MLB Hot Stove

I was reflecting on the recent free agent contracts doled out to Jacoby Ellsbury (7/153m) and Robinson Cano (10/240m) and couldn't help but think of all the long-term deals that never paid off for the winning bidder. Part of the issue is age. Most players are right around 30 when they get their first taste of free agency. They've already peaked as players and teams are paying for those prime years that are now in the rearview.

More recently, however, teams have started locking up their own star players earlier so they never even reach free agency. Just look at the long-term contract extensions signed by Elvis Andrus (24 when signed), Buster Posey (26) and Joey Votto (28) in the past 2 years.

I tried to put together a list of the absolute best, no dispute, greatest long-term (7+ years) contracts of all time:

A-Rod, 2001 (10/252m)
Derek Jeter, 2001 (10/189m)
Manny Ramirez, 2001 (8/160m)
Miguel Cabrera, 2008 (8/152m)
Albert Pujols, 2004 (7/100m)

Huh, only 5? At least 2001 was a pretty good year for long-term deals. How about the rest of the bunch?

A-Rod, 2008 (10/275m)
Albert Pujols, 2012 (10/240m)
Joey Votto, 2012 (10/225m)
Prince Fielder, 2012 (9/214m)
Joe Mauer, 2010 (8/184m)
Mark Teixeira, 2009 (8/180m)
Justin Verlander, 2013 (7/180m)
Felix Hernandez, 2013 (7/175m)
Buster Posey, 2013 (8/167m) 
CC Sabathia, 2009 (7/161m)
Matt Kemp, 2012 (8/160m)
Adrian Gonzalez, 2011 (7/154m)
Carl Crawford, 2011 (7/142m)
Todd Helton, 2003 (9/141m)
David Wright, 2013 (8/138m)
Alfonso Soriano, 2007 (8/136m)
Vernon Wells, 2008 (7/126m)
Barry Zito, 2007 (7/126m)
Jayson Werth, 2011 (7/126m)
Mike Hampton, 2001 (8/121m)
Elvis Andrus, 2013 (8/120m)
Jason Giambi, 2002 (7/120m)
Matt Holliday, 2010 (7/120m)
Carlos Beltran, 2005 (7/119m)
Ken Griffey, Jr., 2000 (9/116m)
Dustin Pedroia, 2013 (8/110m)
Kevin Brown, 1999 (7/105m)
Scott Rolen, 2003 (8/90m)
Chase Utley, 2007 (7/85m)
Ryan Braun, 2008 (8/45m)

Wow, 30 vs 5. Of course, it's not fair to comment on some of the recently signed deals, but just look at the number of the stinkers on that list. Crawford, Wells, Zito, Hampton and Brown are all infamous for their albatross contracts. And some of the others (Griffey, Rolen, Werth, A-Rod #2) just never had a chance.

So I guess what I'm saying is, good luck to Seattle for Cano to work out and to the Yankees, as always, go fuck yourselves.

FIFA 2014 World Cup Draw

Well, it's over. The US has already lost next year's World Cup. Welcome to the Group of Death:

Germany
Portugal
Ghana

I may be overreacting, but only a little. Germany is ranked #2 in the world behind only Spain. Portugal is ranked #5 and have one of the best players in the world in Cristiano Ronaldo (as well as my influence from being half Portuguese). Ghana is ranked #24 but has knocked the US out of the last two World Cups (both times by a score of 2-1). So, that's fun.

But wait... there's more. Due to where they were drawn, the US also has the FURTHEST TRAVEL DISTANCE OF ALL TEAMS with 8,866 miles between their three game sites in Brazil. Just wow.

I am a homer patriot though so I've already worked out a way they could get out of the group and advance to the knockout round. The USMNT will want to avenge 2010's (and 2006's) knockout by Ghana so they'll be in top form and get the W. Portgual isn't a strong "team" so much as they are 1 star and some scrubs (not really, but I'm simplifying) so that could be a draw. Then, since we play Germany third, they may have already punched their ticket to the next round and would therefore have nothing to play for. See, we can sneak into Round 2! It's that easy!

