All-State Teams: Pennsylvania

C	Roy Campanella (1948-57)	242 HR, 3 MVP awards	Philadelphia, PA
1B	Dick Allen (1963-77)	351 HR, 1119 RBI	Wampum, PA
2B	Nellie Fox (1947-65)	2663 H	St. Thomas, PA
SS	Honus Wagner (1897-1917)	3415 H, 1732 RBI, 1736 R	Chartiers, PA
3B	Buddy Bell (1972-89)	201 HR, 2514 H	Pittsburgh, PA
OF	Ken Griffey, Jr. (1989-present)	611 HR, 1772 RBI, 2680 H	Donora, PA
OF	Stan Musial (1941-63)	3630 H, 475 HR, 1951 RBI	Donora, PA
OF	Reggie Jackson (1967-87)	563 HR, 1702 RBI, 2584 H	Wyncote, PA

SP	Ed Walsh (1904-17)	195-126 W-L, 1.82 ERA	Plains, PA
SP	Rube Waddell (1897-1910)	193-143 W-L, 2.16 ERA, 2316 SO	Bradford, PA
SP	Christy Mathewson (1900-16)	373-188 W-L, 2.13, 2502 SO	Factoryville, PA
SP	Mike Mussina (1990-2008)	270-153 W-L, 2813 SO	Williamsport, PA
SP	Eddie Plank (1901-17)	326-194 W-L, 2.35 ERA	Gettysburg, PA
SP	Jamie Moyer (1986-2008)	246-185 W-L	Sellersville, PA
RP	Joe Page (1944-54)	76 SV	Cherry Valley, PA
RP	Gary Lavelle (1974-87)	136 SV, 2.93 ERA	Scranton, PA
RP	Bruce Sutter (1976-88)	300 SV, 2.83 ERA	Lancaster, PA
RP	Sparky Lyle (1967-82)	238 SV, 2.88 ERA	DuBois, PA
RP	Gene Garber (1969-88)	218 SV	Lancaster, PA

Mgr

Joe McCarthy (1926-50)

2125-1333 W-L, 9 pennants, 7 World Series

Philadelphia, PA

All-State Teams: New York

I briefly flirted with the idea of doing two teams, one for players from New York City and one for players from the rest of the state, but ultimately decided against it. Though I have to be honest - it hurt a lot to keep Hank Greenberg on the sidelines. He's one of my heroes. Also, you may notice that I decided to include a designate hitter on this team. That's all about Edgar, right there. It was the least I could do for arguably the best DH ever.

C	Joe Torre (1960-77)	2342 H, 252 HR	Brooklyn, NY
1B	Lou Gehrig (1923-39)	493 HR, .340 BA, 1888 R, 1995 RBI	New York, NY
2B	Craig Biggio (1988-2007)	3060 H, 1844 R, 668 2B, 414 SB	Smithtown, NY
SS	George Davis (1890-1909)	2660 H, 1539 R, 1437 RBI, 616 SB	Cohoes, NY
3B	Alex Rodriguez (1994-present)	2404 H, 553 HR, 1606 RBI, 1605 R	New York, NY
OF	Rocky Colavito (1955-68)	374 HR	New York, NY
OF	Willie Keeler (1892-1910)	2932 H, 1719 R, .341 BA	Brooklyn, NY
OF	Carl Yastrzemski (1961-83)	3419 H, 452 HR, 1816 R, 1844 RBI	Southampton, NY
DH	Edgar Martinez (1987-2004)	2247 H, 309 HR, .312 BA	New York, NY

