John Hughes: Underrated comedy writer or most underrated comedy writer?

Mr. Mom
Vacation(s)
Sixteen Candles
Breakfast Club (source of above movie quote)
Weird Science
Ferris Beuller’s Day Off
The Great Outdoors
Uncle Buck
Home Alone
(List incomplete, only some of my favorites)

A couple of random comments:

- It’s possible the Yankees try to keep Damon 1-2 years as he has proven he can deliver in NY (and Boston), depending on price. At 35, he won’t be nearly as expensive long-term as Holliday, about whom questions remain after his Oakland stint and postseason this year. Despite fans who point to his non-April numbers in Oakland, the feeling here is that he played with significant lack of energy. Beane has been public in praising him for his effort and professionalism, but Beane’s actions, taking 3 very unproven minor leaguers for Holliday in July, speak louder. 

- Bard faded in September to finish at 3.65 at age 24. Papelbon’s age 24 season with the Sox was 2005 in which his finish was 2.65. Theo is much closer to the clubhouse dynamics than we are, and to Pap’s “coachability” questions that came up this year. But it strikes me that Bard is far from a sure thing in the closer role. They may let Pap walk if they can keep Wagner as protection for Bard. But anyone who watched a lot of baseball last year couldn’t help but notice how much more easily Feliz delivered 100 mph than Bard. Is Bard going to be injury free with that delivery? Lots of questions there.

- When Bradley was in Oakland he had a good year offensively, .817 OPS, but really blossomed when he was traded the next year to SD (1.004), and again the following year in TEX (.999). All were teams with lower expectations than the Cubs and far, far less media scrutiny. However, in every instance there were still clubhouse issues, though nothing like the ones in Chicago. He’ll be 32 next year, probably capable of some decent offense for 90-125 games. But the issues are guaranteed. What’s that worth these days? Most teams will take a $ 400k rookie or near rookie whose upside is TBD if they aren’t in the pennant race. If they are, then the media scrutiny increases, and the visibility of the Bradley clubhouse issues increases. So the amount a team is willing to spend on Bradley has to be small enough to throw out the window without pain. For contenders, that can be $5M/year.

I believe that I saw OMD in concert back in the day.  There were likely other bands involved.  I could see myself spending some time with him, talking about the 80s.

In regards to the Bard/Papelbon thing, the only reason to trade Papelbon is if the Sox can get a player of higher value for him (shouldn’t be hard, given the infatuation with The Proven Closer most teams have).  For example, I saw a Werth-for-Papelbon rumor floating around somewhere.  I have no idea if there’s any truth to it, but it would be an easy win for Boston.

That said, there’s no harm in having two really good relievers on your team, so I’m not quite sure what the rush to get Papelbon gone is.

It’s a shame that OMD (and Simple Minds for that matter) are known more for their forays into cheesy sountrack-y 80s schlock instead of their earlier post-punk-influenced works.

(Not That) Tom: I’ll grant you that, but the soundtrack-y 80s schlock bought the guy a really, really nice house on Coronado Island.

Honestly, I just had a “Take On Me” (by Aha!) flashback.

Re:  Papelbon - I think there may be factors above and beyond his pitching ability that may affect his tenure with the Red Sox:  money and attitude. 

The Red Sox like to find a balance of big money players and low budget players and Bard certainly will be a much more affordable and controllable option and if he performs similarly to Paps allows them cost certainty for greater period of time.  This cost saving can be used to seek the big bat they need, resign Beckett or attract the replacement for Beckett. 

As for attitude, Papelbon has been known to put his foot into management’s mouth and often draws the wrong kind of attention to the team.  Also, if continues his one-pitch love affair, which I perceive as an arrogance issue - at least partly, then his effectiveness will suffer.

I have read rumors that the Red Sox may trade Papelbon to get talent in the minor league system, resign Wagner for a year to be the primary closer and let Bard develop as the 8th inning guy.  This would also free the Sox to move Bowden into a relief role as he may be maxing out down in Pawtucket. 

Gotta love the Hot Stove and all the talk of possible trades/signings and since the Red Sox are out of the playoffs I have begun focusing more on what is happening in the kitchen more than the park.  Though I do think the Phillies-Yanks WS will be worth checking out and should be some good baseball.

Re: Craig’s ‘Mocking Quest’ - don’t drop weight to fast or you’ll get a bloody nose, Shute is a monster and be mindful of contracting priapism as I heard it can be rather painful (at least that is what all the tv ads seem to indicate).

moment, even…have no idea what the hell a moemt is.

What’s an OMD/Simple Minds set list look like anyway?

8:02 If you leave
8:08 Don’t you (forget about me)
8:15 If you leave (encore)
8:22 Don’t you (forget about me) (encore)
8:27 Back on the bus, thanks for comin’ out

Are they playing stadiums? (stadia?) Arenas? Dive bars? Bar mitzvahs? State fairs? County fairs?

Because honestly, I always wanted to see an iconic 80’s band and ride a fun ride, all in the same night.  What night would be more memorable than seeing Cutting Crew play live, followed by a ride on the Gravitron??  2 tickets, step right up and see Crowded House, then 2 more tickets will get you aboard the Tilt-o-whirl!