The Lion in Winter

It will be a sad day when Barry Bonds breaks Henry Aaron's all-time home run record. Aaron represents all that is dignified, proud, and decent not just in baseball, but in humanity.

In the face of intense hatred, intimidation, fear, prejudice and pressure, Hammerin' Hank went to work. His former teammates said there were days when he literally limped into the locker room before a game, played like a superstar during, and then limped home. In the 70s there was no major security for high-profile athletes. So when the hate mail and death threats came, Aaron knew he was on his own. He remained quiet, smiled and went to work.

He wasn't a big man by any stretch of the imagination. Yet, he played the game honestly. He hit 755 home runs on sweat and a systematic, scholarly approach to the game that has been matched by few before or after him. But the best part is that his home runs are not all that make him special. That was Henry the ballplayer. Henry the man used his celebrity to fight for equality and to advance the cause of civil rights. A king never rests on his laurels or gets caught up in his own press.

It's not that baseball fans thought his record would stand forever. It's that we hoped that someone who was as good a man or better would be the one to break it. Instead, baseball has given us Barry Bonds--the guy who ignores fans, charges little kids for autographs, blames the media for his rotten attitude, and tries to evade paying taxes. Even if we could forgive his despicable personality, what is unforgiveable is the fact that he will claim, and in so doing, deface Aaron's hard-won record.

Although he will never confirm or deny, many roads in the steroid contriversy lead to Bonds' doorstep. If you have followed the game for a few years, you remember what he USED to look like. He was much thinner and smaller. Human beings weather in the same way paint does over time. They don't spend their 20s tiny and then morph into the Incredible Hulk in their mid-30s. Bonds would have you believe that baseball is just picking on him because he's Black and because people don't like him. He publicly muses on why the sport is not targeting former white players like Mark McGwire. Hmm....maybe because he at least LEFT the game.

Whatever the reason, the fact that Bonds would have the audacity to play the race card in defense of his indefensible behavior is another testament to the level of his self-absorption. He does not get to play the race card! Most of the hate mail he gets is because the person he presents to the world is selfish, arrogant, and oozing with an undeserved sense of entitlement. It has little to do with the fact that he is Black.

Aaron has said he will not be there when his record falls. The only explanations he has offered are that he is not interested in following the circus around waiting for Bonds to hit 756 and that he does not want to be part of all the hype since he's been there and done that. Those close to him say that while there may be other reasons, we will never learn them because that's not Aaron's style. He has earned the right to make decisions without having to worry about what everybody else thinks.

It will be a sad day when the lion finally has to relenquish his throne to the challenger. While his accomplishment will pass into history, to those of us who love and respect the game of baseball and all that he went through to overthrow The Babe, Henry Aaron will always be the true king.

King Kong Is a MUST See!

If you're hitting the theatre in the next few weeks and you're looking for a movie that will keep you embedded in your seat, you must see Kong. This movie has amazing special effects, a great cast, and most important, a wonderful story.

This is not your mother's King Kong, though. This is Kong at warp speed, and the best actor in the film is the ape himself. Imagine love, laughter, anger and the depths of sadness being conveyed with no words at all. The chemistry between Adrien Brody and Naomi Watts comes right out of the screen at you. When he runs off into the jungle to save her you believe that he would kick open the gates of hell to get her back. And when Kong climbs the Empire State Building you feel that he, too, is more than willing to die for this woman, this strange looking thing with yellow hair, who danced for him when others cowered in fear.

And just in case you are wary of the film because you can't see Jack Black in a serious role, let me assure you that this isn't the Jack Black that we are used to. We hear his name and we automatically think silly, crazy, funny.....School of Rock. Not this time. When I watched Kong, at first I wanted to love his character Carl Denham. His was a hard luck story. He was a guy with big ideas who just wanted to have one more shot to get his dream film made and save his career. By the middle of this flick, I had no doubt that he was still that person somewhere deep inside, but he was also a selfish charlitan who was willing to sacrifice anything or anyone to get what he wanted. He cheated his friends, lied to his employees, and told every tall tale under the sun all for his own gain. He also exploited the naivete of and the love Kong had for Anne Darrow. His greed brought a beautiful creature to its knees. Adrien Brody's character Jack Driscoll put it best when he said that the thing that always amazed him about Carl was his unfailing ability to destroy the things he loved.