SP	Mickey Welch (1880-92)	307-210 W-L, 2.71 ERA	Brooklyn, NY
SP	Warren Spahn (1942-65)	363-245 W-L, 3.09 ERA, 2583 SO	Buffalo, NY
SP	Charley Radbourn (1881-91)	309-195 W-L, 2.67 ERA	Rochester, NY
SP	Jim Palmer (1965-84)	268-152 W-L, 2.86 ERA	New York, NY
SP	Sandy Koufax (1955-66)	165-87 W-L, 2.76 ERA, 2396 SO	Brooklyn, NY
SP	Whitey Ford (1950-67)	236-106 W-L, 2.75 ERA	New York, NY
RP	Roy Face (1953-69)	104-95 W-L, 193 SV	Stephentown, NY
RP	John Franco (1984-2005)	2.89 ERA, 424 SV	Brooklyn, NY
RP	Dave Giusti (1962-77)	145 SV	Seneca Falls, NY
RP	Billy Koch (1999-2004)	163 SV	Rockville Centre, NY
RP	Don McMahon (1957-74)	2.96 ERA, 153 SV	Brooklyn, NY

Mgr

Joe Torre (1977-2008)

2151-1848 W-L, 6 pennants, 4 World Series

Brooklyn, NY

All-State Teams: Massachusetts

Again, a bit of personal bias crept into this list: Skip Lockwood moved his family to Rye when I was a kid (one of his daughters was in my grade in school - I had a huge crush on her in junior high...feel free to file that under, "Why, exactly, should I care?") and was heavily involved in the administration of the local Little League when I played.

C	Mickey Cochrane (1925-37)	.320 BA	Bridgewater, MA
1B	Jeff Bagwell (1991-2005)	2314 H, 449 HR, 1529 RBI	Boston, MA
2B	Jerry Remy (1975-84)	.275 BA	Fall River, MA
SS	Rabbit Maranville (1912-35)	2605 H	Springfield, MA
3B:	Pie Traynor (1920-37)	2416 H, .320 BA	Framingham, MA
OF	Joe Kelley (1891-1908)	2220 H, .317 BA, 443 SB	Cambridge, MA
OF	Jimmy Ryan (1885-1903)	2502 H, .306 BA, 418 SB	Clinton, MA
OF	Tony Conigliaro (1964-75)	166 HR, 516 RBI	Revere, MA
SP	John Clarkson (1882-94)	328-178 W-L, 2.81 ERA	Cambridge, MA
SP	Tom Glavine (1987-present)	305-203 W-L, 2607 SO	Concord, MA
SP	Tim Keefe (1880-93)	342-225 W-L, 2.62 ERA	Cambridge, MA
SP	Jack Chesbro (1899-1909)	198-132 W-L, 2.68 ERA	North Adams, MA
SP	Candy Cummings (1872-77)	145-94 W-L, 2.49 ERA	Ware, MA
RP	Steve Bedrosian (1981-95)	184 SV	Methuen, MA
RP	Jeff Reardon (1979-94)	367 SV	Dalton, MA
RP	Stu Miller (1952-68)	154 SV, 3.24 ERA	Northampton, MA
RP	Skip Lockwood (1969-80)	68 SV	Boston, MA
RP	Wayne Granger (1968-76)	108 SV, 3.14 ERA	Springfield, MA
RP	Wilbur Wood (1961-78)	164-156 W-L, 3.24	Cambridge, MA
Mgr	Connie Mack (1894-1950)	3731-3948 W-L, 9 pennants, 5 World Series	East Brookfield, MA

All-State Teams: New England

A few months ago, I started putting together all-time teams for each of the fifty states, but scrapped the project before getting it off the ground. Last week, I decided to start working on a revival. Instead of trying to piece together lineups from relatively small states, however, I'll pool some of the talent to create more impressive teams.

Up first: New England (sans Massachusetts - the commonwealth has more than enough resources to field a full squad).

Most of the players below were chosen according to merit. The only one I can think of that truly doesn't belong is Walter Woods, the relief pitcher from New Hampshire. Woods' presence on the team is easily explained by the fact that he is the only player in major league history from the town of Rye, where I spent the first 23 years of my life and much of my family still resides. How could I pass him over given those circumstances?

