Month: September 2015

Edward Burns’ “Public Morals” is a kick

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38664Edward Burns has been trying to make this story for years. A long time. The writer/director/star of TNT’s Public Morals told the tale in his book, Independent Ed. He’d been wanting(needing is more like it) to make this cop show that he could dedicate to his dad, a law enforcer when Ed was a kid. The Irish American cop/gangster film that the audiences hadn’t gotten a taste of yet. He tried with three different scripts. Stoolie, On the Job, and No Sleep Til Brooklyn. The money and studio never came around and the creative control didn’t arrive until Steven Spielberg met Burns and they became friends. TNT came calling and gave Burns full control. Here’s your canvas and brushes, go ahead and paint your dream show. Burns took the tools and ran. The result didn’t disappoint.

Public Morals is an old school kick in the head. An ode to hard drinking wise guys, cops and the women of the late 1960’s who tried to make them slow down on a night here and there. Burns is Terry Muldoon, the leader of a group of cops that act “as landlord” to keep the local hoods, rackets, gaming, and all low level activity on an even keel. They are the ones who bend but don’t break when it comes to their own moral code. The group includes seasoned actors like Michael Rapaport(back where he belongs after that Justified debacle), Austin Stowell, Wass Stevens(who looks cut directly from that era), and Patrick Murney’s Petey Mac. Their territory and jobs are threatened when Rusty Patton(Neal McDonough) comes back onto the scene, murders a gangster and sets off a turf war.

That’s all you need to know about the plot. Bullets are fired. Punches are thrown. Tons of threats are made and a ridiculous amount of booze is consumed. The Public Morals cast make Mad Men look like early evening hustlers when it comes to whiskey, beer and every other fluid that can be set on fire. Come for the dialogue, which hops out of this actor’s mouth like a jazz number and always lands smooth.

Authenticity is what Burns gets right with Morals. Everything is done right. The cars, bow hats, suits, walks, talks, weapons, and the overall swagger. Nothing is phony or done halfway. With a period piece to work in these modern superhero powered entertainment times, the little shows like Public Morals have to either transport us, thrill us or present some once in a lifetime acting. While the acting is solid and the story is familiar yet ripe for the senses, the authenticity of the dialogue and the look of the show elevate the proceedings.

You can tell Burns has been wanting to make this show for a long time. The tale came right from the man’s bones. It’s apparent from the first shot that this is no cash and grab job. Burns has never done that in his career so why start with his own show. He works when he feels there is a story to tell and because the man loves to direct movies. Morals feels like a small screen film being diced up into ten chapters and dealt out weekly.

It never hurts to have seasoned performers like Brian Dennehy, Robert Knepper, and Timothy Hutton sharing a piece of this gritty cake. Public Morals also employs a great selection of tunes to either lighten the mood or grind it to a halt when the action takes over. Burns doesn’t waste a single minute of his weekly dose of 51 minutes of crime here. Every moment feels thought out and invested. Take a look for yourself.

When you are caught up with all four episodes on demand, check out Burns’ book where he breaks down the backstory and buildup to Public Morals. It’s a special read from a special brand of storyteller. Burns is a renegade and always has been. Public Morals is his baby and it always leave me wanting a bigger taste of the action.

Cardinals: Sky isn’t falling but it’s ugly

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Mandatory Credit: David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports

Important note to start out with. It’s not giving up on a team to call a recent string of play ugly.

The St. Louis Cardinals are in the midst of a bad stretch of baseball, their worst in 2015. Their September record is 3-8. Their lead over the Pittsburgh Pirates in the National League Central Division of 6.5 games a week ago is now 3 games before the Pirates begin play tonight against Milwaukee. There is only so much kool-aid a man can drink before he recognizes what he is seeing is bad for business.

A slump is one thing, but the timing of this particular slump and the opponents beating the Cardinals make this one hard to digest. After dominating the Central all year, the Cards lost series at home to Chicago and Pittsburgh and one on the road this weekend to Cincinnati. Take away the miraculous come from behind win Wednesday and this streak is very ugly.

It doesn’t help when the Cardinals are losing to average rookie pitchers and bad teams. For example, with the three wins in a row this week against St. Louis, the Reds have moved to 27.5 games behind the first place Birds.

This weekend, the following Reds rookie starting pitchers have shut the Cards down. John Lamb, Michael Lorenzen, and Anthony Desclafani. These kinds of pitchers and teams are the lowly scrubs that the Cards need to dismiss and destroy in order to keep a stranglehold on the division. At the most important time of the season, the Birds are playing their worst baseball.

Was a slump like this to be expected from a team clinging to great pitching and dealing with the worst slate of injuries in the league? Yes, but that doesn’t make the results digestible. While the pitching has come back to earth the past 10 games, the hitting is still what’s plaguing this team.

A look at a few hitters and their performances these past 7 games. 

