Fan...wait for it...aticism

So, most of my posts have been about one love - sports.

As we twiddle our thumbs waiting for the first pitch thrown in anger, I thought I'd orate a smidgen about another passion, both personally and professionally - television.

See, I get paid to watch TV...to simplify things a little bit. Yes, I know "we" (as in society) should not watch too much TV, and when given the choice of a nice day outside and or vegetating on the couch, I'm often the first one out the door. I play sports, I love to hike and enjoy fresh air walking around.

Still, I will not deny that I watch a fair bit of television, both professionally and personally. However, I'm quite selective about what I watch. I refuse to watch anything "reality" based - in my opinion it peaked with The Real World: San Francisco. Since then, a bunch of has-beens or never-will-be's trying to be the most outrageous person on tv just to get famous enough to be invited to turn on the Christmas lights in Oldham. Super.

Give me a properly scripted, well cast drama or comedy show any day. Over the years I've watched glimpses of more shows than I can remember, and followed a (not) suprisingly vast amount of shows.

Sooner or later though most show "jump the shark". Rarely does a series maintain the writing and energy produced in earlier seasons. Every now and then comes along the exception that drags you in. Now even the shows that fail to jump the shark have their ups and downs, but in today's TV market the leash is much, much shorter and many shows are cancelled long before they fulfil their promise.

Other shows seem to spend a weekly waiting game to see if they get renewed for another half season. Gone are the days of Cheers and Mash, both series that performed below average at launch before going on to run very succesfully for more than a decade.

Currently worth spending 45 mins on:

• Life - Damian Lewis of 'Band of Brothers' fame stars as a falsely imprisoned LAPD officer who is exonerated and returns to LAPD with a goldbadge, untold million$ and an urge to find out who framed him. All while in a Zen like frame of mind.
  
• How I Met Your Mother - A story told in flashbacks of how a group of 20-somethings live in NYC. It would be too much of a cop out to call it Friends for the next generation - plus this show is funnier.
• Entourage - Sex and the City for men. The city is LA. The sex is with a star actor, his hanger-ons and friends with countless number of starlets and wannabes. An HBO production, so not a PC dialogue in sight.

Now I'm off to see OC Ska...and then pack for my move this weekend. Joy and pain all rolled into one.

.....and we're back

After the annual January baseball holidays, we're now back to our previously scheduled entertainment.

For the Sox, truck day happened while I was on vacation in DC, and all teams have now reported to spring training. The Sox are enjoying a very quiet camp, whilst further up the gulf coast the Yankees turmoil continues day by day.

Despite spending more money than Iceland's national debt, the Yankees are far from a sure thing. Without a doubt, the rotation has improved - how could it not when they added the #1 and #2 pitchers available on the market? However, as good as Burnett's stuff is, he only seems to be able to get through a full season when he's in a contract year.....which he won't be for another 4 years....

And whilst the Yankees offense will be formidable, their defense still leaves a lot to be desired. Sure, Teixeira will be a huge upgrade at 1st from previous seasons, but the other side of the infield is not getting younger or better. In fact, Baseball Prospectus article at ESPN highlights the defensive liability that Derek Jeter has become. (You have to be an ESPN Insider to read the full article.)

While there are arguments over the accuracy and effectiveness of different contemporary defensive metrics, they are nearly unanimous on The Captain's limitations. Clay Davenport's new play-by-play metric that debuts in this year's edition of the Baseball Prospectus annual says Jeter's work with leather cost the Yankees 18 runs in 2007, and another 12 in 2008. John Dewan's plus/minus system from the Bill James Handbook rates Jeter the worst shortstop in total plus/minus of the last three years. On a scouting level, as strong-armed as he is, his range afield has become an obvious issue, just as it did for Cal Ripken in his mid-30s.

Will the Yankees front office have the brass balls, and the ability, to convince Jeter that CF is a great position for him? I for one hope that they don't, because that would indeed make the Yankees better....

The first ST games start this week, and then we have the WBC to look forward to in March.

Bring it on.

In all it's green, green glory

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