Spending A Night With 1917 Soundtrack

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“The live set is like stepping into a time machine portal into the 1950’s when R&B, Rock and Roll and Soul were being created.”-Mario Mathon

As a lifelong lover of music, I didn’t hesitate at the chance to watch my good friend and fellow artist Mathon record a session at Utopia Studios in downtown St. Louis1938012_987544336790_1249102921_n with his bandmates Jordan Mays and Amonte Henry. Together, they form 1917 Soundtrack, a group that defies distinction by a single genre and instead lives on the edges of multiple sounds. R&B, soul, blues, and a little rock mixed in there.  Give it a name but know this.  Hearing it makes your body come alive when Henry is pounding the drums, Mays working the guitar and Mathon strutting around the room with a microphone in his hand singing the blues.  Radio and news footage accompany the opening of their tracks and as they play, it’s nearly as if the band is driving a vehicle into a storm cloud of musicianship and taking you along for the ride.   It’s quite the experience.  Confidence flows through anyone’s veins while they watch music unfold. There’s a detailed rhythm to the recording of an album and that night I got to see the steps and work put forth by three men who want to make it big. What other damn reason would you be expressing yourself with so much passion for?

1926142_987498698250_12140651_oEach guy has a story that’s rooted in artistic drive and flawed grace.   As a friend and fan alike, I wanted to get the back story behind the need for this trio to use their free time to create something special. I write in my free time and do so because I feel I have something to offer people and it energizes my soul.  When I talked to Mathon about describing his music, the man was as blunt as a solo at Madison Square Garden.  “Saint Louis old school, birthplace, rhythm & blues, rock and roll, Chuck Berry, Etta James, Muddy Waters influence on the whole sonic and physical vibe of the music.”  Wrap your head around that.

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Mathon, vocalist and pianist,  hasn’t been easy on himself.  He is one of those artists who will sit there and tell you every day is a struggle.  This is the same guy who signed to a local hip-hop soul development deal as a teenager, eventually selling an urban-radio ad jingle to McDonald’s through local 3rd party producers.  He moved to St. Louis from Chicago at the age of 14, and met Mays based on their shared love of music in Brentwood High School.  Total opposites in personality while Mays was off pursuing his musical ambitions and education, Mathon would dedicate his time to the streets.  Mathon became enclosed in the deadly web of the sale and use of narcotics, eventually doing a two year prison sentence, spending the majority of his incarceration sharpening his musical sword.  Upon release he bounced around from local bands and production teams before hooking back up with Mays to write and record the “I Cant Believe How Much Of An Asshole Im Not Being” EP.

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The Bullet Round: STL Sports

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Let me introduce this new round of action:  Since I started blogging to a pack of buddies via an email blast over 10 years ago, I have always liked firing out a post on a
Sam+Bradford+St+Louis+Rams+v+Arizona+Cardinals+QFtwXuRJVTnlwide range of topics.  I’d call it “The Buffa Bullet Round” or “A Buffa Blast”. Bullet points, quick and smooth, about different things. One-topic articles are great but sometimes, firing away on a wide range of things can make for a fun read. On a radio show, they do the same thing. Over the course of the 2-3 hours, a host goes over a range of topics offering his take. Here is my first dispatch/bullet round, STL sports talk.

