Category: Unfiltered Rants

A Bittersweet Christmas Eve

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166613_10150118536067534_7607710_nChristmas is my favorite time of the year.  Gifts are shared, snow hits the ground, temps drop down, grass is officially dead and best of all, the family gets together.   I love it and always will.  However, on December 24th, 2011, my wonderful grandmother, Henrieta Bulus, passed away.   We all called her “Meme” because in my family, that is what we did since we were kids.

The death sprung a horrible trap inside my family, with the loss taking a serious toll on my mom.   Meme was my mom’s best friend.   Sure, a daughter can be worn down by countless questions about my brother or what I am doing  or how work is, but my mother loved Meme right down to her bones.   My wife and my dad were stunned for sure, but the impact on my mother rings two years later louder than ever.

I had a personal connection with Meme.  She taught me things that are hard to be put into words.  She was the sweetest soul on earth and nurtured strangers on a daily basis.  If she was at a party, her night wasn’t fulfilled until she talked to everybody in the place and in depth.   She was a people’s person who loved to talk, drink wine and connect.   That’s what Meme did.  She connected with anybody.  As bad as Osama Bin Laden was, I used to tell my friends I could put 100 on my grandmother holding a conversation with the guy in some form of Arabic or similar language for at least 5 minutes before she realized who she was talking to.    She could do it all.

She was in her early 80’s when she passed away two years ago today.   She went out in typical Meme fashion.  At a party, talking to people, breathing and inhaling different cultures and sipping wine all night.    Working with a hip replacement she received in December 2010 she made an attempt to go down a flight of stairs to talk to more people.   She probably had half the place down but still had around 5 different groups of people to attack with that energy of hers.  She lost her balance somewhere in her trip on the stairs.  She fell down 9 stairs and smacked her head on the concrete at the bottom.  The fall wasn’t the worst part.  It was the final thud onto the ground.   Meme spent nearly 2 weeks in intensive care and passed away on Christmas Eve.  Coincidentally, it was the same day she was married decades before.  Simply bittersweet.

I remember the time of day and everything on that morning 2 years ago.   We got the call early in the morning and it came after my son entered the room and we did this extended picture flurry that is common in the Buffa household.   There is even a picture of my wife and son that was taken right before the phone rung.  It was my dad and he told us Meme had passed.  I hadn’t heard that tone of his voice since I listened to him find out on the phone in 1989 that Meme’s husband, Larry(from which I got my middle name) had passed away of a heart attack.  Imagine a gruff John Wayne and a wounded animal and that is my dad when emotion is starting to flood his systems.   It’s weird for a son to hear his dad cry.   If you have had the pleasure of meeting my old man, you quickly notice the 6 foot 4 frame and monstrous size and build.   Imagining that breaking down over a phone call and what doesn’t seem right at first clicks later.   He really loved his mother and father in law.

When he first met my mom, Larry gave my dad a hard time.   My mom’s parents were Lebanese and my dad was half Italian.  You can guess there was some friction at first.  My dad had to earn their respect and then some.  It took years for him to get the trust of my grandfather.   He had to take a hammer to that tough thick layer of ice for a long time before it was a done deal that he was marrying my mom.   That kind of trial and tribulation either separates a man from his in-law’s or it binds them together forever.   My dad grew very close to Meme and Pepe(our version of grandpa).

So when I heard his voice on the phone, I knew what happened.  I didn’t cry or even crack a tear.  My wife immediately broke down and my poor son(3 months old and 10 days) didn’t have any expression to offer.   It was silent before we both decided to get off the damn phone.    A time of death was given to me but my ears basically went deaf after the finality hit.   We went to the hospital and we all broke down in the room.  Looking at Meme, who was still in the room, it was sort of a final moment thing.  Those are never easy to work with emotionally.  You can almost hear a timer ticking before someone starts to cry.  You don’t have the words or emotional depth to conjure up a good sendoff.  So you cry and try to dull the pain away.

Death is a son of a bitch.   It’s finality is only outran by its blunt force trauma strike to normalcy.    You don’t get to say when or where.  You take it in and let it destroy you and slowly you get back up.   Some people told me they would be happy to make it to their 80’s.   Sure, we all would like to.   George Carlin got there and he did every drug known to mankind in his life.  He passed away on his own watch.

Meme’s death proves the theory that death is unfair.  She was old but she had so much more life to give.   She had an energy that couldn’t be taught.  She was infectious in a crowd.   You couldn’t get mad at her and if you did, you felt like rotten shit later.  Meme was one of a kind and needed to stay a while.   She needed to watch my son grow into a beastly 2 year old and eventually take his first bus ride to school.  Maybe even go on his first date.   Every time I look at him I think of her reaction to him spouting off some gibberish about trains or running around the house.    I get sad and then regroup.  This happens nearly every day.

I’d like to mention my grandmother around my mom more often but it would be like pouring salt in an open wound.   My mom still misses her like hell and we all know it.  My dad’s mom mentioned her at my wife’s birthday two months ago and it’s like we all looked at her with crazy eyes.  Then again, it’s easy to talk about Meme and smile.   She was great.   Angelic and tough.   Her forearms were a third of the size of my own but when she grabbed my arm I confused her grip for Lou Ferrigno’s.   She kept me in line and asked me questions every time I saw her.  I miss those questions I once found to be mind grating.    What am I doing?  Why am I doing it?  When will I ask my popular friend Bill for a job with the Cards?   When will I go back to school?   I would love to answer those today.  I would even answer them repeatedly.

Today, I remember Meme just like I have all year long.  She was special because she gave a shit a lot more than others.   She’d feed a homeless person only if they would watch 60 Minutes with her.   She would give you advice you didn’t want to hear but should have written down with a permanent marker.   She gave you pearls when you weren’t even asking.   I miss Meme and tonight I remember her.

I used to take her to movies at the Plaza Frontenac, which isn’t my favorite theater by any stretch.   It is tightly conceived, contains small theaters and an old fashioned look that can grow irritating.   However, she loved the place so I took her.  Independent films or French language films.    She ate more popcorn than anyone and spit it out of her mouth as she created a commentary inside the theater while the movie played.   One of the most quiet attributes of her was her confidence and denial of others thinking about what she was doing.  Every time I go there I think about Meme.

Well, I have overstayed my welcome here.   If you made it this far, thanks.   Meme was special and if anyone or anything deserves 1400 words, it’s my late grandmother.  If you had the honor of meeting her, you would understand.

Merry Christmas and goodnight,

Dan L. Buffa

9/11 and it’s impact 12 years later

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Some of you may have seen this in September.  Scanning over the last few months of work, I came across and was moved by what I wrote.  As a writer, reading old copy can only help you become a better writer.  It’s the way it works.  Reading over this, I nearly forgot I was reading my own words.  It’s worth a repost, albeit with a few grammar corrections and paragraph breaks.  Enjoy and really read this one.  It’s worth it.

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Every year, I look back at that day.   A day where as a country we found out our defensive abilities weren’t as strong as we thought.   A day where realism struck several homes and loss carried a whole new meaning.   Rolling Stones’ classic tune, “Paint It Black”, was brought to life in New York City.  A sunny Tuesday morning was painted black indeed and stayed that way for years.   I know where I was and what I felt, and its amazing to think that 12 years have passed since a few planes in the sky changed our country forever and set off a wave of connection, bad decisions, hot tempered wars, and a decade plus of abandonment.  I didn’t lose anybody close that day but I felt the impact of others who did.   What can you say to make it all seem like perfect sense?