Mark Reynolds 0-11 with 7 strikeouts

Brandon Moss-0-21 with 11 strikeouts

Jon Jay 3-17 with 7 strikeouts

Jhonny Peralta 2-19 with 5 strikeouts

The rest of the lineup won’t get a pass but these are the prime suspects. Jay clearly hasn’t improved since his return from a persisting wrist injury and Moss’ supposed hot streak has burned off. Peralta’s second half slump continues. Reynolds’ bat has slowed down.

Matt Holliday can’t return fast enough. Matt Adams and Randal Grichuk have returned from the disabled list but are not 100%. That needs to change. The lineup needs something. With Holliday’s return, Stephen Piscotty moves to first base and pushes cold bats like Reynolds and Moss to the bench and Grichuk’s return won’t give Mike Matheny the opportunity to use Jon Jay as much.

Other bad news. Tommy Pham’s once hot bat can’t find the starting lineup and Tony Cruz needs at bats to get ready for his undeserved playoff roster appearance. There’s no refuge in sight save for Greg Garcia’s surprising presence at shortstop and second base and Kolten Wong’s return this weekend. To say there is a light at the end of the tunnel is a tough sell, even for a team that has endured all kinds of setbacks and obstacles this season.

17 of the final 20 games this season are against N.L. Central opponents. The Cards finish the road trip against the Reds, Milwaukee Brewers and Cubs before coming home to deal with the Reds and Brewers and finish with the Pirates and Atlanta Braves. It’s a weak schedule on paper, but any opponent looms as a threat right now, especially inside the division.

Optimism lies in the belief that the pitching will right the ship and the returning veterans can add some firepower. The Cardinals can use any sort of offense at the moment. After seeing their division lead shrink, the Cards have walked into Cincinnati and scored just 3 runs in 27 innings. That’s pathetic for a team with the best record in baseball. When your rivals aren’t quitting, there’s no room for a slip.

Is the sky falling in St. Louis? No. Is it apparent that something is wrong and there’s a malfunction in the system and a fix is required? Yes. The Cardinals need a boost. Who will give it to them? Stay tuned. September just got interesting. Have the Cards ever made it easy on their fans?

What’s wrong with Jhonny Peralta?

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Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

There’s nothing like a baseball season and its effect on a player. 162 games. Seven months. Lots of travel. Day to day action. Little rest mentally. St. Louis Cardinals’ shortstop Jhonny Peralta has been a steady player since he arrived in St. Louis in November of 2013. He played in 157 games last season and has played in 138 games of a possible 142 games this season. That’s serious work and something that must be taken into account when trying to locate the demise in Peralta’s production since the All Star break. The big picture outlook has Peralta’s production slowly slipping since the end of May. Let’s look at it from April to September.

April-.316 batting average, .825 OPS(slugging plus on base percentage)

May-.306 BA, .941 OPS

June-.274 BA, .720 OPS

July-.262 BA, .737 OPS

August-.242 BA, .612 OPS

That’s the thing about stats. The simplest ones can draw a picture big enough for any fan to see. Since the end of May, after a great start to the season, Peralta has delivered big hits but not as consistent as before. Is this wear and tear? It’s hard to avoid pointing how the Cards don’t have a reliable backup for Peralta at shortstop, or at least one they believe in. Peralta has played in more games this season than any Cardinal starter. The drop in Peralta’s slugging percentage is particularly telling.

April-.468

May-.556

June-.400

July-.421

August-.303

Peralta’s reputation isn’t hitting 30 home runs and driving in 100 but he is depended on in this lineup hitting 3rd or 4th to produce runs. Jhonny Peralta hasn’t hit a home run since August 1st and his OPS since the All Star break is .626 with just three home runs. The Cards don’t have huge depth on the ML roster that exists as exciting at the position. How much can you lean on a player before he crumbles? Outside of Yadier Molina, no player on the team has been leaned on more than Peralta.

What’s wrong with Peralta? Wear and tear. He’s played in 298 games out of a possible 304 since arriving in St. Louis. I’m sorry folks but that’s where the Tulo comparisons hit a halt. JP is in a massive slump but there’s nothing physically wrong with him. His stats are right in line with his career rate, especially when it comes to average, on base and slugging. 2015’s season hasn’t been as power packed as 2014 but overall his WAR of 1.7 won’t reach his 2014 rate of 5.7(baseball reference).

With 20 games to go, Peralta can pick things up and finish better but a little rest wouldn’t hurt. Rest helps players more often than not. While it’s not common to sit everyday players in a stretch run, Peralta looks burnt. There’s room there to let Jhonny find a little mental clarity.

How does Peralta get rest? Play Greg Garcia. The kid comes up with big game changing hits and hasn’t gotten a real shot. While Peralta will more than likely keep on grinding, turning Garcia loose wouldn’t hurt and you can see what the kid has in store for the future as Peralta’s age and contract start to climb.