  • As spring training heats up and games start on the 28th, center field continues to be a hot topic. The Cards brought in Peter Bourjos by shipping out the hometown boy David Freese so they could improve the defense in the outfield. In 2013, the Cards were wretched in the field out there and hurt their team’s chances by not doing the pitchers many favors. Bourjos was brought here to help that. Some are claiming Jon Jay can hit better than Bourjos, which if you compare the two’s baseball cards is true; however, remember the context of the trade that was made. Bourjos gives you fantastic defense in center field and if he can get on base, could change the lineup speed-wise. Jay has been good here and is a good teammate, but I just don’t see where he gets too many at bats if the Cards and Matheny need great defense in center. That was the idea. A platoon doesn’t work because Bourjos can’t hit lefties any more than Jay can. With Jhonny Peralta giving shortstop an offensive boost, I would be willing to sacrifice a bat for a glove in center until Oscar Taveras is ready. And that’s another thing: when Oscar is ready, how many starts will Jay receive? Like Daniel Descalso on the infield, I see Jay as injury insurance. Mark Ellis is rookie meltdown prevention insurance with Kolten Wong taking over the reins at second base. Jay is going to have a hard time finding at-bats unless he discovers some new defensive ability.
  • Thank you, T.J. Oshie, for slashing away at the Russian express in the Olympics. Oshie did a lot more than sink some pucks in a shootout: I have a feeling the “Oshie in Sochi” sensation destroyed the Russians’ morale and paved the way for their loss today against Finland. Coming into the Games with monstrous expectations, Russia didn’t see the Oshie Express coming and got cut in half. Oshie didn’t just perform amazingly in the shootout, say the right things about heroes, and earn an additional 160,000 Twitter followers in a matter of days, I think he handed the Russian hockey team a full-on case of depression. Good for the Americans, the St. Louis Blues and the tournament overall.
  • Let’s not forget about David Backes and his efforts. The man doesn’t go anywhere without making an attempt to change a team and affect the environment he is in. He scored his third goal today against the Czech Republic and shut down their best player, Jaromir Jagr.  Backes has three goals, one assist for the Games and consistently changes the other team’s complexion every time he hits the ice. It isn’t always about goals and assists in hockey, it’s about the rugged intangibles:  inspiring your team to do better,  pushing your teammates and setting an example. Backes is the perfect captain because he looks the part and works his ass off to prove it to others. Every game is a chance to be a presence. Backes is also helping find a home for abandoned dogs in Sochi when he isn’t dominating on the ice.
  • Thank you, Rick Majerus.  I am not a huge college sports fan but I appreciate the effect this man had on St. Louis Billikens basketball.  When he came here, the team was in shambles and not faring so well.  His hard work, maturation, belief in the school and fearless personality turned this team into something the entire NCAA tournament field will have to worry about.  Nice job, Rick.  Everyone should remember this guy by devouring some barbecue because that is what the man loved. Food, life, basketball and making everything around him better.  (Writer’s note: Eating barbecue in moderation, as in once a year to celebrate a man’s passion for life, isn’t going to end any lives.)
  • Every Cardinal fan who claims to hate Robinson Cano’s lack of hustle on groundouts can feel very good knowing their high paid outfielder, Matt Holliday, sprints down the line every time no matter what.    Holliday hustles the most on the team. Pure, true grit.

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Michael Sam’s Story is Only The Beginning

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Here is my take on the Michael Sam situation.  While some would call it old, I like to think Sam’s courage in coming out BEFORE the draft about his sexuality will help many others shake the boulder’s off their shoulders in the future.  Yes, his sexuality has nothing to do with his play but it will affect his draft position and has given him the chance to help many others.  Athletes, especially football players in a testosterone filled environment, can’t just say this and hope nothing changes.  Unfortunately, that is the world we live in.  Sam’s story never gets old.   If you didn’t see this on Arch City Sports last week, here it is.

Two weeks ago, Missouri football player Michael Sam came out on National Television and said he is gay.  Since then, every media pundit, sports fan and many other imageedit_9_2231058776million or so souls on this earth have weighed in.   Support has come out in droves and everybody has a take on this.  The majority of the comments that aren’t supportive are people wondering why this is news in the first place, which is a good question.

Michael Sam coming out and stating his sexual preference to the world is news because there are so many people out there who can’t accept or root for gay athletes and don’t even support gay marriage.   They make this a debate and one that will wage on until being gay or not isn’t headline news.  This is a story because of all the conservatives and red states who can’t wrap their head around a fact that a football player is gay and can still be great in the game of football.    Heterosexual athletes don’t need to come out during an ESPN interview.   In 2014, gay athletes have to make a statement about their sexual preference and that is one of the many things that isn’t yet right and balanced with this world.

