A couple of weeks ago I went back down to New York for little Jimmy's christening.  He was the star of the show.  The deacon obviously liked him the best and strangers were taking his picture because he was so cute.  I'd say he was quite handsome in a satin tuxedo-looking outfit, which George called a "baptism ninja outfit."  Mom took a bunch of pictures and I need to see if I can steal them and put them up.  We all went out to dinner afterwards and I got to see the whole gang once again, including the rest of the kids.  Claire looked great in a new dress and fancy shiny pink shoes, and Elizabeth was adorable as ever.  Before we left, I gave Jimmy his own stuffed monkey, which all the neices and nephews get from me.  He loved it and proceeded to try to stuff it into his mouth.

The night before the christening we got to see Grandma and Grandpa, who I hadn't seen since the end of the summer.  Grandpa had just been diagnosed with prostate cancer, but it's very early and his treatment is just about ready to begin.  He's upbeat about it as the prognosis is good, which it almost always is when it's caught early.  We all talked about the Yankees, including the A-Rod situation.  I guess it was still too early to comment on that whole thing, eh?  I think this was all the plan from the beginning, if you ask me.  I can't say I'm thrilled that he's still around, but to be honest, I'm just glad that he's not going anywhere else.  I know that sounds silly.  But seriously, he's the best player in the game, he should be with the biggest team in the game.

Thanksgiving was a good time, too.  Fran came home, which was great as always.  I supplied the turkey this year, which came from work, and it was a damn good bird.  There was plenty of food to be had and some great pie as well... Don't know what else to tell you, really.

So keep an eye out for a new video, I've got a couple of them in mind to do, and I'm hoping to do some sort of Christmas special or something like that.  The ideas come a bit slower these days, but they do still come. 

The last time I wrote, the Yankees had just been kicked out of the playoffs by the Indians in the first round.  In this three week period, things have changed quite a bit in the Yankees Universe.  Joe Torre essentially told the Steinbrenners to go screw by turning down a contract extension that was like a slap in the face.  Then, the night the Red Sox were about to win their second World Series in four years, Scott Boras decides to steal some of the spotlight to announce that Alex Rodriguez was opting out of his contract.  Things have been crazy enough so far, and things will only get crazier.

First off, the Steinbrenners obviously engineered Torre's extension offer in such a way that they could try to seem like the good guys whether he said yes or no.  If Joe said yes, they make it seem that they wanted Joe to stay after all, and that it was very important to them that he stayed in on for the final season in the old Yankee Stadium.  If he said no, you'd get Hank Steinbrenner (or was it Hal?) coming out and saying "If it wasn't for my Dad, Joe Torre wouldn't have done anything!  Where was he when my Dad took him in?"  When I read that (paraphrased) quote, all I could think of was Chris Penn's final line from Reservoir Dogs, when he shrieks, "STOP POINTING THAT GUN AT MY DAD!" like a whiny little bitch with a chip on his shoulder.  We all remember how that one turned out.  But Joe handled it with class, as always.  He'll be bringing that quality along with him to his new job with the Dodgers, who dumped Grady "How do I pull the starter" Little as soon as Joe was available.  Hey, Don Mattingly's probably going with him.

And that brings us to the quest to replace him.  Personally, I'm actually pretty pumped about Joe Girardi taking over the reins.  I was a big fan of Girardi when he played, and he's already got an excellent track record as a manager.  He did wonders with the Marlins during his short time there.  He's well liked by the fans, he's got a good baseball mind, and I think the fact that he's not too-far-removed from his playing days will give him more of a desire to win.  The only question now is, who will Girardi be managing?  A-Rod's departure was one thing.  Holding onto Jorge Posada, Mariano Rivera, and Andy Pettitte is the next big question mark.  They all had something to say about the Torre situation, but I think that after Posada's comments on Girardi today, they're more likely to stay than most people might think.  This is one thing that I'll have to keep an eye on.

