be contention for another wild card game.  There are less than 35 games left.  Things are going to start speeding up.  Westbrook is a pitcher that requires so much finesse it gets to be a weight on the shoulders just to get him ready.  He can’t pitch on the road, especially in PNC Park or Great American Park.  He needs lots of pre game prep.  He is a 30 something pitcher who has the body of a 50 year old when it comes to pitching.  He can’t pitch in this rotation any more and he won’t be a good bullpen guy either, as we saw against LA at Busch.  Sure, he could condition himself for a different role but is he or his body in any shape to do so?  Ask yourself that question.  What is Jake’s role on this team if not in the rotation?  Dismiss it as long as you can but sooner or later you think, in what spot other than a 10 run blowout do you put Jake into a game?  We saw what happened with a 7-0 lead today?  This was the final hair and in the long run may end up being best for the Cards.   Hit the wall with Westbrook now instead of down the road in September.

Options?

*Insert Michael Wacha into the spot.  He can at least give you 5th starter production if not more.  His upside is insane if he gets the chance and his work out of the pen suggests his mental makeup is stronger than before.  You have nothing to lose by giving Wacha the reins and letting him go.  He’d have two more wins if it weren’t for bullpen malfunction.

*Tyler Lyons isn’t fit for a starting role.  He looks good as a long man in the pen and his 4 straight losses in the rotation doesn’t make one think he can suddenly turn it around.

*Carlos Martinez is extremely talented but not ready to give the rotation meaningful innings.   He looked unfit in his start against the Dodgers at Busch.  He will be a 2014 candidate.

*Look at Lohse or Dan Haren on the waiver wire.  I will say this.  Lohse has looked good for 2 months.  He knows Busch, has a shorter contract, and could give this rotation a real boost.  A lot of money comes off the books in 2014.   Lohse can be afforded and has suddenly figured out how to pitch in the MLB and be very good.   If Milwaukee dangles him, think about it.  Give me 3 good reasons why not.  He is a proven playoff pitcher.  He could be a boost.  Dan Haren has also been very good as of late and returning to the Cardinals may help his career and the team.  These are 2 guys who could be 3rd spot starters in a good rotation and could help the team without losing your entire farm system.   This isn’t Jake Peavy or Cliff Lee.   Lohse and Haren would cost the Cards but not a ton of prospects or money.   With one of these guys, I see a deadly rotation.  Without them, you are depending on a little luck.  Just my take.

Feel free to fire back, discuss and break it down.  I love interacting with fellow Cards nuts.  Back to the game.  Thanks for reading.  Seth Maness is in and trying to hold a 7-5 lead against a Brewers team smelling blood.  If he can hold it, Trevor Rosenthal and Edward Mujica will follow.  Nothing is certain in this game.

-Dan Buffa

@buffa82 on Twitter

film-addict.com

United Cardinal Bloggers

TV Spotlight-Ray Donovan

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Ray Donovan centers on Liev Schreiber’s Los Angeles “fixer” and his relationship with his father and the rest of his family.  He is the guy nobody knows because he won’t let them behind the dark façade he protects himself with like a sheet of armor.  Few actors deserve a leading role and can rip into one like this than Schreiber.  He has owned the supporting mantle and made his dent in certain roles but truly shines here as a troubled man with a well of anger that could fill an ocean of hate.  He doesn’t just solve problems.  He hurts people.  He tortures people.  He takes care of people yet damages others.  He doesn’t go to bed with the sound of the ocean at his back.  He drowns himself in lies, betrayals, blood and a few fingers of bourbon.

All his fire and agenda start and finish with his father, Mickey(played by the legendary character actor Jon Voight, breathing chilled vapor into his scenes), who just got out of jail 5 years early from a stint that Ray arranged because the old man screwed his life 6 ways from Sunday.   Ray’s brother, Terry (the fantastic and soulful Eddie Marsan), has Parkinson’s disease and can’t connect with anyone not wearing a pair of boxing mitts.  His other brother, Bunchie(a sad eyed Dash Mihok), is scarred for life after being molested by a priest when he was a child.  They had a sister too, but she threw herself off a building year’s earlier and as far as we know, Mickey is the cause and the effect of that horrible event.   There’s Ezra(Elliot Gould, lending his old pro talent here in a heartbreaking manner), Ray’s mentor, who is slowly losing his mind to Alzheimer’s.  Ray’s wife, Abby(Deadwood’s Paula Malcomson, the red haired Irish woman cracking a Boston accent here) has no idea who her husband is nor what he does but loves him anyway.  His kids(Kerris Dorsey and Devon Bagby) are mixed up emotionally and getting into pools of water that may encompass them before Ray can pull them out.   Sure, there are other threads but that is the center pack.  I haven’t even told you that much because this show unfolds at its own pace.

Without its superb cast, Ray Donovan would be another NBC crime drama dying a slow death on the cut chart.  Showtime is a great network because they put these hard hitting authentic crime dramas on the air and let them slowly grow and make their way into your system.  The pilot is compelling but only lays the seeds for the story that will span 12 episodes.   It isn’t until episode 8(which aired this past Sunday) that the hook is laid into you.   You can’t put these kinds of damaged souls on network cable.  They require patience.   Ray Donovan consists of a sea of misfit toys and brutalized souls and wouldn’t make it on a safe network.

Check out Frank Whaley’s diabolical FBI agent who is determined to bring the Donovan’s to their knees.   Look at Steven Bauer bringing back the cool and deadly playing Ray’s right hand man Avi.  Think about the exact crime that got Mickey in jail and what part each character played in it.  Everybody has a secret on this show and you don’t figure it out until the 8th hour.  You watch them in the first hour and you think you have seen it all and can brush it off, but there are layers of personality to the characters.   We don’t know what Ray did to Mickey and why he hates his father so much.  Voight and Schreiber play the scenes like two devils dancing around their own tomb.  Nobody is a clean cut good guy or bad guy on this show.  They all carry an ounce of dirt and a dose of loyalty to a code.   Some are more lost than others while a few keep repeating their mistakes.   Without this cast and their ability to not overplay their parts, the show would fall flat on its head.  You can’t teach understatement to a group of pretenders.

Creator Ann Biderman created Southland, wrote episodes for N.Y.P.D. Blue and wrote the screenplays for Public Enemies and Primal Fear.  She lives in the land of hardcore authentic crime shows and likes to take chances by bending well known genres.  Ray Donovan shows Biderman mixing all her worlds of creativity together.  The courts, the streets, the law and the unseen demons that dance through our souls on a daily basis.   Deep at the heart of this Showtime gem lays an undeniable truth.    It doesn’t matter what you did in the past.   Whether you like it or not, you have to deal with it sooner or later.  Good deeds go unpunished but bad deeds live forever until you make them right.

Biderman, Schreiber and company present you with a traditional setup and then break it down piece by piece.  Get in now.  Season 1 has 4 hours left and Season 2 comes in 2014.  Ray Donovan doesn’t just deserve your attention.  It’s worth your time and effort.  The authenticity and unfolding of the plot along with the flawless acting make it powerful.

Here’s a behind the scenes take.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPbD7hHHHbk

-Dan Buffa

film-addict.com

http://www.doseofbuffa.com

@buffa82

http://www.unitedcardinalbloggers.com

Six Things About the Cardinals

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The Cards lost an ugly one in Milwaukee, so here I am right after laying out the deck.  These aren’t warning bells yet a simple reminder of things to consider as we approach the final month of the season.   The Cardinals are a dangerous team but one with inconsistencies and weak spots.  We are the approaching hitchhiker to the playoffs that can be picked off by the right sniper.   They always make a fan nervous because it’s a 162 game season and day to day mood swings are normal for an authentic baseball fan.  Here are some things to think about, admire and remember.

