Jewels
RIP MLB legend Whitey Ford, 91. Nicknamed The Chairman of the Board, he was the Yankees’ ace through the ’50 and into the mid ‘60’s, a six-time world champion, ten-time All-Star. Born in Manhattan, he played his entire 16-year career for the Bronx Bombers, a quintessential New Yorker. He won the Cy Young award in 1961 and was named World Series MVP that same year. He led the AL in wins three times and ERA twice. He won a franchise record 236 games, had an ERA of 2.75 and the fourth highest winning percentage in MLB history, tied with Dave Foutz, who pitched in the 1800's. He had ten victories, more than any other pitcher, and a record 33 straight scoreless innings in the Fall Classic. In 1999 he was ranked 52nd on The Sporting News List of Baseball’s Greatest Players. His #16 was retired and he has a place in the hallowed Monument Park. After his playing career, he did some coaching with the Yankees, some color commentary on TV, and opened Whitey Ford’s Cafe in 2002. Awesome, sir.
If you heard a jubilant cry this morning, it might have been me rejoicing at the news that the Yankees have been eliminated from the playoffs. The new dynasty I anticipated four years ago is again delayed. How sweet it is!
IMDb usually lists an artist’s future projects. As of now, there are none listed under Clint Eastwood’s name at IMDb. He is 90. If he has decided that Richard Jewell (2019) is his last hurrah, he has gone out on top. In most of his films, even those I like, I usually feel something is missing, something I can’t put my finger on. His latest is riveting from start to finish despite the outcome being known. The superb screenplay was written by Billy Ray, based upon the article American Nightmare: The Ballad of Richard Jewell by Marie Brenner, and the book The Suspect: An Olympic Bombing, the FBI, the Media, and Richard Jewell, the Man Caught in the Middle by Kent Alexander and Kevin Salwen. The major cast members are terrific: Paul Walter Hauser as the victim, Kathy Bates as his mom (Oscar nomination for Supporting Actress), Sam Rockwell as his lawyer, Olivia Wilde as an unscrupulous reporter and, in the thankless role of the FBI guy who screwed up royally, Jon Hamm. Its two-hour-plus running time seems a lot less. The re-creation of the bombing is first rate. How faithful is it to what actually occurred? Very, although not entirely. According to an article I found, the names of the agents are fictionalized, and Jewell had several lawyers, not just one. Kathy Scruggs, the reporter, claims points attributed to her are not true. The press comes off worse in the movie than the G-Men, who goofed in strictly following profile. When key evidence shows Jewell couldn’t have been the bomber, they assume he had an accomplice. It was a black eye for the world’s premiere law enforcement agency, one which may be eclipsed if Trump is re-elected and the upper echelon cabal that plotted to oust him is brought to justice. Anyway, 51,000+ users at IMDb have rated Richard Jewell, forging to a consensus of 7.5 on a scale of ten. On a scale of five, I’ll go with four. Made on a budget of $45 million, it returned $43+ million at the box office and has probably recouped costs through DVD sales and rentals and streaming. My hunch is that the stature of the film will grow through time. Jewell settled several lawsuits out of court. He did not win against the newspaper. He passed away at 44 from medical complications due to diabetes. Did his living nightmare take years off his life? Who can say, especially since his diet and weight were far from ideal? The actual bomber, Eric Rudolph, was eventually caught. Here’s Hauser in character.
From an article at nypost.com: According to Australian researchers, humans are undergoing a “microevolution” resulting in babies being born without wisdom teeth and with an extra artery in the arm. These are not harmful.
My thanks to Mr. Conspiracy, aka Steve, whose hands were shaking as he bought the massive Physicians’ Desk Reference, by far the largest book on display, and to Monse`, who purchased the littlest, Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life by Hector Garcia and Francesca Miralles ; and to the young woman who selected Tami Hoag’s Still Waters, Howard Fast’s The Immigrants, Herman Wouk’s The Winds of War, Allan Pease’s Definitive Book Of Body Language, and who then surprised me, as she had no trace of an accent, by also taking a book in Russian.
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