As a human being, we all have the ability to feel the impact of death.   I see a list of names and instantly think of all the people who won’t be able to spend another minute with those people again.   Death is a son of a bitch because its final and often there are no clear cut goodbyes.  The lost souls from that day didn’t get the chance to call their loved ones.  Sure we have heard the tapes of ones who did but I always wonder how many people got voice mail as they sat in that burning building, doomed plane or dark staircase.  How many people simply had to hope they would be missed.  Imagine a funeral for them.   How many people would show up?  People who made a pact to lose weight, call their parents more, live it up were suddenly facing down imminent death.  All kinds of people were seeing the rest of their life flash before their eyes that day.  I do believe it happens before we die.  A carousel of clips from our life start to play and to the individual it will most likely seem incomplete.  Death is brutally final not just for the people who experience it but the hundreds of souls who had a connection to that victim.   Young people, parents, daughters, sons, sisters, uncles, brothers, friends, cousins and co-workers.   If anyone thought life couldn’t change in an instant, ask anyone from NYC about that day.   2,996 people went to bed on September 10th, 2001.   They didn’t get a chance to go to bed on September 11th, 2001.   That will never lose resonance with me.

9/11/01 has changed for me in the past 12 years.  I am a father and husband now.   When I awoke on that day in my dorm at Mizzou and saw the burning buildings, I was single and going through the motions of college.  I hadn’t met my wife yet.  I wasn’t tied to anything but unpredictability.  I walked to my Psychology class and they quickly sent us home to our dorms to engulf 1,000 different angles of those planes crashing into the towers, the constant updates, horrifying pictures and the buildings collapsing like a jinga stack.  People jumping from the towers.  Victims covered in ash.  Innocent bystanders acting like they have never seen severed body parts before or had the chance to smell burning flesh.  Survivors can probably be counted as victims from that day of chaos.  I watched it all.  I let it in.  Felt the emotions, anger and raging fury send shock waves through my body.  I didn’t have a one headed monster to get mad at yet.  We didn’t yet know Osama Bin Laden was the mastermind.  This wasn’t a movie with three neat acts.  The bad guy is presented and the good guys get him and normalcy is returned to the surface.   The bad guy didn’t get caught for nearly 10 years.   The good guys ended up losing over 46,000 souls if you count the related illnesses, loss in the war and so on.   The people who died that day were only the beginning.  Anyone who worked on the site, sucked in the smoke and horrible fumes, or spent time there looking for loved ones had their lungs damaged that day.   It was like coal mining if it involved finding dead bodies every 30 minutes.  Anyone who went to war after were victims as well.   I am all for starting a war when needed, but for some reason George W. Bush invaded Iraq instead of just going after Bin Laden, the man responsible.  We lost thousands of soldiers fighting a war many of those lost souls never understood nor did we.   I am not saying Obama would have done different its fair to say the toll from that day stretched out over years.   That’s change.

Now that I am a father, I think about it differently.  A lot differently. I can only imagine if I left one day to go to work and this happened and my son wouldn’t see me again.   Imagine how many fathers and mothers didn’t come home that day.  How much explaining had to be done to little kids, teenagers or older sons and daughters about what happened to their caretakers?  A shit ton.  A lot of words and tears.   I think about my wife Rachel not coming home and the impact that would have on my family.  I think about losing a family member too but when a loss affects your every day home, your inner circle of loved ones, that’s the scariest scenario known on this earth.  I don’t know what I’d do without my wife.  I don’t want to imagine staring down imminent death and wondering if I will never see my son again.  It’s horrifying and that is how I relate to those who were affected that day.   If you didn’t lose somebody, the event can still affect you.

In 2009, I went and saw the Dave Matthews Band at Wrigley Field.   It was harmless really.  I took a trip on the Mega Bus and stayed with my friend PJ.   Weeks later, after I got home, I would find out that a bomber was attempting to blow up that area on that very night.   He planted what he thought was a bomb right outside Wrigley Field and left, only to be detained by the FBI/CIA(I can’t remember exactly which) because he was set up.   Law enforcement gave him a different bomb, a fake one, because they were working undercover to take down this cell.  However, I imagine from time to time if that bomb was real and how that would impact lives around me.  I exited the building on the side the fake bomb was planted.  I wouldn’t have felt anything.  My son would have never been born.   This isn’t easy to write or for some of you to read but it’s in my head so here we go.  9/11 did this to us.  It made us painfully aware of forces outside of our control.   Every time a plane flies lower than normal, I look up.

I don’t think 9/11 was a conspiracy or a coup.  I don’t rule out the idea that the government may have ignored intel or looked the other way but I carry the belief that our country was caught with its pants down that day.   We were blindsided.  Defeated straight up by a smart, crafty mastermind who planned it for years.  People lose sleep and breath over convincing themselves that we weren’t simply attacked by an evil force that day.   I don’t think Bush had anything to do with it and I require evidence to change my opinion.   Buildings collapse with 80,000 gallons of jet fuel running down their legs.  It happened and it was committed by the most wanted man this country will ever know.   We were knocked down that day and of course when we got up, a lot of wild swings and emotions were thrown around.   Alliances were broken.  New fear was created.  Bonds were made.  And you know what, a lot of connection happened.   People did come together and help each other.  Odd couples became friends.

I believe to this day sports played a huge part in healing that city and as a whole, our country.   The Yankees winning emotional late inning games and going to the World Series.  Mike Piazza hitting that game winner at Shea on the night baseball came back.   Jack Buck’s tour de force speech at Busch.  When we are shaken by bad circumstances, we look to sports and movies as much as friends and family.   It’s an escape for the most tormented soul.   At our weakest, sometimes all we need is a game to watch or a movie to invest our emotions with.   Simplicity lies at the heart of therapy.  Just my take.

I always say this to people I know about what happened that day.   No matter the cause, terrorists or conspiracy, those 2,996 souls are never coming back.  Finality tromps cause and reason.  If it were a coup, those people are still dead.  If it was a simple act of terrorism, those people aren’t coming back.   No crime to solve.   All we can do is prevent it from happening again.   Prevent the new Freedom Tower and the fountains and memorial from being attacked.   The United States of America will be targeted for days.  Every day.   It’s our ability to prevent it that separates us from the grave.  Stop fighting about what happened that day and celebrate the men and women who sacrificed themselves then to save a life.   Remember the sacrifice that happens every day by the people serving in the armed forces.   The ones who serve thousands of miles from their homes so we can feel safe in our own.  I try to remember the first responders who went into the towers, pulled people out and didn’t think twice before running back into the buildings.   You could have told them the buildings were collapsing in 5 minutes, and they would tell you I can get somebody out in 4 minutes.   They are the true heroes.   Certain people become firefighters or cops and are kind of brave.   Others are willing to put everything on the line to save another.   That’s sacrifice.  The courage to run in when so many are running away.   That is what I try to remember on this day.

That’s all I got.  Keep living.  Respect the privilege that we have today.  Living is a privilege.  Death is a conclusion.  I’ll never forget what happened that day or the heroic deeds that defined it.  We aren’t perfect but I hold a belief that to this day there are more good people than bad.   I could be wrong.  I could be right.  I will never know.  I do know that when Vinny gets older I’m taking him to NYC to show him what happened.  Let him see the thousands of names on the memorial fountains.   Describe to him what real courage is.  Those are questions I will be ready to answer.   As a son, father, brother, and husband, that is my right.