C: Carlton Fisk (1969-93) – 2499 G, 2356 H, 376 HR, 1330 RBI – Bellow Falls, VT
1B: Roger Connor (1880-97) – 1997 G, 2467 H, 1620 R, 138 HR, 233 3B, .317 BA - Waterbury, CT
2B: Napoleon Lajoie (1896-1916) – 2480 G, 3242 H, 1504 R, 1599 RBI, .338 BA – Woonsocket, RI
SS: Tommy Corcoran (1890-1907) – 2252 H, 387 SB – New Haven, CT
3B: Arlie Latham (1880-1909) – 1627 G, 1833 H, 1478 R, 739 SB – West Lebanon, NH
OF: Jim O’Rourke (1872-1893) – 2643 H, .311 BA, 1729 R – Bridgeport, CT
OF: Hugh Duffy (1888-1906) – 2282 H, 1552 R, .324 BA – Cranston, RI
OF: Jim Piersall (1950-67) – 1604 H, 104 HR – Waterbury, CT

SP: Mike Flanagan (1975-92) – 167-143 W-L, 3.90 ERA – Manchester, NH
SP: Steve Blass (1964-74) – 103-76 W-L, 3.63 ERA – Canaan, CT
SP: Bill Hutchison (1884-97) – 183-163 W-L, 3.59 ERA – New Haven, CT
SP: Ray Fisher (1910-20) – 100-94 W-L, 2.82 ERA – Middlebury, VT
SP: Bob Tewksbury (1986-1998) – 110-102 W-L, 3.92 ERA – Concord, NH

RP: Bob Stanley (1977-89) – 115-97 W-L, 132 SV – Portland, ME
RP: Clem Labine (1950-62) – 77-56 W-L, 96 SV – Lincoln, RI
RP: Walt Woods (1898-1900) – 18-26 W-L, 3.34 ERA – Rye, NH
RP: Ricky Bottalico (1994-2005) – 33-42 W-L, 116 SV – New Britain, CT
RP: Rob Dibble (1988-95) – 27-25 W-L, 89 SV – Bridgeport, CT
RP: Bill Swift (1985-98) – 94-78 W-L, 3.95 ERA, 27 SV – Portland, ME

Manager: Frank Selee (1890-1905) – 1284-862, 5 pennants – Amherst, NH

Red Sox Closers From Smith To Papelbon

The local radio guys mentioned this afternoon that Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon is just twenty saves shy of the team's all-time record as he enters his fourth season. For comparison sake, they threw out a few names from Sox bullpens past, names like Derek Lowe...Jeff Reardon...Tom Gordon...oh, the memories.

The Home Team's discussion actually helps segue into something I've been thinking about posting for awhile now - a list of the pitchers that preceded Papelbon in the closer role.

1988: Lee Smith, 29 saves
After Wes Gardner led the team with 10 saves in 1987, the team picked up Smith from the Cubs in exchange for Calvin Schiraldi and Al Nipper. There's not a lot I can remember about the deal at the time, but I do recall a big deal being made about the fact that Smith had saved 30+ games for four consecutive seasons. Of course, he missed the mark with the Sox.

1989: Lee Smith, 25 saves
He didn't get there in Year Two, either, was rendered unnecessary after the off-season acquisition of Jeff Reardon, and was eventually dealt to St. Louis in May 1990. The guy he was traded for, Tom Brunansky, was working on a string of eight straight 20-homer seasons. His first year with the Sox, he hit 15.

1990: Jeff Reardon, 21 saves
Like Smith, Reardon was working on an impressive streak when he came to Boston - five consecutive 30-save seasons, including two with 40+. He joined the Red Sox, didn't record his second save until mid-May, and missed nearly two months late in the season on his way to the lackluster total you see above.

1991: Jeff Reardon, 40 saves
Finally, a guy who was supposed to be a solid closer actually posted some good numbers. It was his third 40-save season, all with different teams.

1992: Jeff Reardon, 27 saves
Reardon set the career record for saves in 1992, notching number 342 in a 1-0 win over the Yankees on June 15, then was dealt to Atlanta at the trade deadline for a couple minor leaguers.

1993: Jeff Russell, 33 saves
Six months after being traded from Texas to Oakland in the deal that brought Jose Canseco to the Rangers, Russell signed as a free agent with the Red Sox. He had a good year (172 OPS+) that was wasted on a mediocre team (80-82).

