Monday Randomness

So, I finally tracked down the "conclusion" of the British sitcom The Office at the video store. I believe they're calling it "The Holiday Special". Essentially, it's an hour-and-a-half two-episode conclusion that attempts to bring closure to the series. If that was its goal, it most definitely succeeded. Without giving away the ending, the show's conclusion leaves the viewer with that warm fuzzy feeling that doesn't feel fake in a melodramatic Hollywood sort of way. All I gotta say is "Cheers!" to the creators of that show. Along with Six Feet Under and Arrested Development, there's been nothing better created for television viewing since the decade of the 'oughts took hold. If you haven't seen it yet, please don't be dissuaded by the petty excuse for an American crossover hit that is The Office, v. 2.0. You can rent or buy Seasons One and Two of the original, plus the "Holiday Special", so you have no excuse!

Moving right along, today's perusal of the Pitchfork turned up a new Weezer album, Make Believe. Maybe it goes without saying, but who in their right mind is still hinging hope on Rivers Cuomo delivering another Blue Album? Seriously, is there an aging 20- or 30-something that has been gobbling up the periodic Weezer record in the hopes of rediscovering that modern twist on classic power-pop for which Weezer originally hoisted their geek flag? I thought their debut was great, too, and admit that part of the reason I thought it was so wonderful was that it caught me totally off guard. Here we were reveling in the wake of grunge in the summer of 1994 when out of the blue comes these nerds with a sense of humor and a distortion pedal. Kurdt was in the ground just a couple of months and already he had to turn over in his grave. (That is, if you believe this self-inflicted gunshot wound bullshit. I still believe he's sipping Mai Tais on the beach of some third-world country, content merely to be free of his cokehead wife and plotting a way to kidnap his son.) Anyway, getting back to Weezer, their new album received 0.4 stars from Pitchfork. It doesn't come as a shock to me, just as it won't surprise me if it sells half-a-million copies as a result of the teenybopper crowd. I just hope that us 20- and 30-somethings don't boost sales. Haven't we found some other hipper, better power-pop group to latch on to in our old age? OK Go maybe? Or how about Arlo? Or, maybe we can all just return to Cheap Trick, Big Star, the dB's and Teenage Fanclub and be content with the best.

Speaking of the best, my St. Louie Cardinals are doing just fine, thanks. I haven't written about them yet this year because: 1) I haven't been able to watch many games on TV, since our wonderful market allows me the opportunity only two or three times per week; and 2) you don't care anyway. But, indulge me for a few seconds since inspiration has struck after my Redbirds put up 11 runs in the first inning of yesterday's game against the Padres. That's like good or something! They currently sit atop the NL Central with a 19-11 record. That record is just about good enough to be on top in every other division in baseball. However, it's still a bit misleading. You see, the NL Central Division, which enjoyed a brief hiatus from Stinkville last season, is back in the dumps this year. Milwaukee, who is HOT HOT HOT!, boasts a .500 record, but every other team is below the break-even mark. Houston is already eight games back, and the Cubs are six down.

So, why do the Cardinals not suck like their divisional peers? Well, for starters they've beat up on their inner-division foes to the tune of a 16-4 record. That includes series sweeps of everyone but the Cubs, who they've played just twice. While their offense has been merely average (for them) to date, their starting pitching has picked up where it left off from the prior regular season, featuring five healthy starters who are posting a 3.34 ERA, a very respectable 1.20 WHIP, and an even more-promising 16 homers surrendered in 197 innings-pitched. Keeping the ball in the park seems to be the new theme this season (knock on wood), as overall the team has allowed just 23 dingers in 268 innings. If there's reason for concern, it's in the pen, where the team has struggled to find consistent producers, especially given the absence of closer Jason Isringhausen. Most Cardinals fans knew that the success of last year's pen was a bit of an aberration. But, this year's rendition is allowing far too many baserunners and has already accounted for four losses. (I know, I know. Cubs fans would give their left arm for such production from their pen.) The offense is lagging behind last season's pace, a full 24 points behind in OPS and 12 points in batting average. Still, they're only .02 points off last year's pace in runs scored per game. So, I suppose all's well enough.

Of the most significance to this year's season-opening success, the injury bug has yet to dig its sharpened teeth into the Cardinals. We were relatively lucky last season, too. So far this year, the team has suffered minor injuries to Isringhausen, Scott Rolen and Larry "30 games on the DL every season" Walker. And, just yesterday, catcher Yadier Molina went down with what appeared to be a nasty ankle sprain. The positive spin this morning has Molina only missing a handful of games, however.

I expect the rest of the Central pack to pick up the pace moving forward. That's especially true for the Astros, who--with their starting pitching trio as good as it is--should play better once Lance Berkman makes a complete recovery. They may not be as good as they were last season, when they came storming back as the months progressed, but they aren't this bad, either.

Enough baseball. Let's talk college b-ball. I'm surprised to hear the recent news that Illini guard Dee Brown seems more certain to stay in the NBA Draft regardless of whether he's considered to be a first-round pick or not. He doesn't see much reason to stay another year. And I agree. His stock will be higher this year, coming off of a landslide of publicity for himself and his team. And, it's unlikely that he'll improve upon his shooting percentage (50% from the floor; 43% from the arc) or his assist-to-turnover ratio (2.4). Sure, with the departure of a majority of the team's offense, it's likely that his scoring average would increase to closer to 20 points a game; but with it will likely come more pressure to produce, hence a drop in his peripheral stats (shooting percentage included). The main knocks on Dee are his inability to finish in the lane in a half-court game and his size. And size is really the sticking point. He's not going to grow a couple inches next season, so unless he returned to a less-talented and less-experienced Illini squad and suddenly put up 20 points and 7 assists a game and led them back on an NCAA tourney run, it's unlikely that he'd be in a better position come draft time next season. Look at Nate Robinson, the 5'9" sparkplug of the Washington Huskies. He led his team in scoring with 16.4 points and chipped in 4.5 assists. He was undeniably the Huskies point guard and main man. And even with superior numbers, equal speed and less question marks than Dee, he's not projected to be a first-round selection. So, Dee's decision to stay in the draft and play his way on to an NBA roster--which I think with his enthusiasm and energy he can do given the right situation--makes some sense.

It's sad to see this era in Illini b-ball come to an end, but next year's team--even with Dee--is still going to be a radically different club. Really, once Deron Williams decided to bolt, the makeup of next year's team was changed dramatically from that of a guard-oriented offense to that of an interior-oriented club. We'll boast a lot of tall, athletic players, but presumably not many long-range shooters or guards with good handles. As a fan, I'm ready to turn the page anyway. I'm anxious to see what kind of a team Weber can build from the ground up. Now with the departure of a core of Bill Self-recruited players, that's exactly what we'll be heading toward.

N/P--Richard Thompson, Starring as Henry the Human Fly