Does that sound like the Jack Black you know? I doubt it because he was in a whole different zone in this film. Go see it, and you'll see what I mean. Go see it if you want to feel something for your $8. Trust me, you won't regret it!

Sunday Night TV is HOT Again!

Last night was the night I've been waiting for for a LONG time! Sunday nights are hot again.

First up, Desperate Housewives....

I feel so bad for Susan. Just when things were going to work right with Mike, she finds out that his offspring is Rosemary's baby. I'm not mad at her at all. I wouldn't let Mike move some gun-wielding freak into my house, especially when I know he's obsessed with my teenage daughter. Not to mention the fact that he wasn't honest with her about how he basically blamed HER when the police questioned him about what happened. I like the guy, but he lies too much. He expects trust, but he doesn't give it.

Well, well, well. Poor Tom fell and hurt his back. I can't BELIEVE he asked Lynette to blow off her interview because he had an owie. I knew it! I knew this would happen. He thought it was SO easy to have her life and now he thinks he should be babied. Big ups to her for getting that job with a baby on her hip. Although, I'm not sure that I'd like to work for a person who said that mothers use sick kids as an excuse to slough all their work off on co-workers. Talk about a bitter cow who can hear her eggs drying up. Jeez.

Carlos really is as dumb as he looks. How precisely would Gabrielle have gotten a paternity test at this stage of a pregnancy? And what did she use to run the test? Did he give her a vial of his blood during visiting hours? How stupid could he be? Well, he did believe that his grass needed to be mowed three times a week. The two of them just can't stop LYING! At least they realize that they are both awful people. But they're "still rich"......so I guess they're happy with that.

YOU GO, BREE! When I saw Rex's mother hanging out of that taxi screaming like a crazy person, I had flashbacks to nightmares of what would descend upon my house if something happened to MY DH. She showed a lot more decorum than I would have. She gave Rex 18 FAITHFUL years, and his mother had the nerve to come in and pass judgment on her like she went out of her way to make him unhappy! I would have put the cow on the curb. I am not mad at her for yanking that tie off and burying HER husband in a manner in which she saw fit. Although, that really did look like a fake Rex. Maybe he IS still alive.....

And finally, the new neighbors.... I told DH that this is why I don't talk to people. You never know who has somebody CHAINED UP IN THE BASEMENT! They can look perfectly normal on the outside and be completely insane behind closed doors. Is it just me or did she seem way too chummy with her son? Wisteria Lane is pretty much a Noah's Ark of freaks. At least one of every kind lives on the same street! Makes you wonder what is hiding in your OWN neighborhood.

Ah...Grey's Anatomy...

OK, I get that Addison cheated on Dr. McDreamy first. But that still doesn't excuse him from not mentioning that he was married. However, that's what happens when people try to reverse engineer relationships. You start off screwing the first night you meet and then you think something meaningful can suddenly blossom from rolling in the hay with a total stranger. For a doctor, Meredith is not very smart.

Same with Cristina...Burke doesn't even have her PHONE NUMBER. Yet he feels some sort of connection to her? Based on what? I don't get it. I do find it ironic that he was perfectly happy to accept the interim chief position based largely on the fact that the real chief knew about Sheppard sleeping with an intern while he himself is bonking Cristina! She was the one who wanted to just have sex and pretend like there was nothing else for her besides work. And now she's brokenhearted when he cut her off after she repeatedly rejected his attempts to get to know her? I wonder if she'll go through with the abortion....

I'm glad O'Malley was able to help Joe keep his bar. I like the fact that they are giving his character some actual depth and cahones. It is pitiful that he's still pining away for Meredith Grey when he knows that she would rather suffer with a bad boy than give the nice guy the time of day. Enough with the long-suffering geek routine already!

Please don't tell me that Izzie is starting to fall for Alex. He's a PIG! Even pigs are capable of showing affection, but they are swine nonetheless!

My favorite character is Dr. Bailey. I love her! She knows everything that everybody is doing, but she doesn't let them drag her into their messes. She's no nonsense and fears no one. Even though Shepherd is her boss, she didn't hesitate to tell him where to go and how to get there. She's the ONLY one who isn't caught up in the drama. Isn't it scary to think about the things that are going on at hospitals? You go in to have a baby or get treated for something else, and your doctor is worrying about which intern his wife will find out he's sleeping with or which supervisor knocked her up? NICE...

Did I already mention that Sunday nights are hot again!!!! BTW, I haven't checked the whole board yet, so sorry if someone else already started a thread like this.