I won’t overload you with football statistics or politics here.  I am not a huge college football fan and won’t bust out my mock draft here because that isn’t the point right now.   The point is that Sam did something heroic and something many athletes would be terrified to do. That needs to be appreciated and talked about.  Imagine telling your parents your secret and how hard that is and then imagine telling your friends and teammates.  After you have digested that scenario, imagine telling the entire world and every NFL franchise that you are gay and dealing with the mega storm that comes with it.   There is nothing easy about what Sam did and making light of the statement he made would be a bad move for any football fan or regular person just reading a story.   Look deeper.

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Jimmy Fallon’s Tonight Show

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First, let me state that I have never truly been a fan of Jimmy Fallon’s work until a few months ago.   He usually came off to me as childish and overaggressive with fallon-tonight-show-650celebrities.  This is a new love for me.  When he was given the reins to the Tonight Show(authorities are currently blocking Jay Leno from entering the building to retake the show) I didn’t give it much thought and figured it was all relative inside the NBC family.  However, after reading up on Fallon and how much he has worked for the position and how cool and down to earth of a guy he is, I took a chance and watched his show last night.

It was very seamless.  He hit the stage and immediately took off the shiny armor that hosts usually carry to their grave.   He talked about growing up in New York, filming the intro sequence with Spike Lee, pointed at his parents in the audience, and revealed that he was over the mountain in affection for his 6 month old girl.  Fallon stripped away everything before getting into the meat of the show.   It involved dancing with Will Smith, talking to him about skydiving and having U2 perform a song on the roof of the Rockefeller Center(where the show is hosted) and on the couch next to him to end the show.  For you Bono and U2 haters, the man and the band have still got it and he can sing effortlessly in any setting.   Great show.  Fallon talked about bringing the show back to New York and “hosting a show once hosted by Johnny Carson, Jay Leno, Conan O’ Brien and Jay Leno”.   Fallon doesn’t laugh at all his jokes and I thank him for that.

Here is the reason I am going to watch Fallon.   He is fresh and starting something new here.   He seems more confident and has grown up while hosting the Late Show after Conan’s departure 4 years ago.  Elsewhere, David Letterman has lost a lot of steam on his fastball and seems bored.   Leno was just bland so I am glad he is gone.  I’ll always have a soft spot for Conan but he doesn’t get the guest lists he used to due to his battle with Leno.  I like Conan and still watch on occasion but he has reduced himself to severe self-deprecation.  Craig Ferguson is a hoot but also doesn’t get the guest lists and has a ridiculously long monologue.  Jimmy Kimmel is decent as well and has wild segments and guests but for some reason he isn’t a guy I look forward to.  He needs to do more stand up comedy.  At this point in time, Fallon is fresh and I tying my boat to his cruise ship.

Here are a few other reasons I am going with Jimmy-

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T.J. Oshie Becomes A Legend in Russia

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This is the kind of story worth spreading around.  In case you missed my Arch City Sports piece earlier this afternoon, here is my Oshie piece from the Olympics game this morning that was heard around the world.  

The story reminded me of Rocky 4.   An American slaying a monstrous Russian dragon inside the foreign country.  Sure, Oshie didn’t tell the Russians “we can all change” but he did revoke the hero label, saying the real heroes wear “camo”.  Good for him and the Blues organization, which is doing quite well so far.   Patrik Berglund has a pair of goals, Alex Steen a couple of assists, and Backes has a goal.   Oshie made a little history today and here is my story on it.  Enjoy and have a good weekend.

Sure, it wasn’t Al Michaels screaming “it’s a miracle” this morning around the United States, but the St. Louis Blues’ T.J. Oshie definitely delivered the shot heard aroundTeam USA's T.J. Oshie scores the game winning goal over Russia during a shootout in their men's preliminary round hockey game at the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games the world this morning in Sochi as he helped the USA beat Russia 3-2 via shootout.  In an epic morning battle that involved lead changes, blood, sweat, tears, a rejected goal and 8 rounds of shootout action, the St. Louis Blue delivered the kill shot.  Oshie has always been regarded around the NHL as a good hockey player, but today he turned into a legend.  No matter what happens the rest of the way, everybody who woke up at 6 a.m.  will remember where they were when Oshie sank the Russians.