Jhonny Peralta’s value to this club is underrated and will never be appreciated as much as it should. He needs to get right. The Cards need to address this sooner rather than later. Plug in Garcia. Find some rest for Peralta, especially as some missing bats filter back into the lineup. In the end, it will benefit both player and club.

Chris Evans’ Before We Go is a blissful departure

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“There will always be a struggle. You just have to choose who you are going to struggle with.”

When the summer winds start to deaden and all the superheroes go back to their sheds located galaxies far far away, that means it’s about time for lighter more sophisticated fare.

With no offense to the metal suit bodied big hammer swinging angry poster boy crowd, I like a little wistful light fairy tale romance with a few shades of real life bold mixed in as Labor Day approaches. Captain America himself, Chris Evans. took a holiday with Before We Go. Evans went behind the camera for the first time and directed a sweet little gem about a man and woman who run into each other by accident at Grand Central Station and embark on a one night adventure as past, present and future ties that bind are discussed.

Evans pulls double duty as Nick, a soulful if saddened trumpet player who sees a woman in distress miss a train. Brooke(played by the just right for the part here Alice Eve) gets a little help from Nick and New York City becomes their playground as time is killed, parties are hit, and the dark night seems to evolve into infinite possibilities. The real time aspect of the plot(which was penned by four different writers) helps the quick 88 minute film keep steppin’ and allows the actors to stay on their toes. The dialogue feels like it’s improvised and that’s a good thing.

There’s nothing heavy happening here. Brooke is a married woman dealing with a crisis and Nick has a past that’s set to hit him in the face that very night. It’s an old school romantic walk between two people picking up the shattered pieces of their heart and looking for the puzzle board they belonged to. The whole film has the feel of a play and that’s what Evans had in mind when he made it. For a guy who spends way too much time in a tight suit fighting invisible creatures on green screens, the chance to put on a coat and venture out into the mysterious cold NYC night with a beautiful woman must have seemed like a day at the beach to the actor. It all moves smooth and easy.

Evans shows a simplistic if assured hand with the camera here, allowing the actors and locale to do the most lifting. He isn’t trying to be Spielberg here. I picture this movie as the kind Edward Burns could have made for a nickel and shot in 11 days back in the 1990’s. Like I said, old school.

The leads are easy on the eyes. The story is familiar if wistful and when you choose New York City as your third wheel, little can go wrong. Well done, Mr. Evans. I can only hope the actor takes a similar adventure between Civil War and Infinity Wars. If you don’t know what those titles mean, that’s because you probably favor sweet little tales like Before You Go.

Check it out on Itunes and On Demand this weekend.

Mayweather Jr./Berto match isn’t worth your money

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Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Spare yourself the 65 dollars tonight’s boxing match between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Andre Berto will cost you. It’s not worth it. It’s not worth anybody’s cash or time. Call it a snoozefest and something you can merely read about later on during your morning coffee on Sunday or gently forget about.

For his “supposed” last fight, Floyd is picking a fighter who used to be good but has lost 3 of his last 6 fights. Not a pretender but definitely not a contender to take away Mayweather’s flawless record. Berto is simply no match for Floyd, a superior defensive fighter and a man known for aggravating and picking apart offensive punchers like Berto. In order to obtain his 49th win, Floyd bypassed Amir Khan, Danny Garcia and Keith Thurman so he could sleepwalk over Berto. It’s disgusting and laughable.

It doesn’t help that a report was released this week showing Mayweather Jr. took an illegal IV injection before the Manny Pacquiao fight, a match that the Filipino champion also wasn’t completely healthy for. It’s a swipe of dirt on Mayweather Jr. that will only anger his detractors even more and promise few people care or watch this fight. It was a mix of saline and vitamins but it may as well have been salt and pepper because the amount he took was over the limit and it was before a big fight. If the claims that it was used for dehydration are the raft Floyd and company are floating on, I am not buying it. It’s sketchy, crap and suggests that Mr. Clean Mayweather Jr. may be anything but. It doesn’t matter what the USADA says either. The amount of fluids Mayweather Jr. took was against what WADA(the rules that which the USADA follows) allows before a fight.

This is greedy dealings. If Floyd wanted to give back to boxing or help the sport, he could have made this fight a non Pay Per View fight. He’s made more money than any man can possibly spend and could have made his exit a true fan favorite event. The opponent he picked isn’t exciting enough to make a sleepy styled fighter like Floyd interesting enough to pay big money for. After the disappointment that came with the Pacquiao fight, handing over cash for a Mayweather-Berto match is pointless. Save the money and take your husband or wife out for a wonderful steak dinner. Boxing doesn’t deserve your attention tonight.

Cardinals recap: 5 Things We Learned 

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 Final score-Reds 11, Cardinals 0

Five things. 

1. Perspective. With the loss, the Cardinals now only lead Cincinnati by 29.5 games in the NL Central division. Spoiler territory has its dangers but in the end this was an ugly loss that only cost the team a single game. 