Which brings me to Rodriguez.  I've said before that players come to the Yankees for two reasons.  Either they're coming to get paid or they're coming to be Yankees.  Sure, they often go hand in hand, but here's what I'm talking about.  Johnny Damon didn't come to the Yanks just for the paycheck.  He came to put on the Pinstripes.  Everybody made a big deal about when he first got his hair cut upon his arrival.  But nobody made a big deal out of the fact that he became even CLEANER cut this season.  I hardly recognized him this year.  He was clean shaven every single game and seemed to get a nice, close cut about once a week.  When you put on a Yankees uniform, you don't tend to want to get it dirty and the rest of the look goes with it.  When it comes to A-Rod, he didn't even entertain a preliminary discussion with the Yankees because they weren't considering a $350 Million offer.  I know that you tend to ask for outlandish amounts of money when you first negotiate, but this was ridiculous.  Apparently, he couldn't handle the pressure.  All that talk about wanting to be a Yankee for the rest of his career was just a load of crap.  If you want to hang with the Yanks, you'll take whatever the fans give you.  I mean, look at my man Jason Giambi.  Giambi got booed relentlessly in his first couple of months with the Yanks because he didn't produce.  But he stuck with it and won a lot of the fans over.  Of course, he then got caught with the whole BALCO thing, but unlike the rest of the guys who were juicing, Jason actually decided to man up about it and admit he was wrong.  And then he came back from that and had another good year.  I really think that being a Yankee, or maybe being a player under Joe Torre's care, made him willing to face up to it and work his way through.

And while the Red Sox were on their way to a well-played and well-deserved World Series title (yeah, I said it), it's the "OMFG BREAKING NEWS I'M OPTING OUT YOU GUYS" show on ESPN.  Actually, it was more about Boras making the statement.  I don't think A-Rod's said a damn thing himself since the Yankees were knocked out.  That makes me wonder if A-Rod is even an active part of this.  Is he just being used by the biggest douchebag agent the world has ever known?  Well, of course he is, but I wonder if Alex is just locked away in some closet somewhere and Boras is doing it all on his own.  Where will he end up, anyway?  The only teams besides the Yankees that could possibly afford him are probably the Red Sox, the Mets, the Dodgers, maybe Houston or the Angels, or the Cubs.  Who knows.  All I can say is this:  The Red Sox aren't going to score him.  The reason is because, well, A-Rod isn't Red Sox material.  Nobody on that team has the feeling that they're better than anyone else.  Alex does, but the Sox don't do that, and that's why they were in first place all year long and won it all.  Sure, Manny is always being Manny, but he knows that he's just a part of the team, and that's why he plays as well as he does.  Alex never got that through his head.

So, as hard for me as it is to say, the Sox had a great year and really deserved to win it this year.  But let me just remind you, Red Sox Nation, you're on the brink here.  You're on the brink of being the big team that the rest of baseball will learn to hate.  And then, one day, you'll wake up and find that you're just like the Yankees were seven, eight years ago, buying the best players not so much that you need them, but because you don't want someone else to have them.  Always being the team on the top when someone else wishes they could have a shot.  You'll be looking over your back all season, and it won't be safe to relax until you've won the Series.  The good thing is, once you get to that point and you do indeed win it all, there's no better feeling in the world.  Just wanted to warn you.  I guess you could say that it's because I like some of you too much to see you get hurt.  But as for the rest of the bandwagon... well, you'll see.  Oh... You - will - see. 

Right click and Save As to watch... 28 megs, WMV format

I'm kicking around the idea of putting more videos up on YouTube, but I'm not sure about it yet.  Let me know what you think of this idea.  It might help me achieve my lifelong dream of being an Internet celebrity.  Chocloate Rain!!

The evolution of the record industry, thanks to Radiohead
Last week, I received a surprise email from Radiohead.  We're tight like that.  They wrote to announce they had finished their newest album, In Rainbows, which has been in the works (one way or another) for about two years.  The big question revolving around its release, however, has been about how exactly it would be done.  The band's deal with EMI was up and they didn't bother to sign with anyone in the meantime.  Rumors circulated about a possible download-only release, or a series of EPs.  What we got was, essentially, both.

In Rainbows is available as a download from the band's website.  This doesn't really seem to be groundbreaking in its own right.  iTunes rules the online music market and there's other, smaller, groups offering their music online without record companies to back them.  But in the case of Radiohead, one of the most popular bands on Earth right now (whether you like it or not), it's a big deal... only to be made even bigger by the fact that you determine the price of the album.  That's right... when you visit the site to download and click on the album's price, it's represented by a question mark.  Following the question mark leads to the answer of "It's up to you."  Click that, and it says, "Really, it's up to you."  (That sense of humor is one reason why I love these guys.)  You could get it for "free" if you want, but there's a charge of 45 pence (about one dollar American).  I decided to pay £5/$10, which is the going rate of an album on iTunes.  I didn't want it for free because I respect the band too much, not only for their music but also for doing something like this.  It's also available in a specially packaged "discbox" that includes two vinyl copies and a CD.  The discbox costs £40.00 (which is essentially $80.00), but it seems to be worth it if you're a crazy big fan of the band.  I'm in that category, but I sadly don't know how to work a record player anymore.