I’ve said for years that Oshie is the best shootout artist in the NHL.  He is 7-10 on shootout attempts this year and lifetime he is 25-46 (54 percent).  That’s ridiculous.  Oshie has baby Jesus smooth hands when it comes to going one-on-one with a goaltender.  The matchup simply isn’t fair for opposing coaches and stoppers.  When he skates to the middle of the ice and leans down with his hands on his knees, the arena seems to shut off for him and silence surrounds the moment.  Certain athletes can do that in the middle of chaos:  clear out the noise and focus like an assassin. His shootout ability is akin to a base-stealing threat.  True base thieves in baseball steal bags off instinct and natural born ability, not just speed.   It takes confidence, precision and a dose of swagger.

I am sure, for some hockey players, that length of the ice from the center line to the net is shorter than it appears on television. A lot of players simply can’t make up their mind and are beaten by themselves when they reach the net.  Oshie is different, and so deadly. He skates in side to side before settling straight up the ice at the last moment. He can pause and choose where he wants to put the puck. His best move is where he skates in quick, slows it down suddenly, pauses, freezes the goaltender and buries a wrist shot right between the legs.

Oshie didn’t just score one shootout goal.  USA coach Dan Bylsma sent him out there six times total and Oshie scored four.   The same goaltender saw him six times and could only stop him twice.  That’s sick. Completely unheard of.  Once again, it doesn’t matter what happens tomorrow or next week; everyone will remember the USA’s effort today.  They will remember Jonathan Quick’s brilliance in net. They will remember the notorious Red Wing Pavel Datsyuk bringing Russia back with two goals. The oddness for me in the Olympics is seeing the teams separated and the unlikely groups of players. Quick playing behind three Blues players instead of in front of them, Vladimir Tarasenko and Jaroslav Halak playing against the Americans. The familiar face of Datsyuk tormenting our souls and the team’s chances. This is why this event is so special, and why it’s only held every four years. It’s a celebration of the diversity in the talent of this league. All the countries, uniting rivals together for a couple of weeks, to battle for the most precious medal in all of sports. Just like any other huge sporting event, a particular moment can shine the brightest during a tournament propped up by skill.

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THE LEGO MOVIE Works for Adults

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How are we doing?   Here, I bring you a review of the LEGO movie.   I saw this on Friday with my wife and found it to be a good time and a refreshing surprise.  I’ll tell you why.

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Quick Plot-An ordinary LEGO minifigure, mistakenly thought to be the extraordinary MasterBuilder, is recruited to join a quest to stop an evil LEGO tyrant from gluing the universe together.

My Take-I know what you are thinking.  Is Buffa really coming here to tell me that I should see a movie about Lego toys?   Well, the answer is yes.   And I have a few reasons.   This isn’t a sappy joyless experience for adults.   This is a laugh out loud comedy that includes hat tips to other movies, makes fun of classics like Star Wars, Batman Begins and has a title straight out of the Matrix.  The argument can be made that Chris Pratt’s Emmett has more personality than Keanu Reeves’ Neo and the former is basically a toy.  Look, this movie isn’t mind blowing but it’s a refreshing blend of nostalgia and sharp comedy.

The cast voice work is amazing and perfect.  Morgan Freeman provides a voice here as a noble mentor and seems to be having fun and playing with his image at the same time.  Elizabeth Banks supplies one of the sexiest and coolest female lines every about 20 minutes in, “Come with me if you want to not die”.   Will Arnett is a blast as the voice of a very very serious Batman, who thinks he is awesome.    An argument can be made for him voicing Ben Affleck’s Batman in 2016.   There is  an obvious riff going on here with Christian Bale’s ultra serious tone of voice in the Christopher Nolan films and I think even the Welsh actor would get a kick out of Arnett’s work here.  Liam Neeson’s two faced cop is also cool and spins the bottle on over the top cop roles in films.   Will Ferrell has a couple roles here and is very good.