1.  Starting Rotation notes.  Lance Lynn and Jake Westbrook are trouble seekers.    Depending tomorrow on Westbrook to win the series is like calling up your most depressed and anti-social friend to be your wingman for a potential double date.   I don’t care if Lynn has 13 wins because his record and overall stat sheet is bloated and misleading.  He strikes guys out but also likes to walk guys at horrible times and blows leads like its going out of style.   Westbrook is a declining veteran who might have one more contract with a team left before he becomes that painful to watch back of the rotation guy.  Wait a minute…he already is that.  Oops.  Westbrook is the tired broken down horse that needs a bullet in September.   Lynn is more troubling because there are wrinkles of greatness in his facade yet he lets his mental setup crack very easily.   Crash Davis may be needed to deal with Lynn’s 2 cent head.  He looks lost every time something doesn’t go his way.  Lynn is flashy but inconsistent and gets worse in the second half.  He can lose another 20 pounds and he will still be the same pitcher.  He’s kept the weight off yet this is a mental problem.  In his last 7 starts he has ran into one BAD inning every game.  That’s not good at all and probably won’t change.  I’ll always attach Lynn to Game 6 of the 2012 NLCS when he had that horrible inning that let the Giants get a huge lead.  He is a big inning meltdown artist.   So is Westbrook.   In my book, Joe Kelly is a more effective if less flashy starter than Lance Lynn.   Give Kelly Lynn’s run support and see their records change.  Without Kelly, the Cards would be further out of this race.   Waino and Kelly have been solid.  Shelby Miller has been a typical fireballing rookie but his head and mental makeup is a lot better than Lynn’s.  Miller is just in love with dictatorship on the mound, trying to blow away every hitter.  That will improve with years.  Lynn will not improve.  He will give you that fast start and shiny record but when the games start to really count, Lynn will come up short and limp.   He is offseason trade bait.  The rotation isn’t set for a playoff run.  Changes need to be made.  Michael Wacha needs to be considered for a spot if Lynn/Westbrook continue to trend down.  The crazy theory is looking into Kyle Lohse(winner tonight and a victim of horrid run support himself) for a waiver claim.   It’s not pretty but Lohse is pitching great and is comfortable in the division and in Busch.  He has 2 more years but seems to have figured something out the past 2 seasons.  His ERA is solid and with a better team would have over 10 wins. The Brewers may not do it but they aren’t going to contend inside this suddenly strong division in 2014 or 2015.   Its not even a decent possibility but if Mozelaik can look into it, he should.  The Cards are treading water, getting no heavy innings from their starters and seeing the bullpen start to crack.   What happens in 2 weeks of consistent 5-6 inning starts with the usual Waino 7 inning performance?   Where are the options?  Carlos Martinez is out there but the team seems to think of him as a bullpen arm.   Wacha is here but needs to be re-routed.  Keep an eye on this bunch.  Hoping the Cards rotation will figure things out if like hoping you can make it through a run without shitting your pants.   Don’t bet on it.

2.  Kolten Wong, everyone.   After going hitless in his first two games, Wong has 5 hits and 3 stolen bases in his last two games.   The young gun can fly on the basepaths and is getting the green light to steal and that adds a whole other dimension to this team.   David Freese went 0-4 tonight and isn’t doing himself any favors.   The better Wong performs the more Freese will sit down.   Wong could have easily had a 4 hit night if the 9th inning line drive doesn’t strike the pitcher’s hand.  He is quick, fresh, and spreads the ball around.  He is exactly what this streaky offense needed.  A kick in the ass.  Wong will be benched tomorrow because Mike Matheny thinks Freese can hit Tony Gorzelanny but he needs to seriously push David for starts.  It’s nothing personal to the Freese faithful but unless he goes on a terror, the bench will be his friend.

3. I don’t find the time or need most nights to trash Mike Matheny.  It’s important to remember he is a 2nd year manager.   He had no minor league experience and spent the years before 2012 wearing a suit, talking to Pat Parris and being Mo’s wingman.   Keep that in mind.   This isn’t a direct defense.  Just expect the guy to make some boneheaded decisions that mirror Tony La Russa and a young raw leader.   He bunts way too much, makes lots of pitching changes, extends a fierce loyalty to all his players and leaves it all on the table.   He is blunt, candid and John Wayne tough.   I respect the hell out of the guy and will admit he has a lot to learn at this level but for any sane sports soul in St. Louis calling for his dismissal, I have nothing but contempt for you.  He is a young skipper.  Give him time.  He didn’t get a rebuilding team to lead.  He got an annual World Series contender to drive.   It’s not an easy gig and most nights I cut him more slack than the players.  Matheny time over.

4.  I did like the Cardinals lineup and our depth was on display again.   Without our two best offensive players in Matt Carpenter(leader in hits, runs scored, doubles triples, finely trimmed facial hair) and Allen Craig(RBI machine), our lineup was formidable.   Wong in the #2 hole is great and Holliday, Beltran and Molina is a nice wrecking ball of producers.  If you have to rest 2 All Star’s, this lineup makes it feasible.   However, let’s not do it again.   Matt Adams has been a much better pinch hitter this year than starter and Jon Jay doesn’t need to be back in that leadoff spot when he has been killing pitching in the 6th hole.

5.  Pete Kozma has 3 hits in August.  That is why he will sit a lot of games.  I don’t care about his better defense over Descalso at short.   He has to get more hits or it’s like having 2 pitchers at the bottom of the lineup.   He hasn’t produced anything lately except for the go ahead hit on getaway Sunday against the Cubs at Busch Stadium on August 11th.  One of his 3 hits.

6.  Matt Holliday has simply cooled off.   In his last 5 games, he is 1-19.   The average is back down to .283.   Stop making comments about him hitting in the 3rd or 4th hole.  He was good in the 4th spot with Albert in 2010 and 2011.  He was good last year in the #3 spot.  He came off the DL on July 27th and was hitting good.  He isn’t hitting horribly.  Getting bad luck line drives caught and getting out in front of pitches.   He can hit in either spot and produce.  He is a streaky hitter who recovered his season with a 3 week hot stretch.  Hopefully he catches fire again soon.

That’s all I got.  This Dose of Buffa on the Cardinals has reached it’s conclusion.  Nice to see Yadi Molina collect 4 hits last night and a pair tonight to get back to .336.   His bat is required to make the lineup run.   Come back tomorrow for more thoughts that hopefully involve talking about a series win.

Goodnight,

Dan Buffa

-Film-Addict.com

-www.unitedcardinalbloggers.com

-@buffa82 on Twitter

-Listen in at redwolfrollcall.com tomorrow at 4pm for my hit on the Cards

Let’s Talk About Joe Kelly and 2014 Cardinal Pitching

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There aren’t many blog posts in Cardinal nation out there that wanted to talk about Joe Kelly in May or June.  He wasn’t a hot topic like Matt Carpenter or Edward Mujica.  That’s because he was as well hidden as Roman Polanski for three months this season.  He worked out of the bullpen but looked like a disgruntled coal miner when he hit the mound.  Finally, last month, he was utilized.   He was inserted into the rotation when the world found out Chris Carpenter wasn’t coming back.   Since July 6th, Kelly is 4-1 with a 1.60 ERA.  He has been the Cards best starter by far.  He isn’t easy to watch at times, but the good thing is the man pitches his best when under pressure.  With men on base, his ERA drops.  He is the Allen Craig of pitchers.  With empty bases, he sort of tunes out.   When men reach base or worse, get into scoring position, he turns into a freak and shuts it down.  Today, he threw another solid performance on the board, shutting down the Cubs for 6 innings and helping his team win 4-0 at Wrigley.  A day after our team was shut out badly, Kelly takes the mound and rights the ship.   His last three wins have come after losses.