2. Lack of execution. The Cards had their chances against John Lamb, who walked 6 in his five innings but also struck out 6 batters. He matched his salt with pepper and kept the Cards at bay long enough for his team to pile on big innings. 

3.  Attention Mike Matheny. Don’t ever bat three strikeout prone batters in a row. Mark Reynolds, Brandon Moss and Peter Bourjos came in with a combined 30% K rate, and the result Thursday night was 5 strikeouts in 9 at bats. No hits. A walk. Bad idea. Don’t do it again. 

4. Where is Tommy Pham? The rookie couldn’t find the starting lineup again. With Bourjos and Jon Jay not hitting and Randal Grichuk incapable of throwing, the time to play Pham is now. He has some pop, can play defense and has speed. 

5.  No ground was lost to Pittsburg. The Pirates can’t beat the Milwaukee Brewers. In the 12th inning, the Brewers got RBI singles from Logan Schafer and Luis Sardinas to sink the Bucs. Kyle Lohse got the save. 

Extra innings analysis-Jaime Garcia is human. The Cards lost another game, continuing a rough week of play but the good thing is tonight is another opportunity to chop the magic number down. The loss was bad but the damage was minimal. The Pirates and Cubs are playing catch up and can’t afford to mess up this month. 

Tonight John Lackey goes for win #12. Tune in afterwards for the five things learned. 

Ivana Milicevic: My first Banshee interview

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Back in the day before Cinemax’s Banshee wasn’t white hot gold and only a glimmer in a Manshee’s eye, I had the chance to speak with its queen, Ivana Milicevic. As I go back through the seasons, I am going to revisit and repost the interviews. This chat with Milicevic was done after Season 2. Check it out and don’t blush too much.

There’s badass females in the land of make believe, and then there is Ivana Milicevic. She is one of the many faces of Banshee, and to me an integral part of the muscular action and story growth on the show. She’s a force to reckon with and that idea doesn’t fade once you talk to her over the phone. She’s strong, proud of her work and ready for more. If Antony Starr is the rock behind the show, Ivana is the heart attached to it. After years of comedies and supporting roles in film, Milicevic broke through with the wildly popular Cinemax series. Last week, I had a chance to talk to her about the success behind the show, what lies ahead and the challenges of making viewers see the story beyond the visual pleasure.

Buffa-Was it hard losing three series regulars in the Season 2 finale?

Ivana-We were really bummed about that. We won’t like to lose any of ours. I literally cried when I watched the finale. The writer’s always said that no one is going to be happy. We have a lot of characters on our show. It’s hard to service them all as deeply we would like. We got to see more of Brock, Rebecca, and Siobhan this season. People don’t realize the amount of time actors put into this process. Everything has an intention behind it. We have a million ideas on how a season will go but there isn’t enough time to shoot it.

Now that the Rabbit is gone, what is Carrie’s biggest issue in Season 3?

I don’t know how I am going to play it because I haven’t ready that much yet. I do know that if you have been running for so long and looking over your shoulder, I am not sure if that just goes away. It could be very different depending on what they write for me, but I wouldn’t say Carrie is all of a sudden calm. If it isn’t post-traumatic stress disorder, then where is the post-traumatic stress? If you have lived in fear for so long, I am not sure you shed it that quickly. At the end of season 2, there’s no point in hiding it anymore.

Greg and Jonathan hand you a laptop and tell you to write first three pages of Season 3. What is Carrie doing?

She’s shopping with Deva and having some kind of a talk with her. Getting to know each other for who they really are and Deva is discovering things about her mother that both disgust and intrigue her. Yet, she still loves her and realizes how interested she is in the similarities she shares with her mother.

My favorite episode of Season 2 was The Truth About Unicorns because it represented a departure from the usual frenzy of the show.

Fans were split down the middle on that one. It was definitely a change of pace. It gave the fans the moment they wanted to see with these two characters. And it was so sad when they pulled up to the house. I think I did one take where Carrie gets out of the truck and just bursts into tears. The idea that he had done this and it happened was so heartbreaking.  However, the truth about unicorns is that they don’t exist so it was very sad. That episode also lifted us critically and brought the show respect.

What is your take on Carrie and her decision making process?

Carrie will do whatever she has to do in that moment to protect her kid. She doesn’t worry about herself. Every choice she makes is a lose-lose. Carrie is not a calculating person overall, but she is not made to be untrusted. She is making those calls on the fly in order to save her family.

You work with Antony[Starr] a ton on the show. What can you tell us about him as an actor?

I remember the first time I saw Antony. It was during the first episode we shot, which was Episode 4 of Season 1. I watched the scene and went up to him after and said, “You are TMT. You are dynamite.” It’s really Antony’s choice. He chooses to play the character all vulnerable. He wanted the character to have more depth. The show really rests on his shoulders and he does such a good job for us. I really love acting with him.”

There are a lot of nude scenes on the shows. How do you get comfortable as an actor in those sequences?

