The Blogadier General

Twelves All Around

2012-12-12T11:08:00.004-06:00

Today's date: 12/12/12. Enjoy.

2012-12-09T16:08:00.001-06:00

Ah, Donegal tweed.

Theodore Boone: The Abduction

2011-06-26T23:24:00.002-05:00

I still haven't read the whole of Breaking Dawn, but I'm trying. Naturally, I haven't finished reading The Lincoln Lawyer either. But I did manage to read Theodore Boone: the Abduction and enjoyed it. It was short and quick, and I can now claim, halfway through 2011, that I read a complete book. I read six or so last year. My writing has gotten the best of my time, so reading for pleasure has taken a back seat.

Anyway, Theodore Boone: The Abduction starts with a hook and ends with a hook. On getting through this one, I feel the same way as when I finished Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer. I wanted to read the next book right away. The reality is I have to wait. These stories don't write themselves, and they take time. What a great fiction series to read and enjoy.

No More Mr. Soft Guy

2011-06-26T23:23:00.002-05:00

It was nice to see the Dallas Mavericks win the NBA title. Dirk Nowitski has shaken the soft label.

NBA Finals Ready to Commence

2011-05-26T23:53:00.003-05:00

The Dallas Mavericks and the Miami Heat will square off for 2011's NBA title.

Never would I have picked these two to come out of their respective brackets. I figured it would be the Lakers versus anyone from the East, not necessarily the Heat. This year's Finals matchup is a repeat from 2006. The Mavericks squandered a 2-0 lead in that series. I hope neither team suffers that kind of futility this time. May the best team win. Here's hoping for seven games.

The Lincoln Lawyer

2011-04-25T09:57:00.002-05:00

It took me five to six years to discover The Lincoln Lawyer, and I'm glad that I did eventually. Author Michael Connelly does a good job in keeping a reader engaged with the legal exploits of L.A. defense attorney Mickey Haller.

Easter Bygones

2011-04-25T09:56:00.002-05:00

It was a good Easter. Here's to next year, Easter 2012.

Time for the NBA Postseason

2011-04-17T10:23:00.001-05:00

The NBA Playoffs are here.

Big College Roundball Surprise

2011-03-08T21:21:00.003-06:00

My alma mater will dance at the big ball! Women and men. So pleased!

I'm pretty sure this tandem is a first.

Super Bowl Sunday

2011-02-06T12:45:00.001-06:00

Packers and Steelers. May the best team win.

Two Great Fiction Choices

2010-12-12T13:13:00.009-06:00

Recently I read two great novels, The Confession by John Grisham and Freedom by Jonathan Franzen. I highly recommend The Confession for anyone looking for a consummate John Grisham story about justice, the legal system and government corruption. The story involves the death penalty and is quite different from The Chamber. With The Confession, Grisham shows in part how the world works.

Freedom is a more ambitious work where the narrative is sprawling and not so action driven. Characters have identities that go beyond what they do for a living because Franzen's emphasis is on them, their lives and inner thoughts rather than their role in an overall plot. They aren't used to move the story along. They are the story.

On reading Franzen, one can tell he likes to experiment with words. He prefers obscure terms I never knew were in the English language. I didn't look most of them up because that would amount to work, but I did write them down to revisit later. It seems to me that some of the words Franzen uses are best applied in literary works like Freedom, because such words have little practical value beyond that. I don't think I could remember all of those words, even after having looked up a few in a dictionary.

The Walking Dead Delivers

2010-11-16T11:16:00.056-06:00

It's kind of tough for the horror genre to scare anymore. The best effect it can achieve these days is plain old grostesque. Even gore is getting to be old hat. Regardless of the limitations of a dated premise, AMC's The Walking Dead does a fine job of entertaining. The hour-long zombie drama is violent and messy and interesting to watch. That is quite a feat to pull off.

The show is shot in a 16 mm format, which I will call a brilliant creative decision. With everyone going digital, someone has the guts to buck trends and revisit a technique that still works. That's just smart, especially if you want the world to notice what you're doing. The zombies aren't much different than those seen in Thriller. The main difference is AMC's zombies don't dance way better than the average person.

Internet articles say ratings for The Walking Dead are unprecedented for AMC, so that bodes well for the short term. It remains to be seen though if the show's writers can keep the story arcs fresh and interesting. With a committment to only six initial episodes, it looks like AMC executives wonder the same thing. Mork and Mindy and Heroes serve as good lessons about stellar first seasons. Hopefully, The Walking Dead can demonstrate more staying power like Mad Men has. (What a phenomenon John Hamm et al have turn out to be.)