He is the stopper right now.  That is due in part because the team won’t score runs for Adam Wainwright and because the rest of the rotation is inept or just bad at winning games or overmatched.   Kelly is the man for the time being.  It probably won’t last and he won’t win pitcher of the month honors but this team may look uglier without Kelly this past month.  We may be in third place.   That’s an important guy that was wrongfully snubbed for 3 months.   After serving his purpose in 2012 in the rotation and pen, Kelly was passed over in 2013 for young guns John Gast, Tyler Lyons, Michael Wacha and Carlos Martinez.   Finally, when the Cards knew their hail mary Carp comeback was going to fall short of the end zone, they inserted Kelly.  He has been aces every since.  He isn’t a shutdown arm.  He won’t throw complete games.  He puts a lot of guys on base but he gets out of innings unscathed.  When was the last time Kelly was truly shelled in a start?  Call it.  It’s a rarity.  He is the reliable arm who gets zero attention because he doesn’t strike out 10 batters or dominate.  He is a blue collar rotation soldier.  In his last 9 appearances, all starts, starting on June 21st, Kelly has only allowed more than 3 earned runs in 5 innings or more twice.  It came on July 6th against the Marlins.  He beat the Cubs at Wrigley on July 12th.  He pitched shutout ball for 6.1 innings in Atlanta on July 27th and got nothing for it.  He won the lone game of the series against both the Pirates and Dodgers.  On Sunday, he allowed 4 runs to the Cubs in 5.1 innings but didn’t blow the game.  Today, he pitched 6 innings of shutout ball at Wrigley, a place where many Cards starters can’t seem to pitch well in 2013.  What he does isn’t pretty but Joe Kelly has been solid during a time where the rest of the team has struggled mightily.  He is worth talking about for 2014 or he may help net you a great shortstop in a trade.  Other teams can’t be blind to Kelly’s success in limited duty that can be stretched between the mound and pen.  The only true knock on Kelly from me is he walks a few more guys than I’d like.  55 K to 29 BB.  That’s not horrible but not too sharp either.  Still, he is a perfect 5th starter.

2014 will be interesting.   The sure things are(if Jaime “Band aide mind” Garcia makes it back fine) are Waino, Mr. Garcia, and Shelby Miller.  I still don’t consider Lance Lynn to be a lock for next season.  He could be trade bait.  He has a nice W-L record but he gets a lot of run support and fades in the second half.  He also lets a sudden round of misfortune affect an entire inning because he isn’t mentally strong.  He walks too many and likes to strike guys out too much.   I like him as a 3rd or 4th guy but not sure he will be here in 2014.  So you have Lynn and Kelly.  Michael Wacha may well be in the rotation in a week if Westbrook fades deeper into veteran oblivion and he keeps firing zeroes in the pen.  Martinez, Gast and Lyons are also there.  Total, not including the 3 certainties in the rotation, you have 6 starters hanging around in Lynn, Kelly, Wacha, Martinez, Gast and Lyons for 2014.  The Cards don’t need starting pitching or bullpen help in 2014.  They are set.  The real problem will be what to do with Edward Mujica when Jason Motte returns in April/May.   Mujica has been sharp and filled in well but the closer job is Jason Motte’s because he is paid that way and earned it with his work in 2011/2012 playoff runs.  Mujica could make good money on the open market as a closer so I doubt he comes back to the Cards knowing he will be headed for the 7th inning bridge role again.  That’s fine.  The Cards have a surplus of starting pitching that will seep into the bullpen.  This is where they will trade from in the offseason to acquire a shortstop.   Carlos Beltran can come back or not, but this team needs a legit shortstop.  Especially if they do lean on Oscar Taveras and Kolten Wong for larger roles in 2014.  Pete Kozma and Ryan Jackson aren’t going to do it.  Daniel Descalso is a solid bench guy who can play 3 positions.  He is a keeper.  The offseason mission is deciding what to do with the end of your rotation and what shortstop you go after.  I still like the idea of making an offer for Jimmy Rollins.  Short term deal, more money than you’d like but less liability.  The Cards, once again, have very good problems to figure out.

Back to 2013.  Michael Wacha has pitched 3 innings out of the pen and struck out 7.   He looks good down there but still values higher as a starter.  Tyler Lyons is in your pen now as a long lefthanded arm so the Cards don’t have another blowout like the Miller Line Drive game.  They have Wacha and Lyons down there who can throw 2-4 innings if needed.  That’s the good thing about keeping those guys down there in the pen.  BUT….do you really give Jake Westbrook in the rotation after his last 3 outings.   Let’s say the Cards win the next three and you are going for a sweep in Milwaukee on Wednesday.  Does Jake really make that start?  He gets banged up in the first inning so you can have Wacha and Lyons on call but still be down 4-0 pretty quick.   I don’t see why.  I’d rather have Lyons or Wacha make that start but it won’t happen.   I am loving my stats lately but already gave them on Jake last night.  Let’s spin it this way.  HE SUCKS lately.  Not good.  Not worth it.  At all.  If he makes another start and stalls or puts his team in danger of a winning streak being broken, he must be banished to the back of the bullpen.   This is the majors Mr. Mike Matheny.  Your loyalty cost the Cards early on with Mitchell Boggs. Please don’t let it cost us late with Jake Westbrook.

The END!  1300 words on this team when I didn’t think I’d break 600.   That’s baseball.  That’s life in the summer for a Cards fan who likes to write.  Now I am ordering Louie’s pizza, getting the kid in bed, and considering watching some preseason football.   Goodnight folks.

-DLB

United Cardinal Bloggers

Wednesday Radio hits at 4pm on The Last Call at http://www.redwolfrollcall.com

@buffa82 on Twitter

 

Late Night Mind Drips

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Let me begin my saying that yes I am sitting here on a Friday night at my desk in front of my 47 inch plasma getting ready to write.  You see, I revel in my need to not HAVE to party when I have the chance.  A big night for the Buffa’s is Rachel going next door to have wine with friends or me going to my dad’s cigar lounge to shoot the shit.  Most nights, I am sitting a room away from my kid as he sleeps or at least tries to.  When you are a parent, you don’t get to have a life.  I don’t mind it.  I was never a body for the party scene.  A big waste of cash, mind and time.  I’d rather have friends over here, drink a little, watch some TV, play some games, make a fire in the backyard, kick a soccer ball around and do little else.  So many parents I know like to still convince themselves that they have a life outside being a parent.  I say that theory is stupid.  Once you bring a little one in, you must get smarter for your own good as well as his or her’s future.  So here I am, rambling with a four shot aided cup of joe sitting next to my laptop.   Sherlock Holmes 2: Game of Shadows is on the television and if you are a fan of old school detective action adventure magic, give it a look.  Guy Ritchie, Robert Downey Jr., and Jude Law have brought back the famous British investigator with a will to flash, dazzle and present to us a thinking man’s action hero.   Sorry Jonny Lee Miller and Benedict Cumberbatch, but Downey Jr. is my preferred Holmes.  That is playing again as we speak.  I have probably watched it 88 times on cable.  I know every scene.  Most of the dialogue.  Still say Law and RDJ have some of the best chemistry between co-stars anywhere in the time capsule of film and Jared Harris was an excellent choice to play Professor Moriarty.  Anyway…