Sincerely,

Dan Buffa

Parenting and Imperfection/Reflecting On Sandy Hook 1 Year Later

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Tonight, when you have reached your wit’s end with your kid and feel like throwing yourself or something heavy through the front window, look at your kid for a second.  Appreciate that they are healthy and alive enough to drive you crazy.   Being a good parent is all about keeping things in perspective.  Perfection is never attainable in parenting.  You will utter curse words under your breath and mutter phrases that would make other parents label you as a bad person.    Being the caretaker of a child is built around providing them safety and care throughout a battlefield of chaos.  Like marriage, you don’t ever win fights with your kids.  You try to win rounds and accumulate enough points by the end of the day so they end up learning something or you don’t need three glasses of scotch.  It’s a long run but damn is it worth it.  (I just threw a coin in the curse jar….too bad I don’t have one of those yet.)

Remember tonight when you happen to sniff your hand and it smells like a glorious concoction of snot, chocolate, ritz cracker crumbles and 3 hour old poop that it is ALL worth it.  Keep in mind one year ago today 20 parents lost their 6 and 7 year old kids when a kid brought three guns into Sandy Hook Elementary and unleashed a level of rage and violence that is still hard to digest 365 days later.   Be glad that you still get the chance to deal with the little brat who won’t sit still when getting dressed or doesn’t want to eat the meat on his dinner plate.  When he wants to watch Polar Express for the 60th time and you have grown scared of the CGI Tom Hanks, do it anyway and be glad to deal with this brand of chaos.  Every time I truly get mad(okay most of the time) with Vincent, I remember those 20 parents who don’t have the chance to get mad with their kids anymore.  Sure, some of them have younger or older kids and didn’t lose all of them.   They did lose a kid and feel the hatred running through their veins every time they walk into the kid’s room and see nothing changed from December 14th, 2012.

The fact is when I pick up my kids perfectly distorted toys off the ground tonight, I will do it with a small level of gratitude.   Just think about the idea of walking into the room for consecutive days with everything in its perfect spot.   Trucks aligned in a row.  Train tracks all put away. No stuffed animals thrown.  Clothes folded inside a drawer.  No pieces of cereal on the ground gathering dust.  The mere thought of it scares the shit out of me.  I almost have to go knock a tray of toys onto the floor right now just to go through the motions.   I can’t imagine how parents who have lost a young child must feel.  This is in no way a smack to parents who lose 20 year olds or older kids fighting overseas, killed in car accidents or to other horrible circumstances.   I fully believe a parent SHOULD NEVER have to bury their child.  It has to be the other way around or I will never call this world a grand place.

There is something brutally tragic and horribly unfair about losing a young child, toddler or baby.   A stomach pain erupts when you think about it.  For once, you feel a truly violent edge standing up inside you.   When the idea of losing a human being who isn’t old enough to defend themselves comes around, there is only sadness and despair inside this 31 year old stay at home dad.

I get a lot of 1 on 1 time with Vin these days.  There are good days and bad days.  Days where french fries and candy make up a meal and others where the 2 year old practically eats a salad.  He holds me in the palm of his filthy hand most days, but every night I look down at him or think after I put him to bed how lucky I am to be a parent and have a healthy rambunctious kid.  Other families had their light taken out of their lives far too early.   Kids with cancer and disease.  Kids involved in school shootings.  Kids at the wrong place at the wrong time.

The first thought I had last December when I heard about Sandy Hook was just cold.  Sitting at Ronnoco Coffee doing UPS orders, I thought about my little Vinny sitting in one of those classrooms playing his butt off and learning.   I then thought of that kid walking into the room with those weapons and went through the entire situation.  I made myself do it, as horrible as it was.  Out of respect to those families and to the idea of it.  As much as we don’t want to think tragedy could actually happen to us, it is seriously right on our doorstep at all times.   Every single day.

So do me a favor and forget about perfect.  Remember, perfect can mean sadness.  Perfect is a row of trucks or cars sitting untouched in a kid’s bedroom.   We don’t need perfect.  We need strength and life from our kids.  If you think you are an imperfect parent, then you are probably are and guess what, it’s alright.  It’s just fine.

Join the party and appreciate being a part of it.

Thanks for reading.  Reach me here, at my email buffa82@gmail.com or @buffa82 on Twitter for comments, feedback or thoughts.

 

A Stream of Unfiltered Prose

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Now that the Cards blog is out, the gym is done, food is down and the body has been rebooted, allow me to fire out a random dose of material.  I can spin yarn about a various amount of topics and dig a little deep when required so consider this your afternoon dose of Buffa.   First, a little baseball news.

*The decision to start Lance Lynn in Game 4 is peculiar and makes me question Mike Matheny’s motives for Shelby Miller in the NLCS.   Lynn threw 29 pitches last night in 2 innings and got the win and now will be asked to head back to the mound on Tuesday for Game 4 when Miller is completely rested and ready to roll.   Let’s look at it this way.  Lance Lynn has worked out of the pen and as we saw last night, can do well there.  Miller has never been asked to come out of the pen on a regular basis and is a much more effective starter.  When Lynn worked last night, I figured Miller was set for Game 4.   If this is an innings limit matter, save me the analysis.   Miller has plenty left in the gas tank and doesn’t need to be shut down or limited.  You see how that went for Strasburg after his Tommy John Surgery.   Why rest and limit young pitchers?  Michael Wacha seems to be doing just fine.  Is there a problem with Miller that we don’t know of or is Matheny showing tough love or what the hell is happening?   Lynn coming out in relief and starting four days later isn’t arm threatening but makes me wonder further about Miller’s status.  He pitched one inning in Game 2 against Pittsburgh a week ago and hasn’t pitched since.  Why do managers always like to play mind games and withhold reasons?  We’ve followed your team for 6 months and deserve a reason.  If Matheny is so loyal to his young players, what is wrong with Shelby Miller?  Don’t answer too quick.  Matheny takes his thoughts one word at a time.  I’ve supported Matheny and defended him for months.  Just want to know what’s going on in his head.

*Timothy Bradley and Juan Manuel Marquez, the last two men to beat Manny Pacquaio, step into the ring tonight to wage war on each other.  Classic boxing match between two guys on an emotional high but still seeking more.   Bradley won a ridiculous decision over Pacquiao but impressed me and fight pundits more when he survived a vicious battle with Russian power punching machine Ruslan Provodnikov.  After getting knocked down and wobbled, Bradley recovered, exchanged blows and fired at will and won a controversial decision.   We all know what Marquez did last.   A little less than a year ago, Marquez went toe to toe with long time nemesis Pac-Man and scored a one punch knockout win.   After three close fights, Marquez left nothing to chance and knocked out Pac cold with one punch.   He saved himself in that fight because Manny was bloodying Juan’s face and busted his nose open.   In my mind, those two men deserve to fight again because of how well Pacquaio was fighting before getting stupid and because they produce such great fights.  That’s for later discussion.   Who wins the fight tonight?  You have two counter punchers who have been to war and made it out alive.   Marquez is 40 years old but fighting like he’s 30.   Bradley is still undefeated(wrongfully) and hungry.   I am going with Marquez because he is too smart and so agile in the ring these days that I think he will be able to control the action in the ring.   Both men can dish and receive and keep coming but JMM is the better boxer and can bang in the middle if needed.  Bradley will be overly aggressive and try to hunt Marquez down and we know what happens there.   I don’t expect a knockout but I think Marquez wins on 2 cards and takes Bradley’s belt.  If Pacquiao defeats Brandon Rios next month, he more than likely gets the winner of this match.  This will be a spirited, action packed and entertaining fight tonight.

