Bryan

According to Metsblog.com, the Padres have trade Scott Linebrink to the Mets for Oliver Perez and Heath Bell. Now THATS a good reliever. Much better than Roberto Hernandez. Good move. The Mets are going for it all.

Shawn Chacon for Craig Wilson. Brian Cashman is a genius.

Ehhhh. Robo is still pitching well, a step down from Duaner but he can still pitch. ERA's are deceptive. Roberto Hernandez has horrible peripherals. IP: 43 H: 46 BB: 24 WHIP: 1.63 He should be getting destroyed. And peripherals can be deceiving. He's playing on a sh*tty team and comes in a lot of clean-up situations. He's been pretty good out of the pen this year, comes to a team he played on last year, and gets to pitch in the playoffs. Blasphemy. Peripherals are never deceiving. They display how good a pitcher really is. WHIP is the most important statistic for a relief pitcher, his is terrible. Roberto Hernandez is a very below average reliever who has just gotten lucky, so far. I do like the pickup of Oliver Perez, though. A guy with that much upside is never bad to have, no matter how messed up he is currently.

Ehhhh. Robo is still pitching well, a step down from Duaner but he can still pitch. ERA's are deceptive. Roberto Hernandez has horrible peripherals. IP: 43 H: 46 BB: 24 WHIP: 1.63 He should be getting destroyed.

The sequel for Superman Returns is already confirmed, planned, and going to happen. There are DVD sales and merchandise that a movie makes money on as well, not just box office intake. Superman Returns will NOT get out of the red. It only gets 55% of its Box Office take. And it's not going to be able to make up the rest through DVDs and merchandising. If I'm not mistaken it's already been stated by an anonymous WB source that SR is not going to get anything close to the same budget and that we should expect more action in the next film.

Miami Vice is Universal. Ah well, it's not that bad then. WB just can't take anymore bombs. Poseidon and Supes were huge blows. I would hate to see a Batman Begins or Superman Returns sequel get their budget chopped in half because WB had another huge flop.

That's actually a really poor number for Miami Vice. It may have met industry expectations, but the production costs for MV were nearing 130 million, if I'm not mistaken. It's going to be a major money loser for the studio. I just pray that MV isn't a WB produced film. WB is just about running out of red ink. Tough week. LitW and Clerks 2 had terrible drops. The Devil Wears Prada keeps on chugging along, which is nice to see; the surprise hit of the summer.

Lidle is worthless. He is going to get absolutely demolished in the American League. Ehh, he's better than the junk we've been throwing up lately. Besides, he had a couple of good years with the A's. Granted, the giant ballpark helped, but he put up era's of 3.59 and 3.89 with over 110 k's each. He also has 5 career shutouts. [shrug] It will be fun to watch Abreu. Man, the Yankees don't do anything to manufacture runs - they just sit back and wait for the big hit. Maybe they'll try more running with Damon and Jeter at the top? I'm glad Cashman stuck to his guns and refused to give up Hughes - FINALLY! 1. The only thing saving me from completely ignoring Lidle as a possible contributer is the fact that his 4.77 ERA was in one of the worst pitcher's parks in the country. Add a run for the American league, and subtract .25/.5 because of the ball park switch. That should leave him with an ERA around 5.27. The only other positive I see from him is that he has pitched well against the Red Sox in two appearances this season. 2. Remember, Abreu is a fantastic baserunner and basestealer. With his high OBP, the Yankees top 3 is absolutely devastating. Damon, Jeter, Abreu. Giambi and A-Rod are going to get a TON of RBI opportunities. 3. If Cashman traded Hughes I would personally go to the Bronx and beat him up myself. Philip Hughes is the best pitching prospect (or 2nd, if you're higher on Homer Bailey) in baseball, you DON'T trade elite prospects in salary dumps.

