Matthew

What the heck????? Pluto's a planet again???!!!???

Zane Grey: His Life, His Adventures, His Women by Thomas H. Pauly. A writer, who once ruled the best-selling charts, but has fallen into neglect. An interesting look at Grey's life, with the most salacious aspect being that Grey had a lot of affairs after his marriage, and his wife was pretty much okay with that (I'm clutching my pearls as I type!). Been slowly reading his books, which I've come to enjoy, in small doses.

Happy Birthday, Rod!

Unbelievable! Joe West is the crew chief for the umpiring grew for Wednesday's NL playoff game. Geesh MLB, why not have Angel Hernandez be behind the plate? That way, the suckitude level is at ten....

I was disappointed in the quality of baseball this year, the games seemed to take longer, with nothing going on, leaving a ton of bad games to watch. A blah year, hopefully the playoffs are better.

PUKE! If he played for Seattle or whatever your team is, you'd be rooting for him. Probably, it's like I felt that there could never be enough praise for Tony Gwynn, who was "my guy."

PUKE!

Didn't think that the refs could be worst than last year, but I was wrong on that count. The games are becoming unwatchable with all the flags. In the 36+ years I've followed the game, it would have never occurred to me that I might one day be defending the refs. But, their job is likely the least desirable officiating job in professional sports. The NFL rules are as fluid as any in all sports, and at all levels. And they have to constantly attempt to interpret and enforce them. May as well be trying to hold water in their hands. Not giving them a complete pass, mind you. Just trying to empathize with them considering how increasingly difficult that fucking idiot Goodell and his band of merry sycophants make their jobs. Yeah, I agree, there are so many "directives" from the league office, that they no longer ref the game, but also have to interpret dangerous hits, insulting language, etc. They're put in a can't win situation, I still can't figure out why there is a need for a penalty for "insulting language," geesh, I imagine that can be called on every play. The 49ers are still bitching about that call on Kapernick.

Didn't think that the refs could be worst than last year, but I was wrong on that count. The games are becoming unwatchable with all the flags.

Of course, the moment I don't pick the Cowboys, they win. Romo hates me!

A very interesting book, well worth the read.

I'm so freakin' pathetic in my belief that this week the Cowboys will finally put it together, I sucker pick them all the time.

A. A. Milne: The Man Behind Winnie-the-Pooh by Ann Thwaite. Picked this up on a whim at Half-Price Book, and it is fascinating, I'm discovering a Milne I never new before -- a Milne who wrote interesting adult books, lead a different life than I imagined. It's completely changed my very weak image of him. Great book, and a long one too.

I just realized last night that in 48 years of going to baseball games, not once have I ever seen a tarp rolled-out. Only in California.

A Mysterious Something in the Light: The Life of Raymond Chandler by Tom Williams. While waiting for another Chandler bio to arrive, I reread this one, and it is a very good look into Raymond Chandler's life. A sad life of a man who was by turns, overly sensitive, overly standoffish, overly prideful, and overly drunk. It is a picture of a person looking for something that's lost in his life, and that "something" was never found. He had an amazing love for Cissy, his wife, who was eighteen years older. Once she died, he took an alcohol bath for his final years.

Actually, I would be for this year, no travel in my future, so I'm good to go to finish last again....

Saint Genet: Actor and Martyr by John Paul Sartre. Finally reading this one, after hearing so much about the book. About half-way through, and it is a strange one, with a very real sense of hopelessness about it. That whole post-WWII era in Europe, or America, for that matter, strikes me as bleak.

Run To The Mountain: The Journals of Thomas Merton, volume one 1939-1941. Rereading this, I have a deeper appreciation of the pre-monastic Merton, as he struggles with the implications of the coming war and trying to discover what to do with his life.

This biography of Chandler was a great read: I bought this one recently, and it's a good one also: But I looked on Amazon this morning and was able to order the Hiney book for one cent, so thanks for the recommendation -- Chandler has become one of my all-time favorites.

I went on the Warner Bros. studio tour a few months ago, they have the entire coffee shop set from this series preserved. They take people in and let them snap photos while seated on the couch. Trashy Matthew would love that!

Paperback Confidential: Crime Writers of the Paperback Era by Brian Ritt. Nice, short biographies of the great "pulp" writers. Good book to have lying around and just pick a random author to read about.

Friends: Season 3. It has, what I think is the quintessential Friends episode The One Where No One's Ready, which is one of my favorites. I never liked the Ross & Rachael combination, for me, they were just lame. I think that the Joey / Chandler team is one the funniest comedy combinations ever, they play off each other in a unique manner -- very underrated.

Murder On The Orient Express by Agatha Christie: Nice, enjoyable book. Been on a Christie binge lately.

Grant Green is on the disabled list after suffering an injury in the weight room

What BFrank said. The Criterion box is great, I loved every hippie minute of it, it gives you a much better sense of the "vibe" than just the cds.