I feel like going to the doctor is worst. We are all on the same boat. We work together on it. Does it cross over to developing actually feelings for each other? No.  We get comfortable. We giggle through it and do the job. I’m European, so I don’t have any hang-ups on nudity but every character is well rounded on Banshee and they are all fearless. We put the same amount of care we would into a monologue into the sex scenes. The positions we get into and the focus on our face. There is a thing going on in our heads about what is happening and why it is happening. It’s not just throwing it against the wall. If I was going to do the sex scenes, it had to be natural. They aren’t meant to turn you on. They weren’t looking for girls with giant boobs. They weren’t designed to turn you on. Look at Rebecca’s sex scenes with Jason Hood. There is a neurosis and psychological drama that is going on with her that is making her do that. It’s not designed to be sexy. It’s dramatic and traumatic.

While there is a lot of it, I feel like every fight scene has a purpose on the show as well.

A lot goes into the fight scenes as far as what is going on and why this is happening. In episode 2 of Season 2, Carrie snaps and she lost control. She saw red. She could have killed that girl. The fight with Olek was much more emotional. The Olek fight is him telling her she doesn’t deserve to have a family. She has to use her last dying breath to stop him from hurting her family. The prison scene was not her acting on her motherly instinct.  She was trying to be cool and then she snapped and went crazy.

Okay, time for a stupid question. Let’s say you sit down in a chair in the middle of these two actors. Who wins between Rus Blackwell and Antony in real life?

It depends on the day. Rus has some rage in him. Antony does too but you can’t look at what you’ve seen on the screen. You get Rus on a good day and it might be a draw. They are both very passionate men.

Rus, who plays Gordon, killed it in Season 2, right? He was underrated this season.

He’s such a good actor. He’s my rock on the show. That’s the kind of thing that would happen with a character like Gordon where it spirals out of control. Of course this being Banshee, we had to add alcohol, drugs and strippers. Everybody has darkness on this show and Rus was so good this season. Look at Emmett in Episode 7. His monologue and his scenes. He absolutely killed it.

When I first started talking to you on twitter, you mentioned how it was the indie show of television?

It’s our little movie. Greg said that we are basically making a one hour movie every week. We don’t waste time. Some episodes this year were less than an hour and that was just the creators tightening things up. They don’t want it to be an hour long if it isn’t super tight.

The social media connection with Banshee is enormous and unprecedented.

We are so lucky to have fans like you. I talk about it all the time. A genre show like this wouldn’t survive without passionate fans. The people who watch it a lot of times really get the nuances. There are deeper layers to it. Some watch the show subconsciously and don’t get all the little things.”

For the cast and crew, it was just a part of the story though, right?

We were just trying to tell the story. Sometimes people love the show and sometimes they hate it. It’s so easy to write us off as simply action and sex.  The show is not for everyone. We aren’t a procedural or a documentary. It’s a pulpy noir comic book. It’s fun. The best thing about our show is that its wish fulfillment. Look at what Emmett did this season. It’s what you wish you would do with a group of Neo Nazi’s.

Banshee has transformed you into this sexually charged female badass. What has that been like?

I used to the comedy girl. Now I’ve done nothing but action for three years. There are times these days where I miss comedy. I bruise a lot but I like the physicality of our show. I wouldn’t have gone so far sexually with the scenes if I didn’t get the action as well. Meaning if I didn’t get to be such a badass and also go to these emotional depths, I wouldn’t have done it. All of it goes hand in hand.

Could you defend yourself on a street?

We learned some fight skills as well. First of all, I am 5 foot 9 and a half so if anybody ever tried anything, one look back from me would take care of that. I could definitely fight for someone I love and hurt them. I felt that before I had any fight training. I mean, I couldn’t fight Ronda Rousey or anything. I couldn’t fight a real fighter. I could defend myself if need be. The way I hold myself is enough. If someone is looking to hurt a woman, they aren’t looking for me. I’m a big sister and I have little brothers, so I already have been there before. Being ferocious probably got me this job but in real life I am pretty calm, cool and collected.

You and the cast seem like a family just from watching the show. Is that true in real life?

Trieste, Lili, Odette, Ryann and I are like sisters. We all want each other to be as beautiful as we can be all the time. We bring that to the show. As a complete cast, we are a family, especially when we are away on location. It’s perfect for the show that we are all together in Charlotte because of the things we have to do. I love everybody on the show. Hoon Lee, Matty Rauch and the rest of the gang. Everybody on our show is really great. We got hired based on who was right for the role and not this name thing or some other agenda. People got to be hired for their talent which relates to our show.

That makes sense because there is a ton of passion on this show and it shows.

You can’t be a makeup artists on the show without having the same amount of passion as the cast. The crew is amazing. During the first season we were doing everything handheld. When we were running, they were running with us with cameras on their backs. I don’t know of another show that is this tiring. I tweeted a picture from the set of me sleeping in between takes. We don’t have the time to do many takes. We have a couple cameras. There’s no sitting around on this show. I spend no time in my trailer. I have a trailer but I don’t see it that much.

