Haley’s Vomit: Black & Gold Offensive
I can’t say I was excited when I saw that the Steelers had hired Todd Haley as their offensive coordinator. They parted ways with Bruce Arians, and all he did was lead the Colts to an 11-5 record and a Wild Card berth. Meanwhile, back at the confluence, the Steelers sputtered and finished a mediocre 8-8. Two years after losing the Super Bowl to those evil, wretched Packers.
The 2013 season looks to be more of the same – two losses so far, and 19 points scored in those losses. Not looking good. It’s true that the Steelers are getting older and have shed (or outright lack) some talent at the receiver and running back positions (I’m surprised they don’t have negative rushing yards for the season), but this is quite a comedown for a team that – not too long ago – had a pretty good balance of running and passing.
Now, I’m not going to oversimplify things and say that the Steelers offensive woes are completely the fault of Haley. It just seems that way, and he’s a convenient and easy scapegoat. Besides, I am rather fond of my punny headline, so I’m sticking with this line of thinking.
Bottom line – the Steelers offense is like a porcupine with no quills. No points. Or very little, anyway. After seeing them in action twice, I am expecting very little from them, and it’s been a long time since I felt that way about this team. It’s nonsense to assume that one’s team will never go through a rebuilding phase, but it stinks when it happens.
Then there’s the football experts that have deemed the upcoming Saturday night slugfest pitting the Bears against the Black & Gold (NBC must be thrilled with this matchup) a must-win game for the Steelers. Why? What’s going to happen if they don’t win? Will they fire their coach? Change quarterbacks? Give back their unused minutes?
Why wasn’t the Tennessee game a must win? Or the Cincinnati game? After all, if there are any teams the Steelers would want to beat, it’s the Bengals. But no such luck. Now, Cincy is in the very unusual position of being tied for first (with the hated Ravens) in the AFC North. At least Cleveland is following the script, and they’ve scored less points than the Steelers.
A must win game is about as moronic a sports cliche as there is. Almost as dumb as saying that the other team wanted it more. How exactly does one quantify that? The Steelers wanted the win Monday 143, but the Bengals wanted it 227. Now, it’s clear how the Bengals took the win. If the Steelers had only managed to want it 197, or even 213, they might have had a shot.
Even though the blame probably can’t be fully put on Haley, I still want him gone. I’d like to get Arians back, but since he’s the head man in Arizona, that’s not a possibility, either. I guess we’re stuck with Haley for this season. It looks like it’s going to be a long one.
Looking at the schedule, I can see some hope. They play the Jets in week five and Oakland in week seven. Amazing to think that I am feeling hopeful that the Steelers could be 2-5 after seven games, and the Jets and Raiders are not even gimmies. Game eight is New England, so 2-6 is quite likely.
The second half of the schedule doesn’t look any better, with games against Detroit, Green Bay, and Baltimore loom. At least there are two games against Cleveland in the second half. Then again, the way things are looking…. that might not be such a good thing.
Aaargh-o! Affleck as Batman
I admit it. I was a little surprised (I’d stop short of saying upset or angry, but only just barely) to have heard who was going to be the next Batman. It is a kind of out-of-left-field choice. But I decided to take a step back and look at this whole thing from a distance. See if I could make any sense of it. That hasn’t really happened, but I’ve had about a month to read what other people thought and to see all the clever memes pertaining to this. It seems that a lot of folks are not sold on Ben Affleck as Batman.
Okay, so Mr. Affleck as the Dark Knight wasn’t what most folks had in mind. It could be worse – it could be George Clooney, Val Kilmer, Nicholas Cage or Hayden Christensen. And is this really the worst aspect of this whole thing? Not to me.
If you’re going to reboot a franchise (and I’m assuming that is the plan once the Batman/Superman … thing … comes and goes) so quickly after the initial set of movies was produced, then you might as well get some big names in the mix. It might be a good thing to be able to say “Academy Award winner” Ben Affleck in the promos.
After all, the Superman/Batman movie is being masterminded by Zack Snyder, who brought us the interesting but tepid Man of Steel and the interestinger but tepider Watchmen. In both movies, there were some elements that worked and were pretty cool, but as an overall production, I thought both fell short. Of course, both were attempting to do lofty things – translating what it was that made Watchmen and Superman such big time entities in the first place was going to be a daunting challenge no matter who was doing it.
