Four Thoughts

Just some quick ones from the weekend:

-So, I finally got around to seeing the latest Terminator movie, Terminator Salvation. Mostly the plot was kind of shaky, because I wasn't sure what the end game of the villains was really supposed to be, but the action was good. Given that most directors today are more concerned with how a movie looks over how the script actually is, I guess you can't go into any sci-fi movie without expecting that sort of trade off. The biggest revelation to me was discovering that, no matter what role Christian Bale is playing, he can't speak intensely without going into his Batman voice. I'm never going to be able to listen to him ever again without immediately starting to mock the screen, yelling, "The Terminator can't kill me, I'm Batman!"

-Edwin Volquez of the Cincinnati Reds was busted for a positive drug test last week and suspended 50 games. Now, it doesn't really matter to the Reds because he's hurt anyways so the suspension won't effect any of his playing time (that's a fairly large loophole in the steroid policy, don't you think?), but to salvage his reputation for future contract negotiations, he wanted to clarify that he wasn't taking real steroids. Instead he said the positive result came from some medication he was taking because he and his wife are having trouble starting a family. Now, I don't know if this is a lie or not, but if it is, it's one of the better lies of all time. No reporter is going to question this explanation because women reporters will be sympathetic to his plight and no male reporter would ever ask too many questions about another man's plumbing.

-I'm not trying to come off as petty, because I actually don't think it effected the game or the series, but I honestly think the Miami Heat are pumping in crowd noise. Watching the game today it never seemed as though the noise on TV was being matched by what I was seeing. No one is clapping at the "Let's Go Heat!" chant, but it was loud and clear on TV. Also, I'm seeing thunder sticks, but hearing cow bells. And for a lot of empty seats the crowd sure was loud. Maybe it was just because the people behind the announcers were into the game and they were being picked up by more microphones, but if the team is actually manufacturing crowd noise then that is a really sad statement about the Miami franchise.

-I know that his draft-day fall hurt him in the wallet, but Jimmy Clausen has to be thrilled where he ended up. He's going to a team that has little competition to stand in his way to being the starter by mid-season, has a good offensive line, an outstanding running game and he can throw to Steve Smith. If he just does his thing he'll make back the money he lost in his next contract while Sam Bradford is in traction after getting sacked 100 times in two seasons and Tim Tebow is still sitting on the bench in Denver because Kyle Orton refused to go away. He and Colt McCoy actually may have lucked out in the long run, even if it didn't feel like it Saturday night.