Hail Barry Larkin

Today, former Cincinnati Reds shortstop Barry Larkin was voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. For me, as a lifetime Cincinnati Reds fan, he was the player for my adulthood. As child, I fondly remember Reds greats like Pete Rose or Tony Perez but as an adult I can recall the details of what made Barry Larkin great. First, Barry Larkin could field his position. Tremendous range at shortstop. Cannon arm. Second, he could run. He could steal a base. Third, Larkin could hit. Larkin could hit for average. He could hit for power. If you needed a clutch hit, he was the one to deliver it. Barry Larkin was the prototype for the modern offensive shortstop. He was one of the leaders for the 1990 World Champs. (Pictured celebrating victory at the World Series; Cincinnati Enquirer.)

It's a joyful day for Reds fans. In these recession era times, the Reds fans can celebrate a player who played everyday of his baseball career in one uniform He wore the wishbone "C." He was and will be ever known as a Cincinnati Red. And now he will be enshrined at the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown as one of the greatest shortstops in baseball.

Here's the story from the Cincinnati Reds.

Here's Barry Larkin's numbers from Baseball-Reference.com

Paramount's cash grab

In an interview with Collider, Star Trek 2013 director J.J. Abrams has indicated that the new Trek's conversion to 3-D was Paramount's idea. Abrams said,

"I did not fight for the 3D. It was something that the studio wanted to do, and I didn’t want to do it. And then, when I saw the first movie converted in sections, I thought that it actually looked really cool. So, I was okay with their doing it, as long as I could shoot the movie the way I wanted to, in anamorphic film, and then let them convert it. So, those who want to see it in 3D, which looked pretty cool, can do it, and those that want to see it in 2D can do that too."

So we have Paramount to blame for this fiasco. I've seen a bunch of 3D movies that have been converted from 2D and cannot recommend any of them. When it comes to 3D cinema, converted movies are inferior to those shot in 3D. See Brian Palmer's Slate article. The reason is that you can't duplicate the light, shadow and details that the 3D camera will pick up. A computer can only add so much information between the layers of a 2D film being converted.

Trekkers will pay a premium to see Star Trek (2013) in 3D. They won't get the best effort. They will get an inferior 3D product. It's just a cash grab.

Should you jump off the Bengals bandwagon?

After yesterday's crushing Wild Card defeat, do the Cincinnati Bengals have hope for the future or should you jump off the bandwagon? First, let's take a look at what the Bengals have in place. They have two offensive playmakers in wide receiver A.J. Green and quarterback Andy Dalton. (Pictured.) Both will improve after a fine rookie season. They're solid at the tackle positions with Andrew Whitworth and Andre Smith. On defense, the defensive line is solid with defensive end Carlos Dunlap blossoming into a star.

The coaching was good. Yeah, you heard me. Head coach Marvin Lewis owns the three winning seasons that Bengals owner Mike Brown has had in 21 years. And this year, let's face it, the Bengals were projected by many to win two to three games. Defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer has rebuilt the defense. Yeah, it gives up too many explosive plays but that's probably a sign he won't be a head coach candidate any time soon. Offensive coordinator Jay Gruden has reinvigorated a moribund offense.

There are weaknesses everywhere. That doesn't mean the team stinks. They just need more depth and playmakers. The Bengals must answer questions at offensive guard, cornerback and safety.

So what about the future? The Bengals in 2013 will have to spend more on player salary. That's because of the collective bargaining agreement which has salary floor. So owner Mike Brown can no longer be cheap. So, why not spend some money now? More importantly, the Bengals have two first round picks for 2012 due to the Carson Palmer trade. They also have an extra second round pick for 2013 from that trade. Those picks give the Bengals hope for the future. So, Bengals Nation get excited for 2012.

The Bengals season ends

Today, the Cincinnati Bengals lost their Wild Card playoff game to the Houston Texans, 31-10. Look this game was over at the end of the first half. With less than two minutes to play in the first half, Bengals QB Andy Dalton threw a pick to Texans defensive tackle J.J. Watts who took it in for a touchdown to make it 17-10. Why do I think the game ended there? Because the Bengals gave up in the second half. That was evident when Texans RB Arian Foster ran over the Bengals for a 41 yard touchdown in the fourth quarter making it 31-10. As the NBC color commentator pointed out, the Bengals have to tackle, and the Bengals let him run for a touchdown. Embarrassing.

If you're a Bengals fan, you expect this type of game. Or expect a heart breaking loss in the last minute. But what about the season? Let's face it, I expected a two to three win season. And it's hard to hate these Bengals. So my fellow Bengals fans, cry in your beer tonight, and we'll talk about whether we should have hope for the future of these Bengals tomorrow.

Oh, you crazy Republicans

As the GOP race to become the presidential nominee moves to New Hampshire, Rachel Maddow discovers some insane Republican actions. First, in her video piece, she points out that Ron Paul supporters run an ad implying Jon Huntsman as being literally a Manchurian candidate since he was ambassador to China and can speak Chinese. Second, we find out that the Republican state House members of New Hampshire want a crazy law that demands that the source of their laws be the Magna Carta. I'm not kidding.

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Who does Mitt Romney represent?

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney keeps complaining about the slow economy as if he cares about the unemployed. But who does Mitt Romney really represent? Here's a MoveOn.org ad. Note how it uses facts and Mitt's own words.

God tells Pat Robertson who will be the next President

Last night Stephen Colbert made a lot of fun of televangelist Pat Robertson who claims that God let him know who the next president will be and disclosed to him of an upcoming crisis. Folks, this crazy yutz (Roertson) ran for President in 1988. Guess which party's nomination he ran for? You got it. The Republican Party, which obviously has a long history of crazy candidates. See the recently departed Herman Cain.

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