I am sure that I am in the minority in being underwhelmed (OK, maybe I was whelmed) by Man of Steel. But I can’t get it out of my head that this Snyder guy – not Joss Whedon (Buffy, Avengers), not Jon Favreau (Iron Man and Iron Man 2), not Christopher Nolan (Dark Knight trilogy), not Matthew Vaughn (Kick-Ass, X-Men: First Class) – is handing such a crucial piece of the DC Universe.
Batman/Superman is one of the keystone movies that will be setting the stage for the long awaited Justice League movie. And after The Avengers, there’s a huge bar set for the whole team concept. Add to this the fact (well, it’s a fact to me) that Marvel’s lead-in movies (Iron Man, Thor, Iron Man 2, Captain America) were all excellent movies in their own right.
I don’t see this being the case with DC. They had a miss with Green Lantern, and The Dark Knight movies will be a distant memory by the time they get to greenlight Justice League (2017). Mix in the stupid inability to get a Wonder Woman movie concept generated or approved, and things are not looking so good. She’s a pretty major player in the team’s history and she can’t even get screen time (not since the 70’s, anyway). Even the Flash had a TV show in recent memory (1990’s) and even has a show coming soon (2016), based on the strength of Arrow.
Of course, the strength of Arrow is that it truly is a very good TV show, and lays a solid groundwork for one of the other main players in Justice League lore. If I had any complaints, it’s that I’d like to see more costumed adversaries – or at least more characters from the Green Arrow universe. But this is a small complaint – if you’re not watching the show, you should be.
I’m trying to be open minded here – I’d like to see a good Batman/Superman movie. And a good Justice League movie. I just don’t think I will. Now – Ben Affleck as Batman. Yes, this does rile up the Batman fanbase, doesn’t it? I’m not jazzed up about the choice myself. There have been many many many names floated as alternates to the casting, but none of them are going to happen, so I will not even bother to comment on that. For my money, I thought John Goodman would have been a good fit for the role…
Yes, it’s true that Affleck was Daredevil. And it’s true that many folks felt that DD was a terrible movie, myself included. But then, this just proves that DC is not the only publisher of comic books that is capable of making less than spectacular super hero movies. And that film’s writer/director, Mark Steven Johnson, is nowhere to be found.
If Batman can survive Joel Schumacher, Ahnold and Christian Bale’s somewhat incomprehensible growl, he can survive Ben Affleck. How bad could it be? It can’t be worse than Batman Forever or Batman & Robin, right?
Gotta Do A Better Job
I’m not one to focus on what the usual voices of Philadelphia sports media (like WIP’s morning radio host (more accurately escaped sociopath) Angelo Cataldi, who thinks he does, but does not, represent the typical Philly fan) have to say about much of what goes on sportswise in Philly. As as Steelers fan, I can look at Eagles situations from an outsider’s point of view. I tend not to get bogged down in the hometown rhetoric.
But this is different. Andy Reid, the polarizing former head coach of the Eagles is returning to Philadelphia to coach against his former team. Suddenly, there is something that has drowned out the ridiculous Chip Kelly bombast that has been swirling for the past few weeks. The Eagles fanbase is alive and talking. And, while this is good for sycophants like Cataldi… it’s not really good for anyone who is objective and retains his or her sanity when presented with a delicious situation like a former coach returning to the city.
Reid was maddening. His press conferences went in circles and he provided no answers to any questions. He was repetitive and condescending and evasive. Despite many voices questioning his coaching moves, he plowed on, striding a very similar path week after week, For a while, things went pretty well. The Eagles went to the Super Bowl in 2005 (based on results of the stellar 2004 season), but lost to the very film savvy New England Patriots.
Now, Reid is the head man in Kansas City. The overhyped (he’s 1-1) Chip Kelly is the head man in Philadelphia. The inevitable game pitting Reid against the Eagles (really, the city of Philadelphia) is here. Obviously, there is a great outpouring of emotion over this event. Most callers to the sports radio station are alight with dreams of the Eagles handing their nemesis a “shellacking he’ll never forget…”
As if this wasn’t enough to cause a frenzy in Philly, there’s more. The Eagles are going to honor equally controversial former quarterback (and a guy that was Reid’s main guy for 10 years) Donovan McNabb that same night. Wow! Reid and McNabb – two of the most talked about Philly sports figures back in town on the same night. I am surprised that the ground didn’t open up and swallow the stadium whole.
