From Todd C.
Love the show and the column. With the (fairly low) expectations of these Braves, are they right now at the height of having fun in their careers? Especially for Albies, Swanson, and Acuna, will the expectations in the near future make it harder to "have fun" and play the game? Who of that 3 is going to have the biggest "next contract"?
Todd C. -
Great question, and there is a fair amount of truth about the low expectation yielding a high return on fun for these players.
Another factor: They are young and many of them are doing it for the first time. That's cool too. (It's also cool for the old-guy Markakis to be playing like he's 25 again.)
We're going to say they are not at the height, winning bigger with championship considerations on the line, would be the apex. Because in Braves parlance, yes, as fun as 1991 was - and as unexpected - the summer of 1995 was magical. Being in Atlanta then, the place was gaga over the Braves with a real expectation of ultimate success.
Yes we romanticize the '91 bunch because they did things no one ever expected. (And while this bunch looks to be ahead of schedule, the depth of quality starting pitchers is a huge difference between then and now.)
As for the paid part of it, we think it's Ronald Acuna Jr. His ceiling is limitless. His age also helps - he will be signing a 10-year, $300-million deal when he's 26 rather than 30 - and the expectation of return is higher long-term than that of a middle-infielder.
Either way, these Braves are a lot of fun.
In "Solo," a new adventure tells the history of an old character. Han Solo, future hero but current smuggler and general scoundrel, meets his future co-pilot and friend — Chewbacca the Wookiee — and encounters the notorious gambler and also future hero Lando Calrissian.From Luke
The biggest thing going right now in movies is either Star Wars or Super Heroes. Which do you prefer Jay, and are you going to see the Han Solo movie?
If I can ask one more question and with Solo coming out this weekend, what movie characters would make the Rushmore of backstory films you want to see the most?
Luke -
Personally, we Star Wars > superhero movies for us. (That said, the Nolan Batman stuff was pretty outstanding.)
We don't begrudge anyone who digs the superhero genre, but man there are so many out there that it really feels it would take a long weekend holed up with an unlimited Amazon Prime account to get caught up, you know?
As for your Rushmore, well, that is an excellent question. (And we feel pretty certain that one of our choices is either in the works or soon will be in the works. Heck, it's Star Wars and Disney is milking that cash cow for all its worth.)
Sadly, the prequels for Hannibal Lector were exceedingly disappointing. So there's that. The ones of the early days of Jack Ryan are also forgettable.
We'd love to see the early days of Vader, rounding up the Rebel outliers and search for his kid. Think of it as Star Wars 3.5.
We'd also watch the early days of Hans Gruber, and how he became an extraordinary thief.
We'd love to see the days before the happenings of Pulp Fiction. Early days of Jules and Vincent Vega would be pretty sweet.
Finally, we'll with the early days of the Butcher as the Gangs of New York were being formed and affiliated.
This week's Rushmores
Rushmore of people who are amazingly still alive: Keith Richards, Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, Corey Feldman
Rushmore of couples (men and women) recognized with only one name: Bonnie and Clyde, Sonny and Cher, Fred and Ginger, Joni and Chachi
Rushmore of serial literary heroes: Bond, Jack Ryan, Holmes, Harry Potter
Rushmore of T: Sweat Tea, T-Bone, Model T, T-shirt
Steve Buscemi holds up his award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Drama for his role in "Boardwalk Empire," at the Golden Globe Awards Sunday, Jan. 16, 2011, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)From Chuck -
I heard you guys on Press Row talking about John C. Reilly. And Jay, you are 100 percent right. When you think of Reilly, Ricky Bobby is first - way ahead of Chicago, and I think Step Brothers is ahead of Chicago too. My question for your Friday thing online is who makes the Rushmore of best acting careers from really ugly dudes?
Thanks and you guys do a great job.
Chuck -
Great question, and one that makes you think.
We think Steve Buscemi is a no-brainer. We think Paul Giamatti is there and Phillip Seymour Hoffman is too.
The final spot, we'll go with Danny Devito.
Excellent question, and we know that we are not exactly getting "Hey is that George Clooney" calls in the streets.
Houston Rockets guard Eric Gordon, right, shoots past Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson during the first half in Game 5 of the NBA basketball playoffs Western Conference finals in Houston, Thursday, May 24, 2018. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)From Michael C.
Jay, are surprised by anything that has happened in these playoffs? I expected the Boston-Cleveland series to be close because all the Cavs not named LeBron are awful. But I did not expect the Warriors to be facing elimination.
What do you think?
Michael -
Interesting question, and quite timely. (Feels like with all the NFL stuff this week, some intriguing NBA storylines have found their way to the back burner a little bit.)
Home-court dominance has been clear. Whether that is the value of role players and their comfort at home or not, we're not sure, but who the home teams are rolling.
Jayson Tatum and the emergence of the Celtics core players taking a big step to being star players.
Andre Igoudala's value. After beating the Rockets by 41 points, with Igoudala went down, the Warriors have lost two straight.
Warriors struggle down the stretch in Games 4 and 5. Whether that's coaching or players turtling or a lack of experience in tight and meaningful games, the Warriors have looked awful in crunch time in the last two games.
That the NBA is staring at a potential Rockets-Celtics Finals and the NBA and ABC will be less than thrilled if the Warriors and LeBron are done before Memorial Day.
Excellent question.
FILE - In this Nov. 15, 2015, file photo, Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel looks on before an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Pittsburgh. Manziel won't be kick-starting his pro football career in the CFL this season. The league announced Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2017, it won't approve a contract for the 2012 Heisman Trophy winner until next season, and only if he meets certain conditions stipulated by Commissioner Randy Ambrosie. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File) From Steve
I noticed on Johnny Football's Twitter, his profile pic he is standing for the anthem (i presume) with his hand in the proper position. Who gets an NFL gig first, he or Kaepernick?
Steve -
As to be expected, this is an excellent question, and we'll go with C, and say neither.
We think Johnny Football has found his football calling. We think, for Mr. Football, that the 'C' in the CFL stands for Ceiling. That really feels like his peak. Less media. Less temptation. Less pressure and less expectation.
As for Kaepernick, if Eric Reid, who is a far better player at his position than Kaepernick is at his, can not get an NFL gig after Reid promised to no longer participate in the protests, then Kaepernick is farther away than that.
And at this point in time - with the events and the missteps by the NFL this week - Kaepernick's charge from the lightning rod he carries is potentially at an all-time high.
This week's not-exactly fan mail
(Been awhile, right? Well, let's see if we can make up for lost time.)
You liberal media suck(butt)!!! Those NFL thugs should be more than happy to stand for the anthem and celebrate the real heroes who protect this country and give them the freedoms to be millionaires playing a game. I'll never read your stuff again.
(Not done yet.)
Why do you take up for the owners and invading on people's rights? Do the players not have the same rights as you and me? You seem to be either uniformed or a racist.
(Getting close.)
Greezy, there was NO confrontation before the police were called on those two men. As a writer of a column in a newspaper you have a duty to uphold that motto,"to report without fear/favor", and not spread lies and misinformation. You should be ashamed of yourself. people come into Starbucks all the time, plop down and open up their laptops and proceed to use Starbucks free wifi, without making a purchase. They use Starbucks bathrooms--without buying anything. But of course! They're of the lighter skinned quality, and look yuppie and preppie. Do you have no decency sir? You are an embarrassment to your profession.
(Yeah, that will do it.)
Happy Memorial Day friends. Be careful and have a Co-Cola or three for me.
And thank someone you know who served. we should do it everyday. We should definitely make time to do it on the weekend we remember those that paid the ultimate sacrifice.