*I am eager to see Captain Phillips and will do so this coming week.   The true story starring Tom Hanks as a ship captain who sees his rig overtaken by Somali Pirates is supposed to be one of the better films of the year and I want to see what’s really there.  First, I will address something about the movie’s director, the great Paul Greengrass(who helmed the last two Bourne films), taking some liberty with the true story.   Certain ship mates of Phillips have come out and said the movie paints him as a hero too much.   Well, to that, I say this, loud and clear….IT’S A FREAKING MOVIE.  Make believe, full of actors and made with a budget.  Why do people fail to recognize that just because a film says based on a true story does it mean every little detail will be flushed out perfectly on the big screen.   It’s called creative freedom and a cinematic process of taking something real(actors, story) and turning it into a watchable film.   No one wants to watch something boring.  This is NOT a documentary with interviews and flashbacks(like a movie that opened this weekend called The Summit, about 18 mountain climbers taking on the K2 mountain).  It is a movie, pure and simple.   Phillips wrote a book about his experience and the movie takes its cue from that point of view.  If the crew doesn’t like it, they can get their own movie funded and produced.   Until then, I will watch and enjoy the captain’s version of the story and not worry about fact checking.

*The Blues are 3-0 but don’t get excited.  Chastise me for saying this but last season we opened fast out of the gate and then hit a brick wall.    I like this Blues team and I like Jaro Halak getting the reins this season in a walk year but I will not lose my view of the past.  You got a talented bunch of people here.   Tarasenko is back.   Alexander Steen and Chris Stewart.  David Backes already has two goals.   Alex Pietrangelo and Jay Bouwmeester are a solid defensive duo.   New guys Derek Roy and Brendan Morrow are fine veteran additions.   Brian Elliot is ready to go and will start soon.  Ken Hitchcock isn’t satisfied and who would be in their first full season?  My point is take it easy and go game to game.   Hockey is a brutally inconsistent game and can snap a good mood with one bad bounce.  A few quick thoughts on the Zig Zag Kings.

-I like Halak as the starter bc when healthy he is a great goaltender. Most shutouts, playoff able and a true gamer.

-The Bou-Pietro combo on defense is one of the best in the NHL. Smart stretch passer and a competent leader on the other side.

-When he is on, the baby jesus smooth hands of Chris Stewart are as efficient as any winger in the league.

-Big fan of Ryan Reaves. He can skate, play, exist on the ice for a role AND…pound the shit out of players.

-TJ Oshie is still a Blue because he’s cheap, versatile and is capable of wow plays and doesn’t flop like Perron.

The Blues are once again built to contend and are as talented up and down the roster as Chicago, who they beat in a brutal and exciting final second battle on Wednesday.   They can have a great regular season but won’t have everybody’s belief until they prove to be as strong in the playoffs.   Touche Note!

*This just in.  Hanley Rameriz is sitting out today due to his ribs being sore from Joe Kelly drilling him last night.   Oh poor little Hanley.  Roy Hobbs played with a bullet lodged in his rib cage in the Natural.   Come on baby Hanley.   I wonder if we can get Chris Carpenter to make him piss his pants again.  Skip Schumacher is in for Andre Ethier so the Dodgers look a little naked today.  Go Cards!

*Charlie Hunman, who is great on FX’s Sons of Anarchy as Jax Teller, has abruptly pulled out of Fifty Shades of Grey, a highly erotic and wildly popular sex novel that is being brought to the big screen.   The controversial role of Christian Grey, who liked to spice things up in the bedroom and started dating a young innocent woman, wasn’t for just ANY actor.   Hunman took it on, but dropped it today apparently due to his overloaded TV schedule.  He also could be doing Pacific Rim 2, a monster blockbuster which propelled his name this past summer above the ranks of television stars.   I like Charlie but find myself happy for him and his future for pulling out of a role that may have twisted his career up.  No offense to the guy who does play Grey, but he needs to be more of a nobody to fully inhabit the role.  Just my three cents.

*Music to listen to.   The Heavy, the British band that put out the well known and frequently used track, “How Do You Like Me Now”.   They have a solid collection of bluesy rocking tunes that carry a shade of pop and jazz.   Look for their song Short Change Hero.  Good stuff.

*The Rams scored an ugly layup victory over the hapless Jaguars on Sunday.   Great, now they must go on the road and deal with a pissed off Houston Texans team.   Good luck.  Another test for a team that is 2-3 yet showing as many signs of ugly as they do of progress.   What will Bradford do this week and if he is healthy I think Zac Stacy deserves 20 carries.  Against a bad defense, he rushed 14 times for 78 yards but shows more promise than Darryl Richardson.   The defense will need to find a way to stop Andre Johnson, who is a gametime decision but even at 75 percent a decent threat.

What else?  That’s all I got.  It’s almost time for Game 2 of the National League Championship series and for my Cardinals to go up 2-0 in the series before heading west.   It’s time to take in a little baseball.

Thanks for staying,

Dan Buffa

Stream of Consciousness

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imageedit_1_6944541551(photo by Nina Woss)

Straight from the well of opportunity and free speech comes an unfiltered blast about the random material in my head.  I will dispatch a dose on the Cards later and kick out some film-addict work too but right now I feel like the best way to kick off the creative flow is to unload a dose of wild fire topical conversation.   Here we go.

*The original Die Hard will never be touched as far as greatness is concerned and the birth of the terrorist/one man hero squad/real time movie.   It came out in the late 1980’s at the high point of B movie action heroes and this gem belongs to Bruce Willis and no one else.   The realism in this film along with the high jinks and wild adventure never get old and every character brings something different to the party.   Alan Rickman’s cunning villain.  Bonnie Bedalia’s scared yet strong wife.   Reginald Vel Johnson as the heroic cop who assists our hero, John McClane.  The sequels that followed were serviceable action films but this original always garners my attention when it slips onto late night cable.   Willis, spending a majority of the film in a tank top with khaki’s and bloody feet to go with an attitude that was lost on any previous villain, owned the show.   He was Rambo with a go fuck yourself cockiness and to this day, it ranks as one of the best, if not the best, heroes of all time in film.  Check it out.  Stop watching the bald McClane chronicles and remember the days where Willis ran around that skyscraper with fake hair, a few brain cells and a reckless abandon that wasn’t seen before.  1988 was a special year.

*How much of a magazine honk am I?  I have stopped by at least 7 shops, malls and stores looking for the latest issue of Rolling Stone, with Michael J. Fox on the cover.  RS writes long epic finely written feature stories that cut the shit and tell the entire tale.   They are underrated journalists and not just Doors/Grateful Dead hippies who sit around and puff weed all day.  They are very good and I have a bad feeling this magazine doesn’t hit stands until tomorrow.

*My kid is amazing, tough and free spirited.   He split his lip open on Sunday night and required five stitches.   The next morning, he was up and running around like Lancelot after a sword fight.  The 30 pound 3 foot chunk is invincible right now and basically does what he wants.  All a parent can do with a two year is keep him or her alive and feed the beast when needed.  They pretty much take care of themselves and have no need for pants during the day time.  You will remember the name Vincent Daniel Buffa.

*Carlos Gomez is a classless bitch.  There I said it.  Braves catcher Brian McCann is an attention grabbing hog most of the time but I felt like what he did last night was somewhat honorable.  Let me explain.  Gomez launched a long home run and walked at least 7 steps before running, staring down pitcher Paul Maholm and getting the wrath of McCann and Freddie Freeman.   McCann blocked homeplate and that wasn’t a good idea and that’s where he stepped out of line.  The benches cleared and a lot of bad breath was smelt and words exchanged in close proximity.  Gomez and Maholm have a history and don’t like each other.  This wasn’t surprising but I still think Gomez was the biggest clown because he had to take 7 steps before running after a home run.  Unless you are a legend, that is unacceptable.  My take.