Let’s recap:
Philly fans are in a lather because, according to ESPN, Chip Kelly has arrived in Philly and presented the fans with an offense that has never been and never will be again seen in pro football. Something that will live forever and make us forget about football the way it used to be. There is no shortage of talk praising Kelly and his offensive schemes, even if a lot of it is simply a backhanded shot at Reid.
Former coach and media and fan punching bag Reid is back in town, tasked with taking on his former team in what is certain to be a somewhat hostile environment. I think it’s safe to say that Reid will hear some cheers, but he is also certain to hear some boos. Short memories. The team is in a lot better shape now than when he first arrived. But his standoffishness and sanctimoniousness left a bad taste in the mouth of the fans. It’s OK to be a jerk if you win. And while Reid won plenty of games, he never did win the Super Bowl.
Donovan McNabb is going to be honored the night of the game. There are few players that have engendered such emotion from his fanbase AFTER leaving the team than McNabb. The problem is, much like in his playing days – he doesn’t know when to just say nothing. He makes oblique references, and frequently finds someone else to blame for the negative things that happened. A lot of Eagles fans will impugn his skills as a quarterback, but that’s unfair. He was a very good QB, and deserves respect for what he did on the field. It was his inability to accept a leadership role (and also to accept blame for losses) that made him such a controversial figure in Philly. In my opinion, anyway.
So what does all this mean? That the Eagles and their fans will get some measure of revenge by beating their former coach and by booing their former quarterback. Both of whom did many great things as members of the Eagles, but tarnished those achievements by either having too much personality and no backbone (McNabb) or by having zero personality and making too many snarky comments when asked a question (Reid). Chip Kelly and his nothing-like-this-has-ever-been-seen-before offense will see to it that Reid & Co. lose by at least 37 touchdowns.
Not so fast. All the pressure’s on the Eagles. From the fans, from the media… there’s too much focus on Andy Reid. Also, he should know how to get in the head of some of the players. And he might know some of Vick’s tendencies. Add in the McNabb ceremony, and you’ve got oodles of distractions for the Eagles.
It’s rarely good to play when you have too many possible motivators. Reid has nothing to lose. He’s with a new team, he’s 2-0 (already tied last year’s win total) and he’s in a fairly weak division. Despite ESPN’s hyperbole, I think that Denver will crash to Earth soon. Especially if they play a team with a tough defense who will actually pressure Peyton Manning. In the Thursday night game, the pressure is all on the Eagles. They should be careful not buy into their own hype.
The way I see it, these teams are evenly matched. With this much attention on this game, anything can happen. I don’t think home field will be a factor here. Who knows? This ought to be a very interesting game – one played between the fans of a city and their former coach – if nothing else.
As for Angelo Cataldi – he said that he’d be in intensive care if the Eagles lost to Reid and the Chiefs. I wonder if any Eagles fans would think it would be worth it to lose, given this information?
It’s Not Easy (Nigh on Impossible) Watching Green (Jacket)
I’ve been a sports aficionado for as long as I can remember. I used to play baseball, stick ball, wiffle ball, street football, basketball, roughhouse, horse, pig and I also have been known to ‘play catch’ from time to time.
Aside: Why is it called ‘play catch’ anyway? It’s not really playing anything. You’re having a catch. Always wondered about this. It’s not really a big deal, and doesn’t lessen the impact of playing catch in the slightest, regardless of what term is used.
Back to the Green Jacket thing. In recent days, I have been listening to sports radio again, after not having listened for quite a while. I could not have picked a worse time to have resumed this (usually) soothing and relaxing pastime. I have an unwritten rule when it comes to sports radio (a rule, like the ones in baseball, except there’s only one, it makes sense, and it only really affects me).
Change the station (or turn the radio off) the second they start talking about golf.
I do not get golf at all (happily, I am not the only one). To me, it’s just boring to watch. And the only thing that could possibly be more boring is to listen to someone talk about golf. And it’s not a sport. Any more than bowling, pool, croquet or bocce are sports. They’re all skill games or activities – but not sports. I concede that it probably takes a good amount of skill (and beer) to be good at golf. I just don’t care. It’s not for me.