I have noticed that the writers have created a lot of characters to play with. It wouldn't surprise me if some of the supporting folks with lesser impact begin to get way more interesting. Someone may have an interesting secret. Someone may commit an incredible gaffe. If The Walking Dead is to survive for a while, that may have to happen. The sky is the limit. For now, I am a fan of the show despite its gore and violence. I sat through several seasons of ER (where the writers did horrible things to their characters), so I believe I can handle whatever AMC throws at me for six Sunday nights.

Halloween Debut for Cable TV Series

2010-10-31T09:08:00.006-05:00

It's Halloween. This year I am intrigued by a new television series about zombies. The show is called Walking Dead. It appears on AMC. I want to see if AMC can do a zombie show that makes me care about the characters and their lives on a weekly basis. Yeah. We'll see. That is one tall order.

War Dec On

2010-10-28T00:43:00.007-05:00

Impersonations of U.S. Presidents.

I'm declaring war on comedians doing impersonations of U.S. presidents. They're a cheezy cliche and generally unentertaining. Unless the demands of a Saturday Night Live skit need to be met, I don't want to see anyone try to impersonate a president ever again.

Running Wilde on Fox

2010-10-19T22:01:00.035-05:00

I enjoy watching Running Wilde, the Fox sitcom starring Will Arnett and Keri Russell. It feels fresh, and the humor is quite clever. Arnett and Russell have great chemistry, and the neighbor Fa'ad played by Peter Serafinowicz is a goofy ball of genius.

And, like with Mad Men, I like to check the #runningwilde hashtag on Twitter as the show is in progress to see what people are saying and reacting to. Twitter is so good for that. It adds to the experience of watching an event live as opposed to the following day on the Internet. All of the Running Wilde episodes are posted on the Internet the day after their first run, which is nice. This saves DVR space for all involved. Right?

Running Wilde favors Arrested Development, so it is not for everyone. You either appreciate the jokes or you throw your hands in the air and say, "I don't get it". There are other parellels like the casting of David Cross whom played Tobias on Arrested Development and now portrays Andy Weeks, the fiance to Russell's character, Emmy. Cross is pretty good as Andy, although his appearances are limited so far.

Plus there is the daughter to Emmy. Her name is Puddle. Puddle narrates the show, so everything is from her point of view. She seems to be the most grounded character, which is ironic considering that she is surrounded by adults.

Mr. Lunt the butler and Migo the chauffeur add to the zaniness. They serve as enablers to Arnett's character, Steven. They serve as splendid plot devices because without them, Steven couldn't get in as much trouble with Emmy, and the plotline would suffer. So, we have to have healthy doses of Mr. Lunt and Migo to keep the pot stirred every week.

Anyway, I really like Running Wilde. It has a cozy, nichey appeal to it free of pomp and pretense. It's charming.

Team USA Does It at Worlds

2010-09-13T22:46:00.051-05:00

Team USA got the job done in Turkey, running away with the FIBA World Championship. Kevin Durant practically carried the U.S. to victory, scoring at will against foreign defenders and coaches with no real inkling as to how to stop him.

It is great to see USA Basketball assert American dominance in the game as opposed to settling for a knowing wink and a nod regarding the fact that we could win. And winning Worlds wasn't so much about winning Worlds as it was maintaining the status America already owns as the premier power in the game of basketball.

While other countries dream of winning a FIBA World Championship and become giddy at the thought of coming close, I see an American victory at Worlds as an equivalent to rearranging furniture and tidying up a house in mild disarray. The FIBA World Championship is a pesky detail we as Americans haven't managed well in the past. We're starting to take it more seriously, having achieved reigning supremacy in every FIBA age bracket available. The United States holds all of the current golds in men's play. We should continue that kind of excellence for decades to come, at every level. I cannot foresee a day when that is not the case.

The Return of Football

2010-08-20T23:15:00.020-05:00

The networks are broadcasting preseason NFL games. Folks are talking about college rankings for the first time since January. Hey, we've reached the cusp of a new football season. I for one look forward to it. In the past, the football bug didn't hit me until mid-September, but it's mid-August and I'm looking forward to it earlier than usual.

I truly enjoy watching the sport. When I don't, it makes for good atmosphere just having a game on the television as I walk by.

We already have intrigue, too. What's great about this season is the unpredictabity. The landscape seems wide open. Anything can happen.