1994: Jeff Russell, 12 saves; Ken Ryan, 13 saves
A tale of two seasons: Russell closed from April through early June, then "Closer of the Future" Ryan stepped in and handled duties for the last six weeks or so. Safe to say the latter pitcher would have hit twenty if not for the strike that started in mid-August.

1995: Rick Aguilera, 20 saves
The Sox picked up Aguilera in July, sending hot prospect Frank Rodriguez and a player to be named to Minnesota. He liked Boston so much that after helping the team to the division title, he declared free agency and immediately returned to the Twins, where they converted him into a starter for 1996 (8-6, 5.42) before sending him back to the bullpen for two seasons. They ultimately repaid his loyalty by trading him again, to the Cubs in 1999.

1996: Heathcliff Slocumb, 31 saves
Remember Ken Ryan, the "Closer of the Future"? Sure you do, it was only two years ago. Just before spring training, he and Atlantic League hero Glenn Murray were shipped off to Philadelphia for Slocumb. It paid dividends for awhile.

1997: Heathcliff Slocumb, 17 saves
Seventeen saves by the trade deadline seems decent. A 5.79 ERA doesn't. Fans were glad to see him shipped off to Seattle, even if only for a couple of no-name stiffs named Derek Lowe and Jason Varitek. It's only one of the most lopsided deals in major league history. So really, we should be thanking Heathcliff for being not very good in 1997.

1998: Tom Gordon, 46 saves
Gordon spent his first season and a half in Boston as a starter before assuming the closer role when Slocumb was shown the door. He had eleven saves in 1997, then piled up 46 in dominant fashion in 1998. Of course, that didn't translate to the playoffs: two games, three innings, four walks, three runs.

1999: Derek Lowe, 15 saves; Tim Wakefield, 15 saves
There's that Lowe guy again. The Slocumb trade might just pay off in the end. But that comes later. More importantly, this is the season that everyone points to when noting Wakefield's willingness to do anything for the good of the team. The details: eleven starts in his first fourteen appearances, then 25 straight relief outings and eleven saves, then six starts in his last ten games. He did a little bit of everything.

2000: Derek Lowe, 42 saves
And here he is, the guy who came to Boston in return for Heathcliff Slocumb. Pretty good year that could've been even better if the team had some decent starting pitching to get him the ball with the lead (the middle relief was pretty good, though - Rich Garces, Hipolito Pichardo and Rod Beck combined to go 17-4). I'm not positive, but his 42 saves out of 85 wins might be the best percentage in team history.

2001: Derek Lowe, 24 saves
2001 was a decent year on paper for Lowe, but it also featured the first widespread usage of "The Derek Lowe Face". By season's end, he was on his way to the starting rotation.

2002: Ugueth Urbina, 40 saves
Urbina came over for some spare parts at the 2001 trade deadline (say what you will about the quality of their closers, the team usually doesn't give up much to get them) and took over the role full-time the following season. I was actually in the ballpark when he recorded his fortieth save on the last day of the 2002 season. Convicted of attempted murder in his native Venezuela in 2007, he is the second Red Sox pitcher to record 40 saves in a season and be charged with a major crime - Jeff Reardon allegedly committed armed robbery in 2005 (he was later found not guilty by reason of insanity)

2003: Byung-Hyun Kim, 16 saves
Ah, the closer-by-committee. Brandon Lyon gets honorable mention here for the way he held down the fort with nine early saves. Kim took the reins for awhile, but had fallen out of favor by the playoffs, at which time Scott Williamson, Alan Embree, and Mike Timlin began kicking ass and taking names. Kim only appeared in one postseason game, throwing two-thirds of an inning in the ALDS.

2004: Keith Foulke, 32 saves
The solution to closer-by-committee. Foulke came over from Oakland as a free agent in the offseason and had a stellar regular season before taking it to another level entirely in the playoffs. Fourteen innings, one run, 19 strikeouts, countless jams evaded - they couldn't have won the ALCS or the World Series without him. He is one of the most underrated heroes in Red Sox history.