If nothing else, it gives us something to talk about for the next 6 months. You never know how injuries will play into the situation or other distractions that may arise. Remember how surprisingly poor Italy, France and England were in 2010? Let's hope that's Germany, Portugal and Ghana in 2014!

Town Line Luxury Lanes

Last weekend Brig and I were figuring out what to do and decided to use the LivingSocial deal we bought for a bowling alley one town over. Just check out this website... fun and classy. The place turned out to be huge with 40+ lanes, an arcade, a grill (w/ alcohol!) and even a night club next door. Our deal allowed us 1 hour of bowling, shoe rentals, arcade tokens and a large cheese pizza. We had a great time!

We played almost 4 full games (I scored my best ever... 163!) and then hit up the arcade for some skee ball (hadn't done enough bowling, apparently) and air hockey. We came away with enough tickets for 2 Airheads and a Tootsie Roll. Then we ordered a pizza which took longer than you would think but was pretty good even though the cheese would all slide off if you held it a certain way. Still, we came away with a fun, new place to drink and play!

Kanye West "Yeezus" [ADVANCE]

Speaking about the album's minimal promotion, West stated: "With this album, we ain't drop no single to radio. We ain't got no NBA campaign, nothing like that. Shit, we ain't even got no cover. We just made some real music." He spoke of radio play and said "But honestly, at this point, when I listen to radio, that ain't what I wanna be no more."

I was looking for a quote like that [source: Wiki] which would really sum up the feeling of just how quiet it's been on the Kanye front... even though he was on SNL, is always seen with Kim and has a new album dropping. He's doing things differently this time around and it's never more evident then when you're listening to it.

If you watched Kanye perform on SNL and heard the two new songs he did you might think this is a racially charged album. I certainly went in thinking it would be dark, angry and make a statement. It did that (and more) but race was only one conversation; religion had a place and even some present and past romances formed the crux of this album.

Musically, it's all over the place. Per the wiki quote, you can tell Kanye isn't trying for radio hits. There are a lot of uncommon song structures -- verse, hook, bridge, hook, verse -- and with that comes a myriad of musical changes sometimes happening multiple times per song. The beginning doesn't sound like the middle doesn't sound like the end. At times, it's hard to keep the melody and follow the flow and as a listener it can be disorientating.

You'll also hear any number of influences. One song goes all 808's & Heartbreak with its use of Auto-Tune. A couple songs feature Justin Vernon, who was all over My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. The first half of the record brings to mind Nine Inch Nails and Marilyn Manson. There's even some repeated use of screams throughout.

If I had to make a recommendation, the songs that stuck out to me are Hold My Liquor and Blood on the Leaves. Just know there were at least 6 songs I was considering here.

Good Eats: Cafe Burrito

There was a LivingSocial deal earlier this year advertising a pretty cool night out: a half price discount on 2 movie tickets at Studio Cinema in Belmont as well as 2 burritos and 2 drinks at it's adjoining restaurant, Cafe Burrito. The idea is that you get your food next door and then go eat it in the theater (like Chunky's).

We drove out to Belmont yesterday to see The Great Gatsby. It was a 2pm showing so we planned on getting our food after the movie. The guy at the front desk (who I'm pretty sure was also the owner) said that's not how it's supposed to work but LivingSocial didn't make that clear so he let us go in sans food. Anyway, it's a one screen theater and doesn't look like much from the outside. The auditorium reminded me of one I visited for a high school play my friend was in. The only difference was that they had removed some of the seats and replaced them with tables so you could more comfortably eat in the theater.

Fast forward 2+ hours and it's burrito time. We head next door to Cafe Burrito and order our 2 burritos as well as a side of chips and queso because Brig has needs. The burritos were very good and the queso was pretty comparable to Qdoba. It, too, was a small spot and there wasn't much seating except for bar stools at the window. It did get maybe a dozen customers while we were there but who knows how many were LivingSocial buyers like ourselves and getting their food before the 5pm showing of Gatsby.

If you're in Belmont then there's really no reason not to try it. We both said it's somewhere we'd go back to but really no rush there.