The Cards lost today.  7-0 in vicious embarrassment to the Cubs at Wrigley.  I hate playing there.  The odds always seem against the Cards.  Wind blowing out, bounces going the other way.  So easy to bunch runs together.  Today, our troubled veteran starter, Jake Westbrook, walked the first three hitters he faced.   It’s hard watching him pitch on the road, or anywhere these days.   He kind of has this weird little leg kick and throws from a sidearm angle towards the plate that involves more desperation than skill or craft.   He’s hard to watch.  Like putting a bowl full of spaghetti in the microwave with no paper towel over it.  You watch it, hoping for no explosion or mess.   He was lost today.   Sure, he recovered.  By the time he did it was 4-0.  By the time his last earned run crossed, it was 7-0 and the game was over.  The Cubs pitcher, a nobody named Jake Arrieta, shut down the Cards on 2 hits through 7 innings.   Only Carlos Beltran mustered a pair of hits and one of them was on the infield.  The Cards, one day after coming from behind and taking a huge and dramatic step forward by defeating the Pirates at Busch, looked lifeless and brought the frustration of day to day ball right back to our heads.  It’s impossible to char this team.  What happens tomorrow?  Will we lose another series to a pitiful team?  Save me the spoiler tactic here with the Cubs.  I know it.  Breathe it.  Digested it.  The theory is strong but understand something.  I want the Cards to start dominating.  Beating the spit out of teams spirits.  Do what you did in April and May.  The first part of July.   KILL!  Instead, we are up and down.  Like a head cold breaking sweats and building back up.  I won’t predict this team.  I am still stitching up the wound from that back stabbing today.  It takes time to heal.  By game time tomorrow with FOX 2 bringing the action, I will be ready and wondering if the lefthanded Travis Wood will quiet our bats or can Joe Kelly be a hero again.  Give us those gritty 5.1 innings of young Westbrook ball with an edge.  Then we face Edwin Jackson again, an Ex-Card that seems to never leave our sight lately.  He either shuts us down or we club him.  He is slightly better at home and the last time we faced him, we beat him up for 5 runs in 5 innings.  The start before that he allowed 7 runs in 5 innings.   If we can’t beat a bad Edwin Jackson, we don’t deserve a damn thing.  Serve the food cold on the plane.

It’s not MUST WIN mode but we are getting close.  Facing the bad teams is a time to gain confidence and gear up for the better teams like the Pirates, Reds or Braves.  We have been beating on the Reds all year so it’s only a matter of time before Brandon Phillips hits a walkoff off Rosenthal or Mujica and does that little crow hop afterwards.  Losing to the Cubs isn’t just bad baseball.  It’s pathetic.   About Jake Westbrook….

Let’s look at those stats.  I won’t throw you WAR or advanced sabermetrics here.  I will just stick to basics because with certain players, the details don’t hide.  Westbrook remarkably has a complete game this season, way back in June.  He has 42 strikeouts to 48 walks.  In his last 10 starts, he is 4-6 with a 4.46 ERA.  He has lost his last 4 starts in pivotal matchups.   Sure, the last two have been mop up duty.  Last Wednesday, he had to take over for a bruised Shelby Miller at the crooked logic of Mike Matheny.  Today, he had to save a taxed bullpen and get battered around.  He looks dreadful and lost.  He walks a lot of batters.  He is bad on the road.  He needs an hour of prep before a start.  He needs a perfectly made martini of hand treatment to get ready to pitch.  The real question is…how much does Jake have left?  Is it time to insert Michael Wacha, baby sat all year long by the coaches, into the rotation for the push.  Remember 2006 when Izzy broke down?  The closer spot was left vacant and looking downhill were the Cards.  Suddenly, Tony La Russa and Dave Duncan inserted Adam Wainwright there and the rest is history.   Is it time to shore up that one weak spot in your pitching arsenal?  Wacha isn’t polished or completely ready but he can handle a 5th spot.  He is more seasoned and ready than Carlos Martinez, who has been mishandled all season long.   Wacha looked razor sharp against the Pirates in relief on Wednesday.  He can give you 5-6 innings and keep you in the game.  Teams don’t have a full sheet on him yet.  He can throw a 96 mph heater and then drop off a 82 mph changeup at the pool afterwards.  He’s kind of nasty.  When will Mike Matheny and John Mozelaik confer with Derek Lilloquist and decide its time to send Westbrook out to the bullpen for mopup duty action.   They did it with Lance Lynn last season.  He did a few weeks in the pen and got his shit together.  It’s time for Jake Westbrook to take a walk.  To the bullpen.  Work on his craft.  For a while.

Allen Craig legitimately struggling.  It seems the big slugger is pale and weak without runners in scoring position.  He steps to the plate, looks out there and sees nobody to drive in and kind of blinks.  This superman like producer needs guys to drive in.   In his last 10 games, he is hitting .216 with as many strikeouts(8) as hits(8).  He’s not losing it.  He’s a little off.  He’s taking strike three calls.  He’s confused at the plate.  He can still strike out a big RISP spot but for the most part, is coming up short.  He doesn’t have the power he had last year.  That doesn’t have much to do with smacking base hits or doubles around without runners on.  Just a small hint in a big stack of RBI.

The Cards are power deprived.  Sure, they are leading the NL in runs scored and batting average.  A lot of those runs are scored in bunches and are misleading.  This lineup can be shut down a lot more than other teams lately.  When they lose, they don’t come up short.  They look dead.  Home runs are quick run collectors.  Hitting one can send a message.  Pitchers don’t like giving them up and they can zap a man’s confidence(just ask Lance Lynn about yesterday’s bomb to Clint Barmes).   They are rally killers but can put you ahead quickly on the board.  The Cards aren’t a base stealing team and can’t bunt that well.  It’s either stringing singles together or nothing at all.  That’s a dangerous cat walk especially if the RISP efficiency dips.  The rotation and bullpen don’t need any more pressure to perform.

Yes, I heard Charlie Manuel got canned in Philly.  Ryne Sandberg took his spot and while it’s isn’t surprising, I feel like Manuel got pushed out too early.  They had winning seasons under his belt every year, went to 2 WS and won one.   The team lost Roy Halladay and Ryan Howard this season and took hits.  They sunk but canning Manuel was a bold move and a sign they could be going younger.  That being said, I wouldn’t mind the Cards looking at Jimmy Rollins for a waiver deal/trade.  Don’t stomp me for wanting Rollins.  He isn’t having a good year.  He has been having a little problem with injuries.  He is hitting .252 with 5 HR and 36 RBI.  Still, bringing him here, to a team with a legitimate fighting chance to make the playoffs, could re-energize him.  We have seen it with Larry Walker and Will Clark.  Rollins just needs a change of scenery.  He was great when the Phillies were winning.  Older bodies need a young winning environment to keep moving.  Bringing Rollins to STL would cost the team and I am not sure if Mozelaik would reach out for this deal.  I think it’s worth trying.  Rollins could give this lineup another dimension.

Kolten Wong got a rough deal today.   He was overanxious and swung early in the counts.  He was 0-3 with a double play.  He showed speed and quickness.  He’s young and ready to contribute.  He turns double plays like a ghost at second base.  He’s going to stay here and make a difference.  Tough first day.  Hopefully he starts Sunday against Jackson.