Are Lucas and Carrie done now after Season 2 saw Carrie return to her family?

To me, they were always done romantically as far as, they aren’t going to date. They are not going to all of a sudden be together.  I will say yes they are done but they still know each other better than anyone else. They have a daughter together. Carrie has never stopped loving him. I think that is too intense due to the bond they have for them to simply go apart. The “will or won’t they” has to be over but you never know with this show. It depends on how it’s played. They write stuff and we fill the rest in. Sure, they may be done, but it’s not like all of that never happened.

In the past week I’ve had the honor of talking to three different members of the Banshee cast and they have all ranged from amazing to spectacular. It’s invigorating to a guy like me, part writer/part hardcore fan of the show, to behold and become a part of promoting. I couldn’t recommend the show any stronger than I could recommend a dose of fresh air from the nearby window. It’s cool, fresh, fun, sexy, badass and most of all, it’s worth your time and then some. Ivana Milicevic is a huge reason the show works. In the beginning, she told me to write about this show. She called it “the indie of TV” and I dug both my feet in and ran with it. She is a wonderful woman who is confident about her craft. Spread this interview around. Talk about the show. Digest the 20 episodes. Become a part of something truly special and that’s Cinemax’s Banshee.

 

Cardinals: Kings of Endurance 

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It doesn’t matter how great a baseball team is doing. It’s never easy to watch them work for six months and 162+ games. Sweet, bitter or raw play hand in hand with fans. Day games turn into nightmares and night games turn into morning tears. Especially when the summer turns over to the fall. 

Just look at the St. Louis Cardinals, the requisite rogue in red who control the blood pressure and day to day moods of fans the city. They play with our feelings, crushing them on certain nights and enlightening them on others. 

Take Wednesday for example. The Chicago Cubs are in town and looking to sweep. After unloading on the best pitching in baseball two straight nights, they set their sights on the young fiery Carlos Martinez, El Gallo to his dearest fans. Power versus power. With Anthony Rizzo licking his chops and The Small Bears from the North looking to cut the edge to 5.5 games, could Martinez and company stop them?

A locked in Jon Lester didn’t help. A different high paid ace than the one STL faced on opening night. The Birds bent him early for a run scoring hit from Jason Heyward but couldn’t break through for seven innings. Lester doesn’t have overpowering stuff but he’s smart and tactical with his breaking pitches so the bats couldn’t figure him out. However Lester threw 105 pitches and couldn’t go further. That’s the price of the Cards taking good at bats and wearing him down. They didn’t score more than a run but they kept him from finishing. The Cubs bullpen was bound to get involved. 

They are like the friend in the wolf pack who you really don’t need in a brawl. They are unpredictable and erratic. Over the years, facing the Cubs is a matter of getting to their bullpen. Pedro Strop, owner of the glossy fist pump from Tuesday’s game, entered. He failed. Fernando Rodney, Seattle refugee and Big Papi and Dustin Hermanson facial hair wannabe, entered. He checked on Matt Carpenter at first base. Cardinals fans knew, sooner or later, he had to throw a pitch to Stephen Piscotty, a man who could do your kids advanced algebra homework and also collect hits like water bottles at a Salvation Army barbecue. 

Rodney fired and Piscotty didn’t miss it. He lined a shot to right field that eluded the center fielder and hopped off the war back towards the field. It was the 21st extra base hit for the Stanford product in just 167 at bats. If Randal Grichuk was the thrilling roller coaster ride The Boss at Six Flags, Piscotty was the Screaming Eagle, a more old school but still electric experience. The latest in a chorus line of singing Birds for a league best team that tries its best to give off an impersonation of a not so good team for stretches at a time. 

  However, as my dad said yesterday right after Piscotty’s hit about treating the Cubs and their fans to optimism, “We gave you a taste but that’s enough.” He was right. After 25 and a half innings of looking feeble and beatable, the Real Cardinals had to stand up. As a bloody mouthed famous gunslinger once cinematically said, “my hypocrisy only goes so far.” 

Upon reaching second base, Piscotty unleashed a fist bump that nearly caused him to topple over. The usually stoic rookie couldn’t resist anymore. He was “feeling it” as Ricky Bobby once said. Matt Carpenter walked on water as he crossed home plate representing the go ahead fourth run. After being five outs from a sweep, the Cards suddenly led 4-3. They had endured and broke through. Something they’ve done all season. What they’ve done since 2011. Every season. They always find a way. 

Take away three starters from their lineup and a pair of rotation arms. Take away a couple bullpen arms. As fictional Banshee county sheriff Lucas Hood would improbably pronounce after surviving a near death gun battle, the Cards “have it handled”.  Why are fans constantly surprised as September action unfolds with this team’s ability to come back and endure? 