And yes, an argument could be made that if I was better at golf or if I understood it better that I would really come to love it. And that if I don’t like it, then what about the millions of fans who do? Surely, they can’t all be wrong, right? Well, I do understand golf well enough, thank you, and I am working on 30+ years of being bored by it. Hard habit to break. And I do believe that millions of fans can be wrong…
But all that is mere conversation (or vehement disagreement). As of Thursday, April 11th, the Masters is back! Four days of endless fun! Winner gets a green jacket! Woo hoo! Cue the mindless chatter about Tiger Freaking Woods and his place in the golfing world. I was so much happier when he was out of the picture. Now that he’s back, it’s back to routine. They tell you where Tiger placed. They tell you what his chances are of making the cut. Of winning. Of his chase of Jack Nicklaus and number of golf titles won. And if you let them, golf enthusiasts will talk to you for hours about it.
What the hell kind of a sport is predicated on the presence of one guy? The pinheads on ESPN’s morning radio show would tell me and the other listeners (more than once) that Tiger Woods IS golf. That even someone who doesn’t like golf would stop and watch if Tiger was on the screen. Never mind the fact that the golf broadcasters do what they can to ensure that he’s on the screen as much as possible….
But what is that about? No other sport has this. Nobody watches a football game because Tom Brady or Aaron Rodgers is playing in it. This might be a secondary reason, but it’s not the main reason. Folks watch football because they love the game. Same for baseball. Who watches solely because Albert Pujols is playing? Or Derek Jeter? I don’t. I watch because the Phillies are on and I like to watch baseball.
So, yeah – golf. I kinda hoped that it would fade from the firmament of the sports stations once el Tigre was out of sight. But it didn’t – so perhaps, despite what Mike Greenberg would tell you – there is more to golf and it’s fans than just Tiger. Now he’s back and so is the cavalcade of background hiss that accompanies him and his – activity.
As with so many things, maybe it’s just me. I don’t want to rain on the golf fan’s parade, but I do wish that sports folks in general would ratchet back the golf stuff a bit. You’re just a bit too enthusiastic. I get it – you like golf – but the golfspeak can get quite a bit tedious. It’s just a … game?
Alone in His Field; No Zombies or Mad Men
Based on what I am seeing on Facebook, I am apparently the only person on Earth who is not lamenting the season’s end of The Walking Dead and also not watching (nor have ever watched) Mad Men.
But that’s OK – this sort of thing isn’t exactly new territory for me. I am often on the opposite side of the fence on matters such as this. For example: I never saw an episode of Lost. I know. I’ll pause now so you can pick up your drink, or get your heart restarted or just allow time for you to recover from the shock of this bombshell.
While I am sure that Mad Men is a fine TV show, and I am sure that the near universal praise for the show is fully and truly warranted – I have little interest in watching it. And truth be told, for whatever reason – I never did. My reasons for this are best kept to myself. Suffice it to say that I see Mad Men as a fairly generic, sterotypical, recycled set up that has been covered many times over by countless TV shows before it.
I’m sure that this is a narrow minded and frustratingly dismissive attitude to take, but I’ve gotta be me. Sometimes I will decide years later to check out a show from the past and find out that my assessment of it was inaccurate. I don’t see that happening here, but you never know. I can see this happening with Lost, but not with Mad Men. Time will tell.
Now, the Walking Dead is another story. I did watch the first season, and thought it was one of the best shows around. All I needed to hear is that it was based on a comic book and that Frank Darabont (he of Shawshank Redemption fame) was going to be the writer/director for at least some of it, and I was intrigued. And was not disappointed.
Those first six episodes were chilling, compelling, horrifying and just plain fun. Everything you’d want a show to be! At least, what you’d want a horror show to be. I found the story and characters intriguing and the acting and writing was top notch. Every episode left me wanting more, and wanting to see what happened next.
Season two was another story. Started off with a hootenanny, then got a mite slow midway through. Came up with a humdinger of a midseason finale, then drifted back to meandering until the end of the sophomore offering. Unlike with the first season, I was not left with a burning desire to see the next season. I was interested, but the luster had faded. And I think that Darabont had since moved on to other projects somewhere during the season.