Sorry IMOS.  David Freese won’t be playing every day.   The veteran St. Louis hero is struggling to put good starts together.  He’s pressing.  He’s behind on fastballs.  He’s lost.  His defense will soon crumble.  Having Wong up here will help Freese relax.  He’ll get less at bats but feel a little pressure taken off.  Matheny won’t outright bench him.  He’s too loyal to his players.  I can only imagine this skipper with his dogs at home.  Freese isn’t dead yet.

You have to respect Jason Motte.  He hangs around the team, keeps his spirits up, stays hungry and support his teammates while deemed useless.  And he donates a lot of his time and money to charities.  I own one of the 108 Stitches made Strikeout cancer shirts and that is only one of his drives.  He also gives money to Cardinal Glennon, donating 30 dollars for every Cardinal pitcher strikeout this season.   He doesn’t have to do any of this.  He chooses to.  Man makes the most of his time off the field.  I can’t wait to see him climb the rubber in 2014.

Until Jaime Garcia throws legitimately off the mound and can inch closer back than Chris Carpenter, let’s not talk about his 2013 comeback.

Chris Carpenter is also a chief.  Man is making 10 million dollars in 2013 to be a cheerleader but you can feel his presence in the dugout.  I am sure the young guys do every day.  The big tall veteran general walking around, shaved head, beard, sunglasses, commanding voice.   His leadership and presence in the dugout is a big boost to a searching team.   Only if he could take the mound and just scream and stare down the hitter.  I am hopeful for his 2014 season.  I still want him here.

Finally…other topics. 2,065 words later.

MOVIES

See Kick-Ass 2 if you want the anti-superhero action flick.  Check out the first one.   It’s a wildly fresh take on regular people taking the crime fight to the bad guys while suffering the consequences of their heroic actions.  Seems stupid but it’s quite fun and refreshing.

Skip the Butler.  Grab a book on the civil rights movement and move on.  It’s a 2 hour 12 minute bore.

My interview with director D.J. Caruso is posted on my website.  He’s a good guy and a man who cares.  Sent me a couple kind messages.   His new movie, Standing UP, is a welcome change of pace for the veteran action director.

Prince Avalanche, with Paul Rudd and Emile Hirsch, has an idea of what it wants to be.  A quirky mood driven character piece about being lost internally while working on a road for an entire summer.  Too bad the connection with the viewer is never fully made.  DVD worthy.

Writing a piece tomorrow on the versatile and memorable veteran character actor Bobby Cannavale.   You may know him his bit roles in film or from his recent Emmy nominated turn as Gyp Rosetti on Boardwalk Empire.  By the time you read my piece on Sunday morning, you will know exactly who he is.

MUSIC

New crush is Alabama Shakes.  A funky rock group with a ferocious lead vocal by Brittany Howard and an alternative finish.   Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings are a fine comparison but this band is electric.  They only have one official album(Boys and Girls) and an Itunes session release.   That one album I bought yesterday and it’s incredible.  Short, potent and not one song I want to skip.  I have listened to it three times inside a 24 hour period.  Check them out.

The Civil Wars album is also very good and apparently, very real in its making.  The two lead singers aren’t currently on speaking terms and won’t tour.  They got together and made an album that is as good as their first, Barton Hollow, and then split.  The music is as real as it gets.  And pretty damn good.

TV

Dexter isn’t out of gas just yet.  5 episodes to go.  The question remains. Does he live or die?  I would be happy either way but a man like Dexter who does good deeds the dirty way needs to stick around and keeps a movie possible years down the road with the right script and director.

Boardwalk Empire returns next month.   Season 3 was better than 2, which was better than 1.  See where I am going here.  The Steve Buscemi led prohibition drama gets better every season.

Rookie Blue isn’t a bad cop show for a network television production, but I am still dying for a premium cable network to produce a show in the vein of The Wire.

I may have to watch Breaking Bad.  Twitter and personal friends are urging me to try it.  I really like Bryan Cranston and AMC.

Speaking of AMC, Mark Strong’s new show, Low Winter Sun, premiered this past weekend.  Adapted from the British show starring Strong, this seedy detective drama centers on two cops who kill a fellow officer and must fight off the events that follow in the aftermath.   The cast is great and Strong is the heart and soul.   The man’s voice is powerful enough.

Final Argument-I am getting tired of hockey nuts telling me its harder to play than baseball.  Let me make this simple.  I played ice hockey in high school with no experience and acquitted myself well.   I scored a couple goals, learned to skate well and served as a good 4th line bruiser.  Baseball isn’t something you can just pick up.   Especially in the pro level.   Start an experiment.  Take an NHL player and start to teach him the game of baseball.  Catch, hitting, fielding.  The fundamentals.  Take a baseball player, put him on skates and do the same with hockey.  Who becomes adequate first?  I am betting all my money on the baseball player learning to skate, shoot and hold his own before a hockey player can hit a moving fastball, throw a breaking ball, hit a target from a long distance or connect a round bat with a round ball.   End of argument.  Baseball is the hardest sport to learn at a baseball skill level.

Goodnight,

Dan L. Buffa

 

 

 

 

 

Sinking The Pirate Ship and Its Effect

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What does one series win mean for a team?   For the Cardinals, it was the difference between being 2 games out today or 4 games out of first place.   It was premature for any Cardinals fan to think the Pirates would lay down after being outlasted by the Birds on Tuesday night 4-3.   Francisco Liriano came out last night and shut the team down on 94 pitches, scattered a few hits and made short work of our team.   The Pirates were back to 3 games up and took a 4-0 lead today early on.  How would the Cardinals react?

The crazy thing about the Rogues in red is that they are so streaky and can fall asleep at the wheel so easily.  The Cardinals can look so confounded by a pitcher after seemingly getting back on track.  Liriano is so pushover but seeing the team muster zero energy against him was frustrating for any Cards fan with a pulse.  Losing is one thing.  Ghost walking is quite another.   I remember the first series of the season where the Cards were playing San Francisco and Matt Cain shut them down the first two times through the order.  We were losing and on our way to a shutout.  Suddenly, we scored 9 times in the 6th inning and routed the Giants and ended up beating Cain again later in the year.  That’s our offense in a nutshell.   Power lacking, no need to steal, magnificent with RISP but streaky as a plate of Mexican food’s durability to cold temperatures.  We are down yet not out.  We are hitless and suddenly, like today, get 5 runs on 6 hits off A.J. Burnett, erase a 4-0 lead and take a lead.   Following the Cards is as rough as it gets.  We know this team will compete every single year.  We know they will dominate early on, sputter in June, nearly collapse in August and finally find their footing.  Heading into tomorrow action’s against the Cubs on August 16th, is that finally the time this team finds their feet and makes that push.   Let’s look at the schedule.

6 game road trip against The Cubs and Brewers.  Two painfully bad teams looking to play spoiler.  Jake Westbrook takes the mound tomorrow for the first time in 9 days to find his sinker and right his own ship.

Next, a pivotal home stand against the Braves(revenge) and the suddenly closing in on the division lead Reds.  3 games apiece.  The Cardinals have been good at home lately and need to keep that up.  The Dodgers and Cubs series losses withstanding, the second half has seen this team make Busch a comfort and not a hazard.

The end of the month closes with a road trip through Pittsburgh and Cincinnati.  CRUCIAL games at the start of the final push.  We come home and face the Pirates at BUSCH for the last 3 times in 2013.  These are nine games that can’t be wasted.

After the Bucs leave, we get the Brewers here for 3 and the Seattle Mariners for 3 games to finish interleague action.  Yes, we may face Mr. Felix.  Knowing our ability against great RH pitchers, we will shell him for 5 runs.