But the big question becomes, "Is it any good?"  I have gotten a real kick out of it.  Since I downloaded yesterday morning, I've listened a few times on the iPod and I have to say that it's quite solid.  The whole thing is undeniably Radiohead, with all sorts of peices: frantic, ambient, catchy, you name it.  Like on Hail to the Thief, they're sticking with the guitars over the synths.  The same elements that made me fall for them in the first place are still in place, such as chord progressions that grab you right away and rhythms that make you nod your head one way and shake your body in another.  Lyrically, though, I don't know what to say.  Thom Yorke's voice is left untouched (unlike Kid A or Amnesiac), but he seems to be more free in his delivery.  Still, as bizarre a fellow as he might seem, his voice is just as strong as ever.  What I can make out isn't much different from the past, though.  Some might say it's more of the same, but it's just as good as it's always been.  Cheers to Radiohead for one of the gutsiest moves of the year and one of the better offerings in a good year for music.

Anyway.  The evening started off as its own little adventure.  Pat and I headed out and we made pretty good time down the Pike until we got off in Newton.  Traffic like a disaster movie.  It was like hitting a wall made of cars and trucks.  We eventually crawled into Riverside Station and hustled onto the Green Line on the T.  The ride in, as always, was fun, but when we got onto our train to Boston University, halfway down the line the train all of a sudden became an express to Harvard.  We walked several blocks to get to Agganis Arena.  It's a good facility... about the same size as the bottom-most section at the DCU Center (think of going to a Surge game and you'll get the idea).  Great size for hockey, which is what it's for essentially. 

When we got in, Liars, the opening act, were playing.  I'm glad we missed out on this portion of the evening because it consisted mostly of a guy banging on drums and another guy yelling.  There seemed to be guys with guitars, too, but you couldn't tell.  We grabbed beers and food and took our seats (after kicking some dudes out of them). 

Meanwhile, I knew that Sarah would be at the show, and by some strange coincidence I decided to look up for her and saw her pretty much right in front of me.  We got caught up and joked around before the show started up.  Strangely enough, Sarah and her friends left after five songs because it was "boring."

When Interpol finally took the stage, they were everything I expected: cool, composed, and tight.  The place went nuts when the lights went out and the band emerged.  Paul Banks picked up his guitar and said simply, "Good evening."  Carlos D was at his right, Dan Kessler to the left, and Sam Fogarino on drums.  Paul hid under his helmet of blonde hair most of the night, but he was in great voice.  Carlos did a lot of pacing.  His new uniform of trenchcoat and cowboy boots just helped to add to his legend as "that guy from Interpol."  Sam was like the band's quarterback.  Even though that's what most drummers do, it seemed like the rest of the guys were really feeding off of him.  The most animated and was Dan, looking like a young Elvis Costello and doing battle with Carlos whenever he paced his way.  Here's the setlist:

Pioneer to the Falls
Obstacle 1
C'mere
Narc
Say Hello to the Angels
Pace Is the Trick
Mammoth
Hands Away
No I in Threesome
Slow Hands
Rest My Chemistry
The Heinrich Maneuver
Evil
Not Even Jail

Encores:
NYC
Stella Was a Diver and She Was Always Down
PDA

The set was a great mix of all three albums.  For the most part it was very close to the recordings, but seeing them performed live with a good light show was pretty exciting.  "Pioneer to the Falls" segued nicely into "Obstacle 1," and upon its conclusion the lights cut, getting a huge pop from the crowd.  I was glad to hear every one of the songs at the show, but I didn't expect to hear stuff like "Hands Away" or "Say Hello to the Angels."  Hearing "Narc" live was fantastic, being a personal favorite of mine, and "Not Even Jail" was a surprise ending to the set. 

The encores were all fantastic.  "NYC" was wonderful and included the iconic "Turn on the bright lights" display.  "Stella" was probably the best surprise of the night for me, and "PDA," although the predictable finish, was done balls-to-the-wall.  But I think that what I liked the most was the improvisation, which they needed more of.  There were bits and peices here and there, but between the last two songs they took about a minute or two to hit us with a very cool instrumental interlude.  I liked it because they showed how they can work together to come up with something that's really their own.  I'm hoping that when they move forward, they keep this kind of thing up. 

