"Once Upon a Time....In Hollywood"

One of the most highly anticipated movies of the Summer Movie Season has been Quentin Tarantino's "Once Upon A Time...in Hollywood".  The movie takes place in 1969, and while it is hard to come to terms that a movie that takes place during a time in which you yourself lived can be considered a "period piece", that is what Tarantino has given us.  He lovingly creates Los Angeles and Hollywood during the winter and summer of 1969, right down to the fashions, hairstyles, the movie marquees, and the songs being played on the AM radios in the cars that everyone is driving.  That's one thing to love about this movie.

Another is the story.  It centers around Rick Dalton, an aging, just about over-the-hill actor played by Leonardo DiCaprio.  His hit TV western series, "Bounty Hunter", has been long canceled, and he is reduced to playing bad guys on various TV series like "Mannix" and "The FBI".  The only hope to salvage his career, says hot shot producer Al Pacino, is to move to Italy and make spaghetti westerns, something he doesn't really want to do.  His long time buddy and stunt double, Cliff Booth, played by Brad Pitt, really has become a has been, begging for work and being reduced to a driver and go-fer for DiCaprio's Dalton.  Dalton lives in a home in the Hollywood Hills, right next door to the home of hotshot director Roman Polanski and has movie starlet wife, Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie).  Rick is hoping that maybe he can get to know him and maybe land a part in the next big Polanski movie.

The acting is superb.  I have never seen DiCaprio be bad in a movie, and he is great in this.  There is a scene where he converses with a young female child actress while on a movie lunch break that is wrenching.  Same for Pitt.  He just might be the key figure in the whole story, as he comes to terms with the decline in his career, as well as the discovery he makes when he picks up a young hippie teenager and drives her to her commune at the Spahn Movie Ranch.  Pitt is now 55 years old, believe it or not, and he shows every one of those years in this movie, and to good effect.  

Finally, there is Margot Robbie as Sharon Tate.  Young and beautiful, she plays Tate as a woman who can't believe that she has "made it" in the movie biz.  She is positively charming in a scene where she goes into a movie theater and watches herself on screen in a Dean Martin movie.  It is a wonderful scene.

Then there is the story itself.  You know all along that this story will end with that hot August night when Charles Manson sends his minions into the Hollywood Hills to do his evil will.  The tension in the build up to the event is palpable, and then.....well, I won't tell you what Tarantino does next, but remember, the name of the movie begins with "Once upon a time...."

I had a couple of concerns going into this one.  One, would it be a typical Tarantino bloodbath of gore and violence?  Also, at 2 hours and 40 minutes in length, would it be too long to sit through?

The answer to the first question is No, not a lot of gore and violence, although, given the subject matter, there is some of that.  As to the second question, the answer is also No.  Never looked at my watch once as the movie unfolded.

And as an added bonus, you also get a good look into the movie business.  How they get made, the schmoozing and politics that go into it, much of it often cutthroat, and how actors really "act" when they are being filmed.

I kind of knew that I would like this movie going into it, but it turned out better than I thought, and I ended up loving it, and I am not a Tarantino acolyte as so many people are.

This one get the full Four Stars from The Grandstander.

The Bucs Just After The Break

Eighteen days ago, July 8, I made a post on this blog entitled "Bucs At The Break", wherein I waxed enthusiastically over a thirteen game stretch prior to the All-Star Break when the Pirates went 8-5 against teams that were higher than they were in the standings.  You can look it up easily enough.

In order to save myself retyping the same words, allow me to cut-and-paste another passage from that post:

After the Break, they face another thirteen games against teams above them in the standings, Cubs, Phillies, and Cardinals.   If they can fashion another 8-5 record, or better, in those games, then you have to think that the Front Office will simply HAVE to make an effort to add a piece or two to put the team into a position to make a run for a playoff spot.

That thirteen game stretch ended today, and I don't think that I have to spell it out for fans of the team what happened, but, what the hell, here it is, anyway.  They went 2-11 in those games.  They are now 46-56, in last place in the NL Central, 9 games out of first place, and 9 games out of the Wild Card with eight teams between them and that second WC spot.

