My First Quotable Movie

I watched the 2nd of 7 Police Academy movies tonight, for the first time in many years. I always remembered the 2nd movie as my favorite of the "Police Academy" series, and I think I now know why. This was my first "quotable" movie. Movies that would make me laugh are great, but being able to quote dozens of funny lines elevate it to "classic" status. Take any of my top 20 comedies of all time (Tommy Boy, Anchorman, Wedding Crashers, to name a few), you will find an unending supply of one-liners and jokes that never get old to me. What a pleasant surprise for me as I started quoting lines in my head tonight just before they happened on-screen. To name a few:

Lt Mauser: You're not playing with a full-deck, are you?
Proctor: Oh, no sir, I don't play cards.

Zed: Thank you very much!

Zed: I'm trying to watch "Family Affair"! Damn, it's a rerun!

Mahoney: You have the right to sing the blues. You have the right to cable TV.

Jones (mimicking bad Chinese dubbed films): You wanna fight? Fight me!

Zed: That didn't hurt. That didn't hurt. That hurt.

Hmm..so the lines weren't as funny as they were when I was 12. But it started me on the path to comedy nirvana, and made me realize the hilarity in repetition. And Bobcat Goldthwait (as Zed) was hilarious! Really!

Baseball & Video Games

I picked up "MLB 10: The Show" this past weekend, and it got me to thinking- buying a baseball video game has become one of my longest running traditions. Today, I'm going to take a walk down memory lane.

The first baseball video game I remember was Homerun by Atari. Quite simply, it was awful- even by 1978 standards. There was no mound, the pitcher appears to be standing on 2nd base. But I was really young, so I'm sure I was entertained. Take a look (the video is long, but you'll get the point after 30 seconds).



It wasn't till I was older that the baseball games started getting better. Two for Nintendo really stuck out, for completely different reasons. RBI Baseball was not great graphically, but for the first time, you had REAL players! They would have the division winners from the previous 2 years plus the All-Star teams. So if your team stunk, you were out of luck.



Bases Loaded for NES had some of the best graphics of its time. Plus, you could pick your lineup and pitcher, and even get ejected for rushing the mound! The problem? Generic team names, generic player names made for very little root-ability.



The first game I really got excited for was Super Nintendo's ESPN Baseball Tonight. The fact that you had real teams (all of them!), the ESPN set with Chris Berman and Dan Patrick, getting better with graphics. Gameplay was not great, however, and you had real player numbers but not names.



The absolute height of baseball video games, for me, was Triple Play 98 for Playstation 1. The reason that I initially bought a PS1 was for this game, and it did not disappoint. The graphics were fantastic, the stadium were realistic, and for the first time, stats were continually updated. You could play a "season" and try to make the World Series. It You had more control over pitch selection, batter set-up, etc. And best of all, you can create yourself to play for your favorite team! The Triple Play series had a great run through 2003.



As the 2000's progressed, great series came out (with the exception of 2K, which is pretty awful). High Heat was a one-year wonder before MLB made stricter rules about licensing. The game that is worlds-above right now is MLB: The Show. You can play as your favorite team and the minor league affiliates, create your own budget and concessions, or play as yourself and follow your career from minors to retirement.

So who knows what's next? But what a great run it has been the last 30 years.

Some Carlin On A Sunday Afternoon

The late great George Carlin talking about having a dog. Simply brilliant, 30 years later:

Job Fair Flashback

We held our annual P-Nats Job Fair the last 2 nights, and it reminded me of my first moment with the Potomac franchise- the Cannons Job Fair of 2004. I saw the ad on the Cannons website, and after talking to my girlfriend of a month (some girl named Staci), decided that it would be a fun extra job. And who knows, maybe I'd find a full-time front office job (naive, in hindsight).

I was a nervous wreck as I drove on that early Saturday morning. I didn't have a clue what I would be applying for, didn't know what kind of hours I could work (I was making great money as a Chili's bartender), didn't even know where the stadium was. When I did arrive, it was an exciting feeling- I had long dreamed of working in baseball, and even a part-time job was a good start.

My interview went well, it was alot easier than I imagined. It felt great to walk into the stadium and then the locker room- a strange sense that this place would be important in my life (little did I know!). Soon after, I received a call- they would like to have me cook and pour beer. I was very excited and loved working games. It was easily the most fun you could have at $5.50 an hour. I was only able to work a few months before my job situation changed, and it would be a long 3 years before my return to baseball (in the same place). Amazing that within a few short weeks I began dating my soul mate and started the long and winding road to my baseball career.

Talkin' Baseball...

With today's first Spring Training games, the season is now officially...closer to real baseball. The first couple weeks of games are littered with guys wearing numbers like 75 or 89, guys you won't see in the Majors for years, if ever. But still, isn't it better than nothing? It certainly is! And before you know it, the stars you know and love will be appearing in live action as opposed to stationary bikes. For now, hope springs eternal, for fans and players like #89.