Altogether a great set from one of my very favorite bands.  I'll be keeping my eye out to see when their next tour brings them around.

I don't have any good pictures from last night, though, when I went to see Interpol with Pat.  My ticket said "No Cameras" even though the band highly endorses them.  I didn't want to risk having someone take a good camera from me at the door, so I took a bunch from my camera phone.  I'll do a nice big write-up on the show tomorrow, similar to the one I did for going to see Cake last year. 

So yeah, stay tuned, some good stuff's coming.

Choose Option 3!
I've fallen behind on movie reviews lately.  A couple of weeks ago I saw The Simpsons Movie with Greg, which was a lot of fun.  It was essentially impossible for us to miss out on this one, and we enjoyed it.  It was cool to see The Simpsons use more than just 22 minutes for once (the show's been getting shorter due to longer commercial breaks over the years), and even though they managed to cram just about every Springfield character into the movie, it didn't seem too full.  It didn't seem like a full-length episode, either.  One thing I did notice was that it's much more "cartoonish" than the show has ever been.  There's more slapstick humor involved, but it's all done in that familiar Simpsons tone.  Great job all around.

On Saturday we caught The Bourne Ultimatum, the third and presumably final movie in the trilogy.  We absolutely loved it.  Like the other two installments, it's a good, smart spy flick that doesn't waste time on witty one-liners or silly villains.  Instead, there's real locales, crazy fight scenes, and believable intrigue.  It seemed at first that it would be slow going as the beginning of the film was a recap of the first two films (including reusing a couple of scenes), but from the first karate chop Matt Damon delivers to some poor guy's chest, it's like drinking a Dunkin's Box O' Joe all by yourself for two hours.  Second-best movie of the summer, after Transformers, of course. 

And last night, I watched Zodiac thanks to Netflix.  It's kind of a historical drama in a way, about the Zodiac murders in California during the 60's and 70's.  David Fincher is the perfect choice to direct this story, especially after doing Se7en and Fight Club.  The film looks much like the rest of his body of work, but with an approach that actually makes it look like one of those classics that came from the 70's.  Think All The President's Men, Network, The Conversation, stuff like that.  They all have a distinct feel about them, a certain way they were shot and performed.  That might also be attributed to the fact that every detail like clothing, hair, cars, furniture, music, etc. was reproduced beautifully without being tacky.  The cast is great, too.  Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, Robert Downey Jr., Anthony Edwards, and many others appear.  I'm pretty familiar with the case, but the screenplay is good enough that it makes it work very well as a story.  Most importantly, though, Fincher doesn't glorify the Zodiac.  When his crimes are depicted, it's not done to celebrate him, but it's not melodramatic, either.  You just see this guy do bad things and if you've got any heart in you, you will hate him on your own.  Sometimes the best villains don't have to be invented.  It's a bit long at an hour and a half, but if you're up to it, check it out... it might be an Oscar contender this year.

Work is crazy but we'll always have Guild Wars
The last few days have been nuts at the bank.  Friday was terrible because it was the perfect storm: Fridays are always bad, but the first of the month fell on Saturday, and it was a three day weekend.  Non-stop insanity, I tell you.  But never fear, I'm in balance and once this week's over... I'M ON VACATION.  A week from tomorrow Pat and I will be in Boston spending an evening with Interpol. 

So what do I plan on doing over vacation when I'm not seeing a great band?  I was hoping to do interesting things, but that might not happen because just this weekend I picked up Guild Wars, a MMORPG that the kids seem to like these days.  If you're not a geek like I am, you don't know much about massively multiplayer games.  In fact, I don't either, but I've been in the mood for it lately.  I've tried my hand at a couple of free ones but I haven't found one that was free, fun, and not run by morons (LOOKING AT YOU, KNIGHT ONLINE).  I'd play World of Warcraft, but although I am a huge fan of Blizzard's library, I doubt that I'm willing to pay a monthly fee for a game I'll only play for an hour or two a night.  That's why Guild Wars made sense to me.  You get a great game that you only pay for once, in the store.  Then you play all you want online with other people without watching your bank account wither away.  Plus, it's not as hardcore as WoW or EverQuest can be.  Those games make you level your character up for hours and hours and hours.  In Guild Wars, everyone caps out at Level 20, which is fine by me.  That lets you stop worrying about how strong your character is and lets you concentrate on quests and playing with other players instead.  Although I've got a few friends on WoW, at least Adam plays GW.  I doubt I'll win any converts, but you never know.