For all practical purposes, the season for the Pittsburgh Pirates is over.

The question of what does Neal Huntington do at the July 31 trade deadline (My $.02: listen to any and every offer that might be made for any and every player on the team except Josh Bell, Kevin Newman, and Brian Reynolds) is of far less importance than this one:

Who will be held accountable for this mess of a season?

You could say that it's the fault of Clint Hurdle and his coaching staff, especially Ray Searage, so fire them all, BUT they can only work with the players that they are given, SO....

You could then say that it is GMNH's fault because he has produced a pretty bad ball club, which has included a parade of pitchers who absolutely, positively do not belong in a major league uniform (I don't have to list them for you, do I?), and whose big splash deal of last year, the acquisition of Chris Archer, has blown up in his face like a cheap exploding cigar, so fire him, BUT Neal is hamstrung by a budget that is requiring him to try and compete with a payroll that ranks 27th among MLB's thirty teams, SO.....

You can then say that the accountability buck stops at the desk of owner Bob Nutting, and one thing we know is that Bob Nutting likes nothing more than making money, and the Pirates are making money, so he's not likely to change his skinflint ways (never mind the fact that maybe he could make even more money if he actually had a winning and competitive team).  He likes it just the way it is right now.

So, when the season comes to its merciful end for the Pirates in September, a couple of coaches, or Clint Hurdle, or maybe even GM Neal may get sacrificed to placate the angry masses, but as long as Bob Nutting is still signing the checks, I fear that things are never going to change.

Maybe the team might catch lightning in bottle some year like the KC Royals did a few years back, but we as Pirates fans are doomed to serve the rest of our days as fans residing in baseball's version of Purgatory.  That's the way Bob Nutting wants it, that's the way the MLBPA wants it, and that's the way MLB itself wants it.

Us fans?  We're screwed.

Update On The "Jack Sell Affair"

I just want to briefly update my post of earlier this morning over Joshua Axelrod's article in this morning's Post-Gazette on Chuck Noll's first Steelers training camp wherein former PG Steelers beat writer Jack Sell, who was quoted extensively in the article, was misidentified several times in the article as "Jack Sells".

Shortly after making my post, I sent an email to Mr. Axelrod and pointed out the error.  He promptly and politely responded and acknowledged his mistake, stating that it was a "silly mistake on my part".  He told me that the online version of the story was immediately corrected, and that a correction will be printed in tomorrow's print edition of the paper.

So that puts that to bed.

Josh Axelrod is the son of the late Post-Gazette sportswriter Phil Axelrod and current PG features writer Sharon Eberson, so he comes from good newsie stock.

Where Are The Editors at the PG?

Chuck Noll and his first Steelers coaching staff

at St. Vincent College

1969

Perhaps I am becoming what I always decry - an Old Guy Shouting At Clouds - but sometimes, you just gotta do what you gotta do.

Today the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette ran a feature on the sports pages to mark the 50th Anniversary of Head Coach Chuck Noll's first training camp with the Pittsburgh Steelers.     The article was written by Joshua Axelrod, and no Steelers fan will dispute the appropriateness of such a story.  To research and write the story, Mr. Axelrod went into the morgues of both the PG and the old Pittsburgh Press and culled his article from reports from the Steelers beat writers at the time, Pat Livingston of the Press and Jack Sell of the PG.  Again, not a bad way to go about it, and probably about the easiest way for a reporter to come up with a story.

The problem is that throughout the article Mr. Axelrod refers to the PG's reporter at the time as "Jack Sells".   So, here are my questions:

• How is that in looking at the copy from the 1969 issues of the Post-Gazette, Mr. Axelrod saw the name "Jack Sell" and typed the name "Jack Sells" in his article?
• How is it that an editor at the PG missed this mistake?  
• Is there no one on the PG's sports department editing staff that remembers Jack Sell and who could have corrected this error? Obviously not. 