Movie Review: The Great Gatsby

I thought the previews for this movie looked good, albeit extremely Baz Luhrmann-y. My only experience with him was Moulin Rouge (and this) and I couldn't get through more than 30 minutes of that movie. But Leonardo DiCaprio cures all and the REAL Spider-Man (take that, Eduardo Saverin) was in fine form.

I really liked 'Gatsby'. It was visually arresting and felt both contemporary and roaring at the same time. I was kind of sick of the phrase "old sport" by the end but I must confess I didn't read the book -- maybe that's why my tolerance was low. Brig thought it stayed surprisingly true to the book and since it is still being taught in English classes 85+ years later, that's probably a good move.

I think I came away most impressed by Joel Edgerton. I didn't know him from anything (apparently he was in Star Wars Episodes II & III but I don't remember him) but he seemed to perfectly embody his character. And while this wasn't exactly a star-making role for Carey Mulligan, I still love her from An Education and recommend that highly. I don't want to end this review by recommending a different movie so go see this too!

Movie Review: Iron Man 3

On Sunday, Brig and I went to see the spring spectacle known as Iron Man 3. This was a big deal because it was opening weekend and we never have the urge to rush out and see something right away (e.g. The Dark Knight Rises four weeks after its premiere.) But Robert Downey, Jr. has that kind of a hold over us and he most certainly did not disappoint.

Iron Man 3 is the first of the series not to be directed by Jon Favreau. This time, Shane Black was at the helm and, if you were like me, you read a lot about him in the weeks leading up to the film's release. So when the movie opened with Tony Stark narrating, I wasn't surprised but I didn't like it. "This isn't how you make an Iron Man movie! There is no narration!" That resided quickly though as it was just for the introduction and didn't come back until the last scene.

I'd say Black did a great job. Obviously, there was a lot of pressure being the first solo film released after last summer's game changer (another we were late to the party theater for) but as we've already seen by all the huge numbers, it's a great success. Downey was on top of his game (as always) and the dialogue was exceptionally funny. The only thing I wish there had been more of was Don Cheadle, who was fantastic.

Iron Man 4? The Avengers 2? Downey isn't under contract after this film and you could almost sense it all ending as the movie closed. We stayed until the post-credits scene and then Marvel pulled a 007 move and put up "Tony Stark will return." But will he return as Downey??? The Avengers 2 already has a Spring 2015 release date and negotiations will be fierce. Here's hoping RDJ gives us one more adventure.

Vampire Weekend "Modern Vampires of the City" [ADVANCE]

While eagerly awaiting the release of this album, I began thinking about what Vampire Weekend means to me. I loved their first two albums -- with their self-titled debut being a true soundtrack to my summer when it was released. I've seen them in concert more than any other band, save Death Cab and Passion Pit. And yet I never really classified them as one of my favorite bands. Well, today that officially changes. Their new album is streaming on iTunes this week before it's released and it was enough of an event that I shut off the Sox game, tuned out Brig and dusted off my music reviews. So here it goes...

It's different. If you've been following the songs they've released ahead of time you would know this already; I am simply confirming that it is album-wide. Where their first two albums were more immediate in drawing you in, Modern Vampires of the City is a grower. And I love it. The album is heavily focused on aging and death. It's no accident that lead single Diane Young sounds a lot like 'dying young'. And take a look at the cover art. That is a photograph of NYC on its smoggiest day in history back in 1966 when 169 people were killed.*

Of course, when I call it a grower I am also intimating that the band is growing as well. They are trying out new techniques (a lot of vocal distortions, interesting drum parts) in addition to their "mature" lyrics about the passage of time. As always, Ezra's word play is in fine form and I only understood about 20% of the references which sounds about right.** (Also, not at all related but I feel obligated to link to Ezra's random cameo on Girls this season.)

I advise you to head to iTunes right now and give it a listen. I know people are into singles right now but it's only 43 minutes. Fine, fine, if I had to shortlist a couple songs to get you hooked into the rest of the album then I'd say Diane Young (linked above), Ya Hey and Unbelievers. Enjoy!


*Mad Men referenced this same occurrence in an episode last season.