Glad he doesn't play in the NL anymore. Good luck in New York, Bobby. Help those Yanks win the AL East. :mischief :thumbup Although, even though no one will agree, Toronto has a very good chance. I really hope our bet is still valid, Bryan. The Jays are now only 6 games out. That's worse then when the bet was made. "YOU TOOK THE WORDS RIGHT OUT OF MY MOUTH...IT MUSTVE BEEN WHILE YOU WERE KISSI......."...er...Nevermind. Phillies get: SS C.J. Henry, LHP Matt Smith, C Jesus Sanchez, RHP Carlos Monasterios Yankees get: RF Bobby Abreu, P Cory Lidle Deal is done. Can anyone familiar with the Yanks farm tell me how many years it will probably be before Henry, Sanchez and Monasterios are ready for the show? Sanchez doesn't have the bat to get to the show. He's struggling in A Ball. Monasterios doesn't have the stuff to get to the show. He's putting up good numbers in A Ball, but his high 80s fastball really limits him as far as the next levels. CJ Henry is 18 and VERY raw. He's putting up a very low batting average and striking out a ton at Charleston (A-Ball). He does have a pretty decent slugging percentage, and I think he has been better in the field than initially thought. He is a converted basketball player, and has a great deal of plus natural tools. Basically, he just needs to learn how to hit, as he has every other criteria you could want to build a successful ballplayer. He'll repeat Low-A next year, possibly move to A Ball the year after if he performs well. Then maybe repeat A Ball again. If all went well passed that you'd see him in AA the following season, and AAA the season after that. So you're looking at probably 4 seasons past this one AT THE EARLIEST. He'd be 23. (EDIT: I just read this paragraph and realized it sounds like I don't like CJ Henry. That is simply not the case. Henry is a really solid prospect. He has everything you could want, he just has to figure out how to hit at the professional level)

Trading Matt Smith is a shame. I already didn't think getting Abreu was a good idea, but it's even worse because Smith did well in AAA and has pitched 12 scoreless innings with the Yankees this year. Have you seen his walk totals? He's terrible. A bit lucky, but still terrible.

Who plays right when Sheff comes back? Could this cause some internal problems? Sheffield would DH. Plus, that line-up is being lenient to the Yanks as I don't think Sheff will actually return this year. Matsui I think is nearly a lock to return and be productive. I'd be surprised if Sheffield didn't return by September 1st. He's already taking ground balls and throwing. From all indications, he looks pretty good, too. I'd say Dotel and Pavano are the ones you don't see this year, not Sheffield and Matsui.

Lidle is worthless. He is going to get absolutely demolished in the American League. Abreu is an elite offensive player though. Even this year, in one of his worst years, he's still putting up elite OBP and SLgSB numbers. Abreu makes the Yankees quite a bit better offensively. I hate to see the Yankees give up on CJ Henry. While Smith is never going to be a very successful big league pitcher, CJ still has a chance to become a stud. I look at the trade like this: CJ Henry for Bobby Abreu, and despite my strong liking to Henry, I'd have to take that. Good trade.

I have been very excited about this movie. I'll definitely be seeing it. It's a remake of a Hong Kong movie 'Infernal Affairs' which was apparently one of their best films ever.

Randy Johnson has Josh Beckett syndrome. Randy either dominates and pitches fantastic or he completely wets the bed and gives up 8 runs. If you look up his stats you'll see a lot of 7 IP 2 ER, 6 2/3 IP 1 ER, 8 IP 2 ER, and then BAM! 3 IP 9 ER about every fourth or fifth start.

It appears that most of the negative reviews are whining about it not being like the TV show. I, for one, think that's a good thing. The show is ridiculous and cheesy. It's just all nostalgia-factor that's making people wax poetic about it, IMO. Then why the hell is it called Miami Vice? Couldn't they have named it...oh I don't know...ANYTHING ELSE? I might see it this weekend though, my girlfriend now wants to go.

I have never understood the massive hype around this kid. He doesn't have a great bat nor is he great in the field.

I don't think it's too short at all. Once a movie passes the two hour mark 75% of movie-goers start with the "IT WAS TOO LONG" speech. Most people like short, poignant movies, rather than long, in-your-face ones. I for one think its nice to have a quick and to-the-point movie rather than one with extraneous story lines and 15 minute sex scenes.

The Fountain is between 92 minutes and 96 minutes long. It's very short, actually.

Its tomato-meter is down to 48% and falling fast. I hate to judge from reviews and general WOM, but it appears it really IS just a standard cop thriller. I'll pass.