Reinforcements are on the way. Lumbering big stick Matt Adams is almost ready to contribute. Grichuk is unable to throw but still has the tenacity to destroy poorly placed fastballs 451 feet away. Matt Holliday, owner of the angriest swing since Gary Sheffield was in his prime, is close to reading his name on a lineup card. An already strong team will only get stronger. 

Sure, Jon Jay will play too much even though he seems to be swinging a folded up newspaper at the plate. Pete Kozma and Peter Bourjos are glorified gloves but sure can run. Tommy Pham isn’t on the missing persons list yet but simply isn’t trust worthy enough to play center field more than once a week. Jhonny Peralta has been a ghost since the end of July but is bound to break out. 

Trevor Rosenthal has 43 saves and looks like a man possessed. Kevin Siegrist is tired yet efficient. Steve Cishek and Jonathan Broxton haven’t been as bad as fan forums and Twitter make them out to be. Randy Choate will most likely make another appearance without recording an out but that’s simply a cut thread from the LOOGY Blues. 

The Jason Heyward watch won’t quit but don’t lose sleep over it. I am really impressed with the 25 year old player but every smart baseball fan knows one player doesn’t make a team win. It’s a group effort. Whether he stays or he goes(I really hope he stays), the Cards will be fine. Don’t worry about it now. There are men in suits with bow ties who deal with that and they hold the keys to something only we as a fanbase or media outlet can react to. 

Here’s something to remember and it’s simple and probable. The Cards will get beat by teams at times this month but they will also win far more games than they lose. Some losses will be ugly but a great win has the ability to erase three nasty losses. There’s no way to explain it. That’s baseball. 

Throughout it all, I will continue to preach one thing. Endure. Just wait. These regular season games are important but only until the playoffs start. Then, the records are essentially 0-0 and the real hunt begins. The 11 win hunt for the ultimate prize. The World Series trophy. 

Until then, enjoy the action. Bleed with the team but remember anything can happen. As the late great Cardinals pitcher Joaquin Andujar constantly said, “You never know”. 

If it’s one thing you can bet on with the St. Louis  Cardinals in 2015, it’s that they will bounce back from any bad break. They are the Rocky Balboa of baseball. They take the hits and keep on coming. 

Meet Todd Gurley, the Rams new running back

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Since I am not your average college football addict, when I heard the name Todd Gurley this spring, I wasn’t completely aware right off the bat who the Rams got with the 10th pick in the 2015 draft. And since I am a George Carlin fan, I immediately thought, “Well, Todd sure is a weak name for a boy.” However, if you heard my neighbors down here in Little Rock, Arkansas, you got all the analysis a man could need. In other words, sounds effects.

“Whoooa!” “Oh mannnn!” “That guyyyyyy!” Gurley, who collected touchdowns at the University of Georgia like you collect diet cokes on a long day at work, put the Arkansas Razorbacks through the trenches during his time in college. So when my neighbor told me months ago, “your Rams got a great running back,” I couldn’t help but smile. His shoe prints were still being felt down south.

The 21 year old Gurley came into Rams camp fresh off knee surgery in the offseason, which has slowed his development this summer and will keep him out of preseason games(a good thing when you think about it). Gurley has started to practice with the team and looks as imposing as his draft card read back in April. The 6 foot 1 231 pound back drew comparisons to Marshall Faulk at the draft, and NFL draft analyst Mike Mayock liked the comparison a lot. His description of Gurley for NFL.com puts it bluntly why the Rams took this kid.

“I like the Marshawn Lynch comparison. St. Louis wants to win games the same way that Seattle and San Francisco do in the same division, that is by running the football and playing great defense and special teams. Gurley has Olympic-type speed. I love this pick for St. Louis, which already has a great defense and Gurley will help out Nick Foles.”-Mayock

Gurley doesn’t come with the wrapper untouched. He was suspended for four games for accepting 3,000 dollars to autograph memorabilia and his knee had other teams wondering if he could get that burst of speed back post ACL surgery. However, it has been nine months since Gurley’s surgery, and his limited participation in practice drills continues a normal rehab. An injury at an early age does project a healthy return.

There’s a lot to be excited for. Gurley was the second freshman in Georgia history to run for 1,000 yards and set a new record with 17 touchdowns. In a head to head clash with Clemson, Gurley ran for 154 yards and 2 touchdowns in 2013. Watching the man work in videos, Gurley has a unique blend of speed and power. This bulldog has some bite. He can barrel through you or spin away. In 2014, he collected 62 percent of his yards after contact so his motor doesn’t stop when he is hit, it’s just getting warmed up. Instead of getting wrapped up by linebackers, Gurley will shred them like a house of cards and can cut back to the outside. He’s a multi-dimensional back who will fit right into head coach Jeff Fisher’s offense.

With Nick Foles driving the offense downfield yet needing that safety valve in a reliable back, Gurley should get plenty of action when the knee is stable and ready to roam. Together with Tre Mason and Benny Cunningham, Fisher is building a Game of Thrones type kingdom with his running backs and that is how the Rams will run for years. Gurley is a Fisher prototype.