This is an animated(for the most part) film about one completely regular and inept man saving the world and it’s all done with the filmmakers winking at you.    Nothing is played straight here and it’s a fun time.   When I first saw the preview I was a little hesitant to give this any excitement but after watching the trailer again and taking it in the other night I can tell you this movie is as much for adults as it is for kids.  It is the most unlikely comedy breakout of the year and maybe even the past couple years.   What seems like a terrible idea at first and something directed more at kids comes off as a production that worked quite well.

You can tell when the actors even phone in voice work and here that is not the case.   Neeson and Freeman are having a great time giving their kids a movie to watch and also one their colleagues can appreciate as well.   Directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller walked a fine line here in coming up with punch lines, jokes and ways to make this movie cool without losing either audience.   What they did was make a fine endorsement for the toys yet give the adults a funny flick to enjoy.

This movie may cause parents to interact and built Lego’s with their kids a little more in the future.   They will do this and hope well known actors make them come to life and start speaking.   What they will get is good family time.   Hollywood didn’t just make a good comedy here.  They made Lego’s cool again.

 

 

5 Things About The 2014 Cards

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It’s official folks.  Pitchers and catchers report to Jupiter, Florida in exactly a week.  The waiting is nearly over with and the anticipation is going to start boiling over.1386088930000-cardinals-logo   Sometimes fans forget about the 45 days that happen before the real 162 game stretch begins.  This is where rosters start large and full of promise and end up shredded and cut to size.  With no disrespect to the Blues, the Super Bowl is over and that means one thing in St. Louis.  Baseball is near.

With that goal in mind, I am going to take a look at five things that strike me as interesting about this 2013 Cardinals team.   There are a lot of things worth talking about but here I will give you five for now.

5.) Daniel Descalso has one very good agent.   One thing that struck me about John Mozeliak’s media session at the Winter Warmup was his icy feelings towards the Descalso camp.  Dirty Dan wanted 1.6 million and the Cards were offering 900,000 and sticking to it.  Yesterday, Descalso signed for 1.2 million, a price met by the Cards due to the fear of the first arbitration trial for the Cards in like….forever.  Was this a good deal?  For Descalso, it sure is.  He gets financial security but I am not sure where the Cards are going to justify him with the at bats and playing time.

Descalso isn’t fighting Pete Kozma for starts anymore.  He is fighting the future in Kolten Wong and the seasoned veteran edge of Mark Ellis.  He may have won at the bank but in the field not so much.  Ellis didn’t come here to play behind two younger players.  Descalso’s OPS(on base percentage plus slugging percentage) was downright horrible last year and his batting average(.238) wasn’t much better.  In a dog fight there isn’t much he offers to the team in reality over a defensive wizard like Kozma or a younger buck like Greg Garcia.

I like Descalso and appreciate his fine contributions over the years, but his defense has gotten worse and his bat doesn’t do enough to justify a spot.  His 1.2 million isn’t as bad as Ty Wiggington’s 2.5 last year but it still leaves me scratching my head.

4.) Hey Joe.  I am talking about California Wildfire fighting Joe Kelly.   The jack of all trades who happens to work out with pizza in his mouth(at least according to twitter) is coming into spring with his role undetermined.  It’s a good thing Kelly doesn’t let those kind of shenanigans affect his preparation.

In 2013, Kelly served as part time Porsche parked in the garage and part time excellent fill in starter.  He went from missing in action to taking Shelby Miller’s rotation spot in the playoffs(yeah that’s just happened).  Unlike 2 of his fellow rotation dogfight participants, Kelly has a strong mental makeup and doesn’t let his spring training status stop him from working hard.  If it were up to me, I would carve out a spot for Kelly in the rotation right away but since he is so versatile, I can’t be too sure.

3.) Jason Motte’s beard.  Okay, I mean his right arm but I couldn’t resist a poke at the best wave of facial hair in baseball(sorry Brian Wilson).  Motte is only starting to throw this month but his spot is an interesting one come May and June.  Where does he fit into this packed bullpen?   Trevor Rosenthal is the closer and Carlos Martinez could be a likely bullpen long arm.

