It Was A Busy Weekend....

Some recollections of a busy weekend before it gets too far in the rear view mirror.....

• The weekend began for us on Friday afternoon when we took in the new, heavily promoted Ben Affleck movie, "The Accountant".  It was exciting, it was action packed, and it was somewhat original, and we enjoyed it a lot.  Both Marilyn and I are big fans of Affleck, so we were not disappointed.  However, when you leave the theater and reflect upon it, you can begin to see some of the elephant sized holes that were in the storyline, and you start asking questions like "Well, where did he learn how to do.....?" or "How did he know to go to....?"  You know what I mean.  Don't let that stop you, though, because as I said, it's really entertaining.  Also quote violent, so be forewarned. I give it two and one-half stars.
• Saturday afternoon gave us that amazing 45-31 Pitt victory over Virginia.  After a first half in which neither team could stop the other, a Jordan Whitehead 58 yard interception gave Pitt a 35-28 lead right before halftime.  And then, Pat Narduzzi and the defensive staff made some kind of miraculous adjustments at halftime and stopped UVA cold over the final two quarters.  This has seemed to me to be a hallmark of Narduzzi in his time at Pitt.  When adjustments are needed to be made at halftime, they make them.  Doesn't happen all the time, but it happens more often than not, it seems to me.
• Then came that Steelers 30-15 loss at Miami yesterday.  This highlights a disturbing trend over recent seasons of the Steelers losing to crummy teams, teams that the should be beating.   And make no mistake about it, the Dolphins are a bad team.  They will finish below .500 by a wide margin when all is said and done. the injury to 
• And as for the injury to Ben Roethlisberger.....  As I write this, it is not known how many games he will miss, but with each game that he doesn't play, the Steelers chances of that predicted Super Bowl win, or even a run in the playoffs, decrease exponentially.

• On a much happier note, we took in our first play of the 2016-17 Pittsburgh Public Theater season on Sunday night, "The Fantasticks".  Until last night, all I knew about this play was that it was the longest running musical play in American theater history (it has been running in New York City continuously since 1960), and the song "Try To Remember" came from it. A story about two young people falling in love, in sprite of the (seeming) objections of their fathers, overcoming the rough spots when the bloom is off the rose, and then cementing that love forever.  I thought it was delightful, and, as usual, the staging and presentation by the PPT was fabulous.  The show runs through October 30 at the O'Reilly, and I highly recommend it.
• The three leads in "The Fantasticks" were played by Mary Elizabeth Drake, Jamen Nanthakumar, and Josh Powell. Each of these young actors were making their debuts with the PPT, and I hope that we will see them again in the years to come.
• Theater Trivia: The part of El Gallo in "The Fantasticks" was originated way back in 1960 by Jerry Orbach.  Orbach was at the beginning of what would be a long career on Broadway (he would later win a Tony Award) and in the movies, but he will probably be best remembered for playing hardened and sardonic Detective Lennie Briscoe on TV's "Law and Order".
• The program gave a list of some of the actors who have played in "The Fantasticks" over the course of it's long history.  In addition to Orbach, you can also include folks like Liza Minelli, Elliott Gould, Richard Chamberain, and F. Murray Abraham.
• We got home Sunday evening in time to see the final five innings of the Dodgers 1-0 win over the Cubs, led by the dominating performance of Clayton Kershaw.  The performance of Kershaw both last night and in the NLDS against Washington has put to rest, it seems, the notion that "Kershaw stinks in the post season".  He's STILL not the "next Koufax", though.
• The Dodgers' win is going against the hoped for conclusion of a Cubs pennant.  The series now stands at 1-1 with three games now coming up in LA.   In the American League, the Indians have taken a 2-0 lead as that series now heads to Toronto.  You know that MLB and Fox, in spite of possibly losing a large chunk of that LA market, are dying for a Cubs-Indians World Series. Two teams that, between them, have not won a World Series for 176 years. It would be quite a story line, but pardon me if I am cheering for Joe Maddon to be dealt one giant dose of humility.  I am, however, rooting like hell for the Tribe!
• And on one final note, we stopped at Appleby's for dinner on the way into town for the play last night, and I had a cheeseburger, the "American Classic Burger" to be specific.  Long time readers know of my never ending quest for terrific burgers, and that search usually avoids chain restaurants, but I gotta be honest, that burger at Appleby's last night was absolutely terrific.  I can't recommend it highly enough!