**They did go to Columbia after all.

Good Eats: District 7

We bought a Groupon (sorry LivingSocial/Google Offers/Amazon Offers/Tippr, etc. but Groupon is the noun that describes all of you. First to market and all that.) for a bar in Malden called District 7. Our town is right next to Malden so we were excited to find a local drinking hole that didn't involve going into Boston or being a sketched out dive.

When we walked in I was pleasantly surprised at A) how clean it was and B) how normal the clientele seemed. We grabbed the last booth and noticed that each one had its own TV. Nice! The waitress came right over to take our drink orders and was knowledgable when Brig had a question. We looked around to see a lot of firefighter paraphenalia on the walls. Turns out they are a firefighter-themed bar and a main hangout of the Malden fire department. Pretty cool.

We had a $20 for $40 deal so we had to spend that much between the two of us, excluding alcoholic beverages. This is harder than you'd think when everything is reasonably priced. We ordered nachos for an app (very big, perfectly cooked), I got a burger and Brig ordered... I don't even know, maybe a salad? Then we ordered dessert (Was it chocolate lava cake? Maybe Brig should just leave a comment with the answers) and it was also a large portion. We were not disappointed.

So now we're really into this bar and telling everyone about it. We're gonna have to go back for Tag Team Trivia on Wednesdays. Who's in?

Good Eats: Bone Daddy's Burgers

I buy lunch every work day. Blame it on Pre-K through High School bagged lunches. I like to try new things but I do have certain restrictions: no pizza, no burgers, no vegetables (just kidding). Burgers and pizza are my two favorite things in life (plus the Babbler) so it made sense to cut those out to allow me to branch out.

For the past year or so I have been using the City of Boston's food truck schedule to see if there are any interesting food trucks in my neighborhood that day. Outside of the traveling Redbones truck and Grilled Cheese Nation/Roxy's (so similar I don't know which one I visited) I haven't really embraced their existence. A lot of the options are extremely niche: fish, cupcakes, crepes, noodles, etc. Good every once in a while but not anything that is going to have me clamoring.

When I brought up the website today I saw an interesting new truck I hadn't seen before: Bone Daddy's Burgers. I clicked on their menu and was greeted with 3-4 items that I immediately wanted to try. A short jaunt to Milk St. later and I've got burger in hand. I ordered the Mia, which is a cheeseburger topped with pico de gallo and avocado. It was so good it blew me away. I think I'm going to stalk this truck moving forward and take every opportunity I can to get another bite.

Good Eats: Parker's

I don't know if the Omni Parker House is really a big deal but I always thought it was. I've been working near it since I moved to Boston and everytime I passed got the feeling it was historical and fancy. When I saw that it was on the list for Restaurant Week, I knew I had to finally see what it was all about.

There are three different destinations within the Parker House: Parker's Restaurant, Parker's Bar and The Last Hurrah Bar. We ate at Parker's Restaurant and our drinks came from right up the stairs in Parker's Bar. The Last Hurrah was on the other side of the building.

First things first, we need drinks. They only provide us with a wine menu so Brig asks for a drink menu. The guy mutters something about the bar and then trudges upstairs to get us the full bar menu. Brig orders something crazy (and is suprised when she doesn't like it) and I try to order a beer but they don't have any on draft. They don't have a single draft beer. I don't have a problem with this except that the menu doesn't specify what's on tap so when my first request gets shot down and then my second request gets shot down I finally hand the menu to the waitress and ask her to read off what actually is available. March is a little early for Corona but my hand was forced.

I ordered the scallops for my first course and they were fantastic. I'm not a big seafood person but these were top notch. My entree was the grilled sirloin steak that was cooked a perfect medium and delicious. For dessert I got the Boston Cream Pie and found out that this was the original Boston Cream Pie. It wasn't Brig's favorite (she was expecting a donut) but it was pretty good.

Weirdly, even though I enjoyed all the food I wouldn't come back here. It was a very strange atmosphere and just didn't feel like a fun place (or a very fancy place either). No personality = No business.

Movie Review: Oz: The Great and Powerful

On Sunday, Brig and I headed up to Chunky's in Nashua for lunch and a movie. We both wanted to see Oz so we could reminisce about our second favorite movie from 1939.