I'm stealing this from The Fountain IMDB.com message boards.....: CHUD "Devin Faraci" REVIEW: http://www.chud.com/index.php?type=reviews&id=7133 - "I walked out of the film dumbstruck with awe, having just seen something brilliant." MTV "Kurt Loder" REVIEW: http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/15...ahooNewscrawler - "It's one of the most gorgeous movies in recent memory." JOBLO "GERBER" REVIEW: http://www.joblo.com/index.php?id=11217 - "for those that like thought-provoking movies with questions that aren't easily answered, this movie is for you" SAN DIEGO HOO-HAH: http://hollywood-elsewhere.com/archives/20...diego_hooha.php - "the most beautiful and best-crafted cosmic head-trip movie since I don't know what" AICN "Mega-Swarm" REVIEW: http://www.aintitcool.com/display.cgi?id=22892 - "This is something new. I can't wait for all of you film lovers out there to experience this movie." AICN "fILMBURST" REVIEW: http://www.aintitcool.com/display.cgi?id=22892 - "It blew me away." MOVIEHOLE "Brownie" REVIEW: http://www.moviehole.net/news/20060331_rea...e_fountain.html - "probably one of the best films I have seen in years" FREEZE DRIED MOVIES "Hunter Daniels" REVIEW: http://www4.freezedriedmovies.com/review.php?id=193 - "The Fountain is probably the best movie that will be released this year." AICN "Silvergleam" REVIEW: http://www.aintitcool.com/display.cgi?id=23215 - "This film is an absolute triumph." AICN "Extrapolation" REVIEW: http://www.aintitcool.com/display.cgi?id=23215 - "In almost every way possible, THE FOUNTAIN exceeded my expectations." AICN "Yggdrasil" REVIEW: http://nitti.aintitcool.com/display.cgi?id=23208 - "The Fountain. This film will kick your brain in the nuts." UGO "Bryan Enk" REVIEW: http://www.ugo.com/channels/filmtv/feature...urns/072506.asp - "you've never seen a film like The Fountain, and you never will again" That's every review of the film from recent screenings.

I guess Hector Made is so marginal as a prospect that it's worth the very slight upgrade from Kelly Stinnett to Sal Fasano. At least that's what I'm told.

Unfortunately this means we get even more of the #1 Mets fan Steve Phillips. I'm going to go buy some more stock in chapstick.

While I personally won't see it and think it's too soon to be made into a movie, everyone who HAS seen it (critics) have raved about it. It's in the hunt for Best Picture this year according to people who know better than me. I don't know why you think it's going to be so bad (yes, the trailer is awful, but you can't base EVERYTHING on a trailer). I will sit through it if it gets nominated for Best Picture, only because I watch all Best Picture nominees every year.

Everyone realizes their pitching isn't half as good as it was last year, right?

they also can't spend the per capita of small countries like the Red Sox and Yankees too..... I'm sorry, do you want to update me as to what relevance that has in this discussion? Or is that just the standard excuse you give when you get in a debate about the Yankees or Red Sox? The Blue Jays do not have the pitching to defeat the Yankees and Red Sox over the course of 162 games. They are a fun team to watch, though. Halladay: 12-2, 3.08 ERA Lilly: 9-8, 3.89 ERA Burnett: 2-3, 4.17 ERA Ryan: 1-0, 1.13 ERA, 24 SV, 64 K Mussina: 11-3, 3.39 ERA Wang: 11-4, 4.01 ERA Johnson: 10-8, 4.88 ERA Rivera: 4-5, 2.06 ERA, 23 SV, 38 K Plus, the Jays have Gustavo Chacin coming back from the DL pretty soon. I'd say they have the pitching. When a team can only use four pitchers the remainder of the season, let me know! I was merely pointing out the "aces". Even if the Yankee pen is better, personally, I'd rather have a better rotation that can go deeper into a game before handing it over to the pen. Toronto starting pitching has been at the same level and at times a lot better than Yankee starting pitching. It's been a fun ride Blue Jay fans, but not this year. Add another starter and 2 relievers and you'll be gold next year. Thinking the Blue Jays are going to pass the Sox/Yankees this year is wishful thinking at best. When the season ends before the trade deadline in July, let me know! :thumbup But since you like to make predictions this early into the second half, I'll give you mine: The Blue Jays will make the playoffs. Want to make a signature bet on it? If they make the playoffs Ill put anything you want in my sig, if they don't make the playoffs you have to put anything I want in yours. Just for fun.