I watched maybe the first two or three installments of season three, then called it quits. Among my ill conceived reasons:
- I thought that the return of Andrea (truly, is there any more annoying character in TV history? If that’s her goal, the actress is doing an amazing job)
- the emergence of Carl as a gun toting twerp
- the inexplicable way that Andrea and Michionne were surprised by Merle (you’re on the run from zombies! all the time! any lapse in judgment could mean a grisly death! And you allow some dumb ass to sneak up on you?!?!?)
- Hershel getting bitten in what I thought was an obvious set up in the prison. I can’t have been the only viewer who saw that coming as soon as they set up the scene, right? And I’m hardly clairvoyant and I’m not saying that I’m great for seeing this…. I was annoyed when it happened.
Perhaps it’s for the best. I mean, we are talking about the extermination of the human race here. Eventually, all of these people will be Zombie Chow. I think I got the best of what the show had to offer, and I look back fondly to the scenes and moments that made the first two seasons so … utterly watchable.
Now, the good news in all of this is that I have a new show to be looking forward to: Joss Whedon’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. After The Avengers, I will definitely be giving this a look. And who knows, if things go well it could join Arrow and Big Bang Theory in a very exclusive club.
That being shows that I watch with anything resembling consistency.
Revisiting Past Posts: Jackie Robinson
I have noted in a few other articles on this blog that I had written articles for other blogs prior to this one. I managed to export a majority of the articles to this blog, but I have found that there were a few articles that didn’t make it. I have since reposted a few of these articles with a little blurb about when it was originally written and what the article was about.
In this case, I don’t think I need to say much. Jackie Robinson is an honored name in baseball, and absolutely should be. He was an excellent baseball player, and an even more courageous man. This article was originally posted April 16, 2008, on ArmchairGM, a long defunct sports wiki I contributed to a few years back. As the movie 42 is about to come out, I thought it would be fun to re-present it here and now. I hope you enjoy it.
By the way – I noticed that 42 is coming out on April 12. Considering that Jackie’s historic day was April 15, 1947 – I think they should have held the release for 3 days. I guess a Monday release would be a bit unusual, but I think this was an occasion that would warrant deviation from what is usually done.
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An Interesting Jackie Robinson Story: Perception In 1989
In lieu of making up stories, or reading the same books over and over again, I have been reading baseball stories to my son at bedtime. The stories come from a book called “Peanuts and Crackerjack: A Treasury of Baseball Legends and Lore” by David Cataneo.
I’ve read the fine articles that other users have written for AGM telling their stories of Jackie Robinson. I chose not to write anything because I felt that my own account would pretty much echo many others that have been written. The man is a legend and any baseball fan knows this without me cobbling together another article.
But then I came across this story in this book. The story opens with this: “By the late 1980’s, the Jackie Robinson story had settled firmly into American history, and, like Antietam, Sam Tilden, and the Works Project Administration, the Jackie Robinson story was becoming largely forgotten.”
Can you believe this? I can’t imagine this being the case, but check this quote out: “It has been largely forgotten. We see that as we go from city to city. We see schoolchildren who don’t know who Jackie Robinson was. They know the name, but not who he was. I do fear he will be forgotten.”
Who was the speaker here? [Jackie’s widow] Rachel Robinson.
It may be true that MLB is gimmickising Jackie Robinson. But now that I’ve read these words by Rachel Robinson, I’m glad MLB did what it did. I can’t imagine baseball today without all fans stopping for a moment on April 15th to remember a great baseball player…and a great man.
I’d like to think that Rachel Robinson would be proud to see the reverence in which Jackie is held today. I’m glad she lived to see all of the accolades that came Jackie’s way after 1989.
I’m proud to be a baseball fan on this day, and even more proud to be a Jackie Robinson fan. He changed baseball forever through talent, dignity and bravery. And none of us who are baseball fans should ever forget that.
Here’s an interesting Scholastic article/interview with Rachel Robinson from 1998, if you’re interested in reading more about her.
Super Bowl: How to Root When You Pretty Much Hate ’em Both?
Well, the Super Bowl is upon us, like flu season. Considering the teams that are in the Super Bowl, I think I might prefer to have the flu.
Very few players in the NFL have gotten more ebullient and over-the-top praise and love during the 2012 season than Colin Kaepernick and Ray Lewis. And they both play for teams that I despise, so I did not believe the hype.