The silver lining in Gurley’s suspension and injury is that he has plenty of football life in him. Unlike a guy like Jake Locker, Gurley didn’t lose a lot of his impact talent and tenacity in ugly college football battles. He’s still a brand new toy with some of the plastic attached. Unlike quarterbacks, running backs like Gurley don’t need to digest an entire system or adapt from shotgun to under the huddle. The transformation is apparent but not overwhelming. Gurley, when healthy, should be a force in this offense and an impact talent.

When it comes to young players in the draft, look at the tape and forget the combine. I don’t care how he did when the stadium was quiet and he was jumping, sprinting and moving without anyone around him. I want to know how he did in a packed house in Georgia with the pressure of the SEC barring down on him. That’s where the true analysis is dug up. From what I’ve seen, Gurley looks like a weapon of mass destruction. A healthy knee and discipline is all the kid needs. Todd is no “girley” man on the football field.

Under the tutelage of Fisher and company, Todd Gurley should run a long way for the St. Louis Rams.

Should fans be worried about Carlos Martinez?

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Back in March, there were people who didn’t even believe Carlos Martinez could be an effective 5th starter for the St. Louis Cardinals. Questions came in about his maturity and emotion on the mound. Some questioned his ability to go deep into games. Some just liked Marco Gonzales better. Flash forward a few months and “El Gallo” has blazed a trail through the National League. He hasn’t just looked like a legit starter but a probable ace down the road. However, lately, the soon to be 24 year old righthander has looked a bit more human. Is this rookie starter fatigue, hitters coming around to him, or just some rusty aftershocks of an unbelievable 2/3 portion of the season?

Let’s slow down and remember the kid is only 23 years old. He’s young, fiery and has enough life in his arm for two pitchers in Milwaukee. Downfall is always a suspect in a young man’s rookie season and I am talking rookie season because 2015 is the entry campaign for Martinez’s real job. A starter for the best team in baseball.

The team took precaution and rested him against The Nationals, citing a sore back even though an innings precaution was the likely idea. Coming into Friday’s start against Pittsburgh, Martinez had 154.2 innings, a season high for any stop in the young man’s career. A wall was going to be struck at some point.

After compiling earned run averages of 2.18 and 2.03 in June and July, Martinez’s ERA for August was 4.15. The trend started on July 30th when Martinez was beat up for 5 earned runs and 10 hits against Colorado. After a decent 5 inning effort against the Reds, Martinez threw a gem against Pittsburgh. Eight innings, 3 earned runs and eight strikeouts. Miami then reached him for 4 earned runs before Carlos fired consecutive quality starts against San Diego and Arizona. Friday, the Pirates got to him for four earned runs in five innings. That’s six starts with rough ones included. This followed a stretch where Martinez didn’t allow more than 3 earned runs in 13 consecutive starts. Hitters are reaching him for a .292 average since the All Star break and his ERA is 3.80 during that time.

When it comes to pitch usage differences, Martinez has leaned more on his changeup and slider in the past month over his sinker, which is a world renowned deadly pitch. Friday, his fastball had zip but everything else was flat.

So, is there reason to be worried about Martinez? Is the back an issue? Is rest an issue? Was a rhythm disrupted with the rest or is Martinez just having a rough patch?

I don’t think there’s reason to worry too much about the kid. He’s still 13-7 with a 3.07 ERA to go with a 2.5-1 strikeouts to walks ratio. His WHIP is respectable and he still has an ability to pitch well with runners on base and in scoring position. A “human” stretch may force certain scribes to revisit old themes and fans to question the durability of the young man but I still see a fiery finish to the season.

Martinez carries loads of emotion, willpower and guile to the hill every start. He won’t let it weigh him down. He’ll pop back out on the mound for his start against The Cubs on Wednesday for the homestand finale with something to prove. Here’s something to remember. Martinez has pitched at least five innings in a start since May 9th. Expect him to respond. This is not your normal young pitcher. Martinez is foolishly talented and will be ready, on regular rest, on Wednesday. It’s not time to overthink his durability or stature.

The rest means the Cardinals are thinking of him for a playoff rotation spot and that’s the right move. As easy as it is to once again send Martinez to the bullpen for the third straight time, it’s important to remember the kid’s 2.68 ERA and .228 batting average against on the road. That shouldn’t be forgotten.

Yes, Martinez has looked rougher as of late, but that doesn’t mean September will end with a Martinez fade. He had a rough May as well(4.19 ERA) and he bounced back. Sometimes, the kid just needs to breathe and relax in remembering this is a six month season and it’s a lot different when you only pitch once every five days. 2015 is still a class in session for Martinez. Some bumps were expected but the course is still set.

Carlos Martinez will ride high again…after he is finished building the largest tower of cups in the dugout this weekend.