The Bonds Burden

It's been a few weeks since Barry Bonds passed Hank Aaron on Major League Baseball's all-time home run list and he's still slugging away. At last check, he was at 760 and unless he hurts himself rounding the bases or taking first base on an intentional walk, he'll probably finish the season at or about 770 home runs. Not bad for an old guy, huh? Back on July 24th, Barry Bonds turned 44 and for him to still be productive is a miracle all onto itself as he's hit 26 home runs, driven in 59 runs and is hitting a pretty solid .280 so far this season.

Although he's never tested positive for steroids, just the shadow of performance enhancing drugs over the last third of his career is unavoidable. I hate to sound like a Bonds apologist, but it's hard to dispute the numbers he's put up. And the one thing I hold on to when talking about his numbers is his bat speed. Sure he's bulked up tremendously, but to still have the flexibility to get around those pitches on the inner half of the plate, is incredible. One would think that he'd be too big to get around those pitches, much less hit them over the outfield fences. But therein lies the conundrum-- he's strong enough now to get them over [insert head scratch here]. My argument is still that you cannot teach bat speed.

I've always thought that he had reached a point in his career where he had to do something significant to his workout regimen in order to keep up with the younger and stronger players that now make up this league. Perhaps some sort of anabolic steroids were included, but where's the proof? I still haven't heard of him failing one of those tests yet. And if it ever comes out that he did do it, MLB may have to share some of the culpability.

Whenever Bonds calls it quits, he may end up somewhere around 800 career home runs. And yet, someone down the line should eclipse him. It'll probably be Alex Rodríguez who will break the record, barring a major catastrophe. I remember at one time that Ken Griffey, Jr. as the one to surpass Hank Aaron's record, but his body thought otherwise. Too bad for us. We would not have had to worry about the burden Barry Bonds has put on one of the most cherished and sexiest records in all of sports history.

Not so new now

Several months ago, I stumbled across a very good music cd and I can't tell you how much I dig this album: Astralwerks SXSW New Music 2006. It quickly became one of my favorites and I would say it's the best compilation cd that I've ever listened to, save for one that a friend made for me. Well, maybe not, but holy moly, is it good. This is who's on it, along with a few comments.

1. Beth Orton Conceived
A wonderful start to the album with a mix of Orton's vocals and instrumentation.

2. Willy Mason Oxygen

3. Sondre Lerche Everyone's Rooting for You
Reminds me those jazz/big big band standards from way back. Good to know that good jazz is still being made today.

4. The Concretes Chosen One
This song could belong on a Grey's Anatomy soundtrack.

5. Hot Chip Playboy

6. Small Sins Stay
Another future Grey's Anatomy track. Great singable chorus.

7. Athlete Half Light (Michael Brauer Mix)
I once woke up with this song in my head. Needless to say, it's a catchy tune.

8. Placebo Infra-Red
My initial favorite because of it's beat and grit but the song's intent is a little out there: song for the obsessed.

9. Sia Breathe Me
Ahhhh... what music. I get the sense she's channeling Jewell, Tori Amos and even Sarah McLachlan. Dig the marimba, too!

10. Audio Bullys I'm in Love

11. Candi Staton When Will I?
Speaking of channeling, along the lines of a female Otis Redding. Fantastic.

12. k-os Crabbuckit

13. Stephanie McKay Tell It Like It Is
Wow. This is instant head-bobbing music. Lyrically smooth, rhythmically moving.

14. The Juan Maclean Tito's Way

15. VHS or BETA You Got Me (Baby Daddy Remix)
Sounds like this one was taken straight the '80s New Wave dance movement, but with an updated twist.

16. Prophet Omega The Right Thing
Ooooh yeah. This song just rocks!

17. Fatboy Slim Weapon of Choice
This song was made famous by its video starring everyone's favorite funky actor Christopher Walken.

The Bard in Love

I saw Shakespeare in Love the other day for the first time in several years. Actually, the last time I saw this movie was during its initial theatrical release and at that time, it didn't strike me as a bonafide Oscar winner. Sure it was a good movie, with a wonderful premise and equally impressive performances by Gwyneth Paltrow, Joseph Fiennes & Geoffrey Rush, but Academy Award winning material? No. Perhaps Oscar voters were too turned off by Saving Private Ryan's intense realism to give that epic the Best Picture nod.

Anyhow, several years later, I found this Shakespeare movie much more inviting and real. This probably stems from having matured enough to understand and feel the true emotion associated with it. The passage in the film where Shakespeare wrote the sonnet with probably the most famous first line in literature, "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" hit me like lightning bolt. Wow, I knew exactly what he meant and in the movie's context, I grasped the sheer intensity of the sonnet's intention.

Chalk it up to maturity or in my case, life experience, but my eyes to a better extent now see the greatness of this film. I can relate on some levels to the gamut of emotions encountered by Shakespeare that was translated onto the silver screen by this 1998 film. My personal experiences since 1998 have let me appreciate this fictionalized tale of William Shakespeare's life.

(But I still say Saving Private Ryan should have won that year's Best Picture Oscar!)