Ray Lewis has been hailed as a football legend, a proud warrior who will have the distinction of playing in the Super Bowl for his last game. A shining example for future generations of linebackers who receive an OOJ nomination. I respect him as being a very good player, although I could have done without the silly pre-game histrionics. As for off the field activites, I have a more dubious view of him. I won’t bother listing the “up close and personal” items with Ray, but suffice to say – there are some NSFW activities in his life story.
Mr. Kaepernick, on the other hand, has reduced ESPN commentators to puddles of a fairly embarrassing obsequiousness. They’ve pretty much started inventing adjectives to describe his exploits on the field, as they’ve exhausted the superlatives that do exist in describing him. I acknowldege that he has some talent, and that he is doing things as a quarterback that no other quarterback has ever done. A proverbial “out-Elwayed Elway in Elway’s backyard” (which one broadcaster said when describing a scramble by Jacksonville QB Mark Brunell in the 1996 playoffs, when Denver (haha) lost to the underdog Jags).
Given the amazingly strong character that Lewis brings to the game and the otherwordly talents that Kaepernick brings to the game, it would seem that an epic battle to outshine all previous Super Bowls is certainly on the docket.
It’s just too bad that the teams playing for the trophy have to be two of my least favorite teams. And since they can’t both lose, I suppose I have to pick one, if I choose to bother making a pick at all.
I’ve made it a point to minimize my exposure to sports commentary the past two weeks with an eye toward preserving my sanity from the overwhelming tsunami of inane thoughts, ideas, predictions, analysis and touching stories about players we’ll never hear from again.
No, the best way to make a pick like this is to shut all that rubbish out. But the question remains – if it’s between Darth Vader and the Joker, who do you root for to win?
From what I can gather, a lot of pundits feel that the 49ers have the edge (remember, their quarterback is doing the most amazing things that we’ll never see again) and that the Ravens are in over their heads.
I think that the Ravens have a little more spirit than all that. They won’t be impressed by flashy QB play, and they will probably take it out on Kaepernick should he choose to run the ball a lot. They pride themselves on defense, and I don’t know if the 49ers have the fortitude to withstand the viciousness of the Ravens. They’re also not afraid to cheat to get an edge.
The Ravens will probably come out throwing, and look to keep the 49ers off balance. And they’ll probably make it a point to come after Kaepernick and try to cause him to make hasty decisions, including running when the play breaks down. I don’t think that having Kaepernick running for his life is conducive to winning.
Besides, the Ravens are named for an Edgar Allen Poe poem. That, alone, gives them an edge, to me. Even though they’re the Steelers arch enemy, I think they’ll win. Which, I suppose, loosely translates to me rooting for them.
Ravens 34, 49ers 20.
So … This is Superior? Spider Senses Are Whinging…
OK, kids – Spider-Man’s been around for a long time, and after the cartoons and four blockbuster movies, everyone knows the story pretty well, right? Just for fun, how about a little true/false quiz?
1) Spider-Man’s Uncle Ben was killed during a carjacking
2) Spider-Man’s Uncle Ben was killed outside a convenience store
3) Mary Jane was Spider-Man’s first girlfriend
4) Spider-Man is really Peter Parker
Pencils down! If you answered yes to any of the above questions, you have failed the test. Or – have you? It depends on which version of Spider-Man we’re talking about.
It’s yes if you’re talking about the Sam Raimi Spider-Man (questions 1 and 3).
It’s yes if you’re talking about the Andrew Garfield Spider-Man (question 2).
It’s yes if you’re talking about the 1960’s cartoons, the Electric Company Spider-Man, the 1970’s TV show, the 1980’s cartoons, the Hostess Twinkies ads found in 1970’s comic books, Woodstock Spider-Man, Spectacular Spider-Man, Ulitmate Spider-Man, Sea of Tranquility Spider-Man, Greedo shot first Spider-Man, Tickle Me Spider-Man, I Shot J.R. Spider-Man, Turn off the Dark Spider-Man, Super Bowl MVP Spider-Man, any Spider-Man appearance in any Marvel comic book from 1963 to 2012, the Andrew Garfield Spider-Man, the Sam Raimi Spider-Man….. but no if you’re talking about the Marvel Comics flagship comic book The Amazing Spider-Man.
Please, don’t roll your eyes like that. Like anyone who’s reading this hasn’t quibbled about some detail in plot or character or character relationship that was changed when their favorite book was made into a movie. Or when some detail or details was/were changed in later releases of a creative work. Or when some hackneyed plot device was used to resolve a tricky plot point.