After what has become an annual soap opera, Brett Favre decided to play one more NFL season with the Minnesota Vikings. If I can see a game like last year's NFC Championship between Farve's Vikes and the New Orleans Saints, I have no problem with Favre returning to try it again. That game was so exciting. Let's hope for a deep playoff run for Brett Favre. It will make the NFL postseason a little more intersting I think. Plus, it will justify Favre's decision to come back. Heck, last season's success justifies it.

Basketball Worlds Coming

2010-07-31T23:15:00.004-05:00

July has come and gone. The most notable sporting event for this blogger was the Tour de France. In late August and early September, we have the FIBA World Championship. That should prove interesting.

Too bad it is scheduled during the start of NCAA football. Worlds should be under way now to avoid a conflict. Leave it to FIBA to be that out of touch. I am of the mind that Americans should run FIBA. After all, basketball is our game. Shouldn't we organize the world championship? I think so.

TdF: The General Classification is Decided

2010-07-24T11:22:00.006-05:00

What an interesting Tour de France we've had this year. Barring something unprecedented, Alberto Contador will win. Contador solidified his hold on the maillot jaune by outpacing rival Andy Schleck in the final time trial before Paris. Things looked a little dicey for Contador after the first time check. Down eight seconds in general classification, Schleck gained six seconds back on the time trial's first leg. I thought Schleck would win the Tour after seeing that. Contador pressed on though. Schleck faded a bit, losing his gains and 31 seconds overall.

Still, it was an impressive improvement for Schleck. I strongly believe one day, perhaps next year, he will win the Tour de France. He is too strong of an overall rider to fail. Plus, at 24 years of age, he has plenty of rides left in him.

Tour de France Stage 17

2010-07-22T11:31:00.003-05:00

Today's stage went up the Col du Tourmalet a second time. Gapped by :08 to Alberto Contador, Andy Schleck needed to attack. He tried, but his effort wasn't enough. I for one was underwhelmed.

The atmosphere though was electric. It may have saved my viewing experience. There was mist and sheep., honking team cars and wild fans crowding the road. The race commentators said they had not seen an atmosphere quite like it before, and they have seen a lot of Tours. The stage finished on the Tourmalet, which enhanced the moment. However, I wished Andy Schleck had more in the tank to pressure Contador. The white jersey of Schleck never made a time gain on the maillot jaune. That would have made Stage 17 a whole lot more interesting I think.

"Mad Men"

2010-07-15T14:13:00.002-05:00

I love to watch Mad Men. It is an incredibly clever show. The premise is original. The execution is flawless. I am sure the show will garner more award nominations.

The Tour de France So Far

2010-07-14T10:46:00.021-05:00

Alas, it looks like this 2010 edition of the Tour de France is close to decided in terms of the overall winner. Andy Schleck holds a 41-second time advantage over Alberto Contador going into Stage 10, a 111-mile ride from Chambery to Gap.

Contador is the better time trialer of the two and is likely to overcome 41 seconds. He looks like the favorite heading into Paris and the Champs Elysees.

I had hoped for a big shakeout in general classification in the Pyrenees. That would extend the race's drama into the third week. However, fast pacing in the Alps blew up the field. Only Schleck and Contador are left to contend for the top podium spot at the end.

Helping set this table is the fact that Cadel Evans, once in the maillot jaune by 20 seconds over Schleck, cracked on Stage 9 mountain climbs. Evans was so distraught that he cried on the shoulders of another rider after finishing the stage.

Levi Leipheimer and Bradley Wiggens wilted on climbs, too. Carlos Sastre, Dennis Menchov and Ivan Basso never got on form.

Another factor, the biggest one of all, was Lance Armstrong's bad luck. Armstrong suffered a punctured tire on cobblestones and several crashes. None of these events proved conducive to winning an eighth Tour. The timing of these events were particularly harmful.

Armstrong says he will never ride the Tour de France again after this one. He will not win in Paris ever again. That is too bad. It would have been fun to see. Fortunately, there are seven other Tour rides he and his fans can savor.

Friday Arrives

2010-07-09T11:40:00.002-05:00

It's Friday, y'all. That means the weekend is nearly upon us. Hooray for weekends.

The 2010 Tour de France

2010-07-03T11:22:00.002-05:00

The 2010 Tour begins today.

The 2010 Tour de France is Coming

2010-06-30T11:13:00.003-05:00

Alas, this 2010 edition of the Tour de France marks Lance Armstrong's last. Armstrong announced his intentions on Twitter, writing, "And yes, this will be [my] final Tour de France. It's been a great ride. Looking forward to 3 great weeks."

Whatever happens with Armstrong and the race as a whole, it will be interesting.