2005: Keith Foulke, 15 saves; Mike Timlin, 13 saves
Foulke wasn't the same after the 2004 postseason - he really destroyed his body for the good of the team - so it shouldn't have been a surprise when he faltered. Of course, the fans booed him. We're good like that. Fortunately, Timlin stepped in and saved the day (HA! No pun intended...really, there wasn't).

2006 and beyond: Jonathan Papelbon
He does stupid dances. He walks around with beer boxes on his head after big wins. He makes an "O" face on the mound before he pitches. He claims that his dog ate the game ball he delivered for the final out in the 2007 World Series. I get the feeling that he's the sort of guy who, if he's on another team, annoys the crap out of you. When he's on your team, however, he's like the crazy cousin who graduated from college six years ago but still heads back to campus to drink his face off every weekend and hit on teenage girls. He's a real life Wooderson.

Unanimous?

Michael Jordan is a finalist for the Basketball Hall of Fame this year, the first that he is eligible, and will clearly be included when the list of inductees is announced in April.

I don't know the voting procedures for the Springfield shrine, but here's that occurred to me when I read the news story announcing Jordan's candidacy: if baller Hallers were voted on in a way similar to their baseball counterparts (I'm pretty sure they aren't), would Jordan be the first player ever to be voted in unanimously?

That's one of the things about Cooperstown: no one has ever received every single vote (aside from Lou Gehrig, I believe, but that was a special election for a very sick man; anyone who didn't vote for him needed an immediate soul check). Observers thought Rickey Henderson might have had a chance this year - right up until 28 people failed to include him on their ballots. If Rickey, with his remarkable career totals, wasn't unanimous, maybe no one will ever be (the new sexy pick for unanimity? Greg Maddux).

But Jordan...Jordan is a special case, a unique blend of some of sports' best attributes in one mind and body. He has the numbers of Barry Bonds (without the steroid controversy), the championships of Joe DiMaggio, the defensive wizardry of Ozzie Smith, the competitiveness of Pete Rose. He was a great player in high school, a great player in college, a great player in the NBA. He was, without question, one of the top two or three players to ever pick up a basketball.

Yet somehow, in a baseball-style vote, I'm guessing at least five writers would find some reason to leave him off the first ballot. Call it a hunch.

I Need A Fedora And A Cigar, Please

I finally decided what I want to be when I grow up...

Bert Sugar.

There is nobody cooler than this guy.

Hossli.com (Fair warning: the link is in German)

"With...And": Harold And Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay

And...Neil Patrick Harris as "Neil Patrick Harris"

NPH's performances in the two "Harold and Kumar" movies represent some of the finest work in cinematic history.

A Fun Little Tennis Fact

While looking at historical Grand Slam winners in tennis earlier today, I noticed something about the women's list that appealed to my sense of order and neatness in the statistical record

Margaret Smith Court, one of the greatest players ever, won her first Grand Slam at the 1960 Australian Open. Thirteen years later, at the 1973 US Open, she won her last.

Several months later, 19-year-old Chris Evert won the 1974 French Open, her first Grand Slam in four tries (she had reached the finals in three of the previous four tournaments, losing to Court, Billie Jean King, and Evonne Goolagong). She won seventeen more Grand Slam singles, the last coming against Martina Navratilova at Roland Garros in 1986.

The next year, on the same court, Steffi Graf won her first Grand Slam, beating Navratilova in three sets (Navratilova exacted her revenge at a later date, topping Graf at Wimbledon and Flushing Meadows later in the year). In the next thirteen years, Graf won more Grand Slams than anyone except Court, 22 of them in all; like Evert, she bookended her major wins nicely, again going three sets against Martina (Hingis, this time) at the French Open.

At that same French Open, Serena Williams teamed with her sister Venus to win the doubles title over Hingis and Anna Kournikova. Later in the year, at the US Open, she took home her first singles title, beating Hingis in straight sets.

So, to recap:

Margaret Smith Court wins her first in 1960, her last in 1973;
Chris Evert wins her first in 1974, her last in 1986;
Steffi Graf wins her first in 1987, her last in 1999;
Serena Williams wins her first in 1999.