The first thing we noticed upon entering the theater was that a girl was having her birthday party there. Just our luck. The second thing we noticed was how short Brig is and her inability to sit anywhere but in the front how many people were there and that we couldn't be picky with our seats. So, our experience didn't start off so hot but the movie won us over.

It starts similarly to the Wizard of Oz, using the black and white Instragram setting to give it that old-timey feel. The (Spoiler! But if you really don't know the story then that's just sad) tornado comes way sooner than I expected but hey, that just means we get to spend more time in Oz. Oddly enough, the wizard's name (Spoiler! But not really a useful fact or plot point) is also Oz. So, Judy Garland's film could have been called Oz of Oz.

Anyway, fast forward a bit and everything is in color, Oz has met the three witches (Who's good? Who's wicked?) and he's walking down yellow brick roads and making new friends *slash* adventure sidekicks who aren't made out of straw, tin or have a mane. In keeping with the original, Oz's adventure mates are all played by characters he knew from life in Kansas.

The best parts of this movie are the references to the original but I think it stands on its own very well. Considering the story is about wizards and witches, and that James Franco isn't always fully invested in things, it never once dips into camp or farce. They have a very strong cast with real acting credentials and it shows.

Good Eats: Burger Dive

Burger Dive is a perfectly named restaurant. It has all the makings of a chain and I can definitely see it taking off. This location just opened near our house and even though I've mentioned it multiple times, Brig wasn't interested until she read about it on boston.com.

The first thing we noticed upon arrival was a PT Cruiser parked in front that was designed like a hamburger. I could attach a picture but it's even funnier to imagine it. When we got inside we saw that they not only had normal cashiers but also two kiosks where you could punch in your order, slide your credit card and skip the line. Pretty fancy for these parts. Since this was our first visit, we did it the old fashioned way so we could ask questions.

I ordered a Bakoneater which, unbeknownst to me, doesn't come with strips of bacon but rather the burger is half beef/half bacon. The only time it really tasted bacon-y was the first bite. After that, all the other ingredients took over and it just tasted like a normal burger.

Brig ordered an Ultimelt which she enjoyed but which was very messy. We ordered a side of fries that were very good but we found that their "large" was a little lacking. Also, they apparently have tater tots which we totally would have tried if we had seen it at the time.

Brig also wanted to try a milkshake because that's apparently their thing. We got the S'mores flavor and it was delicious! I was ready to blast them for trying to steal Sonic's thunder but they actually know what they're doing. They also have a station for different sauces you can try: ketchup, BBQ, honey mustard, chipotle, their own house dip and more.

The prices were exactly what we would expect, sans the milkshake which was probably a $1.50 more than one would think. This place is definitely on the fact track to becoming a chain and I foresee it being very successful in the future.

Good Eats: Masa

It's Restaurant Week here in Boston and last night we visited Masa in the South End. Brig had heard good things about this place (and/or it was the closest option to her office) so we made after-work reservations. Turns out, 6:00 reservations are only needed on New Years Eve and Valentine's Day (Thanks, Garry Marshall!). There were a few people sitting at the bar but the dining room was barren. There were only two other couples seated when we arrived. (Is 6:00 really that early? Am I old?)

The hostess took our coats and guided us to our booth. The first thing she said was "Watch out for the lip." Brig figured this meant there was a small step up to the table. Alas, she was caught off guard when she slammed her hip into what I can only describe as something like an armrest on the end of the booth seat. These "decorative" booths sure are nice but they're not practical in the least. There is no room between the table and the lip to casually slide into your seat so instead you look ridiculous trying to slowly guide your body in without smashing into anything.

Once finally (awkwardly) seated our server greets himself and asks if we want some Pellegrino (They have bottles on every table). We say no and then start a debate over how things get carbonated (It's science). When he comes back to take our order Brig immediately tells him not to ask for our dessert selections as she has an unsatisfiable craving for anything sweet and how can she ever choose just one she's not ready yet.

We both order their house caesar salad (blue corn tortilla chips instead of croutons) while Brig gets the roasted yellow pepper and I have the young chicken (menu). I didn't for one moment consider why they felt the need to describe my chicken as "young" but needless to say I was surprised when I was served a full rotisserie chicken. This wasn't your run of the mill supermarket chicken but it was literally a small chicken. Long story short, I should have ordered the steak frites.