With that many different versions of Spider-Man in play, it’s understandable if you might feel a little confused about the character details. And it doesn’t really matter anyway, because Marvel (By Popular Demand!!) has pulled out all the stops in taking a 50-year-old franchise character and removing all of the elements that made him a franchise character. Because You Demanded It!!
Spider-Man fans have had to endure a lot of dopey plot devices and ill conceived story lines over the years, and I thought that they had pretty much exhausted the concepts I’d dislike immensely. I was wrong.
Out comes Amazing Spider-Man 700, the final issue in the original series (the one started in 1963), and the one that changes everything. Gone is the “great power, great responsibility” Peter Parker, and in his place is one of his mortal enemies, Alfred Molina – I mean, Doctor Octopus – now occupying the body and persona of Spider-Man.
That’s right – in a nutshell, Doctor Octopus now occupies Spider-Man’s body – in essence, he is the new and improved Spider-Man. The Superior Spider-Man. The debut issue of the comic book of the same name, chronicling the continuing adventures of the Electric Company’s favorite son, came out in January.
It’s not like they went from Nicholas Hammond to Tobey Maguire, or from Maguire to Andrew Garfield. Or from Kirsten Dunst to Emma Stone. Or from Dick York to Dick Sargent. One could actually argue that each of these changes was an upgrade for the character (well, not the York to Sargent change…). A move toward Superior.
No, instead the premise is that Doctor Octopus as Spider-Man will be a new and better Spider-Man (a Superior one). That’s right. I’d understand if you’re confused by this logic – I don’t get it either. Seriously, if the Peter Parker Spider-Man defeated Doc Ock every time they fought, what makes Doc Ock superior? Even the Molina Doc Ock realized that, in the end, he wasn’t a better person than Peter Parker.
I’ve liked previous Dan Slott (writer/conceptualizer of Superior Spider-Man) works. He is a very detailed, clever and funny writer who understands comic books and what makes them tick. And I’m sure that the decision to do a Buffy/Faith switcheroo was not his alone (darn those meddlesome EICs!). But…. WTF, dude?!?!
And why Doc Ock? There are a multitude of villains that could have been inserted into this role. Over the years, Ock has been about 50 percent troublesome villain and 50 percent comic relief. He gathered together six of Spider-Man’s enemies and still lost, boarded at Aunt May’s house after Peter moved out, almost married Aunt May, lost his mind and had a phobia about Spider-Man and LOST EVERY BATTLE HE EVER HAD AGAINST THE PETER PARKER SPIDER-MAN.
How exactly does this make him superior?
It’s pretty much a concensus that the Green Goblin was Spider-Man’s greatest enemy. He was the big bad in the first movie, wasn’t he? He was the first to discover Spider-Man’s identity. The first to truly defeat Spider-Man. He cheated death, didn’t he? Died and returned to plague Spider-Man! Surely, this makes him the most likely guy to succeed in the old body switcheroo thingy, right?
Apparently not. And now we’re left with this. I can’t see this being a good thing for the character, but I guess the Marvel folks know what they’re doing. After all, they’ve never made dramatic changes to a character or comic title only to see that it wasn’t working or that the fans didn’t respond, and then just pressed the reset button and put things back the way they were.
Nah. I’m sure that this will be the crowning achievement in Spider-Man history. And – 50 years from now – when Ms. Lion is transferred into Spider-Man’s body and takes over for Doc Ock, I’m sure I’ll be grousing about how Marvel never just leaves well enough alone.
Arrow – If You’re Not Watching, You’re a Poltroon
What? I’m just saying it like it is! Everyone has that one (or twenty) show that they love, and that they post about (frequently) on Facebook. Well, Arrow is my show to post about. And since I’m aware of two other people who watch the show, I thought I ought to give the show a shout out and let the show’s creators know that there are viewers and that they shouldn’t even think about cancelling the show.
I admit that I was dubious when I first heard about the show. It centers around Oliver Queen/Green Arrow (played by Stephen Amell), who is a secondary DC character at best. He’s had a few good times, but overall, he’s pretty much overshadowed by more prominent characters such as Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and Green Lantern.
But I watched the show. And this even was a bit of a stretch, as this brought the number of shows that I currently watch to three. That number is now down to two, as I have pretty much stopped watching The Walking Dead, but I digress. I missed Arrow’s first episode, but picked it up with the second. I was able to piece together the basics pretty well.