Jack Sell, as I remember him, was a sportswriter of the old school.  He revelled in cliches.  Boxers were "mitt tossers", track and field athletes were "thin clads", football players were "gridders", and I believe it was he who coined the term "Rooney U" to describe the Steelers. His brand of sports writing was of a bygone era, and he would be laughed at today, but despite all of that, he deserves to have his former long time employer get his name right when referencing his work here in 2019.

"Toy Story 4"

I am not going to give a lengthy review or plot synopsis to "Toy Story 4", but I will tell you this much:

Of the movies that I have seen in 2019, it is my favorite one thus far.  It unhesitatingly gets Four Stars from The Grandstander.

"Toy Story 3" of a few years back was a wonderful movie (it won two Oscars), and it seemed to bring the story of Woody, Buzz, and their friends full circle.  You didn't think that there was anything left to tell.  The cynics among us might have suspected that a fourth movie in the series would be just another attempt by the Disney/Pixar to wring more dollars out of the pockets of the movie going public.  Not that Hollywood would ever do something like that, right?

I am happy to say that those cynical thoughts are wrong, wrong, WRONG.  TS4 is a charming story that delivers a great message, has animation that is positively stunning (much of the action takes place in a dusty old antique shop and in a seedy carnival, and the detail is absolutely amazing), and the acting of the characters voiced by Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Annie Potts, Joan Cusack, Key and Peele, Christina Hendricks, Keanu Reeves and others is fabulous.  Yes, I did say the "acting" of the animated characters.  They were great!

Bring a tissue or two for like Mrs. Grandstander, and yes, me too, you will tear up a time or two during the show.  And stay for the credits.  I mean until the VERY END of the credits.  You will be glad that you did.

Like I said, Four Stars from The Grandstander.

On Rules Changes......

Rules changes are, it seems, being proposed left and right for some of our favorite sports, so I thought that I would opine on a few of them.  You know....

Before I do that, though, I want to mention one aspect of last week's MLB All-Star Game.   Much hue and cry was raised among baseball's hidebound traditionalists and the legion of Joe Buck Haters about the fact that throughout the game players were fitted with earpieces and mics and were interviewed while the game was in process. While I can understand that there could be a safety issue  - a batter in the batter's box facing live pitching should not be interviewed - I loved it.  Why can't "Yelli and Belli"  or Francisco Lindor talk and answer  questions while the pitcher takes his twenty to thirty seconds between pitches?  It was fun, it was entertaining, and, first and foremost, it was taking place during an exhibition game.  I don't believe you will ever see this during a game that matters.

Now for those rules changes.

Many of the rules changes in baseball are being proposed in order to speed up the pace of play of ball games.  Did you see where Sunday's Dodgers-Red Sox game took 5 hours 40 minutes to play.  Granted, it was twelve inning game, but even when pro-rated it for nine innings, that was a 4 hour and 25 minute game.  C'mon Man!  Something really DOES need to be done about this kind of stuff.

Some of these rules are now being tested in the independent Atlantic League with the blessing of MLB.  

1. Balls and strikes called electronically by using existing computer technology.  Early returns - this has been in place for only a week - are positive, and no visible change to the "flow" of a game has been seen.  One jackass coach did get thrown out of a game for arguing and automated call.  (Good!)  I like this.  It should be implemented sooner rather than later.
2. In extra innings, start the inning with a runner on second base.  Some variance on this rule would be to not do this until the 11th or 12th inning.  I believe that this was experimented with in Spring Training, and it was going to be the case in the All-Star Game if it was tied after nine innings.  A game like the All-Star Game is exactly where such a rule could be tried out, and I was sorry that the game didn't end in a tie.  I would like to see how it would have worked out.  I really don't see this rule ever actually happening, but how much crazier is it than having sudden death OT in football, shoot outs in hockey games, or soccer games decided on penalty kicks?
3. On a wild pitch for passed ball, a batter has the option, regardless of the pitch count, of running to first base, or "stealing" first base.  I don't just like this rule....I LOVE IT!!!!  Think of the strategic options.  Weak hitting but speedy batters can "steal" first base and help spark a rally.  Power hitting thumpers are going to hold their position in the box in hopes of jacking one into the gap or over the fence on the next pitch.  Why didn't someone think of this before?
4. Relief pitchers must face a minimum of three batters (barring injury) , or pitch until the end of the inning.  Hell yes, put this one in place today.  It will reduce all those tedious in inning pitching changes that can turn an on-pace-to-a-less-than-three-hour-game into a three and  forty minute slog before you can blink your eyes.  For those of you who like "strategy" this will add a whole different kind of strategy for a manager to consider.  It may well spell the end of the Pitch To One Batter Lefty Relief Specialist, but who cares other than the families of Zach Duke and Oliver Perez.  It will also force teams to stock up on better pitchers, ones who can pitch to both LH and RH batters.