The last road trip of the season takes us to Colorado for a potentially hazardous 4 game set in the middle of the month and finally to Milwaukee one more time.  We got 9 games with the rough Brewers who don’t have Ryan Braun anymore and are very beatable.

The season comes to an end with the Nationals and Cubs at home for 3 apiece.  Two under .500 teams that will be hungry to spoil.   Watch out.

The last 40 games won’t be easy but there are a lot of matches against less than .500 clubs which overall the Cards thrive on this season.   The Braves, Reds, and Pirates won’t be easy at all but hopefully with the callups, renewed energy and maybe a waiver deal in there somewhere, the Cards will be ready to finally put their foot down and roll.  This team didn’t spend 3 months with the best record in baseball for no reason.  We don’t lead the Majors in run differential for no reason.  We don’t own the most runs scored, 3rd best rotation ERA and best batting average in the NL for no reason.  We are strong, formidable and now ready to push.

What else about the Birds?

*Kolten Wong is finally being called up.  He will meet the team in Chicago.  He was ripping up AAA pitching and was our 1st round draft pick last year.  He will push David Freese for playing time with Matt Carpenter either starting at 2nd or moving to third for Wong.  This is good news.  A fresh set of legs and a speedy basepath guy, Wong can hit the ball to all fields.  He is a welcome addition.  He isn’t Oscar Taveras, but he will do.  I don’t expect him to start every day, but look for him to get in there at least 3-4 times a week.  This also provides a valuable bench bat in Freese late in games.

*I like Freese.  He’s a good hometown kid and has given the team a bargain barrel of production at third base.  He was a World Series hero and will always have that.  He was an all star in 2012.  However, this is a business and you have to keep hitting on one year deals.  Wong is young and ready,and Freese looks misguided and over-matched at the plate.  He will have to earn his at-bats.  The Cards know this is their time.  That is why they called up Wong.  Team needs a bump.

*The Matt Holliday haters and critics won’t like this but he has been on fire since he returned on July 27th.  He has been consistently hitting and taken his average from .268 in late July to .294 today.   In his last 10 games, Holliday is hitting .457 with 8 RBI, 16 H, and more BB than K.  On Thursday, he had two go ahead hits.  The man is thrashing the ball and that includes a MLB leading 27 double play balls.  Most of those come when Holliday scorches a one hopper to a fielder.  That’s not an excuse but only a mere detail.  Holliday is a typical 2nd half slugger.  He starts slow, finishes strong and laughs at his critics.  Maybe some people still want Carl Crawford’s 24 million dollar tag here instead of watching him lead off in LA.  Jayson Werth anyone?  Holliday, even at 17 million, is a bargain bat and will finish with his strong expected numbers.  He gets hot when the team most needs him and that is in the last two months of the season.  Shit on his defense but please don’t compare him to Chris Duncan.  Holliday doesn’t have a good arm, makes the occasional bad play, but only has 3 errors and makes most plays.  He is here for his bat and right now, that’s red hot.

*I will buy into the theory of Matt Carpenter’s bat leading this offense up or down.  On this homestand he is hitting .413 and collected 8 hits in 15 at bats against the Pirates.  He is hitting .315 with a league high 40 doubles.  He reached base 5 times in Thursday’s comeback win.    The guy is having a fantastic season and has reheated after a slow start to the second half.

Beating the Pirates with 2 walkoff wins was huge for a number of reasons.   Mainly, it gave this team revenge for a horrible 5 game series in Pittsburgh that upended the Cards and rerouted their season.   If we lose this series or get swept here, the rest of the season looks pretty dim.  You have to take advantage of head to head battles because of the two game swing of each contest.  The Cards didn’t wilt and grabbed their two biggest comeback wins of the season.   Today, down 4-0, in the 5th, the game looked sealed until we started hitting.  The one thing you can count on with this 2013 team at the plate is timely hitting.

MVP of the Pirates series-The BULLPEN.   Fired 7 scoreless frames on Tuesday, 3 scoreless on Wednesday and delivered 6 innings on Thursday and allowed a single run.   16 innings in the series and 1 run allowed.   Superb performance from the pen.   Edward Mujica has calmed the scares that arose in July with brilliant work in August.  He throws strikes, keeps the ball down and barely walks hitters.  His walk on Thursday was his 2nd since April.   Ridiculous control.  Mujica fired 3 consecutive 2 inning games the past 4 games.  Man is a horse and on our side.

What’s next?  Cubs at Wrigley for 3 games.  NEED to dominate and start strangling the Pirates and Reds in the central.   Pittsburgh gets the tenacious D-Backs for 3 this weekend, a team that may play a role in the wild card standings.  Lot of season left, the road doesn’t look so dark now and with the arrival of Wong, the Cards may be finding their way.   Having a guy named Yadi Molina back may also help.

That’s it.  I have to watch another movie before I hit the bed.  4 movies this week, blogging, article writing for film-addict, job applying.  All in a week’s work.  I don’t stop writing.  EVER!  Craft is always fresh and the material, via my Redbirds, is always in front of me.

Thanks for reading,

Dan Buffa

-Film-Addict.com

-@buffa82 on Twitter

-United Cardinal Bloggers

-Red Wolf Roll Call on Wednesdays at 4 p.m.

The Unbreakable Fight of The Cardinals

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Sometimes it’s easy for baseball teams to fold and call it a season.   After 110 games and the grueling pace, a team can show signs of wear and tear.   The genuine thrill of baseball is keeping a consistent positive vibe for 6 months and 162 games.  Day in and day out, you must compete.  There is barely a break in the season.  No 6 day wait or 48 hour grace period.  If you lose bad one night, there’s a good chance the sun will rise the next morning and you will have a chance to redeem yourself.  Baseball is a romantic and bittersweet sport to follow.  It begins in the spring, when everything is growing and blossoming.  It ends at the dawn of winter, when everything starts to die and get cold.  We are in the middle of August, and if one thing is for certain, the 2013 Cardinals aren’t dying anytime soon.  They are simply surviving and waiting for their chance to dominate.  They won a 14 inning battle with their new rival, the Pittsburgh Pirates, last night.   Several teams win extra inning battles.  Some do it twice a week.  The Cards don’t win a lot of extra inning games nor have they walked off much this year.  They don’t come back after the 8th inning.   Last night was the first win the Cards had after trailing going into the ninth since last October’s Game 5 electrifying comeback against the Washington Nationals.  You can say they were due.

How did they do it?  Well it wasn’t easy and involved more peculiar managerial tactics and moves and gave any fan the resignation that this game was going to end up a loss.   The Cards were down 3-0 early, before the stadium of Busch could fill up.   Adam Wainwright gives up his runs early and settled down.  He threw 126 pitches and finished 7 innings, which seemed like overzealous performance until you realized the game was going to last 7 more additional innings.   Waino was tough and a general as usual.  He didn’t let up and welt in the summer sun like Jake Westbrook can do on occasion after an early assault.  Waino gave his team a chance to win.  Several times this season, Waino has pitched well and deserved better.  You don’t have 13 wins with a 2.71 ERA for no reason.

The Cards got back into the game with a 2 run 6th inning.  After loading the bases, David Freese grounded into what seemed like his 40th double play.  While it scored 1 run, Freese didn’t register any lower on my “Get your shit together” scale.   He has had a troubling season plagued by inconsistency unseen beforehand.  Jon Jay got the big hits tonight, and stroked a run scoring single to make the score 3-2.  Jay, the past 10 days, has been a breath of fresh air since his switch back to the more comfortable 6th or 7th spot in the order.  While this season has seen his batting average hit as low as .251, Jay has become an unlikely RBI man in the order.  Sure, he won’t throw anybody out at home plate, but he makes fine catches in centerfield and plays the game fundamentally sound.  He has made the CF question for 2014 a bit more interesting.  He played a part in the 14th inning rally as well.