*Drinking Buddies comes out tomorrow in St. Louis.  Finally, this quiet gem of a romantic comedy gets a Midwest release and will grace the floor at the Tivoli.   I watched this film in August on demand from my couch but will implore you to give it a shot.  A few reasons.  Olivia Wilde is in it and she gives an amazingly fresh performance as well as looking amazing.  Jake Johnson, Ron Livingston and Anna Kendrick are also great.  It’s 90 minutes long and goes by quick.  Director Joe Swanberg really injects a lot of heart and soul into this simple tale of two best friends who work at a brewery who start to question whether being friends is enough.   A familiar concept is given new light here.   It’s a heartfelt honest depiction of young people breaking down the barriers of the different forms of love in this world.   I was taken aback by this movie because it was more than I initially thought it would be.

*How good are the Cardinals?   Their rookie pitchers have propelled them in 2013.   Guys like Michael Wacha, Seth Maness, Carlos Martinez, Trevor Rosenthal, Kevin Siegrist and Tyler Lyons.    What looked like an older club in spring training got very young and did it very quickly this summer and have provided this team with a fresh boost of mentality and attitude that has proved to be the equalizer.   A month ago we were strangling off clubs for the division lead.  Now we hold the Central by 3 games after sweeping the Nationals.   How great is that?   After Mujica flamed out in the closer role, Trevor Rosenthal stepped in and closed down all 3 games against Washington.   The flame throwing big right hander used his changeup effectively at times but overpowered hitters with his 99 mph heater.   Rosenthal looked confident.    Siegrist set him up for saves twice.    The lefty has turned heads this year the same way Trevor did in 2012.   Wacha almost threw a no hitter on Tuesday, losing it because he wasn’t tall enough.   His presence in the rotation gave them a jump start two weeks ago and along with Wainwright’s comeback and Lynn’s redemption, has the Cards starters leading MLB in ERA in September.   You can score runs and have the bullpen turn off the lights but you need a starter to provide stability early on.  We have 94 wins and are playing our best baseball at the right time.   I would have Wainwright start Saturday’s game so he remains on normal rest for the probable start in Game 1 a week from today.   Hold him off and he may be rusty taking the mound then.   Keep the ship rolling forward and don’t make too much changes.   The only thing I am worried about is the three day break coming next week.  I only wish we could play simulated games to keep the flow going.

*TV greatness right now.  As I power my way through five seasons of Breaking Bad, I am watching some good shows week to week.  First, let me give my take on the most talked about series on cable right now.   I won’t pile drive 30 episodes in time for Sunday’s BAD finale, so I am okay with extending my stay with Walter past his primetime cable expiration date.   Breaking Bad is a pretty good if not great show.  At least not yet,  I am 7 episodes into Season 3 and feel it getting more confident and better but there is still more to reach.   The writing is the stable engine behind the show.  It’s so honest, brutal and well placed.   Bryan Cranston is every bit as phenomenal as Walter White but I find myself loving the quiet funny moments with his character.    What’s cooler than a boring middle aged science teacher getting cancer and deciding that the nest egg his family will be left with comes from meth production and distribution.   Since the launch of the first season, everything around White has started burning and I am not sure it will be put out any time soon.   My take on other current television.

*Boardwalk Empire, 3 hours in, is every bit as amazing and multi-dimensional as it has ever been.   The cast is so good and Terrence Winter’s guidance of the real events with the fictional drippings is so well played.

*Dexter wrapped up its final season and left our anti-hero in a fitting place.  I won’t spoil it but let me step out and say the entire season was very sloppy, poorly written and didn’t feel final but they sort of pulled it together in the final hour.   Certain things were hokey and not wrapped well but there were careful steps taken to leave our good guy serial killer in a fitting situation.   And it leaves the story open for revisiting.  I am all for an older Dexter.  This show did decline in the final four seasons.   It would never live up to the plateau it hit with the Trinity killer in Season 4.   Dexter is like David Freese.   Peaked early on and not just taking up space.

*Ray Donovan was also a strong piece of work on Showtime.  The first season closed on Sunday and left the characters in a fitting place as well.  Once again, a familiar plot with flawless work from the cast, especially Liev Schreiber and Eddie Marsan.  A show about a fixer in LA was only the start of a 13 hour story about a boxing family and the repercussions of bad decisions.

*The Newsroom is still tops in the books for my favorite show of the year but Ray Donovan comes close.  If only Aaron Sorkin wrote an episode of dialogue for Ray Donovan.

*BANSHEE returns in January and that is a hallmark date for this ridiculously devoted fan of the Cinemax program.

*Television is the world of anti-heroes these days.   It started with Tony Soprano, and then Don Draper.  Walter White.  Dexter Morgan.  Ray Donovan.  The entire cast of Game of Thrones.  Nucky Thompson.  All these half good/half bad/all gray souls who do bad things yet come off honorable.   That’s great television.

*The Rams were pathetic on Sunday in Dallas.   Penalties, bad defense and a boring offense.   No adjustment from Jeff Fisher.  A big YAWN.   They are still 1-2 and can change everything tonight with a home win over the equally walking wounded San Francisco 49ers.    Sam Bradford spent more time on the ground in Dallas than he had in the past 4 games combined and couldn’t do much of anything.  Our receivers showed nothing.  Our offensive line was manhandled.  I saw Jake Long get tossed to the ground by Demetrius Ware at least twice.  Our secondary was horrid.  Our running game was non existent.  Steven Jackson is currently injured with Atlanta but I feel like that’s a better status than our current group of tailbacks.   Anyone up for producing 80 yard by themselves on the ground?   Hmmmm….tonight it will be nice to see the Rams score first and play respectable defense.  You have been rough for all three weeks and the last 4 quarters were awful.  I felt like checking the sideline for Steve Spagnuolo on Sunday.  That can’t happen again.

*The Blues are firing up the engines for opening night in a week.   This team didn’t make too many changes over the offseason but added some integral veteran parts.  They switched out David Perron for another unpredictable and maddening young player and added two vets in Derek Roy and Brendan Morrow.  The netminder will be Jaro Halak until his hamstring pops and eventually Brian Elliot and Jake Allen will see time.  This is Halak’s final year and swan song.   Hopefully he plays at least 60 games.   Ken Hitchcock gets his first full season with the team and that will be interesting.  Can the Blues truly create something exciting or will we rehearse the same old sad song in June?

*Still having a lot of fun with twitter.  Opportunities galore and the connective powers on there are just phenomenal.   I get a kick out of that site every day.  More than Facebook, which is a bloated high school classroom most days.   Twitter is fresh, challenging and innovative.

*Michael J. Fox deserves all the attention he gets.   A fine comedic actor who has enjoyed a comeback with guest spots on Rescue Me and The Good Wife and now gets his own show on NBC.  This guy is a true hero and speaks out for a disease that has affected his life and the lives of many others.  Unlike Lance Armstrong, he isn’t a lying cheat.  He is a tough guy who didn’t let a disease ruin his life.   Like Magic Johnson and Muhammed Ali, he just kept on throwing punches.  An imperfect legend.

*What else?  I love my wife.   Few husbands who married young can say that after 8 years of marriage and 11 years of a relationship.  I got lucky and there isn’t a date where I forget it.

*Mike Matheny is a good manager and has done a marvelous job this year in dealing with injuries and using the large depth he has on the roster.   He drives us nuts and doesn’t make sound decisions all the time but what skipper does?  Matheny, in 2 years, has proved he belongs.

*The Black Rebel Motorcycle Club comes into town tomorrow. I can’t wait to watch these SF rockers light up the Pageant.  The under the radar rockers are a truly soulful bunch of musicians and have slowly worked their way into my must listen music list nearly every week.   Good for runs, drives or walks, the band can play.