There were obviously other outstanding players active between 1960 and 2009 (King, Navratilova, Monica Seles), but I found it interesting that the careers of these four greats* bookended so neatly. There are 74 Grand Slam titles on display between them, plus whatever else Serena wins, none of which were won within the parameters of another's career.

*Some might object to the inclusion of Serena Williams as one of the "greats". I included her for two reasons: one, the location of her Grand Slam wins fit with the rest of the general outline, and two, I think there's this general feeling out there that she could've had at least a couple more titles under her belt if she had chosen to apply herself more fully to the game.

Pick A Number Between 1 And 10

Something just occurred to me while taking a quiz on Retired Yankees Numbers at Sporcle.

The release of Joe Torre's book doesn't just torch a huge bridge between him and the Yankees organization. It also means that the team will likely continue to have a top ten number available for the foreseeable future.

Of numbers one through ten, eight have been retired: 1 (Billy Martin), 3 (Babe Ruth), 4 (Lou Gehrig), 5 (Joe DiMaggio), 7 (Mickey Mantle), 8 (Bill Dickey and Yogi Berra), 9 (Roger Maris) and 10 (Phil Rizzuto). Number 2 is worn by Derek Jeter and will surely be retired shortly after he hangs up his spikes.

The last of the first ten numbers is 6, worn by Torre during his highly successful tenure as Yankees manager. Until recently, its eventual retirement was virtually guaranteed; now, the question isn't whether or not it will be retired, but whether or not the team will allow players and coaches to use it immediately. Sometimes a team will grant a player or manager the honor of holding back a number without officially retiring it (like the Red Sox with Roger Clemens, Jim Rice, and Ted Williams, who waited 24 years from the end of his career to the retirement of his number 9). In other situations, they give it to anyone, even the most random, undeserving utilityman, as quickly as possible (two years after Wade Boggs left Boston, Wes Chamberlain was wearing number 26).

Nadal vs. Federer, Take Seven

Why am I still awake at five o'clock in the morning? Because I refuse to let potential history pass me by without making at least a cursory attempt at witnessing it.

At the moment, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are playing for the Australian Open championship. A win for Federer would be the fourteenth Grand Slam title of his career, a win for Nadal would leave him needing just the US Open short of the career Grand Slam. It's worth it to stay up a little late.

Federer is currently down in sets, 1-0, as they play in the second. I might have expected Nadal to be fatigued after his epic semifinal match on Friday evening, I think it was, but he is holding his own and taking advantage of some sloppy play from Federer, who keeps hitting his shots just long. He did that last year too, in the match I live-blogged here. I still don't know the reason.

5:06 AM - You have to appreciate a match where each player constantly wins points that make you ask yourself, "Do I really need to sleep tonight?"

5:10 AM - Someone touched on an interesting point tonight, asking the question, "Will we be able to call Roger Federer the best player ever if there is one player he just can't beat?" I considered something similar last year and would have pursued it further had Nadal won the US Open: at what point do we begin to consider Nadal among the all-time greats? He still might be viewed as one-dimensional in terms of Grand Slam wins, with four of his five major wins coming at Roland Garros, but he won Wimbledon last year, and the Olympic gold medal, and if he wins the Australian today...I'm just sayin', I don't think he's all that far from at least entering the conversation.

He currently leads: 7-5, 3-2.

5:17 AM - Usually when the announcers talk about how Federer might be in trouble, I just tune them out. Not when he plays Nadal. He can pump up the volume and exert his will to defeat mere mortals. Not when he plays Nadal.

5:19 AM - Another thought on the idea of Nadal as the Greatest Of All Time: Andre Agassi won eight Grand Slams (four Australians, two US Opens, a French, and a Wimbledon) and an Olympic gold, but Pete Sampras is universally considered the better player. The biggest differences that I see are that Nadal has won more at a younger age than Agassi (5-1 at the same age) and I don't recall Agassi beating Sampras the way Nadal does Federer.