We make it to dessert and Brig has her choice ready: banana bread pudding. I chose the chocolate truffle tamale. This was the best choice of the night. One of the greatest desserts I've ever had and Brig was so jealous that even after I let her try a bite she kept trying to steal more. That's so unlike her.

Good Eats: Moksa

Moksa is a Pan-Asian style tapas joint that shares a building with its neighbor, Naga, a dance club. Our cab driver knew this but apparently we aren't as familiar with Central Square. Saturday night, we went to Moksa for Brig's friend's birthday.

When we were ordering our first drinks the waiter stopped us. He recommended perusing the original creations by their Beverage Director as she is one of the top mixologists in the city. Based on that recommendation we took a look at their drink menu. It's a Chinese zodiac! So creative!*

I started off with a Red Viper (which FYI looks really girly... because it's red) and then moved on to a Shanghai Noon. The Viper was much better. We also had 2 shots of Patron, which added onto the 2 shots of Cafe Patron Brig made us do before we left the house, was trouble.

We ordered a couple apps for the table (edamame and pork dumplings) that were delicious. For my entree I ordered a Philadelphia Roll because that barely counts as sushi and is my favorite. I believe Brig got a vegetable roll which she seemed to like.

The rest of the night consisted of dancing at Hong Kong and blacking out but our Good Eats entry ends here with a thumbs up for Moksa.


*This is not sarcasm. I was floored by it.

Book Review: FRANCONA: The Red Sox Years

Perfectly timed with the release of the Cleveland Indians' Harlem Shake video yesterday, I finished reading Terry Francona's book about that other team he managed. After 8 years and 2 World Championships, Francona's Red Sox tenure ended in historically bad fashion during September 2011. But let's start with the good stuff.

I really enjoyed this book and it took me back to a time when our owners seemed great, our manager had control of the team and our GM was a wunderkind. Francona's father was a professional MLB-er and he grew up around the game. He also ended up playing professionally and had a 10 year career. Soon after retiring he got into coaching and quickly moved up the ranks. In 2004, he was hired by the Sox to take over for Grady "I think Pedro can give me one more" Little. You know how that season ended.

Fast forward through some more highs (2007 Champs) and we end on the lowest note possible. I didn't enjoy reading the last three chapters because our team is still in the midst of recovering from that mess. It hit a little too close to home. And anyone who read the book excerpts that were released ahead of time know all the salient quotes from this section. The real reason to dig into this book is to remember the good times; how they built something from nothing. It was an insightful walk down memory lane... I can't wait to go back.

Good Eats: Todd English's Olives

Saturday night we visited the famed restaurant, Olives, by local boy Todd English. English is now a famous celebrity chef and it all started with Olives. My only previous knowledge of Olives was that there was a fire a couple years ago and English had a hell of a time getting it opened again. That finally happened last year and when Brig and I saw a Groupon a couple months ago we decided to give it a shot.

As we walked down a Charlestown street to the restaurant, we were greeted by... nothing. There was no sign outside, nothing whatsoever that would lead you to believe this was anything, nevermind a renowned restaurant. Lucky for us, the huge glass windows showed a bar and an open kitchen and so we headed in.

Our waiter was very nice and explained everything in detail. Brig and I got beers and shared a veal meatball appetizer. It was served in a little skillet filled with three different types of melted cheese. Absolutely delicious. For entrees, Brig ordered meatloaf and I had the lamb sandwich. Sandwich is a relative term though as it was really more like a fajita. Each ingredient was presented separately on a large piece of flatbread. There were multiple cuts of lamb, tomatoes, red peppers, hummus, olive tapenade and a cucumber dip. It was a great choice.

For dessert, we shared a pumpkin cheesecake that had just the right flavor level of everything. It really was a good time. There were plenty of other people there but it wasn't packed or exceptionally loud. And the lighting was just the right dimness. We will definitely come back here again to get our fine dining fill.

Good Eats: Mooo....

Last week, one of our team members who works out of state came up to Boston for a couple days. For lunch, we ended up going to a restaurant called Mooo…. (yes, that’s ‘moo’ with an extra ‘o’ and 4 dots).