*Watch this Jimmy Kimmel clip where Jon Hamm, the golden boy of St. Louis, defends the supremely delicious pizza, IMOS.  His quotes as he eats it are priceless.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOTC_G6V6nM

I’ll leave you with that clip.  My work here is done.  Time for a break.  Let the hands fly here and now I need to check on my prodigy.

Thanks for staying,

Dan Buffa

@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

 

 

 

 

 

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

A Quick Breather

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Some guys do nothing when they need a breather.  They get a drink, walk outside, and sit down.  Think.  The problem is I am always thinking.  So when I need to relax, I come here and let it rip.  I can drink, think extended thoughts and sit still later.  Right now, the head is rumbling.  

 
I won’t spend a long time on the Cards today.  They are annoying me, killing my tolerance for baseball and quite simply driving me insane.  Slowly, the wee hours of August will start to approach and things will get serious.  I may go away for a couple weeks, come back and ask what happened.  Ask for a press release.  For now, I will tell you the Cards got beat by the Dodgers because bad luck, weak hitting and untimely pitching injuries seem to not want to leave the room.  On Monday, we had Buntgate with Beltran and a 3-2 loss.  On Tuesday, Joe Kelly outdueled Clayton Kershaw and we won.   Wednesday, Shelby Miller took a dinger off his elbow and left after 2 pitches.  Jake Westbrook entered, and gave up 9 runs on 14 hits even though apparently(via Dave Duncan) it takes 3 tough women with good hands, a snake charmer and a lot of heating pads to get him loose to pitch every 5th day.  Last night, Baby Carlos left with a cramp after giving up 4 runs in 4.2 innings.  The offense produced 1 run on 5 hits.  That’s it.   Rough week for Cards rookies and the team as well.  You take those losses and keep on trucking.  The lineup is rough because while Tony Cruz hasn’t sucked, he hasn’t exactly lit up pitching.  The loss of Yadi Molina to this lineup makes the bottom 3 slots in the order look like wretched shit.  Weak hitting catcher, shortstop and pitcher.  That’s a layup for an average pitcher.   There’s the problem.  The top 6 aren’t rocking mitts but the bottom half is plain weak.  Slide David Freese down to the 7th spot, push Tony Cruz up to the middle of the order to give him a shot and see where it takes you.  Molina can come off the DL this Thursday.  Until then, shake shit up.  The Cubs are in town,  They are bad but won’t roll over.  Chicago would love to come in here minus Alfonso Soriano and Matt Garza and beat us up.  Get to work Cards.
 
Dan Haren and Kyle Lohse are on waivers but neither make me lunge for the phone.  Haren is 6-11 with a 5.14 ERA and has allowed 21 HR.  If it were 2 years ago, I ‘d say yes.  Lohse is the same old crafty pitcher that may benefit from Busch’s walls but not sure if Mo springs for him.  He is the better option.  He is 7-7 but has a 3.23 ERA with a wretched team.  He has won 2 of his last 3 starts and has only allowed 2 runs or less in his last 4 starts.  Coming back to this lowly hitting team right now may not help him much, but I would support a Lohse acquisition over a Haren pull.  
 
The Cards offense is feast of famine right now.  Score 13 or score 1 or 2.  That’s dangerous and not very playoff like.  Our team isn’t good against good teams and can’t win close games against them nor can they come back late.   This 2013 team is a perplexing bunch of rogues.  Wait and see approach engaged.
 
Switching gears to movies-
 
Elysium was like a chocolate bar summer film.   A decent action flick that is easy on the eyes and entertains you yet melts quick after you hold in your hand long enough.  It deals with a future society where the rich live on a luxurious planet while the poor are stuck on a polluted dying earth.  Enter Matt Damon’s bald ex-con and he may be the one to reestablish the equilibrium.   Damon is fine but overqualified for a glorified action role and director Neill Bloomkamp takes a step back from District 9 with this blockbuster.  District 9 flip flopped the normal dilemma between aliens and humans.  For the first time, aliens were the victims of our government greed.  Here, it’s poor against the rich and the execution leaves nothing to be fought over.  As it is, I’d recommend it because it entertains and moves but don’t expect to be blown away.  
 
I still implore you to watch Fruitvale Station.   That 86 minute film will rock you.   The Spectacular Now comes out in 2 weeks.  A great HONEST coming of age high school romance.  Drinking Buddies is available on demand and comes out in theaters in 2 weeks.  Olivia Wilde proves she is more than a pretty face and Jake Johnson is excellent as well about a couple long time friends who work at a brewery testing the romantic shores of their relationship.  This isn’t your normal romantic comedy.  It’s honest, heartbreaking and leaves you a little wet.  
 
I am not good with time zones.  I am interviewing director D.J. Caruso today and was very excited because it’s my first big time director interview.  He has done a few of my underrated gems like Two For the Money and The Salton Sea.  He also directed Shia Labeouf in Eagle Eye and Disturbia as well as Angelina Jolie in Taking Lives.   He directed a kids film this month called Standing Up, and I was all ready at 130pm today.  Too bad it’s a PST based interview and it was 330pm PST.  Which means….530 CT.  I had in mind that it was 130pm all night and day.   Which is why this man needs to relax.  Anybody got a joint, a shot glass and a paper airplane?  Never mind.
 
Twitter is my friend these days as you all know.  It’s a 24/7 information highway and home to writers testing their craft at putting a thought into 140 characters.  It’s growing.  I got on the radio with http://www.redwolfrollcall.com on Wednesday for 25 minutes(4pm and 10pm for my Cards and movies segment) with Rob Butler and Aaron Russell in Arkansas.  I also interact with sportswriters, athletes, actors and filmmakers there.  If you use twitter, you know that hash tags are the connective tissue of the site.  If I use a hashtag like #STLCards, then anybody who uses that hash tag has the chance to see my tweet.  You can have fun with them as well.  I was writing about dealing with a crazy kid and I said #BabyBuffaBlues.   Common ones are #NoShit and #TakeYourBase.   Well, a popular one this week was Confess Your Unpopular Opinion.   Tell the twitter world something that you believe that may be hated by most.  Here are five that I came up with.  
 
Buffa Unpopular Opinions-
1. I am in favor of the NL getting the DH.  Unless you take it out of both leagues, I am for it.  Makes the game a lot more interesting and fun to watch and doesn’t let pitching changes enter the mindset so much.  I know that isn’t popular and I am not adamant about it.  I would be more for getting it taken out completely but also wouldn’t mind seeing leagues be made equal.
 
2. I really hate it when someone uses the phrase “LOL”.  I hate it a lot.  It instantly lowers my respect for that person’s intelligence.   If you are laughing out loud, record it, send me the tape.  I’ll approve. Nonsense.
 
3.  I am not a huge fan of the Godfather or Scarface.  Both are overrated and overlong.  I prefer Goodfellas over the Godfather trilogy.  I think Scorsese did in one film what Coppola did in three films.  A precise tight gangster story.  Sorry Al Pacino.
 
4. I don’t treat my pets like my children.  Dogs are pets, not children.  They are treated like an animal.  With love but also with a separate treatment than my kid.  My parents think their dogs are real daughters and while I can accept that, in this house, dogs are dogs.  Plain and simple.  
 
5. Not sure if the Blues win a Stanley Cup before my kid starts high school.  He is 22 months old by the way.  Just saying.
 
One More-While I don’t love their music, Bruno Mars and Katy Perry won’t burn out like Justin Bieber and Miley Cyrus.  They actually have talent.
 