5:26 AM - I was right: Sampras was 20-14 against Agassi, including 4-1 in Grand Slam finals. The presumed better player actually holds the upper hand. Nadal is 4-2 against Federer in the same situations, pending tonight's result.

5:30 AM - I've been typing too furiously to pay a ton of attention, but from what I've seen, Federer is looking a lot better. If he can break Nadal here, he goes up 5-3 in the second set.

5:35 AM - Five break points later, Federer finally breaks Nadal to take the aforementioned 5-3 lead.

5:38 AM - Federer wins his service game and the set to tie the match at one set apiece, and that's my cue to go to bed. I blame Joey for the fact that I'm pulling a Rhoden here - he tends to wake up early and even though he's just eighteen months old, it generally takes both my wife and I to chase him around.

Fortunately, though, I have the DVR programmed to record for the next few hours (hopefully they don't switch coverage on me, as a scroll on the bottom of the screen just suggested; I'm remaining optimistic because I just can't imagine them moving this match from ESPN2 to the Tennis Channel just so Mike & Mike can be shown at its regularly scheduled time). The nice thing about this particular unit is that it has a setting that allows me to copy programs to a VHS tape. If only the one we had in Nashua had included the same features, I would have a hard copy of last year's Wimbledon classic on hand.

My Favorite Movie Quotes, Volume 21

Primeval (2007)

Steven Johnson: If I have to shove you up my ass to get you through customs, you are going to America. Thank you.

Are You Surprised At My Tears, Sir?

I spent the summer of 2002 working with a handful of other college students as an intern in the research library of the Baseball Hall of Fame, a job that provided both excitement (induction weekend) and drudgery (alphabetizing thousands of contract cards). Most days, the latter outweighed the former, leaving us to talk about whatever was on our minds.

One day, the topic of conversation was "Field of Dreams", specifically whether or not we broke down and cried during the last scene. Out of our group of nine or so people, only two claimed indifference to Ray Kinsella's family reunion. One was a guy from Texas who defended himself by noting that he cried at the end of "Old Yeller", the other a young lady from Pennsylvania who made no apologies for her cold-heartedness, even going so far as to state that she liked "The Sandlot" better.

I mention this now because until recently, "Field of Dreams" was the only movie that consistently brought a tear to my eye. That last scene speaks to so many things - relationships between fathers and sons, second chances, the limited acting range of Dwier Brown - that it just hits me on a different level than most films.

Lately, though, I've found that another flick effects me in a similar way: Armageddon, that American classic starring Bruce Willis, his occasional Southern accent, Ben Affleck, and an All-Star cast.

The thing that always gets me is when the team makes its triumphant return after saving Earth from annihilation. First is the obvious reunion between Liv Tyler and Ben Affleck. Aw, look at them running. Aw, look at them hugging. They're so in love! After that, we get a look at Will Patton's Chick - he's just sort of hanging out, minding his own business, when a kid bounds out from behind a line of vehicles. Is that - yes, that's his son, who we met earlier, running to welcome Dad back.

Earlier in the movie, before Chick went into space, it was established that he and his wife (maybe she's an ex-wife, maybe just a girlfriend; they aren't exactly clear on the relationship) don't have the best relationship, so much so that Chick's young son doesn't even know the identity of his father until the boy sees him on TV and the mother reveals the truth. From the dialogue, it's clear that we're supposed to blame Chick for the gap that exists between them; a good but imperfect man, he just never got the hang of being a husband and a dad, of taking responsibility for anything more than himself.

That scene at the end, though, where the boy runs out and Chick gathers him up in his arms, a bewildered but happy look on his face? That's what it's all about, because at that moment, he's not a fuck-up anymore. Anything he might have done in the past, anything he might have screwed up, is irrelevant. To his son, he's a hero.

That should be an identifiable emotion for any father. We all love our kids and want them to love us. It's almost a given. But just as much, we want them to see us as heroes, as larger than life figures who can do anything, up to and including the destruction of a giant asteroid that threatens the very existence of life on Earth. Seeing someone accomplish that, even a fictional character in a movie, is enough to bring a few tears to my eyes.