Always lost in a big Cards win is the performance of the bullpen.  It wasn’t majorly discussed after the game that they threw 7 shutout innings and gave the sputtering offense extra chances to win the game.  Trevor Rosenthal, Edward Mujica, Seth Maness, Kevin Siegrist and Sam Freeman combined to hold the Pirates at bay and turn the Pittsburgh lineup into cold brittle wood shavings for the last half of the game.  The Pirates only managed 4 hits after the 2nd inning.  The MVP of the night was easily the Cards bullpen, an underrated facet to the 2013 surge.

Yes, the night will go down as the event where left fielder Starlin Marte dropped a routine fly ball in the 9th and allowed the Cards to keep playing, giving way to the Wrench, Allen Craig, having the chance to tie the game with an RBI single.  For all the people yelling at Carlos Beltran for running into an out, I think he was doing that to ensure that the tying run scored.  Only reason I can see for that.  Yes, he did that on his own.

Yes, Mike Matheny loves his bunts.  He felt the need to make Jon Jay bunt in the bottom of the 10th after the first two reached and a pinch runner took over for Matt Holliday, whose ankle twisted returning to first on a pickoff attempt.  Why bunt there?  Jay had 3 hits already and has handled the bat very well on the homestand.  This is where I don’t see eye to eye or even chin to chin with Matheny.  He has one of the hottest hitters in the lineup give an out to the other team.  If you bring in a pinch runner for Holliday at second base, let him stay there and see if Jay can stroke another single and win the game.  Instead Jon Jay bunts, they walk  pinchhitter Adron Chambers(the eventual hero), get Kozma to strike out and Daniel Descalso flies out. Threat over.

When Holliday left, that was a big bat leaving the lineup.  and you saw the effect of that move in the later innings.   Nobody envisioned Seth Maness with two chances to win the game, but when David Freese(double switch) and Holliday leave the game before everyone else, your lineup gets weaker.  Holliday had a mild ankle sprain and the x-rays didn’t reveal a break, so there was reason for his departure.  Freese isn’t a hot hitter, but not sure I’d take him out so soon.   Tony La Russa did this too.  Took the big bullets out of his lineup like he knew the game wouldn’t go 14 innings.   Extra innings are special because pitchers don’t just pitch and position players do all sorts of things and heroics.

The Cards have tasted the bitter tinge of bad luck in their month long struggles.  Line drives being caught.  Defensive shifts hurting them.  None hurt more than when Matt Adams came up in the 8th inning last night with a chance to tie the game and lined a sure single towards right field.  10-15 feet into the outfield, Neil Walker made a leaping catch.  That is the way it goes when your team is struggling.   You don’t get the breaks, bounces or easy routes.  You fight for everything and earn it all.

So when Jon Jay slapped a single off the glove of the shortstop to start the 14th inning, stole second, and eventually scored on Chambers’ base hit to left field that saw Jay barely miss the tag of Russell Martin at home plate, I didn’t feel the need to apologize to the baseball gods.  The Cards have endured a lot of bumps and bruises along the way this season and have earned the right to get a little lucky the next 2-3 weeks.  Look at Seth Maness inducing his 14th double play in the 13th inning after Andrew McCutchen stood at third base with nobody out.  Look at Marte’s drop.  All this points to maybe the Cards starting to get the breaks.

On Thursday, they get the biggest break when Yadi Molina returns from the disabled list, right knee ready to go.  Without Yadi, the team has been in pure survival mode.   Yadi means so much to the confidence of this team, the pitching staff, the shutdown of the running game and the overall mindset of this team.  He can also hit .330 and drive in runs.  Without him in the lineup, our group looks a little exposed towards the bottom of the order.  Having Yadi back will help a ton.   Getting our navigator leadoff man Matt Carpenter back on track will help the run scoring flow again.

Tonight, we get a tough lefthander in Francisco Liriano.   He beat us up in Pittsburgh two weeks ago which means there is a score to settle.  It would be stupid to think the lasting effects of the loss won’t have an effect on the Pirates going forward.  They may not fall off the map but their team and bullpen were drained last night.   They had a chance to put us down 4 games.  Instead, the Cards are back 2 with a chance to get more and look hungry.   That is why it is hard to count out the Redbirds.  Too many head to head matchups with the Pirates and the lacking presence of Yadi on the field.  Like I said, this team is in survival mode.  When Yadi gets back, it may be on to domination mode.    One thing is always for certain with this team.  We are always up for a fight.

Until next time,

Go CARDS!

-DLB

Venting and Informing

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Straight and selfish, here I go.  I’m unplugging the soul and doing some writing or you could basically call this the latest case of venting and informing.

 
First up, the Cards, rogues in red who paint my nights dark crimson with their roller coaster style of competing.  Things on my mind about the Birds.
*Their rough 4-12 patch has a lot to do with a tough schedule.  We are getting beat by very good team, even giving the Cubs the limelight last night in a horrid 3-0 loss that barely registered a pulse. This isn’t weird science or a training session for your mind.  No inception here.  The Cards are way under .500 in play against teams with a better than .500 record.  The Braves, Pirates and Dodgers are strong balanced teams that can come back.  The Dodgers came back from a 6-0 deficit last night.  The Pirates came from behind to complete a sweep of the Marlins on Thursday.  The Cards rank second to last in comeback wins(18).  We don’t win close games, can’t beat tough competition and barely come back.  Against the Cubs bullpen last night, we went quietly into the night in our home stadium.  
*The losses in Atlanta and Pittsburgh were tough and LA taking 3 of 4 was hard but last night’s loss got me red hot angry inside.  Facing a dismal deprived team in our own yard and getting shut out. The Cards are becoming embarrassing.
*Why?  Pitching is buckling under the pressure of a very weak hitting team.  Gone is the efficient with RISP lineup who could score 7 runs in an inning or grind out a win with one big clutch hit.  In its place is a weakened bunch of professionals who can’t hit for power.  Take away the two bashings of the Reds in Cincy and this team hasn’t hit many home runs since the break.  We get a lot of singles but rarely a triple or a home run.  Matt Holliday, David Freese, Allen Craig and Carlos Beltran have warning track power right now.  With Yadi out, the bottom part of the lineup is weak so pitchers can expose that.  Moving Freese to the #2 hole may work but he still needs to hit for power to right field.
*The starters have been hit hard.  Adam Wainwright has lost three starts in a row while being outpitched.   Jake Westbrook erased enthusiasm in late July with 3 straight(one painfully awful rescue mission included) awful starts against the cream of the crop.  He looks lost.  Shelby Miller threw 2 pitches this week and got zinged by a liner.  Lance Lynn didn’t allow a lot of hits last night but walked 5 CUBS.  The Cards best starter right now is Joe Kelly.  Take that as you will.  Here’s the worst thing.  If the Cards make a move for a starter or bring somebody in permanently, Kelly will be the one thrown out.  Right now, Westbrook needs a mysterious elbow injury or straight up benching.  Baby Carlos didn’t provide a real spark on Thursday but who was shocked.  The Cards have brought up Martinez twice this season to sit in the pen for 2 weeks.  That’s not going to make him ready for August.  He’ll need more time.  Michael Wacha starts tonight and is used to no run support.  He has 39 K and 4 BB in 6 starts with 1 win.  He may pitch well but if he gets no support does it matter?  Pitchers do buckle under the pressure of throwing shutouts.
*Jon Jay is enjoying a resurgence now that he is back in the rightful spot of 6th or 7th in the lineup.  He has the best batting average on this homestand and is getting used to being stranded on base.  He may have a weak arm in center but he has great range for a Miami boy with a big ass.  He is heating it up but getting no attention because he isn’t scoring.  2 doubles last night and no runs scored.  That’s what will happen if Kozma or Descalso back him up.
*I am sure Daniel Descalso has been solid overall this season, but his defense has declined and there are times where he looks lost at the plate.  Last night, he was ejected in the 9th after arguing a called third strike.  Pitch was outside but close enough to where YOU HAVE to swing the bat.
*Pete Kozma hits like a girl.  There I said it.  Love his baby jesus smooth hands though.
Moving on for a moment-
*Interviewed director D.J. Caruso.   The filmmaker usually blows up stuff with Shia Laboeuf or hunts killers with Angelina Jolie but this film he made, Standing Up, is about teenage bullying and rising up against it.  He made it for his kids and its quite a sweet little movie.  Talking to him about the difference between big budget filmmaking and low budget shooting, he told its all about the craft and having the chance to make a movie period.  Having 600 extras or just 6 people on set.  These directors are regular people who get to play in the land of make believe.  What impressed me was Caruso praising my website.  He loves Film-Addict and especially liked the 100 films in a 100 Days weekly feature.  Hearing a guy like Caruso praising my site lights the fire in this addict and encourages me to push forward and knock down the walls of adversity that comes with a small business.  Caruso and others notice the old fashioned mom and pop setup on our site but are impressed with the design or upkeep.  Hearing that keeps me going.
*A gritty British indie, BLOOD, is available on demand and features a wicked cast including Paul Bettany and Mark Strong.
*Since Banshee was so much fun, I’m giving Strikeback a look.  In its third season now, I am going to catch up.  Hell on Wheels will have to wait.  Having an opening sequence like this wets the lips.
That song is “Short Change Hero” by a British band called The Heavy.  Great song. 
 