Making matters more interesting is this is Motte’s final year of a 2 year deal, which begs the question.  If he pitches very well when he returns, what happens in 2015?  Rosenthal and Motte going head to head doesn’t bode well for the Bearded One even though his 2011-12 performance was stellar.  Motte could be a victim of pure bad luck but I personally hope he develops into a killer setup man later this year while building his recapture of the 9th inning role.

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A Super Bowl 48 Rant

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It happened four days ago and I am here to deliver the Super Bowl 48 recap.  I will be blunt honest here.  I am going back in time and giving you a pure rant.   A list of imageedit_1_2936190761things I will take away from this game, the next day and how I feel about it.   You have heard at least 25 different accounts of the game by now.  Neither have been this direct or unfiltered.  I won’t bore you with hesitation or stats.  Just my take.

My team lost.  There, I said it.  I was rooting for Peyton Manning to win his 2nd ring and climb into the top 5 QB’s of all time conversation and create words about the greatest arm of all time.   So much for that theory.    Manning and his Mile High horses got caught in a storm of Seahawks fiery vengeance and basically got sonically(my own word and ode to the city’s former basketball team) bitch slapped across the forehead.   Forget the Legion Of Boom.  Manning and company got tortured on Sunday in Super Bowl 48.  Believe me, as I downed the 32nd buffalo chicken sauce dipped chip, Manny Rameriz flung a high snap over Manning’s head and the route was on.   The game of “they are still in it” began with less than a minute gone and before a Broncos fan could find chocolate covered strawberries, the score was 22-0.  Knife, inserted into shoulder, and twisted.   NOOOOO!!!

The commercials didn’t help.   An overweight Laurence Fishburne trying to bring back Morpheus and the exploding city didn’t work and neither did the overly sappy Coke commercials.   The best commercial, the Mountain Dew/Dale Earnhardt spot, came on before the game even started.   The Budweiser ad was kind of sweet and featured a real soldier family but there weren’t a lot of laugh out loud commercials to balance one of the worse blowouts in Super Bowl history.  Blame the Seahawks lazy fourth quarter coverage for revoking the shutout.   And one more thing, Bud Light, please don’t show us the entire 3 minute 45 second commerical before game day.   By the time it aired, it was chopped, confusing and all together horrible.   Arnold should be ashamed of himself.  Back to the game…..

Look, Manning is my favorite player and someone I really admire a lot.   Sure, he puts his face everywhere on television but I’d rather see him hawk Papa Johns disgusting pizza than see one more Ray Vinson/Bernie Federko high five.   Manning is funny, classy, and takes a loss better than most.   When he was getting pounded yesterday, you never saw him chew a teammate out or look like a forgotten diva.  He stood there, helmet strapped to the head, shoulders high and held a thought in his head that a miracle could happen.   Sorry, Peyton, it didn’t.   The Seahawks rolled and punished Peyton.   They sacked him once but collided with his throwing motion twice, resulting in an interception for 6 points and a fumble.   Peyton didn’t throw a duck on his own.  He was helped by a man named Cliff Avril, who got a hold of his shoulder/arm at least 3 times and caused broken pass attempts or complete doom.   Kam Chancellor and Malcolm Smith intercepted Manning.  Byron Maxwell and Chris Clemons forced fumbles.   Richard Sherman and Earl Thomas made sure Demaryrius Thomas, Eric Decker and Wes Welker never created game breaking receptions.   At the end of the brutal affair, the Seahawks defense made sure Peyton Manning not only didn’t receive his 2nd ring, but they gave him nightmares about how he missed it.  A shamefully horrible night to be rooting for the Denver Broncos.

I’m not being mean here.  It was hard to watch.   Let me provide a little perspective.  My birthday was today and the Super Bowl basically subs as my B-day party every year.  I have gotten some pleasant treats around this time of year.  Two Eli/Giants upsets over Tom Brady.   An unfortunate miss by Kurt Warner with the Cardinals.   The Springsteen crotch moment and AARP meeting with The Who.   A mixture of blood, toxin and great nights.   Last night, I got a headache, ate too much and looked drained by halftime.   At the very least, I wanted a good game and didn’t get anything close to it.  I got a slaughter.   I saw New Jersey get darker than the night The Sopranos faded to black.