The new Mumford and Sons video for their song, “Hopeless Wanderer” is self deprecation at its finest.  The folky rockers hired four comedy guys(Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis, Will Forte and Ed Helms) to dress up as them and prance around, cry and dance through the number.  Result is quite hilarious.  Check it out.
 
 
I am gone.  Goodnight.
 
-DLB

Midnight Dose of Buffa

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Settle in because I am going to fire at will here.  Why mess around when time is money and it isn’t waiting for the slow people?  I have to get here and lay it out and get on with the daily walk.  I am not Kane but I will have to do some work tomorrow that doesn’t include unplugging here and going full steam ahead on my normal range of topics.  Feel free to send me topics to rant about.  I can do anything.  Chinese Ping Pong Strategy.  Iraqi Freedom Fighter outlook.   Washington DC watercooler talk.  I will look it up, get a perspective and fire at will.  Let’s get on with it.

 
CARDS BEAT KERSHAW AGAIN, EVEN SERIES
*They didn’t bust up Clayton, who is now 4-5 against us lifetime, but we did just enough and got a couple timely hits.  We manufactured some runs tonight early on and nicked the kid for 2 runs in 6 IP.  He doesn’t have a sub 2.00 ERA for nothing.  He’s really good and would have 15 wins right now if not for terrible run support in April and May.  I said get a win against either Kershaw or Greinke and we did, so the rest of the series is open season to win or pull out even.
 
*Joe Kelly matched Kershaw and held the Dodgers to less damage in 5.1 innings.  He required defensive help and labored like Jake Westbrook but got the job done.  He outdid Kershaw for long enough and got another win.  He validated to the home crowd that he deserves to be in the rotation from here on out.  In 24 starts, he has pitched decent in 75 percent of them.  
 
*The Cards got some great defense.  Jon Jay ran to the wall and tracked down a deep fly from Mark Ellis.  We turned 4 double plays, including the 12th from Seth Maness.  Sometimes it’s like he types “DP on this pitch” into his Predator arm band and just gets it.  Tony Cruz threw out a runner at third on a failed sacrifice attempt.  Edward Mujica stoppped a line drive and fell to his back before firing a strike to Craig in the 9th inning.  
 
*The Pirates won so we remain a couple games out, but there is time and this was a close win.  This season, we are only a game over .500 in 1 run games.  Those kind happen a ton in the postseason and we must get better.  The one thing the Cards don’t do is come back late or win in extra innings.  In August and September, close wins are gritty and stress inducing but frequent.  
 
*Yasiel Puig is a marvel and a fun kid to watch.  He swings with majestic pride, has a cannon in right, and includes a little flair that implies, “I’m good so deal with it”.  He doesn’t approach Bryce Harper arrogance or Ryan Braun snark and is a player to watch and be in awe of.  He is hitting .376 and can big time power.  I’d like to contain him for two more games and worry about him in October.  
 
*Hat tip to Don Mattingley.  His job was under fire in May and now his team is in first place by 4 games.  Good for him.  The team came together, Puig came by and the season has taken off.  They are tough.  They hit well, field good and pitch great.  We aren’t seeing them with the .361 hitting Hanley Rameriz either.  Be glad.
 
*My take on the Carlos Beltran bunting crappola from Monday.  He did it on his own.  So what?  It’s still a bad move.  He has 20 HR after tonight, hitting above .300 and is capable of changing a game with one swing.  He told the media that he bunted in the 7th inning and moved the runners over.  Why give away an out?  If it’s a one run game, I can maybe see it but still not with Beltran.  It comes down to using your head.  You have 2 runners on, zero outs, a 2 run deficit and you give Zach Greinke an out.  He needs to swing the bat.  There’s no place for excessive bunting in winning baseball.  It’s not just bad baseball.  It’s stupid logic.  And Mike Matheny bunts way too much. The Cards rank 5th in the league in bunts attempted and are 3rd worst in execution.  Basically, they suck at it yet try it a ton.  Unless Matheny wants to make them practice more in BP and do it against splitters and cutters, then stop attempting so many easy outs.  I don’t get it.  Also, Mike can be more candid with the media about it.  If you feel so avid about it man, then back it up and discuss it.  Quite little league for Matheny to go all Tony La Russa on the media when asked about Beltran’s bunt.  He gave away three outs in Monday’s ONE RUN Game.  It’s the media’s job to ask questions Mikey so be nice and answer them or we will ask you about your real estate investments again.  
 
Yes I went there.  And yes the font color of this blog changed a bit.  Instead of a thick bold, it’s grayish.  Call it a mistake in trying to copy and paste from another window.  Don’t do it.  
 
What else?
 
Movies-
*Rent The Place Beyond The Pines or Mud.  Both are quality films with good stories and acting.  Pass up Oblivion unless that is where you want your mind to end up.  
*The Spectacular Now is a gem.  Watched it yesterday morning(it comes out August 23rd).  Coming of age tale with some real teeth and grave honesty about transitioning from high school to “do something with your life” arena.  Miles Teller is a breakout talent and he will break your heart in the third act.  You heard it here first.
*Go see Fruitvale Station.  Pass up 2 Guns.
*Looking forward to Elysium, the new Matt Damon Sci-fi action thriller.  Damon shaved his head for the role, which is funny.  When actors want to look badass, they shave their head.  I shave mine every week.  That’s why I’m a BAMF!\
*Ever feel like catching an oldie?  Watch the classic Midnight Run.  DeNiro, Grodin, Farina, and Kotto.  Great comedy.
TV-
*Ray Donovan would be a shitty NBC crime show without its superb cast. Watch it now.
*Rent Banshee on DVD and soak up that ridiculously fun first season.
*True Blood is retarded and I watch it merely for the nudity these days.  Yeah, I do.  
*I fully expect a quality Entourage movie.  It’s coming in 2014.  Doug Ellin has a chance for a home run here with 90-120 minutes so don’t waste them.  Focus more on Jeremy Piven and Kevin Dillion and not the duller than dogshit actors who play Vince and Turtle.  I think they do adequate in their roles but Adrian Grenier and Jerry Ferrera aren’t worth a lot of minutes.
*Sopranos could have done a movie but then James Gandolfini died.  Oh well.
*I’ll be watching the Low Winter Sun on AMC this month. Why?  It has Mark Strong, the gifted British character actor, in the lead.  Done.
 
Miscellaneous-
*I could bitch about traffic and other drivers but then I would have no time left in the day.
*Shaw’s Coffee on the Hill has the best coffee in St. Louis.
*If I don’t get this Mark Strong interview this week, there will be blood in the water.  When I interview C-List directors, I would like my shot at the B-List and A-List actors.  Thanks.
*Watching Lee Daniel’s The Butler on Monday, which has the best cast ever assembled for a film.
*I love lamp.  Very much.  Only film-addicts will get that one.
 
Goodnight,
 
Dan L. Buffa

Opening Statement for the Week

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Good morning soldiers,

 
As you crank up the work week, I am here to enlighten you a little.  My job is basically giving my side of a story.  I don’t bore you with a popular propaganda dance off here.  I dish it straight and blunt.  Whiskey without the ice to water out the floating sensation.  Let’s get into it.  
 