*Watched a part of my favorite film last night.  HEAT.  Pacino, DeNiro, cops, robbers, Kilmer, Mann, action packed and soulful.  18 years later that is my most treasured piece of filmmaking.  It’s not quite unpopular but it’s true.
 
*I can watch Hard Knocks all day.  Any HBO sports show brings the goods but watching football players rise up in the late summer ashes and fight for 52 spots on a roster in the heat is good times.  Being featured for the second time are Marvin Lewis’ Bengals.  The favorite part of the episode for me wasn’t the old fashioned brutally effective Oklahoma drill(one tackler, one blocker, one winner) but the James Harrison segment.  Coined the baddest man in football because he is the most fined and deadliest tackler around.  Harrison is mean and he knows it.  A short stocky little beast, whenever he is on camera, Harrison is an island unto himself.  I would rather get hit by a sledgehammer than get hit by Harrison.  I still remember the lame sad cry from a QB two years after Harrison sacked him.  It was pitiful and real.  A lot of players hit hard in the NFL but Harrison is vicious and out to hurt people.  He’s from a different school of players, one owned by Dick Butkiss and Mike Singletary.  He is also amazingly entertaining television.   Straight out of a comic book.  The crisp well balanced narration from Liev “Ray Donovan” Schreiber always helps.  He’s a play by play guy to the behind the scenes madness.  I am glad Showtime didn’t have a problem with him keeping his HBO voiceover gig.
 
Finishing up with a couple pointers.
 
*Albert Pujols deserves the right to sue the shit out of Jack Clark for Clark calling out AP on steroid use on the radio.  Told 13 years ago by Pujols’ trainer, allegedly, Clark suspected Albert of using, telling co-host Kevin Slaten that he had known for years that Pujols used.  Slaten should know better what to say and what not to on the air.  In 2009, Slaten didn’t tell Dave Duncan he was on the air and got fired as a result.  A loud mouthed buffoon who rules the day to slam callers and anyone who opposes him, Slaten didn’t do anything yet play ball with Clark on Albert and both were fired last night.  Moronic behavior that is the basis of Clark’s financial troubles and short stays on radio stations.  It’s okay to have a strong opinion and let it rip on the radio.  It’s not okay to attack someone without evidence.  It’s bush league and it’s bad for business.  Clark didn’t have enough evidence to openly suspect Pujols of PED usage, especially on the radio.   Pujols rightfully came out last night with a statement bashing Clark and anyone who questions his word.  Hate Albert for leaving STL but never hate his willingness to put his money where his mouth is on hot topics.  He has passed test after test for years and been clean.  He gets attacked for PED usage and his age, and something all the haters and attackers lack is REAL CRISP HARD EVIDENCE.  That makes them look very stupid.  At least most talk about it in a bar setting.  Clark did it on the airwaves and paid the price.  So Clark suddenly comes out this week with information based 13 years ago.  It’s not just irresponsible. It’s foolish, and worse, it’s irresponsible(pulled an Aaron Sorkin tactic there).   Clark has no right to do what he did and I hope Albert sues him for everything he is worth and the station too for giving a radio slot to a couple old time hippie degenerates like Clark and Slaten.  Think before you speak next time Jack.   Albert Pujols isn’t just tough on the field.  He’s no holds barred off it as well.
 
*Hey Cards fans, don’t jump off the ledge yet.  There’s no reason to panic.  It’s August 10th and the majority of the reminder of the schedule is dedicated to weak opposition.  We took our licks against the big teams and now need to pound on the weak.  Get back on the horse.  Right the ship.  Bring a little diversity into this wood cabin clubhouse.  Scotch and ribs all around.   We have two series left against the Pirates(maybe more), which leaves plenty of time to make up 4 games.  They got pounded by the Rockies last night and we didn’t take advantage.  So what?  The last 19 games on our schedule come against inferior opponents.  They will be gunning for our head but the advantage is ours.  So calm down.  Have a drink.  Don’t call it yet.  What kind of fans are you to call this team out in early August?  Have you not paid attention to the 2011 and 2012 teams? We rallied from 10.5 games back in 2011 on August 25th.  We came back last year after hanging in the doldrums for a couple months.  Nothing is decided until you are truly against the wall.  Cards are getting beat up right now and exposed.  That can change with a couple series wins.  It’s okay to be worried.  Just don’t count this team out.  That isn’t just stupid.  It’s downright insane based on recent history.  
 
Baseball is great because you can turn things around less than a day after a loss.  It’s a daily exercise of the mind and body.  You just never know what’s going to happen in the game of baseball.
 
One more thing.  Anchorman 2 comes out in December.  The most quoted comedy of the past decade gets a worthy second round of action.  It won’t be as good as the first but it will be quality comedy. Why?  The original cast is all back and so is the director.  Will Ferrell is co-writing the script with Adam McKay, who helmed the first one.  They waited 9 years to make this one.  The cast also includes Harrison Ford, Jim Carrey, Kristen Wiig, Sacha Baron Cohen, John C. Reilly, James Marsden, Liam Neeson and Nicole Kidman.  They aren’t messing around.  Watch the trailer.  See for yourself.  Oh you don’t want to open another tab?  Let me get it for you.
“I’m going to do what god put Ron Burgundy on this earth to do.  Have Salon quality hair and read the news.”
Good to go.  Nice.  I am done here.  Thanks for stopping by.  
 
Sincerely,
Dan Buffa