They are a steak shop (duh) and my manager highly recommended their burger. That’s my go-to anyway so I was pretty excited for the unveiling. The presentation was top notch as the burger was big and the fries came in a mini black pot (better than I’m describing it). I ordered my burger medium but it was definitely redder than I usually like. However, it didn’t have the usual bloody taste of something that red and it was quickly forgotten about. Even though it was juicier than I was expecting, it didn’t puddle up my plate and the burger was all-around great.

If you checked out the website link up above and saw the fanciness then you can guess how expensive it was. Although none of us ordered it, they did have a lunch deal of a 3 course meal (salad, choice of steak/chicken/fish entrée, dessert) for only $25 which seems like a great way to go if you can nap all afternoon instead of having to work. This place gets my recommendation.

Movie Review: This is 40

The sorta-sequel to Knocked Up was sorta-not that good. It reunites Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann and focuses on their family, including Mann and director Judd Apatow's real life kids. There's no Seth Rogen or Katherine Heigl, although Jason Segel makes an appearance.

The movie had funny parts but mostly was about family fighting and bickering. Brig had a great comment that this film was more like Apatow's Funny People than it was Knocked Up or The 40 Year Old Virgin. He's not looking to be hilarious as much as he is realistic. And that pretty much ruins it. Who wants to see that on the big screen? People live that every day, they don't need more of it. Movies are supposed to be entertaining; an escape from their normal lives. This movie is not... it's more of the same.

Again, the movie could be funny and was whenever Megan Fox (surprising) and Chris O'Dowd (of course) were on the screen but it really wasn't enough to save it.

Good Eats: Five Horses Tavern

This is a relatively new bar (only 1 year old!) in Davis Square that we recently visited. It had a "casual cool" vibe and the clientele was mostly collegiate and the dress code was apparently flannel.

There was a 15 minute wait to be seated so we went to the bar and got waited on by a very nice, extremely informed bartender (bartenderess?). She gave us samples of beers to try and was quick with a recommendation. She was really good at -- and clearly enjoyed -- her job.

Once we were seated, we had a waitress who I wouldn't describe as attentive but was able to answer questions we had about the menu. I got the tavern burger (good), Geary's Pale Ale (very good) and Ipswich IPA (not the best). All in all this is definitely somewhere I would return.

Hall of Fame

I'm not here to complain that nobody got into Cooperstown this year. I'm not here to rant about steroids or PEDs and players paying the price for their sins. I'm here to talk about who should be in the Hall of Fame. I have read too many articles the past two days going over the same topics so let's just cut to the chase of players who I think are worthy.

I'll start with the players who were on the ballot for the first time:

Barry Bonds - MLB's all time HR leader... he's IN
Roger Clemens - 7 Cy Young awards... he's IN
Mike Piazza - the greatest hitting catcher of all time... he's IN
Craig Biggio - 3000 hits, knew how to take a HBP, played 3 different positions... he's IN
Curt Schilling - Bloody Sock. That's all that needs to be said... he's IN
Sammy Sosa - 600 HRs, threw his back out sneezing... he's OUT

Now, the layovers:

Dale Murphy - final year on ballot: great for a period of time but faded too fast... he's OUT (and he is actually out)
Jack Morris - next year is final year on ballot: 3.90 ERA. Nothing else can sway me... he's OUT
Jeff Bagwell - one of the top 1B of his generation... he's IN
Tim Raines - second greatest leadoff hitter ever... he's IN
Lee Smith - has a bunch of saves but was never dominant... he's OUT
Edgar Martinez - the greatest DH ever... he's IN
Alan Trammel - sabermetrics work in his favor... he's IN
Larry Walker - if he hadn't played in Colorado he'd have a chance... he's OUT
Fred McGriff - Hall of Very Good maybe... he's OUT
Mark McGwire - better than Sosa but he also didn't do anything but hit homers... he's OUT
Don Mattingly - boring production. There's a place for that but not the HOF... he's OUT
Rafael Palmeiro - merit alone I think he's done enough... he's IN

So that's my HOF ballot. I already know which ones I like that probably have no shot of making it but here's to hoping.