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Philip Seymour Hoffman 1967-2014

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**I wrote this for http://www.film-addict.com on Sunday night after he passed, and I thought it was worth sharing here.**

Philip Seymour Hoffman has died at the age of 46.   He was found dead in his Greenwich Village apartment of an apparent drug overdose.   Dan Buffa takes a brief look atimageedit_1_9290175754 his acting career.

Since we get so caught up in their ability to create, perform and dazzle us with their ability, moviegoers forget that the men and women who have the ability to transform are not invincible.   Sports fans fall under the same spell, forgetting the larger than life athletes can fall prey to the same addictions and hazards that befall many people every year.  Philip Seymour Hoffman had a serious drug and alcohol addiction over 23 years ago in college, and was able to kick the habit before he entered the world of film.  Today, he fell prey to the deadly habit of heroin use and was found dead, hypodermic needle in his arm and fully clothed, in his Manhattan apartment.  He was 46 years old.

Recent film fans remember him guiding young Katniss Everdeen in November’s Catching Fire.   He had finished filming the next installment, Mockingjay: Part 1, but was in the midst of filming Part 2.   Hoffman won an Oscar for Capote in 2005 and was nominated for Paul Thomas Anderson’s The Master last year.  More than the awards though, Hoffman was a chameleon.   He slipped into comedy roles early on in his career before becoming a tour de force dramatic actor.   In Sidney Lumet’s Before The Devil Knows You Are Dead, he was the older brother of Ethan Hawke who had to wrangle out of the most deadliest web of deceit and murder.  When I think of his acting prowness, I think of Hoffman’s conniving brother plotting an escape from hell and vocally slapping around Hawke’s inept brother.

Hoffman convinced you he was a gambler, a cheat, a murderer, a Tornado chaser, a bad basketball player, a musician and a famous writer.  That’s what the greatest actors do.  They convince you they can be completely different people and do it sometimes up to 3 times a year.    In The Master(admittedly a hard film to love), Hoffman played a man condemned by his own religious beliefs and seemed to hit a high that the rest of the film could never reach.   Hoffman could dominate a troubled film, elevate a bad movie and brighten up an already strong film.  He was part of an all star cast including Christopher Walken and Catherine Keener in 2012’s A Late Quartet and gave a heartbreaking performance as a musician stuck in a career trap.  It was another great performance and something we came to expect from the actor.

Look at his small yet pivotal role in Almost Famous as Lester Bangs.   Playing the old rock journalist guiding our young William along his path to not being “uncool”.   Speaking the majority of his part over the phone with Patrick Fugit, Hoffman conveyed a soulful yet preachy older poet, making a last minute attempt to tutor a young mad soul about the depths of which music will drag you down.

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Peyton Manning’s Fight

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There are a lot of ways to build up hype on a Super Bowl and while other writers are trying to wrap their heads around the entire two team matchup and the commercials, I imageedit_1_5426611002am going to tell you about Peyton Manning’s fight and what the chances are of him winning his second Super Bowl.  I like to pick the juiciest topic and spin it for you.

Make no mistake it will not be an easy task, dry or wet weather.   Manning is playing against one of the best defenses in the NFL and their players have their sights set on one man and it’s Peyton.   Stop Peyton is the mantra, and in my eyes he can only be truly stopped if he isn’t on the field.  This goes for all great quarterbacks who don’t throw a lot of interceptions or shoot themselves in the foot.  Let’s break it down.

You can forget about his regular season stats.  Trust me, they are pretty.   In the history of football, there aren’t many quarterbacks who can match his regular season resume.  He gets it done there.  In his career(15 seasons of 16, 1 missed entirely to injury), Manning has only thrown for 64,000 + yards and 491 touchdowns(against 219 interceptions) with a completion percentage of 65 percent and a QB rating of 97.2   Those numbers shine like a brand new penny in any conversation, but these days, it’s all about his performance in the playoffs.   This is where people get ugly and forget the guy hasn’t played for the best defenses or sits here today with a ring in his pocket.