When the episode ended, I wanted to see more. This is very rare for me when it comes to TV shows. Arrow doesn’t try to do too much – it’s not just a drama or just a comedy or a thriller – it combines all of these elements and seems to distill the best elements of them. It’s not a cop or law show (even though two of the main characters are a cop and a lawyer), and – best of all, to me – it’s not a hospital-based show. I think it’s safe to say that these three types of shows have been covered pretty thoroughly.
There are some Dark Knight/Batman elements about the show, but the similarities are not distracting or overwhelming. The show is thoughtfully written, capably acted, AND the folks who work on the show have done some homework. There are subtle changes to the source material – Starling City, shipwrecked on an island, a family life, “the Book” – but they get the broad strokes, and add in subtle references that enable comic book aficionados to smile and nod appreciatively, while not getting bogged down in the details and rendering the show unwatchable for the uninitiated.
Memorable esoteric moments include when Laurel (played by David Cassidy’s daughter Katie Cassidy) mentions wearing fishnets at a Halloween party. Or when Oliver refers to his younger sister as “Speedy.” Adding characters from other DC properties, such as Deathstroke the Terminator, The Royal Flush Gang, the Huntress and the Triad, which helps lend some depth to the proceedings. And if you miss the references, it doesn’t negatively impact the enjoyment of the show.
The way they handle the characters is refreshing, too. There’s a rotating cast, but they don’t all appear in every episode. Of course, there are some folks who do, but many of the seeming throwaway characters (Laurel’s cop father, Tommy, Malcom, the archer guy on the island, Deathstroke, Diggle’s sister-in-law, Felicity Smoak) have appeared more than once and are almost always used to good effect.
All I’m saying is that Arrow is a good show, and it would be cool if folks would take an hour from their day and watch it. It is saying something that I enjoy a show enough to ramble on about it for this long. I just don’t want it to be cancelled with so much potential yet to be tapped. And besides, after The Hunger Games and The Avengers, aren’t we all hooked on archers now?
Mind, I haven’t heard anything about it being on the cancellation block, but then again, I haven’t heard much about it at all. There are multiple interesting plot threads going on, and the latest episode actually surprised me with a revelation. It was one of those “Oh man, that sucks! I didn’t see that coming!” moments.
I think you’d like it if you watched. And then you might want to see the next episode. And I’d like it if talk of cancellation never comes about. And if you do tune in, maybe I’ll watch Honey Boo Boo in return. And if I’m willing to do that, I think you should be willing to watch Arrow.
Andy Blank
Mike Frangione
Depends on What the Meaning of the Word 'Blog' is 
Something to Build On?
Things didn’t start well for the Steelers, that’s for sure. After getting down by three touchdowns, they charged back to get within four points of the Bears. And then, they were gone again. There’s a reason that they say that in order to win, teams need to avoid turnovers.
Big Ben Roethlisberger made some great throws last night, but the two interceptions and the fumble were not how those plays were drawn up. It’s not news for me to say that the Steelers could not afford to be turning the ball over like that. Against any team, let alone a team that is having a pretty good season.
All that said, however – things are looking up for the Steelers. It was a loss, yes – but they didn’t quit when they got down. Again, they were within four points of the Bears and on a roll. The Bears were on their heels. With a little luck – something that struggling teams often lack – the Steelers could have pulled ahead and, perhaps gone on to score their first win. But that’s not how things went.
Scoring 23 points is a very good sign for the Black & Gold. They still are having problems running the ball, but the passing game looked quite good. It was great to see the Steelers moving the ball, and especially great to see Antonio Brown make all those catches and rack up 196 yards. Big Ben had 406 yards passing amidst the errant throws and fumbles. Definitely something to build on.
Clearly, coulda, woulda, shoulda is no way to evaluate a game. It all comes down to wins and losses. If you play better than your opponent, you win. Avoid turnovers, force mistakes, and your likelihood of winning is increased. Pretty simple in theory. Not so much on the field.
I’m still assuming that the Steelers will be 8-8 at best this season, but I feel better about their chances of winning some games this year. If nothing else, I hope that the Black & Gold can muster enough fortitude to wreak havoc on hated division rivals Cincinnati and Baltimore.