In the NFL, talks have opened for a new collective bargaining agreement, and one thing that the money-grubbing owners have put on the table once again is an 18 game regular season.  This time there is a fascinating caveat:  All players are limited to playing in a maximum of 16 games.  This addresses the Player Safety concerns that the league Punjabs are so concerned about (sure they are).  Personally, I don't like the idea of an 18 game season, but just think of the strategic Pandora's Box this rule would open up.

What two games do you sit your star future Hall of Fame quarterback?  Or running back? Or sack-machine pass rusher?  If you're Bill Belichick, do you sit Tom Brady against, say the Bills, only to have the Bills get so insulted that they get fired up and kick ass?   If you're whoever the Arizona coach is, do you sit prized rookie Kyler Murray against a powerhouse defense like the Rams or Bears, and sacrifice the chance to win a game in order to protect your prized rookie QB?  And can you just imagine the talk show second guessing if after Ben Roethlisberger plays a mediocre game yet eeks out a win (think last year's Jacksonville game),   Mike Tomlin decides to  go with Mason Rudolph in the following game against a supposedly inferior opponent, and Rudolph lights up Heinz Field with a 450 yard, four TD, zero INT game in a lopsided Steelers win over some NFL bottom feeder?  I can hear the "it's time for Ben to hang up the cleats" calls right now.

Coaches would positively hate this rule, but it sure would be a lot of fun, don't you think?

Do I think an 18 game season is going to happen?  The answer almost every question in life is Money, and there will be a lot of money at stake if the NFL adds two regular season  games.  The NFLPA is adamantly opposed to this for now, but of the Lords of the Realm throw enough of that cash their way, get ready for an 18 game season in the not too distant future.

"Spamilton" at the CLO Caberet

Marilyn and I took ourselves on down to the Greer Cabaret Theater this afternoon to see "Spamilton, An American Parody", and I have this to say about it.

If you have seen and enjoyed  "Hamilton", go see this.  

It you haven't seen "Hamilton", but are familiar with the music and the score, go see this.

If you haven't seen "Hamilton", but are a follower and fan of the Broadway musical theater, go see this.

It is a parody of Lin-Manuel Miranda's musical, and it takes some pointed, but loving, shots at the phenomenal success of his show, but it also parodies lots of other things currently going on on Broadway.  It was smart, cleverly done, and wonderfully performed by a cast of five actors and a musical accompanist on the piano (who also does a terrific bit with his version of King George III's "You'll Be Back").

"Spamilton" was "created, written, and originally directed by" Gerard Allessandrini, who has similar parodies on his theatrical resume.  All the actors were great, but special kudos to Erin Ramirez, the only female in the cast.  Among other bits, she performed as all three Schuyler Sisters with the assistance of two hand puppets, as well as portraying other notable Broadway divas that you would recognize.  Brilliant.

It is my understanding that Lin-Manuel Miranda himself saw this show performed in one of its earlier incarnations and gave it his enthusiastic endorsement.

Those "Hamilton" fans in the Pittsburgh area should make it a point to catch this show before its run ends in mid-August.  And if you've never seen a show in the CLO's Cabaret Theater, you're in for a treat.  Small and intimate, you're right on top of the stage, and you can grab a nice light pre-show meal and adult beverage before curtain time.  A great venue.