Then again, this is the NFL and the most popular sport in the country and very much so around the world.  That’s why several announcers from different countries storm the Super Bowl press box to live broadcast the game to their own countries, sitting hundreds of thousands of miles away.   Can you win the big one?  How many times can you win the big one?    Peyton got his ring in 2006 and did so by defeating the Chicago Bears mighty defense and inept quarterback Rex Grossman(who is out of football these days).   Rex was bad, but a lot of people forget Manning had to come back in the AFC championship game and beat Tom Brady to get there.   That is where Peyton started turning things around against Brady in the playoffs.  His Colts came back from being down by nearly 20 points and stole the game.  That is why today Brady can afford to very mad about the Manning’s.   The last three times he has gotten close to a Super Bowl, they have slammed the door on him.

Manning got the ring in 2006 but got booted by the Saints in the Super Bowl in February of 2010.   If you are a Peyton fan like myself but can sit back and see a realistic picture, the memory is quite vivid nearly 4 years later.   The game was a seesaw battle for three quarters.  The Colts jumped out to a 10-6 halftime lead but the Saints scored to make it 13-10 in the third quarter.  The Colts grabbed the lead back, 17-13 before the lead eventually sat at 24-17 Saints in the 4th quarter with just over three minutes remaining.   Peyton was driving the Colts down the field, and was on the 26 yard line.   He threw a routine 10-15 yard pass and Tracy Porter stepped in front of a Colts Receiver and took it 74 yards the other way for a touchdown.  A bad pass, good pick and that was it.   Game over.  Manning’s dream shattered in an instant.

Ask Manning critics and they think he was horrible the entire game.  He finished with a touchdown and the one interception, completed 68 percent of his passes and threw for 333 yards.   However, in this game where one game tiebreakers make or break teams in the playoffs, the one mistake is what people remember.  Right or wrong, that is the way it is.

Manning needs this win against Seattle.   In my mind, he needs that 2nd championship ring to get into the talk for best of all time or at least top 3.   Brady will still have 3 Super Bowls but the Spygate factor looms over his achievements in the postseason and what he has done since.  There are other greats for sure, but Manning’s regular season dominance and his proposed 2 rings will put him right up there.  Especially when you take into account his two team success and 4 neck surgeries that had many counting him out before the 2012 season.  Peyton is easily one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time.   Sunday may determine how high he sits.   Professional sports can be unforgiving and carry a short attentions span for great players.

Manning’s biggest foe may not be Richard Sherman and that amazing Seattle smashmouth defense.   His biggest obstacle in the race may be Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch and his ability to rumble and gain yards and eat up the clock.    If you ask any defensive coordinator, the best way to beat Manning is to keep him off the field.  As long as he watches on the sidelines, he can do no harm.  That’s the way and if you have a guy like Lynch who can collect so many yards after contact, the forecast is good for a Manning defeat.

Sunday has many storylines but none loom larger than Peyton Manning’s reach for true greatness.   Favre won only a single Super Bowl before crumbling to injury also meeting his end via a Saints defeat(same year).   A lot of other great QB’s have one ring and for them that could be enough.   It’s different for Peyton.  He puts himself out there with his commercials and publicity and carries loads of pressure on his shoulders every time he takes a playoff football field.   Will he sink or swim?  Is this the night Peyton achieves greatness or will he come up short again on National Television in front of the biggest audience in the world?

All he has to do is look up at the press box at John Elway for inspiration.  He failed a few times before winning 2 late Super Bowls with the Broncos when he was 38 and 39 years old.   Manning is 37 years old and may or may not return next season.   My money is on him playing a couple more years.   However, as he told the press this past week, the only game he is thinking about right now is Super Bowl 48.   That’s a good mind set because that is the only game history is thinking about right now as well.

Thanks for reading and enjoy the game!

-D.L.B.

Photo Credit-GuardianLV.com