Hopefully the Cards celebrated their 15-2 club bashing of the Reds on Sunday on their flight home.  They ended the 3-8 road trip by scoring 41 runs in their final 4 games.  Not bad for a team declared dead on Wednesday.  Starting today, they face a red hot Dodgers team that has won 14 straight on the road.  That’s like beating down the monsters from within only to rest in a bed full of snakes.  LA has turned their season around, winning 31 of their past 38 games and looking like the contender every paper magazine chalked them up to be.  They are doing this while dangling Andre Ethier off the trade corner and without Matt “Gimp” Kemp.  They have rock solid pitching and a potent lineup which has been energized by Yasiel Puig, the type of young player the Cards can only dream Oscar Taveras turns out to be.  Puig hurt himself over the weekend but I doubt he will miss time against the Cards.  The Dodgers greet us with Zach Greinke and Clayton Kershaw the first two games of a four game set.  As noted earlier, home field advantage doesn’t matter when you are facing a crew of road warriors.  
 
Adam Wainwright needs to make a statement tonight.  Climb the mound, pitch like an ace and walk tall damn it.  He produced two shitty starts on a pivotal road trip.  He got outpitched by Joe Kelly in back to back starts.  No offense to Joe but Waino is a Cy Young hopeful and the general of this rotation.  He wears the badge and he knows it.  He can’t walk out there tomorrow, toss hangers and cutters that don’t slice.  He has to halt the LA bangers and give us a chance.  Fuck what he has done up to this point.  Now we enter the stretch run.  Get your fanny packs off and put on the hard hats because it’s time to bang.  
 
David Freese and Matt Holliday have woken up since Yadi Molina went down.  That is what big gamers do.  They rise out of the slumpy ashes when most needed.  Holliday has been hitting everything hard for a week and Freese had a huge weekend in Cincinnati.  Sitting back in his comfortable cleanup spot(where he hit with AP here), Holliday is bashing liners and knocking guys in.  Allen Craig has settled into the 3rd spot and Freese is either in the 5th or 6th spot.  If Freese is on, this lineup looks deadly and can overcome the short term loss of Molina.  Good timing Imos boy. The nice deluxe is on me surfer!
 
Anyone seen Edward Mujica lately?  Chief pitched 2 damn innings on the 11 game trip.  If the Cards can learn to create a save situation again, we need to get our rusty closer back out there.  August isn’t the time to have him ride the bench.  This isn’t a rally cry against 10 run deficit destruction.  Just saying Mujica needs to work.  Him and Trevor Rosenthal are playing too much blackjack down there.
 
Matt Adams can hit but he will strike out the more he plays.  He had a big 2 hit day on Sunday, including a long 2 run HR in the first inning.  He can play.  He is a deadly bench bat/occasional starter.  As a full time player, he is showing weaknesses yet may improve with more time.  This plays into the whole bring back Beltran or don’t bring back Beltran idea.  Beltran stays and Craig plays a lot of first base.  If you move Jay, you are doing it for Oscar Taveras.  The only way Matt Adams plays every day here is if Beltran departs.  The man is still young so be patient.  
 
Matt Garza needs to stop using twitter to attack players and their wives.  His treatment of a Oakland A’s player and his wife on Saturday was simply unprofessional.  Grow up Garzy or I will shave the squirrel off your face.
 
Busy week ahead for Film-Addict honcho here.  I have a screening tomorrow at 11am of a widely praised indie called The Spectacular Now, and a screening of the sci-fi action thriller Elysium on Tuesday.  I also have two screeners to watch and a possible interview with the Brit Mark Strong.  4 movies, 1 interview and a lot of typing.  I made need an injection by Thursday.  This is not a complaint.  I am able to send Vinny to his daycare 2 days a weeks so I can get FA duties and writing/job applying done without reckless noise in my background.  Some weeks are busier than others.  One day this will be all I have to do.
 
I haven’t contacted a good friend about a job fair opportunity and I feel pretty shitty about it.  Said person must not take that personally because I will be calling this week.  Amazing how quick time flies.  
 
I drove a party bus for my neighbor on Saturday and didn’t mind the experience.  It was a wedding and the group wanted to hit Ted Drewes and Kiener Plaza.  No big deal.  The groom was a Marine and was sweating profusely while his new bride took about 600 shots in 80 degree heat.  You drive them around, listen to them get drunk and listen to horrible music and try to create celebration by screaming “WooooHoooo” 45 times in a 30 minute ride.  It’s basically listening to children slowly become adults.  I didn’t get to use my cool driver transporter Jason Statham accent once.  I nearly played that role.
 
Aaron Sorkin is a great writer.  He writes dialogue like the ideas are bubbling up in his head and coming in at a clip of 45 million per second and under the notion that his hands will tire before his mind. He writes like a mind without a stop watch.  All passion and no limitation.  It’s a thing of beauty to watch and makes his HBO show, The Newsroom, a joy to watch.  You find yourself going back and listening to dialogue again because there is so much packed in there.  
You want a cool under the radar gem to revisit.  Watch Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.  That was the real beginning of Robert Downey Jr.’s comeback.
 
Ray Donovan promises a dark ride through Hollywood and a family of Boston gangsters playing pinball against the past.  I will be writing a piece for Film-Addict on this bright young show with plenty of legs. We do TV spotlights on occasion, especially the shows that resemble “cinematic television”.
 
I can be as excited about the 2013 Rams as anyone and it doesn’t mean shit.  I need to see Jake Long protect Sam Bradford in a game.  I need to see Sam fire a pass into the chest of Jared Cook or Tavon Austin under pressure in a game before I declare the Sooner QB the second coming of Kurt Warner.  The 49ers and Seahawks are getting hit hard with injury and Fisher ball is a exciting, but games need to be played.  Don’t make the mistake of getting on the ride before it starts to move.  We are all fans.  If you love the team, it’s okay to watch things play out.
 
The Blues made a fantastic move in signing midseason trade acquisition Jay Bouwmeester to a 5 year extension.  After they sign Alex Pietrangelo to a long term extension, that gives the St. Louis Blues a strong tandem on defense for years to come.  No matter what happens with Oshie and Berglund, the team tosses an anchor in the water with Jay Bo and Pietro.  It’s been a long time since Pronger and Big Mac roamed the blue line.  Now we have another pair worthy of that hype.  Younger too.  Jay Bo is tall, has a fast skate and can thread the needle on an outlet pass.  He occupies space and knows what to do with it. The team signing Jake Allen(future #1 goalie) and solidifying the defensive core is Doug Armstrong hard at work.  Ken Hitchcock’s first full year will be interesting.
 
Jeff Daniels isn’t just great on the Newsroom.  He’s sensational. Give him the Emmy for next year’s ceremony.  Get the engraver ready.  Without great actors, fine writing is just words on a piece of paper.  The right actors can make that material sing.  Daniels’ Will McAvoy is Sorkin’s alter ego taking center stage on every political and human issue.  Daniels makes it sing.
 
Song of the Day-“Heroes” by Peter Gabriel
 
What else do I got?  
 
I can’t stand coffee with cream in it.  Why not pour sugar and ice cream in and make a fucking shake out of it?  The more people pour sugar and cream into coffee it loses its wonderfully creative flame.  They wonder why it doesn’t wake them up.  It won’t if you drown it in bullshit.
 
Gas prices are holding steady.  Back to the worthless news desk.
 
Politicians are full of shit.  CNN is like their own form of open play.  Watch the babies spit up on each other and play with big toys.
 
Barack Obama is a good guy I think.  He roots for the White Sox, likes basketball and can really really give a great speech.  What he stands for…I have no fucking clue.  
 
Look up the band Black Rebel Motorcycle Club(BRMC for those with short attention spans).  They are a true under the radar rock band and their album, Baby 81, is a classic rock n’ roll clashing of drums, steel, guitar and the blues infused with a punk rock spice.  Yeah, I’m aroused too.  If you like them, buy a ticket to their September 27th show at the Pageant.
 
I’m done.  Thanks for reading friends.  Good morning.
 
-DLB
I’m saving my creatively spiked ending for another rant…