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Ugh, it's been more than six month since I wrote a Six Pack without a Tribe game to mention. Too soon... Too soon.
MLB.com has auctions for memorabilia from each team. Indians items include quite a gem. No bids yet.
Paul Hoynes put a couple lists together:
10 things to remember to remember about 2013
10 things to watch for in preparation for 2014
As with any Plain Dealer/Cleveland.com article, enter the comments at your own risk.
2
Around the AL:
Red Sox lead Rays, 1 game to 0; Tigers lead A's, 1 game to 0
Grantland's ALDS Preview by Jonah Keri - I know a lot of us are hoping no one wins the American League now, but baseball's rules are pretty clear about requiring that a pennant winner be named, so these games will be played.
Since most Tribe fans probably now prefer the Athletics win the AL, you may be heartened by Jason Wojciechowski's observation (at Beaneball) that, despite their respective reputations, Oakland might have the better lineup.
FanGraphs' David Laurila asked more than a dozen MLB players: Who is the best player in the Game? I'm most surprised by the lack of surprises.
3
Around the NL:
Cardinals and Pirates, tied at 1 game each; Braves and Dodgers, tied at 1 game each
Grantland's NLDS Preview by Rany Jazayerli - This is a couple days old, but there's lot of good info here, and with both series knotted at a game apiece, there's plenty of time for it still to be applicable.
Sports on Earth's Will Leitch looks at Yasiel Puig and the Atlanta Braves, who seem like a potentially combustable mixture.
Mets ace Matt Harvey will undergo Tommy John surgery, after determining rest and rehab won't be enough.
4
Friday was a big day for lawsuits in MLB:
In the morning, Alex Rodriguez sued MLB.
Around lunch time, Albert Pujols sued Jack Clark.
Later in the afternoon, Rodriguez sued the Yankees' team doctor.
Is there anyone I can sue, possibly to have MLB void the new playoff system and move the Indians directly into the ALDS for finishing as the top Wild Card team?
5
Sports on Earth's Jorge Arangure Jr. examines the changing presence of Latino players in MLB.
"This group believes they deserve to have a say in how the game is played."
I loved the spirit displayed by the Domincan national team during the World Baseball Classic in March, but many in the baseball establishment don't share my fondness. Of course, the establishment not liking something new, or something different, is probably a story as old as time.
6
I've reached the 2000s in the countdown of my favorites movies from each era. Specifically, today I'm looking at 2000 to 2004. That was the first half-decade I was old enough to get into R-rated movies from the start of and the first half-decade I had a job from the start of. There's a pretty good chance it's the half-decade I've seen the most movies from, or at least the one in which I saw the most movies in theaters. I think it was a stronger time for movies than the nine years since, and only one or two movies from 2005-2012 would crack the list below.
My favorite movies of 2000-2004
6) Memento - The early 2000s were the time when I transitioned from caring mostly about a movie's star(s), to caring mostly about its director. My introduction to Christopher Nolan so intrigued me that I went back and saw it again two days later.
5) Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - I lied awake in bed for hours the night I saw this for the first time, considering if there was anyone or anything in my life I'd truly like to forget. Ultimately, I think not, because life is too precious to let a significant chunk of it go. I can understand the temptation though.
4) Lost in Translation - No matter that you think of her work in The Godfather Part III, Sofia Coppola's net contribution to film will always be a positive because of this one. Bill Murray is tremendous, obviously. I'm disappointed Scarlett Johansson hasn't gone to a better career since this one.
3) The Lord of the Rings - It's a total cheat to count all three movies as one entry, but what are you going to do? Seeing a midnight show of 'The Return of the King' in a huge, sold out theater remains one of the most enjoyable movie-going experiences of my lifetime.
2) Almost Famous - I saw it in theaters, then bought it on DVD when it came out, and watched it a dozen times or so in two months, the first time I'd done that with a movie since I was a little kid.
1) The Royal Tenenbaums - I'm a big Wes Anderson fan, and for me, this is his best film. Gene Hackman not even being nominated for Best Actor is a crock. Did you know he hasn't made a movie in more than nine years? It appears his last credit will be for 'Welcome to Mooseport,' which is weird. Someone needs to talk him into one last great movie.